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Click here to read this issue online, if you are not able to access links in your email version.
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1. Start the Year with Mother Goose
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Make Friends with Mother Goose
We begin the year with Mother Goose Rhymes to effortlessly give children the rhythm and sounds of the English language. In Becky Leber’s kindergarten an imaginary Mother Goose visitor leaves white feathers and new props each
week (a shoe, star, candlestick, lambs wool, etc.) to inspire children to learn each new rhyme. Children love the feathers and delight in memorizing and dramatizing the language of Mother Goose.
See new article:
The Imaginary World of Mother Goose
One of the most well-known and loved English rhymes is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Singing and signing these familiar words may spark an interest in learning about the stars and the natural world outside the
classroom. We encourage children and their families to begin taking night walks to explore the night sky as a part of a year long focus on learning about the natural world. See new link:
Children and Their Families Learn About The Stars.
Invite children to memorize, recite, and perform Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in American Sign Language (ASL). The hand gestures help build memory connections and enhance meaning. Sign
language also develops the finger muscles for writing.
Mother Goose Resources:
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2. Poems and Songs to Celebrate Fall |
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Someone wisely said, “childhood is for language.” As we begin a new year with children, we think of the songs, poems, rhymes and caring relationships that are the foundation of our curriculum.
Free Poetry Pages: Download your favorite from over 100 short poems, rhymes, songs and chants that we have collected and consider “worthy of our children” for Poetry and Song “I Can
Read” Notebooks. See:
September Songs and Poems to Begin On
Letter new rhymes on language charts or create individual pocket chart word cards for shared reading experiences; then use the anthology pages for art extensions, guided reading and fluency practice. Photo Essay:
How to Develop Poetry (I Can Read) Notebooks
Invite parents to make poetry and song posters for you. For innovative language chart ideas, we invite you to see:
Classroom and Seminar Language Charts |
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3. Apple Explorations: Rhymes and Links |
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The Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree,
Two little apples smiled down at me.
I shook that tree just as hard as I could.
Down came the apples,
Mmmmmm, they were good! |
Our 13 free little books include The Apple Tree. Invite the children to dramatize the actions: looking “way up high,” shaking the tree, and taking bites out of imaginary apples are all actions children
delight in.
Free Little Books
Make your own Guided Reading Books: Mount the color pages of this rhyme on green cardstock, laminate and bind the pages with scotch tape.
Visit an orchard: When our girls were in kindergarten, the whole class visited our little farm to pick apples and make cider from an old cider press. Apple cider never tasted so good!
Find some apple trees! Apple Explorations bring delicious gifts from fall!
Here are some great site links to inspire your Apple Explorations:
Enjoy short apple rhymes as part of your language-rich curriculum. (Download these individual rhyme pages from
September Songs and Poems to Begin On:
I Like Apples
I like apples
Munch, munch, munch!
I like apples
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
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Take an Apple
Take an apple round and red
Don’t slice down,
Slice through instead.
Look inside
And you will see,
A special star
For you and me!
traditional |
I like Apples
Big apples,
Little apples,
Medium-sized too.
I like all apples,
How about you?
traditional |
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4. Writing to Read in Kindergarten: New Full Color Seminar Sampler (e-Book) |
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We are excited to share a new kindergarten writing e-Book with you, featuring 30 pages of practical writing strategies from Julie Lay’s 165 page Writing to Read seminar literacy manual. We hope this book will inspire your “kid
writing” this year.
Consider downloading this beautiful full color seminar sampler and storing it in clear plastic sleeves, together with our other Writing e-Book.
Study With Julie Lay November 7th in Salem, Oregon.
See:
Writing-to-Read Seminar Flier
In case you missed our earlier Joyful Kindergarten Writing e-Book, here is the link:
http://www.nellieedge.com/pdf/ebook.pdf
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5. Puppet Magic: Meet Rulee and Archy  |
Every class deserves to have a wonderful puppet friend who can help them reflect on discipline and management issues. Meet Rulee, Diane Bonica’s special helping giraffe, who has a permanent habitat in a tent
next the meeting area in the classroom. Check out the
video clip of Rulee in action and consider how responsive children are to imaginative puppet friends. See
Welcome to Kindergarten Puppet Magic .
Access Diane Bonica’s new inspiring literacy award website from our
Literacy Award Page.
Mr. Kindergarten, Dan Gurney a wise California teacher, also has a magical puppet in his classroom. From his informative
blogspot you can read more about Archy.
“Archy comes to my rescue every time I need to navigate some treacherous emotional waters: stealing, not sharing, name calling, cutting in line, being afraid of snakes, cats, dogs, or frustration or
discouragement.”
Consider finding an Archy for your kindergarten. |
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6. Kindergarten Friends Name Challenge |
Encouraging children to quickly recall the names of every student in the classroom helps build a friendly classroom environment where every child feels a sense of belonging. Learning class names helps develop
social intelligence and communications skills. You will find that many of your more socially mature students automatically learn names, easily establish eye contact, smile and confidently say, “Good morning,
Marissa.” These children may easily become “name experts.” Other children will benefit from additional support and practice.
The Friendly Fox Puppet in Celeste Starr’s kindergarten helped children practice saying every name.
A special thank you to Dan Gurney for the original idea from the CKA Newsletter (Fall, 2006) which we have adapted.
For more details see:
Kindergarten Friends Challenge: I Can Say Every Name!
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7. Salem Kindergarten Cadre Schedule and Details |
September 22, 2008 (Monday) 4:30 to 6:00
Art, Literacy, and the Kindergarten Child with Laura Flocker (all-day kindergarten)
Candalaria Elementary, 953 Hansen Ave. S., Salem, OR 97302. School phone number is (503) 399-3136. Laura will share her passion for teaching art in kindergarten and her high expectations for student engagement in art, science, and
literacy. Nellie will highlight best practices for teaching handwriting with a focus on fluency. We will have examples of best “Just Right: I Can Read” books to build individual book boxes for “Read To Self” from
The Daily 5. Be sure to view
Laura Flockers awesome website : Parent Information.
We are still finalizing plans for the remaining Fall Salem Kindergarten Cadre meetings. Email us at
info@nellieedge.com if you are not already signed up and would like to receive announcements at your home email (sometimes school emails block our cadre notices and monthly newsletters). Join us for discussion, camaraderie, and
action-research with a focus on Best Practices to build a Joyful Kindergarten Culture of Independent Readers and Writers.
Eugene, Portland, Albany, Stayton area teachers: If you have studied with us in the past and are using our “Joyful Acceleratd Literacy Strategies” and “The Daily 5”, you
are welcome to join us for these meetings.
Our resource books are:
Other books that we highly recommend are:
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Talking, Drawing and Writing by Martha Horn and Mary Ellen Giacobbe. 2007, Stenhouse.
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Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning by Peter Johnston. 2004, Stenhouse.
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Why We Teach: Learning, Laughter, Love and the Power to Transform Lives by Linda Alston. 2008, Scholastic.
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The Literate Kindergarten: Where Wonder and Discovery Thrive by Susan L. Kempton. 2007, Heinemann.
These professional development sessions are free. You will be encouraged to pursue a practical kindergarten research topic this year. Semester credits are available through the University of the Pacific. We will have registration
details at our first meeting. Many of Salem’s mentor kindergarten teachers will host these monthly meetings in their beautiful classrooms. I will also host a few “living-room” workshops.
Smiles for September!
Nellie Edge |
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© 2008 Nellie Edge - Excellence in Kindergarten and Early Literacy
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