of a Kindergarten Student at Great Falls
A “Day in the Life of a Student” series happily continues at Great Falls. My most recent experience took me to kindergarten where I was the lucky principal that enjoyed the entire day with sweet Hazel. Mrs. Lyons made sure that I played the part by purchasing matching rainbow t-shirts with flashy sequin embellishment. Coolest shirt EVER!
Starting the day with a morning meeting is a powerful and important component of a kindergarten classroom. Hazel and classmates greatly benefited from taking the time to ease into the school day through a very thoughtful and comprehensive greeting, sharing, activity, and morning message. It was the perfect way to meet the social and emotional needs of kindergarten students while incorporating academic standards. It also reminded me why kindergarten needs a later creative arts block and how important an uninterrupted morning session is to start their day.
Once the students were ready to learn, Mrs.Lyons transitioned into a literacy lesson followed up by centers. Kindergarten is the start to building a most solid reading foundation! Hazel and her classmates worked on understanding the relationship between sounds and words, reading fluency, understanding what they read, expanding their vocabulary, and building knowledge. They love learning together in a playful environment and benefited from the quick and engaging tasks found at each center. A favorite activity was definitely the rhyming memory match game. Wordplay helps kindergarteners understand how words are broken into individual syllables and how words with similar endings rhyme. Exposing young readers to how letters, sounds, and words work together really builds up their beginning reading skills.
Lunch and recess came quick but the students (and me too) were hungry and ready to play. I was very curious as to what kindergarteners choose to do at recess and this experience did not disappoint! Recess is a time for kindergarteners to increase their level of physical activity and enjoy games with their friends. Recess encourages creative play and is one of the hallmarks of development for early elementary students. It is clearly one of their favorite times of the day! During this particular recess, Hazel and friends ran and I followed along as we ran to various continents, countries, and states! It was hilarious and at the same time - SO MUCH FUN! I got in a great workout and felt re-energized for the rest of the day!
If I needed any more evidence for the positive results of cross-age experiences in an elementary school, witnessing reading buddies between fifth graders and kindergarteners would do it! The experience enhances personal and interpersonal skills while improving connectedness to school. The benefits of this amazing relationship increase empathy and relationships and was a joy to watch. Hazel clearly has established a great connection with her two buddies and looked forward to their time together.
Kindergarteners learn by doing. They enjoy observing, asking questions, touching, and experimenting. Mrs. Lyons incorporated a science experiment about blubber by presenting the question “how do penguins stay warm”? The students were given special glasses that turned them into scientists. The students had the chance to make discoveries on their own. Hazel and classmates enjoyed the activity as they worked on reasoning and problem-solving skills in a safe and encouraging environment. They had a blast learning about how blubber works to keep penguins warm! When activities are engaging and fun, kindergarteners are more willing to participate and take risks. Having fun while learning also helps students retain information better as the process is enjoyable and memorable.
The afternoon in kindergarten consisted of snack time, math, and social skills. It was wonderful to see a similar math warm-up activity used in fifth grade that was adapted to meet the needs of kindergarteners. Hazel and classmates engaged in several math activities that helped them to recognize numbers, count, and compute.
From my experience in kindergarten, I would describe our youngest learners at Great Falls as fearless, energetic, considerate, daring, and kind. I am thankful for this opportunity! Special thank you to Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Sawyer for allowing me to join your learning environments. A great big cheer to Hazel for being the best kindergarten buddy for the day!
Next up in the “Day in the Life of a Student” series will be grade 3! Stay tuned for more adventures as I continue to stay connected to our students and gain a first-hand perspective of their days at school.
***Special bonus!! During my day in kindergarten, Mrs. Lyons got the text message that she was going to be a grandmother for the 3rd time… this time to her first granddaughter! Congratulations, Mrs. Lyons! 🙌 💖 🐥
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