Background Thinking

The first six weeks of school is a very important time of introductions and teaching new skills that will help children grow in autonomy and responsibility.  It is a time for teachers to build on children's innate competencies and to draw out and utilize what children already know and understand about school.  Children are introduced to classrooms, the school community, new adults and classmates and for many, a new language and significant cultural differences and expectations.   

Vocabulary

afraid    bus     family    kind    listen     responsible     rules    sad     safe     schedule     school    shy    teacher    computer    different    feelings    friend    help    journal    on    over    pencil    same    scissors    under   around    ask    bottom    calm     happy     mad     problem     solution    stop     take-turns    think    top     wait     care      classmates     community      environment      first     last    loud    middle     Como Park Elementary     share     together    band-aid    broken     fix    invite     join    please     thank-you     timer   trade

Learning Objectives:

• Learn, teach and use children's names quickly to create a climate of familiarity, community and safety. 
• Teach the schedule and routines of the day.  A sense of order and predictability is important and will allow children to relax, focus, and feel competent. 
• Teach expectations for behavior in each routine.  Classroom rules and expectations create a common culture.
• Develop some familiar and simple activities that become classroom rituals
• Establish expectations of how we will learn together
• Introduce children to physical environment and classroom materials and how to care for and use them.
• Recognize children's interests and learning styles to enhance engagement.
• Connect learning to self, family, and culture, and nurture each child's individual identity as a valued contribution to the group.
• Remember that repetition of these new experiences, rather than duration, is the major factor in learning.
• Remember that children focus and learn when their basic needs are met.