Week 8

In regards to yesterday’s class, I LOVED the kindergarten teachers’ document based question tool. I was extremely impressed with their success, and I was very excited to hear about social studies instruction from the perspective of kindergarten teachers since that is the grade I would like to teach myself. This class was the first time this semester it was easy for me to envision “social studies in action” for a kindergarten class. I was super curious how instruction and lesson plans might look and this gave me a good feel for it. I like how the teachers let the students bring their own experiences to the meaning of the lesson before diving in. I also love the idea of a gallery walk outside of the classroom because I think it is important for students, especially at such a young age, to move around throughout the day. If I could critique the teachers, I only have one point I would bring up. I was a little taken back that the “I can” statements are used for the teachers rather than the students and are not read aloud together. I wonder if teachers in higher grades at their school chorally read their “I Can” statements. In my opinion, I think “I can” statements not only allow students to be responsible for their own learning, but also give students motivation and understand what they will learn throughout the day. Learning without purpose does not serve students well.  By and large, I loved that the kindergarten teachers were invited to share with our class their experiences of social studies instruction. Most of the time in our class sessions, it is hard for me to envision these tasks and tools being used at a kindergarten level, but these teachers have assured me it is so worth it to take the risk! 🙂