tactile AND kinesthetic class

"Andy Apple is an acrobat. Andy can jump way over his mat. Ant can catch him, just like that! Andy Apple is an acrobat." "Benny Bear, Benny Bear. Please beware! Please beware! I see a bee near the basket of beets. The bee is buzzing by buttery treats. Please don't run. Eat your bun! Benny Bear.""Callie Cat can bake a cake...."

I love teaching Kindergarten. Two years ago, if you asked me what grades I wanted to teach, I would have said grades 1-5. You notice no mention of Kindergarten or 6th grade? Well, I was horribly afraid of both ages of kids. Sixth graders are hormonal & know more about worldly stuff than I do, and Kindergarteners "need help blowing their noses & tying their shoes."

Funny how a mindset can change. :)

I love helping five-year-olds LEARN to blow their own noses & tie their own shoes, and identify letters & sounds, count to 100 and beyond, begin addition & subtraction, and READ!

This year will be different. Not bad different..... good different IF I am a consistent teacher. I was not very consistent last year. Some days, I would teach phonics after calendar math, some days it would come before carpet time, and some days, it would fall in the afternoons. No one could ever guess when I'd teach math. That was even more unpredictable. The students would show a lot of success with routines for a few weeks, I would get bored, and the routines would change. This year, I am preparing my mind to NOT fall into those bad habits. Not only do I have a different group of students, but this group of six-year-olds has had a year of Kindergarten. They spent last year learning one letter per week through Saxon Phonics, lessons from Saxon Math, and center activities. This year, in order for them to learn & be prepared for 1st grade, I have to teach differently from day 1.

I also have to teach the rules & enforce them throughout the first weeks of school & beyond. This year, I have four rules.
1. Follow directions quickly.
2. Raise your hand for permission to speak or leave your seat.
3. Make smart choices.
4. Keep your dear teacher happy.
(These rules come from Whole Brain Teaching which I am implementing this year to keep classroom management under control.)

This group coming to me this year is a group filled with highly-tactile, highly-kinesthetic, highly-visual learners. That's why Saxon was not successful with this group. Saxon is designed for auditory learners, & less than 30% of students retain information from lessons designed for auditory learners. This year, I'm teaching hands-on math lessons, hands-on, move-around phonics lessons, daily 5 independent literacy & guided reading lessons with focus on student-selected goals, and science/social studies integrated into thematic units (not based on letters we're learning!)

Please pray for my excited sixteen students and their enthusiastic, filled with new research-based ideas, yet longing for a few extra weeks of summer break teacher in the coming days. :) August 4 is our first day of school!