The Friendship (Kindness) Flower

Kindness must be the cornerstone of your classroom!

Kindness doesn't mean supporting any type of agenda. It is a simple and basic virtue, and one that should be nurtured every step of the way. The Friendship Flower is a keepsake for your classroom. It is a constant reminder of the kindness that permeates amid each moment of the day, and represents a most valuable lesson. Students quickly recognize and understand what the Friendship Flower represents, and most will use it throughout the day for a variety of purposes - some which may even surprise you!

The Friendship Flower can be introduced the first week of school in a kindness lesson. This way, it is something that students can connect with all year long. Keep it in a special place in the classroom that is easily visual and reachable for students. Simply put, the Friendship Flower serves as a tangible object for any situation that requires: thoughtfulness, helpfulness, consideration, empathy, connection, kindness, friendship, understanding, harmony, generosity, etc.

Students may want to use it for themselves or give it to another person. For instance, a student may give it to someone who is sad, angry, upset, hurt, or lonely. The Friendship Flower provides a way for students to reach out to each other, in a way that is unobtrusive. By simply placing it next to someone at a table can mean so much, and ultimately, that is the point. Teaching your students to be kind is a fundamental lesson that they will continue to carry with them throughout their lives....and to think that a little flower can be so valuable in teaching kindness....is well, noteworthy. I hope every teacher (and caregiver) creates a Friendship Flower for their classroom!

Worksheets or No Worksheets?

Worksheets for Kinders....are they a good idea?

The idea of worksheets in Kindergarten is quite polarized to say the least! To use worksheets or not to use worksheets have sharply contrasting schools of thought. As a Kindergarten teacher, I definitely use worksheets, though certainly not as a cornerstone of my classroom. There I said it. I use worksheets! Please don't judge me until you hear what I have to say. Simply put, I use them for two purposes. I use worksheets as a way to quickly and easily assess student understanding as a "check-in" or "exit ticket," directly following a lesson or as a "whole group assessment" for quarterly reporting purposes. (*Hint: this also helps transitioning students to center work so they are not all rushing to the centers at once!) I especially enjoy using aesthetically pleasing and Montessori-style worksheets, including seasonal and themed worksheets! Check out my seasonal current worksheets here!

Secondly, I use simple original worksheets that invite students to imagine and create independently. For example, following a lesson about comparing and contrasting domestic and wild animals, I will give students a basic T-Chart Worksheet. Students are given the opportunity to "research" the animal books around the classroom. As they research, they can write the word and/or draw a picture of an animal, add collage materials, etc. - whatever they feel they want to do as their research! You should see how engaged the students are when they CHOOSE how to research, and how to complete the worksheet! Choice really is key! And, here's a little hint, I always print these kinds of worksheets on card-stock so they offer whatever sturdiness is necessary for the kids' work!

The important take-away here, is that whenever possible, offer students an opportunity to complete engaging work (or worksheets) as they choose in ways that enable them to use their skills and interests and to properly engage with the topic/lesson. This will also help to increase their independence, confidence, completion and organization skills, and creativity. And, of course, there should be no right or wrong way to do so! The idea of offering students worksheets as "busy work," goes against everything I've learned about developmental appropriateness. That being said, I am very purposeful about the worksheets I use.

Below are some ideas for providing "original" meaningful worksheets in your classroom. I will be adding basic templates for these types of worksheets in my TPT store soon!

• T-Charts for Compare & Contrast wherein students can write, draw, add collage materials, etc.

• Target Maps include a word/image centered on the worksheet wherein students can write, draw, add information, etc. For example, if the target is /Bb/, students can write Bb words, draw Bb pictures, write the letter Bb with different writing utensils or in different sizes, etc.

• "All About" Brainstorming/ Graphic Organizers

• Science Investigations: i.e. pumpkins

• Can, Have, Are Charts: alongside art utensils, such as stamps, chalk, q-tip paint

• First, Next, Last Charts: alongside art utensils, such as stamps, chalk, q-tip paint

• "How-To" Sequence Boxes: alongside art utensils, such as stamps, chalk, q-tip paint

• Fun Writing Prompts: i.e."If you could be an animal, who would you be?" Students can "answer" in words, pictures, etc.

• Word Art: i.e. collages, writing or making a word go in different directions, using different writing or art utensils

• Fun Seasonal: ties to any current theme/season in a fun and engaging manner, including crafts. Check out my current seasonal worksheets here!

Read-Aloud Every Day!

Read-Aloud every day to get children excited about reading!

When you read-aloud, you demonstrate pitch, tone, expression, pace, volume, fluency, and how to properly use language. 'Read-alouds' help children increase and develop vocabulary, reading comprehension, speaking skills, and background knowledge, such as information about the world around them. The read-aloud process allows for interactive discussions, including critical thinking Q&As, wherein A LOT of learning takes place. It may just be the most important part of your teaching day, so read-loud as often as you can - several times a day.

Since 'read-alouds' are so important, it is a sound idea to plan ahead thoughtfully about the books you will read. There is certainly nothing wrong with pulling a book from the shelf and reading it, but being intentional with the read-aloud process is highly valuable. There are myriad ways to extend a simple 'read-aloud' to make it more purposeful, including: vocabulary, phonemic awareness & phonics, and reading comprehension activities.

Vocabulary Activities:

• Use specific thematic/weekly vocabulary alongside books, as well as, High Frequency Words (HFW).

• Keep (large-sized) books on a reading stand so children have better visual access.

• Find, highlight, & research words. *Use highlight tape for non-digital books!

• Discuss, explain, and reuse words, such as: "Give me a new sentence for the word _____."

• Match/sort words to pictures alongside a pocket chart or Promethean board, etc.

• Incorporate movement exercises, such as: "Wave your hands in the air every time you hear the word _____."

• Demonstrate vocabulary alongside other circle-time interactive activities.

Phonemic Awareness & Phonics Activities:

• Use specific books alongside specific (weekly) phonemic awareness/phonics lessons (i.e. books about balloons, bats, & bears when learning the letter Bb).

• Keep (large-sized) books on a reading stand so children have better visual access.

• Find, highlight, & research letters, sounds, & phoneme patterns. *Use highlight tape for non-digital books!

• Identify and discriminate letters, sounds, & phoneme patterns, such as: "What word rhymes with _____?"

• Match/sort letters, sounds, and phoneme patterns to pictures alongside a pocket chart or Promethean board, etc.

• Incorporate movement exercises, such as: "Stomp your feet every time you hear the sound _____."

• Demonstrate phonemic awareness & phonics alongside other circle-time interactive activities.

Reading Comprehension Activities:

• Use specific books in order for children to practice different reading comprehension strategies, such as: story elements, compare & contrast, classification, visualization, making predictions, brainstorming, etc. *Introduce the specific reading comprehension strategy before beginning the read-aloud.

• Keep (large-sized) books on a reading stand so children have better visual access.

• Find & highlight words or phrases that denote specific details, evidence or information. *Use highlight tape for non-digital books.

• Incorporate "retelling" cards/pictures alongside a pocket chart or Promethean board for better understanding of the story. *You can even make a permanent "retelling" activity for your literacy center! (Note: I will be adding retelling activities to my store soon. For example, I will have Goldilocks and The Three Bears retelling cards.)