Lower School Curriculum

This was an excellent two day workshop on all things kindergarten. I'd highly recommend it. Here are notes from the Keynote Speakers:

Growing restrictions of what we can do, say and read.

perceptual/cognitive lens - for 5 year olds what they see and hear is what it seems to be 

Experience dependent development - earlier level if they didn't have as much peer interaction, if separate means you become vulnerable then the separation individuation, more oppositional than is typical at that age. Rather than regression, process will be on hold. Expectation needs to shift and it’s our job to catapult them to where they should have been. 

Invite the here and now into the community. E.g. let’s say there was a flood and water got in or a fire in your neighborhood, a loss of staff member or community event like covid - acknowledge them, affirm, Don’t leave them alone. Be honest, explain

Teachers have to solve a problem almost every 30 seconds. Reflective response: before you fix something, reflect back to notice. Reflective language to learn what kids know. 

Play is primary vehicle for making sense of life in childhood. Use of devices is not substitute. Children left to figure out without tool of play. Basic ingredient.

How can we help parents understand how important it is to keep news away from children?

Good guys and bad guys play - been around forever. Benefit from the interactive aspect of play and lives and worries, it has to have enough time to play itself out.

WORKSHOP: COLLECTIONS

Collections are so important

Grounded, belonging, personal, connections, 

Children building a language with each other and meaning

Self discovery, respect, inspiration

Structures, repetition

WORKSHOP: BLOCK PLAY

Taking Block Play to the Next Level - 1 day build, build and clean up in the same hour

Sign up to be part of a block team

Social studies, reading and writing oral language

Let them build even higher than their bodies

Hall of Fame - inspire and take pictures of their finish builds

One team in the middle of area so they don’t block shelves

Leave one block behind

See inside famous buildings

Wo nyc

Building big

Bridges that changed the world

Nycfiled trips

Walks

Internet

WORKSHOP: THE POWER OF OUR OWN VOICES Kharissa Kenner and Susie Rios

The Power of Our Own Voices Kharissa Kenner and Susie Rios

The Power of Our Own Voices Kharissa Kenner and Susie Rios

People are multidimensional

Observer vs participant (can relate to the character)

Anti-racist books - main character of color that explore their self-exploration and not having to teach other people about themselves, culture and traditions, but the character doesn’t take on the role of teaching other people. Character will go through something, but it will be typical to many kids, doesn’t have to be the hero.

Alma - exploring her very long name, language, culture, who she is through her name

Kamalata’s Kitchen - worried about going to school so she and her favorite stuffy, Al Dente, think about how they can be brave and she enters a magical world of spices and she gets so excited about going to school to share who she is

Sulwe - young, dark-skinned girl who notices her family is lighter than she is, being bullied at school. She wishes she was lighter and does different things to try to make her color lighter - eraser, lighter food, one night she goes to sleep and a start takes her on her journey

Diverse books - characters with poc, not a main story

The King of Kindergarten, Derek Barnes

A little black boy going to K for the first time. So exciting, morning routine

Rafa Counts on Papa - sweetest story about a love between a dad and son. Love to measure everything, how long, how tall, two Latinx people spending time together. 

A Family Like Ours - cover you can see all the different people in a family. We all need a family, loved, brave, cry, laugh, love, grow - different shades, everyone enjoys

Familes Can

Families Belong

BIG

Affirming Books - uplift, celebratory, no one fighting a battle, nothing is challenging to them, joyful, teaching traditions, main character, facilitate intimate conversations and inspire activities

I am Golden - Eva Chen

Young girl who has immigrated to America for the first time and it’s a little scary, voice of grown ups getting her ready for school and loving on her. She can be whatever she wants to be despite people trying to dim her light. Ode to chinese culture

We used to talk about the same people over and over rosa parks, mlk - modern day changemakers

How to speak in spanglish - spoke spanish and home, english at school. Uses it on tests, teachers say it doesn’t work, gm says doesn’t work. He goes to his friends and they start to use spanglish. Everyone is excited except grandma. Glossary. We don’t just leave with one part of our identity and that’s beautiful.

WORKSHOP: Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney - husband/wife

National Anthem of Kindergarten

Amazing author, writing outfit

A story can come from anyplace and start anywhere as long as it comes from within you

Start your water color with water, then swirls and color, happy accidents

Hey otter, hey beaver - fun in the river together

Max Found two sticks 

The power of the read aloud, children can learn to love to read before they become readersSojourner, step stomp stride

Ignite 

21 day read a loud challenge - if you do something consistently for 21 days, it will form a habit, negative or positive. 15 minutes a day. Instil, joy, power, and love or reading. 

Just keep serving it, bringing it, and they will eat it. 

Bright brown baby series - recent guidelines - when children are born, from the moment they open their eyes it is vitally important that we read to them 

WORKSHOP: Into the Garden: Love, Joy, and Nature in the Kindergarten Classroom and Beyond

Liat Olenick

Tom Roderick

Nature curriculum

Feelings when you’re in nature

Feelings about climate change

Engaging Young Kids in Climate Justice

Make it personal: build on childrens love of libing things, Ground in love, community and joy, make it local, get outside, take acton with adults and kids

Active hope - begin by envisioning what we hope for and then figure out how to contribute and roll up sleeves and get to work out of love, future, etc. 

We are not separate from nature

Make it personal: building on kids love. Can’t expect kids to fight for things they don’t already love. Plant and animal allies. Kids see other living things as peers. “Bye rock, bye tree”

Peas and beans, bulbs, compost, millipeds, assorted bugs, name everything they foundm garlic in water, watching eaglets being born, natural objects to make art