Writing: Emergent Curriculum in Kitah Alef

On our recent walk to mail Rosh Hashanah cards to grandparents, we noticed (more than usual, and probably due to a change in scenery), our young friends calling out words for things they were seeing. We saw cars, a mailbox, heard a siren, noticed the sky, saw a man walking dogs, etc. etc. Of course, these are words our friends are always using, but sometimes, going unnoticed or taken for granted.

                             

Kitah Alef Morahs took this as a learning moment, and realized this is just the kind of beginning stage the Emergent Curriculum model uses- follow the interests of the child. It is admittedly something we've been wondering in the younger classes... how to let a curriculum emerge from students who are either pre or early verbal. We learned about following the gaze of the child as a way to perceive interests, but here, on this walk the answer was delivered to us so clearly. Pay attention to their words! Their words tell us plenty. 

While visiting the 100 Languages of the Child exhibit, a remarkable summary of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, we saw one exhibit about writing that stood out to us teachers. It was documentation of "writing" from children of all ages (very young toddlers to six year olds), with text that spoke about how before written language is the vehicle of knowledge, it itself is knowledge. Meaning that just the act of mark-making, attempting lines and letters, also contains ideas. 

In the classroom we put out paper and marker on our class easel. We wondered how this would pan out.  We saw focus, wonder, and legitimate interests playing out in front of us.

             

 Eventually, all of the friends were gathered around, wanting to join in, so we moved to the tables. Seated, each student got a crayola marker and a piece of paper. We saw the most elegant line drawings; a far cry from the expected scribbles (also valuable) and blue tongues. Seeing this, I remembered one of the most important tenants of Reggio Emilia: a view of the child as capable. One of the Morahs remarked how much their lines resembled writing, and an idea sprang up.

Over the next few months, we'll be following this idea as far as it goes. We've printed off words we've documented the students saying, images of those words "moon" and a picture of the moon, and will be using them as provocations during art time in our classroom. We also hope that we can make our own images of the words for instance, "shovel" has been a popular word in our class recently, so an image of a friend holding a shovel, rather than a stock image of a shovel. During the time that students are exposed to these texts and images, we'll watch carefully, document, and see what emerges. And of course, we will gladly keep you updated of our discoveries!

KB: Play dough Collages

Curiously, children poke small tree branches into their playdough and marvel at the sticks standing straight up.  Balancing some bright red bottle caps on top and adding some real dried leaves from the garden, they proclaim, “Apple Tree!” 

A few days later, children choose between black and yellow pipe cleaners, colorful pompoms, yellow hexagons, and googly eyes.  Poking and arranging these articles onto playdough, children proudly announce, “Look--I made a bee!”

Another theme we explored with playdough was making cakes for the birthday of the World.  With the table set just like a birthday party, children excitedly shaped "cakes" and adorned those cakes with sparkly "candles." 

Playdough, we’ve discovered, is more versatile than just cutting with playdough toys.  It’s colorful and smooth texture invite the children to explore.  The firm composition develop gross motor skills as children squish the playdough between their fingers or roll it into a ball. 

Thematic playdough collages provide an opportunity for children to explore some elements of our curriculum in a way that is inviting and stimulating. 

Helping Hands

It's the beginning of the year which has us pondering, what do we want our class to be thinking about as they embark on a journey into a new classroom? How do we ensure a safe, happy, creative environment so everyone's language of expression is honored in a more soulful, natural way? By asking these questions, we are sure to set an intentional, mindful tone for our early learners.  Our goal is to provide a classroom environment that aids in learning, just as much as a Morah would. In other words, our classroom is also a teacher. So, our students should above all learn how to properly use materials, respect spaces and others in it, and be able to freely and openly express themselves through many ways of play and creation. How do we do this? Read on for heartwarming stories of how we blend rules/agreements and empathy.

During our meet the teacher sessions we had parents trace their child's hands, this was our segue into talking about what our hands can do to be helpful. Here, parents have a hand in our project, strengthening our school family as a whole.

 

We cut the hands out and allowed the children to paste and paint at free will. Once we were finished and the artwork was dry, we invited the children to help us hang them up. Exercising free will, some chose to help while others allowed their friends to hang theirs because they were buys on another activity. Choices are always good to offer when appropriate. 

We've got our classroom routines down pretty well by now! Upon entering the building back packs get hung, lunch boxes and water bottles removed then placed into individual cubbies, then the children follow visual prompts to see what room they start in and what is open vs. what is closed.

Circle time is the optimum time to introduce classroom routines and rituals, along with any rules/agreements. We demonstrated how to carefully put our things away because we noticed clean up time became more of a demolition frenzy rather than mindful cleaning to be helpful.  We also made a mini classroom on a tray so children could reinforce what they are learning to do themselves.

See how helpful our friends are becoming? Holding doors, sweeping up messes so friends to slip, carrying something for another, working together, teaching each other new skills, and the list goes on.  By displaying our mitzvot (good deeds) in class through panels of documentation, books, and social games, we reinforce good behavior and provide references to refer back to from time to time.

 How fortunate we are to have multiple sets of siblings attending our school. We see each other in the yard, celebrate reunions daily, and foster support through connection and role modeling.

By now we all have a good idea of how we best respect our friends and space. With a lot of patience, forgiveness and the assumption of positive intent, we are learning and growing together. According to conscious discipline, the creation of healthy connections with other people wires the brain for improved impulse control and a willingness to cooperate. We hope you enjoy our journey and can carry out these same methods at home or in your classroom. 

Red, Red, Red in Pre-KA

The upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashana affords numerous opportunities for explorations within its related themes. Because apples dipped in honey are a central idea for this chag, we made our first themed sensory bin red, red, red! Focusing on one color emphasizes the other properties of the materials and also shows us the many different shades of this one hue that exist in our daily lives. Inside our bin we put balls, construction paper, bean bags, sensory bottles and other items gathered from the classroom.

 As individual as each child is, so too their explorations. Some children chose to put items in and out of the red tray. Others used balls, rolling them, tapping them, and throwing them.

We incorporated the sense of smell by including containers of cinnamon sticks. The children could smell the cinnamon through holes in the top or shake them in the bottle for a satisfying sound and feeling. 

Later in the week we added another component - a hide-and-seek box! Toddlers love to place things in and out of containers and are growing cognitive bridges while doing so. They are strengthening their memory, learning properties of materials and solidifying object permanence.

Snack Tree Cafe

Tall bamboo stalks and sprightly leafy greens stand elegantly in tall clear bottles to adorn the snack tables in Kitah Bet. 

After taking turns washing their hands, children select a pale turquoise bowl and find their seats for snack time in what we call the “Snack Tree Café.” One at a time, children serve themselves for snack, scooping cereal and fruit with a serving spoon into their bowls. 

 

Learning the brachas for our food enables children to learn some Hebrew vocabulary and learn about where the food grows. Apples, they learn, grown on the tree—the eitz.

We thought together and created agreements to keep our Snack Tree Café a pleasant place for everyone. The first agreement was to keep our voices at a nice indoor sound, saving our yelling voices for outside play. Secondly, we agreed to stay in our seats until a morah tells us it is time to clean up. Having a shared goal of creating a pleasant and safe environment enables all the children and morahs to work together cooperatively, and empowers the children to work toward a common purpose.

The Snack Tree Café is an enjoyable place for children in this environment. Children smile and laugh with their classmates as they eat. Then they eagerly listen as a morah reads a story regarding the theme we’re currently experiencing in our class.

After eating, children dispose of any waste, then place their bowls in the bucket to wash. This becomes a fun outdoor activity next, as children work together with sponges and lots of soapy water to clean our class bowls for the day. We’re learning to take care of our classroom and the earth!