Frayer Model

So sometimes the classics still work. The Frayer model is a great way to solidify vocabulary-which we know young kiddos definitely need more of.

I use it with my usual vocabulary words, but also in other subject areas. This was our objective for social studies. You can see how the students all used their own words to define what it means to be a good citizen, illustrated it, and then gave examples and non-examples.

Kaplan's Trends with the Young Ones

Trends is one of my favorite concepts to teach. I personally am fascinated by Trends. There have been many rabbit holes that I have traveled down after having a question. Trends in Baby Names fascinate me-the way old-fashioned names are coming back or the way culture plays a part-have actually had Sansa's and Arya's in Kindergarten.

Here are some ways you can incorporate it into your lessons. What I do is make into a unit. We review how to do research, how we can trust certain sites over others. So for example:

1) What have been the number 1 Halloween costumes over the years? The students can illustrate what they think costumes in the past looked like and then we can analyze the data. They can also predict what future costume trends might be.

2) Number 1 toys sold at Christmastime.

3) Top baby names-are any of their names on the lists? Would they name their child a popular name or go more unique?

4) Fashion-we do a whole unit on shoes-how have they changed over time? I am a wear a dress with sneakers to work kind of gal-does practicality trump style? 

5) Trends in TV and movies-the students are shocked to learn about silent movies and how we grew up with only 3 channels.

6) Trends in weather-tie it into science. Now in Texas this is hard because most days it's 90 degrees and sunny. But we can analyze trends for the whole US or compare it to trends in weather in other countries.

7) Trends in art-what made certain artists popular?

8) Trends in foods-I watched the documentary on Netflix called Rotten and was shocked to learn the history of the avocado-I had no idea there were trends involved in making that so popular today (and who knew the drama involved).

9) Trends in our city-we look at the development projects in the works and compare it to what the city used to look like. 

10) Trends in trends-what is cool? From pet rocks to tamagochi's to fidget spinners. Analyze the trends over the years.

11) Trends in fairy tales-from the horror of Grimm to the "woke" tales of today where Cinderella doesn't need a man. Brings a depth to my fairy tale unit.

Analyzing is rigorous but it's also important to me to give them an opportunity to predict what will happen in the future. That way they are also applying what they learned.

Divergent vs. Convergent

Most of what we require students to do in our classes is convergent thinking. One multiple choice answer, one solution to the math problem.

I think it's really important to include versions of divergent thinking as well. Open ended critical thinking activities that will help develop creativity. When researchers measure creativity they use divergent art activities to see how detailed and creative a subject's mind is. I do the same thing with my students. I give them a squiggle or a shape and ask them to turn it into something. In the beginning I get very basic very boring responses, but the more we do these activities the more creative my students get.

Here I gave them just a line:

We do these activities at least twice a month. After the first one I do model some ideas I thought were creative so they know for future activities what I'm looking for.

Introducing Ethics-Depth and Complexity

Ethics is my favorite concept from Kaplan's Depth and Complexity to use with young kiddos. In the beginning you will notice that when you ask them a question, they want to answer with what they think you want to hear. If I say do you like pasta? And half the class raises their hands, then I say well I LOVE pasta. What happens? Everyone's hands go up.

So I do a very conscious lesson with them to teach them that they are entitled to their opinion, whatever it is and they should believe in what they believe and be ready to back that up with an argument.

I ask them if taking something from someone else is ever the right thing to do? 

Response: No, never. Stealing is wrong.

Question: what if your house was on fire and your neighbor's hose was right there? Can you use it?

Response: Well, yes.

Question (the Les Miserables argument)-what if you were starving? Or if your child was starving?

Response: I don't know.

Question: What if no one would ever know it was you?

So we talk about how even though the icon for this concept is black and white-there are truly gray areas.

A couple of things to remember with ethics:

1) Their opinion is always correct. If they say the Boy in the Giving Tree was right to take everything from the tree and give nothing in return-as much as I disagree with that--it is their opinion.

2) Going along with that-I never tell them what my opinion is. Even if we have already finished the activity. I am a strict "no comment" because I know I have influence and I never want to change their own opinions.

3) The more you do these activities the better they get at it. I will never forget a discussion we were having-could a woman every be President? A boy said no because girls are not as strong as boys. Cecilia raised her hand and said "Miss Trayers, can I ask him something?-Chase, isn't your mom strong? Did you see Miss Trayers move that table the other day--she is strong". And I cannot tell you how proud I was that not only was she thinking and forming those opinions but voicing them as well.

4) I tell my parents at Open House-I apologize right now, but I am going to teach them how to make a better argument. :) They will argue their cases more.

Some books I love to use to introduce this concept:

Classic book. Was it right that David acted that way? Was it right how the teacher reacted? 

Is it right to call someone by the wrong name if you don't know how to pronounce it? 

What would be the the right way to ask someone about their names?

Is it right to call our class a "family"?

Is it right that we force kids to attend school? 

Was it right for school to get mad and spray the water fountain because its feelings were hurt?

Is it right to say you don't like school?

How I Introduce Depth and Complexity-Multiple Perspectives

I have always taught Kinder and 1st grade. These kiddos often have not ever been expected to think from the perspective of others. The world revolves around them. :) 

This is one of my favorite scenes from Dead Poet's Society:

Dead Poet's Society-Perspective

So to introduce this concept I would love to say I leap up on my table like this but let's be honest, it's more like an awkward crawl. ;) But I stand on the table and model for them looking around-what can I see now that I couldn't see before? The dust on the shelves. The bird's nest in the tree outside. Then for the most exciting part-I have them climb up in their own chairs and do the same thing. After all the gasps and murmurs-can we really do this? They discuss how their perspective changed.

Then we read this story. School is super excited for the 1st day until the students arrive and start complaining about school. Then we write about how our school felt on the first day.

Then we read this story about a principal so excited about school that he ends up changing the calendar so we go to school every day. We discuss a principal's job and they write from the perspective of a principal. They often just write about taking bad kids out of class, but I encourage them to dig a little deeper than that. How would it feel, what would a principal wish?

The more often you do these activities comparing perspectives, the more empathy you will see developing in your kiddos. They will randomly say "I feel sorry for homeless people-where do they go to the bathroom?" or "I feel sorry for the dinosaurs-it must have been so scary to see that asteroid and not know what was happening". But I believe that's a good things. Our world can defintely benefit from more empathy. 

Ideas for Vocabulary

As a teacher of young children, one of the most important things I think we can teach our kiddos is vocabulary. Multiple studies have shown that kids growing up in economically disadvanted areas simply do not have the same access to vocabulary growing up. We need to give our students academic vocabulary in a diverse myriad of experiences but also implicitly teach them new words. Speak to them as you would to adults, encourage them to ask when they don't know what a word means. 

So how do we do this?

Every read aloud, I pre-read and make notes of vocabulary my students may not know. I teach those words first before I read the story. Not many, just 2 or 3. Then I reinforce those meanings when I get to those words in the text. 

We have vocabulary journals where we fill in Frayer Models and answer questions about words. Is it a good thing to be "unique"? When was one time you felt "timid"? 

Vocabulary Runway shows-I assign students a word to dress up as-this is a great alternative to dressing up at Halloween. They do a little speech giving the meaning of their words and using it in a sentence.

Putting words in order of severity: irate, irritated, angry, livid-put them in order from least serious to most serious. You can do this for almost any feelings words. 

I discovered this site recently:

NY Times Connections  -you are finding the connections between sets of words. There are 2 that are fairly more obvious and then 2 that get more rigorous.

And lastly, my word walls are interactive. I put the words with a picture so they can find a word , take it down and use it in their writing.

Vocabulary is such an important skills-teaching it implicitly and by osmosis.

Contemporary Beginning of the Year Read Alouds

There is nothing wrong with the classics. There are books that I still use the first week of school, year after year. But I also want to make sure I am reading the newer books that are being published each year as well. Not only are publishers more cognizant of diversity in their characters, but it ensures my students are being given unique experiences. There's nothing like hearing "my teacher read us that book last year". 

So here are my recommendations: