Multi-Day/Repeated Read-Aloud

A powerful strategy to engage our younger learners in a text is the multi-day or repeated read-aloud.  While we usually read-aloud texts with students throughout the grades, many times we visit a text once, model what we need and move on to a new text.  This interactive strategy allows students to revisit a text, digesting one focus at a time, building their knowledge and understanding, allowing them to think and apply what they are learning to their own lives or other contexts.

While this strategy mirrors the shared reading structure, this is still more teacher controlled and at the highest level of teacher support for students.  We are able to chunk the different foci with a book and allow students the opportunity to interact and share their thoughts, in shorter time periods.  We are also able to embed time to enjoy a text, during the first reading, delving into the different foci after this initial reading.

During Jennifer's lesson, she is revisiting a text that the class has worked with, connected to seasonal changes and science.  This lesson is focused on finding words that the children don't know, and using the context clues and their prior knowledge to infer the meaning.  This work connects to prior lessons on inferring, and integrates some work with words and vocabulary development.  Notice how the students are interacting with the text and making meaning together.

For more information on multi-day read-alouds, also known as repeated read-alouds, visit the following site to view webcasts and related resources:  Kindergarten Matters: Planned, Purposeful and Playful Talk

Here is a professional article that shares more ideas about repeated read-alouds: 

Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten

This is a table from the article above, outlining the different components of the repeated interactive read-aloud:

Using Wordless Picture Books to Infer

The reading comprehension strategy of inferring is sometimes thought of as a strategy for older students.  It can be a difficult strategy to model and teach students as we try to help students understand that they need to "read between the lines" and read beyond what the text is giving us.  This is not a strategy for later in the year, or even later in the grades, but one that can be taught and understood right from Kindergarten.

There are many ways to help students infer when reading, and students as young as Kindergarten (and even younger!) are able to do it!  Through focusing on pictures in a book or using images to have students question and think about, inferring can happen in so many different ways.  

In Jennifer's Full-Day Kindergarten classroom, she started with inferring right at the beginning of the year.  Through the use of No, David! she used the images to have students infer what was going to happen (see the anchor chart to the right in the picture below).

From there, Jennifer uses wordless picture books to engage in a discussion about a story and what students infer is happening in the book.  In this lesson, she uses David Wiesner's Tuesday and has students think/pair/share as they view the pictures and think about what is going on.

How to Display Student Work

We were fortunate enough to observe how to display student work during our visit to Jennifer's Full Day Kindergarten classroom at Bendale JPS.  This was particularly interesting to me because the display of student work has been a topic of discussion in our FOS as a result of  District Reviews.  

One of the recommendations coming out of the District Reviews is that putting up student work is not enough. The  learning goal of the activity should be visible as well.  This will allow the readers of the student work (e.g., other students, teachers, parents, volunteers etc.) to engage in the task by knowing what the intent of the task was (learning goal) and to think critically about the extent students met this goal.  Very often, when we walk down hallways, we glance at the work being displayed and think: "how pretty!" and move on.  Rarely do we stop and think about the work itself.  

Math Inquiry Centres

Here is a summary of the math inquiry centres we observed in Nicola's Full Day Kindergarten classroom.

Her students were towards the end of their measurement unit so the centres were a combination of review and independent practice.

How many cubes does each object weigh?

How much rice does each container hold?

How many cups of sand does each container hold?

Which stuffed animal is the heaviest?

Flower Centre
This centre was connected to the current theme unit.  Students made flowers for their garden.

After some time at one centre, Nicola asked the class to meet her on the carpet.  Once there, she asked students to share what they found out at their centre.  

This sharing allowed students to experience the centres as learning experience, rather than something they did.  This sharing allowed students to attach meaning to each of these questions.

Thank you for allowing us to see math inquiry in action, Nicola!

Math Entry Activity: Mass

This is the entry activity Nicola did with her classroom.

Students had prior experiences with capacity.

As students came into the classroom, they looked at the yellow container  and predicted how many bowls of water would fit into the cylindrical container (see third photo below).

Notice the supports Nicola left on the table to allow students to record their estimate.

After students completed their estimation and got settled into the classroom, Nicola asked the class to sit in a circle.

She asked student to orally share their estimate with the whole class.

As Nicola poured cups of water into the container, she stopped and asked the class if they still thought their estimate was correct.  Some students changed their mind.

This entry activity reinforced the concepts of estimating and measuring capacity with the class.  It was also a great example of how powerful a mini-lesson can be!

Math Learning Centres

Here is the summary the learning centres we observed in Audra's Full Day Kindergarten Classroom:

1.  Patterning
This centre reviewed previous concepts taught.

Students used different templates to identify and extend patterns using patterns blocks.

2.  Patterning and Money

This centre reviewed previous concepts taught.  

Students used money stamps to create patterns on strips of paper.

3.  Measurement

This centre was focused on the current unit.  The ECE in the classroom was present to scaffold the learning.

Students used string to determine the order of height of students at the centre.

Once students used the string to make their decision, each of them recorded what they found out:

Some students chose the snap cubes to confirm what they found out:

4.  Sorting

This centre focused on new concepts.  Audra was present at this centre to support and scaffold the learning.  

Students used a sorting mat to sort the different materials at the table.

colour

type of animal

walk, jump

After students sorted the objects, Audra asked them to share their sorting rule.  She then recorded these rules on the anchor chart.  

This was repeated several times.

We were really fortunate to see how math centres can be used for different purposes: review, introduction to a new concept, problem.

Thanks, Audra!