310 - Assignment #1         Skyler F., Tori F., Taylor H., & Josie P.

Kindergarten - Dynamic Relationshipshttps://www.edonline.sk.ca/bbcswebdav/library/curricula/English/Master_K_Curr_2010_Final.pdfESST Outcome DRK.1Describe the spatial relationships among people, places, and environments.

a. Demonstrate understanding of personal directions (e.g., left/right, up/down, front/back) and relative location (e.g., near/far, above/below).

Introduction Activity: Take a spinner (cake turntable with an arrow) and place it on a placement mat with labels LEFT, RIGHT, FORWARD, AND BACKWARD.

Show the students which side corresponds with which word by turning your back to them, and getting them to follow you as you step or hop (depending on their progression in PE) in a circle while all saying the direction aloud (indicate the written words on the spinner as some students may learn to recognize these words by sight)

Eventually stop saying it and let the students say it themselves Get students to take turns turning the spinner (without the placement on) and instructing

which direction the students should jump in (students must know names by memory) As a teacher (back turned) choose different patterns of directions (Left, back, left, back),

saying them and doing them, and asking students to say them as they do them after you in the same pattern

Eventually progress to the teacher only saying the patterns (not doing them) and watching to ensure students go the same way, as a way of assessing whether students can follow

Students can also do this in groups of three: one as the pattern-maker and two dancersAssessment Game/Activity: Echolocation activity (if we are learning about bats, we can tie this into science outcomes - this is an activity we did in a previous ECE course: https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/cub_/activities/cub_soundandlight/cub_soundandlight_lesson4_activity1.xml)

Students close their eyes and listen to their partner snapping their fingers/clapping hands With eyes closed they must tell their partner which direction they hear clapping from

Their partner may say they are wrong; we can introduce the fact that your right is going to look the opposite from your partner’s right if you are facing them

Teaches them how bats rely on their ears over their eyes to know what is around them Can be assessed simply by listening to the student whose eyes are closed and ensuring

they are saying “right” when the partner is snapping to their right

b. Indicate the relative position of earth below and sky above.

Classroom Design: Design the classroom ceiling as a sky and the floor as the earth, even if only in one corner.

e.g., make a hanging cloud for the ceiling and place a green rug on the floor (examples found through Pinterest http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/make-your-own-

cloudsindoor-clo-126460 http://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/05/woodland-inspired-rug.html)

d. Identify cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) on a simple map, when in the classroom, and on the playground.

Before we do the activity we would discuss purpose of knowing the directions. Ask them: Why is it good to know directions? They may say: car trips, how to get to a house, how to do something, etc. We can add examples like: people may use compasses so they always know where they came from and they don’t get lost, like if they are in a big forest. Be sure to bring actual compasses for children to explore, and we can talk about interesting things like how the arrow always points North (we can say it’s always helpful, trying to tell us where North is).

The class will need to agree on some kind of a landmark and it may be a teacher’s desk, or a cardboard paper with the letter ‘N’, but we should agree as a class that this represents the direction north, and that if we face that way it will always be north, even if that landmark disappears.

Spinner Activity: Spin the arrow (you or  student), say the direction, and get children to step/hop/skip for a determined amount of steps (according to dice they roll)

Ask students to say the direction out loud as they move to help make the connection between term and direction

(Extension) We would have to do these movements at the end of the year, after students have had opportunities in gym to progress from E (explore) to P (progressing towards control) for jumping backwards

Jumping forward and landing Jumping sideways and landing Jumping backwards and landing Walk forward two steps Skip forward two steps Balance (stick leg out to N, S, E, or W direction)

The spinner should be set up so North is actually facing North, so students can “cheat” and use a reference if need be.

This is a fun ending activity we could do, after we have established the students have learned their cardinal directions.  It’s an easy activity where we create a dice with 6 different sentences. These being:

Take 1 Step NorthTake 1 Step SouthTake 1 Step EastTake 1 Step WestTake 2 Steps EastTake 2 Steps South

It’s a fun and interactive way for kids to use their newly learned skills.  Because kindergarteners may not know how to read the orders on the dice, we could simply put the letters N, S, E, W on the dice with one or two footsteps, teaching them before hand what each of the cardinal directions start with.  Students would also be at the point where they memorized each direction after knowing where North is. (Idea from Pinterest, taken from site: http://www.giftofcuriosity.com/montessori-directionality-activities-intro-to-geography-for-kids/#_a5y_p=2539451)

Extension Have a treasure map that students must follow by using their sense of direction Go somewhere in the school and use a compass to figure out which way a partner is

pointing, and then take away the compass and try to face all 4 directions from that spot just by memory

You can replace the Direction mat with a Left, Right, Front, Back mat (at the beginning of the year) to get children used to making the connection between North being front on a map, etc.

You can remove the placemat, spin the spinner, and say aloud which direction it landed on

Special notes: We will have to explain to them that our spinner is not a real compass (because a compass’ arrow ALWAYS points North no matter which way you are facing) but is just being used to help us decide directions for our games.

Individual assessment activity: Take a student aside, tell them which way is North and then ask them to face each direction and say which way they are facing as they do so.Further Assessment: Get student to tell you which way is North within the classroom, and within a less familiar environment (e.g., the playground) to see their learning progression.

Resource related to Cardinal Directions that has many ideas for classroom activities: http://education.nationalgeographic.com//explore-cardinal-directions/

This resource will ensure students know the cardinal directions in English language and Indigenous culture, and will show them the direction doesn’t only refer to ways to physically walk, but ways to think, feel, and be: http://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/main.html (Go to Cree link for an example of relevant Indigenous ways of knowing). You can make the placement into the four colors of the medicine wheel to have a physical prop to lead into this discussion.

Book Resource: Follow that Map! by Scot Ritchie Introduces young students to different concepts used in geography (for example, compass

roses, directions, landmarks), although it may be more geared towards grades 1-2.

e. Locate and name places in the school and playground, and illustrate their functions (e.g., water fountain, washroom, library, playground equipment).

Scavenger Hunt Activity: Work in pairs (with reading buddies) to find clue cards scattered around the school in important rooms (e.g., washrooms, offices, classrooms, gym)

Students can access the room, investigate, and older reading buddies will write down what the kindergartners say

Everyone will meet back in the classroom and discuss which rooms they found and why they think they are important

We could build a class chart of our findings, which could be referred back to This could be a good activity for older grades to feel important, like they are making a

difference helping introduce kindergarteners to their school

f. Describe characteristics of the local physical environment, including natural (e.g., plains, forests, lakes, rivers) and constructed elements (e.g., buildings, roads, farms).

Map/Field Trip Activity: Look at a map similar to this one to introduce the idea of going out into our local environment.  Take a field trip to a nearby park or a trip downtown. As we look at the map we could map out where we are going to walk to (example: nearby park).  As a class we could discuss what directions we are going to need to travel (North/Up, South/Down, etc.). Before we go on our walk we could brainstorm some possible things we will see on our walk to the park as a class.  During our nature walk we can have students list what they are observing

during the walk (such as trees, rivers, roads, sidewalks, etc).  Once we have returned from our walk to assess that our students have learned something new from their walk that contribute towards the outcome, we could have students draw/color a picture of what they saw on their walk and explain to the teacher what they have seen.  (Picture from Pinterest, taken from site: http://search.theeducationcenter.com/search/Grade-Kindergarten--keywords-map_skills) (Relates to indicators a and d as well as we are using directions in a real-world context.)

Field Trip Activity To give students an understanding of a typical southwest SK rural environment, ask a

local farmer (perhaps parents of a student in your class) if you can bring the kids to their farm, and while out there, discuss anything they find interesting that is not an animal (dug outs, barns, grain bins, etc.) and how it might be useful to us

Take a tour downtown for students to experience an urban environment (again ask students to point out and describe anything non-living they see)

LandmarksThe image below could be explored (we could ask students what each of these is called, and then ask them to give examples of where they think they saw one). We could also Google photos of places that we know have these landmarks, or use this as an I Spy sheet while on a field trip. http://01.edu-cdn.com/worksheet-image/638036/types-landmarks-geography-mapping-kindergarten.gif

Water LandmarksWe can do an activity like this picture below (except pour water into the plate for some realistic effect) and discuss what we observe, and what each is called, to understand different types of

land-water areas (Island, Lake, Strait, Peninsula, and maybe more?). Both this activity and the one above can come in handy for when students begin thinking about making stories (stories have settings).http://healthymamainfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/DSC02718.jpg

Outcome DRK.2Explore examples of promises made through actions and words, and why it is important to keep promises.

a. Identify situations where a promise has been made in personal stories, recollection of books, and other narratives.

See book titles below.

b. Describe the consequences of when promises are kept and when they are not (e.g., hurt feelings, misunderstandings).

Book: The Lion and the Mouse - Aesop Children understand that keeping promises can mean saving others, or being saved, and

making friends Assess: Can ask “What promise did the mouse make?”, “How did he show he kept his

promise?”, “Why was it important that he kept his promise?” We can also assess the students’ grasp of the understanding of the word ‘promise’ by

asking them to share a time they were promised, or promised something, and how it helped them or someone else (e.g., “I promised my mom I’d feed the dog, and it helped him so he wasn’t hungry anymore”)

This also ties into Treaty Education: Understanding promises lays foundation to understanding the relationship between Canadian-Europeans and First Nations peoples

Other children’s books that talk about the importance of keeping promises include Raccoon's Last Race: A Traditional Abenaki Story by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac, Kevin and His Magic Turtle by Sally Huss and Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss.

All books fit indicators a (discuss promises in books) and b (good consequences of keeping a promise).

Class Activity: Instead of making rules together with your students, make promises. Have a discussion with students about how keeping or breaking these promises will impact others’ feelings. This could help with classroom management (The Effective Teacher with Harry Wong - Part 4: Procedures and Routines). Here is a list of examples found through Pinterest:http://mrsriccaskindergarten.blogspot.ca/search/label/Back%20to%20School (Image below)

http://corneroncharacter.blogspot.ca/2013/08/our-promise-to-each-other.html (Image below)

DRK.3Analyze ways in which place and physical systems influence daily life, including the influence of place on the daily life of First Nations and Métis people.

a. Name, and describe the physical characteristics of, the four seasons.

Song about the 4 seasons that could be used to reinforce learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00S7tBOmTL4 b. Give examples of how daily life is influenced by environment (e.g., work, play, clothing).

Book: I Am Canada by Heather Patterson“With lively photographs and simple text, I Am Canada celebrates the diversity of our country. Readers see many different activities enjoyed by children from all across Canada - and in all the

different seasons. The short sentences are perfect for kids just beginning to read on their own.” (http://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/10_books_about_canada)

Activity Idea: This would be a perfect indicator to use to bring up discussion of people with physical disabilities in the classroom, and how their environment needs to be made accessible so they can go about their day without difficulty. We can have a discussion and hunt around the school to look for structures that have been built, or special signs, to help people with disabilities.

We can check out the parking lot and examine handicapped parking, and can ask students why there might be a need for a big stall in a bathroom, and can ask students why ramps and elevators might be useful

Assessment could be naming the special constructs in place to allow accessibility, and asking students when they could be useful

Book: Taking Care of Mother Earth by Leanne Flett KrugerCharlie likes to help his grandmother, who tells stories while they work. While being reminded to turn off the water tap, Grandma describes how everything around us is connected to water. Children will benefit from Grandma's wisdom as they learn to take care of Mother Earth. (copied from Additional Resources of SK ministry curriculum page)

c. Identify how weather affects everyday life, and describe how adaptation for seasonal change is evident in daily life (e.g., clothing, food, home construction, recreational and sporting activities, transportation).

Weekly Activity Idea: Have dolls present and a variety of clothing items for different weather Put up a background on a smart board and tell students to imagine their dolls in that

environment (warm beach, cold field, etc.) Get students to dress up their dolls and explain their reasoning Ask students what season they think it is, and what the weather is like Compare the background to what it looks like outside today, and how they might dress

differently today

d. Investigate ways in which place influences identity (e.g., leisure activities, sports, arts, and culture are all influenced by place).

Experience Idea: Invite an Elder to come and speak to students about how Plains Cree lived differently from other bands of First Nations traditionally because of the place they lived. (Each place had different animals - this way children learn that certain animals live in certain areas naturally, not all over the place. For example elk live up North, buffalo lived on the Plains, both were important to First Nations’ survival). Also applicable to indicator a, regarding the physical characteristics of seasons - we could have an Elder discuss characteristics of each season in a way that also applies to their culture (e.g., certain ceremonies that were performed at different times of the year).

Book: ABC of Canada

From "A is for Arctic" to "Z is for Zamboni," young children will learn about Canada as they enjoy this alphabet book. Students will visit Canadian landmarks, such as Peggy's Cove or enjoy a Canadian pastime, such as the Calgary Stampede. (copied from Additional Resources on SK ministry curriculum page)

ASSESSMENT OF KINDERGARTEN DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS OUTCOMES

NamePlease answer the following questions:

1.) How many outcomes are there in this strand?

2.) Can you explain a general idea of what each of the outcomes is?

3.) Can you list at least one example of an activity or resource for each?

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