This is my mind map that identifies learning areas for specific learning expectations.
Wednesday 12 February 2014
Monday 10 February 2014
Observation
In the domain of science and technology, the children communicated and recorded results and findings after constructing things either individually or in groups (FDELK 2011, 45, p.126). This is seen through the wonderful documentation that the children have created.To read more please visit her blog at http://mrsmyerskindergarten.blogspot.ca
Wednesday 5 February 2014
Making Connections
They then began too pile blocks on top of one another. They placed
the marble on top of their structure and it dropped on the floor, but didn't
make a movement. The children were asking why, but I wanted to help them in a
way that they could problem solve on their own. In the science and technology domain the children may state problems and pose questions before and during an investigation (FDELK 2011, 2.1, p.117). I was stuck on how I can make the
children figure the angle they need to make the marble move. I then went on
Pinterest and saw a picture of children using cardboard's. When clicking the
picture it led me to a blog from a Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Myers.
She had an amazing blog about Ramps, Gravity, and Marble Mazes. She gave the children cardboard and tied a string. The children were to try and make the ball stop at the end of the string, but still sliding down the ramp (cardboard). This was amazing and the children kept adjusting the ramp. I tried this with the children and was amazed to see how excited they were. I gave them the cardboard with the string and told them to try and see if they can stop the ball at the end of the string. In the domain of mathematics, the child may demonstrate, through investigation, an awareness of non-standard measuring devices such as the string (FDELK 2011, M2.2, p.104). The children first put the cardboard on a high angle and saw the ball pass the string and went to the end of the room. This shows that the child understands basic spatial relationships and movements as they were able to identify that the marble moved far from the string (FDELK 2011, G3.6, p.108).
They then placed it on the floor and the marble didn't move off the cardboard. The children then moved the cardboard a little higher off the ground and saw the marble moved closer to the string. They were excited that they got closer and tried it again by putting the cardboard just a bit higher. They got even closer and really helped each other through the process. Then a child made the connection back to their first project making a ramp, and said “Maybe, our ramp needs to have a hill in order to move across the room.” Then a child responded, “Yes! A hill that starts high but has a cardboard inside to make the marble move.” In the domain of science and technology, the child may make predictions and observations before and during investigations (FDELK 2011, 2.2, p.118). This was seen through the children's dialogue and on-going exploration.
She had an amazing blog about Ramps, Gravity, and Marble Mazes. She gave the children cardboard and tied a string. The children were to try and make the ball stop at the end of the string, but still sliding down the ramp (cardboard). This was amazing and the children kept adjusting the ramp. I tried this with the children and was amazed to see how excited they were. I gave them the cardboard with the string and told them to try and see if they can stop the ball at the end of the string. In the domain of mathematics, the child may demonstrate, through investigation, an awareness of non-standard measuring devices such as the string (FDELK 2011, M2.2, p.104). The children first put the cardboard on a high angle and saw the ball pass the string and went to the end of the room. This shows that the child understands basic spatial relationships and movements as they were able to identify that the marble moved far from the string (FDELK 2011, G3.6, p.108).
They then placed it on the floor and the marble didn't move off the cardboard. The children then moved the cardboard a little higher off the ground and saw the marble moved closer to the string. They were excited that they got closer and tried it again by putting the cardboard just a bit higher. They got even closer and really helped each other through the process. Then a child made the connection back to their first project making a ramp, and said “Maybe, our ramp needs to have a hill in order to move across the room.” Then a child responded, “Yes! A hill that starts high but has a cardboard inside to make the marble move.” In the domain of science and technology, the child may make predictions and observations before and during investigations (FDELK 2011, 2.2, p.118). This was seen through the children's dialogue and on-going exploration.
Sunday 2 February 2014
Inspiration
After the experiment in class I was amazed to see how well our
group worked together, and our fascination with the movement of the ball. I
then decided to keep the idea of movement with marbles and decided to look at
Pinterest. While on Pinterest I found this amazing board from Kids Connect that
lead me to find an activity panting with marbles. I decided to do this with my Kindergarten children.The activity used materials such as; box, paint, and marbles.
The children moved the box up, down, and side-to-side. They had many different colours incorporated in their activity and to my surprise they were focused more on the movement that the marble was making. It invited all children and they were fascinated on how fast the marble moved, and how the lines looked like different roads. From this they made the representation that the marbles were cars. In the Language Domain this is when children use their prior knowledge and make connections (FDELK 2011, 2.6, p.83). They were able to make the connection that the wheels on the car move like the marbles. They started racing their own marbles and tried to move the marbles fast.
The children all gathered around and started to cheer for different marbles. One marble fell on the ground and started to make a line. The children commented about the line moving straight. In the Arts Domain children may explore different elements of design, like the line the marble made on the floor (FDELK 2011, V2.1, p.153). The children were amazed how far and fast the marble moved to the other side of the room. The children then kept tipping the box and making the marble drop on the floor. Just then a child said, “Why don’t we make a ramp or a slide for our cars, like a highway. We can make one and watch the marble move.”
The children moved the box up, down, and side-to-side. They had many different colours incorporated in their activity and to my surprise they were focused more on the movement that the marble was making. It invited all children and they were fascinated on how fast the marble moved, and how the lines looked like different roads. From this they made the representation that the marbles were cars. In the Language Domain this is when children use their prior knowledge and make connections (FDELK 2011, 2.6, p.83). They were able to make the connection that the wheels on the car move like the marbles. They started racing their own marbles and tried to move the marbles fast.
The children all gathered around and started to cheer for different marbles. One marble fell on the ground and started to make a line. The children commented about the line moving straight. In the Arts Domain children may explore different elements of design, like the line the marble made on the floor (FDELK 2011, V2.1, p.153). The children were amazed how far and fast the marble moved to the other side of the room. The children then kept tipping the box and making the marble drop on the floor. Just then a child said, “Why don’t we make a ramp or a slide for our cars, like a highway. We can make one and watch the marble move.”
Friday 31 January 2014
My Experience
As a group we were given an assortment of wooden blocks, marbles, construction paper and tape. From this we were told to create a ramp that will allow a marble to move down a hill, up a hill and around a corner. We all looked at each other wondering how this would be possible, but with some brainstorming we were able to start our creation. With some trial and error our ramp was coming together!
One thing that caught my attention was how we were the only group who used tape on our wooden blocks. At that moment it struck me how interested I was in the big idea of movement. I was so intrigued on how I could get the marble to move around the corner and how I would be able to control the speed of the marble. With a great discussion during the class, we all were able to share our creations, and I must say I felt great about mine!
Here is the video of my ramp and the movement of the marble! Throughout this blog I will be focusing on the big idea of movement and where it can be seen through domains of learning in the Kindergarten field. With ideas from Kindergarten teacher's social media, I will provide a constructionist approach to the activities. I will be referring to a document called Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program curriculum that can be accessed at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten.html
Please Enjoy!
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