From the beginning of JK, we have been using an agenda for our group times. It is just a few words written on a whiteboard, but the agenda offers a real and meaningful way to use literacy in our classroom. We want kids to experience the benefits of using writing and reading in an approachable way, with opportunities for kids at varying levels of experience and interest. We’ve told kids that the agenda is a way for us to remember things we want to do at group time, emphasizing that this is one time of our day when we are all doing the same thing together.
On the whiteboard teachers have been writing simple words, like Songs, Show, Talk, Game, Snack to indicate what we would do or talk about each day. At the top, we usually write HI JK, and we read that one first to invite everyone to greet one another. Then, we cross it off. Lately, kids have been enjoying the dancing after cleanup that leads into grouptime so we’ve also been writing Dance on the agenda. Another thing to cross off when it’s finished. As we go down the list of items, and cross each off, even the kids who aren’t reading can see a visual about how many things we’ve done, or how many are left for that group time.
Most kids aren’t yet reading the words, though some are. Many will take a guess or notice the letters or not pay too much attention at all. That’s ok. We want the agenda to provide some simple sight words, sure, but mainly we want kids to know there is a purpose for group time. The literacy benefits are many, but we also want kids to take some ownership of grouptime, and know that this is a time we can all share something with one another, whether we talk about a particular topic, show and demo a new class activity, play a game or sing songs together. And, of course, each day we hear what we’ll be having for snack! We want kids to think of group time as their time, when we do things that are important to them, and offer another way for us all to reflect on this group activity.
Recently, some kids have seen teachers writing the agenda, and asked if they could try it, too. Last week, kids began contributing to the agenda. We created note cards with each of the words so they could see them, and invited kids to choose one to write. Some were eager, others didn’t want a turn, but with encouragement each child gave it a try. If kids said they didn’t know how, we told them it would take a lot of practice to learn to write all those letters, so trying could help make it easier next time. We also showed how to erase if they weren’t happy with how the letters turned out, so they could try it again. A white board is a great way for kids to work on writing, especially for kids who are reluctant to try until they master something.
When we showed the agenda for group time, we kept the note cards posted so that kids could still see the words in a more legible way, if the writing was hard to decipher. This week we created lines on the agenda, which adds to the challenge. Most kids usually write very big letters, all over the place, at first. It takes quite a while and much practice to write in a controlled, linear way, with letters small enough to fit within lines.
No matter the ability, level of experience, or previous interest, everybody has been rightfully proud of contributing to our agenda. We hope to keep providing ways for JK kids to practice those early writing skills, as well as offering more ways for kids to contribute to our group times.
