Classroom book creation orientated to Emergent curriculum

Emergent Curriculum

Children between the ages of one and five do
not learn because they are taught. They learn
as a result of their own doing…through
actions, relationships, inquiries, opportunities,
and repetition. This knowledge is the
foundation of SFLC’s emergent curriculum.

(www.silvertonfamilies.org)

In my particular experience teaching children 3-5 years old, the children' necessity to understand the process of nature, transformation and growing around then have been expressed through natural or spontaneous events of communication and interaction between children and teachers or even between them.  Hence, the creation of new format to explain and aboard those concepts have been the results of exhaustive investigation and brain storm process. 

The present book was developed in attention to the explained necessity, with the intention to attend the children inquiry of explanation about some natural changes in the sky (night-day) and the presence of the moon and the sun in their dairy routine.  (Wake up-go to school-eat during the day and go to sleep during the night= why?)  Other concepts are implied in relationship with the curriculum and the lesson plan previously developed by the teachers.

Beautiful, lonely moon.

Author and illustrator:  Amarilys Reyes

Age group: 5-8 years old.  

Specific literature focus:  Social and emotional Growth: Cooperation, Teamwork, Everybody is important.

Summary of the book:

The moon recreates the sky with its beautiful presence. However, she is alone and she is sad because of it.  One boy is sensible to the moon’s feelings and in conjunction with other animals, tries to help her.  They decide to bring a new friend to the moon, the sun, which will accompany her.  The story complement the idea of natural event, when says that sometimes sun and moon can stay really close to each other provide to the sky a beautiful image of calm and brightness.   

The book recreates the sun and the moon in colorful landscapes, and funnies animal’s animation in natural contexts.  The book uses human feelings and forms to symbolize that children would help others if they pay attention to other’s feelings.  Complement of roles and cooperation are implied through the story. 

The story also include the figure of a regional animal: The Morrocoy, who live in some plains areas in South America. This animal will bring to children new concepts about other species and cultures. 


TEXT:

 

In the whispering night

the lonely moon starts to arise.

Shadows are around and the moon is unable to see

the wonderful world under her.

The moon feels she is solitary in the sky.

The boy and his animals look at the beautiful lonely moon

They are concern about her feelings and desire to help her.

- Do not worry beautiful, lonely moon, -says the boy

We will help you.

They thought and thought and thought, then, one idea appears:

Do you want a friend to play with, beautiful moon?

You would not be lonely anymore and the sky will be full.

How can we help you beautiful lonely moon?

If we will catch the sun, says the horse, he will stay close to you soon!

All agree with the wonderful idea.

At the next morning, the animals and the boy start to work together to catch the sun.

However, everybody was too heavy to be carried out or too weak to hold up the others.

 They decide together the best way to go up and tie the sun with a rope.  They climbed one over one since the biggest to the smallest.  The mission was difficult.

- Hurry up! Catch the rope!, Says the dog

- Oh my!  It is more slippery than soap!, says the boy

- What noises! what a mess!, says the piggy: 

- Do not push me! Do not stomp me! Do not press!

- That is not a ladder, that is my neck!

Working in a team, finally, they catch the sun with the rope.

-         Yuppie!  We have the sun beautiful moon, who your friend soon could be. Now how can we tie him?

-         I know how, -said morrocoy turtle who was behind the tree, hidden all the time-  Tie the sun to me, so I would walk slowly and the moon might soon reach him.

-         Good idea! Hooray! Everybody cheer.

Now the moon has a friend to play with and the sky is full every day.

In the morning the sun walk in the sky, in the night the moon offers her beauty.

Sometimes, they are together and the sky is bright and calm.

Everybody will remember how lonely you were beautiful moon, but now you will not be lonely anymore.

If you see a little Morrocoy walking in your garden or one of his cousin turtles doing the same in the park, you will understand why he walks so slowly.  It is because the sun is still tie to them until the end of the world.

Comments and Recommendations for parents and educators:

Beautiful, lonely Moon:  Offers to children amazing visual stimuli, with brilliant colors and animation.  The book provides reflex ion and emotional vision of the world, trying to introduce to children concepts of cooperation and verbal communication to solve problems.  

The story reflects the importance of everybody without differences: Every person have a role and every action is important in teamwork.   The book would be read to older preschoolers, however, concept more advanced, as the “eclipse” as a natural event in the sky, would be explained in successive ages (6-8 years old and beyond).

The book could be used in science curriculum such as event in the sky, animal variety and in social-emotional activities to promote cooperation without prevalence of roles.

      

 

COLORS/COLORES -Spanish version. Verion en Español

 Spanish version

Explorando nuevas estrategias educativas que incluyan variados aspectos para la enseñanza, considerando particulares motivaciones o inclinaciones en cuanto al proceso de aprendizaje que posee cada niño. Algunos aprenden mejor viendo, otros exploran sus sentidos mediante la memorizacion de canciones, otros prefieren llenar sus manitos de pintura, texturas y aprender a traves de sus sensaciones (kinestesia) o desarrollo de funciones motoras finas y gruesas, otros estan mas inclinados al aprendizaje mediante experiencias al aire libre (teoria ecologista) En fin, quisiera compartir con Uds. una actividad para enseñar colores básicos.

Depende mucho de su grado de creatividad el rumbo que le den a la clase, puede ser bien, a traves de la creacion de arte usando pintura vegetal y creando nuevos colores con las mezclas sobre platos de carton, cartulina, o bien, mezclando la pintura con miel o jalea de maple para que los niños "prueben" y se pinten sus lenguas... no olvides tener un espejo a mano. Es bien divertido, si cuentas con ayuda para controlar el grupo.



Combinando la siguiente canción rimada con la presentacion de una "Guia de Colores", puedes garantizar una adecuada ambientación y prepararación de los niños para el proceso de aprender mediante la rima y el color correspondiente". Esta canción esta incluida en innumerables, yo solo le introduje algunos cambios en función de la rima. Para complementar la ambientacion, pueden diseñar una Caja de Arcoiris o  "Rainbow box". Es una caja con diseño de un arcoiris que tenga adentro figuras geometricas de diferentes colores. Cada niño escoge una figura y seran llamados por color y figura y cada uno se levantará para mostrar que tiene la figura y color que se solicitó... Pueden variarlo usando pañuelos o cintas de colores.

Si usas correctamente la ambientacion de la clase, puedes lograr algo mágico y nunca olvidarán esta experiencia, y mucho menos los colores!!! Es una forma sencilla de enseñar los colores a niños de ESL (English as second language).

Mucha suerte y espero algunas ideas puedan surgir en este maravilloso mundo de formas, numeros y movimiento.

CRAZY COLOR CREATURES

Fred red bomped his head (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Mellow, yellow plays the cello (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Jean Green was a dancing queen (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Sue blue has the flu (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Ollie orange ate all the oranges (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Mary purple loves to slurp (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Link pink, something stinks. (3 times) Crazy color creatures
White, white is awake all night (3 times) Crazy color creatures
John Brown went to the town (3 times) Crazy color creatures
Jack black plays quarter bat. (3 times) Crazy color creatures.

INTRODUCING POEMS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Fly, fly, Butterfly!

SUMMARY

Vuela, vuela mariposa! (Fly, Fly Butterfly) narrates the magic relationship between children and butterflies. Children in the poem admire her because of butterfly color and they invite her to share a play day full of colors, rhymes and feelings of friendship.

Fly, Fly Butterfly is inspired in a folk poem, which is commonly narrated by parents in informal education and it has been used in formal education in Venezuela, South America. This poem was introduces to me for my grandmother, who usually had taught me about nature and flowers and butterflies´ beauty. This poem has had part of my family for a long time.

Type of Poetry

 Lyric Melodic. I choose this poem because of the meaning of their words in my childhood, because of the intimate relationship that I had with my grandmother and because I know, children will enjoy the musicality in its phrases. This poem could be used in integrated programs, when children proceed from Spanish speaker families.  Share with them part of their culture will encourage them to valuate in positive way their origin, making possible a sense of self-esteem and appreciation for their culture and their languages.

Ages: 3-4years old.



Vuela!, ¡Vuela, mariposa!

¡Vuela!, ¡vuela, mariposa!
Vuela en tu esplendor,
escucha la palabra animada
Que te llama con mi voz.
somos niños y vamos al prado
todo el dia a juguetear,
no te vayas de mi lado
¡tus alas me han encantado
con colores coloreados
en tu hermoso voletear!
¡Vuela!, Vuela, mariposa!
Cuando llegue la noche callada,
Vuela, vuela! Y en la mañana soleada
Vente conmigo a jugar.

Inspired by Venezuelan traditional poem "Mariposas de Colores". 

Ways to extend the storyline: 

I choose this poem thinking in the world of 3 and four years old in the task that orientate them to understand some basic concepts about colors (introducing colors to early preschoolers-3 years old). Other concepts are introduce for older preschoolers such as rhyme in words, how termination of words are similar or different and in the other hand, the feelings they would experiment during the narrative
.
I introduce music to make the moment special, using not just visual stimuli. The song "Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini" by the Russian composer Rachmaninoff. is a classic musical piece that also would introduce new musical concepts to children. In addition, the song is one of my favorite and suggests the movement of the butterfly, who is the main character in my story. This story would be extended with the presence of new elements such as music, movement of hands in the space simulating butterflies, puppets, children´ corporal movements using specific music, painting butterflies in different colors and sizes using big format paper.

Activities would be numerous depending of teacher's creativity and would be developed inside or outside the classroom. Other idea to extend the story could be using cards with colors and butterflies. In this specific activity, teacher could encourage children to play with cards that teacher made for them, turning it over and matching colors (Memory game). This activity also, will help children with memory and identification of concept as color, direction and spatial relationship between objects.
Many ideas could be introduce to encourage children to use concept such as musicality, rhyme, rhythm and colors. In addition, gross motor skills and creativity would be explored in successive activities.

How will involve the children in this activity? The teacher could make an introduction about the activity, setting up the environment to provide children a relaxed and calmed vision of the classroom. Later, the teacher could show to children, a butterfly made with paper, felt, fabric or other material. The teacher, with the use of music, starts to create the “environment” to prepare the audience to the story. Using their hands and voice, teacher will suggest children to create an imaginary story about what the butterfly is doing? Where is she/he going now? Where does she/he is? When the teacher perceives children are emotionally and physically in attention with the story, she/he would starts to read the poem, making pauses and emphasizing ending of phrases, to make understand children the internal musicality the poem has. At the end of the activity, the teacher will make to children questions about the story, what kind of feelings the children have had and so on.

Poetry and diversity:

“!Vuela!, !vuela mariposa!” explain that variety is present in the world. Butterflies have many colors and them still being beautiful, free and happy in their original environment. Nature and color are present in this poem. Children enjoy so many stories about animals and insects. This specific story tries to give a message of peace, sharing and friendship between animals and human.



Poetry will stimulate children’s ability to discriminate words, create rhyming words. Poetry develops in them a sensation of music in world’s rhythm; introducing the firs step to the early reading ability. On the other hand, poetry makes children could understand words when teacher pronounces them in perfect diction. Children are able to discriminate words and phrases with rich sensory and associating meaning in the content. Poetry includes mental images to children that help them to create their own world of sensation and meanings. Poems encourage the attention and children’s´ self-confidence in new words, promoting the increasing of their vocabulary.

I used to use poetry with my children. In the program where I am working right now (3-4 years old), teacher encourages children to listen to music and poems very often. I know that this kind of activity could be enjoyed for children of every age.

INTRODUCING STORIES WITH FLANNEL

by Amarilys Reyes on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 7:18pm

The four little shrimps and the aunt Sardine.
(Recommended for 2-5 years old )
By Ama Reyes


In the heart of the ocean, the water goes around and makes a big, white bubble.
From the coral reef another orange bubble appears, making 1, 2, 3 bubbles in movement.
One little fish was hidden. He has an invitation to visit their friends, the three Little Shrimps and their aunt, the Sardine.

The fish went to the house and since the door; he smelled a delicious soup that Aunt Sardine was cooking.
- Welcome to our house, says aunt Sardine. -We are ready to eat. Would you help us to set up the table?
Setting up the table they set up:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 bowls
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, cups
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, napkins
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, spoons
Now wash your hands. And 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 washed their hands
Sit down on the chairs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, chairs
Take the spoons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 spoons.
- Be careful, the soup is too hot says aunt Sardine.
But one little shrimp did not want to wait.
- Wait a minute little shrimp said aunt sardine.
- Wait a minute little shrimp said the fish
- Wait a minute little shrimp said his brothers
The little shrimp did not wait and he burns his mouth with the soup.
- Oh noo! Said aunt sardine. Now you have to drink a lot of water.
Sorry said little shrimp
It’s okay said his brothers and the fish
- However, but the next time, you have to wait a little more and listen to your aunt with more attention
- I will, said the little shrimp.
Then all the friends enjoyed the delicious soup, all even the little shrimp.

CURRICULUM APPLICATION
PRESENTATION: “The four little shrimp and the aunt Sardine”


SUMMARY: The story is developed, primarily with the use of forms and numbers. The teacher trough the formation of figures with “hearths”, constructs the main character of the story: a fish, who visits the four little shrimps and their aunt´s house. Later, teacher encourage children to count the shrimps and objects and make a delicious soup, providing to children images of sharing food in family and the importance of obey adults when children are dealing with hot food or hot drink.

  I choose representing this activity through sequencing and counting as a presentation of my flannel board activity, using a story about four little shrimps, which used to live in the ocean with their aunt, the sardine.
Relating daily actions such as eat, set and share the table, cook and so for, will encourage children to make a relationship between the story and their own activities.

  What age group of children will you use this with?
The story it would be used with 2-5 years old children.

Other ways  to extend the storyline:

This flannel activity is an easy way to show children sequence in event, introducing simple counting to little ones, and at the same time, one opportunity to express through art creation some character’s development. (Fish construction-using hearths).
Others elements like music would be introducing. The Nicaraguan popular song “Four little Shrimp”, which I heard when I started to work with children from diverse cultures, is an example of how using stories contended in songs, teacher could introduces to children new images, words and the opportunity to represent objects that are not present in physical state. This construction will help them developing speech and on the other hand, literature skills acquisition.
Other activity to be incorporate would be body movements. Encouraging children to move their arms pretending they are swimming, serving coffee, setting up or cleaning up the table, are quotidian structures that help children to level and understand some familiar and social roles. Other option is using food to make a party table in dramatic play area. Children will simulate and will experiences language development, solving problems and sharing with peers. Besides these activities are great stimuli for their emotional skills. (See “Four Little Shrimp” song)

How will involve the children in this activity? Teacher will set up the classroom to provide all the children the opportunity to participate in the flannel presentation. Teacher starts the story and progressively asks to children what would be the next step to make the fish with the forms she/he previously made. Involving children in the construction to the main character of the story make the story collective and in addition, children are able to introduce new elements to solve situations (the fish’s construction with hearts). Later, teacher reads the story using corporal movement, encouraging children to follow direction and make an animated line with the use of gross motor movements (using arms, pretending swimming, pretending drink, setting the table, pretending to take the soup with spoons, etc). Teacher would ask children about feelings and some divergent questions, like What would you do if you were the shrimp? Why aunt sardine said the shrimp that he need to way before drink the soup?

 In what ways does flannel story or activity enhance diversity?

In particular, this story boards the relationship between children and their relatives. Some children do not live or are not taking in care for their original parents. The figure of an aunt, permit to the children understand that exist vary of families and their constitutions. In addition, been different species, the shrimp and sardine would belong to different races, and that means family would be everyone, without discrimination of races, color, nationality or gender. The story teaches children the importance of member’s relationship and the respect for each other.
Using relate or complementary stories as the Nicaraguans song “Four little shrimp”, permit to Spanish speakers children have a comprehension of their culture, promoting an identification and respect for their race and language.

The flannel story activity would be documented recording the presentation and the posterior children’s responses. Teacher would make a chart board that will collect open children opinions and responses. For example What do you thing it would be doing the shrimp when he burn his mouth? This documentation is an important element to explore children responses and make them use their thinking and inferences.

I hope this activity will provide new and useful ideas for your fantastic imagination in dealing with multicultural classroom composition.  Enjoy it!

Libro de Actividades para la apreciación de la música en combinacion con otros dominios del aprendizaje

Planning a book of Music Appreciation for children
20 lesson activity plan and relates activities.

Reason


In contemporary spaces of young education, especially in early childhood education, the effect of music has been discussed in numerous opportunities. Several commercial resources, music companies and publicist companies had make use of the impulse of the Effect Mozart in children to make parents to buy their product. However, effectively, some studies suggest that different types of music instruction affect different aspects of cognition as Spatial reasoning, used in math; spatial perception with the surrounding world (that would suggest changes in the perception of self in economically disadvantage children), and in the capacity to develop or improve other cognitive, social, emotional, physical spatial and inclusive spiritual skills. Hence, the presented planning book resumes music experiences to be used with children in attention to previous concepts of music effects in their cognitive development, and attending to the expressed necessity of renewed and accords activity plans in the preschool, provide to colleagues the opportunity to explore music concepts in relationship with more common areas or topics.

Music Early education resume several studies, whose explain how the corporal, emotional and psychological state in children is transformed with the hearing of high or low beats, rhythms and body movements. More interesting is the effect of music in cognitive areas. In 2002 for example, a meta-analysis of 15 studies involving 701 children ages 3 to 12 years suggests that children provided with music instruction score higher than controls on spatial-temporal tasks (Hetland, 2000). In other countries such as Venezuela, and more recently in Los Angeles, California, national orchestra such as in the South American country and a local Orchestra from the American state, have been providing experiences for children in their systems. The particular experience of Venezuela has transformed the life of at least 1,500 children and adolescents between 3 to 17 years old, originated from low-income families or in risk, poor population. The children and their families relates that been part of the “System”, referring to the National System of Young and children’s Orchestra of Venezuela (Fesnojiv. 2009), make them more conscious about their mission in society, avoiding drug and alcohol dependencies, gangster bands or desertions from the educational system.

Therefore, for young or older children the effect of music would be appreciated with accuracy because of their own expression of emotions, opinions, and preferences for one musical activity instead to another and the labeling of their changes. On the other hand, the assessment of music effect in little children such as infants, toddlers and early preschoolers have been more difficult to verify. The present project is the first step to classify, systematize and clarify music concepts managed with older children, but in a easy and appropriate version in relation with 3-5 years old children,

On the other hand, the Planning book, in attention with the necessity to condense in an original and unique paper the program that teacher would implement with children, simplified music concepts for young children condensed in 20 lesson plans in an animated, creative and diverse presentation, with the classification of boarded domain in relation with children’s developmentally ages appropriate milestones. The project is a synthesis of previous experiences, consults with colleagues and in multimedia and bibliographical resources, offering to preschool teachers the first tool to initiate their creativity in the construction of new musical experiences for children. The attention of the project is concentrated in the explanation of activities which aboard specific areas in combination with Music, such as Art, Science, Math, Language or Social Studies. The primary development domain and other important aspects for the activity execution are explained in the book. Likewise the age of children for whom the activity is orientated, recommended number of children per activity, materials or equipment to be used, set up/location explanation, directions or ideas for activity implementation, description of other skills developed with the activity and a brief of relates activities.

The project has a goal accomplishment of 100%, however, overcomes the expectations because the grade of specificity achieved in every description, make the result highlight in elements to be used in numerous and variant spaces. Every theme describes music goals and adds at least 4 or 5 more ideas that teacher would turn to good account in their professional development. The presented planning book of Music Appreciation for children resulted in a useful resource for the application of music concepts and theories with little children. Also presented an extraordinary opportunity to combine music concepts with social, emotional, physical, language, literary and cognitive activities, been reinforced the mission of teachers to be model of transformation in our immediate community as well as participate as molder of our students´ acceptation-adaptability in society.

Words cited

National System of Young and Children´s Orchestras of Venezuela. FESNOJIV. Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. 2009. Web. July 25, 2010.

Hetland, L. Learning to make music enhances spatial reasoning. Journal of Aesthetic Education. (2000). Cited in “Can Music Instruction Affect Children's Cognitive Development?”. ERIC Digest. 2003. Web. July 25, 2010