Fall is in the air! I can smell those freshly sharpened pencils now! Preschool teachers everywhere are charting a course for a fantastic new school year. This week, I’ll be writing on ten topics that will help get that new year started right!
To start out, you need to know where your children are coming from, and where they are going, from a developmental standpoint. That’s why I use a Developmental Checklist throughout the year. You can create your own, or use the one I’ve compiled from several other resources.
You’ve heard the old phrase, “Start with the end in mind”. That’s just what you’ll be doing as you do some Backwards Planning, and create a yearly map.
Take a look at your room. Have you organized your Learning Areas? Find out about how to get the most from your room and give the most to your children.
Literacy is a major component of early education. What is your plan for Teaching the Alphabet? Find out what research says about letter learning and how I like to teach with environmental print.
Right after the ABC’s parents want to know how you’re teaching numeracy. There are plenty of ways to work it in throughout your classroom and curriculum, but this year, I’m also adding the Number Bag.
It seems like a no-brainer. The children will arrive and they will eventually leave. But have you given much thought to the procedure? Establishing well-thought out Arrival/Departure Procedures can make or break your day.
Establish as part of your daily procedures a Sign In table. (Ok, I’m kind of cheating here, since I’ve already written this one!) Children will improve in name recognition and writing, as well as recognizing others’ names and finding shared letters. It’s a fantastic tool for teaching writing and letter recognition while taking attendance at the same time!
Communication between parents and teachers is critical. Use this idea for a Notes Folder to make sure information gets to where it’s supposed to go!
Once you’ve drafted your plan, have a Parent Meeting to get your parents on board! I’ll show you what I like to cover as I meet with the taller half of my class.
And saving the best for last, I’ll show you how I like to do my Child Orientation to optimize success for the coming year.
So stay tuned! And get ready to share your best ideas for getting ready for a great new year!
Photo provided by hortongrou.
Yay! just what I need! Thanks Amanda! I will be posting bits and pieces of what I have prepared for my class this coming preschool year on my blog. Of course, I will be linking back to you! *hug*