September 2011 Classroom of the Month:
Early Education!
SPV School would like to congratulate September's Classroom of the Month: Early Education! Students in Ms. Ethel Humphrey's and Ms. Liz Gracia's classroom are three- and four-years-old. Many of them are starting school for the very first time. Students in EE are busily learning their letters, numbers and shapes, but there is so much more to this amazing classroom.
The first thing you notice when you enter the Early Education room is that it is adorable. The walls are full of color, art supplies and toys cover almost every surface and all of the furniture is very, very small. At first glance, it looks like a big, comfy play room, but there is some serious learning happening here. Each morning, twenty-one students file into the classroom, take their places on the alphabet rug and prepare for their school day. They begin by singing the “I Am Special” song, then Ms. Humphrey and Ms. Liz lead them through the morning prayer, the Our Father. Most of the day is split into various lessons teaching basic literacy, math and life skills like “getting along,” as Ms. Humphrey calls it.
“It is important that our students are able to be nice to one another,” she says, “but that isn’t all there is to getting along. The children also need to know how to follow a schedule and be on time for activities. They need to know how clean up once they finish an activity. These skills are a big part of the beginning of the year.”
Many of these skills are taught at the learning centers set up around the room: dramatic play, science, art, writing, blocks, math, computers and library. Each station offers students to learn valuable lessons in a fun, playful setting. “I like playing in the kitchen,” says 4-year-old Isaiah. “Oh! And I know all of the letters! Every one of them!”
Students are currently working a unit around the theme of family, so the stations each reflect this theme. At the dramatic play station, students are taught how to take care of a baby, while the library station is full of books about family life. In addition to regular classroom learning, SPV’s EE classroom is fortunate to be able to offer a unique literacy program to our youngest students.
Each day, EE students participate in Early Reading First (ERF), a federally-funded initiative provided to us by the University of Illinois at Chicago. A literacy coach from UIC comes to the classroom and teaches students using the Opening a World of Learning (OWL) curriculum. OWL teaches critical literacy skills to children using a variety of methods from read-alongs and letter practice to wordplay and singing. Students are tested at the beginning, middle and end of the program in order to track progress. “This program works because it allows teachers to tailor lessons to each student’s individual needs,” says ERF teacher Lorenza DiNatale. “During small group time, UIC tutors are able to help struggling students while their teachers work with the rest of the class.”
After lunch each day, students take a well-earned nap. The lights are turned off, the students lay out their mats and classical music lulls them to sleep. Students in our Early Education classroom love to play, but they also work very hard. Their energy, enthusiasm and hard work make these students very special. Plus, they are just adorable. For all of this and much more, we congratulate Ms. Humphrey, Ms. Liz and the entire Early Education classroom. You certainly deserve to be September’s Classroom of the Month!