Mrs.Krasin's Ed Blog

Colorado - Learning about the state we live in! Reading Around the half-way point in Kindergarten, we begin introducing nonfictional reading text into our literacy groups. Up until that point, we have mostly explored many fictional genres such as picture books, poems, and storybooks from the literacy curriculum. The only nonfiction text the students are exposed to formally at school are the Scholastic Kids magazines.  Once students learn to write, they do start with more nonfictional prompts such as 'Weekend News' (what they did over the weekend), creating wish lists around various topics, wants and needs, or opinion pieces.  Their exposure to both genres are continuous, but are practiced at different times of development.  We began reading an Informational text book during our literacy centers this week. These decodable books are part of our literacy program. Kopp said 'nonfiction picture books can be used effectively with students...as they are engaging tools for int...

SmartLab  Cobly-the Code & Go Robot Dr. John Spencer created a Design for Thinking Cycle with his colleague AJ Juliani as a way to describe the process of product development. The Kindergarteners spent two days in SmartLab, their monthly  STEM lab time, this past week and had a chance to learn about Colby, a code and go robot mouse. I saw Dr. John Spencer’s Hands-on and Minds-on Learning, and more specifically, his Launch Cycle framework play-out as the SmartLab teacher introduced the activity to the students. Here is what I witnessed: L- Look, Listen, and Learn In the phase, the students watched, listened and learned about the robot kit and how to use each piece. The kit consists of interlocking green track squares, command cards (that tell Colby what to do), a magnet block of cheese (the end goal), Colby and all its buttons, and some fun orange arches to incorporate (a fun design element).  The teacher demonstrated how you create a plan with the command cards, wipe ...

 100th Day of School Universal Design for Learning describes the how of learning is seen when students take part and express their thinking.  (The IRIS Center, (2009, 2023)) This past week, we celebrated our 100th day of school. The teachers and students dressed up as 100 year olds to mark the occasion. Though the costumes had little to do with learning, they  were made as a visual to emphasize the great amount of learning the students had accomplished over the past 100 days in school.  ** To note, we did not do any formal social studies or science lessons this week. However, I did see UDL strategies all week. The IRIS Center says the 'purpose of UDL is to reach every student and develops learner agency' (The IRIS Center, (2009, 2023), p. 1). Had you stepped into our classroom on the 100th day, you would have seen UDL happening all day. My mentor teacher prepared writing, reading, and math activities that were designed to give choice and practice opportunities ...

Our week learning about cowpoke all led to our Cowboy Day Celebration. The entire school joined in and dressed up like cowgirls and cowboys with the Kindergarteners. The students had a great pretending to be cowpoke from long ago. Throughout the week, the teacher continued to scaffold learning through a variety of sources: books, vidoes, cowboy brain breaks, math and writing lessons. Students continued their research by listening to stories and participating in group discussions. We were able to capture their knowledge through writing samples and group conversations. Engaging Students in Research 1. Group discussion about animals We began the week by learning about the animals cowpoke work with and what tools and equipment they used. As the teacher pulled up pictures of horses, calves, brands, horseshoes and a hammer, she asked a compelling question to begin the process of inquiry of this subject. Teacher:   What kinds of ways do you think cowpoke took care of their animals? Studen...