March Blog/Kristina Washington

Reflection

Choose two centers and explain how you have incorporated learning experiences based on the books you have read(Include title of book, a brief summary, study topic, and any extra details or pictures if possible).

First Center: Housekeeping

Books read: Lidia's Airplane Trip

Summary: Lidia's Airplane Trip is about a small dog who is riding a plane all alone, and the cool things that they experience. Experiences such as being served food, attempting to watch the television...etc.

Study Topic: Wind

How I incorporated learning experience: I spoke to the students while in housekeeping and asked if they would be interested in turning our center into a plane like the one in the story and they became very excited. I went around and asked the students things we need to make our airplane very cool and these are a few items they said we needed to add:

1. wings

2. seats

3.pilot hat

4. food to eat

Extra Details:I added that to get on the plane you have to have a ________. One of the students called out ticket. So I made tickets and added a desk so a student could sell plane tickets. I also added a hole puncher, stamp pad, cash register, money... etc to extend literacy learning, math, and communication. I don't have pictures to put up here, but I do have some in class I took last week. I also have added clouds from the ceiling, the students have showed interest in tornados as well, so we may hang those from the ceiling as well.

Extra Details x2: Another book on planes I used is A plane goes Ka-zoom

Second Center: Science

Books read: I Face the Wind by Vicki Cobb

Summary: I Face the Wind is a fun scientific book that not only offers an enjoyable read (using colorful pictures/illustrations) but easy science experiments that can be done in the class. The pictures actual demonstrate what wind does... such as blow hair, trees, umbrella's inside out etc.

Study Topic: Wind

How I incorporated learning experience: After reading several books on Wind I decided to add a things light enough to be moved by Wind vs a things too heavy to be moved by wind chart. The chart is simple so the students can effectively use it independently. They are also given a balloon pump to test out predictions and tape to tape the actual item on the chart. (IF the item is too large to tape it could be photographed) As the students picks items off the shelf to test I write down predictions and/or results the students come up with on the actual chart they posted.

Extra Details: I also have photos of students independently using this experiment in Science Center I added to my Wind folder

Whats New In More at Four 2011 Kristina Washington

This year, so far,  has been a battle in the North Carolina Government for education. Not only in the public school systems but in the early childhood education field. Every morning when we turn the news on it's a new story on the cutbacks the government is trying to make and the arguments to keep programs like More at Four an Smart Start going. Let me give you a little background information on the More at Four program first.

So... What is the More at Four program? More at Four, initiated by Governor Mike Easley, is a voluntary pre-kindergarten program designed to prepare at risk four year old children in North Carolina for success in school. High quality child care centers help provide a developmentally appropriate and structured place for children to learn daily. More at Four also operates on the Wake County Public School system schedule.

What do you need to be eligible? To be eligible for the More at Four program a child must:
1. Be four years of age by August 31, and be eligible for kindergarten the following year
2. Be a resident in a participating county in North Carolina
3. Meet the income requirements made by the state of North Carolina

Under the authority of the NC State Board of Education, More at Four classrooms are located in public schools (54 percent), licensed child care centers (27 percent), and Head Start programs (19 percent).  These classrooms provide a full school day, full school year program that meets standards set by the State Board of Education to align with K-12 education and prepare children for academic success.   North Carolina is one of the top two states nationally for state pre-kindergarten quality standards, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.

This excerpt can be found on   http://www.ncprek.nc.gov/MoreFour/index.asp                    

Currently to work with the North Carolina budget gap that is at about $2.4 billion dollars, and the programs that seem to continually on the chopping block are More at Four and Smart Start.
Negotiations on the state budget for the next fiscal year are just beginning, and the funding levels for Smart Start haven't been set. Some lawmakers have proposed merging Smart Start with More at Four. They say the merger would run the programs more efficiently. "The approach that's being discussed is trying to evaluate effectiveness and whether we can make it a better program," Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, said. on an wral.com interview.

Sad thing is that in the middle on this republican vs. democrat mud slinging battle, many families and children stand to be hurt. More at Four provides quality education for children who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it. While these children are at school some parents finally have an opportunity to find employment to help support their families. Not to mention that these children have a higher do better in school and in testing throughout their elementary years. Where would these children be if the didn't have a chance to receive the same quality education as those whose parents can afford it? Some people don't like to hear it but there are some people who live in this world and need help. This doesn't stay with the child forever, its not welfare, it's only for the year before they attend kindergarten. A very high percentage of the children who attend More at Four are Hispanic and most come into the classroom speaking little to no english. More at Four gives them a year to learn english in a classroom setting, preparing them to enter elementary school almost on the same level as english speaking children around them. Since many elementary school teachers do not speak spanish- this becomes a great help,  especially as we have No Child Left Behind to contend with in our school system.

So More at Four.... helpful or hurtful to our spending..... I'm interested to hear your opinions.