Implementation-Self Assessment Checklist/ Kindercorner

ISAG

Implementation Self-Assessment Guide
for Curiosity Corner

An Optional and Flexible Tool for Schools and Trainers

Table of Contents

Managing the Classroom: Environment and Learning Activities...... 7

Cooperative Learning...... 9

Assessment...... 9

Greetings & Readings...... 10

Clues & Questions...... 11

Rhyme Time...... 11

Story Tree...... 12

Learning Labs/Learning Centers...... 13

Snack...... 14

Outside/Gross Motor Play...... 14

Question/Reflection...... 15

Home Links...... 15

Curiosity Corner: Managing the Classroom—Environment and Learning Activities

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I have available materials that are appropriate
to the range of development levels in the
class and provide the teacher-acquired
materials as suggested in the theme guide to
foster concept development. / .
I ensure that the classroom environment clearly reflects the current and recent themes. / Children take notice and talk about thematic concepts in the classroom.
I design the environment so that the room
is primarily the children’s work, art, and
writing samples. / Children contribute their writing and artwork and participate in the design and construction of the classroom.
I attend to the children’s safety. / Children engage in classroom routines such as hand washing and putting materials away.
I positively reinforce the children’s
behavior and use other appropriate
management strategies. / Children respond positively to the management strategies I use.
I am prepared each day to implement each program component and for the components to flow smoothly. / Children actively engage in each component and its activities.
I integrate the theme into classroom activities
and help the children become actively engaged
in activities. / Children enthusiastically engage in thematic classroom activities.
I help the children become involved in genuine verbal interaction and I model the use of theme-related vocabulary and elaborate on the children’s phrases and sentences. / Children initiate and engage
in conversations with their
peers and adults, using
increasingly more complex and theme-related vocabulary.
Curiosity Corner: Managing the Classroom—Environment and Learning Activities
I set up many opportunities for the children to write within the context of authentic play. / Children value writing and
initiate writing within their play
and daily activities.
I ask appropriate questions to promote higher-level thinking and I acknowledge and respond appropriately to the children’s input. / Children extend their thinking and respond with more complex answers.
I make my thinking transparent by using
Think Alouds. / Children begin to use
metacognitive skills that I have modeled in Think Alouds.
I plan for transitions and implement songs, chants, rhymes, and thematic activities and I use transition time for learning experiences. / Children participate and move to
the next activity in a fun and
engaging activity.
I provide reminders to the children prior to the end of an activity. / Children prepare to end an activity when reminded that the time is coming to a close.
I encourage the children to be self-sufficient. / Children increasingly take care of their personal needs.
I provide an authentic print-rich environment that models print for children. / Children use the print and labels as models, and can read some print, such as their names.
I arrange the classroom equipment and materials so that they are easily accessible to children and conducive to children’s play. / Children can easily access materials and use the environment and equipment to engage in meaningful play experiences.
Cooperative Learning

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I model for children how to actively listen by looking at the speaker, asking questions for clarification, nodding in affirmation, etc. / Children actively listen by looking at the speaker, asking questions that help them to understand better, and acknowledging what has been said.
I model for children how to explain their
ideas and provide appropriate language and
new vocabulary and help them express
thoughts and emotions. / Children freely explain their ideas and begin to provide language and examples to support them.
I model for children how to help and encourage one another by using positive language and suggesting strategies for accomplishing tasks. / Children help and encourage
one another.
Assessment

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I regularly document children’s work through observation, anecdotal records, SOLOs, and other authentic measures. / Children regularly complete work for documentation.
I observe and record children’s progress
across the domains and maintain this information in a portfolio. / Children make progress across
the domains.
I identify and use assessment opportunities in each theme guide. / Children participate in the
activities that provide
assessment opportunities.
Assessment
I modify and individualize my teaching in response to my assessment of children’s needs. / Children benefit from the
modified instruction.
I initiate conversations with families, seek their input, and include their comments in the children’s portfolios. / Families regularly share observations of their children’s progress.
I regularly schedule family conferences at mutually convenient times. / Families regularly attend
family conferences.
Greetings & Readings

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I greet children and adults individually as they arrive and purposefully engage children. / Children engage in conversations with peers and adults.
I provide daily opportunities for independent reading and writing and provide adequate selection of theme-related activities. / Children initiate activities for themselves and with peers each morning by reading, writing, and/or using a theme-related material.
I discuss the Home Link activity from the previous day with the children. / Children share their Home Link investigations with teachers
and peers.
I use the Daily Message appropriately for the developmental levels of the children and to introduce the thematic concepts. / Children actively participate in the Daily Message activities.
Clues & Questions

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I stimulate the children’s curiosity about
the theme. / Children are motivated to investigate theme concepts.
I provide adequate time for the children to contribute and problem solve. / Children share their ideas, participate in group discussions, and begin to actively listen to their peers.
I pace this activity according to the children’s interests and abilities. / Children are engaged
and participatory.
I actively engage all the children using techniques such as Buddy Buzz, Think-Pair-Share, and calling on less verbal children. / Children engage often in conversations with peers
to discuss their ideas and to stay involved in the learning activity.
I promote the children’s acquisition and use
of thematic vocabulary. / Children use thematic vocabulary in their conversations and discussion.
Rhyme Time

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I teach and review familiar rhymes with the
children to foster the development of phonemic awareness skills. / Children engage in playful and
fun activities that build recognition of rhyming words and phonemes
in words.
I invite children to offer suggestions for some rhymes, songs, and games. / Children demonstrate choices
and ideas.
Rhyme Time
I highlight alliterations, rhyming words, etc. to enhance children’s phonemic awareness. / Children begin to identify alliterations, rhyming words, phonemes, etc.
I use familiar songs and rhymes for transitions throughout the day. / Children sing and chant
familiar songs and rhymes throughout the day.
Story Tree

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I engage the children with my voice
and expression. / Children begin to retell stories.
I make direct connections between the story
and the theme and help children draw parallels to their life experiences. / Children make predictions and relate the story to themselves.
I draw attention to conventions of print in the books that I read. / Children demonstrate knowledge of conventions of print.
I teach the elements of stories. / Children begin to identify story elements and retell the story.
I celebrate story reading with the children by placing a leaf with the title on the story tree. / Children identify that the story tree leaves have the titles of the books we have read.
Learning Labs/Learning Centers

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I make appropriate use of tour strategies to introduce new materials and thematic
activities, assisting children to plan in which labs they will work. / Children participate in the
tour and select their own
Learning Lab experiences.
I plan and implement activities in numerous labs to reinforce the current theme concepts. / Children demonstrate knowledge of thematic concepts in their use of the lab materials.
I provide sufficient time for daily exploration of Learning Labs to be meaningful. / Children participate in lab activities, explore the Learning Labs, and use thematic vocabulary.
I facilitate learning in the labs by circulating and providing individualized teaching and assessment for children’s learning. / Children demonstrate knowledge that they have learned in the lab activities.
I plan for and consistently implement
Small Group. / Children participate in Small Group Lab regularly.
I engage in meaningful conversations with children to promote higher-level thinking and oral language. / Children converse with peers and adults in meaningful ways.
I facilitate a smooth transition at the
end of Learning Labs by giving a
reminder, redirecting children’s efforts, and participating with cleanup. / Children participate in the cleanup transition of Learning Labs.
Snack

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I sit and converse with children during
Snack Time. / Children converse with peers and adults during Snack Time.
I teach manners by example during Snack Time. / Children display manners during Snack Time.
I encourage children to serve themselves during Snack Time. / Children serve themselves during Snack Time.
Outside/Gross Motor Play

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I provide children opportunities for outside play daily. / Children play outside enthusiastically.
I provide opportunities for gross motor play indoors when it is impossible to go outside. / Children participate actively in the gross motor activities.
I implement theme-related gross motor activities. / Children see the connections between the thematic concepts and the activities.
I am actively involved with the children in the gross motor activities. / Children interact with one another and with adults during the gross motor activities.
Question/Reflection

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I reinforce theme-related vocabulary and concepts through daily Question/Reflection review activities. / Children use theme-related language in their discussions.
I engage the children in an active review of the day’s learning. / Children recall concepts taught throughout the day.
I end the day on a positive note. / Children leave with a positive feeling about the day.
Home Links

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

I send home the weekly Home Link Page. / Children deliver the weekly Home Link Page to their family.
I present the daily Home Link activity every day. / Children do the daily Home Link activity with their family.
I facilitate activities to encourage family involvement in the children’s education. / Families participate in the
activities and are involved in
their children’s education.
I regularly provide books for children to take home from the Lending Library to read with their families. / Family members regularly read with their children.