Monday, September 17, 2007

Terrific Transition Songs

Good transitions can cut down on behavior and make any day more successful. I'm working hard to have a whole passel of transition songs or ideas to grab from when needed. I hope you will find these helpful too. If there are some good transition ideas that I have missed, please share and leave a comment!

Transition Songs 1
Transition Songs 2
Transition Songs 3
Transition Songs 4
Transition Songs 5
Transition Songs 6
Transition Songs 7
Transition Songs 8

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Discussion Forums

I am a big fan of networking. I think it's a great way to gain knowledge and ideas. Sometimes it's nice to just be able to vent about a situation or get someone's expertise who isn't directly involved with the situation. Here are some places that I go for ideas and networking.

Head Start Teachers: This is a forum for Head Start teachers to chat about lessons, curriculum, and staying within Head Start regulations.
A to Z Teacher Stuff: Pretty much any lesson plan or theme can be found here. Lots of great stuff! You definitely want to check this one out.
Pro Teacher Discussion Forum: This is another great site!
Head Start Haven: This is another Head Start forum.
Teaching Preschool: Lots of great printable info here!

The first week of school!

This is the first official Head Start week. My new students arrived on Tuesday with their backpacks and boxes of Kleenex. So far, so good! At this point I only have ten children in my room. I MUST have seventeen to get full capacity. I currently have six that are Head Start and child care dual enrollment (so I see them all day) and four that are Head Start only (they leave at noon).

Numbers being low is a not a good thing general Head Start purposes because we need to stay at a certain level of enrollment. However, low numbers mean that I really get to develop a great relationship with my students and I get some great observation notes written. Observation notes are part of how I do my on-going assessments. I've decided that since I'm thinking about writing good observations, I would include some links to help you write excellent observations as well. Enjoy!

Classroom Assessment
Observation Guidelines
NIEER
PBS Article

A free on-line journal
ECRP