Excerpts from The Literate Kindergarten: Where Wonder and Discovery Thrive, by Susan L. Kempton, Heinemann 2007

The roots of learning begin in a social milieu; it’s up to teachers to provide stimulating contexts where those roots can become living plants that grow and flower. Weaving together the cognitive, creative, and emotional domains gives depth and breadth to a classroom.

My students regularly hear me asking questions like “What are you wondering?” (cognitive domain), or as with Kasmira, “What did you discover?” (creative domain), or “What are you feeling?” (emotional domain).  The repetition encourages them to use the same language.

The road from the formless August classroom to November’s well-oiled machine starts with three important words: setting the tone.  Setting the tone for learning is a precise, deliberate process for any teacher.  It takes time and thoughtful work to fine-tune a clear vision of what you value, what you want your students to value, and what you believe is best for them.  What are the most important messages to communicate to children as they walk through the classroom door?  What rituals and routines will set the stage and support learning for the rest of the day, or the year?

I value freedom of choice and very much want to help the students develop decision-making skills.  But for kindergartners, it’s important that freedom come within a framework of routine that they can learn and depend on.  The comfort of ritual gives them the confidence to choose.

This settling-in time establishes the tone for the day.  Right away, as children enter the classroom, they can understand what our community values: reading, thinking, questions, choice, and thoughtfully following through with independent tasks. 

We spend the first three weeks of school learning about the importance of books: book arrangement in the classroom, proper handling of books, and the best behaviors for listening and reading.  Only after this foundation is set do we proceed to content routines like how to read pictures, formulate questions and share discoveries.

At the beginning of the year, I spend time modeling and emphasizing the importance of observation.  I encourage children to frequently observe Houdinni, our garter snake; Rosie, our tarantula; Cajita, our box turtle; Fire and Jumpy, our fire-bellied toads; Floppy, our mini lop; Swimmer, our water turtle and all the fish in our aquarium.

So much of what children write is what they talk about.  The things children choose to share are their most pressing thoughts in the moment: a loose tooth, sparkly new shoes, feeling sad because their mom yelled at them or a friend called them a name.  It is critical that we listen to their dialogue and link those thoughts to print.  Children’s talk is the seeds for the stories they write.

Thematic units left no space for children to take the lead, following their interests and curiosity or spiraling back to build on previous knowledge.  I knew I valued a different model even before I came to redefine the term integrated learning for myself.  Other teachers use the phrase in different ways, but for me, integrated learning means connecting ideas, information, and experiences minute by minute, day by day, every day of the school year.

In creating stimulating play environments that simulate the real world, I aim to provide additional contexts for children to learn and explore.  With the pizza shop, children understood why writing is important when they made signs, order tickets, and menus.