Comments for

Comment on Credit for Accreditation by Stan Schwartz

Stan Schwartz — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:17:00 +0000

Congratulations to all with a special “shout out” to Amesbury!

Comment on Writing Supports Reading Comprehension by Angela Grant

Angela Grant — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:25:57 +0000

Hi Irene, I couldn’t agree more! Connecting writing to reading makes sense intuitively. -Angela

Comment on Studies Find Vocabulary Instruction Lacking by Tonya Wright M. Ed.

Tonya Wright M. Ed. — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:33:38 +0000

This is a wonderful reminder to educators and educational leadership of the importance of high-quality early literacy-based experiences. When I taught kindergarten I made sure that there were books in EVERY learning center in our room. There were architecture books in block area and science books in the science area. Some of these books were children’s literature, but at other times I used, where appropriate, adult books (for example: cook books, art books, architecture books, etc). I found these books often inspired both teachers and students to learn new words. We have to help our educators move from just mere vocabulary exposure to purposeful and meaningful experiences with words.

Comment on What is a “Rigorous” Preschool Curriculum? by Marlene Chomsky

Marlene Chomsky — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:48:17 +0000

With all of the emphasis on testing, we have lost the appreciation for the importance of play in the Pre-K and Kindergarten years. Young minds are like little sponges absorbing everything around them. I hope that “rigorous” doesn’t mean taking the joy away from the little ones by overwhelming them with academic desk work too soon.

Comment on Studies Find Vocabulary Instruction Lacking by Eleanor Kalfin-Royte,M. Ed.

Eleanor Kalfin-Royte,M. Ed. — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:22:51 +0000

Therefore it is essential that the library center of every preschool, K – 3 classroom is well stocked with high quality books: Stories, Field Guides to support science, block, sand, water, cooking activities, themes of dramatic play center (prop-appropriate materials for dramatic play), poetry, non-fiction, humor. Authors of high-quality, beautifully printed, well-written children’s literature provide many levels of vocabulary development in their clarification of terms and descriptive writing. Basic to all is : Children need the TIME to really study books throughout the day.

Comment on Census 2010: Fewer Young Children in MA, More Urban by Antidote to an Aging Workforce: Pre-k Excellence |

Antidote to an Aging Workforce: Pre-k Excellence | — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:48:15 +0000

[...] This suggests that the burden of sustaining the state’s future prosperity could rest on fewer shoulders. We wrote about some of these changes here. [...]

Comment on Early Childhood Summit 2013: Innovation and Opportunity by Antidote to an Aging Workforce: Pre-k Excellence |

Antidote to an Aging Workforce: Pre-k Excellence | — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:48:09 +0000

[...] It’s already a “war for us in terms of recruiting,” Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai Technologies, said recently of finding skilled workers at this year’s Early Childhood Summit. [...]

Comment on Science, Technology and Engineering in Pre-K by Eleanor Kalfin-Royte, M.Ed.

Eleanor Kalfin-Royte, M.Ed. — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:19:36 +0000

Eleanor Kalfin-Royte, M.Ed
So wonderful to finally see progress in this area of ECE. Science, Engineering, Math, principles can be introduced in so many preschool & Kdgn – Gr.3 developmentally appropriate activities. Looking at the example of a nature walk: Have kids bring pads & sharpened wide-barreled pencils so they can draw what they notice in detail (provide the time). Use invented spelling or take dictation to label. Have plant, tree guides in classroom library & art center; take soil & water samples, leaves, rocks etc. reseach on-line; quantify what has been seen, have kids estimate & also quantify steps taken to get back from there to classroom, take photos, make class murals (language, literacy, social & language skill development). Be sure to map your walk using kdgn. blocks & leave block-building up for enough days to label with signs & giving time to explore ramps, curbs, borders, walkways & offer opportunities representitive thinking to translate distance walked into blocks laid down.
Use the same walk twice in each season to note changes in flora & fauna. Classroom library books should have poems, stories, maps, field guides to help support the findings. Use computer programs to support classification skills.
Cooking with kids in a classroom teaches nutrition, builds fine-motor coordination; explores concepts of size, shape, weight, fractions, texture & supports language, literacy & social skill development. Read “Stone Soup” & make it! The possibilities of engaged high-level, curriculum & learning in the preK through Gr. 3 room are endless using developmentally appropriate scheduling & teachers who know how to listen & question, scaffold & document.
The goals of frameworks & core-curriculum are not hard to acheive when teachers are well prepared to teach and jobs for teachers with Master’s degrees are appropriatly remunerated for their ability to pay off their loans and stay in the field to mentor others.

Comment on Science, Technology and Engineering in Pre-K by Dr. Diane Nicolet

Dr. Diane Nicolet — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:23:31 +0000

Fabulous to read about STE, keep it up. I would like to see the word (concept) math in the above headline. The sooner ECE industry professionals embrace the STEM approach the sooner we can ensure that STEM is not pushed down to us. Rather we can push up (with a notion of blending) a continuum of STEM learning. Good luck with your project. Dr. Nicolet in Reno Nevada

Comment on Measuring Success in Multilingual Preschool Programs by Cassandra

Cassandra — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:45:26 +0000

The Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) covers those three domains, plus cultural sensitivity. Perhaps it would be a better assessment tool to use in this case.