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 12

Story Tree 12

Learning Labs/Learning Centers 13

Snack 15

Outside/Gross Motor Play 15

Question/Reflection 16

Home Links 16

Curiosity Corner: Managing the Classroom—Environment and Learning Activities

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

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I have available materials that are appropriate to the range of development levels in the class and provide the teacher-acquired theme materials to foster concept development. / Children use the materials and construct connections as they play, learn, and problem solve.
I ensure that the classroom environment clearly reflects the current and recent themes through materials and children’s work decorating the classroom. / 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 readily contribute their writing and artwork and participate in the design and construction of the classroom.
I attend to the children’s safety and ensure the classroom materials are in good condition and the environment is free of hazards. / 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 and encourage children to talk about reading and writing experiences. / Children value writing and
initiate writing within their play
and daily activities.
I ask meaningful 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 so that these are 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 literacy-rich environment that models print for children through messages, labels, daily schedules, and a job chart. / Children use the print and labels as models, and can read some print, such as their names.
I arrange the classroom equipment, furniture, and materials so that they are easily accessible to children and promote children’s active and social 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

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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, provide appropriate language and
new vocabulary, and encourage them to express
their thoughts and emotions. / Children freely explain their ideas, begin to provide language and examples to support them, and recount experiences that are important to them.
I model for children how to help and encourage one another by using positive language and suggesting strategies for accomplishing tasks. / Children increasingly help and encourage one another through words and actions.
Assessment

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

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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 listen to and observe how children are constructing their understandings and use this to modify, scaffold, 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

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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 materials and 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 and demonstrate genuine interest in their families. / Children share their Home Link investigations and lives with teachers
and peers.
I use the Daily Message to introduce the thematic concepts. / Children actively participate in the Daily Message activities.
I talk about letters by names and sounds and promote thematic connections as possible in the words we use. / Children use known letters, identify some letters, and begin to make some letter-sound connections to demonstrate alphabetic knowledge.
Clues & Questions

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

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I stimulate the children’s curiosity about
the theme by using and highlighting new vocabulary and materials, asking questions, and encouraging conversations and discussions. / 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 by modeling and explaining meanings of words. / Children use thematic vocabulary in their conversations and discussion.
I informally observe and assess children’s knowledge, understanding, and interest in the concepts. / Children talk about theme concepts and use materials in their play to investigate these concepts.
Rhyme Time

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

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I teach new and review familiar rhymes and fingerplays with actions to foster the development of phonological and 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 language games. / Children demonstrate choices
and ideas and participate in rhyming games.
I highlight alliterations, rhyming words, sounds that are the same, and differentiate between words to enhance children’s phonological and phonemic awareness skills. / Children begin to identify alliterations, rhyming words, phonemes, and hear and discriminate the sounds of language.
I use familiar songs, rhymes, and language games as 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

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I engage the children with my voice, expression, questions, and enjoyment of the book. / Children begin to retell stories, enjoy listening to and discussing story books.
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 print conventions in the books that I read and model how I read from left to right, from the top of the page to the bottom, etc. / Children demonstrate knowledge of conventions of print and understand that print conveys a message,

Story Tree

I teach the elements of stories as I share books with children and model reading behaviors. / Children begin to identify story elements and retell the story.
I reread favorite stories, in part, to build vocabulary, comprehension of the story, and love of literature. / Children identify their favorite books, ask for them to be read often, and can read the books from memory.
I read thematically related literature to teach, model, and represent new vocabulary words. / Children read and enjoy thematic books and use the new vocabulary in conversations and play themes.
I ask a variety of higher-level thinking questions before, during, and after the story reading to promote language skills, comprehension, and enjoyment. / Children actively and enthusiastically respond to the varied questions with increasingly sophisticated language and show interest in books.
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

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I make appropriate use of tour strategies to introduce new materials and thematic
activities, and assist children in their planning process. / 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 and to promote children’s choice-making skills and self-regulation. / 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 and for children to create and extend play themes. / Children participate in lab activities, explore the Learning Labs, and use thematic vocabulary.
Learning Labs/Learning Centers
I facilitate learning in the labs by circulating to small groups and individuals, providing individualized teaching and observing children’s learning. / Children demonstrate knowledge that they have constructed in the lab activities.
I plan for and consistently implement
Small Group activities to extend theme concepts, build social interactions among peers, problem solve, and promote vocabulary development within meaningful experiences. / Children participate in Small Group Lab regularly.
I engage in meaningful conversations with children to promote higher-level thinking, extend their thinking, and discussions. / 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, and referring children to classroom labels. / Children participate in the cleanup transition of Learning Labs.
I promote literacy-related play and experimenting with writing with a variety of props, materials, and modeling. / Children engage in conversations, reading-like behaviors, and writing attempts as part of their play themes.
I design opportunities for one-on-one interactions with children to observe, assess, and promote language and vocabulary development through play and conversations. / Children use new vocabulary and materials in their play themes.
Snack

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

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I sit and converse with children during
Snack Time and meals. / Children converse with peers and adults during Snack Time.
I teach manners by example during Snack Time and meals and create a relaxed atmosphere. / Children display manners during Snack Time.
I encourage children to serve themselves during Snack Time and meals and refer children to one another for assistance as appropriate. / Children serve themselves during Snack Time and meals and help one another, as they are able.
Outside/Gross Motor Play

What the Teacher Does

What the Students Do

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I provide children opportunities for outside play daily. / Children play outside enthusiastically and enjoy the fresh air and change in environment.
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 and encourage unstructured free play. / Children see the connections between the thematic concepts and the activities.
I am actively involved with the children in their 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

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I reinforce theme-related vocabulary and concepts through daily Question/Reflection review activities, conversations, and questions. / 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 through conversations and theme materials.
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

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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 and promote family interactions and discussions. / Children do the daily Home Link activity with their family and families’ value children’s expanding language and conversation skills.
I facilitate activities to encourage family involvement in the children’s education and promote language and literacy activities at home. / 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 and individualize take-home packets, maybe with a writing journal or toy. / Family members regularly read with their children and value books for enjoyment and learning.