Anthony-McGeachy
Physical
Development
Pre-K
(4
year
olds)
o Grasp
pencil
in
whole
fist
and
use
their
arm,
hand
and
fingers
as
a
single
unit
o Focus
on
visually
far
away
objects
o Clumsy
o Need
lots
of
physical
activity
o Can
sit
still
for
short
periods
o Awkward
with
small
movements
o Learn
through
large
muscle
activity
o Unable
to
switch
between
near
and
far
focus
PK-2nd
Observation
Guide
Kindergarten
(5
year
olds)
o Hold
pencils
with
three-
fingered
pincer-like
grasp
o Focus
on
nearby
o Need
physical
activity
o Controlling
large
movements
o Somewhat
awkward
with
small
tasks
o Pace
themselves
well/rest
before
exhausted
o Fall
out
of
chars
sideways
o Older
fives
o Tire
quickly
o Stand
up
to
work
o More
difficult
to
sit
still
Physical
Development
Strategies
o Room
should
be
set
up
to
o Provide
time
and
space
for
provide
plenty
of
space
for
free
play
movement
to
minimize
accidents
o Climbing
apparatus
on
playground
o A
quarter
of
school
day
should
be
in
physical
activity
Comments:
Williford Elementary
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
Williford
Elementary
As
I
entered
the
classroom,
students
sang
the
song
Miss
Sylvia
came
to
school
today.
The
question
of
the
day
was
How
can
we
reuse
junk?
Students
reviewed
the
topic
of
recycle,
reduce,
reuse
using
a
robot
made
from
recycled
materials.
Students
were
given
junk
to
write
their
name
on
to
use
as
a
bookmark.
The
classroom
was
small,
but
is
setup
in
a
way
to
allow
students
many
opportunities
to
explore
and
learn.
Cognitive
Development
Pre-K
(4
year
olds)
o Short
attention
spans
o Learn
best
by
moving
large
muscles
o Need
to
play/explore
o Enjoy
music,
rhythm,
and
repeating
patterns
o Love
being
read
to
o Need
hands
on
experiences
o Accepts
responsibilities
and
individual
tasks
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
Williford Elementary
Provide
blocks,
manipulatives,
clay,
sand
water
Predictable
and
clear
daily
schedules
Learning
environment
that
is
both
structured
and
exploratory
Tie
instruction
to
childrens
interests
Clear
and
simple
directions
and
expectations
Provide
opportunities
for
students
to
count
and
sort,
do
simple
addition
and
subtraction
with
manipulatives
Hands-on
exploration
of
size,
shape,
length,
volume
Opportunities
to
practice
writing
numbers
and
do
simple
equations
o Provide
classroom
environment
suitable
for
sustained,
quiet
work
periods
o Give
students
a
heads-up
that
its
time
to
prepare
for
transitions
o Discovery
centers
(inquiry
based
learning)
o Ask
them
to
do
one
task
at
a
time
o Give
opportunities
to
do
more
computations
with
money
and
time
o Let
students
work
with
fractions
by
measuring,
weighing,
and
comparing
o Allow
students
to
experiment
with
symmetry
and
geometry
o Provide
opportunities
for
students
to
practice
mathematical
skills
with
games
o Provide
quiet
corners
for
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
Williford
Elementary
reading
or
working
Comments:
Although
students
at
this
age
typically
sit
still
for
short
periods,
the
students
in
this
class
sat
for
approximately
45
minutes.
Activities
were
changed
frequently
to
keep
students
engaged.
Students
were
given
the
freedom
to
choose
their
learning
activities.
Music
was
incorporated
into
many
aspects
of
learning.
Students
were
reminded
of
acceptable
social
skills
when
interacting
with
others
through
the
questions
asked
by
the
teacher,
i.e.,
Why
is
it
important
to
keep
you
hands
in
your
lap?
Why
should
you
wipe
your
hands
after
you
wipe
your
nose?
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
o Stories
represented
by
letters
clustered
as
words
or
a
single
drawing
o Older
fives
o Give
more
elaborate
answers
to
questions
o Use
more
words
than
needed
to
convey
ideas
o Read
out
loud,
even
during
silent
reading
Language
and
Literacy
Development
Strategies
o Allow
students
to
do
their
o Learn
and
practice
language
own
reading
of
picture
skills
through
teacher
books
modeling
and
directed
role
o Boost
early
literacy
skills
by
play,
as
well
as
dramatic
play
scribbling
and
using
invented
o Teach
students
to
use
finger
spelling
as
separator
for
spacing
o Provide
practice
for
pre-
o Do
partner
reading
peers
writing
(finger
painting
or
helping
each
other
through
painting
with
brushes
at
familiar
books
(parallel
standup
easels)
reading)
o Read
short
chapter
books
out
loud
o Have
students
write
theme
stories
with
classmates
and
turn
them
into
books
o Provide
predictable
books
Williford
Elementary
letters
to
sounds
o Spontaneous
mixture
of
upper
and
lower
case
o Handwriting
is
large
and
sloppy
but
more
legible
o Stories
begin
to
develop
into
sentences
punctuation
o Write
before
drawing
o Begin
spelling
correctly
o Increased
phonetic
and
sight
word
fluency
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
Williford Elementary
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
Williford Elementary
Strategies
o Small
dramas
and
role
plays
help
teach
social
skills
o Learn
from
modeling,
need
chances
to
practice
new
behavior
Comments:
Students
were
very
independent.
Several
selected
role-play
activities.
They
interacted
well
with
each
other.
Students
easily
took
on
roles
of
child,
mother,
and
father.
Sylvia
Anthony-McGeachy
o Insecure
with
feelings
and
tattling
o Complain,
test
o Begins
taking
more
authority
and
limits
responsibility
for
self
and
o Respond
well
to
group
redirection/reminders
Strategies
Williford
Elementary
tests
and
assignments
Comments:
Although
students
were
able
to
sit
for
a
long
period
of
time
without
disruption,
they
were
extremely
talkative
and
outgoing
once
they
went
into
their
centers.