Student Teaching- Prep for Kindergarten

I am excited to say that my first eight weeks, for student teaching, I will be in a Kindergarten class! I am very excited to teach in this grade because I have not had the chance to work in this setting before. I have been doing a little research on how to prep students for kindergarten and what school will be like for them. I have been looking at some of the things that I would need to prepare in the classroom, and I found a great tool that can be used at Parent Night or Welcome Week, or be sent for parents and kids to watch at home before the first day of school. The link below, to Brain Pop Jr., includes a video on introducing and showing students how to prepare for kindergarten.


Link-Kindergarten Prep


Scholastic also provides parents and teachers with tips and strategies to helping children get ready for Kindergarten, and where children should be in development for their age. The link below gives a great article on the seven important parts of a child's development that they should be at when entering Kindergarten. This article helped me to see how I might assess my students at the beginning of the year and what I need to be looking for in their strengths and abilities in the classroom. This will help me to find a starting point and see what kind of support or accommodations I must make to help guide these students in developing Kindergarten-level skills and abilities. The link below provides the full article.

Link- Ready for Kindergarten?


I also started following another teacher's blog that focuses a lot of her information on Kindergarten and primary grades. I found her article, "How to Survive Kindergarten" heartwarming and encouraging. She gave many helpful pointers on how to "survive" Kindergarten and how to teach without losing all management in the classroom. She also provides other teachers with materials she has used and gives support to other teachers who have helped her along the way. I really encourage any teacher to read her article on Kindergarten, it is helpful and supportive for first year and seasoned teachers.

Link- "How to Survive Kindergarten"


I hope some of these tools you find creative and helpful for starting Kindergarten! Keep following all summer long and I will continue to dig deeper into learning more about Kindergarten level and what to include in my plans for teaching and classroom management.