The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is proud to be part of Long Island's Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Education. Visit its web page for links to all partner organizations. Many have important COVID-19-related resources to offer: www.nassauboces.org/rtac
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Should you teach antiracism to pre-k and kindergarten students? |
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Have you been looking for tools to teach young kids about racism in America’s past and present? Ankita Ajith, a student at Northwestern University, believes that children, no matter their age, should learn history through an antiracist lens, “not only learning about the role of white supremacy and racism in history, but doing so in a way that empowers them to pursue social justice.” According to The Hechinger Report, education organizations and initiatives such as Teaching Tolerance aim to give educators resources to teach anti-bias and antiracism, but educators are struggling to implement these tools in childrens’ early years.
Katie Cryan Leary, the principal of Magnolia Elementary School in the Seattle Public Schools, feels that antiracism education in elementary schools begins with students’ “awareness of themselves, of others and of how those interactions play out.” She feels that social emotional learning, or providing children with the tools to manage and express their feelings, is the heart of race and equity work.
Developmental psychologists have said that children between the ages of two and four can start showing racial biases. By the time they are in kindergarten, their attitudes about race mirror those of the adults in their lives. Leary utilizes resources from Black Lives Matter at Schools, a national movement started by thousands of educators in Seattle in 2016 that has spread to many districts across the nation. Throughout the year, students are exposed to different concepts every month through daily read alouds, project-based learning and classroom meetings. To help encourage and invigorate dialogue with students about differences, race and unfairness, “kindergarten to fifth grade teachers read books by writers that touch on issues of racial inequity, such as ‘The Day You Begin,’ ‘Ron’s Big Mission’ and ‘New Shoes.’” According to Leary, creating a safe space in any learning environment is incredibly important.
Chanita Coulter, a preschool teacher in Charleston, agrees. In her preschool classroom, her students made signs and did a walk around to protest mass shootings amidst a national walkout movement. “I think it is important that students of color actively participate in conversations that affect their families and communities,” Coulter said. She goes on to state that children have a hard time expressing the issues, despite being well aware of them.
Early educator Akiea Gross is the founder of Woke Kindergarten, a social media community space that hosts antiracist read alouds and shares resources about antiracism and liberation for especially young children. In the reading of “Mr. Tiger Goes Wild” by Peter Brown, the story of a young tiger who acts differently than his neighbors, Gross talks about big themes such as “politics” and “rules” that have been made for Black, Indigenous, Latino and Asian people.
According to The Hechinger Report, the consensus from the variety of teachers interviewed for this story is that change is now inevitable. “It’s something that will happen sooner or later,” says Ajith. Read the full story here.
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Why counting builds strong knowledge in children |
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Pre-k to 2nd grade teachers are excited to see their students deepening and strengthening their number sense and understanding of counting through their work with Counting Collections, an organization that develops the big ideas of number sense.
According to Erickson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative, Counting Collections reinforces concepts such as cardinality, one-to-one correspondence, and unitizing. Author Jill Sapoznick writes that students have many opportunities to count collections of real objects-stickers, bottle caps, glue sticks, acorns, glass beads…even LEGOs! “After students determine how many [items are] in the collection, they work to record their counts with pictures and symbols,” she says.
Counting Collections encourages teachers to use an easy structure which includes four components: prepare, launch, work and wrap-up.
Teachers prepare for counting activities by “gathering sets of objects in quantities that reflect students’ number sense and counting knowledge.” Of course, this varies by grade level and student experience. Counting Collections stresses the importance of organization. To launch the activity, they suggest using interactive modeling to prepare students to work with their own collections. Both teachers and students will model the steps involved in the activities. Their peers will mirror and describe what they witnessed. Students learn to support one another in developing more advanced counting strategies. The processes involved with these activities allow students to record the totals in their collections and consider how to represent their processes in obtaining their totals by drawing and/or writing. Finally, wrapping up allows teachers to bring students together to discuss their collaborations and projects. Read more about the benefits of counting activities here.
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Honeybee fun! Check out these books and activities for kids |
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Bees are extremely important to nature and the process of pollination. Unfortunately, many honeybees are dying. As scientists are trying to find ways to save them, it is even more imperative for children to understand how bees are essential and why they are in danger. According to KCEdventures, there are many fun activities that children can partake in this summer that are both beneficial for the bees and the young explorers.
“Many nature center and science museums are trying to help honeybees by hosting ‘indoor’ beehives,” says Jacquie Fisher, the author of the piece. “These are really cool to see because the bees will fly into the hive through a tube that leads to the outdoors, and visitors are able to see all the workings of the hive.”
Children can see the inside of a beehive by visiting Explore.org. They will even be able to see the bees up close in a safe way when they fly into the hive.
If children want to learn more about honeybees, their jobs as pollinators and what they do throughout the day, there is a wealth of books available. Check out “The Life and Times of the Honeybee” to see how bees make honey and why they dance. In “Are You a Bee?” children can identify bees from other insects. In “The Honeybee Man,” learn what it’s like to be a beekeeper. Learn about more activities here.
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Just announced!
Free SEL Program and Training from
Sesame Street
Find out more about the new Sesame Street
"Be Brave Strong and Resilient" program designed for students in Pre-K through Second Grade
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St. Joseph's College in partnership with Sesame Street in Communities will be offering “train the trainer” sessions for the Be Brave, Strong and Resilient Program via Zoom, several times throughout the upcoming academic year. Each training session will be limited to 25 participants, and registration will be on a first come, first served basis. The training and the program are both free. You can find more information about this 8 week social-emotional learning program at https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/training/brave-strong-resilient/
1st Training Session Date: Tuesday, August 17th
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm
For more information about Sesame Street in Communities or to register for the August 17th session, please email your name, contact information and the name of your school district or early childhood center to Courtney Davidson at cdavidson2@sjcny.edu by Thursday, July 29th. |
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SAVE THE DATE!
November 2, 2021
Best Practices for Teaching
Pre-K and K
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Our 2021 Best Practices conference will be virtual. Stay tuned for more information about how to sponsor the Long Island Pre-K's 6th annual conference!
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This week's HELP WANTED in Early Ed |
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Lead Pre-School Teacher
Tiny Treasures Child Care, Great River
Email jen@tinytreasuresei.com
The Long island Regional Early Childhood Career Development Center has services for both job seekers and employers. Click here to learn more.
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The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a collaborating partner in the state-funded Long Island Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Childhood Education. |
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71 Clinton Rd. Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: 516-396-2220
www.nassauboces.org/pre-k
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