Pages

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Q is for...Can't Tell You, Or It Will Ruin The Punchline

I teach pre-kindergarten. The children must be 4 years old by July 31 to be in the class, which makes them ready (age-wise, anyway) to enter kindergarten the next fall. We work on kindergarten readiness skills, including coloring, cutting, gluing, counting, and writing our names, along with plenty of free play in our different centers, such as art, math, science and home living. Additionally, we do a Letter of the Week curriculum, concentrating on beginning sounds and learning to recognize and write each letter.

Informal learning of the letters and sounds happens constantly. It's a wonderful "lightbulb" moment when a child is playing, say, in the science center, sifting rice through his fingers in the sensory table, looks up and exclaims, "Miss Dyanne! Rrrrice begins with 'R'!"

Several years ago (11, to be exact), during "Q" week, we were casually talking about words that started with "Q" while the kids were at the table eating snack. They offered up words like "quick." And "quack." And "quiet." 

Suddenly, one of the girls had her "lightbulb" moment. Her face lit up and she bounced in her seat as she said, "Miss Dyanne! Miss Dyanne! I know what starts with 'Q'!"

"CWAYON!"

Couldn't argue with that.





15 comments:

  1. Kwazy kids! We teachers just love those lightbulb moments.

    ReplyDelete
  2. awwwwwwwwwww at that lil girl's light bulb moment.
    It must be so lovely and challenging as well to teach KG kids Dyanne and I know what starts with Q
    Qteeeeeee- (cute :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can report that I am still in contact with this girl and she has, in fact, learned to say her R's just fine.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved it. (I'm a speech pathologist.) Stopping by from the Challenge. Hope you'll visit me. This year's theme is quirky quotes. www.widowsphere.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting! As a speech pathologist, you know exactly what I deal with teaching preschool! More than once have I had kids who thought "yellow" started with "L".

      I'll be over to visit in a bit!

      Delete
  5. Adorable and no, I agree, you cannot really argue that. This challenge should be a piece of cake for you, you already think about the letters all the time! :)

    Kate at Daily discovery

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'd THINK it would be a piece of cake, but it's not.

      Delete
  6. One of the best reasons to be a teacher--facilitating and getting to witness those "lightbulb" moments. Nice story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! At this age, they are not subtle about their "lightbulb" moments.

      Delete
  7. Aww that is so cute :) I'm glad to see that she can now pwonounce "R"s pwoperly!

    Jak at The Cryton Chronicles & Dreams in the Shade of Ink

    ReplyDelete