One S.M.A.R.T. Teacher - Oct. '23

Finding the time for one more thing is difficult in a classroom. Jessica from St. Louis Park, MN teaches kindergarten and loves every moment of it. Except for the amount of time planning can take!

During the S.M.A.R.T. workshop, we encourage educators to work S.M.A.R.T.er not harder. What does that even mean? The activities in this program parallel many typical school activities, but they are designed to be tweaked just a bit to foster a more concentrated, intense burst of stimulation to the brain. How does Jessica apply that little workshop tip?

She incorporates vision activities as a warm-up for small group instruction. Jessica engages her students in a playful activity that encourages them to track with their eyes. She has a few sheets ready for students to trace as their opening activity during small group instruction. She shares that by starting out the school year using this activity very intentionally and closely monitored in small groups, she is able to plan for this to be an independent work center during the later school months.

​​We love to see vision activities done in a quick and effective manner and want you to feel equipped to try this trick, too. Below is a fall themed Overs and Unders sheet for you to print out, ready for next week’s literacy group.

​Download:

• Overs Unders Fall  (PDF)

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References:

• Pre-K CORE guide: pg. 33
• Curriculum guide: pg. 215