East Meets West

A bilingual one of a kind standards-based bulletin board.

The Kindergarten co-teach duo, Michelle Ellis and Debbie Cothern, have done it again and produced a one of a kind standards-based bulletin board. In 2001, as part of the America's Choice School Design, we were taught to compare student work against standards, and make our students' work visible. At first, we simply stuck to the template they gave us, but gradually the CCE teachers embraced the boards and began to push themselves each month to think outside the box. The boards, especially Debbie and Michelle's, morphed into not only posting student work, standards, and teacher commentary, but began to transform and capture the true essence of what was occurring inside the classroom. Also, early in the design, we learned to post student work over time. Generally, the last board of the year showcases a student's academic progress throughout one school year.

So, how was this particular board born? Earlier this month, Debbie was reading Eric Carle's, Where Are You Going? To See My Friend!, to her students when one of her young learners, A., politely corrected her pronunciation of a Japanese word. The correction began a conversation between the teachers, A., and A.'s mom. They discovered not only was A. eagerly learning how to read and write in English during the school day, but in the evening she was learning to read and write in Japanese! Debbie and Michelle asked to see A.'s work over time, and the idea for their one of a kind, over the top, April standards board was born!

Kindergarten Reading Performance Standards

Kindergarten Writing Performance Standards

Growth in Kindergarten

Listen to A. Read in English and in Japanese

Japanese Skills Block

Japanese Writers' Workshop

Samples of Work Over Time

Japanese Readers' Workshop

English Skills Block

English Writers' Workshop

Writers' Workshop Work Over Time

Beginning of Kindergarten Sample


September 29, 2008

Mid-Year Sample

January 28, 2009

End of the Year Sample

April 16, 2009

Making Connections Between Japanese and English Stories

Kindergarten Readers and Writers

I was all smiles on Tuesday after spending 40 minutes in Laurie Thomson and Julia Lewis' classroom. This co-teaching duo runs a well oiled machine just 9 short weeks into Kindergarten.

When I entered, students were just getting back to their meeting area for the Closing Session of Readers' Workshop. Three students were preparing to share and it was evident that the teachers had pre-selected students during their Work Period. The students placed their independent reading text under the document camera, read one page, and shared the reading strategy they had tried that day. The first student demonstrated how she pointed to the words as she read; the second student demonstrated how he pointed to the words and looked at the pictures to figure out a difficult word; the third student demonstrated how she pointed at the words, and when she got to a difficult word she got her mouth ready and sounded out the first letter of the word, then she looked at her picture clues. I could tell through this sharing that students are being taught purposeful reading mini-lessons, are reading daily and applying their mini-lesson strategies, and have the opportunity to share. The teachers are using this Closing Session effectively to scaffold student learning.

Furthermore, I stayed through the Writers' Workshop mini-lesson and into the Work Period. The focus was on using word wall snap words in your writing. The teachers modeled with a think aloud and wrote under the document camera for students to watch. As Miss Lewis wrote, she would stop and sound out a word, or at times look on the word wall. Students practiced by turning and talking to a partner about which snap words they could incorporate in their writing today.

The transition from Opening to Work Period was smooth and quick. Students got to work right away on their writing as the teachers individually conferred with students. As I walked around and conferred with students, it was clear that these writers are writing daily and excited to share their stories with others. I was surprised that I could read so many papers without assistance, and with others, I simply asked the student to read their story to me. They did a masterful job.

I enjoyed my visit to Room 122 and can't wait to return.

Kindergarten Snapshot: A Look at the Afternoon

This afternoon, I took a stroll through Kindergarten. In many of the rooms, the teachers were knee deep in Science Workshop. These are a few highlights from my visit.

In the first room, Science Workshop was in full swing. Students were busy making observations as they circulated through five different stations. Each station focused on a different sense and students excitedly gathered information. The teachers were facilitating instruction as they circulated to each station. I could overhear them asking, "What does it taste like?" "What do you hear?" "What do you think is in the bag by feeling it?" "Why?" The young scientists were eager to make predictions based on their observations and student engagement was high.

In another room, young scientists were busy using balancing scales to measure objects at their table. They were sorting items into two different groups based on the weight of the objects. Students were working nicely in pairs to accomplish their task and the teacher was assisting as she circulated from one pair to the next.

Our young scientists in another room were focused on their sense of smell. They had read a text on the sense of smell, and were in work period drawing things that they could smell. Students' work indicated that they could smell items like flowers and food. The students were eager to share their work with me and really wanted me to photograph their work. :)

In one room, Math Workshop was in session. Young mathematicians were busy creating patterns during work period. When I asked one student to explain their pattern to me, he replied, "I built a blue yellow blue yellow pattern." I asked another student who exclaimed, "I build an A B B A B B A B B pattern." I questioned, "How do you know?" She proudly explained that she had a shape and then two squares, and then the shape and then two squares. Her reply caught the attention of another child at her table who quickly cleared her pattern. I asked her why she cleared her pattern and she said, "I'm going to make mine harder." "Sounds like a great idea to me," I exclaimed, before moving on.


The morning in Kindergarten is packed with ELA: Skills Block, Writers' and Readers' Workshop. Afternoons are generally reserved for Math and Science Workshop. So, I'll visit again soon and give you a snapshot of a Kindergartener's morning.