1. The “Pledge of Allegiance”: New Literacy Links and ASL Video Clip

Download Anthology Page: I Pledge Allegiance

“We have only had twelve days of school, and already my kindergartners can recite and sign the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’! Everyone is so amazed…” So began one delightful teacher who has studied “The Magic of Signing Songs” with us. (And that’s why I enjoy answering the phone and reading your emails!) For all of you who want to take advantage of how the kindergarten brain learns best while teaching “The Pledge of Allegiance,” see ASL instructional video  The Pledge of Allegiance, and new resources for connecting oral language to print, simultaneously building speech, voracious vocabulary learning, and reading fluency.
 What a powerful way for children to study America’s symbols.

• Kindergartners Perform Lee Greenwood's Version of I Pledge Allegiance
• I Pledge Allegiance: Make Your Own Class Signing Book
• Systematically Organize for Accelerated Literacy
• Connect Oral Language to Print
• I Pledge Allegiance: Use Sign Language and Art to Build Meaning
• Template for Making Your Own Class Book

Share American Sign Language (ASL) with Families:

• Download ASL Guide Sheets: “Pledge of Allegiance”
• The “Pledge of Allegiance” Parents as Partners Letter
• Voracious Vocabulary Learners

Discover the Magic of Signing Songs: Distance Learning Study Option

2. Poetry Connections: The Study of Fall Leaves

This fall, give children the most exquisite language we speak—poetry. Greet children at the door with a poem about leaves or the weather. Weave poetry into the study of trees and seasons. Speak to the children in “small poems of some delight” throughout the day. Children love to memorize, recite, and perform poetic language. Make language charts for shared reading and community building.

Children will enjoy dramatizing poems and songs from our October poetry collection. Bring in a large basket of leaves and invite them to dramatize and dance the language with leaves in each hand. How can they show “twirling,” “trembling,” “dancing,” and “falling” while reciting the language?

Give children individual copies of the new poems to illustrate. Watch them read and reread the text with increasing fluency and confidence from their personal “I Can Read” Notebook.  See: How to Organize Poetry Notebooks

Mount and laminate one or more illustrated copies of each new poem. Store these in a “poetry box” for your children’s reading selection or create unique language charts and hang them in your literacy instructional area.  Familiar poems and songs make great “read to self” materials. See Classroom and Seminar Language Charts.

Download copies of our expanding monthly collection of 8.5" x 11" large print, copyright-secured poetry, song, and rhyme pages including: October Fun and October Falling Leaves

In October we also introduce Old Man Moon by Aileen Fisher:  The moon is very, very old. The reason why is clear...  See Small Poems of Some Delight.

For these “Small Poems of Some Delight”, from well-loved poets, see the copyright-secured Poetry Anthology Collections at our Online Bookstore.

Involve Families in Meaningful Fall Science and Literacy

Invite parents to take walks with their child and collect leaves, press and return the leaves to school for observation, classification, drama, science, and art projects. When the child brings home their Poetry “I Can Read” Notebook featuring poems about leaves, families can celebrate the language and images of fall all over again.

Connecting Science, Art, and Literacy: Sun Catchers and Tree Journals

• Place pressed leaves between sheets of 8½" x 11" clear (sticky-side) contact paper or adhesive Mylar. Hang the leaf collages on the windows to catch the sun or use them to adorn the covers of children’s art notebooks.
• Invite each child (or the class) to pick a tree on the school grounds to observe and study. Keep a Tree Journal: draw and write about how the tree changes through the seasons.

Individual Student Project: Study and Identify Local Trees and Leaves

Engage children in reading and studying local trees, using drawings and photos to make a book. (This is the kind of higher-level learning challenge that TAG parents especially appreciate.) You may soon have some kindergarten “tree experts” and “leaf experts” who are eager to conduct additional online research and share their new knowledge. These eager learners may inspire other children to want to study, record observations, and become an “expert” about their particular fascination with the natural world. New standards encourage deep science exploration, integrated with reading and writing.

See:

• Becky Leber's Fall Newsletter: Collecting Leaves
• Photo Essay: The Poetry of Falling Leaves

This month consider celebrating the Fall Harvest and Studying Nocturnal Animals. (Mentor Kindergarten teacher Laura Flocker calls these “Creatures of the Night.”) See samples of her engaging studies at Creatures of the Night and More Creatures of the Night

Here are some other fun links:

• Teaching Heart Fall into Fall Unit
• Mrs. Pohlmeyer’s Bats Unit (all 17 pages!)
• Diana Bonica's October Ideas Page from her Gallery for Kindergarten Teachers. Enjoy inspiring and playful projects from leaves to spider webs.

3. Name Ticket and Kindergarten-Friendly Handwriting

One of my ongoing action-research projects this year is to continue documenting and streamlining our “Kindergarten-Friendly Handwriting” program with simple movement and dance patterns.

Printing one’s first name efficiently is the most motivating and meaningful way for a child to begin handwriting instruction, and parents are usually happy to know how to help. We gave families a book of name tickets to practice at home and asked that they return the book to school. See Parents as Partners: Name Ticket Strategy

• We teach top-to-bottom, left-to-right, with our “I” chant. 
• The counterclockwise direction for o, a, c, d, and g is internalized through multiple encounters with the “O” Dance.
• We help each child focus on new name writing improvement goals every few days.
• We sing, sign, and practice writing the word “love” and take home our “love” necklaces.    
•   See L - o - v - e Spells Love ASL Instructional Video Clip

For more information see:

• How to Talk to Kindergartners about their Name Ticket Printing
• You've Got To Do the "O" Dance: Connecting Handwriting and Fluency Instruction
• “O” Dance Fluency Page

These pages are from Celebrate Language and Accelerate Literacy. See online bookstore.

4. Writing to Read in Kindergarten Seminar

Growing Engaged and Purposeful Writers Through the Lens of Common Core State Standards

Presented by Julie Lay and Nellie Edge

• In-service Day: October 14, 2011
• Holiday Inn Portland South (Wilsonville), Oregon.
• 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
• $229, Includes comprehensive literacy manual, literacy gifts, little books, and refreshments.
• Professional Development Credits and six Washington Clock Hours are available

Make your kindergarten writing program the best it can be. Learn proven strategies for organizing the kindergarten environment. Let Julie Lay show you why the “Kid Writing” approach is such a powerful way to systematically develop phonics skills through journal writing. Use music, art, sign language, and dance for brain-friendly learning across the curriculum.

Click here to register online while space is available.

Limited to 75 participants.

We are beginning to make plans now for spring and summer 2012 writing seminars.

We will look at our online community: which states have the most members?

Please let us know if you are interested in seeing this Saturday (or summer) seminar in any of the following areas: Seattle/Tacoma, WA; Spokane, WA; Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Denver, CO; St. Paul, MN; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Nashville, TN; Hartford, Connecticut; Newark, New Jersey Please email us with your interest: info@nellieedge.com.  

5. Family Literacy Evening: Tips for Success

Meaningful and supportive family connections in kindergarten multiply our teaching effectiveness and build a foundation for success K-12! Many of our colleagues are preparing for their “Family Literacy Evening.” As you prepare to dialogue with families, remember that the most important information that parents need to hear first is “I care about your child, “I love teaching kindergarten,” and “Your child will love to come to school each day!”

I participated in two such workshops last month where we gave families a beautiful copy of our ABC Phonics Reference chart (mounted on green laminated paper with magnetic tape attached for their refrigerators) and other literacy gifts.

ABC Phonics: Sing, Sign, and Read! instructional video
(Encourage families to view the series of five ABC Phonics videos.)

Here are a few articles you may enjoy:

• Parents as Partners: Talk to Your Child
• Give Families the ABC Phonics Literacy Gift
• Helping Your Child Learn to Read and Write
• Literacy Gifts We Recommend

For more information see: Parents as Partners in Kindergarten and Early Literacy: Family Connections that Multiply our Teaching Effectiveness at our Online Bookstore.

6. Salem Kindergarten Cadre Schedule: Engaging Young Writers Through Authentic Literacy is our 2011-2012 focus!

Many have asked, “How Do We Start a Kindergarten Cadre?” (Professional Learning Community) You may find this article useful.

Kindergarten Cadre Professional Development Schedule 2011-2012

Creating a Strong Foundation for Writing: Oral Language, ABC Phonics and Immersion, Kindergarten-Friendly Handwriting, and Parents as Partners

Our October 3rd Cadre meeting will be in Laura Flocker’s beautiful All-day kindergarten Candalaria Elementary, 935 Hansen Ave. S., Salem, OR 97302. 503-399-3136 4:15–6:00 p.m.

• Each participant will identify professional writing goals for the year.
• We will explore how joyful, authentic writing-to-read practices honor childhood, accelerate literacy, and meet the goals of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts.
• Small focus groups may be developed.
• Please email info@nellieedge.com if you plan to attend and also register on the Salem Academy.

Writing to Read in Kindergarten: Growing Engaged and Purposeful Writers Through the Lens of Common Core State Standards

Friday, October 14th. Presented byJulie Lay and Nellie Edge

Your colleagues Katie Nelson, Winter Curry, and Laura Flocker attended this updated seminar in August and gave it rave reviews! We promise you will find it a powerful beginning to becoming a more skilled kindergarten teacher of writing. See Seminar Invitation

Additional Cadre News

• For those new to our Salem Kindergarten Cadre meeting, please see our website for recommended resource books.
• If there are not copies of these books in your kindergarten professional library, most are available at our online bookstore or at amazon.com.
• Katie Nelson, Winter Curry, Laura Flocker, and I are developing Book Tub labels. Let us know if you want to contribute your technology or artistic skills to this project.  info@nellieedge.com. We will share these with our online members.

Smiles!
Nellie Edge