Tools of the Mind K alignment with Teaching Strategies GOLD Objectives

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1 1. Regulates own emotions and behaviors (NOTE: * indicates best activities for assessment of skill development) SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL a. Manages feelings In Story Lab Character Empathy and Inferences, children focus attention on and infer the feelings of characters in stories. Dramatization activities including Group Dramatization led by the teacher and independent small group Dramatization in centers provide children with an opportunity to act out emotions and feelings as part of the role they dramatize. Share the News* gives children daily experience with discussing feelings and solutions to social scenarios with peers. Classroom Practices and systems to support children s growing ability to manage feelings include support for children s internalization of routine and ability to plan including a posted Daily Schedule, Center chart with weekly Teams and Study Buddies*, and the use of a Dispute Bag* to solve problems such as who can go first in a game. Beginning in January, children also create weekly Learning Goals related to managing emotions e.g. I will be friendly with my Study Buddy. b. Follows limits and expectations c. Takes care of own needs appropriately 2. Establishes and sustains positive relationships a. Balances needs and rights of self and others All activities have explicit rules that children learn and follow. Each activity includes scaffolds to support the internalization of the rules, leading to the development of self-regulation. Rules typically involve turn-taking, peer support for learning and learning to accept and correct errors. Children learn to positively accept reminders and correction from adults and peers known as other-regulation. Examples include: Clean-up song, Dramatization*, Buddy Reading*, I Have Who Has? Games*, Buddy Checks, Math games, Science Observation Station. Tools provides teachers with guidance on creating and using classroom rules. Teachers and children create a set of Classroom Rules to review and practice and revisit which guide behavior expectations for the classroom. Teachers display the daily schedule and preview schedule icons to help children anticipate and plan ahead. Children learn cooperation and turn-taking through deliberate partnering with all children over time for team and shared activities. Children learn to create and follow a Learning Goal each week as part of their Learning Plan. All activities are designed to support the development of intentional strategy use and the beginning of self-reliance. Children learn how to plan a solution and implement that plan during Scaffolded Writing to plan dramatization; literacy and math center planning, documenting learning* and filing literacy center work*. Daily activities such as Clean-up*, Team Captain role, team membership, Buddy Checks, learning and following Daily Schedule also contribute to building independence. Children write daily on Learning Plans* to remember the Must Do in two centers they will visit for literacy and math, and then refer to the plan to remember what to do. Setting weekly Learning Goals with the teacher and discussing these daily with Study Buddies and peers helps children plan and evaluate their progress toward meeting individual goals. Children may set a growing independence goal as a Learning goal for the upcoming week during Friday Learning Conferences e.g., I will check my plan to remember what to do. Children learn to independently resolve simple disputes using the Dispute Bag. All partner and group activities (e.g. Buddy Reading*, Numerals Game*, I Have Who Has?*, Market Farm*) provide an opportunity to assess this objective. Teacher guided, Group Dramatization also provides children with the opportunity to balance the needs and rights of self and others. Working daily in Teams as the captain or a team member provides children with the dual experience of leadership and group cooperation. Heterogeneous grouping for Study Buddies, Teams for planning and dramatization, and literacy and math games allows children to establish positive relationships with all members of their classroom community.

2 GOLD (NOTE: * indicates best activities for assessment of skill development) b. Solves social problems All partner or group activities are designed such that teachers can support children as they learn to help each other or work together and solve problems. Scaffolded Writing, Group Dramatization, Dramatization* of Fairy Tales and Magic Tree House stories, Share the News and Story Lab are all activities where solving social problems is addressed directly. Heterogeneous grouping for Study Buddies*, Teams for planning and dramatization*, and literacy and math games* allows children to establish positive relationships with all members of their classroom community. 3. Participates cooperatively and constructively a. Forms relationships All partner and group activities (e.g., Dramatizing Fairy Tales and Magic Tree House stories, Buddy Reading, Share the News*, Buddy Checks* and Literacy and Math Games, Team planning) are designed to generate relationships with their peers and teachers. Embedded in these activities are turn-taking, cooperation and positively giving and receiving help between peers (other-regulation). Tools Participation Styles (Turn & Talk*, Double Talk*) support interaction across all members of the classroom over time. Children benefit from partnering with different children for activities throughout the day e.g., as a member of a team for Dramatization and Literacy Centers, within the team as partnered with a Study Buddy, and partnering with another student for Buddy Reading, Buddy Reading² and Paired Buddy Reading. b. Responds to emotional cues During Share the News* Social Scenarios, Giving Compliments, Learning about Learning, Story Lab- Character Empathy*, Inferences, Buddy Reading, and Dramatization* children discuss and exchange emotions and feelings. In addition, during all shared activities children are guided by teachers to attend to the needs of their peers, help each other, and share ideas. c. Interacts with peers All partner and group activities (e.g. Team planning*, Dramatization*, Buddy Reading, Share the News and Buddy Checks) have been specifically designed to support positive peer interaction through the use of external mediation and specific guidance from the teacher. Heterogeneous grouping for Study Buddies*, Teams for planning and dramatization, and literacy and math games allows children to practice positive interactions with all members of their classroom community. d. Makes friends All partner activities (e.g. Buddy Reading, Study Buddies*, Literacy and Math games) are designed with specific mediation and guidance so that children are better able to connect with peers, understand their roles and participate in positive interactions. Heterogeneous grouping for Share the News*, Study Buddies, Teams for planning and dramatization, and literacy and math games is an expectation. This guarantees that children will interact with all of the children in the classroom to support the development of friendships. Tools Participation styles* (Turn & Talk, Double Talk) support interaction across all members of the classroom.

3 4. Demonstrates traveling skills PHYSICAL Physical Self-Regulation Activities, Pretend Transitions*, Number Line Hopscotch*, Elkonin I and Outdoor Play* develop increasing levels of proficiency, control and balance in walking, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping. 5. Demonstrates balancing skills Physical Self-Regulation Activities such as the Freeze Game*, Pretend Transitions, Outdoor Play* promote balance, bodyin-space awareness, and gross motor control, including physical self-regulation. 6. Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills Physical Self-Regulation Activities including Freeze Dance, Pretend Transitions, Pattern Movement, Do What I Do, Simon Says and Outdoor Play develop increasing levels of proficiency in control and balance. Freeze Dance poses increase in complexity and balance and coordination demands over time, including coordination of activity with a partner. Other gross motor activities include Movement Songs and Dancing* e.g. Tooty-Ta ; Hokey Pokey 7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination: a. Uses fingers and hands Graphics Practice*, Attention Focusing Activities such as finger plays, partner clapping games and Freeze on the Number; Scaffolded Writing; Prop-making for Dramatization* (cutting, gluing, tearing, assembling); Puzzles/Manipulatives* (e.g. Legos, Unifix cubes, pattern blocks,), Numerals Game, Market Farm, Stackers I & II, Venger Drawing & Collage, Creative Writing Center, Penmanship Center develop and promote fine motor planning and control. Literacy Center Can Do s* can include activities with play dough, putty, small blocks, etc. b. Uses writing and drawing tools GOLD Scaffolded Writing*, Graphics Practice*, Story Lab, Write Along provide opportunities to strengthen fine motor skills as children practice drawing and representing their own messages with lines and letters throughout the school day. Use of a pincer grasp is modeled and supported with gesture and private speech throughout Graphics Practice and Scaffolded Writing. Children practice fine motor skills in the Penmanship Center* during both the Literacy and Math blocks creating a draft and a final copy in a variety of writing activities. 8. Listens to and understands increasingly complex language a. Comprehends language LANGUAGE Tools of the Mind has a strong focus on language (both receptive and expressive) throughout all activities. All Story Lab* activities build comprehension by helping to focus children s receptive and expressive language (e.g. Active Listening, Connections, Vocabulary). Children listen, discuss and write with purpose, demonstrating their knowledge of new words and ideas in multiple ways (e.g. Children listen to teacher read aloud, discuss and then write, plan or summarize through Chapter Summaries, Listening Center writing, and Write About. Children demonstrate understanding of new vocabulary, characters and the life and times of themes through Dramatization* and practice dramatization with teacher led Group Dramatization.

4 b. Follows directions While many activities and all games in the Tools curriculum provide children with the opportunity to learn to follow directions, Graphics Practice*, Stackers I* & II*, and Find Peanut and are designed to move children from following simple one step directions to tasks with many steps. Children with the help of their teacher, create steps and rules for completing Literacy Center work. In Pattern Movement and Pattern Guessing, children must remember the directions for representing shapes with the appropriate movement. 9. Uses language to express thoughts and needs a. Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary Tools of the Mind has a strong focus on language (both receptive and expressive) throughout all activities. For example, Background-building activities for Fairy Tales and Magic Tree House themes expose children to new vocabulary, concepts and associations. Children then use this vocabulary in Dramatization.* Tools of the Mind Participation styles (Turn & Talk, Double talk, Choral response) allow children to be actively engaged in practice using new vocabulary and ideas. All Story Lab activities build comprehension, helping to focus both children s receptive and expressive language. Children practice giving clues about new vocabulary while playing the Who Am I? Game* and later write about the clues given. Children work together as they retell a Magic Tree House book in Story Time Line Mix-Up* agreeing on the correct sequence for the Story Time Line icons. Children use new vocabulary words in Chapter Summaries and Write About* (fact writing) for each theme and demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary as they dramatize story events, life and times. Children use descriptive vocabulary in Exploring Collections*, Forbidden Words and Look and Remember. b. Speaks clearly Children are provided many opportunities to speak to each other and adults throughout the day. Dramatization, Buddy Reading*, Share the News*, and the use of Tools participation styles such as Turn & Talk, Double Talk and Choral response during Story Lab are some examples of activities where children practice clarity in communication. Friday Learning Conferences provide a way for children to talk about their learning and set goals and Buddy Checks integrated across activities provide opportunities for children to talk about their work, read writing aloud and discuss learning goals. In Author s Chair* and Book Club children share their written stories as peers learn to ask appropriate questions so that all may engage in clear, meaningful conversations about the stories. c. Uses conventional grammar d. Tells about another time and place Shared Scaffolded Writing*, and Jack & Annie s Secret Message are activities where teachers model and children discuss grammar conventions in writing. In Editor s Eyes*, children edit messages that have grammatical errors to meet conventions and in the Penmanship Center children are writing to publish riddles following grammar conventions in their writing. As well, children begin to incorporate conventions of grammar in their Individual Scaffolded Writing*. During Share the News* and Story Lab Connections and Story Comparison, Background- building and Group Dramatization* of Magic Tree House stories, children are encouraged to talk about the time and place of the setting of the various Magic Tree House themes. Tools of the Mind Participation Styles*: Turn & Talk & Double Talk, provide daily opportunities to discuss knowledge and ideas with peers. Science Observation Station activities are designed so that children compare and contrast the life experiences and adaptations of humans, animals and the environment among different places studied in Magic Tree House themes (e.g. the Ice Age and life in the Arctic today). 10. Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills a. Engages in conversations b. Uses social rules of language All partner activities (e.g. Buddy Reading*, Share the News*, Study Buddies, partnered math activities), and Story Labs, and Dramatization* involve conversation. Tools of the Mind Participation Styles: Turn & Talk, and Double Talk, provide daily opportunities to discuss knowledge, ideas, and experiences with peers and adults. During Share the News*, Story Lab*, Buddy Reading, Literacy & Math games and Dramatization* children use the social rules of language involving listening and taking turns to talk. Children are introduced to mediation in these activities to help them remember the rules for listening and talking.

5 11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning COGNITIVE a. Attends and engages All activities are designed to provide children with increasing challenge to support sustaining attention, engagement and motivation. Activities are designed to include children s active use of private speech and oral language, and include visual mediators to support deliberate attention and help children remember what to do. In Story Lab*, teachers actively engage children in using gesture, language and dramatization to support engagement and comprehension; games like I Have Who Has* and all partnered activities are also designed to help develop attention and engagement. Tools Participation Styles for activities like Share the News and other group discussions provide opportunities for children to actively engage and sustain attention. b. Persists Shared* and Individual Scaffolded Writing*, and Mystery Games* are examples of how Tools activities are designed to increase in challenge to support the development of task persistence. c. Solves problems Group Dramatization and Dramatization* provide children with the opportunity to solve problems (both real and fictional). In addition, problem-solving elements are part of the design of classroom practices and activities, including Study Buddies, Dispute Bag, small group and paired activities in math (e.g. Number Line Story Problems*, Venger Measurement Problems, Stackers I & II*, Find Peanut*, Market Farm, and, Science Observation Station* (e.g. testing hypotheses). d. Shows curiosity Group Dramatization and Dramatization, Science Observation Station*, Exploring Collections, Magic Tree House Background PowerPoints*, Story Lab Comparisons and Predictions provide children with an opportunity to explore objects, events, habitats and time periods, ask questions and test out their ideas, contrasting information learned in background building (non-fiction) with what is pretend (fiction). Write Along Riddles & Jokes and I wonder * spark children s curiosity in the second half of the year along with the writing activity: What I know, think and wonder * e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking 12. Remembers and connects experiences Flexibility and inventiveness in thinking are supported throughout the day in specific activities like Dramatization* and Propmaking*. Specific activities like Mystery Category*, Who Am I?*, Forbidden Words*, and many of Tools math activities require children to be flexible in their thinking as they integrate what they know to produce something new, for example, in Venger Drawing* and Collage provides opportunities for children to show flexibility and inventiveness in their thinking as they transform 2-d shapes into 3-d representations of fictional or real objects/figures of their choice. a. Recognizes and recalls During Share the News, Story Lab*Connections, Comparisons and Story Grammar, Story Lab: Story Timeline Activity*, and Dramatization children are encouraged to recall what they know related to their own experiences or a story read aloud, and share orally using Tools of the Mind Participation Styles or in writing in Center Planning or Chapter Summaries.* Look and Remember* and the Memory game help children to recognize and recall information building memory muscle. b. Makes connections Story Lab Connections* is used during reading of non-fiction during Background-Building and during reading of Fairy Tales and Magic Tree House books. Children make connections with past experiences, sharing with peers and adults orally using Tools Participation Styles and in writing during Write About, Creative Writing Center* and Listening Center. During Story Lab Character Empathy and Inference children learn to make connections between emotions and feelings of story characters with their own, practicing through Group Dramatization. In Mathematics, Venger Drawing* and Venger Collage help children build connections between shapes and what they know in their world. During Science Observation Station, children make connections in the form and function of humans and animals for different environments, including adaptations for survival. Children compare this information with their own lives.

6 13. Uses classification skills GOLD 15. Demonstrates phonological awareness a. Notices and discriminates rhyme b. Notices and discriminates alliteration c. Notices and discriminates smaller and smaller units of sound such as Tallying*, Story Lab Story Comparison, I Have Who Has? Categories*, Mystery Category* and Exploring Collections help children develop the ability to classify real and representational objects as well as details of two stories. In Decoding Detectives*, children decode Jack & Annie s Secret Messages and then decide which of 2 or 3 books the sentence is associated with. Story Time Line Mix-up* is an activity allowing children to sequence story events for the beginning, middle and end of a Magic Tree House book. At the end of a Magic Tree House story, children draw and write a Storyboard to group events for beginning, middle and end of the story. In Story Time Line, children classify and order events to reflect each of ten chapters of a Magic Tree House book. 14. Uses symbols and images to represent something not present a. Thinks symbolically Children practice symbolic thinking daily during Dramatization* using props. Children use symbols daily in their drawing and writing e.g. in Center Plans, Chapter Summaries*, Write About*, Creative Writing, Science Observation Station. Other activities, which use symbolic thinking include Venger Drawing* and Collage activities, Number Line Word Problems, Math Magic, Venger Measurement activities, Ten s Triangle activities*, Weather Graphing, Timeline Calendar & Guess My Number. b. Engages in sociodramatic play 16. Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet a. Identifies names of letters b. Uses letter-sound knowledge Children engage in learning to play in a mature way daily during Group Dramatization and Dramatization*. Children learn to integrate new knowledge about the story s life and times as well as the storyline of the book into their dramatic play. LITERACY Attention Focusing Activities: Fingerplays & Chants, Mystery Rhyme*, Sound-By Sound Game and Rhyming Game* activities designed to develop phonological and (early) phonemic awareness, including the development of rhyme awareness, production and practice with onset and rime. Attention Focusing Activities* Fingerplays & Chants provide children with opportunities to practice alliteration. Children practice alliteration during Write Along -Tongue Twisters*. Literacy activities such as Elkonin Box Activities I-IV, Mystery Word*, Rhyming Game, Word Building* activities I-III, and Turn and Read* develop phonemic awareness and practice in splitting/blending sounds together within words. Scaffolded Writing* activities e.g. Write Along, Write About, Chapter Summaries, Learning Records and Science Observation Station writing all engage children in listening for and writing sounds in words. Letter name identification and fluency is developed daily through Shared Scaffolded Writing: Write Along and activities such as I Have Who Has Letters*, Calling Base Camp* and Mystery Letter*, as well as when children write for Center Planning, Chapter Summaries, and Write About. In both Shared and Individual Scaffolded Writing activities children use the Tools Sound Map. Children learn to write words using the Sound Map, a visual representation of the letters and their sounds, in all Scaffolded Writing* activities (e.g. Center Plans, Chapter Summaries, Write About, Science Observation Station, Learning Records). Jack & Annie s Secret Message is a daily, shared decoding activity requires children to apply letter-sound knowledge. Children play literacy games (e.g. Sound-by-Sound game*, CVC Concentration, Word Building* activities I-III, I Have

7 GOLD Who Has? Letter Sounds) to practice and apply letter-sound knowledge. Decoding Detectives* is a targeted instruction to help children practice decoding Jack & Annie s Secret Messages*. Writing Thicker* is a targeted instruction activity to help children add more sounds to their writing. Study Buddies support one another to include individual sounds and word patterns to their writing. Mystery Letter requires children to apply letter-sound knowledge to solve the mystery. 17. Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses a. Uses and appreciates books Story Lab* (all labs) and Buddy Reading* develop comprehension, understanding of theme, and a general appreciation for literature. Children develop enthusiasm, curiosity and anticipation for the themes and adventures associated with the Magic Tree House books. During Author s Chair and Book Club, children practice talking about their own and books written by others, learning to respond to questions and feedback about their book from peers. b. Uses print concepts During Mystery Question*, Buddy Reading, Paired Buddy Reading, Shared Scaffolded Writing, Write Along, Individual Scaffolded Writing, Jack & Annie s Secret Message, Editor s Eyes children use print concepts (e.g. print moves left to right sweep, lines represent words, sounds comprise words, punctuation Print concepts are reinforced during Buddy Reading 2 (decoding leveled text). Children learn book handling and print concepts during Listening Center as they follow along listening to books on CD. Children practice print concepts as they read aloud to peers during Author s Chair and Book Club. 18. Comprehends and responds to books and other texts a. Interacts during readalouds and book conversations b. Uses emergent reading skills All Story Lab activities involve active, engaged participation focusing children s listening and responses. Tools of the Mind Participation Styles support interaction: Turn & Talk, Double Talk and Choral Response. During Buddy Reading*, children practice taking turns, learn book concepts and talk about what was interesting as they share books with one another. During Paired Buddy Reading, children read from leveled readers to one another. Decoding Detectives allows children to practice decoding familiar Jack & Annie Secret Messages together and discuss which Magic Tree House story the messages are associated with. Story Time Line is an activity which children suggest what the teachers should draw on the story timeline to represent key events in Magic Tree House chapters. In Literacy Center Comprehension & Vocabulary, children play Story Time Line Mix-up together to put Magic Tree House story events in correct sequence. Children practice reading aloud to peers during Author s Chair and Book Club activities Shared Scaffolded Writing Activities and Jack & Annie s Secret Message, Buddy Reading, and Individual Scaffolded Writing activities engage children in reading and re-reading for meaning. Children learn how to use three Reading Strategies in Jack & Annie s Secret Message and later in their leveled reading during Buddy Reading 2. Paired activities Buddy Reading, Buddy Reading 2 and Paired Buddy Reading provide practice in reading. Literacy Center activities for Fluency e.g. I Have Who Has? Sight Words and Word Patterns, Calling Base Camp, CVC Concentration, Creative Writing Center e.g. Make A Book; Decoding games, Silly Sentences, Peanut Mix-up and Turn & Read, and Sounds and Letters activities e.g. Word Pattern Match, Make A Word, How Many Sounds? Board game provide opportunities to practice emergent reading skills. Decoding Detectives, Relay Games with sight words and Memory Bank Deposit Game provide intensive practice and additional support for emergent reading skills. Children practice emergent reading skills during Author s Chair. c. Retells stories Buddy Reading, Dramatization, Group Dramatization, Story Time Line, Story Time Line Mix Up and Story Lab (particularly Story Grammar & Story Comparison) provide children with an opportunity to recall and retell events in a story.

8 GOLD During Scaffolded Writing- Chapter Summaries children summarize one or two chapters heard during read aloud At the end of the 10 th chapter, children create Storyboards summarizing the beginning, middle and end of the Magic Tree House book. 19. Demonstrates emergent writing skills a. Writes name Children practice how to write their name in individual Scaffolded Writing activities (e.g. Center Plans, Learning Plans & Records, Chapter Summaries, Science Observation Station). Children are prepared for letter formation during Graphics Practice. In Penmanship Center, children practice writing their names in draft and final copy form. b. Writes to convey meaning All Scaffolded Writing activities (e.g. Write Along, Center Plans, Chapter Summaries, Learning Center Records) provide opportunities for children to develop and show the understanding that print conveys a spoken message and their thinking and learning. During Writing Thicker- Add More Words, children learn to use descriptive vocabulary to enhance the meaning of their writing. Children write stories in Creative Writing Center, and respond in writing to prompts in Listening Center.

9 20. Uses number concepts and operations MATHEMATICS a. Counts Children are introduced to numerals and counting through activities such as Timeline Calendar, Weather Graphing, Mystery Games, Guess My Number, Freeze on the Number, Numerals Game, Number Line Hopscotch, 100 s Number Line and I Have Who Has? Counting and Skip Counting games, Market Farm, Mystery Numeral* and develop numeral name and counting fluency. b. Quantifies Through Mystery Games*, Freeze on the Number, Math Magic, Market Farm, Tallying* and Ten s Triangle activities children learn to recognize quantities 1-20 (and beyond if ready), begin to develop one-to-one correspondence and learn how to bundle quantities by 5 s and 10 s. c. Connects numerals with their quantities 21. Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes a. Understands spatial relationships In activities such as Numerals Game*, Freeze on the Number, Number Line Hopscotch, Guess My Number, Math Magic, Market Farm, Mystery Numeral, Mystery Numeral with Ten s Triangle, Mystery 3 D Shape*, Mystery Measurement* and I Have Who Has? Number games, children develop one-to-one correspondence, numeral name and counting fluency, and the ability to match quantities with numerals 1-20 and beyond if ready. Children demonstrate understanding of quantities as they compare in Mystery Comparison* (greater than, less than). Mystery Shape Games*, Stackers I & II, Small Group Puzzles/Manipulatives, Treasure Hunt and Venger Drawing & Venger Collage require children to recall and represent objects using drawing or collage, and practice the language of positional orientations of objects, or spatial relations. b. Understands shapes In Venger Drawing & Venger Collage, Mystery Shapes Games*, Small Group Puzzles/Manipulatives and Stackers I & II, Find Peanut* children learn to identify and investigate shapes according to their attributes, parts and whole. I Have Who Has? Shapes provides children with activity for rapid recognition and naming of shapes. In Mystery 3-D Shape* children identify corners, faces, and edges of 3-D shapes. 22. Compares and measures Children compare amounts within the context of Numerals Game, Mystery Math Game- Mystery Measurement, Weather Graphing, Venger Measurement I-IV, Tallying and activities in Science Observation Station. In Venger Measurement I-IV, children measure using nonstandard measures for comparison before being introduced to the use of a standard measure. 23. Demonstrates knowledge of patterns Pattern Guessing, Mystery Pattern Game*, Mystery Pattern Core I* & II*, Pattern Movement, help children develop the ability to identify, replicate and use patterns as a strategy for solving problems.

10 24. Uses scientific inquiry skill SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Science Observation Station* and Story Lab Active Listening and Connections provide children with the opportunity to observe, question and explore materials and the environment. Children learn how to refine their observations, form hypotheses and test them out. The Literacy Center activity Exploring Collections provides children practice in observing details and using scientific vocabulary to describe collections of objects orally and in writing. 25. Demonstrates knowledge of the characteristics of living things Children explore the physical and natural world and living things during Science Observation Station* 26. Demonstrates knowledge of the physical properties of objects and materials Children observe, manipulate and sort objects in their environment in several activities: Exploring Collections, Science Observation Station* and Tallying*. In Find Peanut*, children describe the attributes of 2-D shapes in order to find where Peanut the Mouse is hidden. Teachers provide 3-D shapes for children to explore in order to solve the Mystery 3D Shape questions. 27. Demonstrates knowledge of Earth s environment During daily Weather Graphing, children note the weather using common weather-related vocabulary and compare the weather in a graph. During Background Building, children learn about various climates, environments and conditions associated with Magic Tree House themes and demonstrate their understanding in Write About*. As part of Science Observation Station* activities children use tallying to record data, charts to illustrate similarities and differences of, for example, grass growing experiments, and Venn diagrams to illustrate similarities and differences between, for example, The Amazon Rainforest and the African Savannah. Observation and recording of data helps children to demonstrate knowledge in chart form, creating a visual representation of what they have learned and develop prediction skills. 28. Uses tools and other technology to perform tasks. Science Observation Station*provides children with tools within activities to conduct experiments e.g. creating a parachute and attaching weights to observe effects on velocity of parachute. Children use magnifying glasses, flashlights, mirrors and other materials to complete Observation Study experiments

11 Objectives for Development 29. Demonstrates knowledge about self SOCIAL STUDIES In Story Lab Connections* children are asked to make connections between stories and non-fiction books and their own lives and share these ideas with their peers. Children also have opportunities to discuss their preferences, ideas, strengths and challenges in Share the News*. In the Creative Writing Literacy Center, children write about connections in What I know, think, and wonder e.g. Write about an adventure you might go on with Jack and Annie, Write a letter to mom and dad about kindergarten. On Fridays, children meet with the teacher to reflect upon their week s work to create a learning goal for the upcoming week. Learning Goals* may be something academic ( Use more descriptive words ) or social ( Cooperate with my buddy ). 30. Shows basic understanding of people and how they live During Story Labs* Active Listening, Connections, Character Empathy & Vocabulary teachers expose children to the life and times of different people as part of Background building. Children create props and settings to reflect their understanding of people and how they live. Children engage in Group Dramatization during Story Lab to experience the life and times of people in the themes. This prepares them for Dramatization*. Children are prompted to write about what they have learned during Write About* and in the Creative Writing Center. 31. Explores change related to familiar people or places Story Labs*, Background Building and Dramatization offer children the opportunity to explore the life and times of people past and present related to Magic Tree House themes. During Background Building Week children learn from Background Power Points and non-fiction books about the life and times of people in places and times like medieval Europe, Ancient Japan the Amazon, and the Arctic. Children engage in discussion of life and times past and present of people and places in the themes associated with the Magic Tree House stories. During Write About*, children write facts related to what they know about differences in the ways people lived in the past and now. During Write About children write about changes in environment for places such as oceans, the rainforest and the savannah. They study the Ice Age and contrast living conditions then and now with places such as the Arctic. Study and discussion are guided by the concept of form following function. 32. Demonstrates simple geographic knowledge As children explore, contrast and compare places where they have learned about through the Background Building activities* related to Magic Tree House destinations they expand their geographic knowledge. These include Map Exploration for islands and oceans in Pirates Past Noon study, reading and understanding diagrams of ocean layers (Dolphins at Daybreak), rainforest layers (Afternoon on the Amazon), world maps when studying the African savannah (Lions at Lunchtime) and the arctic tundra (Polar Bears Past Bedtime). Classrooms often create world maps to mark the destinations of the explorations of Jack and Annie. Children also learn through the Treasure Hunt* activity how to use a simple map to locate objects in their classroom.

12 33. Explores the visual arts THE ARTS In addition to Venger Drawing, children are exposed to a variety of art media throughout all centers to use in Prop-making* (including creating settings) to support their Dramatization. Scaffolded Writing* develops the use of drawings to help children develop their message. Children learn about the visual arts of the life and times of such Magic Tree House Themes as ancient Egypt, ancient and present day Japan and the cave paintings of early homosapiens through non-fiction books and Tools Background PowerPoints. Children also have daily access to an art center where they can explore and create with different media. Literacy and Math Center Can Dos also can include working with a variety of media like clay, pastels, paints, etc. 34. Explores musical concepts and expression Children explore and develop a repertoire of songs and music during Physical Self-Regulation Games, Graphics Practice, and Attention Focusing Activities* that include Movement songs and Dancing. 35. Explores dance and movement concepts Children participate in a variety of dance activities (e.g. Freeze Game) on a daily basis. In addition, Physical Self-Regulation Games*, Pretend Transitions, Attention Focusing Activities and Movement Songs and Dancing* provide children with opportunities to learn to use large and small muscles to make specific gestures and motions. 36. Explores drama through actions and language GOLD Group Dramatization and Center Small Group Dramatization* along with Pretend Transitions allow children to explore and experience drama daily, using language and actions. Dramatization is woven into movements in gestures in activities like Pattern Movement, Simon Says and Do What I Do. Who am I? 37. Demonstrates progress in listening to and understanding English ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION All activities allow for practice listening and support understanding English (both with peers and adults). Story Lab activities*with Group Dramatization and activities like Buddy Reading* are examples. Specific supports (e.g. pre-reading, extra visual mediation, translation of key vocabulary and phrases) are available to teachers to help facilitate English language comprehension. 38. Demonstrates progress in speaking English Tools of the Mind Participation Styles (Turn and Talk, Double Talk and Choral Response) used in all activities encourage children to talk with peers or adults. English Language Learners benefit from Story Lab-Vocabulary, and Small Group Dramatization* preceded by Group Dramatization, which provide rehearsal and practice with phrases and vocabulary. Strategies using supported private speech in the context of shared activity with peers, such as Graphics Practice* and peer and small group partner activities such as Stackers* and Numerals Game* also provide opportunities to demonstrate progress in speaking English.