NYC Kindergarten teachers.. another cry for help!

I am so confused!!!!!!!
What on earth do I do all day in Kindergarten????

Re: NYC Kindergarten teachers.. another cry for help!

Are reproducibles allowed in the classroom now?

Re: NYC Kindergarten teachers.. another cry for help!

i hear ya...i just got a job (yay) but have no idea what to do...school just doesn't tell you this stuff. good luck.

Re: NYC Kindergarten teachers.. another cry for help!

Kindergarten is fun! They eat everything up at that age, and there's nothing boring to teach! You'll get into a routine really quickly. Do calendar routine in the morning (who can tell me what day of the week it is, what month, etc.) There's even a song that goes along with it (there are 5 days in a week.) While they're all cozy on the carpet and eager to learn in the morning, teach them something new, and make sure you ahve them repeat the directions back to you before you have them do independent or group work. Have reading time, etc. Teach phonics by drawing pictures of things that start with certain letters, make math fun by using lots of manipiulatives. I taught 1st grade so I have tons of lessons if you're ever in a bind. Good luck! You'll have a blast. They give so much love at that age. I can only imagine how frightening it must be to just be walking in for the first time though.

Re: NYC Kindergarten teachers.. another cry for help!

I teach preschool and although they focus more on reading in K...I try to prepare them for K the best way I can..

My day is filled with different activities that both make them learn and keep them busy while making it fun.

I do circle every morning which includes calendar, seasons, weather, etc. I focus on the letter of the week..we play number games, sing many different songs...focus on the holiday at hand or the lesson for that week. We play games with flashcards and have many dancing games which they love.

Of course there is always playdough, puzzles, memory games...freeplay which I am not too fond of but let them have it at least 2 times a week.

Reading time is always a favorite..and after that we do a project linked to the story. We take nature walks...have special guests come in from time to time.

I use worksheets once in the morning which focus on whatever lesson we are doing that day. We also have a sharing session where the kids get to talk about anything they want to. When things get too rowdy I split them into groups. Puppets, puzzles, painting and drawing are a couple of popular ones.

As matron said..there is so much to do with them and everything they do at that age is something new and exciting. As long as you make it fun and keep their attention...it is a wonderful age!

The first week, I focus on all rules. I set the ground rules in place...even to manners...and the rest of the year seems to go smoother.

I wish you luck..I hope this helped somewhat!

Re: NYC Kindergarten teachers.. another cry for help!

Once you get a routine down in K, you'll be set! Remember...find activities to bring in reading/pre-reading/writing, language & vocabulary, fine motor, gross motor, art, music, math, etc. Think about having centers or journals for drawing/pre-writing/writing. You will have a blast with them!