Resources for Teaching and Learning

 How to get involved in the Global Youth Video Project!

This resource will explain the project and how you can get involved. For more information you can go to www.globalyouthvideoproject.com/resources/ 

The Global Youth Video Project is a project travelling the world to collect the thoughts and dreams of young people. The project aims connect young people and in doing so create more understanding and challenge prejudice and discrimination.

The details of my first lesson as an English teacher.

It seems very simple, but for first and second graders, they love this game to teach emotions. First, we taught them "How are you?" and possible answers - "I am happy," "I am sad," "I am mad," "I am fine." After they've seemed to get the hang of it, you ask a student "How are you?" and toss the ball to them, having them make the face of whatever emotion they choose while saying "I am mad" or whichever emotion they choose. Then they have to ask the next person "How are you?" and so on.

The same indications as those for the linear graphic.

Additionally, I wanted to mention that the positive x-es go on the right side of the horizontal line, while the negative x-es go on the left part on the horizontal line. Moreover, the positive y-s go on the upper part of the vertical line and the negative y-s go on the lower part of the vertical line. 

Sorry for the quite unprofessional drawing - it is done by myself in Paint.

However, you can see the essentials.

As I said, the coordinates of the points of the graph of the linear function were going to be the following -

x         y or f(x)
0         5
1          8
2          11
-1         2
-2         -1
 

Thus, on the horizontal axis, OX, I drew the points 0, 1, 2, -1 and -2. Moreover, on the vertical axis, OY, I drew points from -1 to 11. Then I linked each x with its correspoding y (the blue dots) - i.e. at the ¨convergence¨ of 1 on the OX axis and 8 on the OY axis there is a blue spot etc. 

As you can see, the blue spots form a straight line which forms the graph of the linear function f(x) = 3x+5

Once again, a topic people had trouble with. I posted a few basic notions, a few examples and how to figure out the coordinates of points in order to be able to graph them.

Tonight I will also post the graphs of the functions resolved.

This is a document that explains how to start a pen-pal program.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at Sara.Llansa@gmail.com.

Another math concept both children and other volunteers have trouble with, as I have noticed today. Hope this helps ! 

Informational flyer on proper usage of condoms and basic information on how to prevent transmission of HIV written in Creole.

These modules were created to teach basic health concepts to children in under-serviced communities and orphanages. The easy to understand format with simple activities for children of various ages generally runs 15-20 minutes. The emphasis on this lesson plan is prevention of basic illness and the importance of handwashing. It is in both English and Creole.

when you finish using the toilet...

when you finish sneezing on your hands...

Picture 3 in a series of 3 used in conjunction with the basic hygiene health modules.

when you finish playing...

and when you finish eating...

Picture 2 in a series of 3 used in conjunction with the basic hygiene health modules.

Remember to wash your hands...

Used in conjunction with the basic hygiene health module.

These modules were created to teach basic health concepts to children in under-serviced communities and orphanages. The easy to understand format with simple activities for children of various ages generally runs 15-20 minutes. The emphasis for the lesson plan is on dental hygiene.

4 very fun outdoor games to play with children 

5 songs for children that were popular amidst the children at Seeds

Random algebra rules with which people seem to be having trouble !

 Very basic introduction to using Excel.

 Very basic introduction to PowerPoint.

 An introduction to social enterprise in China, some ideas for organizations similar to Pentok, and resources.

The rule of three : the example I gave is quite basic and obvious, but it is very efficient with a lot more complicated situations.

What happens with + and - in multiplication .

This is an exponential growth problem, explained in both an intuitive and mathy way.

Here is the list of the English lessons / writing exercises (out of which I have posted the first one) that I considered necessary for somebody´s efficient expression in writing.

First lesson out of the series designed by me .

Second series of energizers - smaller children !

Here is a simple and short guide about how to make a magazine in order to attract future volunteers and donors and to allow children to express themselves !

 While in India, I was given the opportunity to teach a typing class. While I had never done any formal training myself to learn to type, I was excited for the challenge. I decided that learning hands on would be a lot better with some color and tangible tools. In order to engage the students, I made a paper keyboard with the different sections in different colors. In order to show the students which fingers were responsible for the sections on the key board, I made matching sets of hands. I then had each student make their own so that they could better familiarize themselves with the different sections as well. The activity was fun because the students were able to use colors and make their own, but it was also a great way for them to continue to practice even after school. They could take their keyboards home with them and since they had the different sections in colors, they knew which fingers were responsible for what.

This is a document showing step by step how to do ¨¨long operations¨ ' long division, long multiplication, long addition and long subtraction.

I have done this document bcause children learn this way and, from what I have noticed, often volunteers have forgotten how to do these operations step by step and cannot help the kids.

I hope it helps !

Three energizers that could be used by facilitators with children losing their focus.

 This is a manual I compiled, which is describes PSF's site assessment process in depth.  It describes the procedure from when a person comes in and asks for help to how that applicant is either rejected or accepted as a PSF project.  It also goes into detail on our database, which is how we keep track of all of the applicants.  It is still in the "rough draft" stage and will continue to be updated.

 This manual was forwarded to PSF by a friend from the Peace Corps.  It contains helpful guide lines as to how to go about teaching sex education in Latin America.  Beware that it is in Spanish.

Tracking results

Synergy Document

Part 2

Great group activity to build team decision making skills.

 This report shows which students were present for the receiving meals during the first week of the program

 This report documents the amount of money that was spent in the 1st week of our meal program. The currency is Rupees. The current exchange rate between Rs and USD is 44:1

This by all accounts is a very simple concept, but incredibly effective.

All you need: Card board, Red pen, Green pen and some basic rewards/ a fun activity if not.

In the GGYN school a new reward system exists where if you behave exceptionally or participate in an outstanding way you are rewarded with the prize of a Green Star, this by the end of the week gets the children prizes, pens, rubbers and pencils and spends golden time playing with the toys and watching films.

Alternatively you behave badly you can be given warnings then if continue bad behaviour you are given a red square, meaning on friday you instead are given no Golden time, and instead to work while your classmates have fun.

Sounds so simple, and guess what it is! the kids love this and are all desperate to do well. Positive reinforcement anyone?

Big poster with everyones name and there stars or squares is all you need!

 This is a really simple tool for helping kids learn basis concepts in Maths. I'll try and upload the templates I made as soon as I find an internet cafe here with the capability of scanning..!

The children I created this for are of quite a specific level. They have learnt their numbers 1-20 but solely by rote, meaning that we first had to teach them to appreciate the numbers (what 1 is, what 7 is, why they are different, that 7 is bigger than 1...we used lots of stealing and giving mangoes for examples!)  and I made this exercise as a basic introduction to addition and subtraction. Again, some of my kids had been force-fed addition and subtraction (two-two-four, three-three-six) but had no real understanding of it.

We started by using milk tops that a coffee shop in the UK collected for us. This was good but didn't truly help the kids understand the sequential nature of numbers. For example, if the question was 6 plus 1, they would add the counters and get 7, but if the next question was 6 plus 2, they didn't know that that was just one more than 6 plus 1. 

So, I bought some card and created a table of 20 boxes, 10 x 2, at 3cm x 3xm each. I ruled out the boxes, then drew templates for cubes. I kepy aside any scrap paper to make counters with.

On the day, the children were asked to write 1 to 20 in the boxes (in pencil first!) then in their favourite colour felt tip. We briefly went over colours and also revised shapes on the board. The children then drew their favourite shapes on the card, coloured them and had them cut out for them. On the cube template, they wrote 6 numbers, either plus or minus (e.g. +2, -3 etc) and then I helped them assemble them. What we made was basically a version of snakes and ladders, but with no snakes, and no ladders. I didn't want to complicate matters any further. 

In pairs, the children then played the game, moving their counters forwards and back respectively. It was great fun! They were each so desperate to win. If they were on 2, for example, and rolled a plus three, the children would say '2, plus 3' ... count one two three... '5', so as to secure in their mind that addition created larger numbers, and to help memorise the sequences.

Once we had played the game, we very carefully cut the number square in half, and stuck the two ends together. This now made a numbersnake for the children to do addition and subtraction questions on! The board game itself I decided to cut because some children were confused as to where to go at the end of the first line (back to 11 which was under 1) so this again helped to cement the order of numbers in their heads. These snakes, apart from becoming fully fledged pets in my class, are now used in all maths lessons, and the children love being able to 'play' with their own snakes each class!

Sorry this is very rambly and not very pragmatic. I will upload templates when I can!

 Here is a powerpoint curriculum to teach kids the basics of presentation skills.  Exercises are included at the end of this document.

 Exercise 2 for how to use the Paint program.  For use with "Can You Double Click? Computer Course Curriculum."

 Exercise 1 for how to use the Paint program.  For use with "Can You Double Click?  Computer Course Curriculum"

Click the following link for the image corresponding to the exercise:

http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/ict/files/practicewithstraightlines.bmp

 Ever wonder what all those keys on the keyboard are for?  This document will be your guide to conquering the keys!

Here is the curriculum I wrote for kids in developing nations to learn how to use computers effectively.  The goal is to learn the basics of computer literacy and Windows XP.

 This is an introductory curriculum to Microsoft Word 2007 for use with Windows XP.  I taught it to my class of 11-14 year olds in Cape Town, South Africa.

 THIS I BELIEVE: Reading and Writing Lessons to Create an Effective Personal Essay

From 1951 to 1955, Edward R. Murrow hosted This I Believe, a daily radio program that reached 39 million listeners. On this broadcast, Americans—both well known and unknown—read five-minute essays about their personal philosophy of life. They shared insights about individual values that shaped their daily actions.

The first volume of This I Believe essays, published in 1952,
sold 300,000 copies—more than any other book in the U. S. during that year except for the Bible. In fact, these Murrow broadcasts were so popular that curriculum was even developed to encourage American high school students to compose essays about their most significant personal beliefs.

 Here is a certificate we are presenting to the kids along with a printed photo at the end of the program!

I put the character descriptions on notecards for the students so that each student would know enough about their character so that they could respond to questions and where they were and what they were doing at a certain time.

News report that I wrote up on the crime.

We've been working on the past tense of "to be" so I thought it would be fun for the students to do a crime mystery lesson so that they could practice asking their classmates questions like: "where were you at...?" and "what were you doing at....?"  We weren't able to finish the lesson, but we at least ready the story of the crime and came up with questions that the police could ask suspects.  On Wednesday we'll continue with this activity.

These are a set of simple games which can be used in language classes with adults or children.

Mind Maps are very effective tools in language teaching. They help introduce a new set of words in context, help revise and build on an already existing set of words. The document has an illustrated example of how to use a mind map in language class.

Managing Classroom Behaviour
How to prevent discipline problems and deal with disruptive children.
It happens all the time. A teacher, full of great love for kids, meets his or her students for the first time. Half the class doesn’t listen. A few snicker out loud. The teacher feels discouraged. Is the answer more prayer? Does the teacher need a more dynamic personality? Is this just the way it will always be with kids? Here are some suggestions to smooth the way:
Always Be Prepared
This may sound simple, but it is the most important first element in maintaining order in a classroom. Be ready before the children arrive. Eighty percent of all discipline problems are avoided by giving attention to the following:
• Keep kids busy. From the moment they arrive until the time they leave, keep their minds, their bodies, their personalities and their hearts occupied.
• Have enough workers. Not all need to be teachers. Never allow teachers to work alone. Plan for adult supervision 100 percent of the time.
• Remove temptations. Look for the most inviting childhood temptations in your setting (wide open spaces, open boxes, candy, etc.). Find ways to eliminate them or minimize their appeal to students.
• Know your lesson by heart. When you do not know what comes next, kids fill time with their own ideas. Most of their disruptions will have nothing to do with the lesson.
• Plan transitions. Tell kids what comes next and lead them there. Get them started on the next activity immediately.
• Keep kids guessing. Offer a variety of activities. Surprise them now and then; use an unusual noise to get their attention, or turn off the lights and wait for everyone to be quiet.
Be Positively Respectful
When you treat kids with real respect, they usually respect you in return.
• Be courteous. Even when children misbehave, talk with kids as you would talk to a good neighborhood friend. Treat children like real people.
• Be fair. Give everyone turns. Let everyone have a chance to be heard. Insist that your students listen to each other, too.
• Catch kids doing right things. Notice a good listener. Notice when someone follows the rules. Notice when someone is kind or sharing.
• Value them. Treat each child as a real person. Let them know you care, even when you must hold them responsible for inappropriate behavior.
• Be willing to laugh. A good sense of humor diffuses a lot of tense situations. Laugh when you make a blunder. Enjoy when something funny happens (but never laugh at the expense of a child).

Clearly Explain Guidelines for Behavior
• Make a list of 3-5 rules for your classroom. With older children, invite them to help to create the list. Display them and simply explain the rules each time you meet. They should be positive, simple and measurable, like these:
• Raise your hand before speaking.
• Keep your hands to yourself.
• Listen when it is not your turn to talk.
• Clean up any mess you make.
• Have fun. (Kids like this one!)
• Be realistic. Kids cannot sit still for long periods. Give them lots of opportunity to move, participate, play, laugh and have fun.
• Be consistent: rules come with consequences and these need to be applied consistently but not harshly.
• Tolerate absolutely no violence or emotional bullying.
Deal with Disruptive Children
Disruptive children come in all shapes and sizes. They do what they do for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the most common reasons and some strategies for helping them.
Look past a child’s words and behavior to the real need. Avoid taking their disruptions personally. Most are far too concerned about themselves to really care about whether you are comfortable or not. Are they hungry? Lonely? Frustrated? Tired? Can you help meet any of these needs? Also, realize that testing the rules is normal. Kids want to know if you are smart enough to notice and if you are caring enough to respond.
• Some kids simply want extra love and attention. Give them manageable helping jobs.
• Some do not know what you expect. Be firm and respectful but explain the classroom guidelines for behavior again.
• Some kids cannot concentrate when sitting next to a good friend. When necessary, invite them to sit in separate parts of the room.
• Some kids simply need practice noticing their own behavior. Notice them doing something right, often.
• Some kids have developed a habit of confrontation. Don’t be drawn into the power games.
• Some kids are used to living alone. They need to understand that their behavior affects others. Explain it gently, when necessary.
• Get big helpers. Assign an assistant to be with the unruly student.
• Be firm, but show you care! .

NOTE: If you are working in a setting that is not your home culture, you will need to rely on local leaders for guidance in all areas of classroom management and discipline, since norms vary so widely and the issues run very deep emotionally.

Since we've been working on the questions: Where were you?  and What were you doing?  it's important to make sure that the students understand that where refers to place and what refers to action in these questions.  We'll focus more on what were you doing?  And get some verb practice in there.  They had already learned these verbs before so we'll review these verbs.

This class went well.  It's always good to get students to ask each other questions.  I call it "interviewing" each other.  It's important to make the students share what they wrote, and it's always good to write examples on the board so that the activity goes as planned.

We developed a six lesson curriculum to encourage meaningful shooting from Photo Pals.

The dialogue that I used in the lesson on "What were you doing?"

This lesson is a continuation of the previous lesson where we practiced the past tense of the verb " to be."  This time, the students will also learn how to talk about what they were doing at wherever they were.

Here is a lesson plan that I taught on the past tense of the verb "to be" and how to answer the question: "Where were you?"

This was a lesson plan that I prepared when I taught The Bean Trees to a 9th grade Literature class.  In the book there is a couple, Estíven and Esperanza, who are illegal immigrants from Guatemala so I wanted the students to understand why people like Estíven and Esmeralda have to come to the U.S., and what leads them to leave their homes to come to the U.S.  We talked about the Guatemalan Civil War, the Sanctuary Movement, and a bit about the Arizona Immigration Law.  There is a powerpoint and some additional sheets that go along with this lesson plan.  If you would like these resources e-mail me at: Latinapr_c@hotmail.com

I have the adult curriculum divided into 5 chapters, but I have yet to finish writing up the details of the curriculum.  Here I've provided a basic sketch of what should be covered in a standard adult ESOL class, as well as the sequence.  At a later date I will put a more complete version of this document on the website as well as scanned copies of the worksheets.

 Here is a flyer I put together to help fundraise for our Community Garden Project.  Wish us luck!

Here are the intial steps we have taken to create a Women's Empowerment Group in Playa Potero, Costa Rica to facilitate self-esteem building and consciousness-raising in community women.  

I have also included a survey that we are administering to community members to determine what topics they want to discuss, what activities they want to do, and what is the best time to meet. 

 ECOmapping is an activity that helps the student’s to realize the importance of participation and creates interest in environmental and governance issues. It gives them a chance to deliberate on the surrounding environment and channels their thinking in a positive manner to find solutions after a problem has been identified.

 Subject to revisions.

 Here is our grant proposal...

 Here is the Letter of Inquiry that we are sending to funding prospects.  

 Resource developed by Environmental Management Center, India obtained from www.emcenter.com 

 I don't have partner

Plastic Bottle Project: Part 1

As you may already know from my earlier posts,  Costa Rica has a significant waste management problem, and one of the most prolific culprits is the plastic bottle.    To help combat this issue, and to teach the kids about creative recycling, we decided to do a Trash Art project this past Friday with the children.  Since we are in the process of starting a community garden, we thought it would be cool to use the plastic bottles we found in the garden area to create planters, and have the kids paint them as a fun, creative art class! Here is how we did the first part of the project (collecting, cleaning, painting):

1.       Collect as many plastic bottles as you can: any shape, any size, and color.  It is best if the bottles still have tops!

2.       Cut the bottles in half.  Both the top and bottom can be used for the project, so save both parts.

3.       Wash the bottles; if they aren’t cleaned properly they will start to attract ants (and all of the developing country dwellers know what a nightmare that can be).

4.       Organize the kids.  I am assuming you already have a space to use, and some paint, so just arrange a time to do the project.  Be sure to cover EVEYTHING that you don’t want painted, we were on our hands and knees scrubbing the floor after this project.

5.       Paint! The kids has an absolute blast doing this project.  I made one “example” beforehand, and thus we ended up with a lot of striped bottles, but alas, they looked great!

6.       Slice a small hole on either side of the bottle and thread with string so you can hang the planter. Or you can sit them on the ground, its up to you.

7.       Be sure to cut holes in the bottom for drainage as well!

Next time…planting!

This is a pamphlet that instructs users on how to build and maintain a small sack garder

The media (newspapers, magazines, etc.) can be an important tool in getting the word out about your organization.  If an article is run on a news website about one of your projects, thousands of people will see it, creating potential for new donors and volunteers. Here a few steps to creating a cohesive media kit that can be used each time you have a project that you feel deserves some attention.  This process has gotten us about 7 articles in under two weeks in national Costa Rican news sites:

1. Create a media list.

-Research all of the major news sites and publications in the country your project is located.  Be sure to look for English and Spanish Language publications.  

-Reserach US based publications that may have an interest in your project (The Guardian global development section, The Chonricles of Philanthropy, etc.)

-Creare an excel spreadsheet with the following information: Publication, Contact name, Email, City/State/Country

2. Create a Press Release Template for your organization.

-I have included a sample, follow it exactly only changing only the parts that are specific to Abriendo Mentes. People in news do not have the time to sift through unintelligible Press Releases, stick to the template. 

-Always include information about your organization at the bottom and a link to the website.  Some sites will run it, some won't.  But always have it available.  

3. Create a USA template & a local template.

-The information will differ slightly on each release, use discretion.

4.. Always include pictures.  

-Pick 2 or 3 pictures from the event that are nice looking and showcase your organization.  We used a picture in our last release that was a girl holding an Abriendo Mentes sign, so not only was the article on the front page, but there was also a picture with our name in huge letters.  Be tactful.

5. Send the release.

-In the subject line write "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:" and the Title of the article.  

-Compose a short email that includes the first line of the release in quotes.  This line should be attention grabbing. 

-Cross your fingers! Don't be discouraged if the article doesn't get picked up, they usually don't.  But keep trying! Make it a habit to send out 1 or 2 releases a month. 

Thanks for reading, I hope this is helpful and gets you a little bit of media attention!

Hi All,

The attached is a guide for those looking to start up or round off the administrative side of their volunteer organization. An admin team has a unique role to play within a group, this guide provides a few ideas, stories and images that provide suggestion on how to 'run the ship'.

This document is an extension of the previous lesson plan titled 'Common Phrasal Verbs'

There are four types of phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable and they can take an object or not. Here is a guide to the basics of phrasal verbs.

This lesson plan clearly explains the difference between each type and gives practical examples.

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

This lesson plan is an extension from the previous lesson plan titled 'Gerund vs. Infinitive'.

Within this document you will find a clear and concise list of differences betweeen the gerund and the infinitive. This will provide yourself and your students with an easy and effective learning approach.

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

Do you ever find yourself short of educational games and activities to help motivate your students?

Fear no more. This comprehensive document comes with hours of lesson plans and insightful games and strategies to keep your class motiviated whilst learning at the same time.

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

Another terrific lesson plan outlying the definitions between two common prepositions of place, 'in' and 'on'.

These are two prepositions which are commonly confused by students when undertaking intermediate english lessons.

For example: The wood has been placed in the ground

                    The wooden house is placed on the ground

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

This lesson plan demonstrates a very simple and managable way to differentiate when to use 'in' or 'at'

For example: When shall we meet? We will meet at 2

                    When was he born? He was born in 1985

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

Within this lesson plan you will be able to demonstrate the difference between 'Going To' questions and 'Will' questions.

'Going To' questions are planned events, whereas 'Will' questions are based on spontaneous events.

For example: What do you think will happen at school tomorrow? What are you going to do after school today? What will you do if
you don't understand this lesson? Where are you going to travel on your next vacation?

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

Within this document you will find an explination of both the 'Gerund' and the 'Infinitive'. There are also exercises which can be used to explore the differences between the two.

Students often struggle to understand when to use both the gerund or the infinitive, use this lesson plan to develop their understanding.

Enjoy this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

This document contains a comprehensive list and explination of Phrasal Verbs.

Phrasal Verbs are frequently used in the english language. They are a combination of a verb and a proposition, a verb and an adverb, or a verb with both an adverb and a proposition.

Enjoy and use this insightful learning resourse in your lesson plan today thanks to the education program at Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru.

I created this development/fundraising plan for Abriendo Mentes.  Please feel free to use it, or contact me with any questions relative to fundraising! Alexandrawalks@gmail.com

This is a preliminary budget for a nutrition program we hope to start at Deep Jyoti

This website is just pure brilliance! Any resourses a teacher could ever want are here!

enjoy

http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/

http://www.irex.org/project/teachers-global-classrooms-program-tgc

Education, Basic Education Development, International Education, Africa, Americas, Asia, Eurasia, Middle East and North Africa

The Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) Program provides a professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers from the United States to participate in a program aimed at globalizing US classrooms. 

TGC is a program of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX. 

An unpretentious introduction to a different style of teaching and learning. Consists of eight simple Montessori lessons for the preschool-aged child, and instructions on how to make low budget materials used in each lesson. Very useful for schools looking to expand their methodology or volunteers wanting to make the most of their teaching experience.

this wee game can be played as a group on a beach, in a park...anywhere recently.

so the class is split into two groups- one is given the challenge to find any treasure- something thats special or has value, while the second group must find junk (safe junk) that has been used and thrown away. the two groups come together to compare/discuss. U then set the scene- that both sets can be seen as junk or treasure depending on the way you think about it. This can then lead to a recycling project- one persons junk can be reused to become someones treasure.

can your students reuse materials that then could be fun and reused in the area??

Teaching English as a Second Language to 3-5 year olds:
 
Listening and Speaking Beginning Learning Goals :
*Based on the California State Standard and framework for learning English as a second language.
A. Comprehension
I. Comprehension K-2
      a. Students will be able to speak English using a few single words or phrases.
      b. Students will be able to answer simple questions using one and two word responses.
      c. Students will be able to respond to simple directions and questions by using physical actions and other means of nonverbal communication (e.g., matching objects, pointing to an answer, drawing
          pictures).
B. Comprehension and Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication
I. Comprehension and Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication K-2
      a. Students will be able to independently use common social greetings and simple phrases (e.g.,   "Thank you," "You're welcome").


English Lessons:
*These lessons are meant to be taught once a day for 4 weeks.   Lessons should last between 10-20 minutes maximum.  New vocabulary words should be brought up through out the class when appropriate. *you can choose your own songs.  I purchased a cd from:www.teachingenglishgames.com
Materials: cd player,cd of Engish songs,  flash cards of monthly vocabulary, wall calendar (for months, days of the week and numbers)

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
ABCs in English
Conversation: What’s your name?  My name is_____.
Song: First section of the song “Where are you?” (to the tune of Where is Thumbkin)
Vocabulary and language: Teacher: Where is Yuki? Where is Yuki?
Yuki: Here I am. Here I am.


(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs
New: Days of the Week
Converstation: How are you?  I am well.
Song: (To the tune of Where is Thumbkin)
Vocabulary and language: Teacher: Where is Yuki? Where is Yuki?
Yuki: Here I am. Here I am.
Teacher: How are you today Yuki?
Yuki: Very well I thank you.
Teacher (and class): Say hello. Say hello."

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Days of the Week
New: Colors
Conversation: How are you?
I am tired/happy/sad.
How old are you? I am___.
Song: "Colors”   
Vocabulary and language: Red and yellow,
green and blue,
what colour are you?
Orange and purple,
pink and brown.

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Colors
New: Animals
Conversation: How old are you?
Focus on the difference between How are you and how old are you?
Song: "On The Path”  
Vocabulary and language: Who is on the path / In the bush / In the pond / In the grass / On my head?  It's me the spider, the monkey, the snake, the lion, the bird.  Oh hello! "

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review:  ABCs, Animals
New: Food
Conversation: Encourage students to initiate conversation with each other.
How are you?
What's your name?
How old are you?"
Song: "Gerard The Giraffe”   
Vocabulary and language: Hello Gerard, how are you.  I am hungry. I'm still hungry. Eat some ice cream, oranges, drink some milk, grass.  I'm fine thanks.

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Food
New: Shapes
Conversation: Encourage students to initiate conversation with each other.
How are you?
What's your name?
How old are you?"
Song: "The Marching Ants”    
Vocabulary and language: The ants are marching down the path.  The purple ant falls asleep. Goes through ten colours. Revision song for colours.  New words are marching and falls asleep.  

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Shapes
New: Feelings
Conversation: Encourage students to initiate conversation with each other.
How are you?
What's your name?
How old are you?"
Song: "Six Ducks Swimming”    
Vocabulary and language: Six ducks swimming, swimming in the pond, and if one duck stops swimming in the pond, there will be five ducks swimming... "

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Feelings
New: Weather
Conversation: Encourage students to initiate conversation with each other.
How are you?
What's your name?
How old are you?"
Song: Review- “On The Path”  
Vocabulary and language: Who is on the path / In the bush / In the pond / In the grass / On my head?  It's me the spider, the monkey, the snake, the lion, the bird.  Oh hello! "

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Weather
New: Family
Conversation: Encourage students to initiate conversation with each other.
How are you?
What's your name?
How old are you?"
Song: "Anna At The Zoo    
Vocabulary and language: Anna and her daddy are at the zoo and Anna sees, one snake, two ponies, three elephants, four giraffes, five bears, six ducks, seven lions, eight monkeys, nine birds, ten fish. "

(Practice month name)
*Repeat several times
Say: Vamos a aprender Ingles
Vocabulary:
Numbers: Work up to counting to 30 by using the calendar
Review: ABCs, Family
New: Toys
Conversation: Encourage students to initiate conversation with each other.
How are you?
What's your name?
How old are you?"
Song: "Catch The Ball”
Vocabulary and language: Catch the ball, run and catch the ball, on the path, in the grass, in the bush, in the pond, in the lady's garden, good girl "


Supplemental Activities to include:

Matching
Use flash cards that have pictures of the vocabulary words that you are working on.  
Clearly state a vocabulary word. Repeat the word 3 times. Ask the class to repeat the word.
Encourage students to find the flash card that shows the picture of the word.   
*Kindergarten extension:  When a student identifies the correct card, encourage he or she to lead the next round.  This will provide incentive and give a reward for finding the right answer.

Word In a Bag
Place objects in a bag that correspond with the vocabulary you are teaching.  
This game is meant to build vocab (a bag full of animals, shapes etc.)  You can make pictures of vocabulary words out of cardboard, use pictures from magazines, plastic toys, stuffed animals etc.
Sing the song in English and give clues as to what might be in the bag.
“Whats in the bag? Whats in the bag? Red (pull out a red crayon or red object) Whats in the bag?”

Read a Story in English
Choose a story from the book shelf that incorporates vocabulary that is being taught.  Re read this story on a daily basis in English.  Try and use a story that has many pictures and encourage students to point out vocabulary words in English.  For example, if you are reading about farm animals, ask the student to find the sheep or the cow etc.

Side Walk Chalk
Encourage the students to draw pictures of vocabulary words.  Say the words in English.  

Bean Bag Toss
Use a bean bag or a light small plastic ball.  Encourage the children to sit or stand in a the circle.  Say a vocabulary word in English.  Pass the ball to the first student to answer.  Say another vocabulary word in English and encourage the student to pass the ball to the first student with the correct answer.  If more than one student answers at a time, do you best to give all children a turn.  

Just Talk
Through out the day, speak to the children in English.  They will understand your tone of voice, body language and hand gestures.  The more they hear the language spoken, the better.

Online rsources for teaching English:

http://bahrain.usembassy.gov/onlineresources

Reglas
Manos a ti Mismo


Levanten la Mano





Permanezca en tu Asiento




Siga las Instrucciones

Transitions between activities

Las transiciones entre actividades

Additional schematic information

These are the floor plans for the toilets we plan on constructing for the students of Deep Jyoti. These plans were put together by the saniation organization, Sulabh International. These are open source plans and can be used by anyone for the purposes of building low cost, hygenic, toilets. It is recommended that those persons trained in masonry are employed to do the construction.

Our hope is that once these toilets are constructed, all Deep Jyoti students will take advantage of them.

This is the first 5 weeks of a curriculum I'm working on for an Ecological Kindergarten.  I am basing it on the CA State Standards, web resources, The Complete Resource Book for Preschoolers and my own experience.  This is a draft and I will be making changes but I wanted to post it just incase someone needs some ideas to start the school year!  I will add the a version in Spanish soon.Reading Standardshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHYgaZdhQlALDpJ5vru5J_m9ykyUrHBoaZz6WN_97-g/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMqXudgE Math Standardshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1qQO3EyNWRME0nD8-OtGklCih3wk0fmyEXvwJKooKh8o/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIiuj-AM
Weekly Themeshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1f5aqzS2EPsOyFVrtdq1ZIHO0C8Tpd5Uf1621guYpdGo/edit?hl=en&authkey=CPuXhLkOW1D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/176__QP4fKbRqr77yKJ4yHTUkdRlOmFqpqijf9xJJA5k/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJ6PoKcCW1D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K0I8l7CnpBtinmruLIjWXPSMKwkhj0bZAflCnVqjUN8/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIX9t84I
W1D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTbXPEJGymmXOLWaGK5fFLbFrNvVdJUHF01MHnEpYG8/edit?hl=en&authkey=CP_htJ0N
W1D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QI7ysgMRcjDa8HftW2qwB55XMyqqfgM_9Tfnlp8RznQ/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJKs-ooI
W1D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r9YCjj1P3f9KXrwtnAimAiobW2_0cYZwfndIJDxEUdc/edit?hl=en&authkey=CICqpjQ
W2D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mYojMKGRmwoTYy_Ctu8DY5Onrrq_iLLsIaoZx3RS5vI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CO7r-P0O
W2D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R0t8syeAwdAHm_EYTRli1tdtVRQedI7sKPIIB_y0grM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKyOnJYP
W2D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LdTwKRaRCVIBGWtt2YvmLdpCJg5JmvLEFmFh_oc32yw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNbE7pgD
W2D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/19_WSVNXEws0YzNLwUwKV7nnhIj7nPOIEMfmXAZvT4PU/edit?hl=en&authkey=CI-ftpcB
W2D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M2TkKT8Hc8lM3ffYBc0S5YpGgnVTaTC5O9wup30hUME/edit?hl=en&authkey=CK25h5wFW3D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wFZ5l1x6q49WOV14C-r4dlOB-8HlAlM_7gQbKj-MZ_M/edit?hl=en&authkey=CL-p3N4JW3D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBTPKhXkKljakaxaaLxHVeGjqNHl9togzSjBI9WrcRw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CInlsK0C
W3D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b0joYXxRdNuaQlXc5oD7KM5nimlVRdZQbj1LIznlMlE/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJXau6sB
W3D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mhEyczAHZHpfsurtvZdUGb9VkvLpbyEUhl7f4UGAWeY/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMWOo98F
W3D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G8MFbZTAtXmneqmRaJSi0EYO8Cl6PsSkzjcAObtNHvA/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNGHwZEP
W4D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vpTZBIM8VOZnkqXS_FiOlR8b_2pE88C3EgOkFGRNvyI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIWl8PQC
W4D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/10f6TtWX6IBkJTr_EJmxrf1K3kWUowjbaU6GtwKaJJLA/edit?hl=en&authkey=COCP3IsB
W4D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZH2l2usq0-QtwAbmpxu_lF8eTojXgmvynpViSSNiQGI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKD9sIwP
W4D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ThD3hRFH1GptHRHqx_6BrML4367WBh6EGpoHQsrFUho/edit?hl=en&authkey=COTg46wM
W4D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IhyuaiNJEKvoWD5h2beNlClSWfnBIUTEeN_RN2Y_2pw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMKr1_INW5D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oT3HUrUe7gmpo7GwzioB5aTZpPI2Dy2GdNuf_gHz7Bk/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNrA_sgI
W5D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KZyho37r1SyNk5KH9qFbXE7h_o4K0Ucl6tvYh5xVrUI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNb34b8K
W5D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WtjSjM0XzAh3LAkZlQPhECGOdYtoZxseBBDFtJPttzs/edit?hl=en&authkey=CP2hkbII
W5D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xg4zuAC196PlaC-pAVWuL7A5P09ccTZ-ZLG9E9aHP2o/edit?hl=en&authkey=CLzb-cwC
W5D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMZJWdk-LeYfKDPhgqQpf9iZN6VRVnYj2x_xbV02Wu4/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKvIu-sK

This is the first 5 weeks of a curriculum I'm working on for an Ecological Kindergarten.  I am basing it on the CA State Standards, web resources, The Complete Resource Book for Preschoolers and my own experience.  This is a draft and I will be making changes but I wanted to post it just incase someone needs some ideas to start the school year!  I will add the a version in Spanish soon.Reading Standardshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHYgaZdhQlALDpJ5vru5J_m9ykyUrHBoaZz6WN_97-g/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMqXudgE Math Standardshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1qQO3EyNWRME0nD8-OtGklCih3wk0fmyEXvwJKooKh8o/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIiuj-AM
Weekly Themeshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1f5aqzS2EPsOyFVrtdq1ZIHO0C8Tpd5Uf1621guYpdGo/edit?hl=en&authkey=CPuXhLkOW1D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/176__QP4fKbRqr77yKJ4yHTUkdRlOmFqpqijf9xJJA5k/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJ6PoKcCW1D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K0I8l7CnpBtinmruLIjWXPSMKwkhj0bZAflCnVqjUN8/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIX9t84I
W1D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTbXPEJGymmXOLWaGK5fFLbFrNvVdJUHF01MHnEpYG8/edit?hl=en&authkey=CP_htJ0N
W1D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QI7ysgMRcjDa8HftW2qwB55XMyqqfgM_9Tfnlp8RznQ/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJKs-ooI
W1D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r9YCjj1P3f9KXrwtnAimAiobW2_0cYZwfndIJDxEUdc/edit?hl=en&authkey=CICqpjQ
W2D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mYojMKGRmwoTYy_Ctu8DY5Onrrq_iLLsIaoZx3RS5vI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CO7r-P0O
W2D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R0t8syeAwdAHm_EYTRli1tdtVRQedI7sKPIIB_y0grM/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKyOnJYP
W2D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LdTwKRaRCVIBGWtt2YvmLdpCJg5JmvLEFmFh_oc32yw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNbE7pgD
W2D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/19_WSVNXEws0YzNLwUwKV7nnhIj7nPOIEMfmXAZvT4PU/edit?hl=en&authkey=CI-ftpcB
W2D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M2TkKT8Hc8lM3ffYBc0S5YpGgnVTaTC5O9wup30hUME/edit?hl=en&authkey=CK25h5wFW3D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wFZ5l1x6q49WOV14C-r4dlOB-8HlAlM_7gQbKj-MZ_M/edit?hl=en&authkey=CL-p3N4JW3D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBTPKhXkKljakaxaaLxHVeGjqNHl9togzSjBI9WrcRw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CInlsK0C
W3D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b0joYXxRdNuaQlXc5oD7KM5nimlVRdZQbj1LIznlMlE/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJXau6sB
W3D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mhEyczAHZHpfsurtvZdUGb9VkvLpbyEUhl7f4UGAWeY/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMWOo98F
W3D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G8MFbZTAtXmneqmRaJSi0EYO8Cl6PsSkzjcAObtNHvA/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNGHwZEP
W4D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vpTZBIM8VOZnkqXS_FiOlR8b_2pE88C3EgOkFGRNvyI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CIWl8PQC
W4D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/10f6TtWX6IBkJTr_EJmxrf1K3kWUowjbaU6GtwKaJJLA/edit?hl=en&authkey=COCP3IsB
W4D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZH2l2usq0-QtwAbmpxu_lF8eTojXgmvynpViSSNiQGI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKD9sIwP
W4D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ThD3hRFH1GptHRHqx_6BrML4367WBh6EGpoHQsrFUho/edit?hl=en&authkey=COTg46wM
W4D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IhyuaiNJEKvoWD5h2beNlClSWfnBIUTEeN_RN2Y_2pw/edit?hl=en&authkey=CMKr1_INW5D1https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oT3HUrUe7gmpo7GwzioB5aTZpPI2Dy2GdNuf_gHz7Bk/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNrA_sgI
W5D2https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KZyho37r1SyNk5KH9qFbXE7h_o4K0Ucl6tvYh5xVrUI/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNb34b8K
W5D3https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WtjSjM0XzAh3LAkZlQPhECGOdYtoZxseBBDFtJPttzs/edit?hl=en&authkey=CP2hkbII
W5D4https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xg4zuAC196PlaC-pAVWuL7A5P09ccTZ-ZLG9E9aHP2o/edit?hl=en&authkey=CLzb-cwC
W5D5https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMZJWdk-LeYfKDPhgqQpf9iZN6VRVnYj2x_xbV02Wu4/edit?hl=en&authkey=CKvIu-sK

Monthly Theme: Sprouting Seeds - Germinando las Semillas


Week 1
Welcome/Explore the environment (My own space)

Day 3

Learning Goals
Reading
1.6       Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
Reading Comprehension
2.0 Students identify the basic facts and ideas in what they have read, heard, or viewed. They use comprehension strategies (e.g., generating and responding to questions, comparing new information to what is already known).
2.1 Locate the title, table of contents, name of author, and name of illustrator.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
2.4 Retell familiar stories.
Penmanship
1.4  Write uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet independently, attending to the form and proper spacing of the letters.
Algebra and Functions
1.0 Students sort and classify objects
1.1 Identify, sort, and classify objects by attribute and identify objects that do not belong to a particular group (e.g., all these balls are green, those are red).

Materials
rule poster, foam letters, bag, alphabet template for tracing, pencils or crayons, scraps of paper, glue, tape, glitter, sticky dots, fabric scraps and markers, junk box items for sorting

Student Helpers
Garden:
Kitchen:
Classroom:

8:30-9:00 Breakfast
Volunteers should be reviewing the day’s lesson and organizing materials to ensure smooth transitions between activities.  

9-9:20 Morning Circle
1. Introduce letter of the day Cc. Practice saying the sound of the letter.  Provide examples of words that start with the letter of the day. If possible, use a student’s name; Alexandra or Antoni

2.  Rules (introduce one per day- Use visual rule poster)
Hands to yourself, Raise your hand, Stay in your seat, Follow Directions
Demonstrate what staying in your means. Review previous rules and practice them.  Use puppets if you like.  

3. Review routine/schedule poster.  Read the color coded Calendar to inform kids of what they will be working on today.  Ask them to remember/read calendar about what they did yesterday.  Ask them to predict what they will do tomorrow. Practice counting the days of the month.  First, count in Spanish and then count in English.  

4. Introduce helpers (Helper Chart)
Garden
Classroom
Kitchen

English: March (practice month name)
Vocabulary: ABCs in English
Conversation: What’s your name?  My name is_____.
Song: First section of the song “Where are you?” (to the tune of Where is Thumbkin)
Teacher: Where is Yuki? Where is Yuki?
Yuki: Here I am. Here I am.

9:20-10:00 Activities
Language (reading)
Review the alphabet as a whole class using the wall painting or poster.  Place foam letters in a bag and pull them out one by one asking the kids to raise their hand if they know the answer.  When you get to the letter of the day, give the kids examples of words that start with that letter.  Encourage the class to practice saying the sound of the letter and saying words that start with the letter.  If the students seem to have mastered this activity, repeat the process only this time encourage the kids to say the sounds of the letters instead of letter names.  

Language (Writing)
Review/teach the children to hold a pencil correctly.  This will take lots of practice.  The 5 year olds will likely have better fine motor skills than the 4 year olds. Provide students will lined paper that include Cc.   Teach each child the correct movement of each letter. You may need to focus on just one letter and one case for the younger kids. The 4 year olds may even need to start making simple shapes depending on their skill level.  They may use large crayons.  


10-10:30 Outdoor play
I spy
One child is chosen to be “it”.  This child chooses something outside that he/she can see and says, “I spy with my little eye something that is..(describes object, e.g., “something that is round or red or smooth or hot”).  The other children raise their hands and when chosen guess at different objects.  When the object is guessed correctly, the first child sits down and the child who guessed correctly becomes the next one to “spy with his little eye...” and choose the object.   The teacher/volunteer might need to be the person who spies to start them off.

10:30-10:50 Story Circle
Find a suitable story to read to the class.  Point out the letter of the day several times through out the story.  
*Encourage students to identify the characters.  Define characters: people or animals in the story.  ex. Cinderella.
*Encourage students to identify the setting of the story.  Define setting: where the story takes place. ex.  in a castle
*Identify the tittle, author, illustrator and table of contents of the story.  
*Ask students to talk about the story.  What happened?  Are they able to retell the story?

10:50-11:30 Activities
Math: More Junk boxes
Put one card beside the other with a space between them.
Pick up a gold key from the pile. Say, "This key can go on this paper."Choose a silver colored key and say, "This key can't go on the paper " and put it on the other paper.
Sort a few more keys, verbalizing, "this key can.. this key can't...", then ask, "What am I thinking?" (use whatever objects you have available- cap, buttons, rocks etc.)
Children try and guess the sorting rule. In this case I am sorting by color, gold keys are on one piece of card, keys that are not gold are placed on the other piece of card.
When the children get the idea, choose more difficult sorting rules. e.g. keys with round holes go on one paper, keys without round holes do not; keys with words stamped on them go on one paper, keys without words go on the other; small keys go on one side, keys that are not small go on the other side.

Art: Collage
Provide materials such as scraps of paper, glue, tape, glitter, sticky dots, fabric scraps and markers for the children to create a collage.

11:30-12:00 Closing Circle
*What did you do at school today?
*Tomorrows Helpers
*Behavior Stars on Chart (working up to Big Brother/Sister day)
*Song

12-12:30 Lunch
Volunteers should re-organize the day’s supplies.

12:30 Brush teeth and collect things/ homework
Homework: Practice writing Cc in notebooks.

*Monday: garden/science, fine motor,  dramatic play
*Tuesday: language (reading & writing), math, art
*Wednesday: language (reading & writing), math, art
*Thursday: garden/science, fine motor,  dramatic Play
*Friday: trash art, cooking/nutrition/hygiene, big brother/big sister day

*Story Circle daily
*Outdoor Activity daily
*Hygiene daily/ brush teeth and wash hands
*Morning and closing circle daily: front load the lesson and review

Hot potato:   
Children stand in a circle and pass a hot potato around as quickly as they can with out dropping it while music is played.  (If you don’t have music use a coffee can drum and a stick to keep a beet).  When the music stops, the kid with the hot potato must sit down. The last child to have the potato wins.

Scatter Seeds
One child is chosen to be it.  He stands in the center of a circle of children who are each standing on a carpet square (this can be recycled cardboard or you can draw squares using sidewalk chalk on the basketball court).  “It” calls “scatter seeds” and all the kids run to another square.  The child who is not standing on a square becomes it.  

I spy
One child is chosen to be “it”.  This child chooses something outside that he/she can see and says, “I spy with my little eye something that is..(describes object, e.g., “something that is round or red or smooth or hot”).  The other children raise their hands and when chosen guess at different objects.  When the object is guessed correctly, the first child sits down and the child who guessed correctly becomes the next one to “spy with his little eye...” and choose the object.   The teacher/volunteer might need to be the person who spies to start them off.

Free play with Soccer Balls
Basketball court

Side walk Chalk
Bring the children to the basketball court.  
Draw letters, numbers and simple shapes on the ground.  Identify each drawing with the class.
Give each student a piece of chalk and encourage them to duplicate the letters and numbers.
Encourage them to use the whole space and spread out.

Simon Says:
Choose one child to be Simon.  All the other children stand side by side in a line facing Simon.  The child playing Simon gives the other children orders that they have to carry out but only when the orders follow the phrase “Simon Says...” If a child follows an order that the leader did not say, the he/she is out and must sit down.  The last child standing becomes the new Simon.

Statues
Everyone dances around the room or basketball court to music.  When the music stops, everyone must freeze and hold that position usually becoming a  very funny looking statue.  If a child moves, he must sit down.  when the music starts again, those who are sill standing start to dance again.  The last one standing wins.  (or, a dancer must become a statue when he/she is tapped on the head by a teacher.  He/she may dance again when tapped again.  There is no music in this version)

Red light Green Light
Choose one child to be the stoplight.  The other children line up side by side about 30 feet (9 meters) away from and facing the stoplight. When the child playing the stoplight turns his back to the other children he/she says “green light” and the children may run toward him/her.  When he turns back around and says “red light” all the children must stop.  If the child playing the traffic light sees any of the children move after he/she says “red light”, he or she says that child’s name and they must go back to the beginning.  The first child to reach the stoplight is the stoplight in the next game.

*This game will need to be taught.  After a few times of playing it the children will know what to do.

Telephone
Have the children sit in a circle facing the center.  One child is chosen to “start the telephone conversation.”  This child thinks of a word (or is provided a word) and whispers what he/she hears to the child next to him/her.  The second child whispers the what she heard in the ear of the child next to her.  And so the word or phrase continues around the circle.  If a child was not able to hear the word he can say “operator” and the word may be whispered in his ear again.  When the word is finally whispered in the ear of the last child in the circle, she then announces the word out loud.  Then the child who “started the telephone conversation” repeats the original word so all can compare and see how it changed.  Choose a new child to “start the telephone conversation” and play again.  

Three legged Race
Help the children run a three legged race.  Use soft cloth to tie their legs together.

Mother May I
Choose a child to be “Mother”.  The other children line up side by side (30 feet or 9 meters) away from and facing “Mother”.  Mother chooses and individual child and gives her an order (eg. Alexandra, you may take three hops forward.”)  Before follwing the order, the child must say, “Mother May I... ” and repeat the order she was given. If she does not say “Mother May I” and carries out the order anyway she may not move forward.  If she does ask “Mother May I” and “Mother says “yes”, then she may move forward. If Mother says no, the child must stay where she is.  The first one to reach Mother wins.  (teacher/volunteer will likely have to play Mother
with the four year olds).

500
One person is the thrower, and everyone else moves throwing distance away from the thrower. The thrower tosses the ball in the air towards everyone else and announces a number between 50 and 500, like: "I've got 200 up for grabs". If a kid catches it they get as many points as the thrower yelled. If someone drops it though, they lose the same number of points (negative scores are possible).
The first person to get 500 points wins and become the thrower for the next game.
*Vary this game by using smaller numbers and no negative points.

Directions in Spanish:
Vamos a jugar un juego con esta pelota. Una persona será el lanzador. Otros estudiantes encontrará su espacio frente al lanzador. El lanzador dirá un número y lanzar la pelota. La persona que coge el balón aparecerá el número de puntos que el lanzador le gritó. La primera persona en llegar a 500, gana.

Directions in English:
We are going to play a game using this ball.  One person will be the thrower.  Everyone else will find their own space in front of the thrower.  The thrower will say a number and throw the ball.  The person who catches the ball will get the number of points that the thrower yelled. The first person to get to 500, wins.*Information taken from various web sources and The Complete Resource Book for Preschoolers by Pam Schiller and Kay Hastings

• Simple idea- have a box with a lid. Start class by introducing the box as magic. Then tell the class that inside this magic box an inspiring person is hidden- like a genie in a bottle.

• you then spend the class discussing who they think it may be- someone famour, someone the know.

• end of class they all get to look inside...and guess whats inside? a mirror- as all the children are inspring like all the heros they have discussed.

a little sentimental but nice wee lesson!

Guide to help the Omprakash community with fundraising projects

San Gabriel students made pirate treasure chests out of used tea boxes.  The kids really enjoyed this lesson that involved a pirate story and making/counting treasure.  They also turned egg cartons into bells! This was huge hit with kids.  You can find the detailed lesson plan under "Art Projects with Egg Cartons" and "Treasure Chests Art Project".

Kindergarten Math Standards adapted from The California State Standards and Frameworks.  USA.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/elacontentstnds.pdf

Number Sense
1.0 Students understand the relationship between numbers and quantities (i.e., that a set of objects has the same number of objects in different situations regardless of its position or arrangement)
1.1 Compare two or more sets of objects (up to ten objects in each group) and identify which set is equal to, more than, or less than the other.
1.2 Count, recognize, represent, name, and order a number of objects (up to 30).
1.3 Know that the larger numbers describe sets with more objects in them than the smaller numbers have.

2.0 Students understand and describe simple additions and subtractions:
2.1 Use concrete objects to determine the answers to addition and subtraction problems (for two numbers that are each less than 10).

3.0 Students use estimation strategies in computation and problem solving that involve numbers that use the ones and tens places
3.1 Recognize when an estimate is reasonable.

Algebra and Functions
1.0 Students sort and classify objects

1.1 Identify, sort, and classify objects by attribute and identify objects that do not belong to a particular group (e.g., all these balls are green, those are red).

Fun With Socks/Diversión con calcetinesLessons adapted from:
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/toddler-station08/fun-with-socks-dec08.shtml

Here are some activities using socks that will teach kids to make predictions, problem solve and have fun. /Éstos son las actividades con los calcetines que enseñan a los niños a hacer predicciones, resolver problemas y divertirse.

*This is also a great opportunity to donate one pair of socks per student.

Materials: Socks/Calcetines

What’s inside the sock?
Place a familiar object inside a sock.
Let student feel the outside of the sock.
Have the student guess what is inside the sock by it’s shape and the way it feels.
Say: ¿Qué hay dentro del calcetín?

Sock Sort
Give students several different types/colors of socks.
Have students sort socks into similar piles (color, size).
Say: Pone los calcetines en los grupos de color y tamaño.

Sock Toss
Roll up three or four socks into balls.
Set out a basket on the floor.
Have students practice tossing the socks into the basket.
Say: Tire el calcetín en la canasta.

Sock Puppets
Give each student a sock and some supplies to make a face on the bottom (buttons, beans, glitter, paper etc)
Say: Vamos a hacer títeres con calcetines.
After puppets are completed, work together as a group to create conversations between puppets.  
Use the socks to practice saying the alphabet in Spanish or English, count, add etc.  

Sock Song
Teach a sock song in English, add in movements
Say: Vamos a aprender una canción sobre los calcetines en Inglés

Tune: “Hickory Dickory Dock”

Hickory Dickory Dock
Let’s put on our socks.
We can walk around, without a sound,
When we wear our socks.
Jean Warren

Spanish version (teach vocab)
Hickory Dickory Dock
Vamos a poner los calcetines.
Podemos caminar, sin hacer ruido,
Cuando nos ponemos los calcetines.

For additional verses, substitute other action words for “walk” such as slide (resbalar), tip toe (punta del pie), jump (salto) etc.

500Adapted from :
http://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/ball_games/500.htm

Materials: Ball

Description:
One person is the thrower, and everyone else moves throwing distance away from the thrower. The thrower tosses the ball in the air towards everyone else and announces a number between 50 and 500, like: "I've got 200 up for grabs". If a kid catches it they get as many points as the thrower yelled. If someone drops it though, they lose the same number of points (negative scores are possible).
The first person to get 500 points wins and become the thrower for the next game.
*Vary this game by using smaller numbers and no negative points.

Directions in Spanish:
Vamos a jugar un juego con esta pelota. Una persona será el lanzador. Otros estudiantes encontrará su espacio frente al lanzador. El lanzador dirá un número y lanzar la pelota. La persona que coge el balón aparecerá el número de puntos que el lanzador le gritó. La primera persona en llegar a 500, gana.

Directions in English:
We are going to play a game using this ball.  One person will be the thrower.  Everyone else will find their own space in front of the thrower.  The thrower will say a number and throw the ball.  The person who catches the ball will get the number of points that the thrower yelled. The first person to get to 500, wins.

Wonderful resources for children's music. English and Spanish.

Recycle bottle caps by making them into necklaces.  

Reusing coffee cans to make drums.  Spanish and English.

This is a fun story problem (Spanish and English) that can be adapted to fit many grade levels. 

These are wonderful ideas for reusing egg cartons in the classroom.

Kindergarten Language Standards adapted from The California State Department of Education Standards and Frameworks.  USA.

This is an extremely helpful resource for volunteers working with this age group.  

Recycle, Make Art and learn!

Find small cardboard boxes.  Pre cut paper to fit- one piece for each side.  Ask the students to predict how many sides the box has.  Tell them you are going to make a treasure chest.   The students can decorate each piece of paper (give them only one at a time) and glue them on the box.  As you glue each side, subtract it from the number you have left. 

This assessment is based on specific skills that students need to know upon entering first grade.  It can be administered several times through out the year in order to assess student learning.  Directions are provided in English and Spanish.  

This website has a variety of Christmas resource, including a basic outline of the Christmas story to help with telling the Christmas story- nice to even get the children to perform it too!

website: http://www.akidsheart.com/

This is a great way to help the children of your class better understand Human rights and specifically the rights they hold as children. Its not only eye opening for the children but also is a fantastic way to encourage positive behaviour in the class room. This can also be used alongside a class on understanding the basic needs of a child using picture cards- Asking whats more important water, food or tv? interesting discussions will follow im sure!!

Want to connect your school community to two other schools?  You can learn about how people in different places live their lives and view the world around them.  The Global Journal Project is a way for three schools to form a partnership that enables mutual learning.  Read further for more details.  Also, check out the sample flyer produced by the first chapter of the GJP, a collaboration between two U.S. schools and Kibera Girls Soccer Academy.  You can view the flyer on the Classroom Resources page.

If you are an Omprakash Partner and would like to join the GJP, please contact me or one of the Omprakash administrators.

The Global Journal Project:

The Global Journal Project is a three-school collaboration and a student-run business under the umbrella of Omprakash, a U.S.-registered nonprofit.  The model is simple: three schools form a partnership in which one is an underprivileged school in the developing world.  The parent organization Omprakash provides contact with the underprivileged school through its network (www.omprakash.org), and all proceeds from the Project goes to benefit that school.  More important, the Project allows for a cross-cultural exchange among the three schools and offers a vehicle for each of those schools to share with its local communities the voices and perspectives from other parts of the world. 

This chapter of the Global Journal Project involves Kibera Girls Soccer Academy (Kibera, Kenya), The Taft School (Watertown, CT), and Pacific Ridge School (Carlsbad, CA).  All proceeds minus the printing and web-site maintenance costs go to benefit KGSA.

The Global Journal Project seeks to:

• shed light on the range of perspectives and experiences of its member communities
• raise awareness and understanding of global issues
• encourage discussion concerning these issues

We will:

• collect articles from any member of the partner-school communities, including students, faculty, and alumni
• include a broad range of topics
• promote open and mutually and culturally respectful dialogue

If you are a teacher or student, secondary or university level, and interested in contributing to the GJP through one of the three participating school communities, please contact me.  If you would like to form a Global Journal Project at your own school, please contact me, too.  Forming a GJP at your school means that you will partner with two other schools, one of which will be an Omprakash Partner.  You will have a say in both choices.

           -Bhaswati Bhattacharyya

There are only a few moments in life when we actually get the time for ourselves and even fewer moments when we get to do something for others. The thought of doing something for issues not directly related to one’s own self or loved ones is itself beautiful and rare.  As such, given an opportunity to serve the needy or work selflessly towards the betterment of the society should play a vital role in everyone’s lives.  Only then we can be truly a part of a human culture.

Social work had always been on my mind. After doing a paper in Indian economic development in my second year of graduation, I got to know a lot about what is actually going on in my country when it comes to “development.” This paper has been enriching enough to make me realize that I should do something worthwhile in my life instead of entirely aiming for only a great job and a fat salary. Instead of blaming the entire system all the time without even knowing what actually is going on, contributing in my own little way would really make me feel proud of myself. This paper interested me so much that I started reading up on serious issues that are bothering INDIA. The statistics shocked me! 

When I was finally over with my graduation in MAY 2010, I decided to do work or intern under a non profit organization in Guwahati.  I suddenly remembered about my search in summer 2009 when I had got in touch with MR. UTTAM TERON, founder of “PARIJAT ACADEMY” which is a school for underprivileged children in a place called GARCHUK in ASSAM.  I mailed him saying I would love to be a part of his venture with the children. He replied on the very same day with a lot of enthusiasm and called me in for a meeting on the next day. I was delighted and at the same time humbled. I went to “PARIJAT ACADEMY” the very next day and we sat and talked about so many things. TERON sir is absolutely amazing and he is doing such a wonderful deed by providing free education to so many children without any ulterior motive. That was truly an amazing experience. I was thrilled and motivated by his dedication towards securing the future of the children in the academy and many more to come in the future. He agreed to let me intern under him in his academy. The job given to me was to teach the children and to think of creative ways of teaching the younger ones, making them learn in a way that they would remember all their lives.  He even asked me to teach them music as when I told him I had a degree in Indian classical music. The confidence that he showed in me was truly motivating. I shall always be thankful to him for letting me be a part of the school family. He introduced me to the children of all the classes. I met all the children from standard 1 to standard 10. The academy even had a nursery and a kindergarten class. The students welcomed me warmly. I was also nervous to an extent because I wanted to do this job right and in my opinion teaching is one of the toughest jobs. The ideas that one has in mind needs to be put in the minds of these children and that is one real challenge. Even tougher for me, but I wanted to take this task up and contribute in my own little way. So my journey in PARIJAT started.

The first thing I noticed about PARIJAT was its ambience. Trapped in the beauty of nature with greenery all around, the view was really a treat to the eye. There was enough space for the children to play during recess. I loved the natural sorroundings. Every morning I felt as if the birds welcomed me with their chirps and the wind whispered in my ear. There was something very positive about the whole workplace. No matter how tired I would get, it did not matter as long as I got to see the smiling faces of the children daily. The school had enough indoor games as well that kept the children busy during their free time. The classes were really well maintained and organized. Everything was impressive and I could clearly see the hard work of so many who worked day and night for the children.

 Everyday was a challenge for me. At first I thought the children might feel awkward and not open up to me. But to my pleasant surprise they were so smart and outgoing from the very first day! I remember I used to be very shy in school and I liked only those teachers who were not strict, lol. I loved teaching the children but had to be careful about the ways I used. They were bright and full of life, always willing to learn something new and interesting. It was a delight teaching them different things ranging from studies to art to music. I mostly took classes for the younger age group. I loved the most when I interacted with them.  It gave me an immense sense of joy deep within my heart as I could sense their innocence and honesty in whatever they said or did. I also realized that the children learned in a better way and did their work on time when they were treated with a lot of love and care and also the thought of competition made them study regularly. I learned a lot as to how should I treat them as a teacher and luckily, they seemed to like meJ.  I shared a great bond with the children and became dependent on them to quite an extent. I looked forward to meeting them everyday. I was having the best time of my life with the children.

The academy also had many teachers who were so kind and nice to me. I felt so good.  All the teachers worked hard for the children and the school. I was never used to being given so much respect and being called “baideo” by all. I was greeted with smiles in the staff room whenever I entered or exited it. It was such a nice feeling. Pranoy sir was really nice to me. I always kept thanking him for his bike lifts till Garchuk. I made friends with Bhabani who taught the senior classes. She was my walking partner everyday till Garchuk (whenever I did not get any lift!). In short, all the people in the academy became a part of my world and I respected all of them.

My personal experience in Parijat has also been wonderful because I have been fortunate enough to have met so many people within my internship period in the academy. There are so many people who support this academy and are working for bringing about positive changes in the society. Such people have been so influential in my life. They have inspired and motivated me to give something back to the society which has given me all that I have. I shall always be thankful to UTTAM Sir for firstly giving me this opportunity of a lifetime to teach the kids. The dedication that I saw in him had been a driving force for me everyday. It feels good to see that even after man has led to so many devastations and destructions in the world, there are still such people who are working for the sake of humanity selflessly. It brings a ray of hope to everyone’s lives.

All in all, my experience has been one of a lifetime and I look forward to coming back to these children whenever possible as they are a part of my life now. I have learnt so much from this place and I have so much to take back with me. I am a much better person now and I strongly feel that the youth should contribute to the society even if it is in the minimum way possible. As a part of this generation, I take it as my responsibility to keep doing good work all my life. I would like to request all those who feel for social issues deeply to come out and do whatever they can because even a little effort can act as a positive catalyst. Holding hands together, we can truly bring about positive changes and if we all indulge in it, very soon the world shall be a much better place to live in and also the sense of satisfaction derived from such work is truly inexplicable. As for me, I will be back very soon to these children. I can never forget their smiling faces. The memories shall remain forever in my life.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

ROBERT FROST

On 16 October, at Life and Hope Association (LHA), we organized an event for the World Food Day. The topic of this year is "United against Hunger". Attached you can find my presentation about World Food Day and hunger in the world.

If you want to teach about hunger, you can find relevant lesson plans on the website of UN World Food Programme:

http://www.wfp.org/students-and-teachers/teachers/teach-hunger

These are the floor plans of what we think our kitchen is going to look like!

This document shows the blood test results of 50 randomly selected students from our program in Bihar. 100% are anemic and most are underweight for their age. This document serves as a primary document that illustrates the need for better nutrition and health care in rural India.

This is a presentation I gave about the eating habits of some of the students that come to the LHA. It is a fairly small sample size, but it is a good indication of how the average refugee eats in India

I created this sexual health information booklet for the girls at KGSA. After teaching sex education for a couple months, I found that the girls didn't yet know the basic information, and that a majority of their education had only emphasized HIV/AIDS but neglected to describe other sexually transmitted infections. I left a few copies of this booklet in the school's library to be used as a reference guide.

In Montessori education, children at a very young age are taught practical life lessons. Individual dressing frames help a child learn how to zip their jackets, button their shirts, tie their shoes, etc. This PDF has instructions on how to make individual dressing frames.

The attached document gives a basic overview of the Montessori method and its concepts.

http://resources.primarysource.org/globaleducation

http://www.separatednations.com/resources.php : free online resources about refugees and asylum in Europe. Can be used by teachers at schools and lecturers at universities as well as by students writing essays or preparing for seminars.

http://www.separatednations.com/factbook.php : EU Asylum Factbook, which provides basic information about refugees and asylum in each Member State of European Union.

http://www.separatednations.com/articles.php : my articles related to refugees and asylum in Europe and Lithuania.

This is a fairly standard approach to an exam, but of interest may be the choices in structure and knowledge areas covered and application of that knowledge. Also, customizing the questions to be meaningful to the culture.  This is a foundational approach.  Grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.  Next phase will be composition.

 This is what I used while teaching in Tibet during 2009.

Teaching English in Tibet- Part 1

Teaching English in Tibet- Part 2

Teaching English in Tibet- Part 3

Check out this PDF that demonstrates how to use the walls of your classroom as a valuable teaching resource!

The Global Ed Gateway (developed by the Peace Corps).  Contains links to lots of helpful resources on a variety of global ed topics, as well as connections to many other organizations and projects:

http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/global-ed-gateway

Attached is a document outlining questions teachers can use to help students access human rights issues through documentary film. Please email me if you have any questions.

Attached is a list of documentary films, sorted by subject. It's a work in progress, and of course, there are millions of films out there about a range of topics. If you have any questions, or are a teacher looking for a film about a specific film, feel free to email me.

Arresting God in Kathmandu (Samrat Upadyaha)

We Can win (Shiva Kheral)

Answer are the Question (L.N.Peace)

Fatalism and development (Dor Bahadur Bista)

These are the two sites that I have found most hopeful to me while teaching Kinder class at Hogar de Esperanza in Peru and while working independently as an English teacher in Madrid, Spain a few years ago:

http://www.primeraescuela.com/themesp.html : Activities and resources for teaching (in Spanish) infants-preschool-aged children in all different subjects. Includes art, fairy tales, and songs as well!

www.mes-english.com : Great ideas for teaching English as a second language.  You can use it to make and print your own flash cards, games, exams, etc. , or use ones that have already been created.

Some additional sites that others have recommended for teaching ideas are:

www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/ps-themes.html : Ideas, activities and worksheets for teachers and families

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/toddler_station.shtml : Anytime activities, crafts, art for toddlers

For Physical Education Activities:

www.gameskidsplay.net : Lists the rules and names of tons of kids' games. (Some no materials needed)

http://wilderdom.com/games/PhysicalActivities.html : Physical activities and games for groups

www.gamesecretary.com/ : Lists the rules and names of kids' games

Relaxation Exercises and Instructions:

www.hws.edu/studentlife/resources/counseling/relax.asp

www.wso.williams.edu/orgs/peerh/stress/relax.html

Workout Routine Ideas/Schedules/Pictures:

www.women-workout-routines.com/free-exercise-program.html

www.fitnessandhealthscience.org/fitness/women1.htm

Preview and purchase this unique magazine produced by students at KGSA.  Each article offers an in-depth look at a facet of life in Kibera, from the daily goings-on to the profound issues of women's empowerment, economic development, and politics, to name a few. After reading the magazine, readers may contact students at KGSA directly and establish an on-going connection between classrooms.

When you purchase a copy of Shedders, all proceeds go to KGSA. Shipping from Kenya to anywhere in the United States is FREE! Purchase by making an ear-marked donation to KGSA through Omprakash.

Many students and teachers who have heard me speak about Mehan Orphanage have asked for more details about my first trip to Kabul. Here is the journal that I kept throughout the six months there. This was previously posted on Omprakash's old Message Board.

Three high schools in North County San Diego (Cathedral Catholic H.S., Kearny H.S., and Pacific Ridge School) are joining hands to help Omprakash Partner MORE build a learning resources center in rural southern India. The project is truly collaborative in nature, allowing students in southern CA to work directly with those in India to learn from one another and to achieve a common objective. Please see the attached pamphlet to learn more.

 The attached file is the basic schematic for a Surya or any portable solar unit.There are 4 basic components to a surya unit:

Deep Cycle batteries, Solar Charge controller, A DC to AC inverter (over 250 watt recommended), A solar panel (5.5-20 watt recommended for briefcase or other type of portable unit.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about this project or get involved, contact Alex Rodrigues at ARodrigues@pacificridge.org or Grant Nassif at GNassif@pacificridge.org.

 Example of a Wall Book. Visit Every Child Every Village in "Classroom Collaborators" for more details.

We are looking for student groups and classes to spread an easily reproducible solar charger that can be transported to partners in the Omprakash network.