http://prekinders.com/forum/ en Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:42:03 GMT vBulletin 60 http://prekinders.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://prekinders.com/forum/ http://prekinders.com/forum/showthread.php/96-Western-Governors-University?goto=newpost Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:22:55 GMT I am at the point where I MUST decide which direction I want to go in my education. I am 30 years old. I had planned to do Walden University online... I am at the point where I MUST decide which direction I want to go in my education. I am 30 years old. I had planned to do Walden University online in Child Development but I learned that GA Prek Teachers make much more if they are certified. And cert is available through Walden BUT you have to do a masters degree.

So, I started planning to go to the local university here which is Prek-5th grade. It would take me 3-3.5 years with the credits I already have. My only problems are: It is a traditional university with mainly daytime classes offered at the education level classes.

So... on with this long post.. LOL

I heard about Western Governors which is competency based plus they do take transfer credits. So since I would have quite a few transfer credits.. and I have quite a bit of experience in the field it seems that maybe I could finish with them sooner and have my teaching cert.

You do your student teaching locally.

The only reasons I am really considering this is: It is a focus of birth - 3rd grade, I am quite good at taking test and writing essays, and I could work without having to worry about class schedules.


I do not intend to work int he public schools. I plan to stay on the child care side of things.. But I would be interested in possibly teaching Prek in a private center.

has anyone attended this university? Or received your teaching cert from any online school?


I would be more hesitant if I planned to work int he school district but I feel that in the private side it would not be an issue. Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks. I kind of need to decide soon and am trying to get as much info as possible. :) ]]> Georgia Pre-K Teachers Amyece http://prekinders.com/forum/showthread.php/96-Western-Governors-University http://prekinders.com/forum/showthread.php/94-Themes-for-first-3-weeks-of-school-School-amp-Friends-Families-all-about-me-ENTER!?goto=newpost Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:24:20 GMT Ok I wanted to share some of my plans, and am hoping to get some nice ideas off you all. I did modify my plans a lot once we were actually... Ok I wanted to share some of my plans, and am hoping to get some nice ideas off you all.

I did modify my plans a lot once we were actually rolling in the classroom though. (getting used to the new plans is kicking my butt!)

- New To School,

• we played a lot of name games,
• Singing to Brown Bear - we did "Name, Name who do you see? I see XXXX looking at me" -
• Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? (using a sorting set of cookies I found at target)
• a shape cookie matching game (also from target $4.00), where they matched with someone in the class, gave them high-fives and said their names, or asked it,
• bean bag toss around and everyone saying that child's name that caught the bean bag.
• We've done one a day,
• I also made a class picture book, a picture of each child with their name on the same page, each child got their own construction paper color and we "read" the book every day. I really want my kids to know each others names this year.

Small Groups
(guided)Small group activities included, reading an i spy book about school to 3 groups over 3 days
(guided)dry erase board name practice (to see who needed attention to name writing)
(guided) clothespin names for those that needed letter identification practice, a teaching them how to do it for future independent groups to learn their names.
(independent) sorting out colors with unifix cubes, or pegs
(indep) Rice & letters table - find the letters in your name and spell it out
(indep) I used a piece of posterboard & blocks to draw a replica of the classroom, then colored, and laminated the map and let the kids re-create it using the blocks as an independent group

the rest of the day was books, music, some basic phonics stuff & literacy (i did Dr Jeans, A makes 2 sounds song, and wrote the letters on the board as she sang them, then we came up with words for the letters, did kick-boxing abc's, mystery instruments behind a screen, then combined with music to make a parade so they could experience the instruments.

We didn't open all the centers, we are teaching them carefully how to use them, however - My dramatic play was a school supply store, with stacks of school supplies to be "bought" some target bags, cart, cash register and fake $from the dollar store.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Families: The kids will be bringing in their family collages that we will hang on the walls all year (they will need lamination) - we did let the parents know our intentions


we are creating a counting book of classmates, I got this idea from the Pre-k Times; taking a photo of one student, then 2, then 3 etc until all 20 are in the pic. I'm also going to do a pic of no students for 0.

my literacy groups are tying things into books right now, introducing the word cards for the writing center, etc. (family cards this week)
- Small groups

• Reading a book about sharing, using a prop to help the kids understand sharing. Making a family graph using color dots under family member categories including pets (breaking this up into small groups over 3 or 4 days)
• another small group is a story that is made up, using a prop of a folded paper, that you are cutting into a person shape, the story is about a child that came to school for the first time, and made some new friends, then I unfold the shape and it's a string of4 people. The kids color one as themselves, and 3 as other friends in the classroom (hpd2, ld6a, se1b)
• an independent group with follow-up Draw a picture of your family, tell teacher what each one does at work or at home
• then recycling a few independent groups from last week with the letters in rice, block classroom map, and clothespin names and practicing them on dry erase boards.

--------------------------------------------------------------
All About Me -
I haven't totally written these out yet but here are some of my ideas, I would like to hear some other good ones.

We make an all about me graph, that also includes: eye color, hair color, favorite color, favorite flavor ice cream, favorite animal, favorite food; sometimes we change things up a little bit- this year i'm going to use mini photos of the kids on the graph next to their name

Small groups -
- we will do this graph over the first 2 days in rapid small group cycle, then base some of the other lessons off the results.
- we do a self portrait after reading "we are all alike, we are all different" and I have the kids draw themselves with crayons, using colors accurate to their features,then we water color them too.



I will write more later, have to take a PC break :) please feel free to comment, add ideas etc. ]]> Georgia Pre-K Teachers Livvie http://prekinders.com/forum/showthread.php/94-Themes-for-first-3-weeks-of-school-School-amp-Friends-Families-all-about-me-ENTER!