Bristol township school district how to#

вЂњI then could test for one-to-one correspondence and counting skills while students counted out the one dollar bills to pay,вЂќ said Sutton. Next, Sutton asked questions, such as, вЂњHow much money does it cost to buy three pumpkins?вЂќ Students decided pumpkins would be sold at one dollar each and another student created a price tag. She helped them sound out the word вЂњpumpkinвЂќ to write letters for the sign. During playtime, Sutton helped students set up a pumpkin shop. Sutton has had opportunities to guide students and assess academics while playing as well. вЂњThey are encouraged to organize and plan their play while practicing appropriate social interactions with peers.вЂќ вЂњWe are providing our students with opportunities to choose the objects with which they play,вЂќ said Sue Sutton, kindergarten teacher at Mill Creek Elementary School. In kindergarten this year, BTSD is incorporating play-based learning with classroom teachers in addition to outdoor recess with lunch monitors. For example, asking open-ended questions during guided play can allow students to think a bit more deeply and make connections.

Bristol township school district how to#

Learning occurs within the context of play and active learning strategies where children are engaged in concrete and hands-on discovery, experimentation, and interaction with materials, their peers and nurturing adults.вЂќДЄdditionally, parents learned simple strategies to unlock the power of play at home, such as knowing when and how to support children during play.

According to the PDE, вЂњInstruction in the early years often looks different than instruction in the older grades. вЂњIt gives them a place and a time for learning that cannot be achieved through completing a worksheet.вЂќДuring the workshops, parents learned that play-based learning in kindergarten is purposely and intentionally planned by the teacher and aligned to PA Department of Education standards. вЂњDuring play, children learn how to negotiate with others, to take turns and to manage themselves while interacting with others,вЂќ said Kruse. вЂњResearch suggests that children demonstrate their most advanced language skills during play, and these language skills are strongly related to emergent literacy,вЂќ said Kruse.ДЇree play and guided play, two components of play-based learning, are also vital to foster social and emotional skills. вЂњOne of the reasons that play-based learning is so effective is that it creates a level playing field for learning, especially for students where English is a second language and children that may have a learning disability.вЂќДЄ student who might have difficulty writing a sentence can also engage in play with elaborate story lines. вЂњPlay-based learning helps children learn to solve problems, persist through challenges, build vocabulary skills, and gain background knowledge in many content areas,вЂќ said Kruse.