The High Quality Early Learning Project

(Click “Creating a Caring Community of Learners: Kimberly and Vanessa’s 1st/2nd Grade Classroom” Guiding Questions to download the pdf version.)

Consider these questions when viewing the videos:

Classroom Community

1. What practices and structures in the classroom did Kimberly and Vanessa put into place during the early weeks of school?
2. How do mindfulness and gratitude practices (breathing, reflection on the glitter bottle, shaking hands and thanking each other for being a part of the community at the end of the day) contribute to the sense of community?
3. What do you think is the purpose/benefit of the class charter?
4. What benefits do you think snacktime provide?

Play and Active Learning in the 2^nd grade

5. It’s unusual to see a 1^st or 2^nd grade classroom that has so many opportunities for choice time, play, and active learning. What do you think children are learning during “Open Work Time?”
6. How do you think the classroom Open Work Time impacts the teaching of required knowledge and skills?
7. What do you think is the purpose/benefit of the school-wide Open Work time?

Stewards of the Earth

8. What are the children learning from participating in the Billion Oyster Project?
9. In what other ways are children in this classroom learning to be citizens?

Take-aways

10. What else do you notice about these videos?
11. What do you wonder about?
12. What do you take away that you might want to try in your own classroom?