Early Childhood Experience in Language Arts 11 e by Jeanne M. Machado (c) Cengage

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Chapter 13
Group Times

2. Chapter Highlights
A. Group and Circle Times
B. Important Kindergarten Skills
C. Younger Preschooler Group Times
D. Circle Time Starters
E. Circle Time Activities
1. successful circle times
F. Chants & Choruses
G. Finger Play
H. Body-Action Activities
I. Resources
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All Rights Reserved.

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Objectives
 In this chapter, we will investigate:
Circle and group-time speaking activities
Performing a finger play with children
Ways to promote child involvement in simple
plays, charts, and circle times
Planning and leading a group time

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Groups
 Group time and circle time help children to:
Develop understanding about themselves as
group members
Enjoy language as a group
Gain self-confidence, feelings of self-worth,
and group spirit

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Circle and Group-time
Speaking Activities
 Should include:
Allowing time for feedback and interaction
Activities to build language that are:
 Active
 Enthusiastic
 Prepared
 Accepting

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Important Skills for Kindergartners
 Communication of needs and preferences
 Attending to speech of peers and adults
 Self-control
 Turn taking
 Listening

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Interaction within the Groups
 2 and 3 year olds
Learning social interaction
 Increases with comfort level
 Teacher’s physical closeness is a part of the
experience.
Be flexible
 Allow body-action to be a part
Begin by capturing the group’s attention

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Promote Child Involvement
 Recognizing each child through opening
activities
 Using circle-time starters, attention getters,
socializers, and wiggle reducers
 Singing, chanting, and cheering to build
motivation and interest during group and
circle time

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Circle Starters
Wiggles
I’ll wiggle my fingers
And wiggle my toes.
I’ll wiggle my arms
And wiggle my nose.
And now that all the wiggles are out
We’ll listen to what circle’s about.

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Circle Activities
 Plan well
 Include many activities:
Passing games
Taking turns and directing attention
Closing group activities

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Transitions
 Essential to success
 Transitory statement
Used to disperse the children in small groups
(orderly)
Use
 Transition poems
 Phrases
 Activities

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Other Considerations
 Activity selection should target all children.
Second-language learners
Children with exceptional needs
Multicultural and multi-ethnic inclusion
 Singing builds connections
 Parental support

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Chants
 Rhythmic monotonous utterances
 Promotes successful language experiences
regardless of child’s background and talents
 Helps child learn the importance of clear and
expressive pronunciation

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Finger Play
 Classic preschool group or individual play
 Use words and action (usually finger motion
and movement together)
 Use with rhymes to build motivation
Feels like part of the group
Gains a sense of accomplishment
Builds language and transition skills

15. Body-Action Activities
 Children move to the rhythm of song, chant,
or rhyme
Examples:
• Head, Shoulders
• Beat One Hammer
• B-I-N-G-O
Copyright 2016 Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
All Rights Reserved.