The Kindergarten Years:
Junior (JK) and Senior (SK)
Questions and Answers for Parents
General Topics
Blended Programs
What if I have concerns about my child's adjustment to school?
- remember, children develop and adjust differently - some children require more time and support than others
- talk to your child’s teacher. His/her teacher wants to hear your concerns and to work with you to support your child
How can I make the first day go smoother?
- let your child pick out what he/she is going to wear on the first day of school - allow them to choose a favourite outfit from clothes that are already “broken in” and comfortable
- on the first day, get yourself and your child up early enough to eat a calm, unhurried breakfast
- keep things as normal as possible - if your child normally has cereal for breakfast, make him cereal this morning
- when you say goodbye to your child on the first day, make it quick, light and reassuring. He/she will be reassured by a warm hug and a reminder that you - or his/her usual care-giver will be there after school is finished
- make sure your child and teacher know who will regularly be there for pick up at the end of the day -It is important to communicate any changes to the school staff
How can I get involved in my child's education?
- consider volunteering in your child’s school
- join the School Council
- attend Open House evenings, school events and teacher/parent conferences
- read monthly classroom and school newsletters
- build routines at home that support the routines at school - i.e. nightly reading or "homework" time
Will there be busing for Kindergarten?
Yes, Kindergarten students living more than 1.6 km from school will be eligible for busing. Our bus companies offer bus orientation programs in late August for our Kindergarten students. Each school will provide parents with further details regarding dates and times, during the registration process.
What are blended programs?
Blended programs are programs designed to include a span of ages greater than one year.
Blended programs are different from “split-grade” programs because there is only one curriculum taught. The Upper Grand District School Board has designed a Kindergarten curriculum based on the Ministry document, “The Kindergarten Program”. Our document follows the design of this two year continuum, providing for a range of developmental abilities as students begin school. Using a blended JK/SK model builds on student strengths and diversities.
Having the same teacher for two years, wherever possible, reduces the stress of school entry and fosters a feeling of extended family and community. Blending Kindergarten is not a new idea. Many Ontario school boards have had blended JK/SK classes for years.
Using blended approach facilitates consisten classroom management from year to year. At the start of each school year only a portion of the class will be new members. The seasoned Kindergarten students will benefit from their leadership role as they model for the newest students.
What is the difference between a "blended classroom" and a "split grade" classroom?
The program in a “blended”classroom is based on one curriculum, whereas a “split grade” classroom involves teaching two separate curricula to two different grades in the same classroom.
How will blending JK/SK benefit my child?
Current research support children of different ages learning together. Having an accepted range of levels in the class allows for children’s development.
(Theilheimer 1993)
A child’s age is not an accurate indicator of his/her ability (Katz 1992). At four, most children are just developing their ability to distinguish the sounds heard in spoken language (phonemic awareness). Some five year olds, on the other hand, may need continued practice in this area to gain competence. By creating a dual-aged learning group we increase every child’s appreciation and acceptance of learning differences. By mixing the range of abilities, more opportunities for cooperative learning, student collaboration and leadership are created. (Anderson and Pavan 1993 and Katz, Evangelou and Hartman 1990).
All students will have the benefit of flexible academic groups which will allow for continued practice, skill consolidation and extension. There will be JKs needing extension activities, as there will be SKs who need extra practice. Learning opportunities are structured to provide interactive activities for whole group, small group, partners and independent learning.
What does the research say about blended classrooms?
Educational researchers have demonstrated that cooperative and prosocial behaviours such as sharing, turn taking and helping are significantly more evident in mixed-age classrooms. (Whiting 1983) McClellan and Kinsey (1997) replicated positive prosocial results in their study and went on to show that fewer children experience social isolation than in same age classrooms. This is particularly important to the very academically bright, but socially immature child, who has difficulty making friends with same-age peers. They are able to improve their social skills by interacting with younger, more accepting students. Again, in this study, aggressive and inappropriate behaviours were significantly less likely to occur in multiage classrooms. Since cosial rejection and aggressiveness in children are the most consistent predictors of later life difficulties (Parker and Asher 1987), building skills and empathy in these early years in crucial.
Lougee and Graziano (1985) observed that when children are given consistent opportunities to provide leadership with younger children they improve their own behaviour. This study also demonstrated students accepted a shared responsibility for the positive learning culture of the classroom. Giving our more senior Kindergarten students opportunities to model appropriate school behaviours will benefit everyone.
Multiage groupings are especially beneficial to boys (Harmon 2001, Anderson and Pavan 1993). Other researchers have also shown that not only boys, but all “at risk” students make significant gains in an accepting, multiage environment.
Both younger and older students are winners in the multiage classroom. Older students are encouraged to develop leadership skills, while younger students participate in more complex play than they might initiate when playing with students of the same age (Katz 1990). Peer turoring is another excellent vehicle for children’s learning. The process of explaining a concept to another classmate reinforces the learning in the more experienced student’s mind. This requires the expert children to synthesize, organize and communicate their learnings. Findings also demonstrate that by tutoring others, children gain significantly improved self-confidence and positive attitudes towards school.
Will the progress of SK students be hindered by the JK students?
Most teachers and parents perceive that Junior Kindergarten students benefit from being the younger group in a blended JK/SK classroom. Researchers have demonstrated that there are important benefits for the older student as well.
- Teaching/Learning Style – The teaching style in a blended classroom centres around instructional groupings of students according to their developmental needs. Teachers choose learning activities that are focused and purposeful. These activities are flexible for all children because of the variety of tasks and their multi-level nature.
- Metacognition – Explaining “how” or“why” is a learning opportunity for both the child learning and the child explaining. The process of explaining a concept to another classmate reinforces the learning in the more experienced student’s mind. It requires the “expert” student to synthesize, organize and communicate his/her learnings. For example, imagine an SK student has been given the job of demonstrating to a JK student how he/she knows that the number 4 is less than the number 7. This requires the student to use words and concrete examples. The process of explaining reinforces the concept in the mind of the SK child. The exercise becomes an oral math journal, as the child thinks through and verbalizes the problem-solving process.
- Reading Practice – Paired reading is another example of an activity that benefits both the JK and SK child. Imagine the more senior student reading a familiar book to a more junior classmate. While the younger child benefits from observing reading behaviours, the older one practises skills and grows in confidence.
- Behaviour – Senior Kindergarten children have many opportunities to learn and practice social skills in their interactions with their younger classmates. Lifelong skills such as sharing, helping, turn taking and leadership are developed every day. The high energy, less academically interested SK student will still have a chance to shine as he/she shows a younger classmate how to hang up a jacket or locate a library book in a backpack. Helping in this manner gives the older child focus and the resulting sense of achievement can help strengthen self-confidence and improve behaviour.
Do other school boards in Ontario offer blended JK/SK programs?
Yes, having blended Kindergartens is not a new idea. Many school boards in Ontario have had dual-age Kindergarten for years.
What will happen in the French Immersion program?
The French Immersion Kindergarten will also benefit from the advantages of blending ages. The entry level for French Immersion will be either the Junior Kindergarten or Senior Kindergarten year. This flexibility allows parents an extended opportunity to enroll their child into a bilingual program.
Upper
Grand