Core Skills Analysis
Approaches to Learning
- Tempest demonstrates focused attention and curiosity by closely following the pictures in the book, showing an eagerness to engage with new information.
- Her nonverbal communication through pointing indicates emerging observational and interpretative skills, as well as a willingness to interact even without speaking out loud.
- By sitting closely and engaging with another child, Tempest displays social engagement skills and comfort in collaborative learning environments.
- Her quiet absorption and intermittent pointing suggest she is practicing patience and reflective thinking, key aspects of persistence and cognitive flexibility.
Tips
To further cultivate curiosity and social learning, encourage Tempest to verbalize her questions or observations about the pictures by taking turns during storytime or art discussions. Introduce activities where she can express her thoughts through drawing or storytelling to boost inventive thinking. Provide books with interactive features, such as lift-the-flap or sensory elements, to engage multiple senses and deepen her experience with narrative. Also, foster social problem-solving by inviting her and peers to ask each other questions about the story, enhancing communication and cooperative skills.
Book Recommendations
- Press Here by Hervé Tullet: An interactive book that encourages children to engage with colors and dots, sparking curiosity and imagination.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: A classic story that combines simple narrative with vivid illustrations, perfect for discussing sequences and visual details.
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle: This repetitive and rhythmic text helps children anticipate and engage with patterns and pictures.
Learning Standards
- IV. APPROACHES TO LEARNING A.EL.1 Displays curiosity, risk-taking and willingness to engage in new experiences.
- IV. APPROACHES TO LEARNING A.EL.2 Engages in meaningful learning through attempting, repeating, experimenting, refining, and elaborating on experiences and activities.
- IV. APPROACHES TO LEARNING A.EL.3 Exhibits persistence and flexibility.
- IV. APPROACHES TO LEARNING B.EL.1 Engages in imaginative play and inventive thinking through interactions with people, materials and the environment.
- II. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL C.EL.2 Engages in social interaction and plays with others.
- III. LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION A.EL.1 Derives meaning through listening to communications of others and sounds in the environment.
Try This Next
- Create a picture-based story prompt worksheet where Tempest can draw or write what she thinks is happening in different parts of a story.
- Organize a simple peer storytelling circle where children take turns describing pictures from a book, fostering verbal expression and listening skills.