"Choice" Time

If you're looking for a good conversation starter after school, you could ask, "What did you do during choice time today?". Some students will talk about a map they are working on for their Lego movie. Others will talk about making a book, drawing on the Smart Board to music (or making up a waiting list to draw on the Smart Board and watching a timer while they wait!), mailing a letter to a friend, or making a costume for their next play.

This is a time of day (which happens most days) where students get to direct their own learning. Great learning and interesting projects come out of this time. Students get to explore areas of interest and they get to "play" with their peers. I put "play" in quotations because it is a special kind of play known as "guided play". Through selection of materials, demonstrations and suggestions, I help to guide students in their play to maximize learning opportunities.

A lot of their oral language development (which is required in order for more complex writing to occur in older grades), happens during this time. It is really important for students to talk to each other, to collaborate and to "write" stories by talking them out through play.

Try this at home: The next time your child is playing pretend (e.g., Lego, dress up), ask them to tell you the story or just listen in on the play and write down what they say. You will be amazed by their descriptive "writing" skills. Let's remember that the hardest part of learning to write is thinking up the ideas and the words.