✨What will be taught?

This Reggio-inspired arts-integrated course is designed to engage young learners in dynamic creative explorations of English Language Arts ( ELA) skills alongside nature, social-emotional and arts topics. This course also invites learners to participate in an embodied storytelling experience wherein we’ll tell the story of The Acorn Fairy through Yoga poses and movement. 

✨Course materials include:
The Acorn Fairy -my original story  (7-minute video / intro + narrated animation)
Nature + ELA lesson (12-minute video)
Yoga class + Embodied Storytelling experience ( 15-minute video)
ELA + Nature + Art activities (PDF)

✨What topics will you cover?

This course covers ELA topics including reading literature, writing, speaking & listening and language. In addition to this, the stories and course materials include opportunities to explore social-emotional, nature, art and Yoga topics.

✨This course will cover the following ELA Common Core State Standards:

Reading: Literature
RL.K.1	With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.K.3	With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.	
RL.K.4	Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
RL.K.6	With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

Writing
W.K.3	Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
W.K.8	With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Speaking and Listening
SL.K.2	Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.	
SL.K.4	Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SL.K.5	Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

Language:
L.K.1.D Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
L.K.5.C Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).

✨How is your class structured?

This self-paced course is structured around dynamic topic-related provocations and invitations that ignite creativity and encourage inquiry. The course includes videos, printables and resources designed to enhance understanding and facilitate skill development. 

✨How will you teach?

My teaching in this course is in the form of educational videos featuring dynamic audio/visual presentations and PDFs with invitations to stimulate thinking and action. All course materials are crafted to encourage active, empowered engagement. 

✨What's your teaching style?

My teaching style is informed by Reggio-inspired practices and the work of Fred Rogers. I’m very inspired by "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood", the beloved children's television show that uses gentle storytelling, music, and engaging conversations to teach young viewers about friendship, self-esteem, and the world around them. I’m also inspired by elements of other classic children’s programs including Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street and PeeWee’s Playhouse.  I bring my background as a video artist, documentary video producer and graphic designer into my work as a virtual educator to create engaging course materials.  Expect *magical* elements and surprises in my videos! Course materials include videos and printables that present topic-related information and provocations to learners.

✨How much will learners get to interact with you?

While the course is self-paced and primarily designed for independent exploration, participants will have access to additional support and guidance from me throughout the course. Please reach out at any time with questions! Also, I would LOVE to see anything your learner creates.

✨Any required experience or knowledge learners need?

This class is informed by the Hundred Languages of Children and supports learners in all of their ways of expressing and exploring stories. The hundred languages is a key principle of the Reggio-inspired approach.  It refers to communication and emphasizes the importance of providing children with one hundred ways to share their thinking of the world around them. No required experience or knowledge is needed for this class.