zPreschool Club With Ms. Amanda

Welcome!  I am looking for a small group of learners to enjoy preschool together.  I am offering this class because I have a four-year-old son and have been working on putting something together for him that he can do with other adults and not just me.  I have enjoyed creating Nearpod lessons for my other Outschool classes and I think it will be a great way to help other families who would like some structure but also need flexibility.  

Each week, learners will receive three Nearpod lessons that will have games and videos to help them learn reading, math, writing, and social skills. These links will be active for one week.  Then, we will meet live for 30 minutes once during the week.  During our live meeting, we will continue to practice our reading and math skills, but I will focus on giving the students time to speak and share.

Here is a bit more information to help you decide if this is the right class for you.

The class is being developed based on the needs I see from my son who will be five in December.  Since he has a late birthday, he would be starting preschool this year, however he is somewhat advanced for the beginning of preschool, but not yet ready for  kindergarten.  He can identify letters, numbers to 10, rote count to ten, and knows some letter sounds.  He needs to continue to practice writing the letters and numbers, rote counting to 20, subitizing numbers to 10, identifying numbers 11-20, rhyming, patterns, and blending CVC words to read.  He also needs more practice with social skills such as using his manners and being polite.  Therefore, I think this class would be good for learners who are also around the 4.5 - 5 age range.  It could be good for kindergartners who need a bit of a review.  It may be too difficult for very young 4-year-olds. 

We will also be using different themes to help us learn.  Some of the themes will include holidays such as Halloween and Christmas.  If pumpkins, ghosts, monsters, Santa Clause, reindeer, snowmen, Valentine hearts etc. are not your thing, this may not be a good fit for you.

I 100% believe that play is the best way to learn, but as a parent and a teacher, I want to make sure my child is learning all the skills they need.  It helps me to have a plan and a bit of structure.  My son also spends a couple of days with his grandmother and this will be something he can do with her. I think life is about a balance and that is what I want my child to learn.  We can do some structured work, which can still be fun, then we can use those skills while we are playing and continue to learn.  If you have a child that will be with different adults throughout the week and/or just want to make sure you are covering all the skills needed, this may be a good class for you.  

This is an ongoing class.  You can join and leave at anytime.  Enrollment begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday.  Nearpod links will be released on Monday to all enrolled learners for the week and remain active until the following Tuesday.  

Here is general outline of themes we will be using to learn:  (Please note that topics may change.)
September:
Week of September 7th: Leaves
Week of September 14th: Acorns
Week of September 21st: Bats
Week of September 28th: Spiders
October: 
Week of October 5th: Pumpkins
Week of October 12th: Skeletons
Week of October 19th: Ghosts
Week of October 26th: Halloween Class
November: Turkeys/Thanksgiving
December: Winter/Christmas
2021: TBD

A few notes about my classroom management style:
* I mute all learners and allow them to unmute when it is their turn to speak. (Please make sure your learner knows how to unmute themselves when requested or you are nearby to help.)
* I like to give each child a chance to speak and share. I believe learners learn from each other and need the opportunity to share what they know.  I do my best to keep us focused but allow for as much sharing as possible. 
* I get started with class right on time.  I understand things happen that would cause a learner to be late to class, but I don't think it is fair to make other learners wait for everyone to show up when our time together is very short.  I highly suggest getting the class set up a couple of minutes early so when it is time to begin you will be ready.  
* I am understanding if a learner needs to take a minute to run around, wiggle, get comfy, etc. I think wiggles are expected at this age and do not expect learners to sit up straight the entire 30 minutes. 

If you would like to check out a sample Nearpod lesson, please send me a message and I will share a link with you.