One of my favorite parts
of teaching kindergarten is how excited my students are about learning. Learning
new things is exciting for my little friends and they love a challenge. One way
that I try to empower my students is by holding them accountable for their own
learning. We do this by setting goals and monitoring their learning throughout
the year.
Once your kiddos start
setting goals and reaching for them, they are hooked. My kids get so excited
when they move to a new reading level…cause they are one step closer to
reaching their goals. I use this chart in my classroom to help my students
visually see how they are progressing through the reading levels. My kids learn
to celebrate one another, because they come to understand the hard work it
takes to reach their goals and are proud when a classmate has done just that!
I find that one of the
most important things when setting goals with kindergarten students, is that
they need to revisit their goals frequently to self-monitor and keep track of
their accomplishments. And yes, when there are accomplishments it is very
important to CELEBRATE their success. All students make learning gains, maybe
not at the same rate, but they all do…and they deserve to be recognized for
their hard work!
Another way that my students track and
monitor their learning is through their Kindergarten goal book. At the
beginning of the school year each student records what they know, then throughout
the year they get to update their progress. This book helps them have a very
clear understanding of what they will learn in kindergarten and how they are
progressing towards those expectations. Taking out the goal book is always one
of my students’ favorite activities, especially at the end of the year when
they get to see how far they have come since the beginning of the school year.
{Read more about how I use these GOAL BOOKS here!} These are a great tool to
use during parent conferences, too!
My students are also accountable for
their learning during writing time. During writers’ workshop, my students
conference with me. During these conferences, the students decide what they
would like to work on to become a better writer. The students use the chart
below to help them be responsible for their own learning and deliberate in
their writing improvement. The next time I conference with the students, they
are very excited to tell me what actions they are taking to reach their goal. {Read
more about how I use the WRITING GOALS here!} If you want to try out this approach in your writing conferences, try out this writing conference checklist to help you out! (I use these conference checklist in parent conferences as well!)
To keep the students motivated, I try to
throw in some fun ways to set goals. I use these craftivities after we finish
up units of studies in reading to help reflect on what we have learned and to
look forward to new goals that we have as readers.
Teaching kids how to set goals at a young age will help them stay focused and determined. I know that I am so grateful that both my parents and my teachers instilled this mindset in me from such a young age. I feel like I was more prepared as I got older to be responsible and independent. May we give our students that same confidence as they leave our classrooms!
I hope this year you and
your kindergarten friends set goals and strive to reach them!
