Learning the names of the days of
the week is a basic skill that all young children should learn. Since the most
effective teaching methods incorporate fun, play and social interaction,
involving the children in the learning process is a valuable learning strategy.
Here are some practical, easily-implemented ideas for the day care,
pre-kindergarten, or kindergarten classroom.
1. Place a large,
colorful calendar for the current month on the bulletin board. Every
morning a child will take a turn announcing the date to their classmates.
" Today is Monday, June the first and it is sunny." He may then make
a crayon drawing of a sun (or other appropriate symbol) on the specific space.
This familiarizes the children with the names of the days of the week and their
natural order.
2. There are nursery rhymes which can be taught as
choral speaking to teach the names of the days of the weeks. For instance:
"Sneezing" or "Solomon Grundy".
Sneezing
If you sneeze on Monday, you
sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better.
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, joy to-morrow.
Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.
These rhymes could also be used
for skipping jingles, bouncing ball or hand-clapping activities.
3. Divide the class into five
groups (by rows, or tables, or randomly). Each group gets to do a special
activity on their day. For example, Group One has "Show and Tell"
every Monday, Group Two every Tuesday, etc. Rotate the groups at the beginning
of each month. The children soon learn which is their "special" day.
Saturday and Sunday, which are holidays, are absorbed even more quickly.
4. Make up 2 sets of
flashcards with the names of the days of the week printed on them. Select two
teams of 7 children each. Arrange the teams so that they are facing each other.
Give each child on each team a flashcard containing the name of a weekday.
Whichever team can arrange itself in the proper order first, wins the
game. Continue until everyone has had a turn to be on a team.
5. Incidental references to the
calendar throughout the school year can do much to consolidate the names of the
weekdays in the children's minds. "How many Mondays until Christmas?"
or "How many Fridays until the summer holidays?" are questions
everyone will be anxious to answer.
With a little forethought
and planning on the part of the teacher or early-childhood worker, every child
will easily learn the names of the days of the week. Together with discussions
and activities that occur naturally at home, the youngsters will soon
master this skill, and be ready to progress to more complicated educational
concepts.
Teachers should not be judged by
their students' exam results. There are too many variables and extenuating
circumstances which may affect the progress of a class in any given year, or on
any particular set of exams. Among these, may be one or more of the following:
(a) Two teachers, of equal
ability, may be assigned to the same grade, but in different areas of a city.
However, the students of each may be very different. Teacher A's children may
come from an area where the parents are intelligent and financially comfortable.
Their children will have had many advantages: attendance at Music or Dance
classes, summer camp, participation in sports, travel, concerts, and museum
visits. In addition, the young people have probably had opportunities to
participate in family discussions on topics above the level of other children
of the same chronological age.
Teacher B's children may live in
an area where English, for the majority of the students, is a second language.
In fact, many of the children may only have been introduced to it in
Kindergarten, and they will still be far from fluent. For these young people,
expressing their ideas either verbally or in written form may be a struggle.
Their parents will mostly be working class folks whose primary concern is
providing the necessities of life for the family. As much as they might like
to, they will lack the resources and energy for activities to enrich the lives
of their offspring.
(b) Even for students in the same
area, there are a multiple of variables which may affect the progress of one
class over another. If one group has a succession of supply teachers, each with
different methods and expectations, during the school year, it will not
progress as well as another class which was fortunate enough to work with the
same instructor from September until June.
(c) Illness can affect the
progress of one group of students compared to another during the school year.
If Teacher A had to cope with epidemics of stomach flu in the Fall, head lice
during the Winter and mumps in the Spring, he or she would have to go much more
slowly, often reteaching and reviewing, to accommodate those children who were
coming and going over a period of weeks.
(d) The weather can also be a
powerful influence of the progress of one class of children over another of
similar age. If Teacher B works in an area plagued by snowstorms, a tornado or two, or a destructive hurricane, his or her children will not do as
well as a similar class in a zone which enjoys a moderate climate. When a
school is closed for an extended period, the children cannot help but fall
behind academically.
(e) The policy of each School
Board also affects academic progress. Some school authorities stress student
self-reliance, the arts, or sports success over the three R's. Homework is
seldom assigned and children are encouraged to problem-solve and allowed to
proceed at their own pace.
In contrast, other Boards have
structured programs, with definite expectations for each grade level. The
students are disciplined firmly but fairly by teachers until they are able to
develop self-disciplinary skills. Appropriate Homework is routinely assigned
according to the child's age. Students in these types of schools will have
better exam results than those in less structured institutions.
Because of these and other
variables, it is impossible to compare the exam results of one teacher with
those of another. After all, teachers are only human. They cannot control the
children's home conditions or backgrounds, their own health or that of the
children, the weather or School Board policies. The majority of teachers will
instruct the children in their classes to the best of their ability, while
faithfully following Board policies. For that reason, it is advisable to
sometimes give each of them a well-deserved pat on the back.