Our Kindergarten Daily Schedule

7:30 - 7:45 Students arrive; Play with the STEM Bin buckets; tardy bell
rings at 7:45

7:45 - 7:55 Morning Meeting: Students will greet each other and Mrs.
Coker. Then go around the circle and share something based
off the topic of the day.
7:55-8:00 Musical Movement: ABC’s song in English and in Spanish

8:00 - 8:15 Interactive read aloud (Preview the book, discuss the target
vocabulary and skill of the day)

8:15 - 9:15 Readers Workshop: This includes 15-minute rotations through

small group guided reading lesson, Independent reading,
Razkids on the computer, and literacy station focusing on a
specific skill
9:15 9:25 Shared Reading: Focus on specific skill, model and practice
together

9:25 - 9:35 Shared Writing: Students discuss, and teacher models the skill

9:35 - 9:45 Interactive Writing: Students and teacher talk and write
together

9:45 - 10:15 Writing Workshop: Students practice writing and specific daily
skills
10:15 - 10:30 Word Study: Practice skills such as phonemic awareness,
phonics, word family work, and sight words

10:30 - 10:40 Bathroom break and wash hands

10:40 - 11:10 Lunch

11:10 - 11:40 Recess

11:40 - 11:50 Bathroom break and wash hands

11:50 - 1:20 Math: 11:50 – 12:05: Calendar, Days of the week song, and
Months of the year song- musical movement included
12:05 – 12:15: Daily Math Board
12:15 – 1:15: Math Lesson and Stations
1:15 – 1:20: Clean up and transition
1: 20 - 1:50 Science and Social Studies (alternate 2 days/ 3 days)

1:50 - 2:30 Specials (Art, P.E, Music)

2:30 - 3:05 Dramatic Play Centers

3:05 - 3:15 Clean up and get ready for dismissal

Part II: Developmental and Best Practice Justification
7:30 - 7:45 – Arrival Time/ STEM Bins
From the time the students begin to arrive (around 7:30) to when the tardy bells rings at 7:45 the
students are working on free time bins. This is their morning activity; the bins include STEM
activities. The STEM activities allow the students to build, solve, or create using a variety of
manipulatives. This is a morning activity that wakes students brains up and prepares them for
learning. After research I found that these bins are appropriate, because students at this age need
time to explore and develop on their own (Brown).
7:45 – 7:55 – Morning Meeting
Every morning the teacher and the students gather in a circle on the carpet. The line leader of the
day decides how to greet each other that day. They can use hugs, high fives, fist bumps, or
waving. The students and teacher go around in a circle greeting each other with “Good
morning,” and doing the selected action. After everyone has been greeted, the teacher chooses a
topic for the students to discuss with their shoulder partner. The topics can be a variety of ideas
based off of what is happening in the community, their lives, the past weekend, or any exciting
news they may have. Each pair of students share what their partner said. According to research,
morning meeting is important because it builds a positive classroom community and teaches
students communication skills. This is important for Kindergarten students because they need to
develop their social and linguistic skills (Brown).
7:55 – 8:00 - Musical Movement
Next, the students stand up and spread out on the carpet. The teacher plays the ABC’s first in
English and then in Spanish. The students sing and follow the dance moves to both songs. The
students are working on their sensory motor skills by moving, linguistic skills by singing, and
phonemic awareness and phonology awareness skills by identifying the letters and saying the
letter sounds. According to research, development of these skills is important for brain
development. Brain development at this age is crucial, since students are beginning to transition
into academic learning experiences. By listening and moving to music the brain is stimulated and
the beat of the music can help organize thoughts (Brannagan).
8:00 – 8:15 – Interactive Read Aloud
From 8:00 – 8:15, the students participate in an interactive read aloud. The teacher reads a book
aloud to the students. While the teacher is reading, he/she is previewing the text, modeling,
emphasizing main points, teaching fluency, and asking questions. According to research, this is
influential to students at this age because they are emergent readers and they need teachers to
model the correct way of reading. Incorporating literacy into the morning schedule is beneficial
for students because they tend to be more focused in the morning before lunch (K5 Chalkbox).

8:15 – 9:15 – Reading Workshop

Reading Workshop is daily for an hour. The students rotate through four literacy stations. The
literacy stations consist of small group guided instruction, where the students focus on a specific
skill that is taught by the teacher. Independent reading, in which the students read quietly or
using whisper phones to themselves. Literacy station focused on a specific set of skills that the
are individualized based on what the student needs. The station is on the computer using the
website RAZKids, the students read and then are asked comprehension questions which can be
read aloud to them if they are struggling readers. The students rotate through these literacy
stations every 15 minutes. According to research, reading workshop is an important aspect of a
balanced literacy program. Reading workshop promotes growth in reading and fluency. During
reading workshop, students are exposed to a variety of texts and receive support from their
teachers (Levin).

9:15 – 9:25 – Shared Reading

For ten minutes a day, the students and teachers participate in a shared reading. Shared reading is
when the teacher correctly models the skills and strategies necessary to be a proficient reader.
Shared reading is appropriate for this age because the students are at the emergent literacy stage
and need the teacher to model the skills accurately so that they can develop and grow as a reader.

9:25 – 9:35 – Shared Writing

Kindergarten students are also emergent writers. Most students at this age are beginning to write
letters and their own names. During shared writing, the students work together by discussing
what they want the teacher to write. The teacher may propose a topic and then the students
discuss and tell the teacher what to write. The teacher models by writing the sentences correctly.
According to research, writing is an important aspect of communication development in students.
This activity is appropriate because the students watch the teacher first before writing their own
piece.

9:35 – 9:45 – Interactive Writing

The students participate in interactive writing for 10 minutes a day. Interactive writing takes
place directly after shared writing on my schedule because the teacher models (I do), then the
students and the teacher are going to write together (we do), then the students are going to
participate in writing workshop next by themselves with a little support from the teacher (they
do). During interactive writing, the students and the teacher discuss what to write and then they
both write it.

9:45 – 10: 15 – Writing Workshop

The students participate daily in writing workshop. During writing workshop, the students work
on handwriting or specific skills that are the focus for the writing lesson. Writing workshop takes
place right after reading instruction so that what the students are reading can transfer over and
they can practice writing. According to research, writing workshop is an important aspect of a
student’s development in reading and writing because it allows the student to practice
communication skills.
10:15 – 10:30 – Word Study

At the end of reading and writing curriculum, students participate in a word study activity. The
word study activity is based off specific skills that each student may need improvement or
practice in. For 15 minutes, students do various activities to help growth in certain areas.
According to research, word studies help students develop their spelling skills. This is
appropriate for this age as emergent readers and writers to help them spell and decode while
reading and writing.

10:30 – 10:40 – Bathroom Break & Washing Hands

After two and a half hours of engaging reading and writing curriculum, the students go to the
bathroom and wash their hands. The students can go to the bathroom at any time through out the
day, but since lunch is next we go as a class, so we can wash our hands before we eat.

10:40 – 11:10 - Lunch Time

The students attend lunch daily for 30 minutes. This is plenty of time for the students to eat their
lunch. Fewer than this time is not enough time for students to go through the lunch line and eat
all their food. Food is the bodies main source of energy and students need this energy to
participate in all the activities that occur during 8 hours of learning. If the students do not have
enough time, then they can not consume enough food which lowers how much energy they get.
The lunch meals need to be nutritious and the students need to have plenty of time to consume
the meals (Aubrey & Godoy).

11:10 – 11:40 – Recess

After lunch the students go to recess for 30 minutes. Recess is scheduled in the middle of the day
to break the day in half and allow the students to rest and get some energy out before returning to
the classroom. Research shows that recess benefits students in brain development. It shows that
by allowing students the freedom of having a break from structured activities helps with
physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. The students socialize at recess
independently which helps with social and emotional development. The students also develop
appropriately physically and cognitively by being able to move their body and it helps their brain
grow (American Academy of Pediatrics).

11:40 – 11:50 – Bathroom Break

This bathroom break is after recess, so the students can wash their hands and use the bathroom
before beginning their math, science, and social studies lessons. This is appropriate in hopes that
the students will stay focused and will reduce leaving to do so during the content lesson.

11:50 – 1:20 – Math

After recess and a bathroom break, the students begin their lesson in math. The students start
with looking at the calendar and talking about the weather that day. Then the students sing the
days of the week song and months of the year song for 5 more minutes of musical movement.
This is appropriate for this age because it is often the first time they are introduced to this
concept. Next, the students complete the daily math board that is led by the teacher for 10
minutes. On the board, the students count using counting sticks, ten frames, number grid, and
money. This skill helps the students develop an array of math concepts and terms. For the last
hour of math, the teacher teaches a whole group lesson and then with the remaining time the
students rotate through their math stations. According to research, breaking up the math and
literacy lesson allows for the students to have a break in between curriculum. The last five
minutes are used to clean up and transition to the next lesson. Students also have the option to
have snack during this time to refuel their brain.

1:20 – 1:50 – Science and Social Studies

Science and social studies instruction will alternate days, so science may be 2 days a week and
social studies 3 days a week. Then they will alternate weeks. Thirty minutes is allotted for social
studies and science curriculum. Students in kindergarten start to develop their knowledge of
people, holidays, landmarks, and geography aspects in social studies. In science, students focus
on exploring. According to research, discovery and exploration helps students develop inquiry
and inferencing skills (Spangler).

1:50 – 2:30 – Specials

Every day for 40 minutes the students will attend specials, this includes art, P.E, or music. Art
helps develop critical thinking and creativity skills in young children. Music supports math and
language development. P.E. supports development in students socially and emotionally. All three
areas of specials support brain growth in young children. According to research, evidence
supports that an increase in these subjects increase academic development. I chose to have
specials in the afternoon after math, science and social studies instruction because after all of the
content, the students need a brain break and to get up and move their bodies (Sosnowski).

2:30 – 3:05 – Dramatic Play Centers

After specials, the students are allowed 30 minutes for dramatic play in any of the dramatic play
centers. During this time, the students use their creativeness to act out different real-world
scenarios. According to research, dramatic play encourages language development through social
interactions. With this, the students learn how to communicate and solve problems that may
arise. By creating a semi structured environment, the students can feel empowered by being able
to make their own choices and act them out (Punkoney).

3:05 – 3:15 – Clean up and Get Ready for Dismissal

I have allowed ten minutes for cleaning up the dramatic play centers and getting ready for
dismissal. The students will clean up their centers and then prepare for dismissal. It is important
for students to participate in cleaning, it allows the students to take responsibility of their actions.
For dismissal, they will bring their folder to me to be initialed for the day or to make any notes.
After it is signed, they will pack up and line up at the door.
 Resources
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2013, January). The Crucial Role of Recess in School.
Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183
Aubrey, A & Godoy, M. (2015, September 24). Kids Who Are Time- Crunched at School Lunch
Toss More and Eat Less. Retrieved from
https://www.npr.org/se;ections/thesalt/2015/09/24/439487395/kids-who-are-time-
crunched-at-school-lunch-toss-more-and-eat-less
Brannagan, M. (2017, June 13). Importance of Music and Movement in the Education of Young
Children. Retrieved from https://www.livestrong.com/article/527778-importance-of-
music-movement-in-the-education-of-young-children/
Brown, B. (2015, June 24). How to Make Morning Meeting the Best Part of Your Day. Retrieved
from https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2015/06/how-to-make-morning-meeting-the-best-
part-of-your-day-2/
Brown, B. (2016, August 12). STEM Bins: Hands-on Solutions for Early Finishers. Retrieved
from https://teachoutsidethebox.com/2016/08/stem-bins-hands-solutions-early-finishers/
K5 Chalkbox. (2017). Interactive Read Alouds: How to Do It and Why It Works. Retrieved from
https://www.k5chalkbox.com/interactive-read-aloud.html
Levin, V. (2018). How to Do Reading Workshop. Retrieved from https://www.pre-
kpages.com/reading-workshop/
Punkoney, S. (2013). The Incredible Benefits of Dramatic Play. Retrieved from
https://stayathomeeducator.com/the-benefits-of-dramatic-play-in-early-childhood-
education/
Responsive Classroom. (2017). The First Six Weeks of School. Retrieved from
https://blackboardlearn.tarleton.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2190574-dt-content-rid-
42214461_1/courses/EDUC-4304-040_88302_201808/FirstWeeksofSchoolSchedule.pdf
Spangler, Steve. (2014, October 8). Why Early Childhood Science Education is Important.
Retrieved from https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/2014/10/08/early-childhood-
science-education-is-important/
Sosnowski, J. (2018). The Importance of Art, Music, and Phys Ed in Elementary School.
Retrieved from https://education.seattlepi.com/importance-art-music-phys-ed-
elementary-school-3272.html