TEACHING STRATEGIES E-NEWSLETTER # 16

OCTOBER 23, 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:

FEATURE ARTICLE:

Circle Time: Making a Good Idea Better

THE LATEST FROM TEACHING STRATEGIES: ANTHRAX SLOWS TSI ORDERS AND MAIL

SPOTLIGHT ON: TEACHING STRATEGIES' STAFF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

ELSEWHERE IN EDUCATION: NAEYC EXHIBITORS IN SUPPORT OF WORTHY WAGES

TSI E-Newsletter Subscription Information

FEATURE ARTICLE

Circle Time: Making a Good Idea Better (excerpt)

Circle time is an important daily activity in the preschool classroom. Think about all the things that happen during circle time. Children listen to a story, learn who is present and absent, discuss the daily schedule, talk about special happenings in their lives, find out about new materials in the classroom, and perhaps, sing a song or do a movement activity.

When you think about it, you realize children are learning in all areas of development.

Social/Emotional Development

When children have opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas in a safe, encouraging environment, they begin to learn that they are valued, capable, and important members of the group. The classic and familiar "Show and Tell" time can be transformed from a focus on what I have to who I am or what I can do to help others. Children can share a drawing they created, teach a song, summarize a favorite story, or show how they created a structure. In a well-planned circle time, children also get to know one another, each other's families, feelings, and ideas. This community knowledge helps children feel a part of the group.

Physical Development

Dancing, stretching, active games, and movement activities meet the physical needs of growing children to move about. These activities vary the tempo of the day and allow children to "get the wiggles out" when they seem to lose focus. Making time for dancing to music with varied rhythms and playing games like Simon Says give children opportunities to learn about space and how their bodies move.

Cognitive Development

When children talk about field trips and the work they are doing in interest areas they draw their thoughts and observations together to form concepts. They learn about math when they discuss how many children are here today or whether more children walk to school or take the bus. As they clap to music, they are learning mathematical patterns.

Circle time is a time to plan for the day's activities and reflect on what has already been done. For example, you may use circle time to discuss the materials and activities that will be available in the interest areas, plan what to look for and think about during the upcoming field trip, or recount events that occurred on the playground.

This article is an excerpt. Read the article in it's entirety.

THE LATEST FROM TEACHING STRATEGIES

ANTHRAX SLOWS TSI ORDERS AND MAIL

As you may already know, the threat of Anthrax and the recent deaths of two Postal workers in Washington, DC has closed two main mail processing centers here. If you have recently sent, or are planning to send an order to Teaching Strategies by mail, please be aware that your order will be indefinitely delayed. To avoid delays, we suggest that you order from the Web site, call in, or fax you're your order. To order from the site, visit our bookshop. To call in your order, dial: 1-800-637- 3652. To fax your order, dial 202-364-7273.

TSI@NAEYC CONFERENCE 2001

The Teaching Strategies staff is busy preparing to attend the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference in Anaheim from October 30  November 4. Here's what TSI has on tap for the conference:

* Be sure to stop by to visit us at Booth #425 at the Anaheim Convention Center to browse all of our resources and learn more about our new assessment and reporting systems. We will be there to answer your questions, explain our new Developmental Continuum Assessment System, and demonstrate CreativeCurriculum.net and CC-PORT: The Creative Curriculum Progress and Outcomes Reporting Tool.

* As always, our dynamic authors, Diane Dodge, Cate Heroman, and Laura Colker will be presenting seminars. Traditionally, these sessions fill up fast! If you want to attend these sessions, you should plan ahead! To start planning, check out the complete schedule!

SPOTLIGHT ON: TEACHING STRATEGIES' STAFF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Are you aware that Teaching Strategies offers staff development programs for teachers, administrators, education coordinators, and supervisors? Our services are designed to integrate and support each program's ongoing professional development plan. Each year we assist hundreds of programs through on-site seminars, conferences, and state initiatives through our Staff Development Network. The network is made up of dedicated professionals who have been trained by Teaching Strategies.

Our seminars are highly interactive, and based on sound principles of adult learning. Participants are given ample opportunity for discussion and reflection. We work with programs to design follow-up support to encourage staff to apply the strategies learned in the seminars.

Our most requested programs are 3-day introductory sessions on our four curriculum resources. We also offer two advanced options for preschool programs that provide more in- depth follow-up to our introductory sessions.

Get more in-depth information on TSI staff development.

ELSEWHERE IN EDUCATION

NAEYC EXHIBITORS IN SUPPORT OF WORTHY WAGES

Many of our field's most trusted companies have joined forces to support the cause of worthy wages for the childcare workforce in a special campaign called the NAEYC Exhibitors in Support of Worthy Wages campaign. Each year for the past four years, many of the companies that exhibit at the NAEYC conference contribute to the campaign. The funds are donated to the Center for the Child Care Workforce, the field's leading advocate for improving childcare quality that is dedicated to upgrading compensation and training. Donations are used to support scholarships to CCW's annual Leadership Institute, underwrite local training programs, and support CCW's ongoing activities.

We are pleased to report that over the past 4 years, more than $150,000 has been collected and donated to CCW through the NAEYC campaign. Teaching Strategies has been supporting the good work of CCW for many years and has been a leader in this campaign since its inception.

If you plan to attend the conference this year, look for the companies that have contributed to the campaign. We hope that you will visit the booths of the companies who have donated to the fund and thank them for their contributions. You will be able to spot them by looking for their bright yellow "Worthy Wages" table signs and lapel buttons. Be sure to pick up your free button at the booths of any of the contributors. Click here for a complete list of donors and their booth numbers.

Have you received your new TSI Catalog for 2000-2001? If not, let us know-- we'll send one out to you ASAP.

WHAT? YOU AREN'T ON OUR MAILING LIST? Shopping on the Internet is great, but sometimes you just want to kick back and thumb through information, rather than sit at your computer. To be included on the Teaching Strategies postal mailing list so you can lounge on the couch and catch up on our newest books and videos, send your request, your name and address to:

Terri@teachingstrategies.com.com.

Once you are on the list, you will receive the latest information about our catalogs and product updates.

Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. We NEVER sell our mailing lists or provide your private information to individuals or other companies.

TSI E-NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

To SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter, please follow these instructions:

* Go to the home page at:

http://www.teachingstrategies.com

* Scroll to the middle of the page until you see E-Newsletter in the left margin.

* In the query box on the left margin, type your e-mail address. THAT'S IT!

To UNSUBSCRIBE from this newsletter, please follow these instructions:

* Prepare an e-mail to: majordomo@bookzone.com

* Leave subject area blank

* Type "unsubscribe TSIenewsletter" in body of the message (no quotes needed)

The TSI E-Newsletter is owned and distributed by Teaching Strategies, Inc.

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DISTRIBUTE THIS NEWSLETTER TO OTHERS WHO SHARE AN INTEREST IN TEACHING AND FAMILIES.