For my second ever experience in Kindergarten, I was given the reigns and was able to do a literacy station with small groups of students. My literacy station was based on Playdough and “Heart Words.” Students would come to me at my desk, and before handing them the Playdough, I would instruct the students to sound out the heart word, which was on a laminated sheet that was held in front of me, create said heart word, and then say it all together. To keep the students engaged with their work, I promised that if they were able to do the whole process two times, they could do whatever they wanted to do with the playdough, which was a powerful tool to keep the littles working. To begin the class, just as in the previous one, I was able to do some centre time with the students, allowing me to continue building relationships and better understanding the students’ personalities.
On arrival, it was clear the class was hit with a devastating plague, with only around 14 students in attendance. The plague then decimated my class, afflicting me with a catastrophic man cold, putting me out of commission for two days. Despite the small turnout, class continued as normal, with morning meetings, and then it was go time. My station worked quite well; students seemed pumped to work with Playdough (as was I), but not as pumped to do literacy (me too). Despite this, the students worked hard, worked on sounding out words, and got hands-on experience with heart words, which I find very beneficial in promoting joy and creativity in language (BC Curriculum). I think a big key to my success at my station was the simplicity of the activity, it took me 30 seconds to explain what was happening, and the students were able to get to work. Would this have worked as well if there had been a full class of students and I was the only adult in the class and there were three other stations I would have to manage, no, but that wasn’t what happened so I count this as a win. Another key to the success was the classroom management skills demonstrated, last year this was a big “stretch” of mine and something I have tried really hard to work on, and the work is starting to pay off. I was able to use my management skills to get the most out of these kids, by using playdough as leverage, I was able to get my students to work hard and play hard, and that was really great. After doing my five stations and washing my hands thoroughly, I was very satisfied at how the Insitu went; the students were able to try something new, I was able to see if playdough was effective as a literacy builder, and I got to continue to build my classroom management skills. Overall, a great time, and tons of growth.
BC Curriculum:
This hands-on literacy station aligns with the BC ELA curriculum’s emphasis on fostering foundational literacy skills through engaging and creative activities. The use of Playdough to explore “Heart Words” supports the curriculum’s focus on phonemic awareness, word recognition, and the joy of language learning, particularly in Kindergarten (ELA Big Idea: Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy). By encouraging students to sound out, create, and say the words, the activity integrates oral language, reading, and hands-on learning, which are key components of the curriculum’s communicative competencies. Additionally, the intentional use of classroom management strategies reflects the curriculum’s emphasis on creating a positive and structured learning environment that supports student engagement and growth. This experience not only reinforced literacy skills but also highlighted the importance of adaptability and relationship-building in early learning, both of which are central to the BC ELA curriculum’s goals.
