Yesterday in class,
we had the opportunity to look through the resources available in K-6
Newfoundland and Labrador classrooms. I had been exposed to some of these
resources already through my observation days, but had no idea there were so
many available.
I think that the
picture and lap books that are available for K-2 students are an excellent
resource. The books have engaging pictures and simple text that facilitate the
understanding of and interest students in the topics being taught. I feel that
the "fun" is sucked out of math as students get older (grade 3 onward); there are no
longer any picture books, the workbooks no longer have colour, and there is a
lot more work being done from the textbook. I know this is necessary as
students are maturing and are capable of now answering these types of textbook
questions, but why should we take away the aspects that keep them interested
and motivated? I know even as an adult, I am more attracted and more likely to pay
attention to a worksheet that has bright colours and images as opposed to one
that is dull with all text. Why are there no books available in grades 3-6
classroom resources? Due to a blog post for another course, I know for a fact
that there is an abundance of math picture books available for K-6 classrooms.
Some of these books include: The Doorbell Rang by Pat
Hutchins, The Sir Cumference Series by Cindy Neuschwander
and Wayne Geehan, and Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream by Cindy
Neuschwander.
I feel comforted by
the amount of resources available to teachers, however I know I will be incorporating
these books and many other outside resources in my classroom.
