Our 15 Minute Circle Time plans are based on a simple four step outline. These four steps create an effective way for teachers to thoughtfully prepare engaging and meaningful large group time lessons for preschool children.*
*We have not included the gathering routines that you would be doing with your children at circle time such as calendaring, good morning songs, and etc. Those are individually suited to each group that you serve, but we will discuss ideas for gathering routines in another post.
Below is an example of what our 15 Minute Circle Time outline looks like and an explanation of each category.
Attention Getters: We love Attention Getters and so do the children! We spend a lot of time thinking about how we can "ignite" the children's interest in the topic we are teaching. Attention Getters are the key! We keep all of our 15 Minute Circle Time materials in a large treasure chest. (You will notice it in most of our pictures!) After we do our gathering activities with our class, we get down the treasure chest. The children have learned to anticipate that with excitement. They know that something new is always inside. The Attention Getter is the best way to support that excitement. Attention Getters can be anything related to the daily topic. As you look through our circle time plans, you will see that we use a wide variety of Attention Getters. We dress up. We use puppets. We put on silly hats. We spill groceries. We spray water. We hear smoke detectors and on and on. Each one of these Attention Getters is designed to spark the children's interest in the topic of the day. Have fun!
Activity 1: Some people may think that teaching topics to preschoolers is easy. But, if you are an early childhood educator, you know that is not the case. Successful preschool teachers have to be some of the smartest teachers on the planet! Your job is to know lots of information and facts about all sorts of topics ranging from Space to Sandwiches. So, to be effective, you have to become a great researcher. Once you gather your information, your job is to figure out ways to share meaningful content with the children. Questions to ask are: "How can I make this understandable to the children," and "How can I connect what they already know and build upon it?" As you look through the 15 Minute Circle Time plans you will see examples of sharing meaningful content. For example, in our Sandwiches plan, this activity is comprised of telling the children about how the sandwich was first made, and then showing them a variety of sandwiches from around the world!
Book: Choosing a book sounds easy...right? Well, choosing a book may be easy, but choosing the RIGHT book takes talent and time. Not all books are created equally. Not all books are good. And, not all books are appropriate for circle time. In essence, you have to really KNOW your books and choose them carefully.
Books for large groups of children need to have pictures that can be seen easily. They need to have content that is interesting or a storyline that is engaging. Preschoolers enjoy predictable and repetitive text within stories and they like to have opportunities to comment or ask questions at times. Your job as the teacher is to choose the very best book you can and then analyze it for your group time. Then, read it over and over again until you basically have it memorized. This way, you will be able to be more engaging as you read it and able to respond to questions or comments that children ask.
Activity 2: The final part of the 15 Minute Circle Time plan is to create an activity where children can APPLY what they have learned. This provides an opportunity to see if the children are making connections with the topic. As you look through the 15 Minute Circle Time plans, you will see how children taste and vote for their favorite sandwiches in our Sandwich lesson. You will see how children sort transportation into categories in the Transportation theme and you will see children surprised to see themselves in their very own story in the Authors and Illustrators plan!
Last minute tips: plan thoroughly, have everything you need ready, be flexible, and have fun!
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