| # | Author | Message |
1
| LVBelle
Thu 4/17/2008 8:26p | OK, you wonderful, creative people, I need some serious help! Because we have so many kinder kids at our school, each teacher does their own graduation ceremony. So I'm in charge of coming up with a ceremony for my class. I can pretty much do whatever I want for it.
One idea that I have is for us to do sign language to a song. My cousin would be able to translate something for us and teach us so it really could be anything we choose. I want something appropriate and not too difficult, these are five year old kids, most of whom have English as a second language.
I think I'm also going to have each student tell their parents what they would like to be when they grow up.
Any one else have any ideas for me? Please? |
2
| Ursula
Thu 4/17/2008 9:59p | How about celebrating them as children? They can sign the lyrics to It's a Small World. They can just do the chorus and the first stanza, or you can do the stanza and they can do the chorus. (How cute would that be with you leading them!)
The repetitive factor will help them learn it fairly easy, too.
I love the idea of what they want to be when they grow up, too. They can all each say what they want, have the diploma ceremony, then finish with Small World.
|
3
| Ursula
Thu 4/17/2008 10:03p | Another idea to add is to have a craft day and have the boys make paper boutonnieres for the boys and paper flowers for the girls.
|
4
| Ursula
Thu 4/17/2008 10:05p | ^OOps. I meant the boys make their own and the girls make their own.
They are mostly not from here? Is there a song mostly in their native tongue they sing for the parents? (Are the parents bilingual as well as most of you children or do they just speak the home language?) |
5
| Inspector 57
Thu 4/17/2008 11:38p | I kind of don't get the appeal of the signing thing. Would this exercise be a culmination to what they've learned about languages over the year? Do they know someone deaf, so that signing would have personal relevance to them? If not, it seems to me that this would be a difficult task that would have little meaning to them. If your objective is to create a stunning display, better then to create a choreographed song and dance number in a language that's more comfortable to them than ASL, I think.
I like the idea of "What I want to be when I grow up."
ESPECIALLY if these kids... are "high risk" or... are from a culture in which educational achievement can't be taken for granted or... have lack of self-esteem that creates a barrier to fulfillment... I REALLY like the idea of celebrating each kid for who s/he is. Could you have each member of the class tell you what they think is special about each other member of the class? This exercise would not only elicit positive feedback about each classmate, but it could teach every kid who gives feedback that there are positive aspects of everyone else in the room. You could take those peer comments and (supplementing with your own insights) write a little personal testimonial to read at each student's graduation.
Thank you for taking your task so seriously, LVBelle! Your students are fortunate to have a teacher as dedicated as you are.
|
6
| tinkerbell1962
Fri 4/18/2008 9:28a | LVBelle,
Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is easy to sign to, they just sign the important words - not the song literally. Have your cousin help you with this. It's adorable.
How about a few of the more popular Greg and Steve songs - this year we're singing "The World is a Rainbow" and "The Magic of Reading". I'm at Title 1 school and over 50% of our kiddies are second language learners too. There is another song, it's in English and Spanish, sorry I don't know who sings it, but it starts out "When I tell you that I love you," (it's burned onto my Graduation CD) and it's a two kleenex song!! The parents love it!! I'll try to see who it's by. (I'm home sick today)
Listen to some Charlotte Diamond songs too. Our promotion ceremony is done at one time on our school stage - we have just under 100 kiddies this year and we only sing 5 or 6 songs and then have cake, cookies and punch.
Good luck!!
|
7
| alexbook
Fri 4/18/2008 9:39a | "Kindergarten graduation"?!?!
Sorry, but the very idea has me a bit stunned. Do they wear caps and gowns? Do they get diplomas? Is there a valedictorian? A commencement speaker? |
8
| DAR
Fri 4/18/2008 10:03a | My dad's school usually has one but I don't know if they have any of the things you mentioned. It is however the one graduation across America where there is a 100% success rate. To my knowledge nobody has failed eating milk and graham crackers.
<<How about celebrating them as children? They can sign the lyrics to It's a Small World. They can just do the chorus and the first stanza, or you can do the stanza and they can do the chorus. (How cute would that be with you leading them!)
The repetitive factor will help them learn it fairly easy, too.
I love the idea of what they want to be when they grow up, too. They can all each say what they want, have the diploma ceremony, then finish with Small World.>>
So who gets to be Stich Buzz and Woody?
|
9
| tiggerdis_
Fri 4/18/2008 4:20p | Maybe you could video tape the "what I want to be when I grow up" and intersperse it between It's a Small World - I think if most of these kids are from different cultures, they could perhaps dress in their native clothing. This would give meaning to It's a Small World for their parents.
Oh and another thought, if you're going to video tape it.... have the parents provide a baby picture, and scan it in to your powerpoint presentation, then show the picture of the child saying what they want to be when they grow up.
My experience with K children, is that all of a sudden in front of the parents they get quite quiet. This way no parent would miss what their child had to say. |
10
| mater4
Fri 4/18/2008 5:11p | At my DD's kinder graduation they had a bbq where the parents brought the supplies or side dish to go with hotdogs. They then sang a few songs and did a little dance. Before the bbq lunch there were several activity stations for them to play at. |
