Patience young pedewa

This will come at random as Im tired and just want to get some things out there.

• Lots of ideas,expectations,hopes BUT I know not to go overboard and things will come slowly
• Today Kh was so good! he sat quietly while others didnt AND cleaned up the table WITHOUT anyone asking and without anyone else doing it first.Nor did he ask for candy afterward.I was VERY proud of him
• And disappointed that I couldnt tell him in a way that would convey my intentions
• Things can be translated but its not the same as you saying it yourself
• knowing SOME Arabic is essential. Yes,it can be used sparingly and can produce good results at times. At other times, I dont think it matters what language you speak,lol. We had those days in our own schools back home Im certain
• internet searching pays off and you find so many things that are useful
• The question becomes WHEN and/or IF they will be successful in your room
• SIP is starting soon. Excited to hear concerns of Arabic teachers.Hope to see changes and refreshing to see that a lot of our concerns are the same
• At the same time, the issue of pedagogy, or lack thereof,looms heavily as it prevents us from being as productive as we would like
• I bought two books last night for class.I miss the option of getting little books from the dollar tree. When I go home, Im going to hit every flea market I can find in search of books!
• Some days are better than others. And Ive only had one "bad" day thus far. Its more like coming home with a feeling of accomplishment that we completed this or that tast versus coming home a little disappointed or defeated that we did not complete said tasks

Im feeling torn about some things and the following articles are research based information regarding developmentally appropriate lessons for kids this age.Yes,it says PK but this is the same age of kids we are working with as well as the fact that they are ESL and have different needs:
http://www.pre-kpages.com/no_more_worksheets/
and
http://www.pre-kpages.com/lotw/  (no more LOTW)

I understand its a matter of resources but we are here to move toward a SC approach and I hope that it begins to happen more rapidly as the year progresses and as more items come in. I hope its PLANNED for in terms of next year.

In the meantime, these are some sites that will assist in the classroom with materials for those LOTW activities. And please keep in mind that teachers can choose to incorporate a whole language approach while spending some time to focus on particular letters which are relevant to the child.
http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/letter/all.html
sample song: http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/nsong.html

also a TEN DOLLAR download for material that can be used for MOST centers,ANY WAY you like,great for schools with little resources and can be used at your discretion. Granted, printing in color and laminating these items may prove to be impossible for some teachers at this particular date but this too shall pass. Also, Even with access to said material, i know it will take me quite some time to get a lot of this stuff completed. I figure itll give me something to do inside when it gets HOT outside :-).

Maybe Ill invite some of my nice coworkers over for a material-making party :-)
without further delay:
http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/
click on ABCs and 123s. Actually just run your cursor over it.
Also, dont use the Bible verses (of course).
Id actually like some of these activities for a child prior to going to school or as a supplement.This woman has FOUR kids AND homeschools. Dont know how shes had the time to do this but God bless her!