Teacher: Denise Steiner
Bilingual Educational Assistant: Ge Moua
I started teaching at Open School in 1994 and have taught grades K, 1, 2,and 3. Kindergarten is the grade I enjoy most but my experience with older students has given me a perspective that is beneficial to my current kindergarten students. We celebrate the diversity of our class! Students learn about their own and each others' cultures through children's literature, lessons, and sharing. I enjoy attending Hmong New Year celebrations, powwows and Cinco De Mayo each year. I see current and former students at these events and purchase music, books and artwork for the classroom. Seng Xiong is a big addition to our kindergarten class. He is in our classroom each day to help students with their work and to interpret. He also provides a strong link between Open School and families in the Hmong community. Our class very eagerly looks forward to reading with high-school buddies twice a week. The K-12 setting is family-like, especially when I see students I taught 10 years ago reading with current Kindergarten students. At Open School we follow the same national and state standards that are required of all schools in the district, using methods that foster self-directed learning and a strong sense of community. At the end of each kindergarten year I feel wonderful knowing that my students and their families can learn in Open School’s highly stimulating, culturally diverse, caring and safe school setting all the way through high school graduation. In 2007 some students from my first kindergarten class will graduate after 13 years at Open School. I plan to bring plenty of kleenex to the ceremonies! Please call me if you have any further questions about our program. Denise Steiner (651)293-8670, voice mail #1105
A day in Open School Kindergarten (8:05 a.m.- 2:35 p.m.):
•Our typical kindergarten day begins with a Morning Meeting based on Responsive Classroom, an educational model that helps create learning environments where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
•Next we do Calendar Math which reinforces counting, patterns, place valueand other math concepts. After this students participate in phonemicawareness activities.
•The highlight of our day (2nd only to lunch) is Writer's Workshop. During this time we have time to learn writing skills, time to write and time to share.
•Shared and guided reading are also very important and enjoyable parts ofour day. Our school applied for and received a grant that has made itpossible for all teachers to be trained in Writer's and Reader's Workshop.The grant is also partly responsible for the fact that our classroom islarge, beautiful, and well-stocked with books and materials for hands-onlearning. (http://www.readersandwritersworkshop.com)
•Math is a combination of Everyday Mathematics and Investigations. Math also integrates very easily into Social Studies and Science.
•After lunch and recess students alternate going to science and gym.
•We visit the library and computer lab twice each week.
•Our day concludes with Choice Time when students can finish work startedearlier or choose from one of many hands-on activities.
•We assign daily homework to supplement in-class activities – this helps students to develop good study habits.
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