Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Back to School: About Me Theme Pack

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Planning, planning, and still planning. Back to school is drawing near insha'Allaah. This is a theme pack that can be used for the first week (or week and a half) of school. It helps the teacher and students get acquainted but also helps teach students some essential information about themselves.  



There are many theme packs of this nature on the internet and this pack only differs in that it is specific for Muslim children. The pack begins by reminding/teaching students that it is Allaah who Created jinn and mankind and the purpose of our being created (i.e. to worship Allaah Alone).

Intended for preschool and kindergarten students, this is a simple little pack that will help the teacher help her students get back into the school routine insha'Allaah. 


*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*

Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Back to School: 2012-2013 Year Planner

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillaah, the planner for the upcoming school year is done! Inside you'll find:

  •  a template for thematic long range planning
  • regular long range planning template
  • 2012-2013 Calendar
  • A tab for your schools 2012-2013 Academic Calendar
  • Typical Curriculum for Preschool and Kindergarten
  • Materials Lists for each subject
  • Developmental Charts for 3,4 and 5 year olds 
  • Tab for forms related to your grade/class
  • and pages for taking anecdotal notes (or any kind of notes really)

 

Just print it out and punch holes in the pages. You can put it in a binder so you can add to it as needed throughout the year insha'Allaah. The pages that have tabs for each subject will not stick out of the notebook because they are the same size as the other pages. Insha'Allaah, I will be able to come back and show how this is easily remedied if you wish for the tabs to show (it will take some cutting and pasting on your part though *smile*). Hope to add a picture of a completed binder soon insha'Allaah!

Insha'Allaah, you find it helpful. 

Download School Planner here insha'Allaah
*Please be familiar with the Terms of Use for materials on A Muslim Child is Born before downloading*


Enjoy insha'Allaah!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

New School Year, New Books

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

It's difficult to read good books and not buy them. While enjoying the summer break teachers (and parents) often come across good books that would fit well into their storytime routine. As you plan your classroom library for the upcoming school year, consider the following books to occupy space on your shelves.

 From right to left:

  1. I Can Help : This is a simple and simply wonderful book about how helping someone in need is an easy thing to do. A little duck is wondering through the grass when he realizes that he is lost. He voices his predicament out loud and in response a monkey in a tree says, " I can help." The little monkey helps the little duck find his mother and the mother duck thanks the little monkey. In this way this delightful story begins as each little animal is helped by another and the parents all thank the little animal who helped their child. This is a book that you might enjoy reading to your preschooler. (3 years old and up)
  2. Planes: In this book the author tells children about the different types of planes. The illustrations support the text very well with vibrant, colourful pictures .(3 years old and up)
  3. No Two Alike: (from Amazon.com)

    No two snowflakes are alike, 
    almost, almost . . .
    but not quite.


    Follow a pair of birds on a snowflake-filled journey though a gorgeous winter landscape to explore how everything, everywhere is wonderfully unique--from branches and leaves to forests and trees to friends and loved ones. (3 years old and up).
  4. A Kitten Tale: This is the tale of four kittens - three of whom are afraid of the snow. The fourth kitten is intrepid and can't wait for the snow. As each kitten voices his fear about the coming snow, the fourth kitten enjoys the moment of the current season and continues to tell his siblings that he can't wait for the snow to come. When the snow finally does come, it is the fourth kitten who helps the other three conquer their fear of snow. Beautifully illustrated, this is a nice book for storytime that may help children feel comfortable about discussing fear. (3 years old and up)
  5. Bear Snores On: While Bear snores through his customary winter hibernation his friends creep into his cave seeking refuge from the cold winter weather. As more of Bears friends fill his cave, they begin popping corn, brewing tea and it turns into a party. Through all of this fun, Bear snores on. When a pepper flake finally awakens Bear by causing him to sneeze, he looks around and notices that his friends have been having fun without him. Bear's feelings are hurt by this but his friend Mouse knows just what to do to solve the problem. (3 years old and up)
  6. My Spring Robin : A little girl goes about the garden looking for a robin that befriended her last spring and used to sing its bird song to her. As she tries to find it, she encounters various signs that spring has arrived. As the little girl explores her garden children will learn some of the signs that tell us that Spring has arrived by the Permission of Allaah. (3 years old and up)
Insha'Allaah you enjoy building and/or adding to your classroom library for the upcoming school year!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Back to School: Using Flannel (Felt) Board Stories

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Back to school! Planning, planning and then more planning. Looking over your curriculum and doing all of the necessary long range planning, you might decide that this year you would like to incorporate the Flannel Board Friday concept (or something similar) into the classroom routine insha'Allaah.


Flannel/felt board story sets are abundant on the Internet alhamdulillaah and you can make your own patterns very easily as well. The bathtub and squirrel with acorns flannel board sets are both largely made free-hand or from hand drawn patterns. 

Because you can make flannel/felt board story sets easily, this gives you the freedom to make up your own stories/rhymes to accompany the sets you make. For example, this felt story set, can be used at the beginning of the year to teach your students how to use the classroom/school/public library (mini individual books not shown). If you add a circulation desk and a computer that would expand its teaching potential insha'Allaah.

Click on the picture for larger view insha'Allaah

Also, alhamdulillaah, there are many books that lend themselves to being told on a flannel board. This story, هل أنت سمكة؟ (Are You A Fish?) is one of many examples.



Using clipart, you can easily make this flannel board set (download flannel board set here insha'Allaah).

Flannel/Felt Board stories have many benefits:

  • they allow for learning in multiple intelligences (i.e. visual learning, tactile learning, auditory learning, etc.)
  • they help children develop problem solving skills, math skills and they can help children begin to understand cause and effect.
  • the limit of creativity is almost unrestricted. What you can design and what the children can imagine allow for many possibilities.
  • they provide hours of fun for children.
  • they are great for hands on learning
  • they can help children develop the following skills:  retelling stories, sequencing, problem solving, patterning, hand-eye coordination and many others skills.
  • they are inexpensive to make and/or buy
  • they are safe for children to play with
  • they are engaging. They help children connect with the story they are hearing and it also helps them recall the story from memory.
  • they are ideal for involving children in their learning. Children enjoy coming up and placing the pieces on the board when invited to do so buy the teacher.
  • they help bring life to the story. The story leaves the pages of the book and is in front of the children and they enjoy this.
  • teachers/parent-teachers can teach a wide variety of subjects using flannel/felt stories.
  • they are easy to store and they can be washed (hand wash gently).
You can visit this site for many free flannel board patterns. Some are not Islaamically appropriate but you will find a number of sets that are insha'Allaah. You can download the pattern for the boat here insha'Allaah (upper left hand corner).

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Eid Mubaraak!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

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