SPARK Resources | Outreach Sites

Rosemary Irwin, teacher - Natcher Elementary School

My students enjoy the SPARK curriculum. Reading the same story each day while focusing on a different concept makes the children feel as if they are "readers". Toward the end of the week, they can "read" the story themselves with a few modifications. Parents appreciate the story descriptions sent home each week. Several parents have stated that their child will tell them an abbreviated version of the story.

Often, we act the stories out during large group. During WE LOVE TO READ WEEK, we selected a favorite story, Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, and acted it out in front of the entire student body and several parents. I read this story as the children acted it out. The audience participated by chanting the repeating lines with us. The children were fabulous and received RAVE reviews! (Judy Thomas photo)

While reading The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear the children and I were brainstorming things someone could make using strawberries. One student thought of the idea to make strawberry milkshakes and suggested we do so during small group. Needless to say, that was one exciting and tasty activity!

Judy Thomas, teacher - Richardsville Elementary School

I think what I like best about using the SPARK curriculum is seeing the children pick up the books we read and being able to read these stories themselves. The pictures and repetition allow them to enjoy the books themselves after they have heard the story for a day or two. This curriculum also allows the teacher to plan for a well-rounded preschool experience.

Linda Heflin, teacher - Warren Elementary School

MRS. HANDLEY'S PRESCHOOL

The preschool classes have been studying the concepts of: winter, snow, cold, melting and covered. We read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It is about a boy named Peter, who has some adventures in the snow.

On Tuesday, January 23rd, we went outside and walked in the snow like Peter did. We also made piles of snow, built a snowman and saw some icicles. We put icicles and ice in our discovery table to see what would happen. It didn't take long for us to see both melt.
Other activities enjoyed by the preschool students were: painting with ice cubes, tossing pretend snowballs and singing songs about the snow.
We also talked about what we wear in the winter to keep us warm. We read the book, The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel.

School newsletter, Kris Handley's classroom - Alvaton Elementary School

My family and I have had the privilege of being a part of the Alvaton Preschool Program since October 31, 2000. My daughter, Sam was born with her tongue attached all the way to its tip. This caused a speech delay which became very evident by the age of three. In January 2001, we had Sam's tongue surgically clipped and since then her speech progress has improved enormously. This is due in large part to the Preschool Program at Alvaton Elementary School. She once struggled to speak…now she sings. The SPARK curriculum creates a world of learning through colors, shapes, animals, objects, and actions. The simple, yet descriptive, stories build an atmosphere of learning that the children can imitate and retell.

A. Karen Wilson, parent - Alvaton Elementary School

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock: Day 3, concept "spiders"
We created a life size spider web. As the children sat in a circle, they rolled a ball of yarn from friend to friend, holding onto the string as they rolled the ball to a new friend, creating a life size spider web. We placed a spider puppet on the top. Children were very excited about their creation and wanted to recreate this experience regularly! We hid small plastic spiders in the sand table and did not "warn" the children. What a surprise as children began their work in this center!

Look at Anassi's Web!

Big Al: Day 1, concept "ocean"
We brainstormed about how we could "make" ocean water. After looking at the pictures of the ocean in the book, children suggested we add blue paint or food coloring to water. (Before giving children mixing cups, we put salt in the bottom of them, but the children didn't notice.) They poured water into their cups then squeezed blue food coloring in. As they tasted the water, they made faces as they realized it was "salty". What a great language experience! On Day 3, concept "same/different", we tasted different foods that were either salty or sweet and grouped together those that tasted the "same" as the ocean.

Day 2, concept "making friends"
The children found a friend to cover with "sea weed" just as Big Al covered himself. They wrapped toilet paper all around one another and "swam" about the room. They loved working with a friend to create a work of art. Several days later as I was talking with a parent on the phone, I heard her reprimand her son for playing with the toilet paper. (This child is significantly delayed and is completely non-verbal.) I asked his mother what he was doing. She said that for the past two weeks he had been wrapping himself up in toilet paper. Ah oh! I explained to her the activity we did at school after reading Big Al. She said, "So I have Big Al to blame for this." As she said Big Al, her son began clapping and holding up the toilet paper for her to see. Mom began crying as she realized her son was participating in activities other children were and that he was able to recall events and activities we were doing.

The Bossy Gallito
The children showed a great interest in speaking Spanish. We incorporated Spanish into every activity. On Day 1, concept "rooster", we painted with rooster feathers. We named the colors in English and Spanish. On Day 2, concept "please/thank you", we learned to say these words in Spanish then used them throughout the year. We talked about how people talked differently and also incorporated sign language into these same activities. (We regularly use sign language with our non and newly verbal children.)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
We used this story as our year end finale and celebrated with our annual Preschool Luau. We made trees like the ones in the book. We listened to the recorded version of this story and it was a favorite.

I Need a Lunch Box: Day 4, concept "parade"
Children made paper hats from newspapers then decorated them. They put on their hats and played musical instruments and we marched our parade throughout the school.

Jamela's Dress
This story was a favorite of the children. They loved dressing up as Jamela and as the bride. The student who most loved this story and dressing up like Jamela was a child whose second language was English. She paraded about the room with a jeweled crown and bright fabric wrap.

Mevlyda is Kwela Jamela African Queen

Children brought it to my attention that Jamela was a different "color" which sparked a great discussion about how we were different and the same. It was wonderful!

Lindy, All By Herself: Day 2, concepts "red, yellow, blue"
We borrowed centrifuges from the science lab. We dressed in lab coats (paint smocks) and pretended to be "mad scientists" mixing colors. We had a great time predicting what might happen when mixing two colors together. This was a great language experience. Our high functioning children often correctly predicted the outcome of mixing, while those children with developmental delays often shared words like "color" or "stir". Everyone enjoyed being a mad scientist and pouring, mixing and predicting.

Miss Lucy: Day 1, concept "in/out"
We did the art activity, pretending our egg cartons were an alligator purse that we put things in. (We collected things from outdoors.) The children asked to glue their collection "in" their "purse". (Of course, we said yes!) The next day, the parent of a child with significant articulation problems brought in an egg carton and seemed a bit aggravated. She asked "What is this?" I explained the activity to her , and she laughed loudly. She said that her son was so proud of his "purse". He made her take it to the grocery store and to the doctor's office. He kept telling people what it was, but he could not be understood. His mother said that once I explained, she knew he had been telling them "alligator purse." She thought that was what he was saying, but it did not make any sense. From that point on, I began putting more information in my newsletter about our activities so that parents were less confused and more supportive!

The Napping House: Day 4, concept "happy"
We had a pajama party! Teachers and children wore their pajamas to school and brought their favorite stuffed animal. We counted the animals (day 3 concept "counting"). We stacked the animals up on our doll bed (day 1 concept "on/off") and we watched them fall off (day 2 concept "falling down"). We predicted how many we could stack before they fell and problem solved what we could do to keep them from falling. This was an incredible language experience with children using words like balance and comparisons like bigger and smaller as we problem solved.

No Fair to Tigers
We took a field trip t a pet store. One of our goals was to make sure there was a ramp. (We have a student in a wheel chair.) The children seemed to take on a personal mission to make certain their friend could get in. Once inside we had a great time with cats, dogs, birds, fish, spiders, snakes, reptiles, rabbits, etc. This was another great experience for the children and facilitated much conversation!

The Squiggle: Day 1, concept "dragon"
We created dragon masks then used a bed sheet to create our own dragon. One child would put on his mask and then several others would get under the sheet behind him. The children paraded around the classroom. Every child was able to participate (the child in the wheelchair was pushed by his friends and giggled and laughed hiding under the sheet). This was a great adventure in turn taking and teamwork.

Don't be afraid! We're a Chinese New Year dragon.

Beth Schaeffer, teacher - Cumberland Trace Elementary School

At Cumberland Trace Elementary, I send home a weekly newsletter each Monday. I always include the piece from the end of each SPARK unit that describes the story and gives parents questions to ask their children about the story. I hoped each parent was reading the newsletter, but knew that it was probably not a priority. During a parent/teacher conference, I was describing the progress of a child with developmental delays. I told the parent her son was beginning to answer comprehension questions. She agreed. She said that she looks in his backpack each Monday as soon as he gets home and reads the newsletter. She asks her son the questions from the newsletter and not only was he able to answer the questions, but was even telling her more about the story. She said she thought that her son would not be successful in preschool because he had no interest in the alphabet and counting and his attention span was very short. She said he loved the stories we were reading and the activities that went with them because they made her son excited about coming to school. She said that he was very proud of the "work" he was doing at school and she could tell that he was really learning and growing. She said that her son's language had grown beyond what she thought it should for his age and that he was asking her to read to him at home and would sit through an entire book without fidgeting.

The parent of a child with significant delays shared that the SPARK curriculum was perfect for her child. Her child, Ben, is non-verbal, visually impaired and is non-mobile. As often as possible, we gave Ben his own copy of the story and an assistant helped him turn pages in the book as I held up the class copy to read from. Ben was able to participate in any activity that we did. If we used the parachute to bounce a ball "on and off" an assistant would assist Ben hand-over-hand to raise and lower the parachute. Ben would giggle and wave his arms. As children "covered" their paper with paint, they had the choice to finger paint, brush paint or use rollers, sponges, etc. Ben very much enjoyed finger-painting. It's hard to determine who is more excited about Ben's preschool experience, Ben, mom and dad or his teachers.

Ben shows us how to fingerpaint.

One child cried after her first day at preschool. She told her mother that she was the only friend who had brown skin. Mother talked with the child and shared her family's beliefs and values regarding diversity. I chose to read Jamela's Dress the next week and this same child was quick to point out to her classmates that Jamela had brown skin like she did. There were no more tears. I received several notes and calls from this parent, thanking me for sharing diversity with children. This parent regularly read our weekly newsletter that described each story and was pleased to see that her daughter was able to experience a variety of cultures and lifestyles through literature. (She doesn't know how easy SPARK makes it to share diversity!)

Be careful for what you wish. My first year using SPARK, I asked parents to send us all the items on the SPARK collectibles list at one time. I asked them not to spend any money, but just to send us what they weren't using. I received enough collectibles to supply an entire school. I learned several valuable lessons. Only ask for what you need. Only ask for what you need for a specific time, like the next two weeks. Only ask for what you can store. Be specific about what you need, like empty toilet paper rolls or wallpaper scraps. Most parents are eager to become involved in their children's education and this is a simple way to contribute.

Many parents shared that their child was eager to have "homework". I tried over and over again to explain that we don't have homework in preschool, but to no avail. I began to use the SPARK home units on occasions when the children were going to be out of school for breaks. The parents loved this opportunity. I send home stories that we had already done at school. The children insisted that they "read" the story to the parent, and quite often the parent thought the child was reading, when they had actually memorized the story. Parents enjoyed the activities because siblings could participate and no extra books or equipment was necessary. This really helped parents understand what their child's day was like and how much learning was taking place. They often asked for more to be sent home!

Parent Responses to SPARK, Beth Schaffer - teacher, Cumberland Trace Elementary

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Additional pictures from Warren County Schools, Bristow

• If You Give a Pig a Pancake
• Snowy Day by Keats