It’s Teacher Feature Thursday!

This week we are featuring Will Kuehnle. Will’s pre-k four classroom is currently learning about Camelot. Below you will find a reflection from Will and images from some of his lessons.

What were your topics of exploration?

“We were exploring the world of King Arthur and Camelot. The children at the beginning of the year were enjoying the idea of dragons chasing them when we were running around on the playground. Dragons were also popping up during our chatter around the snack table. I definitely noticed an interest. My associate teacher and I put our heads together to think of a topic to explore that would quench the students interest, touch on topics we thought would be useful for the children to have as a foundation for the year ahead (chivalry, community) and also allowed us as educators to have a wide variety of ideas to teach upon, which makes lesson planning fun and flexible.”

What were your learning objectives? (What did you want your children to take away from the lesson?)

“I always want my students to take away a sense of enjoyment from a unit of study. I want them to have that everyday we are together, no matter if we are going on an exciting museum visit or stuck inside the classroom on a rainy day.  For this particular unit I wanted to have each student have a strong sense of what the code of chivalry was, because that can be applied to so many routine situations throughout our day. I wanted to be able to focus my language with children around kindness, bravery, loyalty, community and justice. To be able to do that with such a fascinating backdrop as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table was a real treat. Another objective I had for the students was to nurture their sense of adventure and curiosity towards learning. We can take that energy and harness it towards future lessons and topics this year, I’m really excited to see where this year leads us.”

What was most successful about your lesson?

“I believe the way the children used what we were discussing into their play was the most successful. I did not notice it at first, but after a few weeks into the unit the play structures in the classroom were really developing. The dramatic play we had in the classroom, the manipulatives the children were using, the art they were making and the games they were creating on the playground were centered around the world of Camelot. The children were so whimsical in their approach to the unit that you really saw what you were talking to them about sink in. I am able to suggest to a child that they be knightly or chivalrous and see them reflect with positive reaction to the choice they are making.”

What could you have done differently? What recommendations would you have for another teacher trying out this lesson?

“Reflecting back on the unit, which is still going on up until our knighting ceremony on December 18^th, I wish that the transition of topics within the unit were more thought out and not as rushed. I think we were really excited to dive head first into something for the start of the year that we barreled through ideas that we could have taken more time on. Maybe it was because we wanted to go from looking at the places of Camelot, to the people of Camelot, to the stories of King Arthur, to the code of chivalry, to how castles were built and protected, etc. As an educator I am trying learn how best to balance all the information there is to know and all the information I believe is best for my students to know, and then unveiling that in a cohesive story line that is engaging and enriching for them. I think having a strong idea of what you want to the overall story to be in the unit when you are first venturing out is very helpful, and that is something I struggled with in this unit. At the same time you always need to be flexible.”

Here a few images from their days in Camelot:

They began their exploration of the topic with the story of the Sword in the Stone. Will had the students create their own stone from a cardboard box and painted paper. They were very surprised and excited when Merlin dropped off a sword later in the day.

To encourage close looking, Will asked the children to create their own illustrations of the sword for their journals.

The children were very thorough in their illustrations. Some even included the text found below the sword.

The children were then offered the opportunity to try and pull the sword out of the stone. Will explained that the person who was able to remove the sword from the stone would be the rightful ruler of their kingdom. He reminded the children that they might not be the strongest or largest person but the one with the truest and kindest heart would be able to claim the sword. In the end it was their center director Megan who was able to remove the sword from the stone and students talked about why she would make a great ruler of their kingdom.

Will also began to alter their classroom to take on the attributes of a castle. Above the students are painting the castle wall and below you can see it installed in their space.

In addition to the castle wall, Will wanted a way to track their their progress through Camelot so they created a board with the different locations they might travel. As part of the board, he also created popsicle sticks with images of the children as their favorite Camelot characters which will move around the board as they continue through the story.

The group was so excited about Excalibur that Will decided to do a theatrical reading of the Lady in the Lake with help from a few educators and our site director.

Their exploration of Camelot even extended out to the playground where they used pool noodles to do some jousting.

The children continue to be extremely excited about this topic and have exciting adventures in Camelot. Be sure to check back for our Teacher Feature next week!