The “My Family” wall chart is part of a series from Scholastic called “Big Day for Pre-K.” As a wall chart, is it very different from many posters in that it doesn’t contain just drawings and labels, but it has photographs from real life situations that depict families. I found this chart being used effectively in a Bilingual Pre-K classroom. It is hanging in the dramatic play center and is accompanied by the Spanish version “Mi Familia.”
These charts offer an opportunity to engage the students in building their oral language skills. The pictures of real life scenes create a reality and connection between the concepts and the student’s lives. In addition, I like the variation of the families shown. Not only are they multicultural, but there are also different types of families represented.
When I asked several of the students about the poster and what was happening, they happily described the scenes, naming the father, mother, brother, sister, kitchen, bed, etc. One child even pointed to the lady in the first picture and said “This is Grandma.” This told me she was interpreting the scene and relating it to her own life perhaps. I also observed children interacting with the posters without adult influence. One child seemed to be conversing with the characters in the scenes.
Overall, I think these posters are a great resources for language arts connections in a Pre-K classroom and building students oral language skills. While the students are not reading words, they are able to decipher the photos and broaden their understanding of family.
Check out Scholastic’s Pre-K Curriculum to learn more.
I think that this is a really great and unique text. I like that you branched out from books and magazines and found a poster. I think that this could be essential for Pre-K kids in making connections. It relates to his/her real life by using visuals. I really like your student input and found it interesting students pointed out grandma. Although this is an easy text to find and place in the classroom, teachers should not forget to reference the poster in order to show its importance! I really enjoyed this!
I really liked your “one great text” choice. I think that this chart would be a great tool to use to help young students develop their oral language skills since they can easily use their imagination to develop creative stories from the pictures. I also liked the fact that the chart represented diverse families because I think that it is really important for students to feel that their culture is represented and valued in a school setting. Also, the fact that they are real-life pictures makes the chart more significant for them since students can make connections with their own experiences.
I liked your “one great text” choice, this chart would be very helpful to help students develop oral language skills and cultural diversity. It is important to include every student’s culture and value diversity.