activities for virginia’s foundation blocks module some activities are included in the notes section of the powerpoint for this module. how
Activities for Virginia’s Foundation Blocks Module
Some activities are included in the notes section of the PowerPoint
for this module. However, it is important to use the activities as
they relate to your particular group. If you are taking several
sessions to review the module, you may want to change the delivery of
the information. If you are doing the entire module in one session,
you would use a different approach.
Since blocks are the theme, you may want to bring in blocks and put
some on each table. The participants can use them throughout the day.
Other types of fidget toys (or executive toys) are appreciated by the
participants during a lengthy presentation.
Suggested delivery options
Entire module in one session
After the introductory activities, break the group into six sections.
Give each group one of the foundation blocks (literacy, mathematics,
science or history and social science, physical and motor development,
or personal and social development) and ask them to become familiar
with the content and some of the suggested activities. Some topics
have a set of activities for the foundation block from the JMU Content
Academy. Thus, each group would receive the section from the standards
and the corresponding section from the Content Academy. They will also
be able to have the notes section from the Foundations PowerPoint on
their topic. Groups are then responsible for teaching the rest of the
participants about their individual section. They may choose to
present the information as a play, in song, make up a game, etc.
The PowerPoint discusses each block and can be used as part of the
review or presentation.
Following the presentations, the groups must ask if there are
questions and devise a way for the rest of the participants to
remember the information.
It is important to review the information at the end of the session.
You may want to close with a bingo game, a gallery walk with chart
paper (where each foundation block is listed and people go to each
paper and add information about the topic) or a case study involving
the specific areas that groups then have to discuss.
Module delivered in multiple sessions
If there are two sessions, the one-session module can be followed with
the exception of breaking the group into two groups and proceeding the
same way. One day could be literacy and mathematics, and physical and
motor development. The second session could be science and history and
social sciences, and personal and social development.
The major difference would be to review the information from the first
session before starting the second part. Opening and closing
activities, including a review, should always be performed, and groups
should be selected in a random fashion (those with silver earrings,
those with blue pants, etc.).
Small group, closing or extension activities
Have participants select a theme and create activities that relate to
the foundation blocks using that theme. Put chart paper around the
room with each area or block and have pairs or groups write activities
that are appropriate for that topic. See example from JMU Content
Academy.
Have participants break into pairs and take each individual block
(example, in Mathematics, M1 Number and Number Sense) and create
activities that would be appropriate for that block.