Hi,
I want to begin tell your neighbor and teach/okay. For these strategies are the children assigned spots on the rug, and if so, how is this managed? Also, how often do the neighbors/partners change?
Jackie

Hey there!

Ok...let me see if I can in 1000 words or less explain how I did the tell your neighbor and teach/ok....LOL! I doubt it but it is a goal...and it is good to have goals...oooohhhh I am wasting words...here I go...

Kindergarteners are either very shy or very talkative. I do have on that is kinda in between but most I have seen are one or the other.

The first week I let them sit on the carpet in THEIR CHOSEN SQUARE! I wateched to see who migrated toward each other and was comfortable talking to each other. I moved kids if necessary but I actually only had to move 2 children away from each other because they couldn't keep their hands off each other. The score board really kept the playing around to a minimum. 2nd week...they were assigned squares...which were essetially the squares they had already been sitting on. Most children when they get comfortable wont move LOL! They are creatures of habit. So now I had the children sitting next to someone I knew they "liked" and felt comfortable talking to. So the tell you neighbor shot off like a rocket. I didn't have a problem with shy kids not talking....they were telling their friends LOL!

I did watch to make sure they were using gestures and actually saying what they were supposed to be saying....what is funny about my group is when they tell their neighbor...now teach ok....they do it in unison...I MEAN EXACTLY IN UNISON! LOL! It is funny! For example:

Teacher: CLASS!!!
Studnets: YES!!!!

Teacher: Teach your neighbor what the twelve months of the year are...CLAP CLAP "teach"
Students: CLAP CLAP "OK"

Students: (turning toward their neighbor) "The twelve months of the year are Jan, Feb, Mar....etc"!!! (And they say it in unison!)

Which is good for us since we have to learn to answer questions with complete sentences.

Now I did have a problem at first getting the WHOLE Body turn...but I just practiced what being a good listener is....we listen with our ears and our eyes! So they have to turn and LOOK at their neighbor in order to be a good listener! Didn't take but a few times and they had it down!

HTH

Farrah Shipley
www.teacherpage.com/mrsshipley

Hi there! Great explanation Farrah!
As far as the "neighbors" are concerned, in my classroom, I assign the seats in number order. That way, when the kiddos are learning their numbers, they are already in order. This just seems to work for me. I change my kiddos seats at every quarter change. That is when my calendar songs change and we just seem to need a change anyway. Just another way to do it:)
Let us know how it goes;)