Tools Preschool visit: Confidence and community in Ms. Davis’s classroom

Ms. Davis’s children benefit from learning that meets their needs in a variety of ways.

Building a community of scientists

During Science Eyes, Ms. Davis’s preschool children, known as the “Ladybugs,” use their senses to explore leaves, sorting them by size and shape, and finding the right adjectives to describe their different textures. Chatting about their observations, the Ladybugs discover something they have in common—they all enjoy jumping in leaf piles in their yards at home! While sharpening scientific observation skills, children are also building connections with peers and creating a classroom community.

Supporting confident learning

Visuals support Ladybug learning and engagement during Share the News and in other activities.

“I have discovered that having a visual helps my students find the language or vocabulary they need to express their thoughts and sparks their prior knowledge when engaging in conversation.”
- Tools Preschool Teacher Erin Davis

One Ladybug, who has struggled to participate in group activities, recently joined in a round of Freeze Game. Ms. Davis credits Tools visuals with providing the child with the guidance she needed, saying her student “felt confident and safe to join the group,” in part because the visuals make access easy. “They are friendly and developmentally appropriate for preschool children.”

Of course, we also can’t underestimate the power of peer support!  “Several students noticed her participating and made sure to give her a thumbs up and big smiles,” Ms. Davis noted.

Thank you to Ms. Davis and her preschoolers for inviting us on their journey to build classroom community.

To see more from Ms. Davis’ class and other Tools PreK Teachers of the Month, check out the most recent posts.