SAVE THE DATE: P-3 SUMMER INSTITUTE

NYS Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY

The New York State Education Department is pleased to announce the 2023 P-3 Summer Institute on August 17 at the NYS Cultural Education Center in Albany. The Institute is planned in partnership with the NYS Council on Children and Families. This one-day session will be open to teachers, specialists, and administrators responsible for designing programs for students along the P-3 Continuum. Session topics will support educators in creating a learning environment that reflects developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate practices and instruction. Space will be limited at this free event and registration information including the agenda will be available in May. 

UPK Classroom Spotlight: Suffern CSD

Suffern CSD’s Universal Prekindergarten Program enrolls approximately 150 half-day and full-day students across district classrooms and community-based organizations. Recently, students engaged in a STEAM centered thematic unit on building and construction.

This purposeful play unit was introduced by showing students diverse photos of people working in construction, as well as real buildings from the local community and beyond. Teachers read fiction and nonfiction texts about building and construction to develop vocabulary and build interest in the unit.

The building and construction unit was integrated across the classroom’s learning centers. In the building center, students used drawing materials to sketch blueprints of structures they wanted to create and shared their blueprints with their classmates. A variety of materials were provided, such as wooden blocks, cardboard, and paper. Math concepts, such as symmetry, balance, and comparison were integrated throughout the unit. Students played math games like “Roll and Build 10” and created shapes with popsicle sticks. At the sensory table, sand and toy construction trucks provided rich hands-on experiences. In the art center, students used toy trucks and paint to create tracks. Students even used hammers to hammer out syllables!

This unit helped students learn how to communicate, problem solve, and cooperate with one another. A sense of community was achieved by working together to sketch, construct buildings, and give feedback. Students continued to use building vocabulary during their play and learned concepts that carried over into other purposeful play units throughout the year. 

UPK Classroom Spotlight Opportunity

The Office of Early Learning is looking for best practices from districts, CBO, and Direct Contract Agency UPK classrooms to spotlight throughout the year. If you are interested in sharing a success story in any of the following areas, please submit your story via email to the Office of Early Learning at [email protected].

• Learning centers
• Theme integration
• Building classroom community
• Differentiated instruction
• Kindergarten transition
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the UPK classroom
• Anything the district is inspired to share with the field

You will need to include the following information in your submission:

• Subject: UPK Spotlight Submission
• Local Education Agency Name
• Teacher Name
• Photo of the best practice in action
• 1-2 paragraphs describing the best practice and highlighting any results since its implementation.

We look forward to hearing from you!