Teaching reading comprehension skills in kindergarten can be tough but it isn’t impossible! When you teach kindergarteners, you have to make sure you’re explaining concepts to them at their level and engaging them in meaningful lessons so these concepts stick. My biggest tips when teaching little ones big ideas is to relate it to them, get them up and moving and repetition.
One of our Common Core Standards in kindergarten is for students to identify the setting of a story. Here are some engaging ways I’ve found to be effective when teaching setting in kindergarten.
Relate It To Them
Kindergarten students tend to only think about themselves and their world. By relating concepts to them, they can connect it to their world which then helps them connect it to the stories you are reading in class. I like to relate the concept of setting to my students by discussing the different settings they visit throughout the day. I tell them they are the character in their own story and they tell me where they go.
Many places my students go are to school (obviously), home, the grocery store, the dentist, the doctors, a friends house, the park, the movie theatre etc. We have a discussion about these settings and who or what else we would see there.
Expand this lesson by having your students draw themselves in one of the settings they go.
Get Them Moving
Getting my students moving has been a huge asset, especially this year with my wild bunch! Whenever we can play games, move around the room or do a “Write the Room” activity, I am all for it (and they learn so much better). That’s why I created a Setting Write the Room.
To prepare for this lesson, the teacher puts picture cards around the room. These cards have a number in the corner. Students walk around the room looking for these cards. When they find a card, they they look for the number and circle the correct setting on their recording sheet. The recording sheet has both pictures and words so students can do this independently whether they can read or not.
picture of setting write the room
Click here to get your own Setting Write the Room
.
Repetition
Another simple way to get students to learn and remember the skill is to repeat, repeat, repeat! Repetition is key. Here are some ways to practice setting with your class.
- Read stories and discuss setting throughout the book (bonus: find a book that has multiple settings!)
- Read a story and students draw the setting
- Discuss setting in other subject areas such as science and social studies
Want to read more about engaging ways to teach your kindergarten students?
Sight Word Run the Room – A Sight Word Movement Game
Sight Word Activities That Aren’t Flash Cards
5 Key Benefits of Using Write the Room in Your Classroom
