A Structure For Play PK- 5

How can we build a structure for play that optimizes choice, collaboration, and deep thinking? Here is one option.

Our peek inside Maia’s classroom was an inspirational and joyful integration of learning and play (woods! maple sugaring! singing!) but for those of us in a different place, literally and figuratively, it may seem daunting to begin.

Bins of materials in a second grade classroom.

Today’s post is about structure. Specifically, how should a “play” time look in classrooms? You will note that we call this time “work choice” (shout out to Mollie Gaffney for teaching us that phrase many years ago). We have opted for work choice over choice time, centers, genius hour, or play workshop for a few reasons:

1. Play = work for children, but adults get confused. Calling this time work choice validates the experience of children while getting the adults on board. Work Workshop just sounds goofy.

2. Centers often brings to mind the idea of rotations and timed experiences, we want to center the choice aspect of this time, as the goal is children are moving freely and under their own timeline in work choice.

3. Work choice is at its core a place for integrated learning and knowledge building.

4. Genius hour…. oy. Read our book Mindset for Learning if you want to understand why that entire concept gives us a headache.

   

   A Magnatile roadway in PreK

Work choice is a structure, like writing workshop is a structure, or a lecture is a structure. It has a reliable, consistent routine that builds independence and allows for innovation. We will unpack this more in the weeks to come, but all the interest areas (dramatic play, blocks, loose parts, etc) are in play (wink) during this time.

The opening gathering sets up the work of the interest areas. A read aloud on bees might set the stage for children to use some makerspace materials to build a model of a bee, or a discussion of graphic novels might spill over into some book making. In PK/TK an obsession with rolling things down the slide at recess might lead to a discussion of ramp building in blocks.

The children have time to get deeply involved, or visit around if nothing has struck them yet, and the areas are consistent for a chunk of time (days to weeks, depending on interest).

At the end of the time, the class is called back together to reflect. Maybe someone has figured out that the spiky parts of a bees legs hook pollen when building their model, maybe the comic someone is working on has opened a conversation about representation of identities, maybe the ball rolling is leading to an exploration on controlling the path. The reflection anchors the disparate discovering back into common understanding, and moves the class narrative towards more wondering and exploration.

Clean up comes after, and is not a rushed event. Caring for a space is a skill worthy of the time it takes to build.

Artic ecosystem exploration.

Work choice is not a subject area, it is all subject areas tucked into children’s questions, curiosities, ideas, and joy.

Explore the document and send your questions our way as we work our way towards a richer understanding of the play/work turducken (playworken, if you will).