KinderGals: Glyphs: 4 Easy Steps

Have you heard the saying, "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck..."? That saying may not always be true... just because it looks like a craft, doesn't mean it is JUST a craft! This post explains how to teach data and number concepts using glyphs.

Step 1: Make the "Craft" by Answering the Questions.

This part of the glyph process is kind of like a puzzle. First, come up with a list of questions. I try to think of questions that are related to the finished craft project. For example, to make the dog glyph, I ask them about their pets.

Here are the question cards. The children respond to the question by adding the pieces to their "craft" as indicated on the cards. I bind all of the questions into a book.

Each "craft" is unique to each child's answers. For example, in our turkey glyph, the turkeys each have different colors of feathers depending on what they like to eat on Thanksgiving.

These are our turkey glyph questions.

Step 2: Make the Analysis Booklet.

Once the "craft" is made, each child needs an individual analysis booklet. Invite the children to fill out their booklet by looking at their glyph.

This part is teaching the children to look at their turkey as a way to answer questions, not just a craft. We are training their minds to thinking about the turkey as a "holder of the data".

Step 3: Collect the Data

Once the children completed their individual analysis page, invite them to each bring the crafts to the rug. Now its time to collect the class data. We want to know what our families do for Thanksgiving!

Sit the children in a circle. Each child sits with his own "craft". As the year progresses and we do more glyphs, I invite the children to swap crafts with a partner. This ensure that they are looking at the craft to answer the questions since they are not supplying their own answers.