Three Hour Tour

Three Hour Tour

For the Environment Rating Scale assessment, it is important that children have access to all the materials in the classroom for 3 hours per day.  You can count the early morning, late afternoon and any free play/work time in the daily schedule. 

Make sure ALL areas are open and available during these 3 hours.  Make sure it is clear on your daily schedule that there are 3 hours of access to free play in the classroom.  The data collectors will rely heavily on what you have listed on your daily schedule (posted inside the classroom) to determine if you have the 3 hours of access.  If some centers are closed, you will not get credit for the full access for children.

The 3 hour rule applies to:  music, art, blocks, dramatic play, nature and science, books, fine motor, sand/water play, math/number and diversity.

The ERS assessment greatly values free play and the opportunity it gives for children to make choices about what they do, who they interact with, and time interactions between children with their teachers both 1:1 and in smaller groups.

In free play there is ample time for many of the other items the ERS (and CLASS Assessment) is looking for:

·         Open ended questions

·         Scaffolding

·         Prediction

·         Brainstorming

·         Kids thinking for themselves

·         Using language

·         Informal reading

·         Reasoning skills

·         Critical thinking

·         Peer connections

·         Etc.

Free play also gives teachers more opportunities to work 1:1 with children – individualizing the curriculum to the needs of each child.

How much free play is on your schedule today?