A Day in the Life of Primary at Detroit Prep

On Monday, May 5th I had the joy of observing a day in the life of our kindergarten and first grade students. From joyful morning greetings to rigorous academic instruction, every moment was filled with purpose, enthusiasm, and compassion. Teachers across all crews guide students through learning experiences that build foundational skills, encourage critical thinking, and celebrate each child’s unique contribution to the community. Here is a snapshot of my day filled with songs, curiosity, collaboration, and joy.

I start the day at 8:15AM in Hummingbird Crew where Crew Leader, Ms. D, leads her first grade class through Morning Crew. She joyfully engages her students in the daily greeting. Smiles fill the room as students sing, “Kash is here, Kash is here. It’s a great day because Kash is here” to the familiar children’s song, The Farmer in the Dell. After the greeting, Ms. D leads the class through their share and initiative. Morning Crew concludes with first grader, Harper, reading the morning message to her classmates.

After Morning Crew, Hummingbird students transition to the Skills learning block, a time characterized by practicing and learning new foundational reading skills. Penelope leads her classmates in reviewing phonemes and their associated graphemes, and Ms. D teaches a lesson on r controlled vowels. After the lesson, students apply newly learned phonics skills in novel ways during the Skills Workshop block. Ms. D checks in with students and supports them to ensure they meet their goals.

At 10AM I joined the Kindergarteners in Lake Crew for Skills Small Groups. Ms. Stephanie skillfully engages her small group in writing sentences by prompting them to sound out words with blends, and long vowel sounds. Students excitedly write down the sentence she dictates to them.

After Skills Small Groups, Lake Crew moves into the Expectation Block. Today they are tackling the robust learning target: I can compare and contrast what happened to the characters in the book Oliver’s Tree. Ms. Stephanie asks, “How is that the same?” And “how is that different?” to prompt student thinking. After the lesson, Lake Crew students complete a graphic organizer to show their understanding of the learning target. At the conclusion of the lesson, Ms. Stephanie brings the class to the carpet and leads them in the lesson’s debrief. She asks questions to prompt self-reflection like, “What did you learn today?” and “What are you most proud of?” in order to support students in taking ownership over their learning. 

It’s now 10:45 AM, and I head over to Butterfly Crew to find Ms. Jackie leading her first grade class in applying what they learned from researching ants and ant hills. Students work in collaborative groups to create poster-sized diagrams of an ant hill. Their group word requires all of Habits of Characters, especially responsibility, cooperation, and curiosity and creativity! 

At 11:20AM it is finally time for a break, and kindergarten and first grade students head to lunch and recess. Today’s lunch is a grilled cheese sandwich, pickles, apples, and milk–yummy! After lunch we all go outside for some fresh air and to burn off some energy! 

After lunch it is time for math! At 12:30PM I stop by Steam Crew where Ms. Deondra is teaching her Kindergarten students how to find the missing number to make 10. She leads the class in practicing the learning target by playing an interactive game. As students color in the missing number to make 10, she does one-on-one check-ins with students to ensure everyone understands the learning target. 

At 1:20PM I venture across the hall to Pond Crew, a first grade classroom. Ms. Chanelle is teaching a lesson on shapes. Students are asked to draw rectangles, squares, and non-rectangles. Ms. Chanelle prompts students with, “How do you know?” to encourage them to think deeply about their shape drawings. After the lesson, Ms. Chanelle leads the class through the 4-corners debrief. During the debrief she asks her students to self-reflect on their understanding of the learning target, and she calls on students to share their reflections with their peers.

As my tour came to a close at 2PM, it was clear to me that the spirit of learning would be carried on throughout the rest of the school day. In every crew I visited, students were engaged, curious, and supported by dedicated educators. Whether analyzing character traits, building phonics skills, exploring shapes, or solving math problems, Detroit Prep’s youngest learners are building a strong foundation that will serve them well beyond the primary years.