Dear Parents,

It is my intent to provide your child with the best opportunities to become a successful learner. To do so, I am planning classroom activities and experiences that will allow the children to express the many ways in which they are smart. This dynamic approach is based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences, developed by Dr. Howard Gardner, a psychologist at Harvard University.

Dr. Gardner has identified the following eight intelligences:

Linguistic (Word Smart)

Logical-Mathematical (Number Smart)

Spatial (Picture Smart)

Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart)

Musical (Music Smart)

Naturalist (Nature Smart)

Interpersonal (People Smart)

Intrapersonal (Self Smart)

What this means is that in my classroom, your child will learn not only through reading, writing and math but also through music, art, building, moving, engaging in outdoor experiences, interacting with other children, thinking and reflecting. Since children exhibit these various ways of learning at different levels of ability, I will try to match learning experiences with their particular ways of “being smart.”

Finally, because we are all intelligent in a variety of ways, I want to invite you to come to our classroom to share and express the ways in which you are smart. Do you play an instrument? Do you enjoy a hobby or craft? Do you play a sport? Do you dance or write poems or stories? Please come and share your talents or interests with the class; or just come visit, ask questions, and learn more about what we are doing.

Sincerely,

Shannon Lee Blower

Preschool Administrator