Read All Instructions Carefully. Make Sure That Your Submitted

Preschool Observation

INSTRUCTIONS

Read all instructions carefully. Make sure that your submitted

assignment fulfills all of the project requirements.

Choose two preschool children of the same chronological

ages—either two 3-year-olds or two 4-year-olds.

Observe each of these children for at least 30 minutes per

child using the five developmental categories—physical, cog-

nitive, social, emotional, and language. Use the chart at the

end of this assignment to record two to four observations

under

each category for each child. To maintain confidentiality, iden-

tify the children by age and number only, such as the

following: “Child 1—

Two years of age” and “Child 2—Two

years of age.” After you’ve gathered notes of your observa-

tions and

have edited and proofread them, prepare a neat

copy for submission. Type or legibly print the final draft of

your

observations.

Part 1: Narrative Summary

Summarize your observations in narrative form for each child

per each developmental category. Identify the differing abilities

between the two subjects and provide a possible explanation

for these developmental differences.

Part 2: Activity Plan

Using the following activity plan format, plan and implement

an activity that’s

developmentally appropriate for both chil-

dren in your field setting. A teacher at your field site will

observe the implementation of the activity and will complete

the implementation feedback form. This form needs to be

submitted with your assignment.

Graded Project

Use the following points as guidelines as you develop your

activity plan for this project:

■

Age of children

■

Learning center to be used

■

Name and brief description of the activity

■

Purpose/Objective of the activity. (Concepts, skills,

attitudes that you’ve designed this activity to teach or

develop. Why is this activity appropriate for both

children?)

■

Space and materials needed

■

Procedure. (Step-by-step description of the activity.

Describe how you’ll get started, what you’ll be doing

sequentially, how you’ll end the activity, how you’ll

help the children make a smooth transition to the next

activity)

■

Guidance. (Establish necessary limits for behavior and

boundaries of activity. Anticipate problems that may

occur during this activity and consider ways to handle

them)

■

Evaluation and follow-up. (How will you evaluate

whether or not your activity was effective? List any

follow-up activities that you might want to provide to

the children.)

Lesson 3

strips and sample words. To enhance children’s desire to

write, it’s helpful to plan special activities for this area such

as creating a big book.

An effective listening center includes a tape player or CD with

multiple headphones; a variety of labeled CDs or tapes with

stories, activities, finger plays, music, and listening games;

blank tapes so children can record their own stories; and

comfortable seating. It’s important to encourage active listen-

ing. For example, children might act out the recorded story

using puppets.

Infant and toddler rooms may not have a separate defined

literacy center; instead, theirs should be an environment rich

with books, pictures, language, and experiences. Books need

to be within children’s reach. Appropriate books are relevant

to the children, either wordless or with few words, have real-

istic illustrations, are small enough for little hands, and are

durable enough for rough exploration. It’s also important to

have personalized books such as a small photo album with

pictures of the child’s family members and pets. Infants and

toddlers need to hear an abundance of language. Adults

should talk to children throughout the day, including during

routine caregiving tasks such as diapering and feeding. They

should also read books to children, sing songs, engage in

conversational give and take, respond to all efforts to com-

municate, and expand and extend speech as children begin

to use words.

It’s crucial that the teacher meet the needs of all learners. In

supporting children who are learning English as a second

language (9% of the school population) teachers should view

the second language as additive, rather than in a negative

light. Teachers should never attempt to replace the first lan-

guage. Instead, it’s important to continue to support the first

language while teaching the child the second.

The outdoors can provide additional opportunities to engage

in literacy. Reading (e.g., guidebooks) and writing (e.g., chalk-

board in a playhouse) materials can be placed in outdoor

centers. In addition, areas can be labeled with signs. Outdoor

events can also be a catalyst for new vocabulary or to

encourage children’s oral language.

Working with Preschoolers

Developing Manipulative and

Sensory Centers

Fine motor skills are critical for everyday activities as well as

school success. By the time children reach elementary school,

30–60% of their school day is spent participating in fine

motor tasks. Children who have difficulty with fine motor

skills are often teased by classmates, experience a poor

self-concept, and are viewed more negatively by teachers.

Children with physical disabilities often struggle in this area.

Children with ADHD, Down’s syndrome, and fetal alcohol

syndrome often also have fine motor deficits. Time spent

playing in a manipulative center can help enhance fine motor

skill development.

An effective manipulative center includes a quiet, uninter-

rupted area for children to work that’s well lighted, preferably

with natural light; low open shelves for materials; trays or

baskets to hold all the materials needed for a discrete

activity; horizontal and vertical work surfaces; attractive,

enticing, diverse materials and high-quality tools; and

enough materials for four to six children to have several

choices each.

There needs to be materials available in the center to

enhance each of the following skills: pincer grasp, grasping

and squeezing, bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination,

wrist rotation, wrist stability, finger dexterity, and general

hand development.

To facilitate learning in the manipulative center, teachers

need to introduce new materials, keep the center interesting

by adding new materials, provide encouragement and recog-

nition, provide challenges, teach the correct way to use tools,

provide assistance to children who are struggling, scaffold

learning, assist with proper positioning, encourage crossing

the midline, be aware of the effects of object size, and partici-

pate in conversations with children.

An effective sensory center contains a water or media table

that’s accessible from all sides with low storage shelves con-

taining a variety of props, smocks, and literacy materials. The

center needs to contain an easy-to-clean floor, with child-size

Lesson 3

cleaning tools. Ideally, it’s located near a sink. It’s important

to meet all safety and health standards, such as draining the

water after each group of children is done playing with the

media table.

There are many appropriate materials for the sensory center,

including water, sand, dirt, and a combination of these.

Diverse media allow children to learn different scientific con-

cepts and vocabulary. For example, while playing with water,

children have the opportunity to learn that water takes many

forms, it flows when it’s poured, it can dissolve some materials,

some objects float in it while others sink, and some materials

absorb water while others are water resistant.

To facilitate learning in the sensory center, teachers can

extend children’s learning, create new puzzlements, promote

new vocabulary acquisition, ask open-ended questions, create

challenges, facilitate pro-social play, and create limits and

simple rules.

Because sensory play is so open-ended, it meets the needs

of learners at a variety of different levels. It’s especially impor-

tant for children who have

sensory integration dysfunction (SID).

Self-Check 7

1. List five examples of functional print that can be found in an early childhood classroom.

______

(Continued)

Preschool Observation

INSTRUCTIONS

Read all instructions carefully. Make sure that your submitted

assignment fulfills all of the project requirements.

Choose two preschool children of the same chronological

ages—either two 3-year-olds or two 4-year-olds.

Observe each of these children for at least 30 minutes per

child using the five developmental categories—physical, cog-

nitive, social, emotional, and language. Use the chart at the

end of this assignment to record two to four observations

under

each category for each child. To maintain confidentiality, iden-

tify the children by age and number only, such as the

following: “Child 1—

Two years of age” and “Child 2—Two

years of age.” After you’ve gathered notes of your observa-

tions and

have edited and proofread them, prepare a neat

copy for submission. Type or legibly print the final draft of

your

observations.

Part 1: Narrative Summary

Summarize your observations in narrative form for each child

per each developmental category. Identify the differing abilities

between the two subjects and provide a possible explanation

for these developmental differences.

Part 2: Activity Plan

Using the following activity plan format, plan and implement

an activity that’s

developmentally appropriate for both chil-

dren in your field setting. A teacher at your field site will

observe the implementation of the activity and will complete

the implementation feedback form. This form needs to be

submitted with your assignment.

Graded Project

Use the following points as guidelines as you develop your

activity plan for this project:

■

Age of children

■

Learning center to be used

■

Name and brief description of the activity

■

Purpose/Objective of the activity. (Concepts, skills,

attitudes that you’ve designed this activity to teach or

develop. Why is this activity appropriate for both

children?)

■

Space and materials needed

■

Procedure. (Step-by-step description of the activity.

Describe how you’ll get started, what you’ll be doing

sequentially, how you’ll end the activity, how you’ll

help the children make a smooth transition to the next

activity)

■

Guidance. (Establish necessary limits for behavior and

boundaries of activity. Anticipate problems that may

occur during this activity and consider ways to handle

them)

■

Evaluation and follow-up. (How will you evaluate

whether or not your activity was effective? List any

follow-up activities that you might want to provide to

the

children.)

OBSERVATION CHART

Child 1:

______

Child’s Birthdate:

______

Background Information:

______

Complete Chart Below

Domain of Development

Observation Date / Social / Physical / Cognitive / Emotional / Language

BSERVATION CHART

Child 2:

______

Child’s Birthdate:

______

Background Information:

______

Complete chart Below

Observation Date / Social / Physical / Cognitive / Emotional / Language

Be sure to include the following in your submission:

■

Narrative summary of each child

■

Observation chart for each child

■

Activity plan (following the points provided above)

■

Implementation feedback form that follows

■

Evaluation sheet that follows

Proofread your work carefully and be sure it’s complete and

accurate.

Another Project

Learning Center Design

OVERVIEW

As already discussed in your textbook, a learning center is a

self-contained area with a variety of hands-on materials

organized around a specific curriculum area. Learning centers

can also be referred to as

learning stations, interest areas,

activity areas,

work stations.

Almost every early childhood

classroom is arranged to accommodate learning centers. We

choose this form of room arrangement because the use of

learning centers is consistent with early childhood philosophy.

Having these centers readily available in the classroom pro-

vides an environment conducive to preschool learning. For

this graded project, you’ll design a learning center that could

be used in a preschool classroom.

You’ll select one of the following areas—

Manipulative, Block,

Dramatic Play—

and create a high-quality learning center

to use in an early childhood classroom. Your design must

meet the following criteria:

■

Is the purpose of the center evident to targeted children?

■

Is the center inviting and aesthetically pleasing?

■

Is there an abundance of materials—enough so that

children don’t have to wait or get stymied in their

attempts to create?

■

Are materials developmentally appropriate, providing

challenges but not being so difficult that children

become frustrated?

■

Are there materials for a wide range of developmental

levels?

■

If the materials are closed ended, are they self-correcting?

■

Do the materials reflect cultural diversity?

■

Are there materials that reflect the lives of children with

Disabilities?

Are materials anti-biased?

■

Are materials readily available and in reach of the

children?

■

Are materials organized?

■

Are shelves labeled so children can find items and know

where to put them away?

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Create a diagram of the classroom indicating where the

center will be located.

2. Begin designing your center. Be sure to review the

corre

lating

chapter in your textbook including the center

assessment checklists provided for the chosen area.

3. Create a list of materials that you plan to include and

a basic diagram of the layout of your center. (If you

actually create a learning center in an early childhood

classroom, take a photo of the center to include with

your project.)

4. Write a 500-word essay (minimum) about your learning

center design. Include the following points in your essay:

■

Which center you chose to develop and why

■

What items are included and why they are included

■

How materials are displayed

■

How materials are stored

■

Your plan for changing and updating learning

materials in the center

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

This assignment

to be submitted online. Be sure to include

the following in your submission:

■

Diagram of entire classroom

■

List of materials you’ll include

■

Diagram or photo of the actual learning center. Be sure

that your drawing or photographs are comprehensive

and detailed enough to be evaluated.

■

Essay including all required information

■

Implementation feedback form

■

Evaluation sheet

Third Project

OVERVIEW

The final project is a hands-on activity related to what you’ve

learned throughout this course. To complete this project,

you’ll need to spend time in a child care setting observing

and documenting your time there. This final project takes the

place of a proctored exam and is worth 33% of your final