Subject | Early Child Development | Pages | 6 | Style | APA |
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E03 Curriculum Development
Directions: Be sure to make an electronic copy of your answer before submitting it to Ashworth College for grading. Unless otherwise stated, answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English spelling and grammar. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) pages in length; refer to the "Assignment Format" page for specific format requirements.
Using the eight (8) content headings used in the text, develop a week-long plan for group time appropriate for 2-year-olds, and a second plan appropriate for 4-year-olds focusing on literacy.
Remember to think carefully about beginning with something familiar that the children like and also remember to put whatever you judge to be new or most difficult early in the plan so that children will be able to concentrate on it before they become too tired.
Make sure to include the following in your lesson plans:
- A detailed description of the activities.
- Required materials for the activities.
- The objectives of the activities.
- Any informal or formal assessments that will be used.
Answer
Lesson Plan Activities for Two and Four-Year-Olds
One of the most important aspects that ensure classroom goals and objectives are met is an effective lesson plan. Tutors are therefore tasked with developing a lesson plan that accommodates all students irrespective of their diversity such as gender, race, ethnicity or race. Key elements in a lesson plan particularly that of young students are the group activities and learning materials (Duncan & Magnuson, 2013). These things must be considered as well as student’s evaluation to ascertain that the objectives have been met. This lesson plan is on two and four-year-old students for a period of one week. Key factor put into consideration while developing these activities is language comprehension.
Two-year-olds
Week activities
The group activities follow a specific format which is students entering the classroom, settling down, group tasks, playing and going home. The first thing in the morning is entering the classroom where they will line up outside the door one by one they enter singing a song while mentioning their names, gender, and age. As they proceed to their sitting positions, they will use gestures to point out their desks as they say “I sit here.” Next, is getting settled where the classroom activities will begin. These will include songs, alphabet fishing, sorting, matching, numbers, and clean-up (Mayesky, 2014). The songs will vary according to the teacher’s and student’s preferences. At this point, since the songs are many, every student will lead a particular song while standing in front of the classroom. The alphabet fishing activity involves students imitating the fishing action, and upon selecting a particular fish, the student will mention the color of it such as “There is a blue fish.” In sorting, the students will use balls and containers to group similar objects. In the matching activity which is similar to sorting, the students will take cut pictures of animals, numbers, alphabets or a combination and place them in a position that reflects on identity. Another group task is clean up of the tables where the students will again use matching to place the materials in the same basket for the following day. Ensuring regular breaks for short calls and meals is important. Considering playing, various games will be introduced to the student such as songs in circles and games that touch on a particular aspect such as numbers and animals. Finally, the students will go home, and as they walk to the bus, they will sing a goodbye song.
Materials
Various materials are used for various activities. In the songs, a music player with recorded tracks is used for students to sing along. Some of the songs here include hymns which are centered on Bible stories. Alphabets, pictures, and numbers use cut and printed materials such as papers and plastics (Harwell & Jackson, 2014). During the fishing activity, a wooden pole with a string and a magnet at the end is used. The pictures also have a small magnet at the mouth part. There will also be charts with specific prints such as alphabets, numbers, animals and cars. During playing, materials used include pebbles, ladder, swings, and toys.
Activities objectives
Every activity has a specific objective. However, they are all centered on enhancing the child’s language and pronunciation. For the entering songs, it is aimed at promoting the student knowledge about their name, age, and gender while distinguishing the latter two. Similarly, other songs are used to enhance their memory as they recite the songs daily (Mayesky, 2014). In the matching, numbering, sorting and fishing, besides promoting the student’s knowledge of the alphabets and numbers, it is an early introduction of wording, and sums while promoting their memory. The games are used to keep the students active. Standing in front of the class to lead a song is aimed at boosting the child’s confidence.
Assessment
At the end of the week, every student will undertake an informal test. This will include matching where they will relate various aspects on printed paper through pointing. Next is alphabets and numbers identification where they will mention a particular alphabet and number written by the teacher. No major assessment as the main factors put in consideration in this lesson are talking and pronunciations.
Four-year-olds
Week activities
For the four-year-old students, week-long activities will include songs as they enter and leave the classroom, identification of names, numbers, and alphabets, molding, vocabulary words, matching, story times, playing, art and writing. The songs are both as the student enter and leave the classroom and also music sessions for hymns and others that touch on alphabets, numbers or environment-related aspects (Leech, McNaughton & Timperio, 2014). In molding, the students are taught on making a specific shape or object using plasticine. In the identification of names, numbers, and alphabets, the students will use activities such as sorting and fishing while stating the selected printed item. In matching, the students will relate similar pictures in regards to alphabets, numbers or animals. During storytelling, the teacher will narrate various tales to the student who will also do the same to their colleagues. Playing will include jump ropes, ladders, swings, and music related games. In art, it will involve drawing and painting according to the specification of the teacher such as color. The students will also be writing numbers, alphabets and names while learning sentence construction.
Materials
For the alphabets, numbers, and names, they will be printed on cut pieces of paper or plastics. Plasticine will be used for the molding. The painting activity will make use of pencils, crayons, and papers. A music player with audio tracks and recorded narrations will also be used for songs and storytelling sessions. For alphabets and numbers fishing activity, it will make use of magnets and fishing wood and string to imitate the action. Pebbles will be used for matching and sorting. For playing activity, jump ropes, parachutes, toys, ladders and swings will be used. For the number, names, and letters, printed charts are displayed in the classroom, and a wooden stick is used to point them out.
Objectives of the activities
In fishing, sorting and matching, the student will be able to identify and name the specific elements. Further, they will be able to identify and name various environmental aspects such as animals. They will also identify specific letters in their names while demonstrating an understanding of vocabulary and words in conversations while enhancing their writing skills. Storytelling and music are used to improve the students’ memory, and pronunciation, as well as the construction of sentences (Csikszentmihalyi & Wolfe, 2014) Storytelling, is also essential in enhancing the student’s confidence and interaction with their classmates. Games will be important to enhance student’s interaction and boost their physical activity. For art which entails drawing and printing, it is aimed at boosting the child’s memory and creativity.
Assessment
Assessment for four-year-olds will be based on the student’s ability to recognize letters, numbers, and names while pronouncing and writing theirs. Another assessment is drawing and printing of various shapes and objects as directed by the teacher (Tamis-LeMonda et al., 2017). Painting, in this case, will involve color selection and coloring without going beyond the borders. The students will also be tested for matching letters and alphabets and filling out the missing elements in an arrangement. Sousa (2016) suggests that these assessments are used to test the student’s memory.
References
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Wolfe, R. (2014). New conceptions and research approaches to creativity: Implications of a systems perspective for creativity in education. In The systems model of creativity (pp. 161-184). Springer Netherlands.
Duncan, G. J., & Magnuson, K. (2013). Investing in preschool programs. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(2), 109-132.
Harwell, J. M., & Jackson, R. W. (2014). The complete learning disabilities handbook: Ready-to-use strategies and activities for teaching students with learning disabilities. John Wiley & Sons.
Leech, R. M., McNaughton, S. A., & Timperio, A. (2014). The clustering of diet, physical activity and sedentary behavior in children and adolescents: a review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11(1), 4.
Mayesky, M. (2014). Creative Activities and Curriculum for young children. Cengage Learning.
Sousa, D. A. (2016). How the brain learns. Corwin Press.
Tamis‐LeMonda, C. S., Kuchirko, Y., Luo, R., Escobar, K., & Bornstein, M. H. (2017). Power in methods: language to infants in structured and naturalistic contexts. Developmental Science.