Curriculum: Project Development

Topic: Leaf

ANECDOTAL OBSERVATION

On September 25, 2012 at 3:30 pm, the student teacher went with ECE teacher and the children for a community walk. The children were then asking questions about the leaves. We answered their questions. In addition we said to them, “How does the colour of the leaves change at the time of season change.”Most of them collected leaves and said, “Fall is coming, all leaves are in the ground, and we will jump, crunch, and crunch.” Also, most of the parents said, “Children are very interested about leaves. They collect leaves from the playground, the park, and whenever they find leaves they start collecting leaves.” The children brought leaves to class and started comparing the leaves with one another. They also exchanged their leaves and mentioned the colours while exchanging. As the children started playing, they developed more clear understanding of leaves and their nature. Their conversations included:

”Does the leaves walk?” – “No leaves fly. Fairies wind blow and leaves fall down.” “Why do you think these leaves change colour?” – “They are bored, they don’t like one colour.

POSSIBLE CUES

Developmental cues:

Sort objects logically on the basis of one

dimension, such as colour, shape, or size.

Understand basic size, shape comparisons.

Able to classify by colours and types.

Understand simple questions appropriately.

Develop animism crediting inanimate

objects with life and lifelike properties such

as “Leaves are bored, they don’t like one

colour.”

Interest Cues:

Interested in nature.

Collecting leaves and comparing.

Stories of how leaves fall.

Possible Interests Web:

Anticipatory Web

Rational

Dear parents, My name is Sayeda. I am a doing my placement in Muppets Children’s Centre.

In couple of weeks I am going to implement six planned activities based on my observation,

and children’s cues and interests. My selected topic is related to children’s everyday

experiences with leaves. After observing the children and speaking with them at circle time, I

have discovered that they are so much interested in leaves. Most of the children enjoy playing

with leaves, and most of the time they are talking about the leaves, and they enjoy encounters

with different leaves. Moreover, leaves are available all around the place. We can integrate

leaves in the curriculum to utilize as tools in order to enhance their development of all

domains. According to Vygotsky, the difference between what a children can do without the

support of a more experienced caregiver and what the children can do with that support (Kail,

R. & Zolner, T., p. 248). Preschoolers are naturally curious and they will have many

opportunities over several weeks to explore leaves, and they will be benefited in all

developmental domains. For example, they will feel texture; they will count leaves and define

different types of leaves. It is an open ended experience which they can extend more. The

children will learn how many colours the leaves change, and when leaves change colour, so

they will learn about the seasons. Therefore, these experience and environment will work for

children as a third teacher. This experience is beneficial for preschooler children because they

are now at preoperational stage, and they will learn how to use symbols, such as words and

numbers, colour and texture.

During this time, the children will:

Sort, classify, and categorize leaves. Explore and crunch leaves Compare and contrast the similarities and differences Make leaves of different colour with play dough Goop with leaves, using leaves as paint brushes and draw leaves Collect leaves and pretend that children are squirrels and getting ready for

winter Make head gear and waist gear with leaves and wear them and dance with

leave songs.

We will be posting evidence and samples of our work. Please check in often and share

this experience with your children!

Thanks for your cooperation,

Sayeda Sultana, Student of Centennial College.

Documentation Panel

Documentation reflects children’s learning most effectively, when children are

actively involved in learning experiences, interact with others participating in everyday

experiences. A documentation panel is a visual process. It helped me show children’s work to

the parents more visually. I made my panel with children’s work. I made all activities in

different ways. I put science, math, music, drama, social studies, creative and art activities. I

visited the community park to collect leaves. The guest speaker read out a book on leaves.

Accordingly, I placed all of my activity pictures on the documentation panel. To grab the

parents’ attention, I put on my documentation panel the Rationale, KWHL Chart, First Circle

Web, Anticipatory Web, and Final Web. First, I discussed with my ECE teacher about where

I should put my documentation panel. The ECE told me about the location. I placed the

panel board at the dramatic centre and kept it at the eye level of the children. The location

was close to the entrance so parents could see easily. When I set the panel board all children

came over and saw the panel. A child said, “Wow! What a beautiful board!” Pointing to her

picture on the board, she called other children and said, “Look, this is me.” My mom said, “I

did good job.” When parents came to pick up the children most of the parents saw the panel.

They became very happy to see that their children did lots of activities. Also, they noticed

that their children were very excited about what they did. Parents always feel happy when

their children are happy. When S’s mom came in, S held her mother’s hand and brought her

mother in front of the documentation panel and said to her, “Look, mom, this is my picture.”

From my observation, children are very curious. Children always want to explore their own

role. The children looked at their pictures and could recognize when it happened. Whenever I

finished an activity, I used to make a board along with some pictures and put the board at the

eye level of the child. It helped them remember what they did previously. It also helped

children see the connections between their experiences and learning. According to book titled

Next Steps toward Teaching: the Reggio Way, “the role of collaboration and the co-

construction of knowledge, the independence of individual and social learning, and the roll of

culture in understanding this interdependence. Dwey, Piaget, and Vygotsky agree that the

individual child is active in constructing his or her intellectual and social development;

Malaguzzi also emphasizes each child’s active role in development.” ((Hendrick, 2004, p.28)

Documentation Panel

Documentation Panel Displayed in the Dramatic Area

Sorting and Counting game (math activity)

Picture description

Children are doing math activity and they are sorting leaves by colour. This experience will

support their fine motor skills as they are holding, sorting and counting the leaves. It will also

enhance their cognitive development by identifying different colours and sorting objects

logically on the basis of one dimension, such as colour, shape or size (Allen & Marotz, 2007,

p. 134). Moreover, it will provide the children with the opportunity of a sensory experience

of touching leaves. This experience will enhance their language skills as they are asking

questions and using words like smooth, red, yellow etc. The children are helping one another

in the sorting activity. This will contribute to their social and emotional development through

collaborative performance. This will also bring about the development in physical (fine

motor), cognitive, social, emotional and language domains and support the development of a

Whole Child. According to Piaget, a teacher is a guiding mentor, who encourages initiative,

experimentation, reasoning, and social collaboration. She arranges safe, supportive

environments for spontaneous exploration where learners are free to choose from many

alternatives. Like Montessori, Piaget believed that to be effective the teacher need to be a

careful observer so that she can set up environment and experiences that challenge children.

Explore and Crunch activity (science activity)

Picture description

The children are doing science activity. A science activity develops sense of curiosity

and interest in investigating new ideas and concepts. These activities fulfill children’s desire

to explore and discover the world by getting direct hands-on experiences. Here, the children

are exploring leaves’ property by putting them in different environments such as in water and

sand. This activity supports the children to explore open ended materials to develop their

cognitive skills. By touching the leaves in the water or the sand, they are developing their fine

motor skills. By feeling the texture, they are developing sensory skills too. When the children

are giving answers and asking questions, they are developing their language skills. They are

showing their feelings for the leaves by saying “Leaves are happy”; this develops their

emotional skills. They are working collaboratively; this enhances their pro-social skills.

According to Dewey, “Children as active, in fact, “intensely active”. The question for

educators, Dewey said, is how to take hold of the children’s activities and give them

direction, “The law for presenting and treating material is the law implicit within the child’s

own nature.” “The content of a social curriculum is best when it grows out of children’s

social life.” (Hendrick, 2004, p. 29). Through this activity, the children learn about the

different textures that a leaf assumes in different environments.

Goop with Leaves activity (creative and art activity)

Picture description:

The children are doing Creative and Art activity. The children are very interested to use

leaves as paint brushes and Goop as paint to make art on the paper. This activity support

children to develop their cognitive skills as they are using leaves as paint brushes and goop as

paint for painting on a paper. They hold leaves as paint brushes; this develops their fine

motor skill. They touch the goop and feel it; this develops their sensory skills. Sensory skills

help the children to improve their fine and gross development. They are getting hands-on

experience of manipulating materials. This also promotes scientific exploration and

discovery. Basically, children are learning from their senses and sensory activities improve

their cognitive and learning skills. They were talking about the leaves, painting on a paper

and subsequently putting their artwork in trays for drying. Some of them decide to take their

artwork home for their mothers. These contributes to the development in their language,

social, and emotional domains. According to the book titled Creating Environment for

Learning, “Children increase their artistic knowledge, skills, and creativity while enhancing

emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development as they participate in art. They also

are more likely to develop a “love of the arts” when they are exposed to art at a young age.”

(Bullard, 2010, p. 249).

Squirrels are getting ready for the winter (Dramatic activity)

Picture description:

The children are doing dramatic activity. They are pretending that they are squirrels and

taking preparation for the winter. In this activity, the children use symbolic representation

and engage in cooperative play with one another which develops children’s cognitive skills.

According to Piaget, “preoperational stage is the stage of cognitive development during

which children use symbols to represent objects and events. (Kail & Zolner, 2012, p. 237)

According to Vygotsky, “Dramatic play allows children to practice skills they learned in real-

life situations, to assimilate information, and to try to make sense of it. While engaging in

socio-dramatic plays, children gain literacy, self regulatory, cognitive, social, emotional and

creative skills (Bullard, 2010, p. 230). Therefore, this activity supports the children to

develop their all domains.

Make Different Colour Leaves with Play Dough activity (Social studies activity)

Picture description:

The children are doing social studies activity. They are making leaves with the play dough of

different colours and learning how leaves change colour from one season to another.

Vygotsky believes that child development proceeds through a series of five stages. He

focuses on the social aspects of learning, that is, the role of adults and older children in

supporting cognitive, self-regulation, and language development. (Charlesworth, p.15).

Therefore, this activity supports cognitive, emotional and language development. It also

enhances their fine motor skills when they roll the play dough. By touching the play dough

with leaves, they develop their sensory skills. They are demonstrating their understanding of

others’ perspective by saying “my mom loves green one” etc. This develops their social

skills. From this activity, the children learn that in the summer, leaves are green; in the

spring, they start to change colour; in the fall, they are red, yellow, orange and green; and in

the winter, there are no leaves in the tree.

Tribal Dance activity (Music activity)

Picture description:

The children are doing the music activity. They wear head gears and waist gears made of

leaves, hold one another’s hand and dance with the “fall leaves” music. This activity provides

the children with the opportunity to explore and develop their different domains. When they

are dancing, they are developing their gross motor skills. When they are singing a song, they

are developing their language skills. By holding hands and sharing their experience and

feelings about wearing head gears and waist gears, they are developing their emotional and

social skills. The children are also learning about a special aspect of the native’s cultural

tradition. This develops their thinking skills. According to the book titled Children: A

Chronological Approach, Gardener (1993, 1995) believes that schools should foster all

intelligences, not just the traditional linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences.

Teachers should capitalize on the strongest intelligences of children. Some students may best

understand unfamiliar cultures, for example, by studying their dance, while other students

may understand these cultures by studying their music. (Kail & Zolner, 2012, p. 341).

KWHL Chart

K (Know) W (What do we want to know)

H (How will we learn it) L

Fall, winter, spring

When do leaves change colour?

Make leaves of different colours, with play dough.

The children have learned that in the summer leaves are green; in the spring leaves start to change colour; in the fall leaves turns red, yellow, and green; in the winter there are no leaves in the trees.

Green, yellow, red, brown

How many times do leaves change colour?

Make goops of different colours. Do paintings on paper using leaves as paint brushes.

The children have learned that leaves can be of different colours such as red, yellow, green, orange, and brown. Leaves of different colours can be used for different purposes.

Red, yellow, big, small, round, square

How are leaves different?

Collect many leaves of different sizes, shapes, and colours and sort them.

The children have learned that leaves are different in shapes, colours and sizes. We can sort leaves by colour, size, and shape.

In winter all the leaves fall down.

What happens to the leaves in the winter? What happens to the squirrels?

Collect leaves and pretend that children are squirrels and getting ready for winter.

The children have learned how animals such as squirrels etc. survive during the winter.

Smooth, rough, and dry.

How do we feel when you touch a leaf?

Place leaves in water and sand, to explore and crunch.

Children have learned that a leaf can have different textures in different environments.

Make happy sound, crying, laughing.

How do leaves sound when wind blows?

Make head gear and waist gear with leaves, wear them and dance with leaf songs.

Children learn about a special aspect of the native’s cultural traditions.

Final Web