Early Childhood Lesson Plan

Name of Teaching Candidate: Gabby Garduno

Name of Host Teacher: Christine Poppe
Name of School/Program: Cortland YMCA
Date of Lesson: 4/26/19 Time: 9:30 a.m. Length of lesson: 20 minutes
Grade Level: PreK Age Range: 3-4 Number of Children: 6
Title of Lesson: Ocean vs. Farm
Theme or Unit: Math/Science
Knowledge of Children to Inform Teaching
Describe what you know and have researched (i.e., online or written sources, child care handbook, ask
the teacher) about the center. Include type of center (e.g., Head Start, Child care center, etc.),
philosophy, curriculum, and details about the community where the center is located, such as
population demographics, families and where they work.
My field placement is a part of the CAPCO Head Start program. I am placed at the Cortland YMCA on
22 Tompkins Street. The three preschool classrooms are all downstairs in the basement away from the
main lobby, the pool, and gym area. The philosophy as a whole from the Head Start program is about
the no child left behind act. Every child has learning goals, but they need to be educated in a safe
learning environment by wise teachers. Every child and their family has the right to maintain a happy
and healthy lifestyle which can also be through their development. The staff members support the
children and their families for their social and emotional well-being. They want everyone to be greatly
appreciated in the community. My classroom's curriculum is through a creative approach, and an
incredible approach which means social-emotional. The YMCA is in Cortland county which has a
population of around 47,000 people. The race/origin is mainly white with a little bit of
Hispanic/Latino. The townspeople in Cortland seem to stop their education after high school, or they
do continue to college, but don’t achieve their bachelor's degree. Cortland county is known for the
“teacher school” which is called SUNY Cortland. The families in the classroom are income eligible.
This means they are below the poverty line, and they are allowed to put their child into the classroom
first before anyone else. This is what the CAPCO Head Start program is for.
Describe what you know about the children in the classroom as a whole. Include information about
their overall development, interests, their lives, and aspects of their culture (see Anti-Bias Education
text from EDU 333 (and on Blackboard) for review of culture).
I have 13 children in my classroom with a variety of boys and girls. The children’s development is
scattered throughout the classroom. Three of the children need speech, and the two out of those three
need occupational therapy. Besides those three children the rest of them seem to be developing at a
good pace. Many of the boys in the classroom are very interested in dinosaurs. One boy in particular
always brings in his toy dinosaur from home for his nap time. Since I knew that the boys love
dinosaurs I actually did an activity based on that, so they will become more involved. It worked
because they wanted to take the “felt dinosaurs” home with them. Many of the children also love our
sensory table. First our sensory table had oats with different kinds of beans in it. In the table were cups
and the oat container, so the children can fill them up. Then our sensory table had purple sand with
shovels in it, and now the sensory table has bird seeds in it. There can only be four children at a time at
the table, but more children always want to join. Some children also like to play in the kitchen area,
especially my focus child. Some of the children have parents that are divorced and see their parents on
separate days. This might be hard on them since they’re still at a young age. We don’t talk about
holidays in our classroom because some families may not celebrate certain ones. Our classroom is
multiracial, so there aren't just white families.
What prior knowledge and experiences do the children have with your specific lesson topic and what
prerequisite skills do they have or need to have? Pull information from number 2 above. How will you
integrate what you know about the children as a whole (development, interests, lives, culture) within
this specific lesson?
My lesson involves where certain animals live, and the children know about animals from going
outside, or inside the classroom. My lesson also involves counting to incorporate math besides science.
Counting comes up in the classroom without the children even realizing. A prerequisite skill that the
children have is sorting. During their work time they sort colored pom poms, but now they will be
sorting different animals into a habitat category. This will also help them with counting to a certain
number which will be the number five. These skills will help with their development. I pulled the
children's interests by picking animals as the main discussion in my lesson. Many of the children have
animals in their table toy bag that they play with after they finish eating their breakfast and lunch. I am
always telling them what animals they have in their bag, and some of the children know what they are
before I tell them. I want the children to have fun during this activity by seeing what animal goes into
the ocean or farm.
Pre-assessment: attach your pre-assessment data at the end of the lesson plan.
Describe what you learned from your pre-assessment of your focus child that informs this specific
lesson.
I observed my focus child at the working table. At the table was a box filled with moon sand that
contained red animal cutouts and clear little and big cups. He was taking the moon sand and putting it
in the cups which involved measuring. I took the idea of animals from the red animal cutouts that he
used too. He didn’t do any counting during his play, but I thought that counting would be better for this
specific lesson I had in mind. The science that I am incorporating as the main part is the animals, and
the math that he did was measuring which I won’t be using. I figured he likes animals, so I decided that
would be my main focus, and the other children are interested in that too.
Based on this information, how will you integrate this into your lesson for your focus child to be
engaged in the lesson and specifically support the child’s development.
My focus child will be engaged in the lesson because it involves animals which were in the box filled
with moon sand that he was playing with. I will be extending the lesson by having the children choose
which animal goes into what habitat. There will be the ocean versus the farm with five animals for
each. This will support the children's development by identifying the animal and classifying it into a
category. When the children count how many animals are in each habitat it will further their
development even more. Counting is something the children will need to eventually learn, so counting
to five is a good number to start at. The children will be learning science with a little bit of math, and
we are actually learning about science in the classroom currently.
Content – What are you teaching and how will you assess the children’s learning?
What is the content you are focusing on in this lesson?
The content I am focusing on in this lesson is math and science. For science they are learning
scientific thinking, and for math they are learning the numbers and operation area.
What specifically do you want the children to be able to know and comprehend by the end of the
lesson?
I want the children to comprehend where each animal lives whether it be the ocean or the farm. I also
want them to know what the vocabulary words are because it intertwines with where each animal lives.
The vocabulary words are environment, habitat, and living.
How will you assess the children’s learning through informal and/or formal methods; what method will
you use?
I will be doing an anecdotal record when the children are counting how many animals live in the ocean
versus the farm. I will be taking pictures of the children to use as work samples when they are deciding
what animal goes into the ocean or farm. I want the children to be taking turns and be fair to one
another, so when a child is showing me that then that child will get a tally. Lastly, when a child
responds to me, or uses the new vocabulary word given then that child will get a checkmark in the box
for the checklist.
Rationale for Lesson Plan
Provide a brief description of your plan for content and teaching methods. Write a rationale and
justification for the content you are teaching. Why is this content focus appropriate for the children
you’re teaching? How and why are your teaching methods developmentally appropriate and connected
to the specific content you are teaching? How do your teaching methods support children’s
development in connection to their culture and language? Support your rationale with at least 2
references (theoretical and/or research-based).
Doing math and science in a preschool classroom is essential just like creativity. Science and math
come up in the classroom everyday without the children even noticing. Science and math and very
broad areas that can be turned into something more specific. I chose to involve animals in the science
area for my lesson because in my pre-assessment my focus child was playing with red animal cutouts,
so I expanded that idea. In the book Developmentally Appropriate Practice it supports my justification
of science. “They provide interesting experiences and materials that convey key scientific concepts
(e.g., weight, light, cause and effect), as well as skills (e.g., predicting, observing, classifying,
hypothesizing, experimenting, communicating)” (Copple & Bredekamp, 2013, p. 91). I am involving
the classifying skill in my lesson because the children will classify whether the animal lives in the
ocean or the farm. This will be interesting for the children because it’s something new they are learning
about.

I chose to involve counting for the math area because this will further the children’s development. The
children will be counting to five twice because there will be five different animals in each habitat.
“Because preschoolers tend to think concretely, handling objects and working with visual
representation help them carry out and understand operations” (Epstein, 2014, p. 137). I will be doing
this by pointing to each animal as they count. Once they see me point to the animal they will say one,
then two, and so on. By me pointing to each animal they are visually seeing something to make
counting easier. This is intentional teaching because I am planning it thoughtfully, and it has a purpose.
My goal for the children is to have them count to five without messing up.

My lesson will involve the child-guided and adult-guided experiences which is also through intentional
teaching. Child-guided follows the child's interests and actions, and involves strategic support from the
teacher. Adult-guided follows the teacher's goals, and is shaped by the child’s active engagement.
Together, these experiences create optimal learning for children. It’s important for me to use
intentional communication because it encourages and supports the children’s language. It also
facilitates learning through discussion extenders, think-alouds, and questions. A question I could ask a
child is “How did you know that animal lives there?” This will have the child really think about their
answer, and it could make a good conversation. I think the children will be very excited to do this
activity.
Vocabulary
Include the primary vocabulary you are focusing on during this lesson. Include the vocabulary term
AND a child-friendly definition that you will use during the lesson.
Environment: The area where a person, plant, or animal lives
Habitat: The actual place where a person, plant, or animal lives
Living: Alive, and breathing
Curriculum Area/Objectives/Standards/Assessment/Evaluation Criteria
The chart below includes your aligned objectives to the curriculum areas, NYS PreK Common Core
Learning Standards, and your method of assessment and your evaluation criteria for your assessment.
Each area needs to be aligned. Only one standard should be aligned to each objective. (Each lesson
plan should have a literacy objective and a social-emotional objective together with the primary
curriculum focus of the lesson – e.g. creativity, math/science).

You are required to use a checklist for at least one objective.

* You are required to include 4 objectives for this lesson (1 math, science, literacy, and social-
emotional).

Curriculu Objective Standard Assessment Evaluation

m Area or Criteria
Learning (How will
Domain you know
the children
have met the
objective?)
Math During their work time, the Domain 5. Anecdotal Record I will be
children will be able to Cognition and observing the
count how many animals Knowledge of the children as
there are in each living World: they count
environment. Measurement and how many
Data animals are
2. Sort objects into in each living
categories; count the environment.
numbers of objects I will write
in each category down
(limit category whatever I
counts to be less see and hear
than or equal to 10). from the
children.
Science During their work time, the Domain 5. Work Sample While I am
children will be able to Cognition and showing the
classify which animal goes Knowledge of the children what
in what living environment. World: animal will
Scientific Thinking go into what
1d) Organizes his living
or her observations environment
of objects and I will have
events by the host
identifying, teacher take
classifying, etc. pictures of
me with the
children
doing the
activity.
Social- During their work time, the Domain 3. Tally I will mark a
Emotional children will be able to take Social and tally next to
turns with velcroing each Emotional each child’s
animal to the laminated Development: name that
paper. Relationships with shows me
Others that they are
5b) Uses multiple taking turns
pro-social strategies nicely, and
to resolve conflicts that no
(e.g., trade, take problems are
turns, problem occuring.
solve).
Literacy During their work time, the Domain 4. Checklist I will have
children will be able to use Communication, the children’s
the new vocabulary words Language, and names
given (i.e., environment, Literacy: written down
habitat, living). Vocabulary in the column
5c) Responds/reacts with the three
to different
questions/comments vocabulary
indicating he words, and
understands each time a
meaning (e.g., body child
language, gestures, responds to
facial expressions, one of the
and words). vocabulary
words I say
he/she will be
given a
checkmark in
the box.
Differentiation – Use the chart to identify your plan for differentiation (This chart is the same used in
the edTPA assessment) – add lines if needed.
Describe your overall plan here as a short summary. Provide a rationale for your differentiation
strategies.
The three children listed below all have speech therapists. This means that they need help with their
language when speaking. One of the children barely speaks, and he uses sign language to communicate
with us. For this specific child I can use sign language for the vocabulary words which are
environment, habitat, and living. He may want to point to an animal, and I can sign to him what it is. I
can also sign the numbers one through five when he needs to count the animals. For the other children I
will help them speak these vocabulary words out loud. I will sound it out for them, so they can
pronounce it correctly. Two out of those three children have occupational therapists. This means that
they need help with doing things independently. If at one point the children are confused where to put
the animal I can give them a hint, but I would like them to figure it out by themselves. If they figure it
out by themselves then they are mastering their self work skills, and their development. They will also
be counting to five, and if they need help I can count with them.
Child IEP/504 Plans: Supports, Responsible Teaching
(Initials) Classification/Needs Accommodations, Staff
And Other Learning Needs Modifications,
Pertinent IEP Goals
EXAMPLE: Receptive Language delay including Child will be provided Field Placement
C.B. only being able to follow one-step with visual pictures Student
directions along with new
vocabulary words and
one-step directions
during lesson.
B.B Child needs support in the areas of Child uses sign language Speech and
cognitive development, and has a to communicate with us. Occupational therapist
communication deficit. Child also Child chooses the correct
needs support in developing coping answer from pictures
skills and behavior regulation when given a question.
strategies. In OT child works on
fine motor skills and
sensory regulation.
S.B Child needs support in some areas of Child has five Speech therapist
language skills. conversational turns with
an adult on familiar
topics to increase
complexity of language.
M.F.A Child has a sensory disorder. Child Child completes three Speech and
also has a delay in language. Child minutes of fine motor Occupational therapist
needs to pay attention during skills. Child also uses
activities to remain safe, and makes verbal approximations to
poor eye contact with others. request four times during
therapy sessions.
Materials & Technology Use
Materials List
Write a list for any materials needed to be used by the teacher and children. Include any references for
materials (e.g. picture books/curriculum guides).
Picture of the ocean and farm
Velcro
Picture of a shark, fish, turtle, crab, dolphin, pig, chicken, cow, goat, and horse
Laminator machine
Technology Use
Include a list of all forms of technology that you, as the teacher, plan to use and then any tools that you
plan for the children to use. Provide a brief description of how you plan to use each form of
technology.
Example: Tablet: used to capture videos of child dance movements during dance activity
Phone: Used to take pictures of the children classifying what animal goes in what habitat for my work
samples.
Plan for Guidance and Classroom Management
Include a description of how you plan to support children’s engagement and participation in your
lesson. In your guidance plan, comment on how you have created a physically and psychologically
safe space where you engage in positive communication, provide specific feedback, and anticipate and
respond to any problems that may arise. Also make sure to describe your management of set-up, clean-
up, and materials for the children. Provide justification from theory and research with at least 2
references to course readings.
During my lesson I will have a plan if something were to arise like a challenging behavior with a child.
I would need to take care of this through supporting the child’s emotional development. If the children
were arguing about wanting to pick the same animal to velcro I could say “We have to be fair to one
another” or “We need to take turns.” Having the children argue could lead to anger and aggression, and
I don’t want that. “One simple way you can support emotional development when aggression arises is
to give children—both the victim and the aggressor—time to calm down before addressing the issue”
(Fiechtner & Albrecht, 2016, para. 13). If I start talking to the children right away their feelings are
still strong. The children need time to calm down first and gather their thoughts. It’s good for the
children to do something that will let them get their mind off what they were arguing about like playing
a game or giving hugs. By encouraging the children with these helpful tips it will help them forget that
they were sad.

We need to have a safe environment in the classroom also. “Socialization skills are just emerging in
preschool, so many children are not familiar with sharing toys, space, and the teacher’s time with other
children. This sometimes results in physically aggressive behavior, such as hitting, pinching, pushing,
and kicking. When there is an imbalance of power between children, it can lead to bullying to achieve
dominance” (Raisor & Thompson, 2014, para. 8). This behavior is never allowed or acceptable in the
classroom. The children need to know this because this behavior is not safe for their surrounding
friends. An idea would be for the children to role play, so they can see different outcomes of their
behavior. It’s good for teachers to support children’s play, and their learning. The classroom should be
a safe place, so If I mention this the bullying should decrease.

My setup will involve myself because the children will be called over once I am done. I will lay out the
ocean and farm picture on the table side by side. Then I will scatter the little animal pictures around the
table. Once I finish that I will call over three or four children to come sit down at the table. Once that
group has finished velcroing and counting the animals I will call the next three or four children, and so
on. After all the children who wanted to participate are called up then I will clean up because my
lesson would be over. I will take the pictures off the table, and put them away in my folder. This
activity requires no mess, so I will not need to wipe down the table. The materials used will be fun for
the children because of all the different animals they will be seeing.
Lesson Plan Implementation: This section will detail your plan from the introduction to the
conclusion with explicit details. This will be the most detailed part of your lesson plan as this describes
exactly your plan for what you are going to do and say from the introduction through the conclusion of
your lesson. Spend significant time detailing and thoughtfully considering these areas.
Introduction/Anticipatory Set (Links to prior knowledge, gets children interested, clarifies purpose,
approximate time).
What time and where is the introduction taking place and approximately how long will it take? What
will you do and/or say to introduce the experience and share the purpose of the activity? How will you
connect to children’s prior knowledge of the content?
My introduction will start at about 9:15 a.m. and will approximately last about 5 minutes. This will be
taking place at their work table. I will first introduce the topic of classifying animals into the categories
of the ocean and farm. I will say that we will be velcroing the animals to the picture of where they live
which is called their habitat. Habitat is one of our new vocabulary words that we will be using along
with environment and living. I think it’s better to introduce the vocabulary words in the introduction
because they need to be focused during the activity. Then I will say that once all the animals are
velcroed to where they live we will count together to see how many there are in the ocean and the farm.
The purpose of this activity is for the children to get to know where certain animals live, and count to
the number five without messing up. The children know the names of certain animals, so I’m hoping
they will know the names of the animals I am choosing for them. If it’s a new animal that they don’t
know it will peak their interest even more.
Describe the real object and/or visual you will use to support children’s connection and engagement to
the experience.
The visual that the children will be seeing are two pictures on the table of the ocean and the farm.
Around that there will be ten little pictures of different animals like a shark, fish, turtle, crab, dolphin,
pig, chicken, cow, goat, and horse. The children will be engaged because they get to see where each
animal lives, and the children like to see animals when they play with their table toys. Their table toys
have animals from the ocean, so it will be different for the to see animals from the farm.
What will you do to transition the children from the introduction/anticipatory set to your main activity?
After I tell them what they need to do, and introduce the new vocabulary words I will say “Now where
does this animal go?” to begin the activity. The children will then begin to velcro the animals on the
picture to where they think it lives. This will be a small group, so all the children aren’t fighting to take
a turn, or can’t see because there's too many heads in the way.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment Procedures (include approximate times).
Where and when is the main part of the lesson taking place and how long do you plan it will take?
The main part of the lesson will still be taking place at the working table, so they can sit in their chairs.
It will start at around 9:20 a.m. and I plan for it to last for 10 minutes.
Detail with a script everything you plan to say to the children through this lesson/activity. This will be
the most detailed part of your plan. Include use of vocabulary, intentional communication of questions
and statements, and scaffolding with “stretching” experiences for each child.
The small group of children have started doing the activity. I will be watching them, and asking them
questions along the way for some intentional communication. I will start by pointing to an animal and
saying “Where is this animal's habitat?” “Remember that a habitat is where the animal lives.” I will
say that to remind them what that vocabulary word means. “The environment that the animal lives in is
different from their habitat.” “The animal's environment is the area of where it lives.” I could also ask
them “Are these animals living” because living is another vocabulary word. “Living means alive, and
animals and humans like us are alive so that means we are living.” “If something is breathing then it is
living.” If a child places an animal in the correct habitat I will not say good job because it’s very vague
to the child. The child won’t understand what they did was “good.” So instead of saying good job I
could say “I’m so happy you found where that animal lives.” “How did you know that animal lives
there?” This is all a part of the intentional communication.

It’s also good to ask the children open-ended questions instead of close-ended questions where the
answer would be a yes or no. That doesn’t get the children’s brains working. I could ask the children
“What’s your favorite animal?” Once they answer me I can ask why they picked that certain animal. I
could ask them “If you were an animal would you want to live in the ocean or farm? And why?” This
could be a silly question for them that they would find funny. I can ask them about the animals' sounds.
“What sound does a cow make, what sound does a pig make?” And so on. This could help me figure
out what children know more about animal sounds. By me knowing about the animal sounds could be a
whole new lesson for the future. If a child velcros the wrong animal in the wrong habitat I will just say
“I don’t think that animal can live there.” I can see if the child understands and see if he/she will move
it into the correct spot. Once the children have velcroed all the animals in their correct habitats then I
will say “Okay let's all count the animals in each habitat. Ready?”

Once the children have finished counting the animals correctly I can ask if they would do this activity
again. I can ask “What was your favorite part? And why?” I can ask them “What other animals would
you want to be in this activity?” This could bring in different habitats too which could be extended into
another day. Lastly, I could say “I’m glad you guys enjoyed this activity because I had fun too!”
Identify how you will engage in formative assessment during the learning experience (e.g., observing
and providing feedback during the activity). What do you anticipate the children may have
misconceptions about and/or challenges during this activity?
I will be working on my post assessments while the children are doing the activity. I will be observing
the children while they are velcroing the animals to the paper, and while I am watching I will take
pictures for my work samples. While the children are counting together by how many animals are in
each category I will write down what I am seeing and hearing for my anecdotal record. When I see a
child being fair towards the others and taking turns I will give that child a tally. Lastly, the children
will need to know the vocabulary words habitat, environment, and living. When a child uses or
responds to these words then that child will get a checkmark in the box. The children may have a
challenge with learning the new vocabulary words so quickly, but as long as I see them trying is what
matters. Some children who are not up to their development for their age may have trouble choosing
what animal goes into what habitat. It’s okay if this happens because the children can all help each
other and incorporate teamwork.
Closure
Where and when does the lesson closure take place and how long do you plan it will take?
The closure of the lesson will still take place at the working table, and the main part of the lesson will
end around 9:30 so the closure will take about 5 minutes. There will be rotations because I will be
doing this in a small group but each time the closure will take about 5 minutes no matter what time the
main lesson ends.
How will you summarize the learning activity/experience? What is/are key information you want the
children to take away from the experience? Include how you will summarize the experience. This needs
to be explicit – consider including a statement of how you will summarize the main purpose of the
lesson.
I will end the lesson by saying “These are the animals that live in the ocean and farm!” It’s good to say
this at the end, so the children understand where the animals live. I could also say “You guys counted
correctly,” so the children know they counted to five the right way. The main purpose of this lesson is
to get a better idea of the animals' habitat and living environment. Also to know that these animals are
living just like us humans because they breathe like us. The children should know where each animal
lives because it helps with their classifying skills which will further their development. The children
can bring this subject into their homes, and figure out what other animals live in the ocean and farm.
Or the children can find a new habitat with new animals.
Summative assessment (if applicable) – is there a specific way children will demonstrate their learning
(e.g., a product, sharing what they learned)? Consider how the children can provide feedback and
share what they learned.
The finished product of the activity will be the five different animals in each category which is the
ocean and farm. They will be velcroed in the correct spot. This shows that the children learned
something new, and understand it because it’s in the correct spot. This is not an activity where you take
it home because it is an in class activity only. There is no artwork being involved here. The children
can still share what they learned to their family by telling them what animal lives in the ocean and what
animal lives on a farm. They can show their family their own animal toys at home and figure out where
that animal lives. I will provide feedback to the children to recall the vocabulary words given about
where the animal lives. The vocabulary words related are habitat, environment, and living.
“If Time” and Extensions
Include a plan for what you will do if children finish early and how you can possibly extend the activity
to another day (even though you may not be teaching this topic again – what would/could you do?)
If the children finish early before my closure then they can draw their favorite animal on a piece of
white paper with colored pencils or markers. That way the children won’t get off topic because it’s still
dealing with animals. I could ask them “What is your favorite animal?” and once I get an answer I will
tell them to draw it. I don’t think the children will finish early because they are all working together
during this activity. If I had to extend this activity I could choose different animals with different
habitats like the rainforest and the arctic. I could choose more animals for each category, so the
children can count higher than five. This could be fun for them to be learning about all these different
kinds of animals and where each of them live.
References
Include APA style references for any teaching materials and references for any theory/research
supporting your lesson plan. Note that this is where you include the full references that you cited within
your Rationale and Guidance sections.
Copple, C., Bredekamp, S., Koralek, D., & Charner K. (2013). Developmentally appropriate practice:
Focus on preschoolers. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children.
Epstein, A., S. (2014). The intentional teacher: Choosing the best strategies for young
children's learning. Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Fiechtner, J., & Albrecht, K. (2016). Understanding and managing challenging behavior. Community
Playthings.
Raisor, J., M., & Thompson, S., D. (2014). Guidance strategies: To prevent and address preschool
bullying. National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Post-Assessment Data – attach all assessments at the end of this document or in a separate file
For each assessment you conducted, describe what is captured in the piece, and then discuss how the
documentation demonstrates the children’s skills, knowledge, or abilities in relation to the objective it
is assessing.
Assessment piece 1: Depicted in picture #1 the two children are working together to figure out where
the animals live. She was doing the ocean while the boy was doing the farm. Depicted in picture #2 a
new boy joined to figure out what animal goes into what habitat. He worked by himself. Depicted in
picture #3 another group of two joined in. The boy was correctly putting the animals in their habitats
while the girl next to him was being silly and putting the dolphin in the farm. The children enjoyed this
activity a lot because it dealt with animals. They thought it was interesting. The children met the
objective because they all were putting the animals in the right living environment as you can see from
the work samples. This activity went very well.

Assessment piece 2: I conducted the checklist during the children’s working time of figuring out where
the animals live. A lot of the children understood most of the new vocabulary words that were given.
All the children could point to the habitat which was the ocean and the farm. I asked them what the
habitat is and they pointed to those pictures, so that means they understood the word. They all also
used the word habitat because they said it aloud, and repeated me when I said it. A checkmark in the
box was given for these children. Only three out of the six children used the word environment. Four
children out of the six used the word living. The children who didn’t use these words may need to be
gone over again for them to understand the concept of it. Also only four children responded to me
when I used a new vocabulary word. The rest were non responsive. Most of the children met the
objective, but some children may need to be retaught on some words. To help the children remember
the new vocabulary words I could make up a game that interests them with those words in it.

Assessment piece 3: I conducted the tallies during the children’s working time of figuring out where the
animals live just like the checklist. I gave tally marks to the children who showed me that they were
taking turns with the animal cards. All of the children but one was playing fair and taking turns with
their friends. The one child who didn’t get a tally mark was because she was taking all the animal cards
to herself. She already got her turn, but she kept wanting to go again. This made the other child she
was with sad. I had to resolve this by saying “We need to take turns because you made your friend sad.
Please give him some of the animal cards and share.” I think all the children met the objective even the
one who didn’t get a tally mark because she eventually shared when I asked her to. This is important
for the children to remember in life.

Assessment piece 4: I conducted the anecdotal record when the children were counting the animals. I
focused on one child and recorded down everything she did when she was doing the math part of the
activity. First she moved all the animals in the correct habitats on her first try. Then I said that we
needed to count the animals in each habitat. She pointed her finger to each animal and counted to five
for the ocean animals. Then she continued counting after five to the farm animals, and ended up with
ten correctly. I was surprised she counted all the way to ten which made me happy. After I said that
there are five animals in the ocean and five animals in the farm she started to count again with a smile
on her face. I interpreted all this information into SPLICE domains. The objective was definitely met
with this child because she counted beyond what I thought she would count to. She exceeded the
objective which is a good thing.

Lesson Plan Reflection

Reflect respond to the following questions after teaching your lesson:

1. Implementation: Were there any school/program, teacher requirements or

expectations that affected your planning or teaching of this lesson? How and in
what ways did they impact your implementation and how did you attempt to
adjust?
The children are currently learning about different animals in the classroom, so I
thought it would be a good idea to incorporate animals into my lesson. It wasn’t
required, but I felt that it would help the children. I was thinking about doing my
lesson on animals anyway, so it didn’t really change anything for me.
2. Guidance and Classroom Management: Explain the effectiveness of your
guidance and classroom management plan. How did you modify the plan during
implementation (if applicable) and how will you modify for future lessons and
instruction?
The only behavior problem that occured was when a child wouldn’t let another
child have their turn with the animals. She wanted to do it all by herself which
she had already done many times, so it was time for another child to go. I had to
be clear on this, so they started to share their animals. I only had groups or three,
two, and one. Sometimes only one child came to the table which made it easier
because that child can get the full attention for the activity. The smaller groups
did help this time. My setup and clean up went the way I wanted it to. The
children came to the table after I was finished setting up. I will always follow my
host teacher’s feedback because it helps to make your next lesson better.
3. Teaching/Assessment:
Were the learning objectives/outcomes/targets met? How do you know based on
your assessment data?
The objective for math was for the children to count how many animals are in
each living environment. All the children could do this, and one child could
count to ten which is exceeding the objective. The objective for science was for
the children to correctly classify each animal into their living environment. All
the children could do this also, and they were doing it many times. It seemed like
they couldn't get enough of it. The objective for social-emotional was for the
children to take turns. Mostly all the children did this except for one child who
had to be redirected. She eventually shared. The objective for literacy was for
the children to use the new vocabulary words. All the children could point to the
habitat, and use the word habitat. Only some children used the word
environment, living, and responded to the new words.
Do you need to re-teach any concept or element from the lesson? To all children
or to some children?
I would only need to re-teach some vocabulary words to some children who
didn’t get it. I would reiterate the words to the children who needed help, and see
what they can’t understand.
What do the children need to do/learn next based on your analysis of your
assessment data?
More children need to try new tasks because not all of the children in the
classroom came up to my activity. Also some children need to listen more, so
they can use the new vocabulary words given.
4. Engagement:
Discuss how your plan for engaging children worked; use evidence to support
your statements (e.g., quotes from children, direct observations).
After I set up, one child came to my table and the rest followed. I did this in
smaller groups to have a more engaging conversation with the children. The
children knew where to put the animals for where they lived, and they kept
redoing it. One girl did it maybe ten times! They were interested in the topic I
chose because it had to do with animals. The children remained engaged
throughout the whole activity. I think the animals I chose piqued their interest
because they were naming them. They were also excited to count.
How did you modify the plan during implementation (if applicable) and how will
you modify for future lessons and instruction?
In my lesson plan I wrote that I would be using velcro for the animals, but instead
I was going to use foam mounting tape. I asked my host teacher about it, and she
thought it would be better without anything because they could just place the
animals by themselves. It might have been difficult if I did use it because the
children kept redoing it. I will always pick a topic that the children will be
interested in because it will help further their development.
5. Differentiation: Explain the effectiveness of the differentiation you planned for
individual children. Describe with specific details. How did the children respond
to the differentiation?
The child with the IEP who uses sign language to communicate didn’t do this
activity. He likes sensory things, and this activity wasn’t sensory. He might have
had trouble with this activity because he might not have understood which is
okay. The child with the sensory disorder did this activity. He was the first one
to come up and knew the names for all the animals. He knew where they lived
too. I was very proud of him because he gets very bored easily, but he was
engaged in this activity. The girl with only a speech IEP did well in this activity.
She pronounced everything correctly just like the other children with no IEP’s.
6. Technology:
Discuss how you used technology to support your lesson plan development.
How did you use technology as a developmentally appropriate teaching strategy
within the lesson?
The only technology I used for this lesson was my phone to take work samples. I
used work samples for my post-assessment. The pictures were the children
figuring out where the animals live in each habitat. I was the one to take the
pictures because there was no mess involved in his activity. I sat back for them to
do it on their own after they got it right a bunch of times.
How did you use assistive technology to support any child/children’s
engagement, communication, participation, and/or inclusion in the activity?
I used my computer to look up different farm and ocean animals. I figured out
what to do for the activity myself, but I wanted to see all the different kinds of
animals that live in those habitats. I also used google images to print out all the
pictures of the animals and their habitats. This was a good visual for the children.
I also used the computer to find out the meaning of the vocabulary words that
would be kid-friendly.
7. Intentional Communication and Vocabulary:
Discuss how you used intentional communication (through higher-order
thinking/thought-provoking questions/comments) and engaging conversation. Do
you think it was effective to support children’s learning/development? Use
evidence to support your statements (e.g., quotes from children, direct
observations, assessment data).
I used intentional communication to have the children be in an engaging
conversation. I did better in this lesson than the last one, and my host teacher
agreed. I asked the children “What is this?” pointing to the ocean and the farm
picture. Then I said “These animals live in either the ocean or the farm. This is
called their habitat.” When I used the vocabulary word habitat a child repeated
me and seemed interested. Then I asked “What animal is this?” to each animal.
When a child told me about the animal I said “Where does it live, the ocean or the
farm?” Every child that joined the activity knew exactly where to put the animal.
I told the children that these animals are living because they breathe like us
humans. I also told them that their habitat could also be called their living
environment. These questions were effective to support the children’s learning
and development. The questions I asked were important because I needed to see
if they knew their places and animals. I also asked a child who is having a hard
time with saying their first letter in their name “What letter does a shark start
with, it’s the same as yours, but just makes a different sound.” I feel like this
helped that child particularly. I think that was a thought provoking question
which is great.
8. Scaffolding:
How and in what ways did you provide scaffolding and “stretching” experiences
to support your focus child in particular and, when possible, other children’s
learning and development?
My activity was actually a scaffolding activity according to my host teacher’s
feedback. I told the children that they needed to put the animal where it lives. I
asked the children “What animal is this?” and when they said it correctly I asked
“Where does it live?” I did this for each animal until all of them were placed
correctly. Then the children continued to restart it, and do it again all on their
own. They did this many times because they remained engaged. I stretched the
children’s experience by asking them what letter does this animal start with
because they are currently doing that with their names. Some children are having
a harder time, so I thought that this would help them. Scaffolding needs three
things which are actions, images, and language. The action is when the children
place the animal in the correct habitat. The images are the pictures of all the
animals given and their habitats. The language is the different conversations I
had with the children that were focused and engaging.
9. Self-Reflection and Future Planning:
Identify at least two areas that went well during this experience. Why do you
think they went well?
One area that went well during this experience was the conversations I had with
the children. It was engaging because I was asking them what animal is this in
every picture of the animal. They all answered it correctly. I also asked what
letter does this animal start with because they are learning that currently with their
names. Another area that went well during this experience was the subject which
was animals. The children are learning about different animals so this worked
into their curriculum. They were engaged in the activity because a lot of the
children kept wanting to go again.
10. Integration of Feedback:
Based on your previous lessons (if applicable), what did you do differently this
time based on previous feedback from your host teacher (or others)?
How and in what ways did it improve your teaching?
My conversations this time had more meaning and were more engaging than the
last lesson. My host teacher said I needed more direction and information about
the activity, but this time she wrote that I had great conversations between the
children and I. In the last lesson she said I should have done the activity in a
smaller group and this time I did that. This made the activity much easier and
smoother. I also had the materials prepared beforehand this time. The feedback
from the last lesson definitely helped me do better for this lesson.