Childhood Education
Assignment 2: Understanding and applying-transition magician
Transition times need to be occupied with activities to avoid scattering and disorganization caused by children which can bring disruptions all over. Therefore, to avoid this, teachers should involve children in activities that move a child from one activity to another and these activities must fit in daily schedule time frame (Gordon & Browne, 2017). This will help to decrease the issues of misbehaviors that happen during that time of transition. The following are some of the activities that teachers should involve their children in during transition time.
After an activity, the teacher can read aloud to children interesting books available. That is during the morning transition to usher in children to another activity (Gordon & Browne, 2017). By doing this, children will get exposed to reading and they will always get accustomed to it.
While taking children for the morning snack, they all need to wash their hands before a snack and this cannot be done once for the whole group (Gordon & Browne, 2017). Therefore a teacher may perhaps have a song for children such that as others are washing hands others are kept busy in singing until they all finish. A teacher may also have a group of 4-5 children going to the sink as other are kept in a transitional game.
After that mid morning snack, children may not be left to move disorganized to class. A teacher may gather them and introduce to them a game that ushers them to the next activity for example a rope game such that each of them jumps and can signify getting into another activity (Gordon & Browne, 2017).
Children may begin struggles as they want to take up their seats. A teacher may use positional words and have all the children stand up and have each of them act out. The teacher urges them to shake hands above, behind, and under. Children may also jump up and down while counting certain number. This may not only be a game but still helps children learn some important words and practice counting as well. A teacher may have children touch their body parts for instance “touch your head, ears, waist, feet” etc. By doing this so faster, children learn more of their body parts though they may take it as something silly (Gordon & Browne, 2017). After a short time when they are all attentively enjoying the play, they can now take up their seat with no interruptions.
After another activity children always have a transition time of going out to ease themselves. This may require them to line up for quite a long time and they may struggle with each other (Gordon & Browne, 2017). To make it happen in an organized manner, a teacher may call out children in a circle and have them sing and jump as some run to ease themselves. This should last until all children have eased themselves.
The teacher may also have a transition activity at the time when children prepare to have a meal. Still by following the procedure of washing hands, they need to have an activity that can make other children in a cool moment as other move to the sink in a group of 3 to 4 children.
Assignment 3: analyzing, evaluating and creating thematic planning
Thematic plan for literacy and language
For literacy and language lesson plan, children must be in position to read certain books by themselves when left. They should be in position to retell the story that was once read to us. The teacher has to sort pictures in to initial sounds with clear labels from the letters of alphabet. Children should also have to read and name objects and their letter sounds (Morgan, 2011). The teacher may form interesting conversations that may encourage children to explore and learn more about their world hence improving their knowledge on the language using the terms and the words being used (Morgan, 2011). Organizing a plan for literacy and language must include a program that equips children with skills of reading. It must also involve oral language where conversations are included in the learning. The conversation must be careful so as to impact the child’s vocabulary. They must be interesting conversations with use of variety of words both complex and simple to enable children develop their vocabulary and reasoning (Morgan, 2011). Story telling must be included and in the course of stories, children need to have a view of pictures and be in position to ask and answer questions in good sentences. Make smaller groups inside the class for children to share their views after a particular reading. The plan should be structured to involve playful and interactive experiences for children. Equip children with listening skills in order to improve in the rhyming.
Lesson plan for emotional/social development
Children should be required to use their brain to come up with ideas about themselves. They should also make compliments about the friends and this is to be done by every child. Here, the teacher may help out the child with the skills to address social and emotional issues. The teacher has to provide literature on friendship, love, dangers of conflicting and this can help the children understand social skills to use in the classroom (Morgan, 2011). The teacher should introduce various characters of people both good and bad such that the child is able to evaluate on those behaviors in order to learn how to stay with others peacefully and this strengthens the child’s relationship with the surrounding. In this section, a teacher aims to help the children on how to deal with negative emotions and social skill to deal with others in a friendly manner (Morgan, 2011). A teacher must use the literature guides that teach on friendship, love, dangers of bullying and conflicts. The teacher needs to show his self portrait, act in a conflict manner to see how to handle some children who are emotional. Outline ways to deal with conflicts. Teach children some social behaviors like how to eat with others, how to speak with others, etc. Involve children in cooperative work for example assigning activities in a group of four to five children and this can help children to develop skills in story structure, and communication of ideas.
A lesson on science and technology
Children will observe, and explore some scientific objects for example exploring the bean seed. The child can be helped to compare the dry lima bean seed and the dry one. Science is wide and the child is to be introduced to various essentials in scientific field (Warner & Johnson, 2008). To cover bits in technology, the child is to be introduced to the various forms of technology describing features of certain technological aspects. The child should also be briefed on how to deal with various forms of technology. This section of the plan must be designed to cover topics which concern with the human life, earth animals, and water (Warner & Johnson, 2008). Teachers should include in the lessons what children must do for the health of their bodies, importance of cleaning, sanitation and hygiene. The lessons should cover a study of living in a safe and a healthy environment and a practice of health and safety of our bodies.
The lesson plan on motor skills
For early childhood learning, Gross and fine motor activities aims to involve children in games like running, throwing and catching. The teacher has to set a suitable place for the activity. Items like balls and any other that can be used by children in plays are recommended as the educational materials for this case (Warner & Johnson, 2008). Children are also involved in hands on activities like building blocks. It also involves musical ASAPs where music is combined with physical education. This equips the child with locomotor skills plus balance and children are able to feel the impact of body movements (Warner & Johnson, 2008). Super stunt activity should be involved in the lesson and here, children do a lot of maneuvers like standing using one foot, standing on crossed legs and many other activities. This kind of lesson is helpful for balancing, agility hence helping children to have confidence while moving and in their physical abilities (Warner & Johnson, 2008). Generally, there are several activities that can be involved in equipping the child with motor skills and normally these activities are funny and children take it enjoyably.
A lesson plan for mathematics
In a mathematics lesson, the plan must be designed in a way that tackles the concepts of mathematics which is mostly based on numerical (Warner & Johnson, 2008). Children have to get used of counting, dealing with the figures. Introduce the materials to children that can help them make the concept of counting effective. Introduce the child in adding and subtraction of numbers. This can even be done practically by adding items, people, stones as long as the concept is being attained by the child (Herr, 2013). In the lesson program, the teacher must design charts with numerical computations of additions and subtraction that a child can observe and understand the key concept of mathematics. Children can also e introduced to shapes like circles, triangle squares, etc.
A lesson plan for creative arts
Creative art lesson involves children in drawing, painting, coloring and molding objects. For the young children, the lesson plan should be designed to involve all children in molding objects in a shape that can be recognized for example molding a table, chair, using certain artistic materials (Herr, 2013). Children are taught how to color objects using appropriate colors. This helps the children in attaining creativity skills.
A lesson plan on social studies
Making a lesson plan for a social studies class requires the teacher to include studies on nature by presenting the characteristics of various locations in terms of climate, land forms, economic activities and social set up (Herr, 2013). The class should contain drawings showing the current state of the country.
References
Gordon, A. M., & Browne, K. W. (2017). Beginnings & Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education
Jacobs, H. H., & Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Morgan, H. (2011). Early childhood education: History, theory, and practice. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield.
Warner, L., & Johnson, D. (2008). Themes for inclusive classrooms: Lesson plans for every learner.
Herr, J. (2013). Creative resources for the early childhood classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
