Learning Opportunity Planning Form

(Avoid opportunities associated with holidays)

Student Name: Hannah Schueder

Resource Used: Fisher, J. (2012, June 23). Fun Hands-on Math Activities: Get Creative with Clothespins. Retrieved from
Edventures with Kids: http://www.kcedventures.com/blog/fun-hands-on-math-activities-get-creative-with-clothespins?
utm_content=buffer8efb0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffe
Date to be presented: April 13, 2016
Site Supervisors Signature _________________________________________

Date __________________

It is required to discuss your final written plans with your site supervisor and obtain a sign-off signature one week before presenting this learning opportunity.

Primary Curriculum (content) Area: Math and Manipulatives

Learning Opportunity Name: Get Creative with Clothespins
Brief description/type: I am going to have the children use the clothes pins to make a 2 D shape, for example: a rectangle,
triangle, octagon, square, heptagon, pentagon, and hexagon.
WHO Its For: five; 5 6 year olds
List specific accommodations/adaptions:
Children are not interested in using learning materials and objects. (CARAs kit page 11)

Make sure the learning areas provide activities that meet the range of childrens temperaments.

Use a buddy system. Pair children who are interested in the activity with children who could benefit from peer
assistance.
WHY-Rationale: the understanding of shapes requires children to actively manipulate shapes and explore the characteristics
and parts of shapes, rather than simply seeing and naming them. Children construct their understanding of space from actively
manipulating materials and their own spatial environments.
Objective(s): By participating in this opportunity, the children will 2 or 3 no more

Demonstrates understanding of spatial words such as up, down, over, under, top bottom, inside, outside, in front, behind

Identifies 2 and 3 dimensional shapes

Notices how shapes fit together and can be taken apart to form other shapes
Standard(s): Iowa Learning Standards: Area 12: Mathematics and Science: 12.3 Shapes and Spatial Reasoning
HOW to Prepare: What you need:
MATERIALS: Picture of shapes and clothes pins
TIME: 15 minutes
SETTING: small group
SET UP/SPACE: Back of the room at the red table.
HOW to Teach:
Introduction: What do you think clothes pins are used for? Well today we are going to make shapes with them.
Teaching steps:
1. Show what a clothes pin looks like, go over how you can pinch yourself with it so be careful.
2. Show the children an example of the shape that you have made with the clothes pin (model it)
3. Show them that you have pictures to help guide them if they get suck on what a shape looks like
4. Let the children explore and have fun making new shapes.
Closure & Transition: Can you share at least one of you favorite shapes that you made and be able to name it. (The children can
show us how they made it) Well now that you know clothes pins are not just for handing up your clothes but you can make shapes
with them. After you have gotten all your clothes pins in the basket you may go and sign up for your next daily.
HOW to Assess and Document
Objectives
Evidence of Learning
How to Document This Evidence
Children might
Demonstrates understanding of spatial
Say this is the top of their shape and
Anecdotal Record, Pictures, Checklist
words like top, bottom, front back etc..
that is the bottom
Identifies 2 and 3 dimensional shapes
Point out that we are making 2d shapes
Anecdotal Record, Pictures, Checklist
Notices how shapes fit together and can
Make and shape and then see what a
Anecdotal Record, Pictures, Checklist
be taken apart to make more shapes
friend is making and put their shapes
together

Assessment Documentation:
Anecdotal Record, Photo
Learning Opportunity Name: Get Creative with Clothespins
Primary Curriculum (content): Math
Primary Domain: Cognitive
Secondary Domain: Social/Language
Date: April 13th, 2016
Setting: Small Group
Objective: To gain knowledge of identifying 2 and 3 dimensional shapes

While observing each group of children, one student looked at me and said, We are going to hand up clothes with these
clothespins. Since that wasnt planned I went on and started explaining what my learning opportunity was. At the end of my
learning opportunity the same child then realized that he could do more than just hang up clothes with clothespins. He could
make shapes as well.
Evaluation:
What evidence of childrens engagement and learning did you see during this learning opportunity? How were the
objectives met?
The Evidence I found is that the children were either interested or got the process on how to make the shapes right away, or
some children needed that sit by them help them with every step. Children helped each other problem solve if they were stuck
on something and they didnt know what else to do or how to make the right angle so the pins would look lie the shape.
What did you learn from planning and presenting this learning opportunity?
a) About the learning opportunity itself: It was very difficult trying to show the children how to clip the clothes pins
together by just using one side of the pin so the pin could close a little and wouldnt snap at them and pinch their
fingers.
b) About children: Some of the children knew how to open and close a clothes pin and other didnt even know what one
ones. Kept asking question on how to put the clothes pins together. Was talking with other friends at the table to try
to problem solve on how many clothes pins they needed for the shape they were making.
c) About your own abilities:
By introducing something new to the children makes them come up with a lot of variation on what they can really make
out of it. I tried making a decagon with the clothes pins and it was harder than what it looked like because in the end it
looked more like a circle than anything else.
Evaluate this learning opportunity as a whole. Share suggestions, as discussed with your site supervisor, for improvement.
a) As I reflect on this learning opportunity, I feel my strengths were:

Questions: helped the children rethink about what they were making and how it looked like. Even if the picture
was right in front of them.

Straight to the point

Kept some childrens interest

b)

As I reflect on this learning opportunity, I realize that I could improve by:

Children that are not interested in the project have something else they could make instead of the shapes

Have more than one example

Have a timer set for closure.