Running head: OBSERVATION #2 PLANNING 1

Observation 2

Jeremia Vergara

Raritan Valley Community College

Professor Kimberly Schirner

October 15, 2018

Education 212-01 Field Experience

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I. Observation #2:
Planning

II. Grade Level and Subject Area:

Pre-Kindergarten

III. Setting:
Facility of the classroom is located in a suburban town. The school is private and
specializes specifically in early childhood care and education. Each classroom has
a main teacher, two assistant teachers, and about thirteen students.

IV. Pre-Observation:
In a classroom, a lesson plan is created and followed in order to provide
structure. “The lesson plans that you will developing in this class will be designed
to communicate first and foremost to as the teacher. They will be your guide and
map for organizing your materials and yourself for the purpose of helping your
students achieve your intended learning outcomes. A good lesson plan contains a
set of important elements that are descriptive of the process” (The Integrated Arts
Advocate, 2005). I would assume the lesson plan is thoroughly mapped out and
be easy to follow. Since Goddard is a private school, each teacher creates their
own unique lesson plan based off the given curriculum. Since the children are
young and they have a short attention span, it would deem inappropriate to have
them do sit-down work with a pencil and paper. “Preschoolers are mastering skills
such as running, jumping and throwing. They develop confidence in their abilities
over time when they have opportunities to follow their interests and learn and
practice new skills. Preschool children are often very social and imaginative; they
love games, dancing, riding tricycles and creating obstacle courses to move
through” (Developmentally-Appropriate Physical Activity Ideas, n.d.). I would
also assume the children are taken outside, as one of Goddard’s philosophies
states that, “by balancing classroom lessons with outdoor activities, the students
enjoy the benefits of exploring nature”. When a teacher creates his/her lesson
plan, it is safe to assume he/she bases it off the interests of each child. “An
effective lesson plan gets students thinking and allows them to interact and ask
questions, tap into their background knowledge, and build new skills” (ASCD,
n.d.).

V. Data:
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● Lesson time begins by having the children sit on the big rug. Each child is
given a mat with his/her name on it. The kids sit in a circle along with the
teachers.
● Lead teacher was out for this week - she left her lesson plans to the
assistant teacher.
● Kids are encouraged to use their fine-motor skills. Lesson plans
implement it into what is being taught.
● Time of year, holidays, and weather may be the main topic of the lessons -
example: since it’s the fall season, kids are learning about fall weather and
Halloween.
● Kids make arts and crafts based on lesson plan. This is done during station
time in the afternoon.
● During reading time, the teacher would put on a song and the kids would
follow along and dance with whatever the singers were saying. For
example, when they sang Baby Shark, a motion would be the index finger
and thumb moving towards one another, opening and closing. Kids follow
along with it as they learn the lyrics.
● Lesson plan was kept on technological devices such as an iPad or personal
laptop.
● Objects used for the lesson plan (i.e., books), were kept in a colored bin
above the cubbies out of reach from the children.
● Pictures of the children taken by the teacher while they are working on fall
crafts are printed out and hung around the room for parents to see during
pick-up time.
● A small pumpkin was weighed and then cut open to reveal what the inside
contains. Kids touched the inside and outside of the pumpkin and explain
what they felt.
● Apples were given as a morning snack. Children were told that apples
grow prominently in the fall months.
● Curriculum is bought from a company called Teaching Strategies, but
each lesson plan is uniquely designed by the teacher based off the age
level of the class.
● Teachers their creates plans weekly. Plans must be approved by directors
due to activities it may involve. Tenure/non-tenure does not affect this.
The objective for each lesson is sometimes written clearly in the plan and
can also be easily assumed based off activity.
● Children were taken outside to the playground. They used their binoculars
to look around at the fall scenery.
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VI. Analysis
In my observation, though the lead teacher was out, the lessons were still
carried out by the assistant and substitute teachers. If the lead teacher is out, the
assistant is the next person to have access to the lesson plan. It flowed smoothly
and the kids were sharp and attentive. Stations that involved arts and crafts were
taken out. Since I was not there to observe it, the assistant told me that the kids
were read books that were fall-based, and they were taken outside to not only
enjoy fresh air, but to see the change of the leaves and temperature. A small
pumpkin was brought in for the children to experiment with. She told me that the
idea was to have them operate their fine-motor skills.While I was observing, the
kids were assigned to use apple slices and non-toxic finger paint to create pictures
to decorate throughout the classroom for the fall season. The artwork was then
placed in a drying rack. I helped the assistant teacher draw a pumpkin on a big
sheet of white paper. The lead teacher had wanted the children to use pieces of
orange tissue paper cut into squares and glue it onto the pumpkin. However, I did
notice that some of the children refused to do some of the art projects, which was
fine.
Goddard focuses on learning through playing and being hands-on. The
program they use is called F.L.EX., or a ‘Fun Learning EXperience’ (Our
Curriculum, n.d.). I was able to get a copy of lesson plans from April of this year
from the assistant teacher, and it focused on the children moving and playing with
one another. “A play-based curriculum allows children the freedom to have fun
while discovering and exploring their world and their talents” (Our Curriculum,
n.d.). The lesson plan I was given to see was divided into eight sections: Creative
Art, Cognitive/Math, Language Arts, Motor Skills, Music and Movement, Science
and Nature, Social Science, and Physical Education. Whenever the children were
to be brought outside, there would be a section titled “Outdoor Experiences”. The
lead teacher at the time was given a certain topic per week that she was to teach
the children. For each of the eight categories, she implemented ways for the kids
to be involved, like having them dance and learn a certain song or using their
motor skills to decorate something. I had asked the director to attend a staff
meeting with regards to see if they discussed any more on lesson planning.
Although they said no, I was able to comprehend how the teachers mapped out
their lessons by just seeing a sample of it.

VII. Recommendations:
Becoming a teacher means devoting yourself to be the most effective one
you can be. The purpose of preschool is to prepare the child before he/she
transitions into the older grades. “School readiness—the combination of skills that
includes preacademic knowledge, such as basic literacy and math foundations, as
PLANNING 5

well as self-regulatory skills, such as social–emotional regulation, patience, and

focus—has become a critical component of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
programs in the United States” (Marti, n.d.). Incorporating Goddard’s philosophy
in my planning is also crucial, for this is how the lesson imbeds itself in the minds
of the children. Preschoolers learn best by interacting with caring adults, hands-on
playing, connecting with what they already know, and making sense of their
world (NAEYC, n.d.).
Learning time works differently depending on what time of day it is.
Given that preschool children need at least twelve hours of sleep in a 24-hour
period (Preschooler & Toddler Sleep, n.d.), I want the students to have lesson
time more in the afternoon than morning. From what I observed one morning,
children sometimes glue themselves to their parents during drop-off time. I am
unaware of how the child sleeps at home unless the parent/guardian tells me
otherwise. For starters, I would have the students get a little active, thus bringing
first the Music and Movement portion of the lesson plan. The more they move
their bodies, the more they should awaken and have fun with their other friends.
Then, I’d have them do Creative Art. The relaxation can help them relax after all
the vigorous movement. As the day goes on, I would order the activities from
most to least active. Children have short attention spans and quick bursts on
energy, but like adults, they need to be stimulated and relax as well. “Age and
context matter when developing attention span in a young child In fact, most kids
are normal if they don’t pay attention past a certain period of time. It’s part of
growing up. No one expects a toddler to sit down and read a novel for three
hours” (Rainforest Learning Center, 2018).

VIII. Post-Observation
Children learn through ways that involve high movement. One moment
they tear up because someone gave them vegetables as a snack, the next they are
dancing because someone decided to sing a song. It is our job as educators to
ensure they are learning as much as they can while they are in preschool. It is the
time where they are being mentally prepared to enter higher education. This is the
time we try to form their minds so they get the idea of individuality. With what I
have been able to observe, I can try to model my future lesson planning to be
effective as it can be for my future students.

IX. Citations

ASDC. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/
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education-update/oct11/vol53/num10/

How-To-Plan-Effective-Lessons.aspx

Developmentally-Appropriate Physical Activity Ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://wvde.state.wv.us/child-nutrition/leap-

of-taste/physical-activity/physical-activity-ideas/

Marti, Marita. Intervention fidelity of Getting Ready for School: Associations

with classroom and teacher characteristics and preschooler’s school

readiness skills. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezp.raritanval.edu

/science/article/pii/S0885200616301958

NAEYC. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/high-quality

-program-for-preschooler

Our Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.goddardschool.com/philosophy/curriculum

Preschooler & Toddler Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14302

-sleep-in-toddlers--preschoolers

Rainforest Learning Centre. (2018, July 05). How to maintain attention span in

young children:

Lessons at daycare. Retrieved from

https://www.rainforestlearningcentre.ca/

maintain-attention-span-young-children/
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The Integrated Arts Advocate (2005). Retrieved from

http://home.moravian.edu/users/art/membl01

/PurposeLessonPlan.html

X. Appendix: Attachments being used as supporting documents.