6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan
Name: Erin Walsh
Lesson Title: Comparing Plants From Differing Environments
Date: 19 April 2016
Grade Level: Pre-K
Circle one:
ECE
PKSN
Standard(s)/Guideline(s): Cognitive, Life Science, Exploration of Living Things: With modeling and support, identify and explore the relationship between living
things and their environments (e.g., habitats, food, eating habits, etc.).
Social, Listening and Speaking, Expressive Language: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings and ideas clearly. (Articulation)
Pre-assessment of current knowledge: The educator should conduct a conversation and record its main points using a graphic organizer. The students will be
asked What helps a plant to grow?. The childrens responses will be recorded on a board or large paper pad. This will indicate the level of initial understanding
before the lesson.
Instructional Objectives (1-2)
One/Two Assessed Instructional
Objective(s):
The students will be able to focus
upon the plants in order to observe
and identify characteristics of
them.
The students will be able to
articulate their thoughts through
comprehendible verbalization.
One Assessed Developmental
Skill:
The students will be able to
recognize distinctions between a
plant kept in a dark, dry
environment and a plant that has
been exposed to water and
sunlight. They will make comments
aloud about their findings.
Safety Considerations:
There are no outstanding safety
concerns related to this lesson. As
always, the teacher should provide
general supervision.

Assessment of Student Learning

Identify Evidence: (What will you collect or record as data
to demonstrate students have met your objective(s) and
skill?)
The educator will collect evidence of skill mastery using a
checklist. He or she should observe and take note of the
students performance during the lesson. Specifically, the
teacher should look for the students ability to focus on
observing the plants without being distracted. Additionally,
the educator should note whether or not each student was
able to verbalize his or her thoughts after observing the
differing plants. The checklist will compile the childrens
ability to perform these skills.
Program Monitoring: (How will you aggregate or compile
your evidence into a class or group view?)
Following the lesson, the teacher will review the checklist. If
most or all of the students received checks in both objective
columns, then there is significant evidence that the children
mastered the standards. The class can then move onto
other topics. However, if most students did not receive
checks, there should be additional review of the topic. The
educator will need to implement further instruction relating to
conditions for proper plant growth. In these ways, the data
checklist will inform future instruction.

Learning Experience
Academic Language:

Environment
Conditions
Sunlight
Growth

Procedural steps:
1. To begin, the teacher will implement the pre-assessment of
knowledge as described above.
2. The children should be called to a table with the educator
one-by-one. There will be a plant which has been exposed to
water and sunlight as well as one that has not (supplied by
the educator).
3. The student will be asked to observe both. The student
may use a magnifying glass or just their eyes.
4. Then, the teacher should ask the student what he or she
notices. Appropriate answers may be This one is growing
and this one isnt or Sunlight and water made this one
change. The other did not change. Accurate verbalizations of
observations should result in checks upon the data checklist.
5. After each child has been called to the table and performed
the activity, the educator may conduct a whole-class
discussion. This wrap-up conversation will clarify the
differences between the plants in regards to their
environments.
6. Questions should be taken.
Authentic Materials: (Describe authentic real life, hands-on
materials.)

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

Board/Large Paper Pad

Marker
Plant exposed to water and sunlight
Plant not exposed to water or sunlight
Magnifying glasses

Adult Roles:
The adult must conduct the pre-assessment activity and set
up the table for the lesson. He or she must also call the
students and administer the lessons materials and questions
to them. Furthermore, the adult is responsible for collecting
evidence as well as a follow-up conversation with the class.
Lastly, the teacher is responsible for the students safety, as
always.
Resources & References:
ACCESS Classroom Tracking Sheet for the Ohio Early Learning and Development Standards
Reflection: (What have you learned about your students? How will this inform future instruction?)
Since student attendance was rather high on my day of lesson implementation, I chose to perform the lesson with a smaller group of children. I selected
five students, with my cooperating teachers advice, to call over to my table. After they had been prompted, I noticed that all five students were able to focus on
their observation of the plants. They were engaged as they used their vision to survey the organisms. Therefore, I learned that these students have mastered the
ability to focus their attention upon a given task and use their senses to explore materials. For this reason, I placed a check mark in the first objective column for
each student. On the other hand, not every child received a check in the second objective column. Four of the five students were able to verbalize their
observations with acceptable answers. Some specific responses include This one didnt have any water so it didnt grow and The plant next to the window
changed. These statements represent comprehension of plant differences when grown in different environments. However, one child said nothing when I inquired
about his plant observations. Now, this does not mean that he did not know or could not understand. Perhaps he was feeling shy or simply not in the mood to talk
to me. Additionally, while he can speak English, it is not his first language. Therefore, there may have been a language barrier involved in our conversation.
Nevertheless, he did not verbalize what he had noticed so I did not place a check in his second column.
Overall, I believe the lesson was received well. The majority of the students were able to demonstrate mastery of the objectives and standards. The
concepts of this lesson should not need additional review for the most part. I believe my data (which is represented on the next page) signifies the ability to move
onto different of more complex topics in future instruction. Perhaps the students can begin learning about plant pollination or maybe the class can plant a tree
together.

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

Child #1
Child #2
Child #3
Child #4
Child #5

Objective #1:
The students will be able upon the plant topic at
hand in order to observe and identify characteristics
of them.
X
X
X
X
X

*For privacy reasons, the students names have been removed.

Objective #2:
The students will be able to articulate their thoughts
through comprehendible verbalization.
X
X
X
X