A Journey Under The Sea

Pre-K (Four year olds)

Thematic Unit Project

CHD 204- Methods & Materials For Teaching Children

Kristin L. Howell

Spring 2013

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PhilosophyThere are various areas of development and believe that the adult in a child’s life set the

stage for the quality of that development. Cognitive Development is the development of the child's

ability to learn and solve problems. This is not limited to word or math problems but also conflicts

that may arise between other individuals and themselves. Social and Emotional Development is the

development of the child's ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and self-

control. The child needs to be aware of themselves and others, and learning to share. Hands-on

activities are vital to the learning process. At this age they are not always aware that they are

actually learning and developing, they only know that they are playing, having fun, and exploring

new things.

If I believe nothing else, I believe that children learn through play. Look at the toys we

give to children. Baby dolls for girls and cars, trucks, and action figures for boys. When children are

together playing, what do they play? “House.” The girls pretend that the doll is their baby, “feeding”

it and putting it to bed. They “cook” in the play kitchen reenacting the behavior of the adult female

in their own homes. This playing house definitely serves as practice for what may happen in their

adult lives. Children learn from what they are exposed to, their environment and they express it

through the activities that they participate in. It is often said that the brains of young children are

like sponges, soaking up all the information presented to them. Children learn what they live.

In the sociocultural theory, the social environment is stressed. Like Lev Vygotsky, I believe

that the assistance and participation of the adults promotes the child’s learning. Child gain

knowledge and skills through “shared experiences” between themselves and adults or older peers.

In Vygotsky’s theory of zone of proximal development the zone is a representation of tasks that the

child as yet to be able to do on his or her own but can accomplish with the support of the adult or

older child. Therefore, the child is dependent on social mediation and their environment plays a

major role in their growth and development. I also believe that children develop through

interaction with other children. They learn to share toys, take turns and even comfort each other.

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Curriculum Plan

Activity: Reading “Big Al”

Standard 1: Children will develop listening skills for the purpose of comprehension.

1.3 Show understanding of meaning of stories, songs, informational texts and poems read aloud1.4 Demonstrate progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences, to act out stories in dramatic play, and to predict what will happen next in a story

Standard 2: Children will develop skills to discriminate the sounds of language (Phonological Awareness).2.3 Hear syllables in words

Standard 3: Children will develop an understanding of new vocabulary.3.1 Increase vocabulary through everyday communication3.2 Use new and challenging vocabulary words correctly within the context of play or other classroom experiences

Activity: Seashell Uppercase and Lowercase Match

Standard 7: Children will develop letter knowledge.7.1 Show progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds7.2 Demonstrate increased ability to notice the beginning letters in familiar words7.3 Identify letters of the alphabet, especially letters in own name

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Literacy

Seashell Uppercase and Lowercase Match

Materials: Pictures of seashells (drawn or printed out)

Procedure: On one set of shells, print uppercase letters and on the other, print lowercase letters. Spread the uppercase shells on the floor and place the lowercase shells in a face-down pile. One child at a time takes a shell with a lowercase letter and tries to match the letter to the uppercase shell.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8638984_ocean-theme-literacy-activities-preschoolers.html#ixzz2QxBI7pY8

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Mathematics

Fishing for Colors

Materials:Goldfish Colors crackersPlastic cups (or paper cups), Plastic spoons

Procedure:Students will receive one cup containing the crackers, and four empty cups. Using their spoons students will “fish” the crackers out and separate them according to color and put them into the empty cups. Then they will count out how many fish of each color that they have.

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Creative Arts

Aquarium Paper Plate Diorama

Materials:• 2 white or blue paper plates • A roughly 6 inch diameter circle of clear plastic cut from discarded packaging material

(or clear plastic wrap for food) • Colored construction paper or tempera paint • Scissors and a craft knife (optional) • Glue, tape, and stapler • Crayons, or markers • Thread of yarn (about a foot total)

Procedure:

Work on the Top Plate (with a viewing window):

Cut a Viewing Window: Turn one paper plate upside down and draw a circle around the base of the plate (you will cut out the entire bottom of the plate, the part of plate that you would normally put food on). This plate will become the viewing window of the aquarium. Cut along the circle you drew (have an adult start the cut with a pointy scissors or a craft knife; the child can finish the cutting using a blunt scissors).

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Cover the Viewing Area With Plastic: Cut a circle of clear plastic slightly larger than the hole in the front plate (the plastic should be about 1/4 inch larger than the hole). You can use the thick plastic that is used as packing material on many of the things we buy (the thicker plastic is easier to work with than thin plastic film that can tear and stick to itself). Tape the plastic to the inside of the plate, where the food would normally be.

Work on the Lower Plate (which contains the ocean diorama):

Make a Blue Background (if you're using a blue plate, omit this step):You can either color the background blue or cut out a circle of blue construction paper and glue it in place. If you opt to use paper, use the circle you cut out as a template to cut out a blue construction-paper circle for the background of your aquarium. Glue the blue circle to the plate (glue it to the surface where the food would normally go).

Draw and Make Construction-Paper Plants and Animals for the Diorama: The plants and animals in your diorama can be drawn or cut out of construction paper. Kelp (green or brown) and brightly-colored coral are good for the background. Then, either draw or cut out paper fish, starfish, jellyfish, seahorses, sharks, whales, and/or other creatures for the foreground.

Add the Construction-Paper Plants and Animals to the Diorama: Glue some of the creatures to the background. Others creatures can hang from threads so they look like they're swimming. For each hanging creature, cut a short length of thread. Tape one end of the thread to the back of a fish; tape the other end of the thread to the top of the plate.

Finish the Aquarium: Tape or staple the top plate to the back plate. Have the child write his/her name on the back of the aquarium. Now you have a cute paper plate diorama of an aquarium.

Source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/diorama/aquarium/

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Science and Environmental Education

Measure a Blue Whale

It is difficult for young children to visualize the enormity of the largest ocean dweller, the blue whale. A blue whale's average span is 80 feet but they can grow to reach 100 feet in length. Demonstrate this size to children who are learning about the ocean.

Materials:100-foot length of twine

Procedure: Designate a student to hold one end of the twine while another class member unrolls it. Let the children walk from one end to the other.

Source: Ocean Science Activities for Preschool | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6523691_ocean-science-activities-preschool.html#ixzz2QxxqMxj0

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Social & Emotional Development

Big AlBy Andrew Clements and Yoshi

Picture Book Studio, 1998

Big Al is a fish who wants to make friends! He tries everything he can think of to make

friends, but nothing seems to work! The other fish are afraid of him because he is different. They

all think that Big Al is very big and very scary! When the other fish get caught in a fisherman’s

net, Big Al comes to the rescue. It is then that they realize what a great friend he really is!

While reading the story, ask the children how they would feel if they were Big Al. How

would they feel if they really wanted to make friends with someone, but no matter what they

tried—it didn’t work? Ask if they think Big Al is different? How is he different? Talk about how

we are all different—some of us are tall/short, have blue eyes/brown eyes/green eyes, etc.—and

just because we are different doesn’t mean we can’t be friends! Ask what they think they would

do if Big Al tried to be their friend?

Talk about the fact that Big Al solved his friendship problem by helping the other fish get

out of the fish net when they were trapped. Helping each other is one way to make friends, but

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there are also many other ways. Ask what they think Big Al could have done to make friends

with the other fish. Ask what they do to make new friends

Remind the children that Big Al wanted to be friends with the other fish. He tried very

hard to make friends, Ask the children if they remember what happened when Big Al tried to

make friends with the other fish. Why Big Al was lonely? Why did he cry? Point out ideas from

the “How to Make Friends” list that the children developed earlier. Tell them that today everyone

is going to try really hard to be a good friend! Sing the Friend Song to the tune of “This Old

Man”.

Let’s be friends, Let’s be friendsPlay and share and laugh with meAnd we’ll be friends forever you’ll seePlay and share and laugh with me!

Source: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/booknook/bigal/bigal.pdf

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Physical Health and Development

Crab Races

In this game, children pretend children are crabs living on the beach, and race together. • As they race, they must stay on their hands and knees and move sideways.• Bring them outside and let them race across the yard and back.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/list_7332326_ocean-adventure-sea-games.html#ixzz2QyFLZz33

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Vocabulary Words

AlgaeBarnacle

BarracudaBarrier reefCamouflage

ClamClown fish

CoralCoral Reef

CrabDolphin

EelFinFish

Giant SquidGrouper

Humpback WhaleKelp

Kelp forestKiller Whale

MackerelManatee

Man-o’-warManta rayMolluskNautilusOcean

OctopusOrca

OysterPlankton

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Book List

Big Al by Andrew Clements and Yoshi

Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae (Author), David Wojtowycz (Illustrator)

I'm The Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry

Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck and Valeria Petrone

A Swim Through the Sea by Kristin Joy Pratt (Author)

Codley and the Sea Cave Adventure (An Inspiring Story about Courage and Friendship) Lisl Fair

(Author), Ismedy Prasetya (Illustrator)

Wow! Ocean! by Robert Neubecker

In the Ocean by Dorothea Deprisco Wang (Author), Cathy Shimmen (Illustrator)

Poke -A-Dot! : Who's in the Ocean? (30 Poke-Able Poppin' Dots) (Hardcover)by Sara Russell and Pope Twins

My Visit to the Aquarium (Paperback)by Aliki

In My Ocean (Hardcover)by Sara Gillingham, Lorena Siminovich

Hello Ocean (Hardcover)by Pam Munoz Ryan, Mark Astrella

Guess Who Ocean Friends (Hardcover)by Jodie Shepherd, Laura Ovresat

Ocean Tails (Hardcover) by Charles Reasoner, Judy Nelson

Good Night Ocean (Hardcover) by Mark Jasper, Cooper Kelly

Down in the Deep, Deep Ocean! (Hardcover) by Jo Cleland, Damon Taylor

One Giant Splash : A Counting Book about the Ocean (Paperback)by Michael Dahl, Todd Ouren

Ocean Babies (Hardcover) by Kristen McCurry, Aimee Jackson

I Spy in the Ocean (Hardcover )by Damon Burnard, Julia Cairns

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A School of Fish : Animal Groups in the Ocean by Alex Kuskowski

Environment Form

Science Area• Sea shells and sand, books, and magnifying glasses, pencils and paper. Let the children

discover the different types of shells there are.• An aquarium with colorful fish

Art Area

• Sponges cut into shapes of fish, starfish, shells, sharks etc. They can dip the sponges into paint and stamp it on paper.

Reading Area• Hang a sign that says “Hooked on Books”. Have inflatable fish hanging from fishing line.

Attached to each fish is a genre definition• Books related to the ocean• A “submarine” that the children can get in and read books.

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Classroom Décor• Blue sheets across the ceiling to make it feel as if we are underwater• Blue and green strips of tissue paper hanging over the wndows or from the ceiling

ReflectionI feel that this particular topic is excellent for children because the ocean a

dramatically different world from what we live in and this is exciting to them. However,

there are certain that take place in the ocean that are similar to what we do. For example

just as human mothers take care of their babies; whales take care of their babies as well. So

through this unit of study the element of comparison and contrast is there.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. This experience has taught me

that through the simplest tasks, children can learn valuable tools that they need in life. I

have also learned that child development as a whole is so much more complex that I

thought. I also find that many activities overlap in areas of learning. One example being the

submarine idea I suggested earlier. The children can construct it and paint it together. Not

only is this creative art but also social development because they are working in a

cooperative situation.

Throughout the work I have done with this project I am reminded of my two

favorite teachers that I had in elementary school. One was Mrs. Stevens who was Korean

from Canada. Every day was an adventure in her class. We read the story about the

gingerbread man who ran away and then we made our own gingerbread man who also

“ran away” and we had to find him. My other favorite teacher was Mrs. Swann who taught

us “rap songs” about the parts of speech (nouns, verbs etc.). These women made such an

impact on my desire to learn and be successful. I had not really thought about it until I

began taking these child development courses and now I am beginning to realize what

went into all the activities that we were doing. As children we were just having fun in our

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learning but we had no idea how much care, planning, and even love went into it all.