Early writing and peer relationships develop while planting seeds.
NAEYC
Curriculum: Essential Characteristics
2.A.11- The schedule provides children learning opportunities, experiences, and projects that extend over the course of several days and incorporates time for play, self-initiated learning, creative expression, large-group, small-group, and child-initiated activity.
This planting project is an extension of a previous project about compost and earthworms. The children spent time prior to planting seeds in this soil observing earthworms in the dirt and learning about what compost is, how it is created, and its purpose for plants.
Curriculum Content Areas for Cognitive Development: Early Literacy Development
2.E.06- Children in Ms. Gehrke's class are provided multiple and varied opportunities to develop phonological awareness...children's...efforts to write letters that represent the sounds of words are supported.
A girl in Ms. Gehrke's class wants to write "corn" on her seed container. She expresses that she does not know how to write it. Ms. Gehrke helps her think about how she could write "corn" by pronouncing each phoneme in the word so that the child can hear each sound and attempt to represent it in her writing. Ms. Gehrke helps her notice the "kuh" sound at the beginning of the word and the girl says "k". Ms. Gehrke encourages her to write the letter she hears. When the girl still struggles a bit, Ms. Gehrke suggests looking at the seed packet as a resource for writing "corn." The girl uses the seed packet as guide for labeling her container. She discovers that "corn" starts with the letter "c", not the letter "k". Ms. Gehrke points out that "c" and "k" both have a "kuh" sound.
Using Time, Grouping, and Routines to Achieve Learning Goals
3.D.11- Ms. Gehrke creates opportunities for children to engage in group projects and to learn from one another.
Ms. Gehrke uses the experiences the children had from previous projects to extend their learning into the area of how plants grow. She embeds literacy development into these activities by giving the children a purpose for reading, writing, and communicating with each other. The set up of the center allows for cooperative learning and facilitates peer interaction.
IELS
9.1-Self
Children express a positive awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, and preferences.
A boy expresses needs...in socially appropriate ways.
Children in Ms. Gehrke's class plant seeds during center time. One boy forgets to label the pot his seeds are planted in. Ms. Gehrke asks him what he needs to do so everyone knows what is growing in the pot. He replies that he needs to write the word "corn" on the side of the pot. As Ms. Gehrke moves away to help another child, the boy says, "I don't know how to write 'corn'." When Ms. Gehrke does not hear his statement, the boy asks a girl planting seeds next to him how to write "corn".
9.4-Peer Interactions
Children develop the ability to interact with peers respectfully and to form positive peer relationships.
A boy sustains interactions with peers and develops friendships with other peers.
When a boy wants to label a pot of seeds he just planted, he asks a girl planting seeds how to write the word "corn". She begins to spell the word for him as she examines the package the seeds came in, then she offers, in a friendly and respectful manner, to write the word for him.
10.3-Early Writing
Children engage in early writing experiences.
Children in Ms. Gehrke's class attempt to communicate with others using...letters...use...a variety of writing tools...and...tell others about the intended meaning of...writing.
A girl in Ms. Gehrke's class uses a marker to write the word "corn" on the side of the pot she just planted seeds in using the seed package as a guide. When Ms. Gehrke asks a boy what he needs to do so that others will know what he planted in his pot, he replies, "I need to write 'corn'."
IQPPS
Curriculum: Essential Characteristics
2.10- The schedule provides children learning opportunities, experiences, and projects that extend over the course of several days and incorporates time for play, self-initiated learning, creative expression, large-group, small-group, and child-initiated activity.
This planting project is an extension of a previous project about compost and earthworms. The children spent time prior to planting seeds in this soil observing earthworms in the dirt and learning about what compost is, how it is created, and its purpose for plants.
Curriculum Content Areas for Cognitive Development: Early Literacy Development
2.22- Children in Ms. Gehrke's class are provided multiple and varied opportunities to develop phonological awareness...children's...efforts to write letters that represent the sounds of words are supported.
A girl in Ms. Gehrke's class wants to write "corn" on her seed container. She expresses that she does not know how to write it. Ms. Gehrke helps her think about how she could write "corn" by pronouncing each phoneme in the word so that the child can hear each sound and attempt to represent it in her writing. Ms. Gehrke helps her notice the "kuh" sound at the beginning of the word and the girl says "k". Ms. Gehrke encourages her to write the letter she hears. When the girl still struggles a bit, Ms. Gehrke suggests looking at the seed packet as a resource for writing "corn." The girl uses the seed packet as guide for labeling her container. She discovers that "corn" starts with the letter "c", not the letter "k". Ms. Gehrke points out that "c" and "k" both have a "kuh" sound.
Using Time, Grouping, and Routines to Achieve Learning Goals
3.11- Ms. Gehrke creates opportunities for children to engage in group projects and to learn from one another.
Ms. Gehrke uses the experiences the children had from previous projects to extend their learning into the area of how plants grow. She embeds literacy development into these activities by giving the children a purpose for reading, writing, and communicating with each other. The set up of the center allows for cooperative learning and facilitates peer interaction.
HSPS
1304.21(c)(1)(ii) - Ms. Gehrke provides for the development of cognitive skills by encouraging each child to organize his or her experiences, to understand concepts, and to develop age appropriate literacy, numeracy, reasoning, problem solving and decision making skills which form a foundation for school readiness and later school success.
Ms Gehrke individualizes her teaching approach with each child. She helps them think outside of the classroom by asking them to remember past experiences and draw on prior knowledge. Ms. Gehrke uses the experiences the children had from previous projects to extend their learning into the area of how plants grow. She embeds literacy development into these activities by giving the children a purpose for reading, writing, and communicating with each other. The set up of the center allows for cooperative learning and facilitates peer interaction.
1304.21(c)(1)(vii) - Children in Ms. Gehrke’s classroom are provided individual and small group experiences both indoors and outdoors as they study the growth of seeds in their classroom.
This planting project is an extension of a previous project about compost and earthworms. The children spent time prior to planting seeds in this soil observing earthworms in the dirt and learning about what compost is, how it is created, and its purpose for plants. The children are given opportunities during center time to work individually or in a small group to plant their seeds and observe the changes in their plants over time.
HSCOF
Language Development
Listening and Understanding
- Understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.
Speaking and Communicating
- Progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and discussions with peers and adults.
Literacy
Phonological Awareness
- Shows increasing ability to discriminate and identify sounds in spoken language.
- Shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words.
- Shows growing ability to hear and discriminate separate syllables in words
- Associates sounds with written words, such as awareness that different words begin with the same sound.
Print Awareness and Concepts
- Shows increasing awareness of print in classroom, home and community settings.
- Develops growing understanding of the different functions of forms of print such as signs, letters, newspapers, lists, messages, and memos
- Demonstrates increasing awareness of concepts of print, such as that reading in English moves from top to bottom and from left to right, that speech can be written down, and that print conveys a message.
- Shows progress in recognizing the association between spoken and written words by following print as it is read aloud.
- Recognizes a word as a unit of print, or awareness that letters are grouped to form words and that words are separated by spaces.
Early Writing
- Develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes.
- Experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers.
Social and Emotional Development
Self Control
- Shows progress in expressing feelings, needs and opinions in difficult situations and conflicts without harming themselves, others, or property.
- Develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to accept the consequences of their actions.
- Demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully.
Cooperation
- Increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing and discussion.
Social Relationships
- Demonstrates increasing comfort in talking with and accepting guidance and directions from a range of familiar adults