Analyzing Pre-Kindergarten Week-2 Lesson Plan for “Farm Animals”
Skills and Knowledge/Standards and Strategies Required in Teaching the Lesson
Generally, the teacher should have undergone through training in teaching methodologies and content of the subject matter he is about to teach. In this regard, the teacher is supposed to have trained in general science to the level required for the Pre-K class. Moreover, in teaching methodologies, he is supposed to be equipped with skills to bring stimuli that activate receptors. His lesson should be aimed at making children gain attention for instance, by singing a song about farm animals, or by making them hold pictures of farm animals as they sing their sound at the rhythm of selected poems. In this respect, the child will perceive different characteristics of animals and their names. Moreover, they will be able to realize the environments in which they live and their uses to the human being (Vela, 2014).
The other skill will be creating levels of expectation for the lesson. In this case, the teacher should tell the students what they are going to learn about, before turning the projector for them to see pictures of farm animals on the wall. He should also be able to stimulate retrieval and activation of learner’s short term memory. He should ask the learners places where such animals are found, their characteristics and what they give them (for instance wool, meat, eggs, and so forth). The next step will be presenting the content by enabling the children to read books such as The Big Red Bar individually and in groups. For long-term preservation of memory, the children will choose computer stations with the software that shows how an animal sounds, grows and lives. The teacher can elicit performances by asking questions that require encoding and verification. He should also be able to reinforce the retrieval of the content through evaluations and revisions. Lastly, to enhance the children to retain and transfer knowledge on the job, he can organize a field trip, for them to use all of their senses (Vela, 2014).
Background Knowledge Some Members of the Class May Lacking
Taking into account that the school is in town, where majority of farm animals are not found, it will be important that they encounter a lot of images in class and field trips. Moreover, since there are some students with both learning and common disabilities, some classroom adaptations will have to be done, to accommodate everybody. Fortunately, the teacher is skilled in identifying and helping those learners with common and learning disabilities.
Incorporating Learners with Common and Learning Disabilities
The instructor can introduce several adaptations in his class by including Braille, large print books or electronic devices with bigger fonts for the visually impaired learners. Since learners with learning disabilities (LD) and common disabilities (CD) are normally slow, the teacher should have added study books, videos and audio CDs. Students with visual and hearing disabilities should be given preference in sitting arrangements. For those who cannot hear, sign language will have to be improvised for them. Students with chronic illness require extra time to complete their assignments (Western Michigan University, 2014).
For grading, assessment and testing, the percentage of work required as a pass mark may have to be changed, proportionately, depending on difficulties of a learner in the class. While constructing a test, enough time should be indicated so that they can complete their tasks comfortably. Tape records especially for physically impaired students are needed in class; if they are not available, the teacher can opt for reading assistants. Some students may be seasonally disabled and thus taking examinations for them may prove very difficult. In this case, retaking the examinations should be arranged for them (Western Michigan University, 2014).
Learning Objectives:
- Children knowing animals that live on the farm by their names and characteristics such as sounds, sizes, body coverings and so forth
- Learners identifying shelters and foods of farm animals
- Children identifying uses of the farm animals named.
The pre-kindergarten learners opening and navigating through the teacher’s own software designed to enhance the development of selected concepts (Arkansas State, 2014).
Learning Goal
- Knowing farm animals and taking care of them / becoming their caregivers (Arkansas State, 2014).
References
Arkansas State. (2014). Weekly Plan Sheet: Farm Animals-Week 2. Retrieved on 17 April 2013
Vela, D. (2014). Farm Animals. Digitalwish. Retrieved on 17 April 2013 from
http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/view_lesson_plans?id=5275
Western Michigan University. (2014).Western Michigan University College Students with
Disabilities. Retrieved on 17 April 2013 from http://wmich.edu/disabilityservices/Resourceguide.html
