EMERGENT CURRICULUM

PLANNING PROJECT

PART 1: OBSERVATIONS

The group of children I have been getting to know are between the ages of 4 and 5
Gale Spear - CDEC 1413 Curriculum Resources

Clara Godkin

years old. Most of the children are of American descent; however, there is a child from
India, and a child from Pakistan, with Hindu cultural backgrounds. Most of the children
celebrate traditional American holidays along with a few who celebrate Hanukkah. M.M.
Is participating in speech therapy, and J.W has severe allergies that require special food
diet, as well as breathing treatments when needed, the rest of the children have no special
needs.
From my observations in the preschool classroom, some developmental learning
strengths I see are:
Social emotional development: The children regulate their own emotions and
behaviors by managing their feelings. They establish and sustain positive relationships by
interacting with peers and adults, and participate cooperatively and constructively in
group situations by balancing the needs of self and others, and by solving social
problems.
Physical development: The children demonstrate fine-motor strength and
coordination by using their fingers and hands when writing, using scissors and
throughout everyday activities. They demonstrate traveling skills and move with purpose
from one area of the room to the other with control, and coordinate complex movements
in play and games.
Language development: Throughout the room, the children use language to
express thoughts and needs by speaking clearly, speech is understood by most people.
The children listen to and understand increasingly complex language by following
multiple step directions. They use conventional grammar by using complete 4 to 6 word
sentences, and at times use long, complex sentences that follow most grammatical rules.
They engage in conversations with each other and with the teachers of at least 3
Gale Spear - CDEC 1413 Curriculum Resources

Clara Godkin

exchanges and use acceptable language and social rules while communicating with
others, they may need reminders from time to time.
Cognitive Development: The children in the preschool room that I have been
observing demonstrate positive approaches to learning by attending and engaging,
persisting, and by solving problems. The children sustain their play and ignore most
distractions and interruptions, and show curiosity and motivation in whatever they are
engaged in.
Content learning: The children are writing their names every day several times,
they are counting during circle time, and through activities provided by the teachers
throughout the day. They participate in weekly science experiments, and demonstrate the
knowledge of the characteristics of living things on a regular basis. Art is explored as
well, the children have many opportunities to express and explore the visual arts, dance
and movement concepts, musical expression, and technology (there are 2 computers for
the children to use in the classroom, and the iPad shared amongst the class).
I have noticed some themes apparent in the childrens play. The group of girls
tend to play together role-playing/pretending/acting out home life. Mommy, daddy, baby
and brother seem to be a consistent theme apparent in their everyday activities. For the
boys, they have been a little more diverse. Their play seems to follow whatever topic is
relevant at the time or of the week.
To plan curriculum, I believe light and shadows will be interesting. Light and
shadow have an aura of mystery that intrigues preschoolers whose minds are full of
curiosity about the world around them. I will bring in each childs interests in order to
support the theme. The children will enjoy working with flashlights as we explore
shadows, and they can act out play scenarios in a homemade shadowbox. By providing
Gale Spear - CDEC 1413 Curriculum Resources

Clara Godkin

various items for the children to play with including family, and animal themed items, the
children are sure to enjoy the cause and effect of playing with light and shadow.

Gale Spear - CDEC 1413 Curriculum Resources

Clara Godkin