Spring 2013

Sem I-ECED372

LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program

The following information should be included in the header of the lesson plan:
Hunter Gwyn
Ronda Heatwole, Pleasant Valley Elementary, Pre-K
October 19th, Approximately 11:00am 12:00pm
Date written plan is submitted to the practicum teacher
(Plan must be initialed and dated by the teacher when it is reviewedat least one week in advance.)

TITLE OF LESSON
Exploring Play Dough
The students will be introduced to play dough. They will be given the opportunity to explore its physical
characteristics and create works of art through molding and manipulating the substance. There will be no guidelines for
what the students are to create with the play dough, in order to foster self-expression and individuality. The students
will also talk about the qualities of the play dough that they observe, or describe what they will create with it.

CONTEXT OF LESSON

This activity is appropriate for my students at this time because interacting with play dough fosters
creativity and individuality. There is no wrong way to mold play dough, so this allows students the
opportunity to express themselves and their artistic abilities in a low stress, non-judgmental setting. This is
important because young children need to have opportunities for self-expression in order to nurture
emotional health, which can be more difficult when a task requires one, specific method of accomplishment.
Allowing opportunities for genuine creativity also helps children develop their cognitive and language
abilities by promoting new ways of thinking, the use problem-solving skills, and talking about their art with
the teacher and their peers. Young children also require practice developing their fine motor skills. Using
play dough is an appropriate way for the students to do this, as they must exercise the small muscles in their
hands and fingers to manipulate the dough.
Every week that I have observed center time in my practicum classroom, the drawing table has been a
popular area of congregation for the students. While only a handful of students can create pictures that can be
deciphered by someone other than the student who drew it, the children appear to enjoy creating novelty
pieces of art without any direction of where to take them. However, only traditional art resources, such as
markers, colored pencils and crayons, are regularly available to the children during center time, so I believe
the students would greatly enjoy using different material to create unique pieces of art. Many students in the
class have never had the opportunity to use play dough before, so introducing the material will expand the
students mental concepts of art, and help them realize that art can be more than just drawings and pictures.
Through modeling the play dough, the students will expand upon their creative processes, and begin to
understand that art can be more than just two dimensional, and does not have to be bound to markers and a
piece of paper.

OBJECTIVES AND ASSESSMENT

Developmental Objectives Plan for Assessment

1. The students will describe their
individual works of art.
I will assess this by asking each student about his or her artwork, and
waiting for a response. An acceptable response would include any
descriptive words on what the students intend to/are attempting to make
with the play dough, or any physical qualities of the play dough itself. For
every student that successfully does this, I will record his or her responses

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next to his/her name on the name sheet.

2. The students will use the play dough
properly in their designated space.
I will assess this once a student has finished crafting with the play dough. I
will examine a finished students work area and see if all of the play dough
that the student used is still on his/her work mat. This means that no play
dough can be on the table (other than on the work mat), the floor, the
students seat, or anywhere on the students body. For every student that
does this successfully, I will write a check mark next to his/her name on
the name sheet.

COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENT DATA (ATTACHED)

RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (K & 1) OR FOUNDATION BLOCKS (Preschool)

Virginia Visual Arts Foundation Block 1: Visual Communication and Production

a) Understand that artists create visual arts using many different tools
b) Understand that visual arts take many forms
c) Use a variety of materials, textures and tools for producing visual art
d) Develop and use fine motor skills necessary to produce two- and three-dimensional works of art

Virginia Visual Arts Foundation Block 3: Analysis, Evaluation, and Critique

b) Understand that each person responds to and creates works of art in unique ways

Virginia Literacy Foundation Block 2: Vocabulary

a) Use size, shape, color, and special words to describe people, places, and things

MATERIALS NEEDED

- Play Dough (Cooperating teacher)

- Place Mats (Cooperating teacher)

PROCEDURE

PREPARATION OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

1) I will first push together two small tables that the students use during center time and place 6 chairs around
the work area.
2) I will then lay down 6 place mats on the tables, one in front of each chair.
3) I will place the instruction cards in the middle of the work area so that all of the children can see the
instructions.
4) Then I will place a handful of play dough on each place mat.
5) I will do this activity with up to 6 students at a time.

INTRODUCTION AND ORGANIZATION

6) Before the students begin center time, I will introduce the learning center while all of the students are
gathered together on the rug in the middle of the room.

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7) I will first ask if any of the students have used play dough before, and, if students raise their hands, allow
students to talk about their experiences with it by asking, What does it feel like? and Did you make
anything with it?
8) I will then demonstrate appropriate ways to interact with the play dough by using my hands to stretch it,
bend it, roll it, squish it, poke it, and break it into multiple pieces.
9) Then I will point out that the students can also use the play dough to create objects, shapes, animals, people,
and whatever else they can think of, though will not require that they have to make anything at all.
10) I will also encourage the students to use their senses touch, sight, smell and hearing to notice how the play
dough feels, looks, smells and sounds when they are using it.
11) I will then say explicitly that we do not put the play dough in our mouths and use our sense of taste because
eating play dough can make them sick.
12) Then I will point out that the play dough should only be used at the designated table, and should be kept on
or over the place mat at all times.
13) I will also direct the students attention to the instruction cards on the table and tell them that if they forget
the appropriate ways to use the play dough, they can remind themselves by look at the cards on the table.
14) The students will then be allowed to begin center time by my coordinating teacher.

IMPLEMENTATION
15) I will monitor the students as they filter through the play dough station to observe the students interactions
with the play dough.
16) I will allow each student that comes to the station time to explore the play dough before engaging them
individually, or as a group.
17) I will ask each student that utilizes the station questions, such as, How does the play dough feel? and
What are you making with your play dough? and record their individual responses.
18) As students leave the station, I will examine their work area and record whether or not they used the play
dough appropriately, and repeat the process for each student that comes to the station.

CLOSURE
19) Once the students have reconvened on the class rug after center time, I will ask the whole group what kinds
of things they made with the play dough.
20) I will also reiterate the senses the students used when interacting with the play dough, and ask the whole
group how the play dough looked, felt, sounded, and smelled.

CLEAN-UP
21) As the students are cleaning up the other stations at center time, I will put away all of the play dough used
during the activity, as well as the place mats.
22) If any play dough has found its way off of the place mats, I will clean this up as well, and move the tables
and chairs to their original positions.

DIFFERENTIATION

Some of the students in class speak primarily Spanish and know a limited amount of English, so I will have
pictures on the instruction cards so that these students know what are appropriate ways to use the play dough. I
will also model these appropriate behaviors before center time begins so that these students can see what those
behaviors look like in real time. When demonstrating these appropriate behaviors, I will also use the Spanish
terminology along with the English terminology to ensure that the ELL students know exactly how to use the
play dough.

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Some of the students may have also previously used play dough before this activity. To ensure that these
students are as equally involved and engaged as the students who have never used play dough before, I will
challenge them to craft specific objects or letters after they have already explored their own interests. If a student
has difficulties meeting this request, I will assist them by beginning the craft myself or directing them step-by-
step.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Not all of the students may want to participate in the play dough activity. If all of the students have not
participated by the time center time is almost over, I will try to encourage them individually by asking them if
they would like to come play with the play dough with me, where I will model appropriate behaviors with them
one-on-one. If students who have not participated still do not want to do so even after my encouragement, this
will be acceptable.
It could also be possible that some students want to stay at the play dough station for the entire duration of
center time. If this is the case, I will remind the students who want to stay that there are other stations open for
them to play at, and that their friends would also like a turn at the play dough station. If a student is still insistent
on staying even after I have tried this approach, I will give them a maximum of three more minutes at the play
dough station so that they can finish up, and let another student take their place.

A COPY OF THE DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT MUST BE ATTACHED TO THIS DOCUMENT.

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