The title of the lesson is using pretend play to understand the environment. George has collected various types of animals from both the ‘external environment’ (environment away from the child’s immediate surrounding) such as the various wild animals and the immediate environment such as the dogs, the drill cars as well as the train and the towers.
Learning Goals and Objectives
The teacher uses the materials from the nearby and external environment to help the learners attain awareness. Therefore, the main goal of the lesson is for the learners to gain awareness of both the external and immediate environments. The awareness is attained through the acquisition of accurate knowledge about the aspects of the environment. Hence, the main objective of the lesson is to help the learners acquire accurate knowledge of the various aspects of both the immediate and external environment.
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Method of Instruction
The teacher has successfully used the guided discovery method of instructions to help learners acquire accurate knowledge of their surrounding environment. The teacher seems to understand the idea that learners below the age of five years love playing and employs pretend play to maintain learner’s concentration and help them acquire some accurate knowledge about their external environment. For instance, when Ayla finds the ‘special place' for the horse, George asks her whether she would prefer to place the horse in the different position where there is a block that looks like hay. Ayla changes her mind and views placing the horse close the hay as a good idea since the horse will need the hay throughout the trip. Similarly, when Ayla suggest that the animal train is headed to the office, she changes her mind after being questioned by George about whether a train carrying animals would go to the office or the zoo. She maintains a stable stance when the question arises again later in the play by saying, "the train is headed to the zoo, and the cars are headed to the office."
Tucker also demonstrates the same kind of awareness with his necklace. Although he has lost several of his bids, he still understands that the few beads remaining must hang to the front rather than to the back as suggested by George. Any child at his age may still have some trouble dressing appropriately. However, he seems much aware of that the beads should hang at the front and manages to convince George who then says, "It makes sense to me."
Lesson Summary
George, the teacher, helps Ayla and Tucker with their pretend play. Ayla who is about four years and Tucker who is about three years play by arranging animals on a train that is headed somewhere the two are not very sure. The lesson proceeds quite well with the giraffe placed at the lead and crocodiles in position. Ayla is building towers, and she says she is doing it for Tucker. George notices the tube held by Tucker, and questions Tucker about it. Tucker says that he is holding a drill; he calls it so because it has a hole. However, George helps Tucker understand that drilling is achieved through turning the drilling tool, and makes Tucker mimic drilling on his hand. Meanwhile, Ayla continues to place other animals on the train. George then finds a "big horse" and asks Ayla to find a special place for the horse. Ayla discovers a block that looks like a hay and places the horse near it as she feels that the horse needs the hay.
Assessment Tools
The two assessment tools that have been used in the lesson include questioning and observation. The teacher regularly asks the learners questions to determine whether the desired accurate knowledge has been mastered. For instance, towards the end of the lesson, he tests Ayla’s knowledge by telling her that the train is headed to the office. Ayla quickly interrupts and asserts that the train is not headed to the office as said by George, rather it is headed to the zoo, and the cars are headed to the office. Her assertion demonstrates mastery of the desired accurate knowledge thus making the lesson successful in achieving its objectives. Similarly, the teacher is noted to observe how the Tucker mimics drilling on his palm, and how Ayla places the baby giraffe close to its mother and remarks correct at each observation. These assessment tools have been correctly used to determine learner’s mastery of content.
The three questions that might have helped the educator to prepare for the lesson include:
What is the age of the learners?
What is the ability of the learners at these ages?
What are the interests of children at these ages?
Three questions that might have been used to check for the understanding of the lesson include:
Where does the train carrying animals likely to go?
Where are the cars likely to head to?
What are the appropriate locations of various animals on the train? Why?
Summative Activity
An activity to check for the mastery of the skill would entail disarranging the train and placing the cars together with the animals and letting the learner arrange again. For Tucker, the tutor can provide a soft board and a larger object that looks like a drill, and let him drill through the soft board.
In a nutshell, pretend play is useful in encouraging learners to think beyond the look of the things around them to describe how they function. Similarly, pretend play can help the learners determine the outcome of manipulating the motives of the pretending characters.
