A Natural History of the Pre-School - Assignment Example

Download file to see previous pages Another benefit of this game is that it has too much variety to it and once children know how to play it and the teacher knows how to monitor them then there is a long way to go. Another reason for its attractiveness is that it stimulates children verbally and mentally. It keeps evolving at such a pace that children get engrossed in playing it. The teacher can focus on the vocabulary or use of fully grammatically correct sentences. The development of coherent speech at a good rate can be achieved if a teacher keeps incorporating this game in-class lessons. It also provides the teacher with an opportunity to assess the language while playing. The only constraint I can see is the arrangement of the material.
The lesson 'What did you wear today' is an excellent example of one to one presentation. Reasoning abilities can build besides building the blocks. Blocks are very helpful and useful to give math and science concepts and many other adjustments are possible with blocks. The hand-eye coordination along with counting and fine motor skills gets developed at a good pace. The Sooner or later child will be able to relate the similarities and relationships of objects. Massive amounts of vocabulary related to clothing can be given and then become more targeted depending on the teacher's intentions of teaching. I think there are too many concepts taken care of in this lesson, for example, vocabulary, the concept of the present tense, counting, magnitude, enumerations, etc. They also get to explore sizes, shapes and different weights. At last but not the least is that it gives them an opportunity to solve construction problems and make a decision every time they want to build. At the age of 3 to 4, children can very comfortably build vertical or horizontal towers and can easily get a sense of accomplishment. Free play can be a very good option with blocks children can love building stacks on their own. But expecting children to repeat the whole process on their own will be a high expectation. Language development can also take place during free play or instructional play along with the growth of social skills. A good lesson always gives a chance to a teacher to assess the child and it does for sure.
Most of the preschool teachers consider free play time very significant and children cherish it. It is very essential for the psychological development of children. The science lesson "Ice block Designs" is a very good example of free play where children can be in high spirits. Hutt, Tyler, Hutt & Christopherson (1990) write, " Free-play with the material, the outcome is unpredictable" (p.122.) An adult just needs to monitor and let the children generate language, build concepts and explore with minimum intervention. Children can develop the concept of colors, textures, and experiments. Reasoning, expressing original thoughts and improvement of coordination can be stepped forward through this lesson. Open-ended data can also be obtained by questioning and supplying attractive materials. The only drawback again is of arranging the ice blocks and keeping the weather in mind before carrying out the activity.
The social studies lesson "Shoe skating" can be a good follow up lesson. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More