Assessment 3: Impact on student learning Guidance sheet provided to candidates
You must use this guidance sheet when completing the activity plan. It provides you with the understanding needed to address each area of
the plan with accuracy.
Observations Include at least two examples of what you have observed to be the interest of a child or children in your classroom. These
observations can be direct accounts of children’s play or background knowledge that you have witnessed to be prevalent in children’s lives.
Here are a couple of examples of what you might write.
1. This week I have noticed that a group of boys on the playground were making mud castles with sticks in them. They kept asking for
water to make it “sticky.” I have set out play-doh this week and Kiyana keeps bringing over the art basket to stick things in it. Based on
these two observations I think that planning an art experience using clay and pointed objects would be appropriate. Perhaps allowing
children to work with this new medium will enhance their thinking about molding and shaping pliable substances
2. Ms. Martin has brought in flowers from her garden for the past week. The children have been fascinated with the brilliant colors. I want
to give them an opportunity to express their thoughts about flowers. I will provide some photographs of flowers in our neighborhood and
see how children will express themselves with paint.
Curriculum Discussion: Understanding the curriculum area is necessary in order to plan appropriate experiences for children. For example,
when you are planning an experience for math, you must know how children typically engage with materials in order to determine your goals for
these children. You have to understand the materials that you present to them and how those materials will be utilized as children manipulate
them, and finally, you must have an understanding of the concept that you are presenting to children. For example, if you are planning a math
experience where children will engage in game playing, then you must know that children generally fall into three categories or stages of
quantification/math understanding (global, 1:1 correspondence and counting). You would briefly explain these. You would then have to know
about the game that you are presenting. So, if it is a short path game, then you should be able to explain it and how children might use it. In
essence, for this section of the plan, you are demonstrating your knowledge of the experience that you are presenting to children. If you are
planning for art, you would explain what art really is and more specifically if it is an art experience using collage materials, you will describe what
that means for the preschool age child. Utilize your textbooks from other curriculum courses for support in this area. The More Than Series
books are excellent resources. You can also use the internet for additional support.
Anticipated Learning: Explain how you expect children to interact with the invitation/experience you have provided for them. This is the same
information that you will include in your planning discussion board for specific activities.
Standards: Incorporating standards into your activity planning is a practical way of meeting what the state of Ohio says is appropriate education
for preschool age children. You should begin by reviewing the Ohio Early Learning and Development Standards and the Head Start Outcomes
Framework located under the weeks that the discussion boards are due in the Bb course site.
List 3 Domain standards with their respective strands, topics and standards statements from Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards
or the domain, domain element and indicator from the Head Start Frameworks for this activity (or learning center). Standards and domains
represent the overall goals teachers (and organizations) have for children in their classrooms. At least 2 standards must relate to the curriculum
area cited in your plan. Format your standards to include the standard, the organizer and the indicator. The example below shows you the
standard, the organizer and indicator. When writing your domain standards on the plan, use the format in the examples that follow.
Domain Standard - Math (Cognition and General Knowledge Mathematics):
Strand – Number Relationships and Operations
Topic – Explore Number Relationships
Strand Statement - Solve simple addition and subtraction problems with totals smaller than 8, using concrete objects.
*Please Note – If you are unable to find the appropriate standard in the Ohio Content Standards, utilize the Head Start Outcomes for these curriculum
areas.
Objectives: State your objective in terms of what responses/actions you expect children may give (The children are expected…….). Since
children are usually on varying developmental levels, you may assume that there will be a range of responses/actions. Keep in mind that
objectives should have an observable or measurable outcome. Use of verbs such as those in the following list will help you when writing
objectives:
Analyze
Choose
Collect
Define
Demonstrate
Describe
Design
Detect
Determine
Differentiate
Explain
Distinguish
Formulate
Generalize
Generate
Identify
Indicate
Isolate
List
Match
Name
Order
Pick
Place
Predict
Pronounce
Read
Recognize
Select
Separate
Sequence
Explore
Experiment
Classify
Sort
Include three parts to your objective:
Content – materials used in the experience
Process – verb from list above (This describes what children will do.)
Outcome – the desired result that is observable or can be assessed.
Example 1: Clay (content) will be provided for children to explore (process) as they mold, shape and design creatively (outcome).
Example 2: Given an array of nuts (content) the student will be able to sort (process) the nuts correctly (100% performance standard implied) into
two groups of nuts with smooth shells and nuts with rough shells (outcome).
Example: 3: Using an interactive chart (content), children will select (process) word cards to place in the blank space to complete the phrase
(outcome).
Scaffolding: List scaffolding strategies, i.e. questions, comments, and ways of participation, that are planned in advance to assist an individual
child or children in achieving success or expanding their understanding. You need to provide at least one scaffolding strategy for each objective.
Using Questions for scaffolding strategies: Use questions that will encourage thinking and extend learning. Make sure any questions you use
are related to the objective and standard that you listed. The purpose of this type of question is to help the child focus their attention on the
content stated standard and objective.
Examples:
1. What do you notice about these paper clips? Are they the same or are they different?
2. Using Comments and ways of interaction for scaffolding strategies: Here is another example of what one might say for scaffolding
strategies. This one is based on the shared reading of predictable text.
3. How do you know what it says? (I can scaffold by pointing out the picture on the card as necessary.) [Way of interaction]
4. Let’s see if we can read the poem together [Comments] (Point to the word as we read it). [Way of interaction]
5. I can think of an insect that rhymes with “see.” [Comment] Can you guess what it is? [Questions] (Look at the picture cues on the word
cards). [Way of interaction]
Activity Design: For this experience, you will notice that we will refer to the set up of your materials as an invitation for learning. This type of
language is utilized to help you understand the importance of the way in which you present materials and experiences to children. This
presentation has everything to do with how you perceive children as learners (whether they are capable, creative or independent). It
demonstrates whether or not you value beauty, neatness and organization. And it speaks to your level of interest in whether or not children will
find the experience interesting. Think of your setup as a way of inviting children to participate. Children have a lot of play choices in the
classroom. You want all of your experiences to make children feel like, there are so many exciting choices, what shall I do first. You do this by
the materials that you select and the way in which you display them. This is the creed of the master chef. They don’t just put food on a plate
and say here, “Eat it.” They carefully craft the food to be tasty. They then select the appropriate color to use as the serving dish and finally, the
food is arranged on the plate to be attractive and appealing to the person who will eat it. Colors are complimentary, food is neatly arranged on
the plate, food is served at the right temperature and a creative designer touch is added for visual appeal. I bet you are ready to eat now. Think
of your presentation or invitation of materials in much the same way. Draw the children in with your invitation, make it say, come play with me,
I am fun and exciting.
Materials - Include a bulleted list of the materials that you will use with this planned experience.

Tell how many of each item you need.

If you are using a book or recorded music, identify it.

If you are using a chart, record what it says.

If you are using word cards, write out the words

Include the materials and containers (i.e. baskets, trays, etc.)
Here is an example of how this might look: (Art Example)
 Materials that I will use for this activity are:
 A selection of 8 ½ x 11 sheets of colored construction paper
 7 bowls
 Collaging materials – each one placed in a bowl
 White yarn cut into 1 to 3 inch pieces
 White feathers
 Pieces of white Styrofoam
 White fluffy material cut into 1 to 3 inch squares and rectangles
 White cotton balls
 White tulle cut into 1 to 3 inch squares and rectangles
 Off-white alpaca fur
 3 plastic trays
 White school glue
 3 Styrofoam cups for glue
 3 brushes to apply glue
 Pencil for writing name
 4 laminated pictures of different cloud formations
 Sentence strip with the words, “Every cloud is different.”
 3 paint aprons
Set up Include a photograph of the set up of the experience/Invitation for Learning: (Art Example)
I have set up an invitation for learning that encourages children to engage with a variety of white, textured fabric. This is a collage activity that
will be located at the special art table. It is a process oriented experience that allows for free expression with very tactile materials. There is no
predetermined expectation for this art experience. The table is located on the tile between the dramatic play area and the open-ended art
table. The area is located near the sink and the drying rack. The table is a large horseshoe shaped table, in order to facilitate ease of interaction
with several children. The table will be set up for three children. Each place will contain a chair, a paint apron, a tray, a glue brush, and a
Styrofoam cup with white school glue. On the table will be seven bowls with different collaging materials, four laminated photographs of
different cloud formations, a sentence strip that says, “Every cloud is different”, a selection of different colors of construction paper, and a
pencil.
Observed Interaction: For this section of the plan, you will list your objectives for this experience and for each objective, include a couple of
anecdotal examples of how children were involved in the experience. You should also include if there were examples of other ways of
interacting by children that were not a part of your original objectives. Here is an example of what might be written: Art Example
Objective 1. The children will choose from the materials provided and rip, stretch, and glue the materials to create a piece of art. This objective
was met by most of the children. “M” brushed glue in a line along the top of her paper. She chose a piece of tulle and placed it on top of the
glue. She put more glue on top of the tulle and then placed a feather in top. “A” used the brush to put glue on her paper. She took some alpaca
fur and began to use both hands to pull it apart. She put the alpaca fur on top of the glue.
Objective 2. Children will use their knowledge and experiences with clouds and the properties of the collaging materials to create a piece of
art.This objective was met by many of the children. While collaging with the cotton balls, “A” said, “I’m making a cloudy day.” “A” rubbed the
white material against her arm. When I asked her to describe how the material felt, she said, “It feels soft like my blanket.” Then she glued it to
the paper. “A” held the tulle up to her eyes and said, “Look I can see through it!” Then she glued it to the paper. One of things that I had not
expected was for there to be so much verbal discussion around this experience. One child who is generally very quiet talked a great deal about
his work. Here is a brief example. As “Z” was exploring the materials and placing them on his collage, I asked him why he chose the cotton balls.
“Z” explained that he was going to use all the materials on his collage. He told me that he was putting the softest materials at the top and the
rough materials at the bottom.
Impact on Learning For this section of your plan, simply discuss how this experience has impacted or had some affect on children’s
understanding. For example, you might write something like: (Music Activity Example)
From my observations of this experience I have noticed that children are now able to recognize the meaning of the word pitch. I saw children
playing the chimes with the heavy mallet saying things like, “This is a low pitch.” “Here it!” “It sounds deep.” I think that focusing the activity on
one specific music concept was the best way to help children think about how to use the materials. I typically set out a variety of musical
instruments and just let children openly explore them. But adding pictures, print and posting the word pitch in the print really made the children
aware of what they could do with the materials and the concept that I was presenting to them
Reflection of Activity When you reflect on an activity you are recollecting about how the children used the materials. For this part of your plan
think about how the children used the materials and engaged in the overall experience. What did you see that made you consider making
changes if you ever planned the experience again. Here is an example of what could be written: (Science Activity Example)
Improvements that could be made are to the structure of the pendulum. As children pulled down on the ball, the knot slipped through
occasionally. I should secure this with better knotting or thicker rope. Also, adding some more classroom information regarding wrecking balls
and their use in construction would have given children knowledge on the uses of pendulums. I feel that another improvement would be to add
extension questions to the print surrounding the center so that other classroom teachers, and myself, could read to be reminded of the objectives
of the center.
Reflection of Teaching For this part of your reflection, you will discuss how you might alter your behavior or teaching practices with this activity.
Here is an example of what you might write: (Science Activity Example)
Most of my interaction with the children during this activity consisted of asking questions. I think that it was a good idea to have a list of
questions on a note card, because I forgot what questions to ask. But it would have been better if I made comments more often. I said things
like, “Why did you swing the pendulum that way?” The children seemed confused at times. Perhaps I could have said something like, “I am going
to watch and see what happens when you swing the pendulum that way.” I also need to give children time to explore before jumping in with
questions. My interaction just felt forced and unnatural at times. My mentor teacher told me to make a comment to children like, see how many
blocks you can knock over when you swing the pendulum fast and then slow. I am going to see what “J” is doing at the sensory table. And I will
come back and check on you. She said that this would give children time to explore and give me a chance to see something new in how the
children used the materials.
5 Helpful Hints
When planning your activity consider factors that impact your activity:
 Relevance to children (Consider how all or most children will benefit from the activity. Think about culture, interests, ethnicity, gender
and abilities.)
 The location of the activity (Do children have enough space, is the area too noisy to concentrate, etc.)
 The number of children involved (Activities should be planned for small groups of 2-4 children to aid in management and enjoyment.)
 Management (Include a waiting list so that children share the opportunity and aren’t worried about getting a turn.)
 Guidance (Consider how you will engage with the children. What will you say and do to interest them, how will you position yourself,
etc.)
Scoring Sheet and Rubric
Interest-Based Activity Plan
Student Name
Activity Title
Age Range
Curriculum Focus
Observation Discuss how you have come to know of children’s interests.
Curriculum Discussion Discuss your understanding of the curriculum area.
Anticipated Learning Include the objectives, standards and
scaffolding strategies
Activity Design
Materials List the items available for this experience.
Set Up Include Photograph Describe how the invitation for learning will be
displayed.
Observed Interaction Discuss how children engaged with the planned activity.
Impact on Learning Explain how student learning was impacted.
Reflection of Activity Based on your observations of children’s interaction,
discuss the modifications that you could make to the activity itself.
Reflection of Teaching Based on your observations of children’s interaction,
discuss themodifications that you could make related to your teaching?
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
40
Your Pts
Possible
Pts
Proof of
Understan
ding Not
Evident
Proof of
Understan
ding
Limited
Proof of
Understan
ding
Evident
Proof of
Understan
ding
Exemplary
The Instructor will √ the degree to which the criteria was met - Comments can be made below or within the actual plan.
Planning Area
Proof of Understanding
Exemplary 5
Actual Grading Range [4.7– 5.0pts]
Exemplary Response Complete,
with clear, coherent explanations
Adheres to the assignment
guidelines using paragraph
headings
Demonstrates profound
understanding of the planning
area
Provides clear examples to support
discussion
Free of mechanical errors
Satisfies all essential conditions of
the planning area
Goes beyond what is asked for in
some unique way
Interest Based Activity Plan Rubric
Proof of Understanding
Proof of Understanding
Evident 4
Limited 3
Actual Grading Range [4.2 – 4.6 pts]
Actual Grading Range [3.5 - 4.1 pts]
Proof of Understanding
Not Evident 2-1
Actual Grading Range [ 0 – 3.4 pts]
Proficient Response
Thorough discussion
Shows a good understanding of the
planning area
Includes examples to support discussion
Minimal mechanical errors
Follows assignment guidelines
Similar to exemplary but to a lesser
degree
Inadequate Response
Content is missing, completely
unclear, or irrelevant
Shows little to no understanding of
the planning area
Missing supporting examples
Numerous mechanical e5rrors
Fails to satisfy basic assignment
guidelines
Limited Response
Provides discussion but may be
incomplete
Shows some understanding of the
planning area
May include some examples to
support discussion
Evidence of mechanical errors
Satisfies some aspects of the
assignment