3/27/2018

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

Name: Maura Cullen Lesson Title: Earthquake Simulation

Date: 3/27/18 Grade Level: Preschool Circle one: ECE PKSN
Standard(s)/Guideline(s):
Cognition: Pose questions about the physical and natural environment.
Language: With modeling and support, use words acquired through conversations and shared reading experiences. (Vocabulary)
Pre-assessment of current knowledge: Students have determined weak vs. strong objects by manipulating various building materials after reading The Three
Little Pigs. They have also made their own structures at this point. Check sheets have been done for both topics and demonstrates recognition of current
knowledge.

Instructional Objectives (1-2) Assessment of Student Learning Learning Experience

One/Two Assessed Instructional
Objective(s): The student will be
able to...
 The student will be able to
describe the effect of the
movement of their structure.
 The student will be able to
describe strong materials that
can withstand an earthquake
simulation.
One Assessed Developmental
Skill:
Cognitive: (language/problem
solving)
Safety Considerations:
Blocks, sticks, straw, and clay will
be falling so it can get messy.
Ample space is needed for
building/testing.
Identify Evidence: (What will you collect or record as data
to demonstrate students have met your objective(s) and
skill?)
A check sheet will be used that states that the student
Cause and how to fix
1. Describes what the earthquake simulation did to their
structure.
2. Determines/states which materials are the strongest.
3. Falls: Why did this structure fall? (weaker materials)
What do you think you could do to make this stronger?
(bricks, clay, tape, etc.)
4. Stays: Why did this structure stay? (stronger materials)
Program Monitoring: (How will you aggregate or compile
your evidence into a class or group view?)
This data will be used to determine student’s familiarity with
weak vs. strong materials. It also describes cause and
effect relationships. Using the information on the check
sheet, I can see where students need more exposure and
which areas they have mastered.
Academic Language:
Weak, strong, brick, straw, sticks, clay, earthquake, cause,
effect
Procedural steps:
1. “Remember our building structures that we have made?
Today we will be predicting how strong our structures
are.”
2. Students will be called one at a time to test their
structure with the earthquake simulation. The structures
were made during the previous lesson using materials
from the Three Little Pigs.
3. The teacher will place the student’s structure on the
simulation table and shake it for 5-10 seconds.
4. If the building falls, ask the student “why do you think
your tower fell?”
5. If the building stays together, ask the student “why do
you think that this structure stayed together?”
6. Ask, “What materials would you want to build a house
out of to stop earthquakes from harming it?”
Authentic Materials: (Describe authentic real life, hands-on
materials.)
Sticks, straw, brinks, clay, table, tape
Adult Roles:
One student at a time will test his or her structure with
teacher supervision.

Resources & References:

“Birth Through Kindergarten Entry-Learning and Development Standards.” Ohio Department of Education. Retrieved from
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Early-Learning-Content-Standards/Birth-Through-Pre_K-Learning-and-Development-Stand
 3/27/2018
Early Childhood Education
Learning Experience Plan

Reflection: (What have you learned about your students? How will this inform future instruction?)

I did my lesson in an open space near all of the students’ cubbies right after breakfast and a short circle time. My cooperating teacher gathered
the class together before they choose their play center. Each child has his or her own name tag and they place it at the center that they are staying in at
the time. She explained how I had an experiment that the class was going to do based on the building structures that students had made from the
previous lesson, and that I would call each child over when I was ready for their turn. Regardless of whether or not the students were called, they
frequently stood nearby to watch as others did the project. My cooperating teacher noticed this, and encouraged the students who wanted to observe
attempt to draw a picture of what was happening to other peers’ structures during the simulation. I began by having only one student at a time testing
their structure. As I got more comfortable with it, I began to have two children working on it at the same time. My partner, Caroline, also assisted in
order to get through as many students as we could during the time allotted.

I think that this lesson went very well. Students referred back to what they read in The Three Little Pigs hook lesson throughout the
experiment, along with noting how the materials they chose affected the structure when we did the simulation. Nine out of thirteen students decided
to use brick materials. Out of these, all but one structure stayed up after the simulation. I was very surprised at how many structures were strong
enough to hold through it! This may have been due to the amount of clay that was used throughout the experiment. Almost every child decided to use
clay, which may have made an impact on how well it held. They do not typically have this in the classroom so they may have used it because it was a
new manipulative. Even one of the stick buildings stayed put as we shook the table. I learned that my students are very interested in hands-on and
engaging activities. Especially when something is new in the room, most were very interested in trying it out for themselves!

This will inform future instruction because I now recognize that most of the students in the class are familiar with weak vs. strong materials.
They also described what happened to the structures after we shook the table in the simulation. When I asked, “Why do you think that your building
did (or did not) stand,” most of the children described how the clay and tape helped it stay together. For students whose tower fell, I asked, “What do
you think we could do to make it stronger?” One stated how he could add more clay or tape to hold it up longer. There were three students who still
struggled with weak vs. strong concepts. They recognized that their tower had fallen and that the table shook, but did not connect the two together or
explain how it could be made stronger. One of these students used straw as her material of choice and said it was strong.

If I were to do this lesson again, I would want to have it spaced out over multiple days. Some students tested their towers quickly and others
took more time. Many of them also asked if they could try it again, but we did not have time during field to redo the test because it would also require
to add to the other lesson. With more time/days to perform the experiment, this would allow for another opportunity for students to test trial and error
situations. They may witness more cause and effect behaviors as they see how their next building withstands the earthquake simulation. Their
predictions of whether or not their towers could stay together with more tape and clay can be put to the test.