3.1

Week 9 Portfolio Page

An Experience: describe something you saw or were a part of& what you learnt as a result

Outcome 3.1: Offers a careful interpretation & analysis of children’s early literacy/numeracy skills & interests

Following my reading for this week I was inspired to design a simple learning task based on using household materials and test it with a toddler. The task I designed was for my 1.9 year old niece, therefore while planning this experience I took into account her interests and prior knowledge/experience. From planning this experience I learnt how to plan for a very young child and evaluate the learning occurring based on literacy and numeracy development, utilising the knowledge I've learnt from both: 
- Further reading
- Evaluating observations and designing learning experiences tutorials

 

Child’s age:

1 year, 9 months

 

Interests/Prior Knowledge:

- opening/closing things

- hiding games/objects (e.g. peek-a-boo)

- excellent language develop, already using two word utterances, imitating new words frequently, able to label objects verbally and respond to what she see’s and experiences verbally.
 

Activity Description:

 

Materials:

- pink, rectangle Tupperware box (or other shape/colour)

- 3x laminated frog picture cards
 

 

 

 

The learning outcome:

 

OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS

à Outcome 5.1: Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes

 

(DEEWR, 2009)

 

For the toddler to respond verbally and non-verbally to what they hear, see and touch

by... feeling, exploring the box and what’s inside the box (the frog cards) and make meaning by using fine motor skills, touch, hearing and sight to respond to the object verbally and non-verbally, also developing finger coordination and muscle strength.

 

Educator Support:

- listen/engage child in a two way interaction, talk normally with the child.

- model language use

- use facial expression to communicate emotion/interest

- provide interesting/engaging materials in a range of different sizes, shapes and colours

- ask prompting/scaffolding questions: enhances the toddlers awareness of words/communicative interaction:

e.g. what’s in there?

 What’s that?

They’re frogs

Where’d they go?

 

(Bardige & Bardige, 2008)

 

 

Observations:

- picked up cards

- opened/closed lid

- put cards on floor

- shook box (listened – put ear close to the box while she shook it)

- felt container with fingers (explored opening clasp)

 

Verbal utterances:

- said “frogs” – repeated the word after I said it

- “more frogs” - after I handed her the frog cards

- “ooh”  - when she first saw the box and opened it to see the frog cards

 
 

Evidence of Learning

 

 

                        Literacy Skills: 

• Communicating emotions/feelings in language and facial expression
•  fine motor skills (picking up cards/box and opening/closing the lid)
•  making sense of the object/creating meaning through exploration
•  realising the use for the box
•  Finding further uses - connecting the sound of the box to its possible use (e.g. picking up the box and shaking it to hear the noise it made with the frog cards inside)
• Classifying the object (symbols and words) – naming the ‘frogs’
• Describing/interpreting using oral language

 

                        Numeracy Skills

•  awareness of size/shape
•  spatial awareness
•  patterning, opening and closing lid consecutively
•  recognising the concept of ‘more/less’ when she said “more frogs”

 

 References:

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009). Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF). Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.

Bardige, B. & Bardige, M. (2008). Talk to me, baby! Supporting language development in the first 3 years. Zero to Three, September, 4-10