Design Learning Centers

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program Title (as applicable):

  EXPL Middle School Programs

  Course Title:

  Fundamentals of Careers in Education

  Course Number:

  8409100

  Career Cluster:

  Education and Training

  CIP Number:

  0713129905

  Course Type:

  EXPL Middle School Programs

  CTE Benchmarks

  CTE-EDU.68.8409100.8.1
  Arrange learning centers that provide for a childs exploration, discovery and development.

  CTE-EDU.68.8409100.7.2
  Create and demonstrate an age appropriate activity to promote a childs growth and development.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “First Year Teacher.” See CPALMS resource ID# 215756.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson practices the career building skills of planning, collaboration, and critical thinking. Students will use their knowledge of child development to address effective teaching practices and apply these concepts in their future work.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Plan and design developmentally appropriate learning centers for their assigned grade level.
  • Integrate multimedia elements in the design for developmentally appropriate learning centers.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • How to collaborate.
  • The purpose and format of a KWL chart.
  • The purpose of learning centers in childhood education.
  • Identify age-appropriate activities for assigned age/grade level.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • In what ways can the knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning centers benefit both educators and students?
  • In what ways can the best practices for learning environments benefit both educators and students?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. Instruct students to make a KWL chart. Students will be completing the K (what I know) section. They will use a KWL chart to organize their thoughts and write what they know about exploratory learning with young children, vocabulary, and other prior knowledge related to learning. Allow for students to share and record the information on the board.
  2. Provide students with a copy of the case study, “First Year Teacher” (see CPALMS Resource #215756). As students read the case study, instruct them to underline and highlight important information about the classroom environment and the arrangement of centers.
     • Pose the following discussion questions after the case study is read:
  • • • What best practices for learning environments are referenced in the case study?
      • How could learning these best practices help the first-year teacher?
      • What could the first-year teacher do to develop guidelines for arranging learning centers that provide for a child’s exploration, discovery, and development?
      • How could the first-year teacher design developmentally appropriate centers for the new teacher in the case study?
  3. Students will then complete the W (what I want to know) section of their KWL chart. Assist students by modeling how to create questions about what they want to know. Allow for students to share and record their questions on the board.
  4. Students will be placed into groups. Then, groups will be assigned a subject and tasked with designing a learning center for the class in the case study. Designs will be constructed within a shared digital presentation using available software. Each group will create 2 slides with the following information and at least 2 multimedia elements:
  • • Learning center designs must include (minimum)
  • • • Age-appropriate activity for kindergarten students.
      • Targeted subject area (reading, writing, math, social skills, etc.).
      • List of materials.
      • A brief description of activity.
      • Visual depiction of learning center organization (can be a drawing).

  Once students are done designing their learning center, they will submit their slide(s) to their teacher to include within a class presentation.

  5. Share the shared digital presentation using a learning management system or allow students to do a virtual gallery walk of the learning centers (See teacher notes for alternative).
  6. Students will utilize the attached learning center checklist to assess two other learning center designs. Once students have reviewed the other learning centers, ask students to share their positive observations about their peers’ work.
  7. Revisit the guiding questions and engage students in a discussion about how this activity helps them to connect child development and the responsibilities of teachers.
  • • In what ways can the knowledge of developmentally appropriate learning centers benefit both educators and students?
    • In what ways can the best practices for learning environments benefit both educators and students?
    • Why is it important for teachers to plan learning centers and consider child development?
  8. To close the lesson, students will complete the L (what I learned) section of the KWL chart and keep their finished chart for future reference. Check if there are any pending questions from the W column of students' KWL charts and address as needed.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • This lesson may take longer than one class period to complete. Adjust this lesson according to the needs of your students.
  • If resources allow, have students use their plans to create the learning centers to test them and revise as needed.
  • Students can present their learning centers as an alternative to Step 5 in the procedures.