Shakin Bones Time… Lots of discussion lately regarding the subject of lesson plans. Many states and accreditation programs require some form of weekly or monthly lesson plans. How do we know what the children want and need by Friday? And even more difficult in a month?
When people ask me my schedule for the day my response is, “Children arrive at a certain time and they leave at a certain time. What happens in the middle is up to them”. The focus of lesson plans frequently is on the “plumbing” or time frames not what is child led, child created.
How do we make a lesson plan relevant?
· Observe what children like doing
· Provide materials that support what they like doing
· Develop experiences that are based on what children are interested in
· Provide lots of “hands-on experiences”
· Expand on what children already know
· Repeat experiences children enjoy
· Support their learning styles
· Provide experiences that focus on the process not the product
· Provide opportunities that support success
· Observe what children are doing
When designing the lesson plan the children should have ownership to their day. It’s not about you it is about them!
