6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

Name: Jackie Tonies Lesson Title: How Do Muscles Work?

Date: April 10, 2017 Grade Level: Preschool
Standard(s)/Guideline(s): 1. Approaches Toward Learning: Initiative: Initiative and Curiosity: Ask questions to seek explanations about phenomena of interest.
2. Language and Literacy: Listening and Speaking: Receptive Language and Comprehension: Follow two-step directions or requests.
Pre-assessment of current knowledge: In my previous lesson, I focused on muscles and their purpose in the human body. I explained to the students that we
have muscles all over the inside of our bodies and they help our bodies move. In this lesson, I will be focusing on what muscles look like and how they help our
bodies move. I will demonstrate how muscles expand and contract by using various hands-on materials. The students have been learning about how the muscles
in their bodies help them move. This lesson provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to explore how muscles expand and contract by having them work
with authentic materials. The students will be able to observe how the bicep muscle extends when the arm is straight and how the bicep muscle contracts when
the forearm is pulled up. The students will also be able to observe how the tricep muscle extends when the forearm is pulled up and how the tricep muscle
contracts when the arm is straight.

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
ask questions to discover
new information about
muscles and how they
work.
The student will be able to
respond to and follow two-
step directions or requests.
One Assessed Developmental
Skill:
Language
Safety Considerations:
Make sure there is ample
room for the students to
move their bodies without
bumping into each other or
classroom furniture
Make sure the materials
are appropriate and safe to
use for preschoolers
Make sure the students
are not using any of the
materials in inappropriate
Identify Evidence: (What will you collect or record as data
to demonstrate students have met your objective(s) and
skill?)
I will observe the students while they are
participating in the activity to see if any of them ask
a question to discover new information about
muscles and how they work.
I will observe to see if the students can respond to
and follow the two-step directions or requests I give
them.
Program Monitoring: (How will you aggregate or compile
your evidence into a class or group view?)
I will create a checklist that includes both objectives
and the names of each student that participates in
the activity. On the checklist, I will mark which
students met both objectives, which students met
one out of the two objectives, and which students
did not meet either objective based on my
observations during the activity.
See attached checklist
Academic Language:
Arm, elbow, knee, joint, bone, humerus, ulna, radius,
muscle, bicep, tricep, expand, contract, model
Procedural steps:
Hook: First, I will introduce the lesson by singing to
the students. I will get the students engaged by
singing Head Shoulders Knees and Toes one time
all the way through. Once I am finished singing, I will
sing the same song a second time and encourage
the students to join me in singing and performing the
body movements that go along with the song.
After we have sung the song all together, I will tell the
students to bend their arms and I will also bend my
arms to model for them. I will point to my elbow and
ask the students, What is this part of the body
called? Once the students answer with elbow, I will
tell them to point to their elbows and say elbow out
loud all together. I will make sure to provide the
students with an appropriate amount of time to think
and if no one says elbow, I will ask the students, Is
it called an elbow? Next, I will have the students
bend their arms five times and count to five at the
same time. I will do this with the students to model
how I want them to bend their arms and count.
Next, I will explain to the students that the elbow is
called a joint and tell them to watch how it moves. I
will also point to the different bones in my arm and tell
 6/12/2013
Early Childhood Education
Learning Experience Plan

ways, such as: hitting the students the names of each bone. I will point to
another child or throwing my humerus bone and tell the students to point to
them their humerus bones and say, Humerus bone. I will
do the same for the ulna, radius, bicep, and tricep
bones and muscles.
After that, I will ask the students, Does anyone know
of another body part that bends? I will make sure to
provide the students with an appropriate amount of
time to think. If no one is answering, I will suggest
the knee. I will tell the students to bend their knees
and I will also bend my knees to model for them. I
will have the students point to their knees and have
them bend one of their knees five times and count to
five at the same time. I will do this with the students
to model how I want them to bend their knee and
count. I will explain to the students that a knee bends
just like an elbow because a knee is also a joint. I
will explain to the students how muscles, bones, and
joints work together to make our bodies move.
Next, I will show the students the model I made of an
arm. I will point to all the parts and say the names of
each part aloud to the students. First, I will point to
the humerus, ulna, and radius (cardboard tubes) and
tell the students they are all three bones. Then, I will
point to the bicep and tricep (balloons) and tell the
students they are both muscles. Finally, I will point to
the elbow (paper clip) and tell the students it is a
joint.
Finally, I will have the students sit in a circle and I will
pass the arm model around so each student has a
chance to manipulate the model. I will tell each
student to hold the arm model with both hands and
bend it. I will model for the students how I want them
to bend the arm model. By manipulating the model,
the students will be able to explore how muscles
expand and contract by working with authentic
materials. The students will be able to observe how
the bicep muscle extends when the arm is straight
and how the bicep muscle contracts when the
forearm is pulled up. The students will also be able
to observe how the tricep muscle extends when the
forearm is pulled up and how the tricep muscle
 6/12/2013
Early Childhood Education
Learning Experience Plan

contracts when the arm is straight.

Once each student has gotten a chance to
manipulate the arm model, I will review with the
students that our bodies are full of muscles, joints,
and bones. The muscles, joints, and bones in our
bodies work together to help our bodies move.

Authentic Materials: (Describe authentic real life, hands-on

materials.)
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes song
Arm model made of cardboard tubes, balloons, paper
clips, and tape
I used a sharpie to label the different parts of the arm
model so the students could see the names of the
muscles and bones written out

Adult Roles:
Sing the song
Ask questions
Use authentic materials to construct the arm model
Monitor the students behavior
Explain the activity to the students
Observe the students doing the activity
Interpret observations into a checklist

Resources & References:

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes song
Ohios Early Learning and Development Standards
Various art materials, such as: cardboard tubes, balloons, paper clips, tape, and a sharpie
Kim. "How Do Muscles Work?" Kids Activities Blog. N.p., 13 Aug. 2012. Web. Apr. 2017. <http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/17436/how-do-muscles-work>.