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Children will be able to make their own meaning in their artwork. Children can take their time to
choose colors and materials in which to draw on a blank sheet of white paper on a clipboard on
the carpet. This is a different location in which to create artwork and using a clipboard is new to
the children.
This is a process based activity where the child can choose their colors and theme and they do
not have to emulate a certain product. They can use the book, The Wheels on the Bus as
inspiration for the childrens artwork, but they dont have to replicate any image from the book.
This activity also supports social/emotional development and social interaction with adults and
peers since children are sitting in a group and will have to ask to share clipboards or different
colored markers or pencils. Children will learn to cooperate with each other and wait turns to use
clipboards since there may be more children than clipboards wishing to participate in the activity.
This group time experience also encourages language and literacy as children will have a book,
The Wheels on the Bus read to them along with using felt pieces to correspond with the vehicles
in the book.
Objectives: What specific and observable concepts or skills will the child learn, explore, or
discover? The child will be able to List the Preschool DRDP Measure(s) or Infant/Toddler
DRDP measure(s) here:
TCWBAT have the ability to pay attention to people, things, books and the environment when
interacting with others.
TCWBAT develop strategies for regulating feelings and behavior during this small-group time.
TCWBAT share the use of space and materials with others and follow expectations for sharing.
TCWBAT develop interest in books, songs and literacy activities in complex ways.
TCWBAT to manipulate objects with hands using fine motor skills to draw on a clipboard with a
pencil or marker.
TCWBAT to express themselves with increasing complexity and depth through art.
Body/Main Activity: One of the six children, Mallory had a felt piece that was a police car. She
was waiting for the police car to show up in the book and it never came. I told her that was an
extra piece but that we could add another page to the book to include the police car and draw our
own pages to the book. Mallory was not interested in this and she went away. Angie went to get
clipboards and paper for the children who did want to sit and draw.
This was an unplanned extension to the Wheels on the Bus literacy flannel I planned. Several
children stayed to draw pictures of their own creation, some who had heard the story drew
pictures from the story and some were interested in the clipboards.
Closing: As the children finished their drawings and lost interest in the activity they walked away
on their own.
Transition Out: As the children finished their drawings and lost interest in the activity they walked
away on their own.
Specific vocabulary and open-ended questions you will keep in mind (Using your textbook
and/or Curriculum Frameworks, list specific ways you will promote problem-solving and
critical thinking beyond a simple recall of facts):
Questions: Can you tell me about your picture? Would you like me to write down your story?
Which of the vehicles from the book do you like?
How is this experience personalized (i.e. modified) to meet the varying developmental and
individual needs of the children in your class? (e.g., older children, younger children,
specific needs or interests?)
This activity is personalized by allowing children to choose their own colors/ types of markers or
pencils. Children do not need to replicate a certain idea, concept or project.
Clipboards
I felt I did a good job of seizing on a new opportunity to add to a story for the children to draw and
continue to sit in the small-group. Even if the children didnt draw a new page to add to the book,
they still enjoyed the opportunity to express themselves and to see how a clipboard worked.
How did the children respond to the experience presented? (Describe your observations
of childrens words and actions) What worked? What was difficult? Were there any
surprises?
The six children who chose to listen to the story were engaged. They looked for the felt piece
vehicle that corresponded to the book and they enjoyed listening to the story in Spanish and
making the sounds of the vehicles. One child, Mia, was very helpful in putting the felt pieces on
the board and the children cooperated by passing the pieces to her.
What was difficult and surprising was when one child, Dylan, wanted to keep the clipboards.
Dylan was inspired by the airplane that was in the book and wanted to draw a picture of the
airplane. He drew his representation of an airplane in the book on a clipboard that did not have
an attached pencil. When he saw that there was a clipboard with a pencil attached and another
child was using that he wanted that clipboard and that was all he wanted. I told him, you can
have this clipboard with a different pencil or one without or you can find another job. He did not
like any of these answers and I kept repeating, Go find another job. because he did not want to
share, he did not want to wait his turn and he did not want any of the other clipboards that were
available. He left to go find another job. Two other boys had come over and I offered them the
clipboards and Dylan came back over and threw himself on the clipboard. I told him that he did
not want to work with us and to find another job. He turned around and hit one of the boys that
had come over. I removed him from the group and told Angie that he had hit one of our friends.
Angie brought Dylan back to the group and had the children come together to talk about what had
happened. The children all explained that it was not ok to hit our friends. Angie told Dylan that
he could not play on the carpet anymore because he was not being safe to our friends.
What additions or changes would you make if you were to do this activity again? What did
the children teach you (e.g. about curriculum, teaching, or children)?
If I were to do this activity again, I would read the English and then Spanish in the book. I would
also have only the felt pieces that correspond to the vehicles in the book and not have extras.
The children taught me that they are interested in many different things including other
languages. They taught me that it is ok to try an activity again. They also taught me that they
may not want to follow through on one of my extension ideas and thats ok. Sometimes an idea
for children may not take you in a direction you may not have thought of and thats a great thing.