Lesson Plan Supplemental Materials

Yoga & Body Awareness
Domain: Physical Well-Being and Motor Development
Strand: Physical Well-Being
Topic: Body Awareness
Standard Statement: Point to basic parts when asked. Name, point and move body parts when asked. (Activity has two tech created features)

http://dreamlandpublications.com/charts-posters/educational-charts-series/educational-charts-series-parts-of-the-body (This is a similar version of the chart that I made because I didn’t get to ask the parents for permission to post their child’s picture on a public blog yet) -will post soon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMeKIAEpWxw
This is a link to Cosmic Kids Yoga. Yoga helps with body awareness along with promoting physical activity, stretching, and positivity. The themes of the videos are fun and keep the kids’ active! I didn’t make this link but it is vital to our tech-based lesson!

Animals & Sounds
Domain: Language and Literacy
Strand: Listening and Speaking
Topic: Expressive Language
Standard Statement: With modeling and support, describe experiences with people, places, and things.
https://www.goconqr.com/en-US/p/16255834 This website allowed me to create flashcards to help connect the image of the animals with the words and sounds.

My Technology Lesson Plan (Using Tech with Young Toddlers)

ECDE Activity Plan- Alexis Evans by Anonymous MzSIO0Dxl on Scribd

Reflecting on Educational Tech

Hi guys! I'm glad to have made it this far into my blog. In my last post, I told you all about my dream school. A school that includes everything that I feel a child needs to succeed including tech throughout the classroom with projectors, computers, iPads and websites/applications to keep learning updated and fun. I already teach in an Infant Room so the things I need are a little different now, of course. My classroom tries to limit technology use to promote the basics and get all of our infants talking, exercising/playing, eating and sleeping independently before they transition over to the Toddler Room. This leaves us using little tech like iPads, a television and radio in class. These come in handy for the lesson plans and when we have the young toddlers engage in baby yoga. Although when I begin to teach K-3, I hope that it will be an abundance of technology to choose from to make my students experience the importance of technology in learning. My only concern is becoming so tech-centered that I allow it to overshadow the things that would be learned better with hands-on experience, or reading a good book. I've been working on researching how often technology should be used in a classroom and while I haven't decided from myself yet, I plan to have another post coming soon with my findings.

I will be working with children from the ages of 5-9 years old after I graduate with my BA. The biggest issue that I'm concerned about is accessibility outside of school. The other thing that comes to mind when I think of the age range I'll be teaching is the importance of good classroom management with children this young around expensive technology. I think that schools that send home tablets are working towards closing the gap in resources that may not be available at home. In the classroom for the classroom management, it is important to set rules for the students to follow. The hardest part is knowing that students won't always have help with the technology at home due to parents working, lack of time, etc. I think a website with videos explaining all the assignments again in depth is something I'd like to look into to help students.

I grew as a digital native, it was always technology all around me especially in middle and high school. I think that the issue that I've been running into is if I think that technology is as important in elementary education as it is in secondary education. I think that it is so many things at a early age that is better taught on paper and hands-on. I think getting passed that mindset and finding a nice balance will be my biggest challenge. I also recongize that because technology is such a big movement in modern day that it needs to be taught in the classroom at earlier ages now so learning how to type is fundmental in lesson planning now because it would be unlikely from them to not need that knowledge/skill in everyday life. I have mixed emotions with technology in the classroom but mostly it is just an adjustment that I'm excited to make.

Classroom Design

I've designed what I think to be my dream classroom for an Early Childhood Education class. I want a first-grade class in the future so this is Miss Lexi's 1st-grade class. Some of the things that I explain in my dream classroom I'd be unable to show on the model (i.e. lighting, plants, flags, diverse posters/pictures). The computers are something that I added to the side of the classroom to allow students to start learning hands-on with technology when necessary. Ideally, I'd be able for all my students to have tablets for more tech related assignments. The project is added for us to review homework, watch clips and special occasions. The classroom believes that we learn by experience and gives a lot of opportunities for inquiry-based learning and experiments. We embrace the diversity of our classroom and work to add that into our lesson plans so that our children are well-rounded in understanding each other and being able to empathize with classmates.

Natural lighting is one of the main components that I wanted to be sure to include when I was picturing how my ideal classroom would look. I thought this was important because it gives the kids vitamins from the sun, they can embrace natural and it provides sunlight for the plants. Plants are significant in a classroom at this age because they play a role in teaching children responsibility along with the process of life. It is an easier way to show children at a young age that things can live and pass away. The other component that was important in the layout of the classroom was to make sure that it was very natural colors. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t over simulating the children so that they could feel relaxed at downtime and focus during academic learning time.

At their age, I wanted to also make sure that I was adding something for them to continue to grow in their reading skills and develop a love for books. This is why I added a reading zone that also doubles as a cool down area. This zone has books and bean bags for children who want to relax or who are having a bad day and need some time to cool down to collect their thoughts. Cooldown is the alternative to a healthy version of time out. Instead of punishing the child, the child is asked to cool down and think about their actions and come to talk it through with whomever when they feel ready.
The area of the room that has the rug and art easel is where we will do circle time to include reading, emotions, arts and diversity learning. The thought is to read to the children and we work to find what we got from the story to make art of how it made us feel and how the characters may have felt or what the could’ve done differently to promote cognate thinking and problem-solving skills. This will help the children develop empathy for others and learn from the experience of how their friends feel. I’m hoping this further develops their theory of mind.

If you look around the classroom you may also notice that all of the learning materials that are on the wall are eye level this was done purposely so that the students can see them better. I was hoping to gain attention and learning by making sure that they were visible and not too high for the students to see. I made sure to do this with the classroom rules as well to promote good classroom management which is very important when teaching is making sure that my students know the rules and the list is short enough for them to remember and also sets the grounds for the year. The plants are also placed where students can see them and have the responsibility to water them.

I talked a little about how the classroom was built to encourage inquiry-based learning so the seating of the classroom falls into that category. The tables were arranged to make it easy for experiments/labs, arts, etc. It also gives students that opportunity to work with their classmates to help each other grow. One of the top things of importance to me was that every culture in the classroom was represented and that is why the flags are on the wall and Fridays are cultural experience day and we learn a little about a country.

QR Code

The site used to create this QR code is http://goqr.me

Tech Tool Review

Pinterest in the Classroom

This week we are checking out Pinterest! I've loved Pinterest for a long time but I've just created an account dedicated to my passion for learning and teaching. It's for Early Childhood content, curriculum, activities, and classroom ideas. I always learn from Pinterest and I'm hoping that you will be able to as well. It's other people like us posting ideas to help you/your classroom flourish. What I learn every time I get on Pinterest is that it is so many creative people in the world and so many ideas outside of our own. As a teacher, I use Pinterest ALL THE TIME! I use it to help lesson plan, to decorate, for cute snack ideas, etc. Pinterest definitely has its strengths such as it is so accessible, easy to use, plenty of content, and it makes more creative teachers and people! Some of the challenges with Pinterest is it is easy to become dependent on the app. When Pinterest doesn't have what you are looking for it is so easy to panic but STOP! Teachers are always coming up with new ideas and posting them to Pinterest so you can help the next educator. I love Pinterest and if you haven't given it a try then make an account now! I'm excited to see how it pushes you forward into your adventure as a teacher/educator/person.

https://www.pinterest.com/ohthatmisslexi/boards/

Khan/Koller Review

Khan Review:

When I visited the Khan Academy site, I was impressed by how organized and easy to navigate it was. I think when I was in high school it would've been extremely helpful. I struggled with math so seeing so many math courses offered was refreshing. I would even use it today to refresh my memory on the things that slip our minds because we don't get to use it as often. I would definitely encourage students to use it for a couple of reasons that include being accessible, free, and allows them to move at their pace. I watched a couple of videos to get a feel for how easy it would be for students to follow. I was very impressed. I believe that they set it up so that it was in an easier dialect and like listening to an intellectual friend explaining what they know to help. I think that students will rely on this more in the future and this will become the next wave. Time was coming for this transition which us having digital natives in the classroom it is the most sensible way to connect with the target audience.  This way is more accessible but we have to factor in the students that are low income to make sure that they have the resources to allow these free online courses to be able to make the impact that is necessary.

Koller Review:

When I was exploring the Coursera courses offerings I was the most drawn to their social sciences courses. It was a course called 'A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment' and I thought how cool! I think that one of the coolest things about the entire idea is that so many schools were willing to participate. I went to look on my school's website and unfortunately, it did not look like they accept Coursera credits yet. I think that the Coursera courses look more challenging and more interesting which is a good mixture because that typically means that you will get more out of it. I think that professors will always have an effect on how an experience is for you though so if you experience one professor you don't connect with maybe give it one more go! I do think that MOOCs (massive open online courses) are the wave of the future because this opportunity opens doors for people that would not have had these opportunities beforehand. At the end of the day, it's learning that is accessible and lifelong!

Exploring Standards-Based Lesson Plans

Hi guys! The grade/age level for the lesson plan that I will be writing about is focused on Infants/Young Toddlers. I have the pleasure of working with this age group every day so I've used the Early Learning & Development Standards to outline a standard lesson plan and throw in details that are used daily in the classroom. I'm hoping to also add a little experience in the post for how my children typically react. My class is expected to do this lesson every day. The repetition helps them to be able to remember the material better. The lesson is on body awareness since the age difference is from birth-18 months in my classroom it is different from the Infants to Young Toddlers. They are expected to be able to look and recognize some of their body parts.

The Common Core standards that this lesson meets is under the domain Physical Well-Being and Motor Development. The strand is Physical Well-Being, the topic is Body Awareness, and the standard statements are to show awareness of own body and point to basic body parts when asked. My lesson plan for this happens during circle time in my classroom. We have a lot of books to cater to this learning topic. The kids' favorite book to teach this is Where is Baby's Belly? by Karen Katz. It holds the kids' interest well due to it being a lift the flap book and it allows time to ask questions. It meets the standards for both the infants and young toddlers by being able to show or wiggle the infants' body parts that they are referring to and asking the young toddlers to point to their feet, nose, eyes, etc. This is one of the many ways that this topic is taught by lesson plan in my class.

How would I implement this lesson? I told you how I implement the lesson daily but it is many other ways to do this in the classroom. I often revisit it during diaper changes to hold the attention by asking questions like "can you show me your ears?" This can even be brought up during play with baby dolls or teddy bears asking them where are certain body parts makes them more aware. Some toys cater specially to this learning topic. The most difficult task at this age level is to gain their attention and keep it. This is why I believe that repetition is important along with implementing lesson plans in more than one way throughout the day.


Ohio's Early Learning & Development Standards






The book used in circle time




















A toy that can be used to further learning independently

http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Early-Learning/Early-Learning-Content-Standards/Birth-Through-Pre_K-Learning-and-Development-Stand/ELDS-Physical-Well-being-and-Motor-Development.pdf.aspx

My Prezi: First, Let's Learn About Me!

Hi, I'm back! This time with a little about me, why I want to be a teacher, my teacher goals and how'd I would address my incoming class. When I finish my degree I will be able to teach K-3 so I often pick an age group and plan, create lesson plans, introductions, etc. This preparation is so necessary for me!

I'm excited to be on my journey to get my degree so I've been exploring Prezi along with other educational techs. This is just the start of becoming the teacher that I want to be for my students. My goals for my classroom and my expectations I've set for my students are what I expect for my class to run off of. I'd like to be able to build the relations necessary to know what needs to be done and implemented in my curriculum in order to be the champion my students need! Only the best for the best!

Prezi was fun to work with it was a lot different than PowerPoint. I struggled a bit with animations and embedding my presentation into the blog. I'm hoping that it finally worked because I tried long and hard to make it visible for you guys!

Teacher Blogs

Sharing some teacher blogs sites that interest me and why they peaked my interest.

This is one of my favorite teacher blogs because it is my desired grade to teach when I get my degree. The blog is so welcoming and personal along with being professional. The teacher helps you figure out what you need in a kindergarten classroom. She shows her room, newsletters, presentations and tech. You can also get freebies or purchase classroom activities for the kids.

http://sharingkindergarten.com

This blog is pretty cool as well. I like that it includes a lot on tech and leadership. The quotes on the home page are inspiring and gives the blog a positive feel. I got to read a blog about equity and it being about more than closing achievement gaps. I was sold! 10/10 from me.

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org

Love, love, love this website! It leads you to some of the most exciting free internet treasures. If you are really trying to get into technology in the classroom then this is your site! It is iPad apps, alternatives to YouTube, etc. It really pushes the need for Educational Technology.

https://www.freetech4teachers.com

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Welcome, my name is Lexi Evans. I often go by the name Miss Lexi. I'm starting this blog because I'm currently pursuing my BA in Early Childhood Education. My goal is to teach K-3. I've gotten the chance to gain some experience in my field for the last couple of years so I'm excited to announce my newest adventure at Treehouse Learning Center as an Infant Teacher. I've worked with children from the ages 6 weeks-5 years old and keep moving forward to the next challenge to become the best teacher that I can be! My passion for teaching and love for children has driven me to reach for the sky in everything that I'm doing.

When I'm not in at studying or with my infants at the center, I love to get involved in the community and do lots of arts and crafts. I get a lot of my arts and crafts ideas from Pinterest which I recreate or give a spin for my everyday life. I love to write short narratives and express myself through my funky, cool earrings. I like to believe that I'm unique so you can expect different perspectives, a splash of my own personal style and experiences.

My educational philosophy is that children are capable of anything if motivated and cared for. We have to make sure to provide that care. Care is a love nugget from one of my favorite professors. It means to provide connections, cultural relevancy, accountability, achievement expectations, relatable teachings, inform through research, empathy, and engagement.

Every Child Needs a Champion!