It is important to add that some of the rain will fall on land and become ground water - the water that people, animals, and plants use.
1. Copy of Drippy the Raindrop.
2. Copy of precipitation poster.
Source: Adapted from First-School.ws Preschool Activities and Crafts (2011) at http://www.first-school.ws/activities/science/drippy.htm
Discussion
The combination of art and science has been shown to be a proven way of engaging young learners' reasoning abilities, to identify spatial relationships and in constructing new concepts (Fernandez & Robinson, 2006). The lesson plan set forth in Table 1 above is sufficiently flexible to tailor the content to age-appropriate levels for 4- to 6-year-olds in a preschool setting. The curricular offerings will be organized according to the daily activity planning, course content and materials described above. To keep families informed of the project and solicit their support, a note will be sent home with all preschoolers the week prior to its implementation together with a copy of "Zippy the Raindrop" requesting that parents read the story, "Zippy the Rainbow," to their children and discuss its contents prior to coming to school the following week. Appropriate accommodations can be made for any preschooler who requires assistance in using the art materials recommended for this lesson plan. Teacher evaluation of the progress preschoolers make using the above-described lesson plan will take place beginning with day no. 1's activities and the results of this evaluation will be used to fine-tune the lesson plan as needed.
Statement Concerning How the Proposed Lesson Plan Reflects the Values of the Preschool Program of the National Association for the Education of Young Children
The proposed gender- and cultural-neutral lesson plan described above conforms to...
In this regard, the NAEYC stipulates that four essential features must be followed in formulating activity planning for preschoolers as follows:
1. Effective early learning standards emphasize significant, developmentally appropriate content and outcomes;
2. Effective early learning standards are developed and reviewed through informed, inclusive processes;
3. Early learning standards gain their effectiveness through implementation and assessment practices that support all children's development in ethical, appropriate ways; and,
4. Effective early learning standards require a foundation of support for early childhood programs, professionals, and families (NAEYC position statement, 2011).
Personal Vision for Children and the Community
All children have a fundamental right to learn in a safe and nurturing environment that takes that individual needs into account and provides them with the tools, knowledge and skill set they will need to realize their full potential in the
21st century in ways that enrich the larger community in which they live.
Why the Lesson Plan is intellectually Engaging for Children and Teachers
Even very young children are capable of learning about scientific concepts in fun and engaging ways (Grades 6-8: Fun class project build an icosahedron, 2002; Fernandez & Robinson, 2006). In addition, young children are naturally interested in the
weather and weather-related phenomenon because they are relevant to their lives (Guapari, 1996).
References
Fernandez, M.L. & Robinson, M. (2006). Prospective teachers' perspectives on microteaching lesson study. Education, 127(2), 203-205.
Grades 6-8: Fun class project build an icosahedron. (2002, February). Curriculum Review,
41(6), 8-9.
Guapari, D. (1996, Spring). Stoppard's 'Arcadia.' The Antioch Review, 54(2), 222-224.
Position statement. (2012). National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/executive_summary.pdf.
Appendix A
First page from "To the Mountain and Back - Drippy the Raindrop" by Joel Kimball
