This experience supports children’s developing awareness of concepts of sustainability and concept specific vocabulary.
It also encourages the development of children’s ability to follow instructions within a small group setting. This experience should be differentiated depending on the individual child or group level.
This learning experience plan relates to:
- interacting with others
- language and emergent literacy learners (42-60 months)
- learning focus: vocabulary and concept development
- teaching practice: language stimulation.
Collect information
What information has been gathered as evidence to inform this experience?
Links to VEYLDF
Outcome 5: communication
Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
Children interact with others to explore ideas and concepts, clarify and challenge thinking, negotiate and share new understandings.
Victorian curriculum levels F-2: language
Understand the use of vocabulary in familiar contexts related to everyday experiences, personal interests and topics taught at school.
Learning intentions
- For children to respond to two-step instructions.
- To build children’s awareness of content-specific vocabulary (recycled, biodegradable, instructions).
Assessment of learning
This is demonstrated when children:
- respond to/follow two-step instructions
- demonstrate understanding and/or use of content-specific vocabulary during conversation.
Resources
These materials may be collected from families so that children are involved in all stages of the experience:
- newspapers (soak overnight before this experience)
- water
- blender/stick blender
- recycled (clean) yoghurt containers.
Group size
Whole group if appropriate, then small groups of two-three children.
Differentiation
Differentiation should be based on prior assessment of the child/children’s communication skills. Examples of differentiation:
- Supporting children with the fine motor aspects of the task.
- Encouraging children’s increased independence in completion of the task.
- Providing opportunities for extension through sustained shared thinking.
Experience process
Clearly introduce the learning experience.
Have a conversation with children about the new vocabulary (recycled and biodegradable) to find out what they already know. This may be best done during whole group time. For example:
- "First, we will need to make the biodegradable mixture to make our pots."
- "We are going to work in small groups to follow the instructions to make one biopot each."
- "We are going to make our own biodegradable pots using recycled materials that we have collected."
Making the bio pot mixture:
- explain that the newspaper will need to be torn into small pieces and soaked in water so that it can be blended into a ‘mushy’ biodegradable mixture.
- children can all help to tear up newspaper then cover it with plenty of water to soak overnight.
Following day/kindergarten session:
- draw children’s attention to the mixture and ask them to describe what it looks like.
- use a stick blender to blend the mixture further and ask children again to describe it (the mixture will be mushier and more watery).If there is too much water this can be drained before making biopots.
- once in small groups, draw children’s attention to instructions and the materials needed.
- support children to work in small groups to make their own biopot by moulding the biodegradable mixture inside the yoghurt containers to form the shape of a pot.
To consolidate and assess understanding, support children to write or draw the process of making the biopots themselves.
Going further
This experience could be extended by planting seeds and asking children to make observations of growth (Watching sprouts grow). It could also be followed up with experiences exploring sustainability and biodegradable materials (Chia seed sprouts).
Reflect and review
Reflective questions for educators may include:
- What learning has occurred? How do you know?
- What have you realised about the child’s interests, knowledge, and capabilities?
- In discussion with colleagues, what would you plan next to consolidate or extend children’s learning?
Additional and alternate resources for this learning experience
- 10 Things I Can Do To Help My World by Melanie Walsh
- My Very Green Day by Melanie Walsh.
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