1. What went well today?

Provide 3 specific examples of childrens

actions/comments that occurred during self-selected activities. What
evidence do you have for your conclusion? DO NOT use the words, loved,
liked, enjoyed; rather describe the evidence of childrens reactions to the
learning experience.
I thought that the fire in the igloo went well. Twylie and Gracie pretended to cook
food on the fire with a few small pots. I was impressed that they knew that you
could cook food over a fire and that they thought of it all on their own. I thought
that the block area went well. The children were really engaged and made many
different structures. They used both the little blocks that were added and the big
blocks that are always there. There was someone playing in the block area
throughout the whole self-selected time. Art was another thing that went well.
Maddie made a comment about how cool her paper looked after she took off the
snowflake that she had paint. Kassidy made three different snowflakes at different
times which showed me that she really loved the activity.
2. Evaluate gathering time. What were some positive aspects of gathering time?
What were the participation needs of the children and how were they met?
What would you change for next time?
I thought that gathering time went well for the most part. The children were
engaged in the story and that got them interested in the rest of the gathering time.
They all acted out the actions in the story and answered the questions that I asked
them. They told me what the boy needed to wear to go outside and answered
questions about the different things that he would wear. I would try to teach them a
little more about snow and where it comes from. I felt like they knew what I meant,
but it still could have been taught a bit better so that they would have understood
better.
3. Evaluate small focus groups. What were some positive aspects of small focus
groups? What were the participation needs of the children and how were they
met? What would you change for next time?
From looking around the room I thought that the children were engaged in the
different small focuses. The activities all had hands on aspects and the children
participated in them. The children were engaged in writing their names as well as
other words and they participated in the counting activity. The only thing that I
would change for next time would be to have real snow instead of having to use ice.
4. Evaluate closing circle. What were some positive aspects of closing circle?
What were the participation needs of the children and how were they met?
What would you change for next time?
The children participated in the activities that I had planned. They were very vocal
during the review of the clothing and knew exactly what the boy was missing. They

were really into the bean bag activity and tried to follow along with the music. They
encouraged each other to pass the bean bag when a child wasnt paying attention.
Next time I would plan some more simple activities other than songs like the bean
bag movement song. They participated in that more than they did in the songs that
we sang.
5. How did you set clear expectations for childrens learning/ behaviors
throughout the day? Arent these the same question?
Our children have learned what is expected of them in lab and so that has made
this job easier. I feel like I set clear expectations by giving clear directions and
asking engaging questions. The other teachers in the room knew what the goals
were for the day and what the children were being taught which I feel helped. The
children knew when it was time to transition to gathering time and small focus and
that helped them to be able to learn better because there were less distractions and
confusion.
6. What changes, or deviations, from the written plan did you make? Were they
helpful? Why or why not?
Because we didnt have snow I had to make quite a few changes. We had fake snow
in the sensory table thanks to the 150 students. This was better than my back up
plan of kernels because it stayed with the snow theme. This was helpful because it
was something new and it kept the children engaged. We added the button sorters
to the math table because the mitten matching was on the back of a shelf. This was
helpful because it kept something on the table and multiple children spent time
exploring the different pictures and matching buttons.
7. If you were to teach this plan again what would you do differently? A
reflective practitioner is able to identify those things that would make a
lesson more effective more engaging more appropriate for children as well
as those things that went well! Provide specific examples!
I would change the science activity. The children looked through the magnifying
glasses at the ice, but the ice wasnt interesting enough for them to look at so they
lost interest in them fast. Something else to look at would have been more
engaging like bugs or something else little that would be neat to examine closer. I
would change the way that I taught about snowflakes during gathering time and try
to make it more engaging. That could include movements for the children to do or
some sort of lines for the children to repeat.
8. How was your lead teaching better this time compared to the last time you
taught?
This was my first time lead teaching, but compared to the last time I taught
gathering time I thought that I was more prepared. I put a lot of time into making

the props for gathering time and trying to make the lesson interesting for the
children.
9. What did you learn about yourself as a preschool teacher? What are some
specific goals you would like to work on for your next lead teaching day?
I felt like I learned quite a bit about myself as a preschool teacher. I learned that I
am able to come up with a plan that will keep children engaged. I learned that I can
break out of my shy, quieter shell to engage the children when it comes to singing
and being enthusiastic. One goal that I would like to work on for next time is being
more confident and more rehearsed in my gathering time. I would also like to work
on my room awareness and remembering to check the clock so that I can give
enough warning for cleanup and other times.