CURRICULUM MODEL/APPROACH: HIGHSCOPE

SHERIDAN PLANNING FORM

NAME OF STUDENT

Sylvia Siemaszko

DATE OF ACTIVITY

Friday, October 2, 2015.

NAME/FOCUS OF
ACTIVITY

Tower building: building towers with small blocks.

18 months to 2

NUMBER OF CHILDREN

10

AGE RANGE OF CHILDREN

years

While in the outdoors environment, I observed three children

attempting to build towers using the materials in the sandbox (i.e.
ORIGINATING IDEA
BASED ON OBSERVATION:

buckets and sifters). I observed Child A as she balanced a sifter on

top of a bucket, and then tried to balance another bucket on top.
When that did not work, she rearranged the materials so that the
sifter would be on the very top. Two other children became interested
in what she was doing, and started to build their own towers.
HIGH SCOPE KEY
DEVELOPMENTAL

DEVELOPMENTAL

SIGNIFICANCE

INDICATOR (KDI)

Cognition:

LEARNING ANTICIPATED
(MUST be completed,
according to program
model/approach)
(REFERENCES INCLUDED)

[4.2] Problem-solving: Setting

Cognitive Development:

goals and acting to achieve them.

[24] Exploring same and

Solving problems in action by

different: Children explore and

trial and error (Best Start Expert

notice how things are the same or

Panel on Early Learning, 2014,

different (High Scope

p. 33).

Educational Research

This activity will support the

Foundation, 2010).

further development of

This activity will provide

problem-solving skills by

children with blocks that

engaging the children in an

have different objects inside

attempt to build a tower. This

them. They will be able to

will be the goal set for the

compare the shapes and

activity that they will attempt

point out similarities and

to achieve. They will explore

differences.

CURRICULUM MODEL/APPROACH: HIGHSCOPE

how the blocks fit on top of

[35] Cause and effect: children

one another. Through trial

repeat an action to make

and error they will figure out

something happen again,

which blocks work better as

experience cause and effect

the base and which are best

(High Scope Educational

for the top.

Research Foundation, 2010).

[4.3] Cause-and-Effect

This activity will enable

Exploration: Exploring the

childrens exploration of

functions of objects (Best Start

cause and effect by

Expert Panel on Early Learning,

providing them with

2014, p. 33).

materials for building

This activity will support

towers, with which they can

childrens exploration of

build and re-build. This

cause-and-effect by giving

allows them to learn through

them the opportunity to

trial and error how to build a

explore the functions of the

tower which stays upright.

blocks. They will experiment

to see how high the blocks
can be stacked.

WHERE WILL THE

ACTIVITY TAKE PLACE
MATERIALS: (Be Specific)

At the carpeted

WHEN IN THE DAILY

area in the indoor

ROUTINE/SCHEDULE

At small group

classroom.

WILL THIS OCCUR

time.

Small transparent blocks which contain different objects.

BEGINNING
I will start the activity by using the standard introduction to small group time which is the expectation
in this classroom. I will take a box, where I will have placed several of the blocks inside, and get the
childrens attention by singing Whats in the box? The children will get a chance to touch the box,
and will be able to offer guesses for what is inside. Then I will say, Ok, lets see! and open the box to
show the children the blocks. I will take the blocks out of the box, and show them how the blocks stack
on top of each other (using the box as a flat surface). I will explain, Today we are going to build
towers.

CURRICULUM MODEL/APPROACH: HIGHSCOPE

MIDDLE
If the activity goes just as planned, I expect the children will take the blocks, exploring their texture
and appearance first. Then the children will start stacking the blocks on top of one another, and start
discovering that the blocks will topple down if not carefully balanced. They will then problem solve,
and adjust their building. I will support their learning and exploration by using encouraging phrases
such as Try again, Im sure you can do it if a childs tower collapses. I will also reinforce their
accomplishments and support the development of their autonomy by saying You built it all by
yourself to a child when they create a tower.
If the children do not build towers and choose to do something else with the materials, they might sort
the blocks (i.e. according to colour), or they might create horizontal patterns instead of building vertical
towers. If they do something differently, I will support their experimentation. I will not stop what they
are doing, and I will encourage them to experiment, for example, by using wonder statements like
Look at that ______ [childs name]. Youve created something totally different. I wonder if you can
make it longer.
If one of the children is not interested in the activity, I will support their choice. I will say, You dont
want to build a tower or play with the blocks? Thats ok, you dont have to. You can watch what the
others do until we are done. Throughout the activity, I will follow the childrens lead by imitating
their actions (i.e. building a tower, creating a pattern with the blocks, or sorting the colours).
END/TRANSITION
Towards the end of the activity, I will prepare the group by giving them an advance reminder, such as
Two minutes until we finish playing with the blocks and clean up. This will ensure a smoother
transition to the next point in their routine. At the end of the activity, I will say Its time to clean up.
Can you hand me your blocks ______ [childs name]?, starting with the child sitting closest to me,
and encouraging the rest of the children to follow that childs lead in cleaning up.