Curriculum
The yearly topic is- Animals: In Nature & In The Arts. The motivation behind the content was to choose a subject that children can relate to, such as animals, and to study this subject closely through different prisms, not only by looking at the different sub-groups in the animal kingdom, but also through the lens of the Arts. The opportunity to study a theme in such depth from a variety of avenues enriches the experience and the learning process for the children, and allows them to perceive themselves as “experts” in that given subject.
​
Being an artist and an art educator myself, this unit allows me to explore more deeply some content areas that are close to my heart and that I feel I have much knowledge in, which I will impart with the children. I am a visual artist and a puppeteer, was a musician and a dancer, and an avid reader of children’s literature. As per the arts, it will be a sensation to the senses to explore the theme of animals together through these various art forms, once we deeply investigate all kinds of animals and their habitats. This unit will also include visits to a couple of museums, a puppet show, an artist’s studio, as well as the zoo and a farm.
​
Seeing that children have a natural tendency and love for animals, finding ways to integrate it into our centers and our curriculum may stand to be an easy pathway. Dramatic play materials can include stuffed animals, veterinary set, and farm tools for example. Science can include the exploration of animal body parts through books, as well as butterflies and critters vitrine. Mathematics exploration can be using separate units of animals in order to explore mathematical concepts such as addition or equation, in addition to using manipulatives that have animals (like those little colored bears that need to be sorted). Blocks area can be an open-ended exploration to create different habitats for the animals we learn about in that specific month. There are excellent book animals that will be in circulations all year long. And there are many puzzles and other manipulative that can address this subject as well. There will also be a class pet, one which children will take turns for tending to, and we will learn about its life and what it needs to eat to live well and comfortably.
​
As per the use of technology, it will allow us to see and learn from videos of puppet theater, music and dance, as well as child-friendly nature videos, that will enhance our learning and understanding of our monthly unit as the year progresses.
​
Yearly Curriculum
At the beginning of the year, it is important to start teaching the children through content that is close and familiar to them, with simple terminology and not too much new information. That is why the first month stands more as an introduction to the subject of animals, as children will explore the general idea of what an animal is, if they know some animals what they may be, perhaps some of the children have pets and that can be a sub-topic of exploration. In addition, talking about what the similarities and differences between the children and animals are- in terms of looks, food, home, and other more immediate content that is close to a child’s life.
The following few months will explore the different kinds of animals by- land, water and air. Once those will be deeply explored, a more general view of animal habitats will be explored and will be adjunct to a visit to the zoo to see how different animals, in fact, have different habitats (manufacture, but nevertheless effective). This will be followed by a month of focusing on farm animals and habitat- speaking about animals that live on the farm and are helpful for people for the production of milk, cheese, eggs and wool.
The last four months we'll be focusing on animals through the lens of the arts, each month specifically dedicated to one or two mediums: Visual Arts, Music and Dance (often related and supporting one another), Theater and Puppet theater, and lastly Literature and the culminating project. Literature will be part of our entire yearly unit, but during the month of June, there will be a more specific focus on literature that is more poetic, less informative and very artistic (lots to choose from!!!).
Monthly Plan
Two Lesson Plans
Below are attached two lessons from the yearly unit. Lesson Plan 1 is named Matisse, from the month of March- Representations of Animals in Visual Arts. Lesson Plan 2 is named Whales, from the month of November- Investigating Water Animals.