EDN 430 Project Part II - Huntley 1 Catherine Huntley...

Huntley 1
Catherine Huntley
Hengameh Kermani
EDN 388
27 November 2012
Written Summary
While developing a thematic unit, it is very important to choose a topic that is of interest
to the group of children you are teaching. Choosing a relevant topic will not only capture the
children’s interest, it will motivate them to learn more about the topic. It is also important to
consider what children want to learn about the topic, as well as what they already know.
For my thematic unit, I realized I needed to choose a topic that was broad enough to
cover many of the learning areas of early childhood. It would also be best if the topic was
cognitively appropriate for every child’s individual level. I decided to make a unit based on
farms and farm animals. This felt like a relatively good choice to use in an early childhood
classroom, not only because most children are fascinated by farms but also because of the many
ways this topic could be presented, making it easy to differentiate my lessons. The main reason I
decided to plan a unit on farms and farm animals was because the children in my classroom are
going on a field trip to a farm in the coming week. I thought this would be a great way to get the
children excited about the field trip. Plus I realized there are not many farms in Wilmington so it
would be beneficial to teach the children about farms first.
The actual lesson part of the unit would begin with the children completing a KWL chart
about farms and farm animals. From this point on our large group time and center time would be
centered on what the children want to learn about farms and farm animals. Throughout this

Huntley 2
lesson the children’s learning will be recorded through small classroom art projects, science and
math activities, and by the level of books they read about the topic.
If this topic were to develop into an actual project I believe it would be very appropriate
for the predetermined group of 18 three and four year olds. However, if this were to develop into
a project for the kindergarten class I visit, some lessons would probably need to be adjusted to
make it more of a challenge for the class. Overall, I feel that this thematic unit would work very
well in almost any preschool classroom.

Huntley 3
Catherine Huntley
Hengameh Kermani
EDN 430
27 November 2012
Activity Implementation & Evaluation
The activity I chose to implement in my kindergarten classroom was a math activity
involving farm animals and a barn. The goal of this activity was to help children improve their
addition skills. I made five barns on separate pieces of paper and purchased small farm animals
for the children to use. Considering the developmental level of the children I would be
implementing the lesson on, my cooperating teacher and I decided the children would make
better connections if they had tangible objects to manipulate.