Deck 17: Organizing Childrens Learning Over Time

Question 1

Which of the following is the most suitable theme for preschool age children?

A) Predicting the weather
B) Electricity
C) Plants in the classroom
D) Gravity

Answer 1

Plants in the classroom

Question 2

The best time for teachers to schedule outside time is:

A) As soon as children arrive.
B) Immediately after morning snack or breakfast.
C) After learning center time, right before lunch.
D) There is no "best time" for outside time; it depends on the needs of the children, staff availability, and access to common spaces.

Answer 2

There is no "best time" for outside time; it depends on the needs of the children, staff availability, and access to common spaces.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a theme that could be used with kindergarten children?

A) A series of mathematics games in which children use play money to learn addition and subtraction.
B) A series of aesthetic, cognitive, social, and language activities that center on the topic of plants.
C) A series of art activities in which children make posters to demonstrate how mixing paints creates different colors.
D) A dramatic play activity in which teachers and parents supply clothing from a variety of cultures.

Answer 3

A series of aesthetic, cognitive, social, and language activities that center on the topic of plants.

Question 4

Which of the following themes would be LEAST appropriate for a group of 5-year-olds who live in Hawaii?

A) Shells
B) Birds
C) Stores
D) Penguins

Question 5

Using essential theme criteria, which would be the MOST appropriate theme for a group of suburban preschool-age children living in Michigan?

A) Pockets
B) Santa Claus
C) Vehicles
D) The desert

Question 6

Select the alternative that has the most appropriate sequence of activities for the teacher to prepare a thematic unit.

A) Find an exciting prop, select a theme to go with it, generate relevant content and activities.
B) Observe the children, develop an idea around their interests, select a concept, generate content, and generate possible activities to support that content.
C) Look through several activity books and get some ideas for aesthetics, generate some content to go with them, then organize the unit.
D) With your colleagues generate 25 to 30 TFPs, create activities to support them, organize the activities into a weekly plan that addresses the notions of balance and diversity.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a project approach activity for a preschool class?

A) A class spends several days on various activities about the plumbing in their building, including a field trip to the basement to see how the water heater works.
B) At 9 AM every day, half the children in the class do sorting and counting activities while the other half work on an art project. After 20 minutes the groups switch.
C) All the children who are ready for literacy activities work in a group; those who are not ready play with the blocks.
D) The children work together painting a large cardboard box that they can use in pretend play to represent anything they want.

Question 8

Which of the following statements accurately describes the role holidays play in theme development?

A) Holidays should be incorporated primarily through arts and crafts activities.
B) Holidays should be avoided whenever possible.
C) Holidays should be incorporated into broader concepts meaningful to the children.
D) Holiday activities should be limited to the week in which the holiday actually occurs.

Question 9

Which of the following statements describes the Project Approach?

A) An in-depth study of a real world topic.
B) An elaborate arts and crafts activity that lasts several days.
C) A cooperative activity that is too big or too complicated for any one child to do alone.
D) An activity in which children and teachers cooperate to achieve a common goal.

Question 10

Which part of the Project Approach is happening when the children discuss their experiences with a topic, then represent their understandings in a variety of ways?

A) Phase 1
B) Phase 2
C) The Assessment Phase
D) Phase 3

Question 11

The children share what they have learned with others. Which part of the Project Approach is this?

A) Phase 1
B) Phase 2
C) The Assessment Phase
D) Phase 3

Question 12

Which of the following is a way for teachers to make transitions more effective?
1. Sing a song at clean up time.
2. Practice a new physical skill to move from one area to another (for example, skip from group time to the cubby to get coats before going outside).
3. Help children come down the hall quietly by pretending to "creep" past the director's office, varying what they pretend on different days (creep one day, come quiet as a mouse on another, etc.)
4. Help children come down the hall quietly by holding their finger over their mouths in the "shhh" sign. Use this strategy every time they are in the hallway.

A) Sing or practice physical skill
B) Creep and use "shhh" sign
C) Sing, practice, and use 'shhh' sign
D) Sing, practice, and creep

Question 13

Field notes include which of the following elements?

A) Words and Drawings
B) Discussions
C) Projects
D) Words, Drawings, and Symbols

Question 14

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Children learn during all parts of the day, including routines like lunch and clean up.
B) Teachers should carefully plan all parts of the day to maximize learning including routines like lunch and clean up.
C) Toileting is one time of the day when children are not learning.
D) Reducing the number of transitions in a day reduces behavior problems.

Question 15

What is the best way to find out what children understand about a thematic topic? 1. Observe the children at play
2) Discuss the concept with children
3) Document children's drawings and constructions
4) Make a web of relevant content using relevant resource materials

A) 1, 2, 3 and 4
B) 2
C) 1, 2 & 3
D) 1, 3 & 4

Question 16

What benefits do children experience in projects that are NOT necessarily available in other approaches? 1. Opportunities for in-depth investigation of a topic
2) An opportunity to make choices about what they are learning
3) A variety of learning experiences across domains
4) Hands-on-learning

A) 1, 2, 3 and 4
B) 1
C) 2
D) 2, 3 & 4

Question 17

Which of the following portions of the day should have the most time allocated to it in an effective schedule for preschoolers?

A) Greeting time
B) Toileting
C) Free Choice time
D) Group time

Question 18

Based on principles of effective time management, kindergartner teachers should consider minimizing which of the following times in their daily schedule?

A) Wait times
B) Outdoor times
C) Free Choice times
D) Time children spend in guided discovery activities

Question 19

What activities are complex and involve significant set-up, clean up, or teacher's supervision?

A) Star activities
B) Transitions
C) Projects
D) Field activities

Question 20

What strategy is most desirable in setting up an effective daily schedule?

A) Eliminate whole group activity times for children under 4 years of age
B) Make sure free-choice routines appear first-thing and last-thing each day
C) Remember to assign time for transitions
D) Vary the schedule frequently to keep children interested

Question 21

What is the diagram that adults and children create to identify various elements of a theme-related topic?

Question 22

Briefly describe the process involved in creating an information base for a theme.

Question 23

Describe what is meant when we say teachers should achieve balance and diversity across the curriculum in terms of theme planning?

Question 24

List 3 ways in which one might determine how and what children are learning about a theme/project.

Question 25

Identify the phases of the Project Approach and briefly define each.

Question 26

Describe how consistency, pacing, and balancing variety and familiarity might differ between a class for three-year-olds and in a second grade classroom.

Question 27

Describe what criteria you would use to decide whether or not to plan a theme on insects for the children in the kindergarten class with whom you work.

Question 28

Consider the theme Plants. How might a plant theme for a four-year-old class look different from a plant theme for a group of second graders? Provide examples and a rationale for your answer.