CHDV 210 Language and Literacy Activity Self Evaluation Form

Why did you choose this particular activity? (DRDP, conversation with child, etc.)
My goal for this activity was to enhance language development by providing materials that
revolve around the five senses. The week revolved around the five senses so I wanted to
incorporate sensory materials. According to Curtis and Carter, children are transfixed by
looking at, smelling, touching, tasting, and moving and rearranging things, (Curtis, 106). I
wanted something that would be engaging and fun.
What were the strong points of this activity?
The strongest point was how engaged the children were with the activity. They loved the smell
of the popcorn and watching it pop in the popcorn maker. As stated by Epstein, when children
can apply language and literacy learning to their everyday interests and activities, that learning
will be genuine, deep, and lasting, (Epstein, 24). The children were able to talk about what they
were seeing with the popcorn and were very interested.
What were the weak areas?
The way I set it up was one of my weakest areas. I just placed the chairs in a circle around the
popcorn maker. I tried to control them to watch in their seats but they were too excited to sit
down. This affected my activity because other children lost interest when they could not watch.
According to Curtis and Carter, the presentation of materials makes a difference in how
children respond to them, (Curtis, 106).
What specific changes did you try out when you presented the activity a second time?
The changes I made was the location of my activity and the way I controlled the group. I used
the table and placed the popcorn machine in the middle to make sure all the children could see. I
also used a white board to write down the words we used to describe the popcorn.
Evaluate the success of these revisions. How might you improve next time? (Focus on your
teaching skills)
These revisions did help a lot. Since I changed the location, all the children were able to see and
the children were not trying to grab at the popcorn maker. As stated by Curtis and Carter,
offering sets of things that match and complement each other so the children have a clearer
view of what is there and how it may be used, (Curtis, 106). All the children were able to
participate and talk about what they were seeing, smelling, etc. Also, when I was done using the

popcorn machine I removed it from the table so the children would not try touching it and
burning their fingers. The way I would improve it next time would be removing the popcorn
bowl so the children would not be tempted to ask for more popcorn. I just wanted the children to
have a small taste of it because they still had to eat snack later.
Did your curriculum activity meet your stated objective? Support your answer with
specific examples from your observation of the childrens involvement in the activity.
I think that my activity did meet my stated objectives because the children did engage in a lot of
conversation. For example, Jemej asked me if the popcorn would turn back to the kernels if we
put it back in the popcorn machine. We tested this theory but unfortunately they did not change
back. As stated by Curtis and Carter, as they absorb the rich and sensory information around
them, their brain pathways are making connections that will be the foundation for a lifetime of
experience and learning, (Curtis, 106).
Based upon your informal assessment of the children during this activity, how would you
build upon this activity? What would be the next curriculum activity you would plan in
this area to enhance the childrens learning and why would you choose this next activity?
I would build on this activity by talking about it during circle and having a finger play dealing
with popcorn. I chose this activity to further talk about the experience the children had. We
would discuss the different ways we described the popcorn to see which ones the children
remembered or if they had anything to add.

Works Cited
Epstein, Ann S. The International Teacher: Choosing the Best Strategies for Young
Children's Learning. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2007. Print.
Curtis, Deb, and Margie Carter. Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early
Childhood Environment. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press, 2003. Print.