Julia Dixon

5 February 2015
Learning Center Assignment
I have decided to work on two learning centers for my students!
One learning center was used this past week and another will be used
for next weeks unit plan. The tables below shows what each center
was, what it included, and what they would teach the students.
IGLOO Learning Center
This past weeks unit plan focused on Artic animals. Throughout the
week, I was able to read about polar bears, penguins, walrus, and fish.
Miss Mary and I set up a learning center in the classroom. This was an
igloo tent that we had set up that included stuffed animals that live in
the cold and/or Artic. Next to the igloo, we had set up three buckets,
fish, and fishing poles (magnetic).
Objectives

Students will be able to:

Play with materials and objects.
Practice motor skills.
Categorize animals (penguins live in the
cold)

Rules

In Miss Marys classroom, there are not specific

rules that are hung around the room. Instead,
there is a lot of modeling of what we should not
do in the classroom.
Do we throw our animals?
Do we hit our friends with our animals?
Do we swing our fishing poles around?

Domains

Physical: crawl, fine motor skills.

Cognitive:
Language: verbal communication with other
students, names of animals.
Affective:
Social: communication and imaginary play with
peers
Spiritual-moral:
Aesthetic:
Creative/Construction: creative with play

Encourages
choices, decisionmaking, and
problem solving by
the children.

Yes, this learning center encouraged students to

share with peers and to make choices as well as
socializing.

Reflects childrens
Interest

Yes

Reflects childrens
varying abilities

Yes

Reflects childrens
needs:
emotional/behavior
al/
physical/academic

Yes

Allows for children

to work alone or
interact in small
groups.

Yes, students can fish independently and play

with peers in the igloo as well as fish.

Reflects the
unit/classroom
theme currently in
use.

Yes

Offers concrete
material.

Yes

Activities contain
complete
directions and
guidance to
answers or
responses

Yes

Is neatly and
attractively
constructed and
set up

Yes, the igloo was in a non-cluttered corner that

was easy for students to access.

Introduction
Procedures for
using the center
and activities are
presented.

Students were asked to follow teacher over to

learning center area and discuss what the area
was. Modeling for rules and how to play with toys
(fishing) was relevant.

Center activities
are thoughtfully,
clearly, and
enthusiastically
presented.

Yes

Pet Shop/Vet Learning Center

Next weeks unit plan will focus on Pets. Throughout the week, I will be
able to teach about different types of pets (dogs, cats, birds, and fish).
This unit about pets will have a specific focus on how to take care of
your pet so I have incorporated a Pet Shop and/or Vet learning center
for the students. The pet shop was Miss Marys idea and I have not yet
decided if I want to incorporate it or not. However, the Vet center is
my idea. I think it would be great to have students pretend to be a vet,
to wash their pet, to feed their pet, and to put their pet to bed.
Objectives

Rules

Students will be able to:

Play with materials
Practice Motor Skills
Improve caregiving skills
Use prior knowledge as well as new
knowledge while playing.

Do
Do
Do
Do

we
we
we
we

throw our animals?

hit our friends with them?
hurt the animals?
push our friends out of the way?

Domains

Physical: walking
Cognitive:
Language: verbal communication with other
students, names of animals.
Affective:
Social: interacting and communicating with peers
and teachers.
Spiritual-moral:
Aesthetic:
Creative/Construction: pretend play taking care
of animal, washing it, and putting it to sleep.

Encourages
choices, decisionmaking, and
problem solving by
the children.

Yes,

Reflects childrens
Interest

Yes

Reflects childrens
varying abilities

Yes

Reflects childrens
needs:
emotional/behavior
al/
physical/academic

Yes

Allows for children

to work alone or
interact in small
groups.

Yes

Reflects the
unit/classroom
theme currently in
use.

Yes

Offers concrete
material.

Yes

Activities contain
complete
directions and
guidance to
answers or
responses

Yes

Is neatly and
attractively
constructed and
set up

Yes

Introduction
Procedures for
using the center
and activities are
presented.

Students will be asked to follow teacher over to

learning center area and discuss what the area
was. Modeling for rules and how to play with toys
will be relevant.

Center activities
are thoughtfully,
clearly, and
enthusiastically
presented.

Yes

Reflection:
I thought that there were many positive and negative aspects to
this Pet learning center. It was such a great experience! I decided to
create a Pet Shop, but with the practices of being a vet or an animal
caretaker. The students loved the pet shop! It was so much fun to
observe each student pick their own pet and take care of them! They
all wanted to do it.
In the morning, I thought the class enjoyed it the most. I decided
to introduce them to the center right before playtime instead of during
circle time. This way, the students would remember the rules and
instructions better. I thought that this plan was very affective. I was
able to stand around the area and guide students to become more
creative with their play (Will you feed your pet? Wash your pet? Take
him for a walk?). I decided to not post rules by the learning center
because I thought it would be more affective to explain the rules
verbally and model what to do and not do during play time in the Pet
Shop (Do we throw our animals?). I decided to have only three friends
at the center at a time because it would become too crowed and there

would be more options of pets for students if there were only a couple
at a time.
I thought that the afternoon class was more difficult to manage.
This is because I was caught up doing another job right after centers,
so I was not able to give the students a proper introduction and model
for the Pet Shop. Instead Ms. Pam (Parapro) gave students directions
instead. Some of the rules were not established and I could definitely
tell a big difference between how the students played and treated the
center in the morning and the afternoon. I decided to let more than
three friends at the center so that I could experience what it would be
like without strict rules for a learning center and I realized that it
becomes more chaotic and stressful when there are too many friends
in one area or no rules of respect established.
Overall, I thought that the Pet Shop was a great idea and
awesome for the students to experience. I do believe that they were
able to learn and accomplished the main goal and objective of this unit
plan: how to take care of pets/animals. I think I will definitely use this
learning center in my own classroom in the future and I would like to
have more concrete and specific rules for all centers.

Pictures
IGLOO Learning Center

Pictures
PET SHOP Learning Center