Learning Opportunity Planning Form

(Avoid opportunities associated with holidays)

Student Name: Taylor and Brittany

Resource Used:

Gorman, D. (2010, July 11). Playfully Learning. Retrieved from Playfully Learning:
http://playfullylearning.blogspot.co.il/2010/06/painting-with-spaghetti-oh.html
Date to be presented: 4/23/15
Site Supervisors Signature _________________________________________ Date __________________

It is required to discuss your final written plans with your site supervisor and obtain a sign-off signature one week before presenting this learning opportunity.

Primary Curriculum (content) Area: Art

Learning Opportunity Name: Painting with Spaghetti
Brief description/type: Children will take spaghetti, grasp it, dip it into paint, and place on paper to create a design.
WHO Its For: Four and Five year olds 4/5
List specific accommodations/adaptions:
Children are having difficulty following directions during an activity. Set the tone of the classroom by telling children it is okay
to ask others (i.e., adult or another child) for assistance. Use pictures in addition to providing verbal directions to demonstrate
what you want the children to do. Pair children with friends who serve as role models. Have them complete the activity
together. (Caras Kit page 10).
WHY-Rationale:
Small motor skills require the child to manipulate objects with accurate, controlled, and precise movements. Caring adults
can support childrens small motor skills through providing a variety of age appropriate materials and plenty of
opportunity for play and exploration.
Objective(s): By participating in this opportunity, the children will

Uses hand-eye coordination to perform self-help and small motor tasks with variety of manipulative materials such as
beads, pegs, shoelaces, and puzzle pieces.

Demonstrates increased skills in using scissors and writing tools for various learning experiences.

Expresses ideas about his/her own artwork and the artwork of others, relating artwork to what is happening in the
environment or life experiences.
Standard(s): 8.3 Small Motor Development Children develop small motor skills.
13.1 Art Children participate in a variety of art and sensory-related experiences
HOW to Prepare: What you need:
MATERIALS:
Raw and cooked spaghetti noodles, tempera paint, paper plates, paint shirts, gloves
TIME: 15 minutes
SETTING: small group
SET UP/SPACE: one table five chairs
HOW to Teach:
Introduction: Here are our materials. What do you think we can do with them? (Wait for a response) What does the
spaghetti feel like? Give them noodles in the hard form and let them explore it. Give them the bowl of spaghetti and have them
explore it. Ask questions like what does it feel like? What does it smell like? What do you think it would be like to paint with
spaghetti?
Teaching steps:
1. Let the children play with the spaghetti. Teacher then adds paint color of childs choice.
2. Take the spaghetti and put it on your paper.
3. Choose another color and repeat steps.

Closure & Transition:

What did you notice about your picture? How did you feel painting with spaghetti?
When you are done, go place your picture on the drying rack and wiggle like spaghetti over to the next activity.

HOW to Assess and Document

Objectives
Uses hand-eye coordination to perform
self-help and small motor tasks with
variety of manipulative materials such as
beads, pegs, shoelaces, and puzzle
pieces.

Demonstrates increased skills in using

scissors and writing tools for various
learning experiences.

Evidence of Learning
Children might
Use pincer grasp to pick up spaghetti

How to Document This Evidence

Grab the spaghetti as a whole

Video, pictures with captions, work

sample, observation

Video, pictures with captions, work

sample, observation

Assessment Documentation:
Anecdotal Record, photo
Learning Opportunity Name: Painting with Spaghetti
Primary Curriculum (content) Area: Art
Primary Domain: Language
Secondary Domain: Social
Date: April 23, 2015
Setting: Small Group
Objective: Uses hand-eye coordination to perform self-help and small motor tasks with variety of manipulative materials

The child I was observing was the one I had to make accommodations for. He felt the cooked spaghetti noodles and
instantly said, I do not like this. He did paint a little with one string of noodle for a minute or two then stopped.
Comment: I made the accommodation of giving him uncooked noodles to draw with because this would still help him with
his hand-eye coordination. He seemed to use it but still did not seem to like it very much.
Evaluation:
What evidence of childrens engagement and learning did you see during this learning opportunity? How were the
objectives met? Most of the children seemed to stay focused on their art piece. Also, the children and their parents
both were amazed with the fact that they were going to paint with cooked spaghetti. The objectives were met because
the children all had to practice their hand-eye coordination; there were no painting of other objects or people. They all
kept it on their papers. Also, the children all wrote their names on their artwork before we started the project.

What did you learn from planning and presenting this learning opportunity?
a) About the learning opportunity itself: This learning opportunity was age appropriate. It gave the children and
the adults a new look at what you could also paint with besides just paint brushes and fingers.
b)

About children: I learned the children love to get messy especially if their parents are getting involved too. If
the childrens parents are not willing to get in and get dirty then the children will most likely not want to.

c)

About your own abilities: I was able to maintain the childrens attention. Also, I was able to help the child still
participate when he did not like the texture of the cooked noodles by making an accommodation.

Evaluate this learning opportunity as a whole. Share suggestions, as discussed with your site supervisor, for improvement.
a) As I reflect on this learning opportunity, I feel my strengths were: I feel my strength was making connections
with the children of the texture and what you could use the other noodles for. Also, I felt like I did pretty
well with just jumping right into this learning opportunity without really looking at the plan or much preparation.
I felt like it went much smoother than I thought since I did not create the plan or helped prepare it.
b)

As I reflect on this learning opportunity, I realize that I could improve by: I could definitely improve by getting
on the childrens level to talk and ask them questions. Also, I did not really get involved much because I was
observing the children so I need to improve on getting involve and doing what the children are doing as well.