Sarah Viviani ECED 103.

001 September 26, 2011 Article Review #1 Title and Author One Teacher, 20 Preschoolers, and a Goldfish by Ann Lewin-Benham Main Idea The main idea of the article One Teacher, 20 Preschoolers, and a Goldfish is that preschoolers can be educated on environmental awareness according to things that interest them on their learning level. This is the practice of the social constructivist theory that is demonstrated in the Reggio Emilia approach. Ms. Putnam was able to start with a goldfish and move on to many different environmental topics due to questions that the children had about the fish. She used emergent curriculum to create the project, and then the students interests moved it forward. Integration The article connects to the textbook readings in various ways. One of the topics is child advocacy. Ms. Putnam acted as a child advocate because she showed that preschool children can be educated on environmental issues just like everyone else. She wanted to broaden her students horizons by introducing them to the environment that surrounds them. She wanted to inform them on their part in environmental awareness and how they can act on their responsibility.

Ms. Putnam also followed developmentally appropriate practice. She took a topic that would otherwise be too difficult for small children to understand and tailored it to their level of learning. Since we live in a society that is increasingly concerned about environmental issues, the children were educated on societal trends. Ms. Putnam made her students aware of the topics that are relevant to todays issues; therefore allowing the children to have access to and take part in the concerns of the world around them. Ms. Putnam showed that she had knowledge of her learners. She took a topic of great importance and found a way to introduce it to the students in her classroom. She tailored her curriculum to meet the childrens needs. They were able to learn about many new topics and take an interest in the world around them. Ms. Putnam set goals for both herself and her students. She helped the children move through those goals, and in the end, they obtained a greater knowledge about the environment that they would be able to connect with in their everyday lives. Personal Reflection I will be able to connect the ideas from this article in my own classroom in various ways. First, as a teacher, I can tailor topics that would normally be too difficult for my students to understand to meet their educational needs. It is amazing what children can grasp, so this article has taught me that it is possible to teach anything in my classroom. I also learned that hands-on learning is a great way to engage children and capture their attention. Young children need to learn through experience because concrete examples help them to obtain better understanding. They also will be more inclined to ask questions and make assumptions about the topics being discussed. Discussion Question

What other topic areas could Ms. Putnam have brought up to her students in the same way as her lesson on environmental awareness?