7 November 2018. Written by T Liz.

Asalamo Alaikom Samira. Over the last few weeks I have noticed how you are becoming a leader at preschool
as other children want to copy you. On the 15th October I saw you building with the foam blocks. You took some
blocks out of the box and laid them on the floor. Bukhari copied you. Other children gathered around, and you
worked together to build a wonderful construction. I heard you say “I’m going to put it there” as you laid a
block on the pile. Other children copied you and soon there was lots of blocks on the pile.

You were involved in a science experiment with T Maysoon on the 29 th October. You looked like you listened as
T Maysoon explained what to do and reminded you to be careful when using the scissors. You cut your piece of
cabbage up into tiny bits, just like T Maysoon had said, then put it into a cup. You were keen to help T Maysoon
and grinned when she handed you the jar to collect the pieces of cabbage you and your friends had cut up. You
watched T Maysoon pour boiling water over the cabbage to make a red juice called ‘indicator’. You watched T
Maysoon closely as she dipped the indicator into several solutions. Sometimes the litmus changed colour and
sometimes it stayed the same colour. T Maysoon said that when the litmus turned pink it was an acid, and if it
turned blue it was a base and if it stayed the same it was neutral.

You joined int a game of dominoes with Farida and Fayrouz the 5 th November. You saw the pattern Farida was
making. You called out “No Farida, they go here” . You pointed to the picture of the cow at one end of Farida’s
domino and showed her how the cow domino you had was the same. You laid your domino beside Farida’s domino.
You laughed when I said: “Look, there’s two the same, that’s called a pair.”

What Learning Occurred?

Samira’s learning pathway for this term is developing more strategies to play with others (which is one of our
centre’s learning priorities for children). She is very familiar with preschool routines and customs and is
modelling these to the younger children. Samira is developing more ways she can help her peers by assisting
Teacher Maysoon with the science experiment. Her competent verbal communication skills are increasing as
she learns new words to describe her play (such as the science terminology and maths in the dominoes game).
Samira’s understanding of rules of games, is deepening as she participates in group experiences. Pai mārika
(That’s great) Samira!

How can we Extend this Learning?

We can support Samira as she leads other children by describing the rules of a game she is involved in and
encouraging her efforts to model these to her peers.