LEARNING CENTRE PLAN:
KINDERGARTEN
Claudia Rocha
EYLF Principles (2): 3. High Expectations and Equity
EYLF Practices (2): Learning Through Play
Outcomes: 4. Children are confident and involved learners.
DESCRIBE THE CENTRE:
The focus of this learning centre is to
extend each student’s knowledge on the
concept of float and sink. The students
are able to freely explore the learning
centre designed in their own play time
and evidence of this in the classroom
will exhibit the students independent
learning skills.
The create a boat that can float activity
is the focus activity in the centre which
encourages the involvement of the
teacher to facilitate the play and extend
each student’s thought process. The
activity is to be conducted in small
groups, however, if the teacher wishes
to make it a whole class activity then it
can easily be achieved. Each student
will have a chance to complete this
activity but at different times during the
week. Within the play corner there will
be numerous other activities that the
students are able to engage in at any
time they please.
Within the actual learning centre there
will be easy to read books on objects
that float or sink as well as numerous
picture books for visual learners. The
5. Ongoing Learning and Reflective Practice
Intentional Teaching
5. Children are effective communicators.
EXPLICIT/INTENTIONAL TEACHING:
Objectives:
-Classify objects that can float on water.
-Classify objects that sink in water.
-Construct a boat using materials provided that
will cause the boat to float on water.
Mat Session (pre or post play):
-Students will be seated on the mat in front of
the teacher and the teacher will introduce the
start of the lesson by saying:
“Yesterday I saw Michael and Brodie playing at
the water trough, Michael what were you two
boys doing out there with the different items
that you had collected?”
“Brodie did you find out anything interesting
about the items when you put them in the
water trough?”
-After the students have answered these
questions, the teacher will explain to the
students that Michael and Brodie were both
trying to discover if the items that they had
collected were able to float, or if they sunk
down to the bottom of the water trough. The
teacher will then explain what the two words
float and sink mean and how they are different.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
-Book: Captain Kidd’s Crew Experiments
with Sinking and Floating by Mark
Weakland.
-Water trough with water in it.
-Float and sink containers labelled.
-Water labelled container.
-Post it notes.
-Individual student assessment chart.
-Mystery box and items inside it: an apple,
a rock, a small scoop, a twig and a piece of
string.
-PVA glue.
-Scissors.
-Shelves.
-Name tags of words on the topic.
-Small stand for object of the day.
-Bean bags.
-Small indoors water trough/container filled
with water for indoor experimentation of
objects.
-Poster with each student’s face tags on it.
-Containers with different materials placed
in them for the construction of the boats:
Little flags, foam boards, leaves, twigs,
cardboard, corks, honkey nuts, feathers,
paper, pegs, pop sticks, milk bottle tops,
egg cartons, string, cotton balls, twigs.
learning centre itself will have bean
bags that the students are able to sit on
to read the books. There will be shelves
with different objects on them that are
associated with the topic of float and
sink. The shelves will also have little
containers full of resources that the
students can use to experiment with to
discover whether or not they float in
water.
On the shelf there will be a particular
area that is changed on a daily basis. In
this area there will be a small stand that
an object each day will be displayed on.
Throughout the day the students must
visit the item and determine whether
they believe the object will float or sink.
Beside the object on display will be a
poster hung up on the wall divided into
two sections, one half will say float and
the other half will say sink. There will
also be small cut out face tags of each
student blue tacked beneath the poster.
Once each student has decided if the
object will float or sink, they must put
their face tag underneath the heading
that they think the object will do. At the
end of the day just before home time,
the teacher will take the students to the
learning centre and conduct the
experiment using the object on display
by putting it in a water container and the
students are able to see whether or not
their prediction was correct.
Around the learning centre there will be
numerous words that are associated
with the topic that have been printed up
“When we have an item that floats, it means
that the item will not fall down to the bottom of
the water trough and instead it will stay on top
of the water.”
“When we say an item sinks, we mean that
once we put the item in the water trough it will
fall straight down to the bottom of the water
trough and stay underwater.”
-Once the teacher has explained what the
terms mean to the students, she will then read
the book Captain Kidd’s Crew Experiments
with Sinking and Floating by Mark Weakland.
-After reading the story to the students the
teacher will explain that there is a float and
sink corner in the classroom where they can
discover more about the topic and experiment
with the objects and activities that have been
provided for them in that corner during their
play time.
-The students will then be explained the areas
that they can go and play in as well as the
activities that have been set out for them. The
teacher will then ask Michael, Brodie and three
other students in the class to join her at a table
where a float and sink play activity has been
set up.
Float and Sink Focus Group Play Activity:
-The focus group students will be seated
around the table and the teacher will begin the
activity by asking two students from the group
to explain what the terms float and sink mean.
-The teacher will then retrieve her mystery box
that is full of items that either float or sink. One
by one the teacher will go around the table to
each student and ask them to lucky dip an item
from the box. Once their item is chosen the
student will be asked the following questions:
CONVERSATIONS TO SUPPORT PLAY:
The teacher will provide numerous
enabling and extending prompts throughou
the lesson to encourage deeper thought on
the topic by the students. The questions
posed will enable the teacher to direct the
play and control the learning that the
students are engaging in. This will also
allow the teacher to become a player and
observer at the same time whilst the play is
occurring. The questions that will be asked
by the teacher throughout certain stages of
the lesson are:
- “Yesterday I saw Michael and Brodie
playing at the water trough, Michael what
were you two boys doing out there with the
different items that you had collected?”
- “Brodie did you find out anything
interesting about the items when you put
them in the water trough?”
- “When we have an item that floats, it
means that the item will not fall down to the
bottom of the water trough and instead it
will stay on top of the water.”
- “When we say an item sinks, we mean
that once we put the item in the water
trough it will fall straight down to the bottom
of the water trough and stay underwater.”
- “Do you think that your item will float or
sink?”
- “Why do you think that your item will float
or sink?”
- “Why have you decided to use this
material as your base for the boat?”
- “Do you think that this material will be ligh
enough to float the boat?”
- “Do you think this material that you have
and laminated. Words such as ‘float’,
‘sink’, ‘fell’, ‘sort’, ‘water’, ‘light’, ‘heavy’,
‘small’, ‘big’, ‘soft’ and ‘hard’. There will
also be a brief description of what the
words float and sink mean that way the
students can be reminded each time
they visit the centre and when they are
trying to determine if the object does
one of the two.
A small card will be hung up on the wall
explaining to parents that come in and
observe the learning centre, what the
centre is for and what learning is taking
place in the learning centre and well as
the purpose of it. There will be labelled
containers for each object that is
present in the learning centre. A small
water trough will also be in the area that
the students can use to conduct their
experiments on objects that float or
sink.
As each student has completed their
create a floating boat activity, the boats
will be put on display around the
learning centre to exhibit each students
efforts. Beside their boat will be a
photograph of the student as well as a
recorded response said by the student
when engaging in the activity.
“Do you think that your item will float or sink?”
“Why do you think that your item will float or
sink?”
-After the student has answered the questions,
the student must slowly place their item in the
tub of water in the centre of the table to
discover whether it floats or sinks. Then they
must place their item in the correct container
that is labelled float or sink on either side of the
water tub.
-Once all students have taken a turn and all
items have been exhausted, the teacher will
then explain to them what they will be doing
next.
-The teacher will have multiple different
containers placed on the table each with
different materials. The students must make a
small boat out of the materials that have been
provided but they must ensure that they
choose their materials wisely so that their boat
can float on water rather than sink.
-The teacher will assist the students with the
construction of their boats whilst also creating
her own boat so that she is engaging in the
play with the students. The teacher will also
ask extending prompts such as:
“Why have you decided to use this material as
your base for the boat?”
“Do you think that this material will be light
enough to float the boat?”
“Do you think this material that you have
chosen will be able to float or sink and why do
you think so?”
-As the teacher is asking these questions to
each student, she will be recording down their
responses to the questions on post it notes
chosen will be able to float or sink and why
do you think so?”
- “Was your prediction right?”
- “Were you surprised that your boat sunk
or float?”
- “Why do you think your boat sunk?”
- “How could you change your boat to
make it float instead of sink?”
JUSTIFICATION:
This learning centre is aimed at
kindergarten students aged four to five
years and would be taught in term two of
the school year. The play is intended for all
students in the class but most importantly
Michael and Brodie as it picks up where the
two boys left off in the running record. The
learning centre will be erected in the corner
of the classroom near the exit and the
students will be able to use the outdoors
water trough as well to conduct their
experiments.
This learning centre encourages the
development of the students cognitive and
social domains as each student will be
communicating and cooperating with one
another whilst conducting their own
experiments. The students will be
developing socially as they are building off
of each other’s understanding on objects
that float and sink, engaging in
conversation and building relationships on
a mutual enjoyment when engaging in the
play.
The cognitive domain of development will
be enriched by the educators explicit
teaching and modelling of the activities and
play as well as the direct questioning which
which she will stick onto her individual student
assessment chart and use as her assessment
of student objective achievement.
-Once the students feel that they have
constructed their entire boat and think that it
will float, each student will be asked to explain
to the teacher and the rest of the group why
they think their boat will float rather than sink in
the water trough outside. The teacher will
record down each student’s response and add
it to her assessment chart.
-The teacher will then ask the students to take
their boat outside with them to the water trough
and one by one, each student will gently place
their boat in the water trough to discover
whether it floats or sinks. Whilst this is being
done the teacher will be taking photos of each
student placing their boat in the water and also
using this for assessment of the students
understanding of the topic.
-Once each student has discovered whether
their boat would float or sink the students will
each answer some questions that the teacher
will ask such as:
“Was your prediction right?”
“Were you surprised that your boat sunk or
float?”
“Why do you think your boat sunk?”
“How could you change your boat to make it
float instead of sink?”
-The teacher will be recording these responses
and keep them for assessment of student
comprehension on the topic. The boats will be
collected by the teacher and put on display in
the classroom. The students will then be able
to engage in other activities that have been set
out for the students during the lesson and in
the learning centre.
will cause the students to think deeper
about the topic. Students will develop their
high-level thinking skills throughout their
play and engagement with new materials,
thus developing their cognitive domain.
The EYLF principles are reflected within
the learning centre as the educator is able
to set high expectations and achieve
equity. Each student will be able to take on
their own understanding of the learning
area that has been created. Ongoing
learning and reflective practice has been
adapted to this learning centre as the
educator continually provides opportunity
for the students to extend their thinking,
asking them questions throughout their
engagement with the centre and enabling
time for the students to reflect individually.
The teacher is also able to reflect on her
teaching of the topic through the learning
centre observations and activities that the
students are to complete, in order to reflect
on the effectiveness of the learning centre.
The EYLF practices are evident within the
learning centre and activities that have
been provided within the centre. The
learning through play practice is identified
in this learning centre as the students are
becoming actively involved in their learning
The students are experimenting and
exploring their ideas and introducing their
imagination into the play, unknowingly
learning at the same time. The educator
becomes an active participant in each
students’ learning by becoming a player
amongst the students and extending the
play by asking questions to support high-
level thinking skills in each student.
The intentional teaching practice is
introduced effectively throughout the
learning centre and activities designed, as
the educator directs the student’s learning
to achieve the objectives. Intention
teaching by the educator is evident through
choice of questions that guide the students
to think bigger and enables the educator to
recognise the students level of
understanding on the topic. The role of
intentional teaching in this learning centre
is facilitated through social interaction with
the students and the ability of the educator
to encourage the students to use problem
solving skills as well as explain their
understanding.

The outcomes of the EYLF are apparent

throughout the activities and the learning
centre itself. Outcome four, children are
confident and involved learners, is clearly
demonstrated when the students explore
their curiosity of objects that float and sink.
They become engrossed in their thoughts
and are determined to build a sound
understanding on what objects can float
and sink. When constructing the boats, the
students must adopt problem solving skills
and apply them effectively within this
context of learning. The students are
exhibiting their determination and flexibility
when experimenting with the different
materials to ensure that their boat can float.

Children are effective communicators is an

outcome that the educator will be able to
recognise throughout the duration of the
learning centre’s existence in the
classroom. As each student is building on
 their understanding of objects that float and
sink, the students will have numerous
opportunities to voice their thoughts and
findings to the educator. The effectiveness
and level of comprehension evident by the
student when discussing the topic with the
educator will demonstrate the student’s
achievement of this outcome and the
objectives. The students will be given
plenty of opportunity to explain their
understanding through the numerous
enabling and extending prompts that the
educator will include in the play.

Assessment Strategy to Record Play/Learning:

The educator will assess the objectives achievement throughout the play and activities conducted in the learning centre. When asking
the students in the focus group specific questions about what they are doing, the educator will record their responses on post it notes,
which she will then add to her individual student assessment chart. This will assist the educator in recognising the student’s
understanding and progress in achieving the set objectives. Once the boats have been created by each student the educator will also
take photos of the student with their boat while conducting their experiment at the water trough. This will also act as evidence to support
the educator in recognising the achievement of the objectives.

The students will be asked questions after they have conducted their boat experiment which will also be recorded on post it notes and
used for assessment of student understanding. After all this evidence has been collected on each student completing the experiment,
the teacher will display around the learning centre and classroom the boats that each student has made, along with a photo of the
student conducting their investigation and one of their responses that was recorded whilst the experiment was undertaken. This will act
as evidence of student learning and each student’s parent can come into the classroom to see what their child has created within this
learning centre.