Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2
Teacher Candidate
Date/Time of Scheduled Visit
Name/Address of School
Age/Grade level
Cooperating Teacher
Name of Lesson
Content area(s)/developmental
domain(s) addressed
Brief description of the lesson
This lesson is:
Rationale
Timeframe
Objective(s) of the activity
Alysha Rodriguez
N/A
Just Doodle It Preschool
Pre-K
N/A Classroom Number
Paper Bag Pumpkin
What concepts or developmental skills will this lesson address?
The concepts or developmental skills this lesson will address are creative art expression, fine motor, language
development, and science knowledge.
Teachers will introduce the theme of pumpkins by completing a KWL chart, asking children what do they know
about pumpkins; what they want to know; and leaving the “learned” part for the very end of the pumpkin unit.
Teachers will read the story “The Biggest Pumpkin Ever” by Steven Kroll which is about a young boy who plants
pumpkin seeds in the Spring and follows the growth of the pumpkin through the Fall harvest. As they are reading,
the teacher will ask open-ended questions such as:
1. How much do you think the pumpkins weigh?
2. How do you think the pumpkin feels?
3. What do you think is inside the pumpkin?
After the story, the students will create their very own paper bag pumpkins!
 This lesson is a new concept
Why is there a need for this lesson?
The need for this lesson is because it allows children to learn new vocabulary while still being able to express their
creativity and their own representations of pumpkins. Through this activity, the students will also be able to
explore the many different shades of orange while refining their fine-motor skills as they crumple the newspaper.
Keep in mind appropriate length of an activity for preschool-aged children is 20 mins at most, no more than 45 mins
for children K-2 grade)
40 Minutes:
 5 minutes for discussion & KWL chart
 10 minutes for The Biggest Pumpkin Ever read aloud
 20 minutes for the pumpkin paper bag activity
 5 minutes to share with friends
What will children know, or demonstrate as a result of this learning experience?
Students will be able to use creative art to express and represent what they know, and also demonstrate their
 Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

understanding of how things grow and change.

Connections to standards Which NYS Early Learning, or Common Core Standards are addressed? Are there other standards used?

The standards addressed in this lesson plan are:

Curiosity and Initiative

PK.AL.4. - Exhibits curiosity, interest, and willingness to learn new things and have new experiences
a. Asks questions using who, what, how, why, when, where, what if
b. Expresses an interest in learning about and discussing a growing range of ideas
f. Willingly engages in new experiences and activities
Persistence
PK.AL.5. - Demonstrates persistence
a. Maintains focus on a task
b. Seeks assistance when the next step seems unclear or appears too difficult
c. Modifies strategies used to complete a task
Physical Development
PK.PDH.5. - Demonstrates eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills
a. Demonstrates ability to use fine motor skills (e.g., engages in finger plays, uses materials such as pencils,
paint brushes, eating utensils and blunt scissors effectively)
Social Awareness and Relationships With Others
PK.SEL.3. - Demonstrates and continues to develop positive relationships with significant adults (primary caregivers,
teachers, and other familiar adults)
a. Interacts with significant adults
b. Seeks guidance from primary caregivers, teachers and other familiar adults
Language Objectives What language/vocabulary, communication, or literacy skill(s) do I want my students to develop in this lesson? How is
this activity using the specific academic language demand?

Students will be able to further develop their language skills and vocabulary skills as this allows to build through
expressive language.
Resources/materials needed:  Book: “The Biggest Pumpkin Ever” by Steven Kroll
(Include any worksheets or sources of  White paper bags
evidence for children’s learning you  Newspaper
will use during the activity)  Packing paper
 Tissue paper
 Orange, white, green paint
 Paint brushes
 Green pipe cleaners

Technology inclusion (if applicable) A smartphone/tablet will be used to capture the moments of the students doing the art activity and documentation.
 Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

Procedures (step by step) Anticipatory Set (Connection/Motivation) What will you do to get children’s attention, or to introduce children to this
learning activity? Describe the process in getting them interested and engaged.

Teachers will have different pumpkins set out throughout the classroom so that when the students arrive, they can
see them around the classroom. In the circle time/morning meeting area, the teacher will have a big picture drawn
out with the question “What is this?”

After the children arrive and gather at the rug for circle time, a K W L chart will be ready for the discussion of “what
do you know about pumpkins? And “what do you want to know about pumpkins?” (Intentionally leaving out the
‘learned’ part out for now, as we will revisit that towards the end of the unit).

Instruction/Mini Lesson (Outline the procedures or sequence activities that will make up this learning experience; for
instance, you might follow a routine wherein you model (I try); and ask for active involvement (we try) during a whole
group session.

Once the children have answered the discussion questions, and the teachers have recorded their answers, they will
listen to the story “The Biggest Pumpkin Ever” by Steven Kroll.

Throughout the story, teachers will ask open-ended questions such as: “Where do pumpkins grow?” “How big do
you think a pumpkin can grow?”

When they are done listening to the story, they will transition to the table where the art materials will be made
available.
Independent Practice (small group activity, working with partners, or independently)

During this time, the students will independently create their very own pumpkins! Students will have the option of
choosing between either tissue paper, packing paper, or newspaper (or a little of all 3!) and then crumpling the
stuffing of their choice (with strong encouragement for them to use their hand muscles to scrunch up the paper!)
and fill their paper bags no more than halfway.

Next, students will twist the top portion of the paper bag (roughly where the stuffing ends) and tie a green pip
cleaner to secure and keep the stuffing in place. They will also twist the top portion (above the pipe cleaner) as this
will serve as the stem on their pumpkin.

After experimenting with white and orange paints to create a variety of different orange hues, students will paint
their pumpkin bags below the green pipe cleaner. Next, students will paint above the green pipe cleaner and twisted
top portion of their paper bags with the green paint.

Closure (sharing/reflection, next steps)

Once the students have finished their paper bag pumpkins, they will show their pumpkins to their peers, identify
 Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

similarities/differences they see created by each student, and help clean up.

Method of assessing children’s Pre-assessment Assessment of Student Assessment of Children’s

understanding of
lesson/activity/objective(s)
(Be sure to include any tools,
rubrics/checklists and/or worksheets
you will use for assessment(s)
Outline the steps you will take to evaluate
student’s prior knowledge.
The steps I will take to evaluate the student’s
prior knowledge are by completing a KWL
chart.
Learning Outline the steps you
will take to evaluate students’
learning. What evidence will I
have to assess whether
students have successfully
achieved the content
objectives?
Language Learning
Outline the steps you will take to
evaluate students’ language
learning. What evidence will I
have to assess whether students
have successfully achieved the
content objectives?

The assessment tool used to The steps I will use to evaluate

evaluate the student’s learning student’s language learning, and
will be by collecting and whether students have
assessing the student’s work successfully achieved the content
samples through checklist. objective is by observing and
listening to their conversations
The checklist will include amongst each other for usage of
questions pertaining to the vocabulary.
activity such as:
What colors are pumpkins?
How and where do pumpkins
grow?
Are all pumpkins the same
size?

Teachers will answer Y/N if

Plans for differentiated
instruction/instructional
modifications
Supporting children with identified delays
or disabilities
What considerations should I keep in mind
regarding cultural relevance, age
appropriateness, and ability levels for all
learners?
The considerations I would keep in mind
regarding cultural relevance, age
appropriateness, and ability levels for all
learners is making sure to provide lots of
the child is able to properly
answer the question
Supporting English Language Learners
What modifications should I make to the activity to ensure all
students are included and engaged in all steps required to meet the
lesson’s objectives?
The modifications I would make to the activity to ensure all
students are included and engaged in all steps is by keeping the
main premise and goal the same, but amend specific activities
and ensure they are appropriate for students with different
needs and learning styles. For example, I would provide different
art mediums such as crayons, markers, different sizes of
 Learning Activity Plan for PreK-Grade 2

visuals, a chart of the instructions, and lots of
one-on-one. Also, perhaps pairing children for
peer support.
paintbrushes, finger-painting paint to accommodate students who
have varying degrees of fine motor skills. For those with a more
advanced dexterity I would encourage them to use materials such
as thin paint brushes and would offer the thicker paint brushes to
the students who require additional help in developing their fine
motor skills.

Additionally, I would allot different amounts of time for students

who have varying needs. For instance, I would allow more time
for students who are slower in pace and add an extension of the
current craft for students who finish faster.
Follow up/Extension activities How can I provide an opportunity to remediate, reinforce, or expand on students’ learning today in class?

Any additional information that
would be helpful for the observer to
know
The activity to follow that would provide reinforcement to learning today’s activity in class would be exploring the
inside of a pumpkin. The activity prior to degutting the pumpkin was an introduction to the vegetable, whereas this
follow up activity would foster students the opportunity for a complete hands-on experience where they’d use the 5
senses to examine the pumpkin.
Preparation prior to the activities being implemented is extremely important. Ensuring that all of the materials are
gathered prior to the activity. Also, ensuring that that all areas represent the pumpkin unit we will be studying.

Observer feedback on the lesson plan, including commendations and recommendations for improving aspects of the learning activity