Designing Hook Experiences

Name: Matt Hanses Classroom: Jets

Lesson Overview: How do you anticipate the children will explore with the materials? What do
you think they will do? What COULD happen?

I believe children will enjoy using the water table. I think they will pick up items, pour, push
items that float, splash the water, engage in dramatic play with the items, and interact with
each other. With the sponges I add, I believe they will do a lot of absorbing and releasing of
water.

Lesson Plan Objectives: what do I INTEND for the children to explore?

I intend for the children to explore water and how it interacts/moves with varied choice
objects. With the sponges, I intend for them to explore how they can be used to absorb and
transport water.

THE HOOK:
Roles/Responsibilities
● What are the CHILDREN doing? What is your explorable question? Ideally, children
should be able to loop back to this question in their exploration
○ How does water move?

■ Children will interact with various materials that are placed in the water
table.

● What is the TEACHER doing? How are you asking children to engage with the explorable
question? Write 3 ways to ask: how; what; where)
○ HOW: Set up of water table and choice materials.
○ WHAT: Allow students to interact, as a teacher view what children seem to
engage with.
○ WHERE: Water table in Jets room (Lab: Friday 3:00-6:00pm).
● How are you DOCUMENTING? What tools are you using for documenting the
experience?
○ I will take photos of students interacting with the water table.

○ Take note if photography doesn’t do justice.

THE BAIT:
The NEW
● What is NEW about the experience? Is it the materials, the physical space, or
set-up of familiar materials?
The physical space, the water table inside the classroom, is a very familiar place for
the Jets. The kitchen materials were something the Jets were familiar with in this
setting, although the sponges were typically used to paint and stamp.

● Sketch it out–below sketch out what the experience will look like, highlighting the new
and the questions for each of the three experiences

EXPLORABLE QUESTION:
How does water move when it engages with other objects? How can sponges be used with the
movement of water?

Schemas anticipated:
I believe transporting is going to be the biggest here. Especially since it is in the water table,
children of varied developmental levels will want to splash and move the objects around. I also
believe rotation will be used as children tend to swirl around the water.
Below: At least 3 ways to stage the environment to discover more. Include materials, location, and
questions for each.
1. 2. 3.
I could stage an outside In the room I could make use of A final setting would involve
setting with various pipes and the water table. For this activity taking children to a new
ramps. I could then provide I could put basically any location, one with a natural
students with various ways of material inside the table and body of water. I could give
transporting water from the see how children choose to play them magnifying glasses and
water fountain (ie. bottles, with them. The example I did sticks so that they could
cups, bowls, etc.), then was using sponges and kitchen observe and poke around in
students could interact with items. A question for this would the natural water. One
the various ramps or pipes to be: What do sponges do in question for this experience
see how water interacts with water? would be: How does water in a
other objects. A possible (pond, stream, etc.) differ from
question could be: What water in your bathtub?
happens when water falls
down different inclines?
Reflection:

1. What part of this lesson experience went well?

The children really enjoyed interacting with the items I placed on the water table. They also

seemed interested in how a sponge could retain all the water it sucked up.

2. What part of this lesson experience surprised you?

One child told me directly that the sponge stores all the water, as they repeatedly stuffed a

sponge in a cup full of water, then squeezed it back out to the cup again. I did not expect a child

to conclude this without a small push from an adult.

3. If you could change anything, what would it be and why?

I would add a more variety of materials. At one-point children began using the sponges to

clean, which was okay, but once they started, they continued until they wanted to move on to

another activity. So maybe including different items would keep them engaged, and in more

varied ways, for longer.

4. Do you feel the children engaged with the experience as you expected?

Yes, for the most part, they really seemed excited to use the sponges specifically. So much so

that it surpassed my expectation.