EDU 603 FINAL PROJECT 1

EDU 603 Final Project: A Preschool Information CVC Words Unit

Lucy Greene

Post University
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EDU 603 Final Project: A Preschool Information CVC Words Unit

Part I: Statement of Educational Philosophy

A successful and meaningful educational program is based upon the understanding that

learning is relevant, inclusive, engaging and fosters creativity. “Understanding” is not the same

as “knowing”; understanding requires transfer (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005). This means that

learners must not only be able to retain the information being provided but must be able to

understand and put all the learned skills together and apply them to different real-life situations.

For the education of young children, specifically ay the preschool level, literacy and reading

skills are one of the base foundations of a child’s learning capabilities and throughout their

academic journey.

Through research, the educational philosophy if Progressivism is a fantastic philosophy for

teachers of young children to follow. Progressivism emphasizes active learning, where students

learn best by doing, and that they will be more successful when they are working to solve

problems that are interesting and relevant to them (Post University 1). This philosophy is

pertinent in today's educational world, where fostering, problem-solving skills, and adaptability

and independence is essential for students to thrive in and outside the classroom. Progressivism

revolves around the concept that learners will learn the best by actively participating in student

and teacher-led activities, along with collaborating with and without other peers. Progressivism

also concerns itself with acknowledging and respecting the diverse needs and backgrounds of

each learner. By giving problems to solve, progressivist teachers can “ better identify any gaps in

their students’ knowledge and can adjust their curriculum accordingly” (Edsys 2023). With that

being said, using a variety of assessments that can give teachers a baseline to see where each
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student is at as it relates to the curriculum unit, will the teacher determine what needs to be

modified in the lesson in order for it to be successful for all.

Integrating the Progressivist educational theory into teaching practices involves adopting

instructional strategies such as problem-based learning, independency, student-led and

collaborative learning activities. According to Tippett and Lee, The nature of the transformation

lies in the way the learner is changed by knowledge gained and the way that existing knowledge

is changed through the learner’s contributions. Experience pertains to individual learners as well

as teachers and collectives” (Tippett and Lee 2019). By being able to decipher the different

levels of growth in each student as it relates to the specific activities designed for the curriculum

unit, these activities can help the teacher better identify what part of the process of these words

need to be focused on, depending on the student, whether that’s at the very beginning of the

learning process or the very last step.

The theory of Progressivist could have endless possibilities as it relates to inside the physical

classroom and outside. If this theory is followed through on, educators will be able to create

positive, all-inclusive learning environments that foster creativity and deeper thinking and

learning. Using this theory to go beyond the norm, will allow students to thrive and showcase

their skills from what they’ve been taught to physically showing it through different activities.

Embracing Progressivism as an educational philosophy holds significant implications and

innovative new ways for shaping the curriculum and fostering meaningful learning experiences.

By prioritizing student engagement and active participation, educators can empower students to

become independent, self-sufficient learners who will be able to use the tools they will have

learned further in their academic career. The integration and exploration of the Progressivism

educational theory can help provide new case studies and research into why this theory is
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successful and how it can and will change the future of education. Teachers commit to designing

instruction that will fit the goals and needs of each learner. Learners are given ample

opportunities to truly understand a concept and transfer it beyond the classroom by interacting

with their environment and reflecting upon the learning process.

Part II: Rationale of Curriculum

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To fully understand why I have chosen the curriculum to explore, it is important to

understand my current professional context and my students as a whole and to understand their

needs and wants. This unit is designed for regular education classroom of preschool three’s

turning four and come from the Upper East Side in New York City. The class consists of 5 boys

and 5 girls with none receiving an IEP or early intervention. Each student came into the school

year with some form of understanding of the alphabet as a whole, but some were more advanced

than others when it came to letter identification, letter sound identification, and the capabilities of

sounding out and reading words. However, most of the students have not yet been taught how to

directly sound out CVC words with the proper sounds in sequential order. Students are familiar

with using teacher made checklists and working together to create reading and literacy goals.

This unit utilized backward design in its early planning stages, beginning with the essential

question as a starting point. When the essential questions were developed, there was hope and

the goals that students will demonstrate self-knowledge, new perspectives, and self-sufficient

skills (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011). All students will use a self-checklist and along with direct

teacher feedback/help. The mix of the feedback and checklists will require the students to think

more about what they are solving and to try to really see if they have acquired the knowledge to

solve and sequence CVC words. These will require students to think about what they do and do

not understand, reflect, and effectively improve in their skill sets.

In an effort to plan daily lessons, which focus on the enduring understanding of teaching

readers through letter-sound identification and CVC words, this unit follows a letter model so

that the reading process becomes the focus, rather than the volume of words. The model format

is as follows: whole class lesson, mini teacher-led lessons, independent student-led activities,
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individual conferencing with the teacher, partner made activities, and sharing. This model lends

itself nicely to differentiation. Students choose their own topics, whether that be a focus on letter

identification, letter-sound identification, or the sequencing aspect of the CVC word and be able

to apply that day’s mini-lesson teaching point within the designed activities. Teachers are then

able to meet with individuals or a few students grouped by skill/level during independent literacy

time. In terms of differentiation, the workshop format lends itself nicely to many components of

Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This unit addresses the “Representation” component of

UDL because each day’s mini-lesson teaching point will use clear and precise language which all

relates back to the essential question, or big idea (Post University, n.d. a). This unit also

addresses the “Action” component of UDL because students are able to use multiple tools (Post

University, n.d. a). Students have a wide variety of literacy tools available to them (letter

magnets, whiteboards, markers, mirrors, chalkboards, chalk, Lastly, this unit addresses the

“Engagement” component of UDL because students have choice related to what words they want

to sequence and solve, and whether they want to master one word before moving onto the next,

or just learning the base components of each and come back to them at a later time.

This unit allows students to direct their own learning by providing a high level of choice and

fostering independence. Throughout the unit, students build a repertoire of skills and can always

re-visit skills and pieces that were worked on during previous activities. The teacher will guide

students’ communication skills during conferences and small groups as students work to hit their

own goals and analyze their own work.

Part III: Unit Plan

Stage I
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Preschool: Putting together CVC Words

In this unit, students will understand and learn how to solve and sound out CVC words using
word puzzles, the alphabet, and scaffolded student-led activities.

STAGE 1- STANDARDS/GOALS
What should students understand, know, and be able to do? Stage one identifies the desired
results of the unit including the related state content standards and expected performances,
enduring understandings, essential questions, knowledge and skills.

Content Standard(s)

Generalizations about what students should know and be able to do.

Content Standards Primary Expected Performances

PK. ELAL. 3. Demonstrates emergent Students will be able to demonstrate their

phonics and word analysis skills. understanding of CVC words through picture
word and onset puzzles and magnetic letters to
form into CVC words.

Students will be able to use the picture flash

PK. ELAL. 28. Explores and discusses cards to connect the letter, it’s correlating
word relationships and word meanings. sounds, and the picture given to the students.

PK. ELAL. 18. Engages in a discussion Students will be able to demonstrate their letter-
using gathered information from sound knowledge by clapping out the sounds of
experiences and provided resources. the words or pointing to their mouths as they
sound out each syllable of the word.

PK. ELAL. 20. Interacts with diverse Students will be able to identify letters and
formats and texts. their sounds in a variety of stories, letter flash
cards, writing activities and the alphabet.

Enduring Understandings Essential Questions

Insights learned from exploring
generalizations via the essential questions
(Students will understand THAT…)
K-12 enduring understandings are those Inquiry used to explore generalizations
understandings that should be developed
over time, they are not expected to be
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mastered over one unit or one year.

Overarching Enduring Understandings: 1. How can you use letter-sound

identification to identify CVC words?
2. How can we collaboratively work to
Unit Specific Enduring Understanding identify CVC words?
3. How can teachers assist with
identifying CVC words through
student-led activities?

Knowledge and Skills

What students are expected to know and be able to do

Knowledge
The students will know…
 How letters form to words.
 How we use these words to communicate needs and wants.
 The importance of learning the alphabet and the individual letter sounds to help
identify words.

Skills
The students will be able to…
 Identify letters and their correlating sounds.
 Incorporate student’s skills into student-led games and play.
 Explain the sounds of each letter and the importance of how these sounds form words.
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Stage 2

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task
GRASPS Elements of the Performance Task
G – Goal In this performance task, the students will be taking on the role of
What should students a fashion designer who is designing an affordable, small clothing
accomplish by completing line for babies ages birth to 12 months for expectant and new
this task? mothers to buy. The clothing line needs to have a selection of
R – Role clothing in a variety of styles and colors. In order to achieve the
What role (perspective) will goals, set the fashion designers will need to create onesies, etc to
your students be taking? fit the target age group, and the students can choose a variety of
A – Audience advertisement methods such as social media platforms, flyers,
Who is the relevant and ads in magazines or stores to use for exposure.
audience?
GRASPS elements outlined for students:
S – Situation
The context or challenge  Goal: Design an affordable clothing line for babies’ birth
provided to the student. to 12 months.
 Role: The students will become the fashion designer in
charge of creating the clothing line.
 Audience: Your audience will be new and expecting
mothers.
 Situation: You are asked to create a babies clothing line
P – Product, Performance
for ages birth to 12 months and use a variety of
What product/performance
advertisement methods to gain exposure for this clothing
will the student
line.
create?
 Product, Performance: You will need to find different
ways to advertise this product including social media,
stores, magazines, etc. The product will also include the
creation of onesies, socks, hats, etc for this target
population
S – Standards & Criteria for
See Appendix A
Success
Other Evidence Student Self-Assessment
Other forms of evidence that will be used to Students will use a teacher-made checklist for
document and assess the success of this unit will them to follow as they complete their work.
have the inclusion of checklists, practice mini Because of age, most parts of the checklist
quizzes, and kept journal entries. Each way of will be pictures, but will independently work
assessment focuses on different aspect of the on their checklists until help is asked for.
unit, the checklist ensuring the students that they Students will also be formally assessed with
have hit all the checkmarks and components of one-on-one work with teacher to assess their
the unit that they should meet, mini quizzes individual knowledge.
periodically that tests the knowledge on the
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topic at hand and finally journal entries that

track the progress of students from where they
started in the beginning of the unit to where they
end.
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Stage 3

Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Learners in this CVC word unit will have some but minimal experience with solving CVC
words and letter sound identification. The teacher will thoroughly and clearly explain
what CVC words are and how they can be solved, with many examples. In every session,
the teacher will give a new CVC word example and demonstrate how to successfully
complete the sequence of a CVC word.
Where are your students Introduce CVC words: Give different examples on what the
headed? Where have they words are (hat, bin, cat, van, mop, etc).
been? How will you make
sure the students know At the end of the unit, students are expected to sound out CVC
where they are going? words and put them together using their letter-sound and letter
identification skills.
How will you hook students The teacher will demonstrate and explain what CVC words are
at the beginning of the and then demonstrate themselves how to solve one. The students
unit? will then partake in a variety if literacy activities that will test
their CVC knowledge.
What events will help In the beginning of the unit, students will have teacher-led
students experience and activities such as:
explore the big idea and - Showing students how to sound out letters and matching
questions in the unit? How them with their respective sounds.
will you equip them with - Whiteboard exploration that will challenge students to
needed skills and match the letter with their sounds.
knowledge? - The teacher will set up how to sound of CVC words the
proper sequencing.
- Teachers will voice record the students sounding out
different CVC words, so they can hear it on repeat as
they work.

As the unit progresses students will independently:

How will you cause
students to reflect and
rethink? How will you
guide them in rehearsing,
revising, and refining their
- Use word puzzles to match the picture with each letter
and sound.
- Letter magnets for the students to find and manually put
words together.
- Use a whiteboard or mirror to write out each syllable of
the word and using their letter sound identification skills.
- Using a phone or I-Pad to voice note students sounding
out the words.
Repetition is a huge aspect of students retaining knowledge, so
introducing the teacher and student-led activities in the
beginning of the unit and periodically going back to each as the
unit progresses. As the unit goes on, take those activities, and
add challenges as the students start to show better
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work? understandings of CVC words.

How will you help students
to exhibit and self-evaluate
their growing skills,
knowledge, and
understanding throughout
the unit?
How will you tailor and
otherwise personalize the
learning plan to optimize
the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL
students?
How will you organize and
sequence the learning
activities to optimize the
engagement and
achievement of ALL
students?
Checklists will be made available to the students that include the
task-by-task process on sequencing and completing a CVC word.
Each student will be voice recorded and given a CVC word to
attempt to sound out in the beginning of the unit, and at the end
the student will voice record the same word, and the teacher will
compare to see where the student started and where they ended.
For visual learners, using whiteboards, magnets, and word
puzzles for them to physically see the pictures and letters will
help them solve each problem. For verbal learners, the teacher
will point to their mouth as they sound out each letter and repeat
it back and forth with the student until the correct letter sound is
identified. But for all students, an I-pad will be used to voice
record each student sounding out and saying a complete CVC
word and kept on hand for them to refer back to if they need
assistance.
Each lesson plan will be labeled with a letter from the acronym
WHERETO which stands for:
W: What is expected of students
H: Holding student interest
E (1): Experiencing and exploring unit ideas
R: Rethinking, revising and revisiting work
E (2): Evaluations for students to use
T: Tailored learning plan to fit all learners
O: Organization tools for students

See Appendix B

# Lesson Title Lesson Activities/ WHERETO Resources

1 Introduce CVC words: Give different Teacher-led examples of what

Introduction to examples on what the words are (hat, CVC words are and a
CVC Words bin, cat, van, mop, etc). demonstration of how to sound
one out.
At the end of the unit, students are
expected to sound out CVC words
and put them together using their
letter-sound and letter identification
skills.
W, H
2 Letter-sound Read alphabetical books aloud with Suggested books:
Identification student call out of letters. - Eating the Alphabet by
Lois Elhert
Students work one-on-one with - Chicka Chicka Boom
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teacher to identify each letter of the Boom by Bill Martin Jr

alphabet and correlating the letter
with their correct sound.

H, E (1)
3 How to Sequence Teacher will show students in small Scrambled letter worksheet to
a CVC Word groups how to make the letter sound circle the designated letters
and add a new letter each time they
sound out the word.

W, H, E (1)
4 Conferring with The teacher will meet with each Pictures and individual letters
Students student individually for 5 minutes to are presented to student to
see what kind of knowledge the identify
student does know when it
understands of sequencing and
completion of CVC words.

W, E (2), T, O
5 Voice-noting Beginning of unit, the teacher will Use I-Pad to record audio of
Progress meet with the student and voice student sound out a CVC word
record. This audio record will be used
at the end of the unit.

H, E (1), R, E (2), T
6 Pictures Teach Students use pictures to identify and Photographs of CVC words:
Too sound out the CVC word associated - Hat, mop, cat, van, egg,
with the picture. etc

H, E (1), R, T
7 Teacher-led Students will first partake in teacher- White and Chalkboard
Activities led activities to ensure students exploration
understand what is being asked of
them. Teacher uses markers to
demonstrate the sequence of
W, H, E (1), T, CVC word on the mirror
8 Independent Students guide themselves through Letter magnets
Activities independent literacy and letter driven
activities. Word puzzles

H, E (1), R, T, Uses mirror to independently

complete CVC word
9 Collaborative Students work in pairs to complete Word puzzles with no pictures
Work CVC words.
Self-checklists
H, E (1), R, E (2), O
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10 Assessing Students will meet back with the Revisit the I-Pad voice memo
Student’s teacher at the end of the unit to assess
Knowledge they’re new level of understanding of Introduce new CVC words to
CVC words. solve

R, T, O
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Checking for UDL Principles

Assess and Reflect (Stage 4)
Considerations Comments
The learning experiences, outcomes and For struggling students:
performance tasks are all aligned and  Partner work with shared and interactive puzzles.
connected by a common theme:
connecting and solving CVC words.  Extra practice sequencing images one-on-one with the

All learning experiences, assessments, and teacher.

outcomes center around the idea that CVC
words have a fundamental purpose in a
student’s literacy and reading development.  Watching an educational video on how to first sound out
Students will be assessed on their letter
sound and letter identification skills through letters then using those letters to create words.
different teacher and student-led activities
along with various assessment methods.
For students who are meeting or exceeding the expectations:

All essential questions and learning tasks  Adding more challenging CVC words to the puzzle piles
throughout this unit are transferrable to a
students’ everyday life, therefore making with trickier letter sounds.
them authentic and meaningful (Wiggins &
McTighe, 2005). The learning activities in  Students can use checklists to ensure they’re sequencing
this unit allow for change of perspective and
change the way the student puts together the word in the proper order.
CVC words throughout the unit. As the
students receive help from their peers and
 Challenge peers to identify and solve CVC words fully
teachers, they may need to change how they
communicate, how to physically put together
independently.
the words, adding more focus, images etc.
Lastly, An essential question should be one
that can be acted upon, and these activities  Ask the students to attempt to teach their peers how to
are related to taking action and can be
rationalized by the idea that the audience sound out each word given to them.
really does need to be taught how to solve
CVC words.

This unit was planned with the expectation

of some, most, and all students’ learning
outcomes in mind.

See Appendix C for planning pyramid

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References

Emily. (2022, September 29). CVC word puzzles. Playdough To Plato.

https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/cvc-word-puzzles/

Grant Wiggins, & Jay McTighe. (2005). Understanding by Design: Vol. Expanded 2nd ed.

ASCD.

Kristina. (2020, September 21). My favorite alphabet books to teach letters and sounds. Sweet

for Kindergarten. https://sweetforkindergarten.com/alphabet-books-to-teach-letters/

Post University. (n.d) Educational philosophy and theory.

Tippett, T. P., & Lee, J. J. (2019). Looking Back to Move Forward: Understanding Progressive

Education in the 21st Century. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1285555.pdf

Why Is It Important For Teachers To Study Philosophy of Education. Edsy. (n.d.).

https://www.edsys.in/why-is-it-important-for-teachers-to-study-philosophy-of-education/
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Appendix A

Student Self-Assessment Rubric

Appendix B

Teacher Assessment on Student’s Letter/Letter-Sound Knowledge

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Appendix C

Planning Pyramid: Some, Most, All Students

Some learners will know…

 How to identify all the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.
 To complete word puzzles appropriately.
 How each letter formation and sound is different.
Most learners will know…
 To Identify all the letters of the alphabet.
 Letters put together create words.
 How to randomly identify letters of alphabet out of order.
All learners will know…
 How to sing the alphabet.
 How to identify letters of the alphabet.
 How to recognize letters in their name.
 The corresponding sound to each letter.
 Letters create words and words are all around us.
 How to use different sensory materials to form or create words.