Designing Hook Experiences

Name: _Mary Capretta_________________ Classroom: _Explorers_

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

I think the students will enjoy the materials we are using because some of it is familiar while
other aspects are new for them to explore.

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

1. The children will be developing an understanding of the changing season through exploring
different weather types that they have experienced throughout school.
2. The children will develop skills that show positioning, through exploring different animals and
the habitats that they need to survive.

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
○ I would want them to start the lesson by exploring what a season is.

○ From there, I can assess their knowledge on wat a season is, weather that
happens during that season that they have seen, and animals that live specific
areas where they experience specific season.

○ We would be exploring different areas where animals live and why they need the
specific climate to survive.

○ Students are responsible for being able to sort animals into similar group based
on their habitats and living needs.

● 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: How have you seen the seasons change over the time we have been in
 school?
○ WHAT: what are some weather examples that you have experience during the
seasons? What was the weather like, was it hot or cold? Was it wet or dry?
○ WHERE: Where do you think animals are when the weather changes over time
during different seasons?
● How are you DOCUMENTING? What tools are you using for documenting the
experience
○ I will be documenting through a series of questions that I ask them. I have seen
other instructors in the room ask the students for their own response to a specific
question and usually they respond really well. This will allow me to access prior
to conversation of the topic, during the topic to see if they are learning anything,
as well as after to see if their learning made serious progress over time.
○ Having them draw would be another really great way to see if the students are
understanding what we are looking for them to understand, as in seasons, weather, and
animals.
THE BAIT:
The NEW
● What is NEW about the experience? Is it the materials, the physical space, or
set-up of familiar materials
I think the way we will be using the materials will be the difference. The students will be
asked to think about seasons and what kind of weather usually happens during the
season we experience. The children will also be responsible for sorting animals into
groups such as animals that need water to survive, so ocean animals, farm animals,
and maybe even zoon animals. My hope then is that they start asking questions about
weather that the animals experience and think about the seasons that animals also
experience.
● Sketch it out–below sketch out what the experience will look like, highlighting the new
and the questions for each of the three experiences

1. I think I would have the most success if I split my experience into smaller groups so I
could really see the students thinking and hear what they had to say.
2. “How have you seen the season change over this year? What did those changes look
like? What kind of animals did you see during those time period? What do you see now
outside? Is the weather warm or cold? Is there animals outside that you haven’t seen in
a while?”
3. Record some answers that the children give me.
4. Talk about what a season is and how they are different in many states. Have the
children draw their favorite season.
5. Look outside and talk about the weather and season that is currently happening.
6. Get more into animals.
7. Have the children use the animals that are in the classroom to sort into familiar and
unfamiliar groups based upon the season that they thrive in.
EXPLORABLE QUESTION:
Can anyone tell me about seasons?
Schemas anticipated:
Positioning and orientation perspective.
Below: At least 3 ways to stage the environment to discover more. Include materials, location, and questions for each.
1. I want to have the 3. I want to have the kiddos 4. I will have the kids
students go outside to use the animals that are in drawing what they think
look around at what is the classroom. I see them seasons look like. This is a
currently happening with sorting the animals during great way to access the
the weather and the work times. It would be children and see if what
seasons changing. I helpful to give them an we are talking about is
would want them to look overall sorting group, such making sense to them.
around for different as bugs, and see what they 5. Materials- paper, drawing
plants, animals, and sort. material, maybe even
other things they find 4. Materials- bugs located in paint.
outside that they haven’t the classroom, laminated
seen in a while. cards with different
2. “Did you guys find any groups of animals, and
animals, plants, or have the children do this
insects outside that you activity in the block
haven’t seen in a while?” center.
3. “What is the weather 5. I could even set up
like today? Does it different structures where
remind you of any of the the kids to put the animals
seasons that we talked in when they are sorting.
about?” 6. “Is this an ocean animal or
a land animal?” “Does this
animal live on a farm or in
the jungle?” “Does this
animal need colder
seasons to thrive or warm
season to thrive?”
Reflection:

1. What part of this lesson experience went well?

The activity of the lesson went well. The students enjoyed painting with watercolor. Some of

the younger students had a hard time understanding how to watercolor though.

2. What part of this lesson experience surprised you?

I was pleasantly surprised with the number of students that wanted to watercolor. I didn’t think

they would be interested because they had painted the other day.

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

My hook question was a little boring. I think something related back to a character from Disney

would have been more fun. For example, Olaf from frozen could have represented winter. They

would have been able to give me more details about the season if they had something to relate

it to.

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

My activity yes but my hook, no. My question was boring, and they just wanted to paint. Sitting

and listening prior to painting wasn’t the greatest idea in hindsight.

5. Provide photos or documentation from your lesson implementation.