In early childhood education, thoughtful planning and intentional assessment are essential for supporting young children's growth and learning. Teachers of young children must consider each child’s developmental level, interests, and cultural background while aligning instruction to standards and goals.
Weekly Play Center Plans
During children’s opportunities for free play, teachers can act with intention by selecting what goals or standards they would like to focus on in each play center and making choices as to what materials to add or change in that particular center. Play center plans can be used to guide teachers in classroom preparation, and they provide a focus as teachers support students during play (Gronlund 2013). However, it should not be used to limit children’s autonomy in these centers. For example, if in the dramatic play center you have added some restaurant play materials (menus, wait staff notepads, etc.) but a child wants to take her babydoll for a walk in the stroller and not play restaurant, child-centered practice would include allowing the student to use the materials typically found in the center as they choose, as well as the new materials provided.
Example - Play Center Plan Matrix
Dates: ____________________________
Theme/Project: _________________________
| Kitchen & Dramatic Play |
Math & Manipulatives |
Art & Creativity |
Writing |
Books & Literacy |
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Materials:
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| Books |
Science & Discovery |
Sensory/Water |
Music & Movement |
Outdoors |
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Standard(s):
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Materials:
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Small/Large Group Plans
Documentation, or evidence of our intentional thinking during the planning of a specific curricular experience, is often referred to as a lesson plan. In early childhood education, meaningful and effective small/large group lesson plans include the thoughtful consideration of:
- measurable learning objective(s) aligned to state/program learning standards or outcomes
- use of baseline data to address student connections and relevance
- instructional strategies and differentiation (including materials and relevant vocabulary)
- procedures
- assessment and assessment differentiation, and
- home–school connections.
As a preservice teacher, lesson plans may be perceived as arduous as they are often typed or written out and can be quite lengthy. However, the purpose behind this part of preservice teacher training is to help teachers practice communicating their intentionality behind their decisions. This exercise is especially important in the field of early childhood education where there is a continued need to advance the profession and help others see us as the high-quality educators we are (Chong and Lu 2022).
Baseline Data—What Do We Already Know or Want to Know?
We have discussed how understanding what children already know is essential to designing effective instruction. Teachers gather their baseline data, or initial observations, checklists, child work samples, conversations, and family input pertaining to a particular skill or piece of knowledge, and they use this information to determine what and how to teach. Baseline data helps us to understand what is necessary to plan in terms of curricular experiences and to inform instruction (NAEYC 2022). Collecting and using baseline data is also a critical way that early childhood educators can support equity in the classroom, as these data help teachers recognize the diverse knowledge and experiences children bring. For example, a teacher might notice that some children can already identify letters in their names while others are still exploring print. The data helps the teacher group students flexibly and tailor activities to meet each child’s diverse needs.
Learning Standards and Writing Measurable Learning Objectives
Aligning instruction to learning standards ensures coherence and developmental appropriateness. Early childhood educators often draw from multiple frameworks, including:
- Developmental Progressions: Understanding how skills typically develop over time supports realistic goal setting (Copple and Bredekamp 2009) or identifying reasonable expectations (Gronlund 2013). Developmental progressions are sometimes found in curriculum-based assessments (i.e., Teaching Strategies GOLD, AEPS-3). You can also use developmental milestones to better understand age-based expectations, including those found on the CDC’s website.
- State Standards and Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: These standards provide age-appropriate benchmarks for cognitive, social-emotional, language, and physical development (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2017). The Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) has a state-by-state map of information on each state’s program standards for early childhood education. Illinois’ standards for children from birth to five years old can be found on the Illinois Early Learning Project website. The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF): Ages Birth to Five is a guide to the skills, behaviors, and knowledge that Head Start programs use to guide their curricular choices.
Writing Measurable Objectives
Once a standard or reasonable expectation for students is determined, teachers can then create a measurable objective or goal for their curricular experience. Measurable objectives are critical for designing instruction and assessment as they provide a purpose or focus for the curricular experience, and they establish clear expectations for learning. A well-structured objective includes:
- Learner: Who will demonstrate the learning?
- Target Behavior: What will the learner do?
- Timeline: By when will the behavior be demonstrated?
- Criteria: How well must the learner perform?
- Context: Under what conditions will the behavior occur
Example
During small group time, children (learner) will sort objects by size into the three categories of small, medium, and large (behavior) with 80% accuracy (criteria) by the end of the week (timeline) independently using a set of mixed manipulatives (context).
In some cases, there are multiple learning objectives that can be addressed during one curricular experience. However, teachers might consider how focusing on one or two objectives for the purposes of planning and assessment might be beneficial, especially if they are early in their career or experience.
Instructional Strategies and Differentiation
Instructional strategies refers to the methods and techniques teachers use to help children learn. These strategies include modeling, using visuals, hands-on activities, asking open-ended questions, small group instruction, storytelling, and play-based learning (Copple and Bredekamp 2009; Epstein 2014). Effective instructional strategies are intentional, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with learning goals (NAEYC 2020).
Instructional differentiation means adjusting teaching methods, materials, and learning experiences to meet the individual needs of each child (Tomlinson 2014). In early childhood education, it often involves modifying:
- content (what children are learning)
- process (how they learn it)
- product (how they show what they’ve learned), and
- environment (how the classroom is set up to support access and engagement; Tomlinson 2014; Gartrell 2020).
Differentiation recognizes that young children develop at different rates, come from diverse backgrounds, and have varied learning styles, interests, and abilities.
Procedures
Lesson plan procedures refer to the step-by-step, numerical sequence of instructional activities and interactions a teacher uses to deliver a lesson. These procedures outline how the lesson will unfold from start to finish, including the introduction or "hook" to engage students, direct instruction or modeling of new concepts, guided practice with support, independent practice for skill application, and a closing or reflection to reinforce learning (Hunter 1982; Tomlinson 2014). Effective procedures are clearly structured, developmentally appropriate, and designed to support the lesson objectives while actively involving students (Marzano 2007). They serve as a road map to ensure smooth transitions, efficient time management, and alignment with assessment and learning outcomes (Glickman et al. 2018).
Formative Assessment and Assessment Differentiation—To What Extent Did Students Achieve the Objectives?
Formative assessments are ongoing checks for understanding that occur during instruction. These checks include observational notes, anecdotal records, child drawings, and interactive games. In early childhood, formative assessment often looks like play, conversations, and interactions (Epstein 2014). Different than summative assessments, which evaluate learning at the end of a unit or program, formative assessments are embedded in daily interactions, activities, and routines (National Research Council 2008). The primary goal of formative assessment is to enhance teaching and learning by identifying what children know, what they are ready to learn next, and how best to support their progress (Shepard et al. 2018). In early childhood settings, where learning is holistic and developmental, formative assessment emphasizes responsiveness and relationship-building rather than standardized testing (NAEYC 2009).
Differentiation in assessment is especially critical for children with disabilities, dual language learners, and those from diverse socio-cultural contexts to ensure that a child’s true skills and abilities are understood. Assessment differentiation in early childhood refers to the practice of tailoring assessment strategies to match the diverse needs, abilities, and cultural backgrounds of young learners. Because children develop at different rates and express their learning in varied ways, differentiated assessment ensures that educators capture a fuller picture of each child’s strengths and challenges (Tomlinson and Moon 2013). This may involve using multiple assessment tools—such as visual documentation, verbal storytelling, or play-based tasks—aligned to each child’s language, developmental level, and learning style (NAEYC 2009).
Home–School Connection
Teachers should incorporate home–school learning opportunities into their early childhood lesson plans because family engagement significantly enhances children's academic and social development. When families are involved in their child's learning, children show greater motivation, improved behavior, and stronger literacy and language skills (Henderson and Mapp 2002). Integrating home-based activities—such as take-home literacy bags, family interviews, or shared storytelling—creates continuity between the classroom and home, reinforcing learning in culturally relevant and personally meaningful ways (Epstein 2011). These strategies also empower families to become active participants in their child’s education, fostering a partnership that supports the whole child (Weiss et al. 2006). In early childhood, where relationships and context are critical to development, home–school connections promote consistency, trust, and a shared investment in children’s growth and success (NAEYC 2009).
Example - Curricular Experience Plan
A Writing Activity for Three-Year-Old Preschoolers
Baseline Data:
In a classroom of 14 three-year-old children, over the past couple of weeks I observed my students as they engaged in a variety of play-based experiences—some teacher-directed and some child-directed. For example, in the art center we have had watercolors available, along with paper on the easel, and in the writing center we have had notebooks, pencils, crayons, and markers, along with nameplates with each child’s name and picture. The first week of school, we took turns working with children to have them draw straight lines and to trace their first name using their fingers and then a crayon on paper. The second week of school, we gave them the choice of tracing their name or drawing their name using crayons and paper.
In reviewing my anecdotal notes from the weeks prior, as well as student work samples, I recognized that three of my students were using a very light touch with crayons and scribble marks, nine of my students were able to make straight lines vertically and horizontally with minimal support, and three of my students were able to make at least one of the letters in their name. Because of this, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce a couple different child-directed activities into centers and to plan an adult-directed experience that would address the variety of skills of our students.
Illinois Early Learning and Development Standard 5.A—Demonstrate growing interest and abilities in writing.
Child-directed activities:
Play-Doh with tools and nameplates in art center to build fine-motor skills, tongs and large pom-poms sorting in math and manipulatives center.
Adult-directed activity:
Using crayons and name plates to write shapes and letter-like shapes during small group activity.
Learning objective:
By the end of the small group activity (timeline), children (learner) will be able to demonstrate drawing at least two letter-like shapes (horizontal line, vertical line, circle, x; target behavior) used to write the letters in their first name with verbal/visual cues from an adult (context) in 80 percent of opportunities (criteria).
Instructional strategies and differentiation:
Small-group instruction, modeling, and repetition; for three students who continue to use light touch with crayons and scribble marks—will give them broken pieces of crayon for ease of control and to decrease weight, may use hand-over-hand to support if needed. Slant boards will be available if needed. Students will each get to choose a crayon color, laminated name plate (first and last name), and construction paper. Vocabulary that we will use includes: up/down, left/right, straight, circle, x.
Procedures:
Introduction
(1) Gather students and ask, “Who can tell me their name?”
(2) Wait for students to raise their hands.
(3) As each student says their name aloud, hand them their corresponding nameplate.
(4) For students who do not raise their hand, hold up two nameplates, one with their name and one without. Ask, “Which of these is your name?” and provide the correct nameplate once identified.
(5) Say to the students: “Today we are going to work toward writing the shapes we see in our name.”
(6) Explain that these shapes may be letters or parts of letters.
(7) Let them know the plan: first, you’ll trace your name, then you’ll write it.
Instruction:
(1) Tell students: “Before we start writing, we’re going to trace our name using our pointer finger.”
(2) Ask: “Can you show me your pointer finger?”
(3) If a student is unsure, encourage them to ask a peer or you for help identifying their pointer finger.
(4) Say: “Now, I have a song I’m going to sing—you can sing with me if you’d like.”
(5) Model tracing your name on your nameplate with your pointer finger.
(6) Sing: “Let’s Trace Our Name” to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus” while tracing.
(7) Encourage students to do the same with their nameplates.
(8) After tracing, say: “Now that our fingers are warmed up, we’re going to try to write our name shapes.”
(9) Place bowls of crayons on the table and invite each student to choose one crayon.
(10) Hand out a piece of construction paper to each child.
(11) Explain that students should try writing the first letter or shape in their name.
(12) Ask students to point to the first letter on their nameplate.
(13) Support students who need help by modeling with your own nameplate and providing prompts.
(14) Model writing the first letter of your name on paper.
(15) Prompt students to try doing the same.
(16) Observe student attempts. If needed, modify the expectation to drawing a straight line or a circle.
(17) If a student finishes quickly and independently, encourage them to continue writing the rest of their name.
Closing
(1) Once students finish, instruct them to bring their paper and nameplate to you.
(2) Ask each child: “What did you write?”
(3) Allow each student to share before they go wash their hands for snack.
Formative Assessment and Assessment Differentiation:
During the lesson, the teacher will take notes using the matrix below to describe the child’s name writing. The information will note if the child was able to demonstrate the skill and if the teacher used prompts to help the child be successful.
Prompts = Ind (Independent), Mod (Additional Model), PP (Physical Prompt)
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Child:
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Can isolate pointer finger? (Y/N)
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Horizontal Line? (Y/N)
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Vertical Line? (Y/N)
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Circle? (Y/N)
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Letter(s) in First Name:
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James
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Y
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Ind.
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Y
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Ind.
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Y
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Ind.
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Yes
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Ind
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J
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J completed after providing model
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Leticia
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Y
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Ind.
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Y
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Ind.
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Y
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Ind.
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N
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Not closed
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L
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With PP (hand-over-hand)
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Home–School Connection:
Children will bring home a laminated name plate and activity sheet describing five ways to use the name plate at home and to build student’s interest and abilities in writing. Some ideas include:
- Have child trace the letters in their name using their pointer finger
- Together with child, create child’s name using Play-Doh with the nameplate as a guide
- Have child use dry erase marker to trace their name
- Have child use nameplate as a model when practicing writing their name
- Cover up letters in their child’s name and have child guess the letters that are covered
Contributions from
Michelle Sands, Northern Illinois University
