How goals will be embedded into activities

DEC Recommended Practices defined Embedded as “Identifying times and activities when a child’s goals and the instructional procedures for those goals can be inserted into children’s ongoing activities, routines, and transitions in a way that relates to the context. It involves distributing opportunities to learn goals and apply instructional procedures for those goals across different activities, routines, and transitions of the day (p. 94).”  Our textbook authors said, “Embedded learning opportunities, or those activities that originate out of natural play behavior are very appropriate. For example, children can practice self-help skills in the dress-up corner, where they can learn naturally from their peers as the process of dressing and undressing occurs. In such an activity, each child’s unique needs can be accommodated. One child can be encouraged to put on colorful socks while another is attempting to button a shirt and a third is tying shoes. All through the activity, children have the opportunity to socially interact. This is even more likely if the teacher has contrived a purpose for the dress-up, such as ‘going out to lunch (pp. 154-155).”

My case study child, “N” is developmentally delayed and the goals on her IEP mainly focus on her speech and communication.  In Guiding Children’s Social Development and Learning, the authors said, Language is used systematically in play and can be the subject of play. “Children play with sounds and make up words, imitate adults or other children in amusing voices and repeat their own statements with rhythm and rhyme. Certain occurrences, such as a group of 4-year-olds chanting ‘Delicious, nutritious, delectable juice’ with great glee and accenting the syllables by pounding the table with cups or hands when faced with the detestable apricot nectar, are a playful variation of adult’s words (p. 216).” I hope to teach “N” songs and rhymes to help her with communication skills.  In my first activity, I will share nursery rhymes on a compact disc with a small picture book for each song and movements.  To develop her vocabulary and use of language, I plan to use the song, Oh, Here we are Together” and as we sit in the circle, each child would say their name. The next day we will clap the number of sounds we hear in each child’s name and make a chart for all of the children’s names with the number of sounds.  For another activity, I will read, The Big Red Barn, and ask her questions about the animals in the book. We will make a red barn book with die cuts of the animals for her to put into the barn book. “N” enjoys going to the dramatic play center with Angel, her playmate. “N” is not able to zip her coat or to tie her shoes, so I thought that while playing with dress up clothes that zip, so I will ask Angel, to show “N” how to zip a coat and to tie shoes because Angel likes to role-play that she is the mother and she has helped to dress “N” in the zippered raincoat for one of their pretend shopping trips. “N” will practice zipping her raincoat by herself and zipping the dress on the doll that she is taking with her to the store.  I will send a note to her grandmother to explain that N is learning how to zip her coat and learning to tie shoes along with a list of her favorite books that she might get from the public library. With her grandmother’s help, “N” will learn these self-help skills and gain self-confidence and self-assurance. Embedding learning opportunities during daily activities continues to have appeal to those working with young children and continues to show promise in terms of a research-based practice that can lead to improved outcomes.

References:

Cook, Ruth E., Klein, M.D. & Tessier A. (2004). Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children in Inclusive Settings. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 154-155.

Kostelnik, Marjorie J., A. P. Whiren, A.K. Soderman, & K. M. Gregory. (2009). Guiding Children’s Social Development & Learning, 6^th edition. New York: Delmar Cengage Learning. p.216.

Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M.L., Smith, B. J. & McLean, M. E. (2005).  DEC Recommended practices: A Comprehensive Guide for Practical Application in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education. Longmont, CO: Sopris West Educational Services. p. 94.