Drawing up lesson plans for a "young" 2's class is a bit different than for a high school lit class.  (I know ... that 's a big surprise, hmmm?)  In a high school classroom, the lesson plan, at least for me, helped me to stay on track, focused, and organized.  Although it wasn't exactly chiseled in stone as unalterable, it was not often we strayed far from it.  In the classroom of 2 yr olds, the lesson plan is simply a general guideline ... almost a "wish list" or prophetic vision of where I think the various questions or stories might take us.  We do have some structure so the children know generally what to expect, although it will change now that the class is smaller and more intimate.  With only 6 students at the most, I should have more time to observe and work with each child individually ... at least that is my expectation.  Free play is the best way to assess and observe their development, so that will continue to be a big part of the day.  These students all love story-time, though, too, and are used to having several small books read to them at one time.  Many of the books we have are nursery rhymes or finger play songs like "Eansy-Weansy Spider", "Baa Baa Black Sheep,"  “5 Little Monkeys,” "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" etc ... a cool thing because they then can look at the books later and sing along to themselves in individual play.  (The books really take a beating, too!) 

Our Spring theme is "Our Bloomin' Garden," and the plan is to build a garden-esque bulletin board with the daily art projects of the students that demonstrates, at least to some degree, their personal growth.  One of the books I will be using is called, “I Am a Seed.” It's a cute little book about how different seeds grow up differently depending on what kind of seed they are.” Fun, concepts, hmmm?  

There is a marked difference, though, between this class and the class I left behind at my former center ... a huge difference!  In the old center, out of the 8 students I had, only one could really carry on a conversation.  It made her stand out miles above the others, but in reality, she is normal.  In this center, every one of them has enough language to have a simple conversation or repeat sentences and phrases that they hear.  It's an interesting comparison because it is not just an economic issue, but that's for another post ...