During the common experience I set up the environment by adding some pictures that show the parts of cats on the board, I  also added some books related to cats which have real pictures of cats, included cat food and cats play materials, to make the room bright I have added some colorful lights. I have also set up the table with a cat puzzle, specimen of a cat, and a book “Millions of Cats” to read to children to bring out the interest of the children

After watching the video, it appears that children show an interest in knowing the physical characteristics of the Cat through observing the details of its body features.  We see this in the observation on February 15^th,2021 when Ela says, “The first one they saw his name was Nutch and she says Nutch has really sharp claws if you look under on his fur. Look how big those claws are.” He is all black and very friendly.” According to ages and stages of 5 year, “has good attention span and can concentrate well,” Children have a good attention span and concentrates more on each features of the cats they meet. According to John Dewey’s philosophy, “education begins with the curiosity of the learner, inquiry in the classroom places the responsibility for learning on the students and encourages them to arrive at an understanding of concepts by themselves.” (Center for teaching and learning, n.d.)

After watching the video, it appears that children show an interest in knowing the physical characteristics of the Cat through observing the details of its body features.  We see this in the observation on February 15^th,2021 when Ela says, “The first one they saw his name was Nutch and she says Nutch has really sharp claws if you look under on his fur. Look how big those claws are.” He is all black and very friendly.” According to ages and stages of 5 year, “has good attention span and can concentrate well,” Children have a good attention span and concentrates more on each features of the cats they meet. According to John Dewey’s philosophy, “education begins with the curiosity of the learner, inquiry in the classroom places the responsibility for learning on the students and encourages them to arrive at an understanding of concepts by themselves.” (Center for teaching and learning, n.d.)

I would gather children to the reading corner and takes a book on the cat “Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gág.

The book talks about tells the story of an elderly couple who realize that they are very lonely. The wife wants a cat to love, so her husband sets off in search of a beautiful one to bring home to her.
 
While reading the book I ask children some questions regarding the book such as:
•Why elderly couple were sad? •What did the old woman wanted? •What did the old man see on the hill?
•How many cats did the Oldman took home?
•Which cat was finally taken home?

After reading the book I will ask children some provocation question regarding cats such as: 
•Who have seen a real cat and how does it look? 
•Why cats have soft fur? 
•Why cats have different eye color? •Where does cats live?
•How long does cats sleep? 
•Do cat have a family? 
•What does cat do all the whole day?  

Materials required: 2 jigsaw puzzle board of cats cut in to small pieces.

•I will ask the children a question, “who have seen a real cat?” Children’s probable answer would be “I have a cat.” “ I have a cat at   home”

•Then I will show them a video about the cats and would ask children to observe the body parts they see in the video. After watching the video, I will ask children “how many body parts we see in the video?”

•I will show them a chart with a picture of a cat  and I will place cut outs of body parts of the cat and will call each child to come forward and take a flash and ask the child to place it on exact place on the board. 

•Every child would get a chance to place the cat parts on to the correct place.

After doing and describing the puzzle activity, I would ask children what more they know about cats.

I would discuss more about Cat’s house, food, hospital, sound, color of the eye etc.

This activity would teach them the proper body parts of cats. Since this activity was done in a group they will also learn about team co-ordination and co-operating with other team members.

In the end, children learned that Cats also have a ‘mirror’ layer at the back of their eye called tapetum lucidum, which is reflective. It glows a silver green-gold color in most cats when bright light such as a torch, or car headlights shines into the eyes of a cat at night.

This activity is appropriate for preschool and kindergarten students because it encourages them to use science experiments to find the answer to their questions and investigation. Science studies aid in the development of children's senses and general perception. When performing such experiments, also helps children to develop communication skills, collaborative skills, teamwork, and perseverance, as well as logical, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. This activity was mainly lead by children and I was there to just help them in times of need.

•Science experiment on glowing eyes of a cat

•Why cats have glowing eyes?

ELECT:

4.4 Questioning 

4.5 Observing 

4.6 Collecting and Organizing Information 

4.12 Counting

4.8 Communicating Findings

3.3 Vocabulary 

3.4 Conversing with Peers and Adults 

3.6 Listening to others
FDK

13.2 : make predictions and observations before and during investigations

13: use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)

13.1 : Children will state problems and pose questions in different contexts and for different reasons (e.g., before, during, and after inquiries)

How did you provoke during the learning opportunity by using the Environment as the Third Teacher and Emergent Principles?

I called children on the carpet asked them about the thing they learned about the cats till now. So, the children answered me, “we learned about different body parts, cat’s food, and cats house.” Then I asked the children, “Which part of the body part of cat did you all like the most?” I got the chorus answers as “Eyes of the cat, I like the paws, I like the fur, etc.  

Then I showed them a small video Little Cats with glowing eyes and asked them to observe. After seeing the video, I asked the children, “What did you see in the video?” Children answered me, “cats in the video have glowing eyes.” I asked the children, “why do cats' eyes glow in the dark?” Children said, “maybe cats have shining eyes.”

•Constructing a house for cat using cardboard

•What Question IS this Learning Opportunity answering from the KWHL?

•Where does cats sleep?
ELECT:

4.4 Questioning 

4.5 Observing 

4.6 Collecting and Organizing Information 

4.12 Counting

4.8 Communicating Findings

   

5.3 Fine Motor Skill 

3.3 Vocabulary 

3.4 Conversing with Peers and Adults 

3.6 Listening to others

FDK

13.2 : make predictions and observations before and during investigations

13: use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)

13.1 : Children will state problems and pose questions in different contexts and for different reasons (e.g., before, during, and after inquiries)
How did you provoke during the learning opportunity by using the Environment as the Third Teacher and Emergent Principles?

I gathered children on the carpet and asked them about the field trip. I asked, “what did they learn from the field visit?” Then children answered, “we learned what cats eat, grooming things for cats and toys.”

Then I showed them a video about “If It Fits, I sleep - Funny Cats Sleeping Weird Places Compilation” After seeing the video, I asked children, “what is the cat doing in the video?” Children answered, “Cat is sleeping?” I asked the children, “Can you tell me which places the cat goes to sleep?” Children answered, “I saw the cat is sleeping inside the small glass, on the bed, on the table, on the chair.

What Question is this Learning Opportunity answering?
What does cats eat?

Connection to ELECT

4.4 Questioning 

4.5 Observing 

4.6 Collecting and Organizing Information 

4.12 Counting  

5.3 Fine Motor Skill 

3.3 Vocabulary 

3.4 Conversing with Peers and Adults 

3.6 Listening to others
Connection to FDK

13.2 : make predictions and observations before and during investigations

13: use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)

13.1 : Children will state problems and pose questions in different contexts and for different reasons (e.g., before, during, and after inquiries)
How did you provoke during the learning opportunity by using the Environment as the Third Teacher and Emergent Principles?

After the first learning opportunity to learn about the different body parts of a cat, children had a question on what cats like to eat. I told the children that let us discuss what cats eat and write it on paper. I asked the children to give me the names of the food that cats would eat through brainstorming. The probable answers would be fish, milk, chicken, water, fruits, cat food, etc. We would write all our answers and check in the pet shop to see what cats eat as food apart from milk, fish, and meat.

I would also ask them do cats eat rice? Do cats know to prepare their food? Should cats follow any diet? Do cats eat grass? Can cats eat dog food?
Summary of Learning Opportunity - What was the process of the learning opportunity (Beginning Middle and End) You should be considering the inquiry process and allowing the children to investigate and discover answers

•Planning for field visit: I checked on the checklist which I created for planning for a field trip. I also created a timed agenda for the field site visit and arrangements for transportation to get to the place. One week before the visit I sent letters to parents informing them about the field trip and asked for their help for volunteering. Once the destination was fixed, I made a call to ask their permission and time for the visit. All the safety checks were done before starting the field visit.

•Learning Opportunity: Field Visit to a pet shop.

•I asked children to gather on the carpet and informed them that we are going on a field trip to check on what food should be given to cats. I asked the children to take the list that we prepared the day before the visit regarding the cat’s food. 

•We went to the pet shop and asked the person who I informed about our visit to show and guide us about the food that the cat eats. The person welcomed us and introduced himself. I told the person, “We should go to the place where the cat’s food is kept.” We went to the section where food was kept.
•We found out the different types of food that cats eat. At that time, I asked the children, “What type of food do we see on the counter?” The children answered, “liquid food, hard food, and creamy food.” I asked the person to sample the packet to show the children. The person explained there are three types of cat food dry, moist, and canned or wet food. The children felt the dry food to know its texture and color. Children asked, “Why there is no fruits and vegetables for cats?” I answered, “Cats are carnivorous animals they do not get nutrients from fruits and vegetables, so they like to meat?” 

•Then we asked the person to show the things that cats need to sleep, for grooming and for playing. After exploring everything we wanted for our investigation, I asked the children to say thank you to the person who guided us and would bring back children safely to the children.

•After coming back to the class, I asked the children, “Did we see anything from our food list that we made before the visit?” The probable answer from children would be “No”. Then I asked What food does the cat eat? The children answered, “the packet food, dry food, wet food.”

• Then I asked the children, “Do you want to feed the cat?” Children shouted, “yes, I like to feed the cat”

•Let’s do an activity on feeding the cat through a game. I made children sit in a group of four. I gave them paper, color and asked them to draw a cat with a mouth opened widely. After drawing the picture, I gave them dice and dry food. Each child rolled the dice and saw a number on the dice. If the number on the dice says five, then they would take five pieces and keep them in the cat’s mouth. In this way, they did four times with each child, and at the end the group counter and checked how many pieces of dry food were fed to the cat. I asked the children to write on the head of the cat’s drawing how much they fed the cat.

•So, in the end, they learned about what cats eat and how much should we feed a cat for a one-time meal.
•What was the opportunity for the children to demonstrate their learning (consider the 100 languages)

The activity started with a field trip to a pet shop. The field trip provided the children with real-world experiences. They were given the opportunity to explore the place around in the pet shop with their teacher. Children could connect their learning with the real world. They saw a real cat and a portion of real cat food and had the opportunity to touch the food. So, this learning opportunity gave an in-depth exploration of their inquiry questions and helped students develop a rich understanding of the topics that they were investigating. Also, the documentation done for this learning opportunity would provide children an opportunity to revisit their learning in the future.

•What Question is this Learning Opportunity answering from the KWHL?

Where cats are taken when they fall sick?
ELECT:

4.4 Questioning 

4.5 Observing 

4.6 Collecting and Organizing Information 

4.12 Counting

4.8 Communicating Findings

3.3 Vocabulary 

3.4 Conversing with Peers and Adults 

3.6 Listening to others

FDK

13.2 : make predictions and observations before and during investigations

13: use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)

13.1 : Children will state problems and pose questions in different contexts and for different reasons (e.g., before, during, and after inquiries)
How did you provoke during the learning opportunity by using the Environment as the Third Teacher and Emergent Principles?

I gathered children on the carpet area and took a book called “The Rescued Kitten” by Holly web. This book talks about Edie and her friend Lyla who takes an injured cat kitten to their home to get the treatment for the cat from her mom who is a veterinarian.

While reading the book, I asked the children, “Why did Edie and her friend rescue the little kitten?” The children answered, “The cat was injured and weak?”  As we read the book, I asked the children, “why did Edie bring the cat to her mom?” Children answered, “Because her mom was a doctor.” We read the whole book. I explained to the children that the cat was taken to Edie’s mom because she a doctor who treats animals and that doctor is called a veterinarian.

Children became interested in knowing more about the pet hospital. Children then asked me, “Do animals have a hospital?” “Where cats are taken when they fall sick?”To answer their inquiries, I told them that we are going to meet a guest who is a veterinarian (a doctor who treats animals) 

Let's ask her all the questions we have about the pet hospital

Before starting the learning opportunity, I showed children the video of cats sleeping and sang a song on cats sleeps anywhere. After singing the song, one child asked me, “Can we make a house for the cat to sleep in?” So, we decided to construct a house for a cat using cardboard.

I gave the children the required materials to construct the house for the cat. The materials I gave were large cardboard, scissors, glue, a soft blanket, and a cushion, some decorative items, and colors. I told children they can create the house however they want. Children started working in each part of the house. During the work, I asked them, “how are they planning to design the house?” One child said, “we would make a hole in the center of the box for cat to enter and we would decorate the house with colors.”

Then I asked them, “how are you going to design the sleeping area for a cat?” One child answered, “we would place the cushion in the house and put a soft blanket on it for the cat to sleep comfortably.”

Finally, the children created a beautiful house for a cat. I asked the children to describe the house. The children said, “We made this house with cardboard. It has a small opening on one side for the cat to enter. We also placed a cushion and a blanket for the cat to sleep comfortably. We colored the house to make it look good.”

So at the end of the activity, I learned that cats can sleep anywhere but if cats get a house they would sleep in the house.

What was the opportunity for the children to demonstrate their learning (consider the 100 languages)

This learning opportunity gave children an opportunity to think out of the box to create and design a house for a cat using their own ideas. In this activity, children could demonstrate the 100 languages by constructing, drawing, painting, and design a beautiful house for a cat using their creative minds. Since this activity was teamwork the children got the opportunity to collaborate with each other to share their ideas and thoughts for the house. 

What Question is this Learning Opportunity answering?
What are the different parts of the body

Connection to ELECT

4.4 Questioning 

4.5 Observing 

4.6 Collecting and Organizing Information 

4.12 Counting  

5.3 Fine Motor Skill 

3.3 Vocabulary 

3.4 Conversing with Peers and Adults 

3.6 Listening to others
Connection to FDK

13.2 : make predictions and observations before and during investigations

13: use the processes and skills of an inquiry stance (i.e., questioning, planning, predicting, observing, and communicating)

13.1 : Children will state problems and pose questions in different contexts and for different reasons (e.g., before, during, and after inquiries)

How did you provoke during the learning opportunity by using the Environment as the Third Teacher and Emergent Principles?

I would gather children to the reading corner and takes a book on the cat “Millions of Cats” by Wanda Gág. The book talks about tells the story of an elderly couple who realize that they are very lonely. The wife wants a cat to love, so her husband sets off in search of a beautiful one to bring home to her.
While reading the book I ask children some questions regarding the book such as:
•Why elderly couple were sad? •What did the old woman wanted? •What did the old man see on the hill?
•How many cats did the Oldman took home?
•Which cat was finally taken home?

After reading the book I will ask children some provocation question regarding cats such as: 
•Who have seen a real cat and how does it look? 
•Why cats have soft fur? 
•Why cats have different eye color? •Where does cats live?
•How long does cats sleep? 
•Do cat have a family? 
•What does cat do all the whole day?  

Children learn about themselves and the world through pretend play. Dramatic play is one of the first opportunities for children to learn about their likes and dislikes, desires, and skills. They try out different role-plays and try to make sense of what they've seen. It also helps children to develop communication skills, collaborative skills, teamwork, and perseverance, as well as logical, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. This activity was mainly led by children and I was there to just help them in times of need.

•I will ask the children a question, “who have seen a real cat?” Children’s probable answer would be “I have a cat.” “ I have a cat at   home”

•Then I will show them a video about the cats and would ask children to observe the body parts they see in the video. After watching the video, I will ask children “how many body parts we see in the video?”

•I will show them a chart with a picture of a cat  and I will place cut outs of body parts of the cat and will call each child to come forward and take a flash acrd and ask the child to place it on exact place on the board. 

•Every child would get a chance to place the cat parts on to the correct place.

After doing and describing the puzzle activity, I would ask children what more they know about cats.

I would discuss more about Cat’s house, food, hospital, sound, color of the eye etc.

This activity would teach them the proper body parts of cats. Since this activity was done in a group they will also learn about team co-ordination and co-operating with other team members.

What was the opportunity for the children to demonstrate their learning (consider the 100 languages)

This learning opportunity gave children an opportunity to think out of the box to create and rearrange the jumbled puzzle using their own ideas. In this activity, children could demonstrate the 100 languages by hands on experience. Since this activity was teamwork the children got the opportunity to collaborate with each other to share their ideas and thoughts for the re-arranging the different body parts of the cat to its proper place.

After doing a beautiful project on cats, I gathered children to the carpet area to discuss what we learned from the entire cat project. At this stage, children learned about different body parts of the cats, food that cats eat, cats sleeping areas, the reason behind the glowing color of the cat’s eye, and children also learned about animal vet hospitals. After the discussion, we decided to share our knowledge gained from the projects with the parents. So, children and I planned to a grooming center for cats and a face paint activity (cats face) for parents and children. I asked children, “whom should we invite for our culminating day?” Children said “parents, friends, and our neighbor class.”       

We then designed an invitation card for our culminating day and we sent invitation letters  to parents/ friends .

-Stuffed animals
-Clear plastic bin for a wash tub
-Box of grooming supplies: combs, brushes, nail files. I used our cat brushes, but you can certainly use human ones. 
-Towels
-Bucket of collars..
Clothes. Doll clothes work great!
Empty shampoo bottles or spray bottles. You can even put a little Febreeze in a spray bottle if your animals need a little freshening up

Each group took each section.

•Group one was given a registration counter

•Group two was in charge of the Bathing center

•Group three was responsible for the nail care center

•Group four was in charge of Brushing and trimming hair

•Group five was in charge of the documentation center(display of pictures of their project)

The parents(guests) came into the classroom at the given time. Two children welcomed the parents and led them to the centers. At the registration counter, children had already arranged registration forms and grooming forms for the parents. They gave the forms to the parent to fill in and shared information on the adoption policy. After that, the parents were taken to the grooming station which had a bathing center, nail care center, and hair grooming center. Every center had some soft toys(cats) to demonstrate the process they would do at the center. Parents moved around each center and children explained the procedure for their respective departments. For example, the second group at the bathing center demonstrated how cats are bathed and cleaned. The third group showed how cat's nails are clipped and shaped. The third group would show parents how to brush the cat's hair and trim the cat's hair if needed. Finally, the last center documentation center explained in detail the learnings that they got from their project. Pictures of the cat project from phase 1 to phase 3 were displayed at the center for parents to look at. 

Parents were guided to the face paint center. Children were excited to do face paint on their parents. Most of the parents volunteered for face painting. Children painted using their creativity. One of the parents also took initiative to volunteer in face paint. She helped us do face paint onto the face of children.

The entire culminating day went beautifully. All of us enjoyed sharing our hard work on the Cat project with the parents and friends.

Since the children shared their ideas, opinions, and feelings during the project, they improved their communication skills. Dramatic play helped them develop their everyday conversation skills. Children's everyday conversation and vocabulary are better developed through dramatic play events. During the study, the children picked up a lot of new vocabulary. Children used their listening skills to correctly obey directions when they were given.