PC4004
The Philadelphia School
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Dog Project 2010-2011
Constructing knowledge collaboratively is an essential component in a successful project. Our main understanding is that dogs are dependent on us for food, shelter, and love. Owning a dog can be a very rewarding responsibility!
Out of a growing love of “Kaya stories” (those of a teacher’s furry golden retriever friend) the children became curious about and very interested in dogs. On our daily walks to the park, they noticed dogs of all kinds out enjoying our neighborhood. Using the resources of our city, the teachers took the children to the dog park where we all could meet real dogs and talk with their owners. Back in the classroom, we documented our current understandings about dogs and we gathered our many questions as well. Armed with information and many wonderings, the children led us into our rich study of dogs. Enjoy this account of our project work!
Phase One—Questions
This phase of project work encouraged children to
ask questions
listen to one another
share prior knowledge
Careful listening proved that the children indeed had a genuine interest in dogs and were curious to learn more. Thus a project on dogs was born!
To facilitate investigations, we first generated a topic web of our collective knowledge of and experience with dogs. Phase One of our dog project lasted for a total of two weeks.
A sample of observations we collected:
Dogs have a lot of hair.
Dogs know how to swim.
Dogs have really wet noses.
Dogs have very small eyes.
Dogs get treats for being good.
Dogs can have short tails.
Dogs can sometimes have long tails.
Dogs have long ears.
Dogs know how to sit.
Our daily trip to the playground afforded us an opportunity to regale preschoolers with stories of all kinds. The topic of Kaya the dog was a favorite. Handmade costumes were delivered to Kaya for her to don.
Sample questions included:
~Why do some dogs have so much hair?
~How do dogs take a bath?
~Why do dogs have wet noses?
~What do dogs eat?
~Why do dogs do heavy breathing?
~What is a dog park for?
~What kinds of dogs are there?
A list of wonderings we had about dogs followed.
Phase Two: Investigation, Fieldwork, and Experts
This phase of project work encouraged children to:
~Learn about many different breeds of dogs
~Learn about animals in need and how we can help.
~Practice caring for a dog.
~Learn that words and numbers have meaning.
~Understand how to interview someone.
~Research answers.
~Organize and represent information.
We asked the children to help us think about what resources
we could use to investigate and learn more about the answers
to our questions.
A sample of source suggestions included:
Primary sources:
~Outside experts (dog owners in our school and neighborhood
communities, pet store and rescue center owner, grooming
salon owner)
~Dog park
~Neighborhood walks (dog searching)
Secondary sources:
~Books about dogs (fiction and non-fiction)
~iPad applications
~Dog grooming video clip
Phase Two of our project lasted for eleven weeks.
As part of dramatic play, a group of children
created a dog park. The props help us expand on our
growing schema of dogs and the parks they visit to
exercise and play in.
We used model-size dogs for our morning sign-in
sheet where children practiced name-recognition
skills and familiarity with dog breeds.
Investigating our questions about dogs and dog
breeds provided a meaningful way to apply early
literacy skills such as writing, drawing, and reading.
We also collected books about dogs and used them
as secondary source material.
After careful observation of dog anatomy,
the children worked with our art specialist to create
our very own classroom dog with paper mache, paint,
and recycled and found materials.
We welcomed a new member into our classroom community and the children decided the dog
needed a name.
We took a vote and
“Taco
Brownie
Hannah became our class mascot.
What do dogs eat?
How do they eat?
In order to give children an
understanding of what and
how much dogs eat, I shared
Kaya’s feeding routine with
the children. They used
measuring cups to see how
much kibble could fit in
different sized feeding bowls.
We built on concepts of weight,
one to one correspondence, and structural design
using a variety of dogs.
A game we called “What dog is missing?” challenged the children’s memory, spatial, and probability skills.
Our daily trips to the local dog park had us curious
about how many dogs were in the park on any given day.
We decided to record the daily number of dogs at the
park and graph our findings using the children’s own
dog illustrations.
Why does the dog park have a fence?
After several observations of our neighborhood dog park, a group of children created their own dog park in our sensory table. We learned the importance of fences in the park to keep dogs safe.
Here you can see the children using books as secondary sources. They also created lots of stories and pictures to share their learning journeys with each other.
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Dog experts visited the class to share stories and answer questions. We heard tales of breeds, shelter dogs, and more.
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Dog-related games expanded our understanding of turn-taking, one-to-one correspondence, and spatial recognition.
The dog project afforded us the opportunity to use
our artistic skills as another lens into our observations
about and understanding of dogs.
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The class met this owner and her dog at the dog park. She talked the children about rescuing her dog and answered questions about greyhounds and dog training. This impromptu conversation set the class off in a new direction—rescue work and shelters.
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[The owner of an animal rescue organization] talked
with us about her rescue work. We made toys
for the animals at the shelter.
As a thank you for our many guest experts, we baked
dog bone treats for their furry, four-legged friends
“pupcakes” for ourselves. We carefully measured
ingredients and bagged treats, complete with thank
you notes.
The owner of Chez Bow Wow came and talked with
us after the children became interested in how dogs
take a bath and get a haircut. She talked about the importance of grooming and brought a grooming toolbox.
The children created their own grooming shop in the dramatic play area of the classroom. Taco was the first customer. Phase Three lasted about four weeks.
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Phase Three: Culmination and Conclusion
This phase of project work
encouraged children to:
~make meaning from what we
learned
~plan and organize how to represent their understanding
~work collaboratively
~problem solve
~self-monitor
~communicate
~celebrate and share their learning experience.
The children created
a storefront sign for their grooming shop…
…and a “must do” checklist
for a thorough grooming.
The children practiced their grooming techniques
on stuffed animals.
The children created their own Chez Bow Wow and invited another preschool class to their grooming shop.
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To celebrate, we planned and organized a doggy
dance party in the classroom, complete with disco
ball and dance floor!
The celebration led us into our next project—dance!