What is your subject, level of instruction, and intended audience?

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The subject that I will be teaching is early literacy to Pre-K students, focusing on rhyming words.  This is aligned with Texas Guideline PK4.III.B.6 child identifies rhyming words and PK4.III.B.2 child distinguishes differences between similar sounding words.  Rhyming is an essential element for early readers within the classroom.  The intended audience is my Pre-K students, along with their parents or anyone else at home who will be assisting them using the digital tools.

 

What are the key institutional documents (i.e. syllabus, outline, accreditation standards, etc.) that will influence your design process? 

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As a Pre-K in Mansfield ISD, I follow the 2022 Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guidelines (TPG), they outline the foundational literacy skills for planning instruction based on current knowledge of how students three to five years of age develop and learn. I will also use our district’s scope and sequence that was developed to enhance the 16 thematrical units.  Along with tools supported by our district, such as Seesaw, Canvas, and Google Classroom to design, deliver, and support instructional experiences.  Early childhood development benchmarks such as the CLI testing will also guide how content is delivered to meet the developmental needs of 4-and 5-year-olds. 

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What design approach have you chosen? Why?

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I have chosen a blended learning enriched virtual model approach because I plan to combine digital tools such as Seesaw, Canva, and Google Classroom with hands-on play based learning activities both in the classroom and at home.  This combination will result in a student-centered environment with personalized learning at their own pace while keeping their engagement.  The design clearly aligns with the COVA approach ensuring students have Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic experiences in developmentally appropriate ways.  

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Who controls the learning? 

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For this approach both the student and the teacher will share control of the learning.  The teacher’s role will be to design purposeful, engaging activities from read-alouds, nursery rhymes to matching activities while the student can choose how they participate through a variety of options from songs, storytelling, drawing, voice recording, matching, or play.   Whole group instruction along with small group reinforcement will guide the students and allow teachers to monitor their progress.  Family support will be needed to assist students in navigating their digital tools to the appropriate apps such as Seesaw, Canva, or Google Classroom.  Engagement is key for young learners so knowing and understanding their development needs, interest, and home routines will make this a joyful learning experience.  

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Are you using competency-based education (CBE) or outcome-based education (OBE)? Why? 

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For this unit, I am using Outcome-Based Education (OBE). The focus is on a clearly defined outcome: that students can recognize and produce rhyming words in spoken language. OBE is especially effective in early childhood because it allows flexibility in how students demonstrate learning. Children may show understanding through verbal expression, drawing, matching games, or family projects, giving them multiple pathways to success.

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How will you balance assessment Of/For/As learning?

• Assessment Of Learning – Teachers use observation checklists and digital artifact reviews (e.g., rhyming recordings or Seesaw submissions) to evaluate if students have reached the rhyming outcome.
   

• Assessment For Learning – Formative assessments are done through real-time feedback in small groups, classroom discussions, and digital task check-ins.
   

• Assessment As Learning – Students reflect through voice recordings, drawing responses, or sharing their favorite rhymes. Families may also contribute reflections or artifacts of home learning, which helps support metacognitive growth in young learners.
   

Are you moving your learners into deeper learning? If not, why not?

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Yes, students at the Pre-K level can still engage in deeper learning experiences.  They will start with a nursery rhyme by identifying the words and will move to producing a word that rhymes with a given word.  These activities start with a play based learning matching game, students will be given a card with two pictures, they identify the name of the pictures using vocabulary words, and place the card under a thumbs up/thumbs down.  The next step for deeper learning is for students to match two pictures that rhyme together.  This step involves the students needing the appropriate vocabulary and the expectations.  Deeper learning is constantly promoted by allowing students to explore, create, and explain rhymes in ways that make sense to them.  

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Big Hairy Audacious Goal:

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At the end of this unit, Pre-K students will be able to identify rhyming words through nursery rhymes, read-aloud's, and play-based activities.  Students will be able to show understanding by engaging in rhyming games, class discussions, and digital responses.  Parents will also be active contributors in this learning process by helping reinforce rhyming in the home and engaging with these activities so students are successful in their learning process.  This is a fundamental step in building students' confidence, communication, and a connection to language skills.  

 

Finks 3-COLUMN TABLE

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Implementation Schedule (4 Weeks)

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Week 1 – Nursery Rhymes to Build the Foundation:  

The start of the rhyming unit will be introduced through a classic nursery rhyme that students are familiar with, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, to match the theme of Savvy's Market.  The students will listen, notice word patterns, and have fun with the sounds of language.  Students will be further exposed through read-alouds and songs.  They will start picking up on what it means when words “rhyme,” through fun activities and engagement.  

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Week 2 – Learning Through Seesaw:
Now that students have a background understanding of rhymes, we’ll move to using Seesaw or Canva activities for interactive learning.  Students will complete simple drag-and-drop games, record themselves saying rhyming words, and respond to teacher-led videos at their own pace.  Using technology in this way helps reinforce the concepts while providing support from teachers and parents.  

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Week 3 – Hands-On Centers:
Students are finally able to work independently or with support through play.  The teacher will have the classroom set up with rhyming activity centers such as; thumbs up/thumbs down, listening centers with rhyming books, and songs.  Small groups allow for personal interaction along with peer collaboration, and time for the teacher to check in with each student individually.  

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Week 4 – Bringing It All Together:
Students will be able to show their mastery skills by combining what they have learned and adding to their classroom journal by drawing images that rhyme.  They will complete Seesaw or Canva projects and create their own rhyme to show that they are ready for the next step in the rhyming process.  Students can share with the class the rhymes that they created and celebrate how far they’ve come in the journey. 

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ADDIE MODEL: Instructional Design – Pre-K Rhyming Unit

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Analysis – Identify learning environment, learner characteristics, and instruction

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Pre-K students are introduced to rhyming through nursery rhymes, songs, read-aloud's, and play-based centers that are developmentally appropriate.  Since the targeted age group is four-and five-year old's, attention spans are short and they can only be in whole group for 15 minutes or less.  The activities will need to be fun, engaging, multisensory, lots of vocabulary, and developmentally appropriate.  Their learning environment includes both the physical classroom and the blended enriched virtual model through Google Classroom, Seesaw, or Canva.   Parents play a crucial role in their child’s learning in the home environment.  

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Design – Create a plan for the learning experience

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The unit begins in the theme Savvy’s Market by introducing nursery rhymes and read-alouds to expose students to rhyming patterns through listening.  Students will then engage in either Seesaw or Canva activities by identifying which set of pictures rhyme, participate in voice recordings, and drawing rhyming pairs.  Next, students are introduced to center-based learning activities with a partner to complete activities independently.  Finally, all methods are combined for review, completion, and mastery.  Family activities are also included each week to help reinforce skills and extend learning beyond the classroom and to the home environment.  

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Develop – Create the learning materials

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The Learning materials include teacher or district created Seesaw or Canva activities, interactive slides, nursery rhyme videos, songs, and printable rhyming cards that are theme related.  Students will engage in creative tasks such as recording their own rhymes, sorting pictures, and drawing their favorite rhyming word pairs.  Materials are designed with visual and auditory support to help all learners be engaged and participate.  The home extension activities will include rhyming word scavenger hunts and collaborative parent-child projects.  

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Implement – Put the learning materials into action

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Whole and small group lessons are delivered in a blended format, with resources in Google Classroom, Seesaw, and Canva.  Each week will follow a structured theme: Week 1 focuses on nursery rhymes; Week 2 on Seesaw or Canva based activities; Week 3 is center-based learning; and Week 4 combines all prior activities in a final review.  Small group instruction is personalized for support, while digital tools help students access and demonstrate learning in creative ways.  Families receive weekly guidance to encourage active participation at home.  

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Evaluate – Assess the learning experience and make improvements

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The teacher obtains data collected through parent feedback and informal student observations, along with Seesaw or Canva submissions, and informal check-ins during center-based learning.  Teacher reflection will be geared towards which activities were the most engaging for students, where support was needed, and how students progressed and grew over the four week period.   Parents can also provide feedback for teachers and share their experiences at home.  With all this feedback teachers will be able to refine and personalize the learning experience for future instruction.  

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Syllabus

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Grade Level: Pre-K
Course Title: Recognizing and Producing Rhyming Words
Audience: Pre-K Students and Families

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Course Overview

In this unit, students will learn the following:

• Recognize rhyming words in songs, read-alouds, and conversations

• Identify and produce rhyming word pairs

• Express their understanding through play, drawing, singing, and technology

• Make connections between rhyming and early reading skills

• Collaborate with families to reinforce rhyming at home
   

Course Goals/Objectives

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Hear and recognize rhyming word patterns

• Match and create rhyming word pairs

• Participate in creative rhyming activities through Seesaw and classroom centers

• Share what they’ve learned using voice, visuals, and movement

• Begin building foundational phonological awareness for early reading
   

Standards and Tools

• Standards: Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (PK4.III.B.6 and PK4.III.B.2)

• Resources: MISD Scope & Sequence, Google Classroom, Seesaw, Canva, and teacher-made materials

• Assessments: CLI Engage, Student Seesaw and Canva submissions, observational checklists, audio recordings, family participation projects
   

Course Structure

Blended Learning – Enriched Virtual Model:

• Google Classroom: Weekly themes, songs, books, and assignment instructions

• Seesaw and Canva Activities: Matching games, voice recordings, family sharing

• Classroom Centers: Rhyming puzzles, games, arts & crafts

• Family Extensions: Simple at-home projects with guidance and feedback
   

COVA Approach

• Choice: Students choose from multiple activity types (digital, hands-on, creative)

• Ownership: They demonstrate learning in their own way (voice, drawing, movement)

• Voice: Students record rhymes, share favorites, and reflect on their learning

• Authentic Learning: Activities are tied to songs, books, and real-life situations that make sense to young learners
   

Control of Learning

• The teacher facilitates through small groups and digital resources

• Students engage with rhyming activities in a way that fits their learning style and pace

• Parents and caregivers support the learning process at home through simple, guided activities

• Learners show understanding through creative expression, not just worksheets or formal tasks
   

Competency-Based and Outcome-Based Education

• CBE: Students demonstrate mastery by consistently recognizing and producing rhyming pairs

• OBE: Learning is focused on a clear outcome—recognizing rhyming words across multiple settings (songs, books, conversations)
   

Assessment Strategy

• Assessment Of Learning: Teacher observations and review of completed Seesaw or Canva tasks

• Assessment For Learning: Group discussions, Seesaw or Canva responses, small group check-ins

• Assessment As Learning: Students share reflections through drawings or voice recordings, and families contribute feedback on home activities

 

References 

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Bates, A. W. (2019). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning.  

https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/

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Harapnuik, D. (2021). Assessment Of/For/As learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=8900

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Harapnuik, D. (2020). Why I don’t use checklists, progress bars & other activity monitors.  

https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8314

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Backward course design. (n.d.). University of Western Ontario Teaching Support Centre.  

ttps://teaching.uwo.ca/curriculum/coursedesign/backward-design.html

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Top 7 Instructional Design Models to Help You Create Effective Learning Material. (2021). Creately.  

ttps://creately.com/blog/diagrams/instructional-design-models-process/

 

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