IMS students readying their preschool lessons; photo courtesy of IMS

The Child Development class at Iowa Mennonite School is giving students a real-world experience by having them conduct hour-long preschool classes. The eight students in the class divided into three groups, and each group was responsible for one lesson plan during the three week project. The first week was led by Drake Brezina and Rachael Hovde, who selected the theme “The Seasons.” The second week was led by Gerardo Mendoza, Gretta Rempel, and Roman Slabach, who chose the theme “Farm Animals.” Next week’s final session is being led by Dohee Kim, Anthony Villatoro, and Caleb Yoder, whose chosen theme is “Dinosaurs.”

The groups were tasked with coming up with a lesson plan, selecting activities to fit their themes and development goals, and preparing items for each. The purpose of the assignment is to teach the high school students how to provide a secure and fun learning environment for the preschoolers, and to plan activities that incorporate development areas IMS believes to be most important. The sessions are an hour long, and all eight students participate in the lesson plans created by that week’s group.