Objective: To design a dramatic play area and to evaluate your design.
Scenario: Zaf, a three-year-old in your preschool class, has recently been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. He appears to be very intelligent but has a developmental delay in social skills. Zaf also tires easily and finds some fine motor tasks difficult, such as dressing or manipulating small objects. To help Zaf learn how to interact with others and deal with his fine motor challenges, you design a dramatic play area in which Zaf and his classmates can explore social roles as they play together.
Focus Assignment:
Design a dramatic play area to help Zaf and his classmates build social skills. In your design, include a descriiption of the materials you will provide for the children, including at least two dramatic play kits, as well as other miscellaneous materials. You may want to refer to Figure 13-1: Benefits of Dramatic Play and Figure 13-2: Dramatic Play Kits.
Be sure to read the SELF-EVALUATION section below to guide your thinking. Write your self-evaluation after you have completed your dramatic play area design.
Review the assessment rubric to see how your assignment and self-evaluation will be graded.
Self-Evaluation
For each component of your dramatic play area design:
Explain how this component addresses the issues in the scenario.
Give evidence from the chapter supporting this component (with citations).
Describe and justify how your dramatic play area design will improve teaching and learning in the scenario.