By Elizabeth N. Christian, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education | Purdue University Fort Wayne

Begin with sensory observation

Many young learners take part in fall-themed classroom activities involving leaves, often through activities such as sorting, rubbing, and counting. Sometimes, these authentic encounters are concluded by filling in a worksheet, which can dampen classroom enthusiasm. Traditional worksheets can unintentionally narrow learners’ natural ability to observe, compare, and interpret. Curriculum choices need to support essential connections between classroom learning and the family and community contexts that shape it (Kye, 2022). However, worksheets are quite common in school settings. To help my early childhood education preservice teachers recognize this tension, I designed a learning experience that provoked meaning making firsthand. Instead of a worksheet-focused approach, we used a worksheet as a simple tool to generate ideas and discussion. Embedding this into a sequence of sensory exploration, discussion, graphic organizer design, and construction, teachers discovered how intentionally chosen tools can deepen learners’ thinking.

Invite learners to explore and describe leaves

Each group received a collection of fall leaves in different sizes, shapes, and textures. Their task was simple, prompted by “What do you notice?” The teachers examined color variations, vein patterns, stem lengths, and textures. They bent the leaves, held them to the light, and compared similarities and differences. Vocabulary emerged naturally and included words such as brittle, curled, smooth, and speckled. Our university classroom setting was filled with lively conversation as teachers sorted and categorized traits that they deemed important. In doing so, the inquiry was grounded in authentic observation, a core social studies and scientific skill that young learners practice every day.

Use the worksheet as a discussion tool

After a rich exploration, I distributed a traditional fall worksheet. Teachers immediately recognized and acknowledged the contrast. The worksheet included a single leaf outline and three vocabulary boxes. After naming many characteristics moments earlier, teachers felt constrained by being asked to trace only three predetermined words on the worksheet. Comments included, “Four-year-olds will want to write words they come up with,” and “the words are about basic parts, but children will see many more things on the leaves.” By experiencing the mismatch directly, teachers could see how worksheets can limit thinking rather than expand it. Instead of dismissing worksheets entirely, we embedded this one into an ongoing discussion to contemplate how learning design shapes meaning.

Help learners choose or make a graphic organizer

Next, I provided a range of graphic organizers, including Venn diagrams, T-charts, branching diagrams, and simple tables. I posed three prompts,

1. “Which organizer would best fit your need to express what you know about a leaf?”

2. “Would you make any changes to the organizer?”

3. “What, if any, and why?”

Teachers studied, exchanged, and marked up organizers, holding on to some and passing others that were not a fit for them. They re-wrote labels, crossed out labels, and partially completed some. A Venn diagram helped compare two leaves. A table allowed multiple categories. A blank sheet of paper became a platform for an observational drawing. Several teachers added new columns or created new structures. The organizers remained simple but grew in usability. This was the first time many of the teachers considered the idea that the organizer should match the meaning, as opposed to the other way around. One teacher reflected, “When you use an organizer, you are really representing the thinking, not just filling the right answer into a space you are supposed to fill.”

Extend meaning through active construction

To emphasize the value of a graphic organizer as a way to extend learning, I asked teachers to think about where their leaf came from. What did this particular structure look like? How were the leaves attached to it? Groups received bags of small cardboard pieces and masking tape as they were invited to build the tree their leaf had come from. At first, most groups arranged pieces flat on the table. Then someone observed, “Wait, a leaf can’t hang from a flat tree; we have to stand it up,” and teachers began building vertically. They maneuvered cardboard pieces to create support structures, branch lengths, balance, and roots. When the group’s model tree grew unstable, they experimented with adjustments and reinforced it. Through construction, teachers made their abstract ideas visible. The act of building required them to apply their observations in new ways. Likewise, young learners naturally take this step when meaning is supported through materials.

What teachers noticed

Teachers identified several instructional insights throughout the activity:

Observation supports deeper critical thinking than worksheets typically require.
Selecting or designing a graphic organizer helps learners clarify what matters.
Using natural materials prompts authentic comparison, classification, and reasoning.
Representing ideas through drawing or building deepens understanding.
Collaborating fosters negotiated meaning and the revision of thinking.

These realizations strengthened teachers’ understanding of how to create learning experiences that go beyond surface-level responses.

Practical Tips for Classroom Use

Begin activities with sensory or observational invitations rather than predetermined tasks.
Ask learners which features are important to represent before choosing an organizer.
Offer multiple types of graphic organizers and encourage learners to adapt them.
Extend learning with simple building materials, like cardboard and tape.
Invite learners to explain their choices. Explanation strengthens reasoning.
Use worksheets as conversation starters rather than as the structuring force.

Closing Reflection

A small pile of Indiana leaves became the starting point for deeper thinking, collaboration, and representation. By beginning with observation and allowing learners to choose tools that fit their ideas, teachers can transform classroom experiences into meaningful learning opportunities. When learners can see, talk about, organize, and construct their thinking, they develop the habits of mind necessary for inquiry, one Indiana leaf at a time.