Learning Experience Plan: Exploring Little Red Riding Hood through Music

Rationale: start with why!

Children showed a strong interest in playing with the Little Red Riding Hood story basket, engaging enthusiastically with the characters and storyline. To build on this interest, I decided to extend the play experience with an intentional teaching approach, incorporating elements of literacy and performing arts. This approach is based on strategies from The Literacy Toolkit provided by the Victorian Department of Education and Training, which supports educators in fostering emergent literacy skills through engaging, meaningful experiences. Access The Literacy Toolkit here. This could be part of a sample learning plan for early childhood development.

A soundscape is an acoustic environment or an arrangement of sounds that can be either naturally occurring or intentionally created. It involves all the sounds in a particular location, which together create a distinct atmosphere or “landscape” of sound. Soundscapes can include natural sounds like birdsong, rain, or rustling leaves, as well as human-made sounds such as traffic, voices, or music. In the context of art and education, soundscapes are often used to engage listeners in immersive experiences that evoke certain moods, tell stories, or provide sensory stimulation. For example, educators may use soundscapes in early childhood settings to help children explore their auditory senses, connect with nature, or create calming environments for activities like storytelling or relaxation.

Experience plan “Little Red Riding Hood” soundscape

Experience Title	Exploring Little Red Riding Hood through Music
Experience Overview	Children will analyse the meanings of various aspects of the story *Little Red Riding Hood* and create a soundscape using musical instruments to accompany it. The experience is differentiated based on individual skill levels, suitable for a sample early childhood learning plan.
Learning Focus	– Emergent literacy and language for ages 36-60 months – Making meaning and expressing ideas through texts – Performing arts and creative expression
Links to the EYLF	**Outcome 5: Communication** – Engage with and get meaning from a range of texts – Express ideas through a variety of media, such as music, drama, and storytelling
Learning Intentions/ goals/ objectives	– Develop the ability to evaluate a text – Express ideas and understanding through music
Assessment of Learning	Learning is shown when children: – Discuss feelings and responses to the story (e.g., ‘The wolf is scary’) – Use musical instruments to represent story elements (e.g., loud drum beats for the wolf)
Resources Needed	– *Little Red Riding Hood* book or YouTube clip – Whiteboard and marker (optional) – Musical instruments (drums, bells, cymbals, maracas, xylophone)
Group Size	Small (2-5 children) or medium-sized group, depending on needs
Rationale	Children showed a strong interest in playing with the *Little Red Riding Hood* story basket. To extend on this play, I decided to incorporate intentional teaching to foster emergent literacy skills, based on strategies from *The Literacy Toolkit* provided by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. [Access The Literacy Toolkit here.](https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/Pages/default.aspx) This aligns with methods used in many sample learning plans for early childhood education.
Experience Process (What will educator do)	Experience Process (What will the educator do)
Soundscape Creation	1. **Introduce Instruments**: Let children explore different instruments, discussing which sounds relate to characters or parts of the story. 2. **Assign Sounds**: Work with children to assign sounds to parts of the story (e.g., ‘happy’ sounds for Little Red Riding Hood in the forest). 3. **Play the Soundscape**: Recreate the story using instruments, inviting children to explain their sound choices. This is a key component of a sample learning plan tailored for early childhood.

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