Decide which parts of the undersea world to focus on. This is a broad topic. Streamlining the theme will help focus the students' attention and make the topic more manageable for learning. For example, you might choose a specific region, such as the Caribbean, and focus on life under the water.
Set goals and learning objectives that are developmentally appropriate. If you are planning before the school year begins, create goals and objectives based on your prior knowledge of this age group. These can be adjusted as you get to know the children. Goals and learning objectives should be measurable and include specific statements such as "demonstrate an understanding of marine life by listing at least three types of fish or sea creatures," "explore the Atlantic Ocean's geography by looking at maps" and "create pictures of the undersea world that include objects discussed in class." Goals should also include general developmental objectives for preschoolers such as follow rules or act independently.
Make a vocabulary list. This will help students to better understand concepts and work toward preliteracy development goals as well as help to form more complex speech patterns. Choose these from books that you read during the lessons. Include the words within activities, not as stand-alone lists. Words that you may want to use are ocean, sea, fish, seaweed, turtle, whale, dolphin, submarine, scuba, eel, octopus, crab, lobster.
Connect the theme across the curriculum by reinforcing undersea concepts in content areas such as science, literacy, math, the arts, social studies and gross motor. For example, do a simple hands-on science exploration using a magnifying glass with shells or a dried starfish. Reinforce literacy skills by reading non-fiction ocean picture books. Tie in math content by counting shells or plastic sea creatures. For an art project, make an imaginative undersea mural with ocean animal shapes and drawings, or sing sea -themed songs. Design a social studies-oriented lesson by helping the children learn about the ways that various cultures explore or use the sea. To develop gross motor skills, invite the kids to pretend that they are swimming underwater or acting like fish.
Write out the specific activities/projects. Use a teacher's resource guide, ocean theme suggestions from websites such as Everything Preschool or Preschool Education or create your own activities. Each activity should have a general description, a materials list if applicable and clear steps to follow. This will help you, as the educator, to prepare for the lesson and carry it out effectively.
Include any supplementary information as needed. This may be a list of books on oceans and sea creatures to read, under-the-sea classroom bulletin board ideas, modifications for specific children with special needs, a timetable or sequence of events and methods for evaluating the learning. These methods can include collecting and comparing a variety of the children's work, such as art projects or worksheets, or making a checklist based on your specific objectives.