Chapter 11: Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum Teaching Young Children Fifth Edition Michael L. Henniger Developed by: Kaye A. Marshall Mt. Baker School District and Whatcom Community College

Goals: Chapter 11 Study elements of developmentally appropriate curriculum Learn about integrated curriculum Identify observation strategies Understand steps in developing activities and lessons Clarify the importance and types of assessment used in early childhood programs

Creating a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) - 3 kinds of knowledge Knowledge of child development and learning Understanding unique developmental abilities/interests of individual children Knowledge of social/cultural settings of children and families

Prior Knowledge What do you think are components of a lesson plan? Discuss with your 3:00 partner. Compare your ideas with the video: https://youtu.be/kN1yBNtQWg4

Creating Curriculum: DAP Dimensions DAP - 5 interrelated dimensions Creating a caring community of learners Enhancing child development and learning Planning curriculum to achieve goals Assessing learning and development Establishing and maintaining strong family-school relationships

Creating Curriculum: DAP Guidelines DAP – 9 guidelines for curriculum Provides for all aspects of child’s development (physical, social, emotional, cognitive) Intellectually interesting and meaningful New knowledge is built upon existing understandings and abilities Integrates subject matter areas Emphasizes problem-solving skills and lifelong learning

Creating Curriculum: Guidelines, cont. Intellectual integrity – challenges children to use concepts/tools of different disciplines While supporting the home culture and language, strengthens the child’s ability to participate in the shared culture Goals are reasonable and attainable Technology is physically and philosophically integrated

Creating Curriculum: Process Appropriate curriculum is created through a cyclical process – 3 elements Identify children’s needs and interests Plan the curriculum Engage in assessment

Creating Curriculum: Process - Needs/Interests Identify children’s needs and interests Developmental considerations Infants/toddlers – sensory learning Preschool years – emotional development Early elementary – local/state guidelines and abilities/interests Observation Essential element of teaching/learning process Informal and formal strategies

Creating Curriculum: Process - Planning Plan the curriculum Goals - broad learning outcomes Objectives - specific description of what children will know or do Physical space – arrange for manipulation of real world materials Activities and lessons – long/short term plans Schedules – consider length of day, blocks of time, balance of activities, transitions, consistency

Creating Curriculum: Process - Assessment Engage in assessment Formative – informal, used throughout the curriculum cycle to check understandings Summative – may be more formal, used at end of a unit of study for evidence of what children know or are able to do, organized for record keeping

The Integrated Curriculum Why implement an integrated curriculum? Essential component of DAP Natural way of learning Hands-on manipulation of materials Organized around themes of interest Makes curriculum more relevant Allows for more in-depth study

Integrated Curriculum: Planning Planning and preparation Select appropriate themes Learn about the topic selected Find/organize related materials Reflect on what you want children to learn Identify open-ended questions for inquiry Plan related activities/lessons Invite family participation Determine a closing event or activity Evaluate theme and learning

Integrated Curriculum: Project Approach Project: an in-depth investigation about a topic that incorporates children’s questions, interests, and theories Phase one – getting started Phase two – field work Final phase – culminating/debriefing events that help children summarize their learning

Observation in Early Childhood Settings Informal observations – spontaneous, simply stopping/listening/observing Formal observations – written, with more specific purposes

Observation: Uses Uses for observations Build relationships Document behaviors Identify progress and potential problems Assess the curriculum

Observation: Strategies Become an objective observer Record behaviors/words, not your interpretations Strategies Anecdotal records Checklists Rating scales Running records Meet with your 9:00 partner and discuss the differences between these four strategies.

Planning Activities and Lessons Activity planning Consider play as open-ended and child-directed Flexibility is a key component Essential elements Purposes for the activity Materials/preparation needed Procedures Variations Evaluation component

Planning: Lessons Lesson planning Engage in detailed steps now for success with future abbreviated written plans Focus on specific learning More structured than activity plans Objectives, introduction, content, methods/procedure, closure, resources/materials, evaluation

Emergent Curriculum With your 6:00 partner, join with another pair: EMERGENT CURRICULUM ACTIVITY PLANNING In your groups you will pick out a scenario that you as ECE will take and build a web and lesson plan around: 1. A current event (political, social, cultural, natural) – elections, civil rights marches, earthquake….etc. 2. A bee-hive was recently discovered near the kindergarten community garden. 3. One of the children welcomed a new baby brother to their family. 4. The class found a limping bird in the playground and they are requesting that the class adopt it as a pet. 5. There is an upcoming fieldtrip to the museum that the teacher would like to prepare the children for. 6. Recent fires in the areas have excited children about fire fighters.

Emergent Curriculum (continued) In your groups you will pick out an Emergent Curriculum scenario that you as an ECE will take and build a web around. As you web and prepare an activity you must respond to the following: Does it have a theme? What is the theme? How is your curriculum developmentally and culturally appropriate (what is the age group / cultural backgrounds of the children) How is it inclusive? Anti-Bias? Include activities that promote higher order thinking skills by asking open-ended questions

Assessment Standardized tests Developmental screening Observation Documentation of children’s work Portfolios

Assessment: Standardized Tests Definition: carefully developed tests created by professional designers to measure performance compared to other children in relation to a standard or objective Problematic: wrong content, bias issues, results used to make “high-stakes” decisions Recommendation: use multiple assessment strategies

Assessment: Developmental Screening Definition: short standardized assessment administered by a trained adult to identify children who may have a disability Outcome: if a potential concern is identified, further assessment is encouraged Example: Denver II – screens personal/social, fine motor/adaptive, language, and gross motor development

Assessment: Observation Role of observation in assessment How children use their environment Example: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 2003) Emphasis on developing the whole child Useful to identify problems/guide thinking when choosing strategies

Assessment: Documentation Documentation of children’s learning More widely used due to popularity of Reggio Emilia approach Includes work from all of the children Examples Recording children’s discussions Photographs of children’s work Samples of children’s work

Assessment: Portfolios The portfolio and its use Used to compile and organize information about individual children Assumptions Systematic effort to collect meaningful work Children actively involved in selection Can contain materials from a variety of sources Reflect actual daily learning activities Demonstrate child’s progress over time May have subcomponents Variety of media can be used

Summary Creating a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum The Integrated Curriculum Observation in Early Childhood Settings Planning Activities and Lessons Assessment