Welcome to Unit 8 CE 101 Introduction to Early Childhood and Curriculum Planning

Thought for the day… The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. -- John Lubbock

Weekly Reminders Browse Web Resource Post to Discussion Threads Attend seminar or complete seminar option Work on Final Project Complete Missing Assignments

Learning Outcomes After completing this unit, you should be able to: Discuss how to develop lessons as part of curriculum planning. Explain the importance of early literacy. Share activities that integrate the subjects

Language Development: Nativist Theory Nativist theory: children have an inborn ability to make sense of the world by using language to find meaning (Crosser, para. 4). Noam Chomsky (1972) young children learn language effortlessly through a mechanism in the brain called LAD (language acquisition device). The young child can not analyze the rules and structure of the language logically (Crosser, para. 5).

Theories and Language Development Social learning theory: children imitate the words and language patterns they hear by watching and listening to others (Bandura, 1989). Interactionist theory: children need more than a desire to speak, more than an inborn LAD, and more than a model to imitate. Interactionists suggest that children need to interact with others (Bohannon & Bonvillian, 1997

Activities to Facilitate Language Development in Infants Engage infants with rhymes, simple word games, and songs Books with either black and white or colorful pictures of familiar objects stimulate infants. The infant is neurologically stimulated by the flow of the language used by caregivers Put up photos and talk about those photos throughout the infant’s day. (Crosser, para ).

Activities to Facilitate Language Development in Toddlers Build vocabulary of words by talking and pointing things out during reading activities Books that picture common objects are particularly appealing to the young child Engage the child in movement activities to stress vocabulary meanings (example: action songs, etc.) “Take advantage of every opportunity to enlarge the child's world because each new adventure brims with language possibilities” (Crosser, para ).

Activities to Facilitate Language Development in Preschoolers Interactive reading: adults should allow children to make comments, predict events, and answer questions about the story and illustrations (Crosser, para. 29). Pause while reading to allow the anticipation of words and phrases. Give the child enough time to insert the vocabulary during the reading of a familiar book Make up different endings, play with the words, and encourage children to retell the stories and act them out. Provide simple props and costumes for role playing. (Example: poster board characters with holes for arms and faces) (Crosser, para. 31).

Promoting language development with literature Provide puppets, dramatic play props, blocks, dolls, and/or stuffed or plastic animals that encourage talking (Crosser, para. 32). Listening centers, karaoke centers, or other language props encourage listening and speaking skills (Crosser, para. 33). Expand vocabulary through movement and musical activities (Crosser, para. 34).

Incorporating literature into your theme First select the books for your unit theme. Next, share with the children a brief background of the author’s life and a brief summary of the story Do ask questions to increase comprehension and thinking skills in your class Make a K-W-L chart What do we know? What do we want to know? What have we learned? Are there any other resources you want to use in teaching your unit?

Integrating activities across the curriculum and in centers Math center? Reading or Language Center? Social Studies Center? Community Center? Science Center? How could we include the family and get parents involved?

Organization Tips for Curriculum Planning Using a large monthly calendar, write in Monday through Friday. Decide on a theme or unit for the week. Include blocks for literature, math, science, music and art. Note holidays and special occasions. List accommodations for children with special needs Stay flexible in your planning and follow through. Leave plans at the end of the day for a substitute in case of unplanned absence (Tomlin, para. 8-9).

Scenario Imagine you are working with one and two year olds in a child care center. The majority of the children’s parents work two jobs and have a difficult time participating in the center's activities. Whenever the center plans an event, your parental involvement is lower than desired. The center has tried to increase parental involvement – through such methods as calling to remind parents and sending home notices – but is not having any luck.

Parent Involvement Plan Create a Parent Involvement Plan in response to the scenario on the previous slide: Step 1: Identify the issue. Step 2: Discuss your beliefs about the situation. Step 3: Formulate conclusions and offer suggestions to the director of the child care center. Step 4: Create a Parent Involvement Plan for the teachers to use and refer to often. This plan should include various activities to involve parents. It should discuss how to communicate and advertise the events and who will be involved in preparing the event and making sure it runs smoothly.

Final Project-Word Document Introductory paragraph: address the following questions: 1. Why are centers important? 2. What kinds of skills and concepts can be reinforced in centers? 3. What is your role as an Early Childhood Care Professional in working with children in these centers? Supporting paragraphs: How could the theme "All About Me" be developed in learning centers? You must include a Book Center as one of your required elements and include two specific books that might be integrated to reinforce the theme of "All About Me". You can select an additional 5 out of 15 centers to implement. Address the following questions: 1. What specific activities will the children engage in to support the theme "All About Me"? 2. What materials will be utilized? Provide one paragraph per center describing the specific activities you would use and the skills you would reinforce in the learning centers relating to the theme "All About Me". Concluding paragraph: address the following questions: 1. How would the center activities enhance the learning experience of the children? 2. How do he learning centers address different learning styles? 3. What would your role be in working with individual students and small groups as they participated in the centers?

Final Project- Power Point Introductory slides: provide at least 3 slides addressing each of the following questions: 1. Why are centers important? 2. What kinds of skills and concepts can be reinforced in centers? 3. What is your role as an Early Childhood Care Professional in working with children in these centers? Supporting Slides: provide at least 5 slides, one per center, describing activities relating to the theme "All About Me" You must include a Book Center as one of your required elements and include two specific books that might be integrated to reinforce the theme of "All About Me". You can select an additional 6 out of 15 centers to implement. Address the following questions: 1. What specific activities will the children engage in to support the theme "All About Me"? 2. What materials will be utilized? Provide one slide per center describing the specific activities you would use and the skills you would reinforce in the learning centers relating to the theme "All About Me". Concluding Slides: provide at least 3 slides addressing each of the following questions: 1. How did the center activities enhance the learning experience of the children? 2. How do learning centers address different learning styles? 3. What was your role in working with individual students and small groups as they participated in the centers? Slide with References: At least one slide delineating your references must be included.

Wrap-up A word as to the education of the heart. We don't believe that this can be imparted through books; it can only be imparted through the loving touch of the teacher. - Cesar Chavez

References Follari, L. M., (2007). Foundations and Best Practices in Early Childhood Education. Prentice Hall. Please include a reference page at the end of your Power Point or paper for unit 9’s project. Thank you!