Welcome to Unit 6 Academic Curriculum: Cognitive and Language Domains

SHOUT OUT!

Review of Unit 5 Explain what is meant by the word aesthetics and why it is important to create curriculum that advances skills in the Aesthetic Domain. Explain how developing skills in the Affective Domain impacts all developmental areas. Please SHARE your thoughts on how the above applies to Curriculum Development….

Cognitive and Language Domains Unit 6 explores the cognitive maturation of young children; how advances in neuroscience provide information about the learning process and about teaching strategies, best practices, and early childhood theories. You will examine multiple realms of intelligence and communication. You will learn how to engage young children in higher level thinking skills; how to maximize intellectual and language development; how to effectively integrate language experiences across the curriculum.

Learning Goals Discuss how advances in neuroscience have supported or refuted recognized early childhood cognitive learning theories (Piaget, Vygotsky, Bandura, etc.). Describe effective ways to integrate curriculum across content and language spheres. Explain how to use inquiry as an instructional approach. Write goals and objectives for lesson plans based on professionally recognized standards.

Cognitive Domain The Cognitive Wheel (Chapter 11; p. 313) includes the details of what you need to know in this area:  Physical Knowledge  Logical-mathematical Knowledge  Representational Knowledge  Social-conventional Knowledge  Metacognitive Knowledge  Physical Knowledge Field Trip #1: Go to p. 313 in Chapter 11. Choose one of the above from the Cognitive Wheel. Return prepared to define one of the areas. Can you create a DAP activity for the area that you chose?

Language Domain Let’s talk about the Purpose and Goals of the Language Domain consistent with professional standards (Chapter 12; p. 351): Purpose: Children need to be able to communicate their ideas and feelings and to accurately interpret the communications they receive. Goals: Children need to become competent in the following areas of oral and non-oral language development. Listening and viewing Speaking Writing Reading Field Trip # 2: Go to p. 351 in Chapter 12. Choose one of the four areas. Name a specific skill children should have in the area you chose? Create a DAP activity for this skill. Come back prepared to share.

Unit 6 Project: Research Paper Preferred Curriculum Model - Extended Evaluation In the Unit 4 Project you assessed two curriculum models and concluded which one best represents your educational philosophy and/or more closely aligns with best practices for private or community schools. You provided relevant support to evaluate each curriculum model. In this project you will be evaluated on your ability to use electronic libraries/ databases for research purposes (GEL-6.5). You will need to retrieve documents through advanced searches and refine your search strategies This paper includes three parts.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO Engage in a search using the words brain research, early childhood education, child development, and/or curriculum models, etc., This should lead you to numerous useful articles. As with all research, it is important to consider the quality of the sites you investigate. For some assurance that the information presented is accurate, search the Kaplan Library or Google Scholar for scholarly articles, search for articles ending in.edu,.gov or.org or links for respected professional educational organizations (for example, NAEYC Position Statements or the ASCD website (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). No wikipedia, e-how, etc. may be used as these are not valid sources. Validity is very important!

Part 1 1a. In Unit 6 Research Project you will conduct an extended evaluation of the curriculum model earlier identified as your preferred model. Your examination now should be more extensive as you make additional connections to early childhood theory and determine if this model is supported by current breakthroughs in brain research, relevant current trends, and/ or best practices used in private or community schools. (Restated: Determine, using theory and research, how your preferred model from Unit 4 Project is supported by brain research, early childhood theory, current trends and/or best practices currently being used in schools.) 1b. Explain how the model you have chosen supports best practices like DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) and maximizes student development in the following domains: Cognitive Language Affective. Aesthetic Physical Social

Part 2 2.Conclude by either defending the curriculum model or questioning it based on this more exhaustive examination.

3 Part 3 3. Since one of the goals of this assignment is to evaluate your research strategies, be sure to explain in detail your research methods and to provide an evaluation of your findings.

Project Specifics Your paper should: *be three to five pages long *include at least 5 citations and matching references (no lonely links). *use a 12-point font size and Arial or Times New Roman font with one- inch margins *include APA style citations (For help with citations/references please refer to the APA Quick Reference Guide under Course Home, the KU Writing Center or other internet sources). *include a title page and a reference page (these are not included in the three to five page requirement). *include introductory and closing paragraphs *include correct spelling and grammar (use spelling and grammar check). The grading rubric that will be used to evaluate your final project is located in your class syllabus. Submit your completed project to the Unit 6: Project Dropbox.

Maximum 18 5 Points: Unit 6 Project: Grading Criteria 65 points Preferred Curriculum Model is identified and investigated in depth for its connections to early childhood theory, current trends, and brain research. 60 points A research examination of how this model advances early childhood theories, educational best practices like DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice), and maximizes student development in the following domains was included. The applicable learning domains are:  Cognitive  Language  Affective  Aesthetic  Physical  Social 60 points Body of paper is 3 -5 pages. Grammar and spelling is correct. Writing is clear, concise, and follows a logical pattern. The APA Format is used and a minimum of six quotes/ citations are included; along with a separate Reference and Title Page. The student demonstrates the ability to retrieve documents through advanced searches, refine search strategies, and explain strategies used to refine the search and locate reliable resources such as the Kaplan Library, links for government or respected professional education organizations

Are your sources reliable? Some ways to check:  Is the author credible? (credentials after name)  When was it written? (is it newer research?)  Who is the audience? Why was it written?  Is the source a nationally recognized organization, institution, university, etc.?  Does the link contain.org,,edu or.gov  Have you checked the reliability of the source itself? (google name of source)

Professional Standards In the Unit 6 Discussion you investigated the impact of Professional Standards on Curriculum Development. The following list was explored: The text Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum Recognized educational associations like NAEYC Position Statements, the International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English’s published Standards for the English Language Arts, etc. State Standards Share what you found out regarding the impact of Professional Standards on curriculum development.

Seminar Discussion: Curriculum: The Language Domain Discuss the following questions:  How can early childhood professionals integrate language experiences across the curriculum?  Describe some current trends in reading instruction/ teaching strategies?  What modifications/ adaptations/ accommodations to lesson plans will assist ESL (English as a Second Language) learners in developing social, English, language and vocabulary skills?

“A system of general instruction, which shall reach every description of our citizens from the richest to the poorest, as it was the earliest, so will it be the latest of all the public concerns in which I shall permit myself to take an interest.” -Thomas Jefferson to J. Cabell, 1818

Questions? You always know where to find me!