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Alignment of The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards with The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum for Preschool Children Beyond Centers & Circle Time (BCCT) is a play-based curriculum designed to provide early educators with explicit ideas for creating loving, playful, and stimulating experiences for young children, with and without disabilities, age birth through kindergarten. Through the four scaffolding components: Arranging the environment, pre-scaffolding the play experience, scaffolding the individual child at work and play, and post-play scaffolding (recall), children are ed in their development. Young children learn through play and handson experiences that provide opportunities for exploration and discovery. According to David Elkind (1988) young children are permeable learners and learn concepts best when they are embedded in meaningful experiences. The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum is designed to provide early educators with examples of experiences that the development of the whole child, in all domains. Each child has a unique developmental rhythm and a quality curriculum provides daily opportunities for him to engage in experiences that will allow him to practice and develop the skills and knowledge needed for later school success. The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards for children birth-five years are embedded in the daily schedules and lesson plans of the BCCT Curriculum materials. These materials are: Handbooks Beyond Centers & Circle Time: Scaffolding and Assessing the Play of Young Children
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Beyond Cribs & Rattles: Playfully Scaffolding the Development of Infants and Toddlers Beyond Differences & Diagnoses: A Celebration of Inclusion of all Children Videos Beyond Building Up & Knocking Down: Scaffolding the Block Experience Beyond ABCs & Writing My Name: Scaffolding the Pre-Literacy Experience Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals: Making the Most of Mealtime The Creative Pre-School Program Model From Theories to Play Beyond Centers and Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Theme Series, which includes— Nine 4-week units with daily schedules and lesson plans. Unit themes include: •
Me and My Family
•
Real and Make-Believe
•
The Farm and The City
•
Insects and Spiders
•
Birds in My Neighborhood
•
Animals of the Jungle
•
Amphibians and Reptiles
•
Oceans and Ocean Life
•
Authors and Illustrators
Observation scales and developmental checklists for the following: •
Gross Motor Development
•
Pre-Scissor and Cutting Development
•
Marker/Crayon and Easel Painting
•
Sensorimotor and Dramatic Play
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•
Structured Construction Play
•
Patterning Development
•
Writing Development
•
Math, Science, Health, and Safety
•
Concepts in Cooking
Beyond Centers & Circle Time has been practiced and perfected through over 35 years of use by the staff and children of The Creative Pre-School located in Tallahassee, Florida. The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Series is based on the theories of Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Anna Freud, Howard Gardner, Sylvia Ashton Warner, Maria Clay and David Elkind. The brain research as well as the research of Arnold Gesell, Mildred Parten, Greta Fein, Kenneth Rubin, Sara Smilansky, Elizabeth Prescott and Sybil Kritchevsky, and numerous other past and present contributors to the knowledge base for the field of early childhood education have been used through the years to substantiate and guide the design and implementation of this curriculum work. This curriculum is also research-based through 25 years of data collected on children with and without disabilities attending the Creative Pre-School. The research and longitudinal follow-up ing this curriculum has shown that when children successfully master the stages of play, they are developmentally guided toward success in reading, writing, and math skills. Focusing on the intensity and density of well-planned, organized, and scaffolded play experiences such as unit blocks, micro and macro dramatic play, art, cooking, gross and fine motor development, fluid play, and emergent literacy, adults using this curriculum will understand the stages of children’s play behaviors and product creation. Through the use of this knowledge, adults working with young children will be able to assess and scaffold each child’s individual developmental needs.
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Below is a list of primary source theory works and research that have been used in this effort. Allen, K. E., and Marotz, L. (1989). Developmental profiles birth to six. Albany, New York: Delmar. Allen, K. E., and Marotz, L. (2003). Developmental profiles pre-birth through twelve. (4th Ed.) Albany, New York: Delmar. Ashton-Warner, S. (1963). Teacher. New York: A Bantam Book. Clay, M. M. (1979). What did I write? Exeter, NH: Heinemann. Elkind, D. E. (1988). Miseducation: Preschoolers at risk. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society. (2nd ed.). New York: Norton. Erikson, E. H. (1977). Toys and reason. New York: Norton. Fein, G. G. (1976). A transformational analysis of pretending. Developmental Psychology, 11, 291-296. Fein, G. G., Moorin, E. R., & Enslein, J. (1982). Pretense and peer behavior: An intersectoral analysis. Human Development. 25, 392-406. Fein, G. G. (1979). Play with actions and objects. In B. Sutton-Smith (Ed.), Play and Learning. 69-82. New York: Gardner. Fein. G. G. (1981). Pretend play in childhood: An Integrative review. Child Development, 52, 1095-1118.
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Freud, A. (1968). Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of development. New York: International Universities Press. Freud, A. (1971). The ego and mechanisms of defense. New York: International Universities Press. Gardner, H. (1989 ). Artful scribbles: the significance of children’s drawings. New York: Basic Books Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligence: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books Gardner, H. (1996). Are there additional intelligences? The case for naturalist, spiritual, and existential intelligences. In Education, information and transformation, ed. J. Kane. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Gesell, A. (1928). Infancy and human growth. New Haven, CT: Gesell Institute of Human Development. Hanline, M. F., (1999). ing emergent literacy in play-based activities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 4 (4), 10-15. Hanline, M. F., Milton, S., & Phelps, P. (2001). Young children’s block construction activities: Findings from 3 years of observation. Journal of Early Intervention, 24 (3), 224-237.
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Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Kamii, C & DeVries, R. (1978). Physical knowledge in preschool education. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Kritchevsky, S., Prescott, E. & Walling, L. (1969). Planning environments for young children: Physical space. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Levy, A. K., Schaefer, L., & Phelps, P. (1986). Increasing preschool effectiveness: Enhancing the language abilities of 3-and 4-year old children through planned sociodramatic play. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 1, 133-140. Maslow, A. H. (1970). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row. Parten, M. B. (1932). Social participation among preschool children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 27, 243-269. Phelps, P. C. (1986). An investigation of the functional relationship between play space allotments, play materials and the social behavior of toddlers. Unpublished dissertation, The Florida State University. Phelps, P. C., & Hanline, M. F. (1999). Let’s play blocks! Creating effective learning experiences for young children. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32 (2), 62-67. Piaget, J. (1972). The child and reality, problems of genetic psychology. New York: Penguin Books. Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. New York: W.W. Norton. Pratt, C. (1948). I learn from children. New York: Simon & Shuster. Reifel, S. (1982). The structure and content of early representational play: The case of building blocks. In S. Hill & B. J. Barnes (Eds.), Young children and their families. Lexington, MS: Heath. Reifel, S. (1984). Block construction: Children’s developmental landmarks in representation of space. Young Children, 39 (3), 61-67. Reifel, S. (1984). Symbolic representation at two ages: Block buildings of a story. Discourse Processes, 7, 11-20. Rubin, K. H., Maioni, T. L., & Hornung, M. (1976). Free play behaviors in middle-and lower-class preschoolers: Parten and Piaget revisited. Child Development, 47, 414-419. Smilansky, S. (1968). The effects of sociodramatic play on disadvantaged preschool children. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Smilansky, S., & Shefatya, L. (1990). Facilitating play: A medium for promoting cognitive, social-emotional and academic development in young children. Gaithersburg, MD: Psychological and Educational Publications. Smilansky, S., (1990). Sociodramatic play: Its relevance to behavior and achievement in school. In E. Klugman & S. Smilansky (Eds.), Children’s play and learning. New York: Teacher’s College.
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Stannard, L., Wolfgang, C. H., Jones, I., & Phelps, P. (2001). A longitudinal study of the predictive relations among construction play and mathematical achievement. Early Child Development and Care, 167, 115-125. Teganok D.W., Moran, J.D. III, DeLong, A.J., Brickey, J., & Ramassini, K.K.. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. In M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman (Eds.), Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1967). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Soviet Psychology, 5 (3), 6-18. Vygotsky L. S. (1962). Thought and language. Translation newly revised and edited by Alex Kozulin. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Smith, & Fischel, J.E. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30, 679-689. Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Payne, A.C., Crone, D.A., & Fischel, J.E. (1994). Outcomes of an emergent literacy intervention in Head Start. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 542-555. Wolfgang, C. H., Stannard, L. L., & Jones, I. (2001). Block play performance among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievements in mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15 (2), 173-180.
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A complete bibliography can be found in the BCCT text, which is included in the Beyond Centers & Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Theme Series. The nine themes in the theme series provide early childhood educators with a detailed morning schedule that includes lesson plans for the early morning classroom arrangement, sharing circle, outside playtime, center time, and literacy circle. Six DVD’s are included which provide the opportunity for continuous training on serving language rich meals, dramatic play episodes, literacy circles, the theories that a rich play environment, deg literacy experiences, and continuous authentic assessment of children’s skills and play abilities. The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards arrange learning expectations from birth through age five. This alignment has chosen to focus on ages 4-5, as this is the pre-kindergarten year. The learning expectations for the 3-4 age group are also fully ed within the same alignment examples. The sections of the Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards, which will be aligned with The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten Children a re as follows: Section 1
Speech and Language Development
Section 2
Early Literacy
Section 3
Math and Science
Section 4
Social Studies
Section 5
Creative Arts
Section 6
Approaches to Learning
Section 7
Physical Development
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SECTION 1:
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
DOMAIN:
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: COMMUNICATION COMPONENT:
RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Listens with understanding and interest to conversations, directions, music and a variety of reading materials.
•
Demonstrates understanding of conversations through own actions and responses to directions and questions
The BCCT curriculum for birth through five describes the value of receptive language skill development to later school success and provides early educators with ideas that the development of receptive language skills. The three- and four-year-old Pre-Kindergarten Theme Series provides opportunities for practicing receptive language skills through out each day. Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The Sharing and Story Circles described each morning in each theme are ed by a quality children’s book. (An example can be found on page 5 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.) These circles use dialogic reading techniques to encourage listening skills. 2. The mealtime training video, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals depicts a quality family style meal experience that demonstrates the use of conversational language.
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3. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use quality children’s books and questioning techniques to develop language skills. (An example can be found on page 20 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.) 4. The Post-Scaffolding Circles are recall experiences that allow children to practice speaking before a group and listening to shared events. 5. The Literacy Circles offer the children daily opportunities to listen to the sounds of letters, play with words, and develop alphabetic knowledge and phonemic awareness. 6. The orderly transitions to play described in each theme begin by expecting the children to follow a two-step direction moving to a three- and four-step direction as the children mature.
COMPONENT: EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Uses language for a variety of purposes
•
Uses conventions of speech while expressing ideas
•
Participates in conversations
•
Speaks clearly enough to be understood
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The DVD’s provided in the Theme Series demonstrate numerous literacy and play experiences where children are encouraged to use expressive language in their play with other children and participation in group
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discussions. (Specific examples are Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals and Scaffolding Dramatic Play.) 2. Family style meals are encouraged in the curriculum with conversation between children and the adults as a major focus. (View the DVD Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals for specific details.) 3. Rich well-planned dramatic play experiences are described for each week of each theme series. Dramatic play has been shown through research to be an important vehicle for children to practice receptive and expressive language skills. 4. All of the sharing and literacy circles discussed in the theme series provide experiences for the children to discuss their ideas and provide information to the group. 5. All of the recall experiences discussed in the theme series provide experiences for the children to share their products and ideas with the group.
SECTION 2:
EARLY LITERACY
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: EARLY LITERACY
COMPONENT:
LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Understands story events and overall theme, and conversations
•
Relates plot of story to self and own experiences
•
Can organize more events and more complex events in sequential order
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Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum theme series is filled with lesson plans that provide early childhood educators with the information needed to use quality children’s books with young children and provide them rich opportunities to participate in dialogic reading scenarios. The theme series provides over 60 children’s books to assist educators in these experiences. 2. Recall experiences described at the end of each center time offer children opportunities to relate own experiences and connect them to the plot of the topic under discussion. 3. The BCCT Curriculum provides early educators with lesson plans filled with daily experiences that provide young children opportunities to learn and practice verbal expression and communication skills. Research has shown that dramatic play can be a vehicle for the development of these skills. The dramatic play scenarios suggested in the theme series provide children with many rich opportunities to act out stories found in books and create their own.
COMPONENT:
VERBAL EXPRESSION AND COMMUNICATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Engages in dialogue (conversation with others)
•
Organizes major steps of an event or story in sequential order
•
Uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary and sentence structure
•
Asks many types of questions and responds correctly to many types of questions
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The BCCT curriculum theme series provides daily opportunities for early childhood educators to expand children’s vocabularies through the language rich discussions of animals and events described in the lesson plans. Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The Sharing and Story Circles described each morning in each theme are ed by a quality children’s book. (An example can be found on page 5 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in each of the nine themes.) 2. Children and families are encouraged to bring objects and books that can be used to expand vocabulary about the theme under discussion and emphasis letter sounds. (Examples can be found in the Parent Letter provided in the theme series.) 3. The mealtime training video, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals depicts a quality family style meal experience that demonstrates the use of conversational language. 4. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use a quality children’s book and questioning techniques to develop language skills. (An example can be found on page 20 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.) 5. The Post-Scaffolding Circles are recall experiences that allow children to practice speaking before a group and listening to shared events. 6. The Literacy Circles offer the children daily opportunities to listen to the sounds of letters, play with words, and develop alphabetic knowledge and phonemic awareness. (An example can be found on page 24 of the
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theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.)
COMPONENT:
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Develops increasing sense of syllable structure in oral words
•
Produces rhyming words
•
Starts to develop an awareness of beginning sounds in words
•
Continues to increase awareness of the syllable structure of oral words
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT curriculum theme series uses poetry and rhymes throughout the nine themes and encourages children to discover the rhyming words. (An example can be found on page 50 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and on page 33 of the theme Animals That Live in The Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side as well as throughout all nine themes in the series.) 2. Onset-rime experiences give children opportunities to play with the beginning sounds of letters. Many of these lesson plans can be found in the Literacy Circle Time experiences found each day of the four weeks in the nine theme series. (An example can be found on page 29 and 92 of the theme Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea.) 3. Compound words are discussed throughout each theme as they appear in books and on word charts. (An example can be found on page 41 of the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
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4. Activities that allow children to clap, stomp, etc. to the rhythm of the syllable structure of words are suggested in literacy and sharing circles throughout the theme series. (An example of such an experience can be found on page 74 of the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
PRINT AWARENESS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Understands concept of spoken and written word and that alphabet letters have individual names
•
Shows interest in purposeful writing
•
Shows good understanding of conventions of print
•
Demonstrates good word awareness, calls attention to print in the environment, and recognizes some common words
•
Routinely engages in purposeful reading and writing
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: The BCCT Theme Series offers lesson plans throughout each day that provide early educators opportunities that allow children to practice meaningful developmentally appropriate reading and writing experiences. Books, paper, markers, crayons, and pencils are available in the environmental set-ups planned for the dramatic play scenarios, center time, early morning, and outside play. 1. The Parent Letters explain to the families the topics and letters under discussion during the month. These letters encourage families to send
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objects that begin with the letters under discussion and sharing items and books for the topic of the theme. 2. Each sharing circle focuses on the new objects and words brought by the children. These words are written on charts for later discussion. Objects are placed on a table with a word card. (An example of this experience can be found on page 7 in The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and in the sharing circle throughout each theme in the series.)
3. Each literacy circle, pre-scaffolding center experience, cooking and art activity s the learning expectations of this component. Each of these experiences begins with a discussion of vocabulary, a story, and a question and answer period. (Examples of such experiences can be found on pages 40 and 41 in The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and in the sharing circles, literacy circles, pre-scaffolding center experiences, cooking and art activities, throughout each theme in the series.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL DISCRIMINATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Discriminates likenesses and differences in black and white shapes, figures, and designs with subtle differences in detail or orientation
•
Discriminates likenesses and differences in symbols
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Research has shown that play with blocks and other structured construction materials such as legos help children develop skills with shape, detail, and orientation. BCCT encourages the use of daily Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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structured construction play experiences. (Examples can be found in each theme in the center time and early morning environmental set-up.) 2. The lesson plans for Tuesday and Thursday during each week of each theme focuses on experiences that allow children to work with letters and geometric shapes. (Examples can be found on pages 39-42 in the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.) 3. The lesson plans for the sharing and literacy circles provide many opportunities for the children to develop the skills and knowledge in this component. (Examples can be found on pages 45 and 46 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.) 4. Each theme has a geometric shape that is emphasized. Working with and comparing flat and three-dimensional geometric shapes helps children develop visual discrimination skills. (An example can be found on page 18 of the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL WHOLE-PART-WHOLE RELATIONSHIPS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Completes puzzles of 8-20 pieces
•
Produces a two-dimensional design with parts that vary by color and shape; constructs representations of objects from parts, with no model
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Research has shown that play with blocks and other structured construction materials such as legos helps children develop skills with shape, detail, and orientation. BCCT encourages the use of daily
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structured construction play experiences. (Examples can be found in each theme in the center time and early morning environmental set-up.) 2. Puzzles are a part of many early morning and center time environmental set-ups. (Examples can be found in each theme in the early morning and center time environmental set-ups. See page 4 of the theme Animals in the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.) 3. Bead-stringing and other three-dimensional patterning experiences are listed in the Tuesday and Thursday center time environmental set-ups. (See pages 27 and 28 in the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL SEQUENCING (PATTERNING)
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Reproduces simple color, size and shape patterns from a paper model
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT curriculum theme series provides many opportunities for children to see and practice creating patterns through the experiences suggested in the block, art, and fine motor activities throughout the theme series. 2. The Tuesday and Thursday center time focus on fine motor provides for the use of concrete materials such as mosaics, beads for stringing, and colored blocks. These materials help children develop the knowledge and skill needed for reproducing patterns.
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3. Numerous sharing circles and other pre-scaffolding experiences suggest activities that allow children to look for patterns in materials. (An example of such an activity can be found on page 25 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
COMPONENT:
LETTER RECOGNITION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to recognize letters
•
Begins to recognize frequently occurring uppercase and some of the most frequently occurring lowercase letters
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Each theme has a parent letter that tells parents how they can help with the theme and the letters, shape, and concepts that will be the focus of the month. Letters and letter recognition is a major part of each theme and can be found discussed in every sharing and literacy circle lesson plan. (An example of a lesson plan that focuses on letter recognition can be found in the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss on page 57. Similar lessons can be found in the sharing and literacy circles throughout the theme series.)
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SECTION 3:
MATH AND SCIENCE
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: MATH
COMPONENT:
NUMBER AND OPERATIONS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to identify and label objects using numbers
•
Develops understanding of numbers and their association with objects
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The basic math knowledge of the concepts of number should be imbedded throughout each day. Young children do not learn to relate to quantities and the numerals that symbolically represent those quantities without daily meaningful experiences with counting quantities of objects and events. The BCCT Theme Series provides numerous experiences each day for children to develop mathematical knowledge of quantities through the counting of objects during art, blocks, cooking experiences, outside gross motor games, meals, and sharing circles. (A typical example can be found on page 56 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
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COMPONENT:
PATTERNS AND ALGEBRA
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Explores and begins to sort and classify objects
•
Identifies, describes, and extends patterns
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. All play materials throughout the inside and outside of a program using the BCCT curriculum should be classified and organized. Daily experiences in reorganizing the play materials help children develop these skills and knowledge. The ability to classify and organize materials in the concrete world is directly related to the ability to organize and classify letters into patterns that create words. IQ is measured by ones ability to see patterns and to organize and classify concepts. 2. The BCCT curriculum provides daily experiences for children to develop these skills through experiences with literacy and art materials, blocks, and other structured construction materials such as legos.
COMPONENT:
MEASUREMENT
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to demonstrate understanding of time, length, weight, capacity and temperature
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Theme Series provides daily opportunities for children to develop an understanding of time, length, weight, capacity and temperature. The weather, which includes measuring the temperature, is
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done each morning in the sharing circle. Block play provides numerous opportunities for children to measure length and weight of objects. The discussion of time, what comes next, and the order of the day’s events are discussed in the pre-scaffolding experiences before center time each day and in the recall activities at the end of center time.
2. The cooking experiences in each theme provide the children with opportunities to experience the ing of time as they wait for their product to bake. (An example can be found on page 60 of the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
COMPONENT:
SPACIAL SENSE AND GEOMETRY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Becomes aware of personal space during active exploration of physical environment
•
Explores and recognizes the size, shape and spatial arrangement of real objects
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. A geometric shape is explored throughout each theme in the series. The experiences planned during each theme allow children many opportunities to discover, use, and explore the characteristics of each shape. (An example of such an experience can be found on pages 15, 16, and 17 of the theme Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea. 2. The daily use of unit blocks discussed in the Theme Series provide experiences during which children can discover, use, and explore the
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three dimensional qualities of each geometric shape represented in the unit block set. 3. The gross motor games and experiences found in the Theme Series provide the children with daily opportunities to develop an awareness of their personal space and the position of objects in their environment. (An example of such as experience can be found on pages 9 and 10 in the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and page 10 in the theme Insects and Spiders: Not-So-Creepy Crawlers.)
COMPONENT:
PROBLEM SOLVING AND ANALYZING DATA
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to develop foundation for linking concepts and procedures with active experiences
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. During the lesson plans for the sharing circles, which are provided each morning in the Theme Series, early childhood educators are encouraged to count the number of children present and absent and often make a graph using the number of boys and girls present or another variable that can be easily discovered such as the number of children who are four and the number who are five. 2. Counting and measuring ingredients is an integral part of each cooking experience provided in Friday lesson plans. (Examples can be found on pages 39 and 40 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting Our Feathered Friends.)
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3. Counting is an integral part of all art and block building experiences as well as meals.
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: SCIENCE
COMPONENT:
LIFE SCIENCE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Recognizes that living things are made up of parts
•
Recognizes that people use their five senses to explore their environment
•
Recognizes that living things live in different environments
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The body parts of animals and how they use them is discussed throughout the themes that focus on kinds of animals. (The body parts of insects and spiders are discussed throughout the theme, Insects and Spiders: Not-SoCreepy Crawlers as an example for the first learning expectations.) 2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series is filled with information that will help early childhood educators create interesting experiences that are filled with information that will help young children better understand the living creatures in their world. The vocabulary, scientific information about animals, and suggested experiences are specifically designed to help young children develop the knowledge needed to successfully fulfill the expectations of this area of learning. (A few of the many possible examples can be found in the following themes: Pages 40 and 43, 66 and
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67, as well as pages 91 through 95 of the theme, Animals of the Jungle: A Walk On the Wild Side. Pages 42 through 43 in the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.) 3. Each cooking, fluid play, and art experience encourages children to use their senses to discover information about their world.
COMPONENT:
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Recognizes the concept of day and night
•
Recognizes daily weather conditions
•
Recognizes that time and temperature can be measured with a clock and thermometer
•
Recognizes a variety of earth materials by their observable properties (rocks, sand, dirt)
•
Classifies materials by their elements
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Day and night and the animals that are nocturnal are discussed in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination. 2. The weather, day of the week, season, and month is discussed during each sharing circle, which is planned for each morning during each theme series. (An example can be found on page 6 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.) 3. Time and temperature are measured and used during each cooking experience that is planned for the four Fridays in each theme series.
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(Examples can be found on pages 77 and 78 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.) 4. The daily play experiences planned with water, sand, rocks, dirt and other fluid materials give children many experiences to develop the knowledge needed to recognize a variety of earth materials and classify them by their elements.
COMPONENT:
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Recognizes the basic concept that forces can move objects
•
Recognizes that objects have observable properties that can change over time and under different conditions
•
Recognizes that the sun gives us light
•
Recognizes that sound is produced when two objects collide
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. These learning expectations are embedded through the BCCT Theme Series. The basic foundation of the learning process requires that children be provided with many opportunities to explore and discuss materials. The cooking and art lesson plans in the Theme Series are filled with opportunities to practice and develop these skills and knowledge. 2. The outside play experiences planned with sand, water, and mud as well as micro-animals and plants allow the children to develop these skills and knowledge. 3. The Sharing Circle planned for each morning discusses the weather and the effect that the sun has on our day. Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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4. All music experiences using instruments allow the children to make sounds by creating a collision with two objects. (Example: hands on a drum)
SECTION 4:
SOCIAL STUDIES
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: SOCIAL STUDIES
COMPONENT:
HUMAN INTERACTIONS/CULTURES
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Discriminates individual, culture and community
•
Develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them
•
Begins to understand the reason for rules
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The entire BCCT Theme Series is written to provide children with daily opportunities to understand rules and why they are necessary. The prescaffolding experiences before each activity whether inside or outside provide the children with the information they will need to use the materials appropriately and demonstrate the behavior needed to be success. 2. The theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and Differences provides opportunities for the children to explore their family structures and those of their friends. Parents are invited to visit to discuss
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their jobs both inside and outside the home. Discussions in sharing circles and pre-scaffolding group discussions are planned to provide children opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge needed for these learning expectations. (Examples can be found on pages 19 and 20 of the theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and Differences.) 3. The sharing circles and pre-scaffolding discussions in the Theme Series emphasize the jobs that are needed in the classroom. Cleanup time helps children to participate in preparing the classroom for the next activities. Discussion of the work helps children develop an awareness of how their behavior affects others.
4. The outdoor games, cooking and art activities planned in the Theme Series help the children to learn to take a turn and follow the rules of the activity. (Examples can be found on pages 57 and 58 of the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
HISTORY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Identifies common events and routines
•
Begins to categorize time intervals
•
Recognizes the changes in environment
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The elements in this component are experienced during the sharing circles and the pre-scaffolding experiences described in the lesson plans of each
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theme in the BCCT series. (Examples can be found on pages 65 and 66 of the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
GEOGRAPHY/ECONOMICS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography in the context of her classroom, home and community
•
Begins to understand that people need food, clothing and shelter
•
Begins to understand what services the community workers provide
•
Begins to understand the concept of money
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The concept of money is presented as different dramatic play scenarios are arranged that require the use of money such as the vegetable store on pages 60 and 61 in the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and the pet shop on page 43 in the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss. 2. Unit block area provides opportunities for children to build structures found in their community and the places where they live. (Examples can be found on page 83 in the theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and Differences and in the art experiences lesson plan on pages 81 and 82 in the same theme.)
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SECTION 5:
CREATIVE ARTS
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: CREATIVE ARTS COMPONENTS:
MUSIC/ART/MOVEMENT AND DRAMATIC PLAY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Responds to sounds
•
Uses sounds
•
Focuses on and show fascination for fun things
•
Scribbles and paints
•
Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration
•
Responds to artistic creations or events
•
Controls body to participate in creative movement and drama
•
Begins to purposefully act on the environment
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Songs and other music activities are embedded throughout the BCCT Theme Series. (An example of a lesson plan can be found on pages 15 and 16 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting our Feathered Friends.) 2. Poems, songs, and finger plays are a part of each weeks lesson plans in the nine-week series. (Examples of poems, songs, and finger plays can be found on pages 44, 45, and 46 of the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.)
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3. Lesson plans for games are included in each outdoor play lesson plan. (An example can be found on pages 27-28 of the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.) 4. Painting and drawing with crayons and markers are in each lesson plan suggested for early morning, center time, and outside play. The BCCT curriculum provides early childhood educators with developmental stages that help interpret the symbolic development of young children as they paint and draw. These stages of symbolic development are included in a series of posters that can be mounted on the wall as well as in the assessment tools. 5. Dramatic play scenarios are planned throughout each theme in the Theme Series and a DVD entitled Scaffolding Dramatic Play included in the materials provided in the theme series. 6. Stages of dramatic play and social interaction are included in the authentic assessment materials provided in the theme series materials.
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SECTION 6:
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
DOMAIN:
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: APPROACHES TO LEARNING
COMPONENTS:
SELF-CONCEPT/COOPERATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Uses words and seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts
•
Participates in the group life of the class
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The conflict resolution strategies used in the BCCT Curriculum are explained in detail in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses. These strategies help adults understand the stages of children’s behavior and how to encourage their development of language and problem solving skills. 2. The discipline policy used for this curriculum is published in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses that encourages the use of language to get their needs met. 3. The BCCT curriculum uses a unique method of counting play spaces that ensures that there are always enough play materials available for the children to make choices and work with. When there is enough for the children to play with and the adults model the appropriate behavior and use language that encourages children to solve problems rather than engage in physical conflict, children learn to take turns and share. (Examples of counting play spaces can be found throughout each theme. Pages 21 through 24 in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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World of Imagination illustrates a center time environmental arrangement for 20 children using 56 play spaces.) 4. Games are planned during each outside play period that provide children opportunities to practice give and take interactions. (An example can be found in the theme, Ocean and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea on page 24 and page 86.
COMPONENTS:
SELF CONTROL
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Demonstrates self confidence
•
Follows simple classroom rules and routines and uses classroom materials carefully
•
Shows empathy and caring for others
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Children develop self-confidence when the experiences meet their developmental needs and the adults offer encouragement and when necessary. The BCCT Theme Series offers a multitude of experiences that can be successfully used with children on different developmental levels. The easel, for example, allows each child to successfully paint producing a symbolic representation appropriate for his development. Children can be successful in every activity at their own developmental level. Success allows children to feel safe and confident to continue trying and improving. 2. All pre-scaffolding experiences are planned to provide the children with information that will help them to use the materials correctly and make
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appropriate choices for both the activities they engage in and their behavior. 3. The conflict resolution strategies used in the BCCT Curriculum are explained in detail in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses. These strategies help adults understand the stages of children’s behavior and how to encourage their development of language and problem solving skills. 4. The discipline policy used for this curriculum is published in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses that encourages the use of language to get their needs met. 5. Feelings and caring for others is embedded throughout the curriculum series. (An example can be found on page 15 in the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
COMPONENTS:
MANAGEMENT OF SELF WITHIN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner
•
Shows some self direction
•
Attends to task and seeks help when encountering a problem
•
Approaches tasks with flexibility and inventiveness
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT curriculum series provides early educators with nine themes chosen because they have sparked the interest of preschool boys and girls for over 35 years. The topics of five of the themes focus on animals Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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and are filled with information and experiences that will help children become eager learners, who are curious about their world. 2. The BCCT curriculum uses a unique method of counting play spaces that ensures that there are always enough play materials available for the children to make choices and work with. When there is enough for the children to play with and the adults model the appropriate behavior and use language that encourages children to solve problems rather than engage in physical conflict, children learn to take turns and share as well as make wise use of their time. (Examples of counting play spaces can be found throughout each theme. Pages 21- 24 in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination illustrates a center time environmental arrangement for 20 children using 56 play spaces.) 3. When the experiences provided and the adult scaffolding is appropriately matched to each child’s development, they will approach tasks with confidence and determination. When tasks are too difficult and mismatched to the children’s development they become apprehensive and insecure about their abilities. When they stop trying they cannot practice the skills needed to develop the early stages needed more a more complicated task later. (An example can be found on the DVD Literacy Throughout the Day. During the sound game with Ms. Susie all answers are accepted and the children are eager to participate.) 4. Materials for exploration and creative construction are provided both inside and outside the classroom in each BCCT theme. When children are provided opportunities to glue, draw, paint, cut, and construct as their imaginations dictate they develop creativity and inventiveness. There are no worksheets or pre-made art activities in any of the BCCT theme experiences. (Examples can be found on pages 16, 17, and 18 and
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pages 43, 44, and 45 of the theme, Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea.)
SECTION 7:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
DOMAIN:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: GROSS MOTOR
COMPONENTS:
MOVEMENT AND COORDINATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Moves with balance and control to perform simple, large motor tasks
•
Coordinates movements to perform more complex tasks
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides early educators with a checklist of gross motor skills that are appropriate for the preschool child. The items should be assessed during the first weeks of the year and information should be added as the child’s development changes. 2. The outdoor play lesson plans contain numerous activities that will help children develop gross motor skills. (Examples can be found on pages 67 and 68 of the theme, the Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
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DOMAIN:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: FINE MOTOR
COMPONENT:
FINE MOTOR
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Uses strength and control to perform simple fine motor tasks
•
Uses eye-hand coordination to perform fine motor tasks
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides daily experiences that allow children to practice fine motor skills during the early morning activities, outdoor play, and center time. The art and cooking experiences are filled with opportunities to color, paint, cut, and stir. (Examples can be found on pages 37 and 38 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and the art activity explained on pages 20, 21, and 22 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting Our Feathered Friends.) 2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides early educators with a checklist of fine motor skills including cutting, drawing, and painting stages that are appropriate for the preschool child. The items should be assessed during the first weeks of the year and information should be added as the child’s development changes.
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DOMAIN:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: HEALTH PRACTICES
COMPONENT:
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: • Performs some self-help skills independently • Follows basic health and safety rules
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series uses cooking experiences to teach the children about new foods and nutrition as well as appropriate hand washing techniques. (Examples of such lesson plans can be found on pages 34, 35, and 36 of the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss and pages 34, 35, and 36 of the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.) 2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides a DVD, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals that shows an early childhood educator teaching proper selfhelp skills and manners for the table such as serving their own food, pouring their milk from a pitcher, chewing with their mouths closed, and not talking with food in their mouths. 3. Children can learn many self-help skills needed for dressing during their play in the dramatic play scenarios described in the theme series. 4. Children learn and practice the skills of hand washing and toileting throughout each day.
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5. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series describes daily activities that encourage exercise and promote physical fitness. (Examples can be found in all of the outside play lesson plans such as the movement experience suggested on page 68 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting our Feathered Friends.)
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Beyond Cribs & Rattles: Playfully Scaffolding the Development of Infants and Toddlers Beyond Differences & Diagnoses: A Celebration of Inclusion of all Children Videos Beyond Building Up & Knocking Down: Scaffolding the Block Experience Beyond ABCs & Writing My Name: Scaffolding the Pre-Literacy Experience Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals: Making the Most of Mealtime The Creative Pre-School Program Model From Theories to Play Beyond Centers and Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Theme Series, which includes— Nine 4-week units with daily schedules and lesson plans. Unit themes include: •
Me and My Family
•
Real and Make-Believe
•
The Farm and The City
•
Insects and Spiders
•
Birds in My Neighborhood
•
Animals of the Jungle
•
Amphibians and Reptiles
•
Oceans and Ocean Life
•
Authors and Illustrators
Observation scales and developmental checklists for the following: •
Gross Motor Development
•
Pre-Scissor and Cutting Development
•
Marker/Crayon and Easel Painting
•
Sensorimotor and Dramatic Play
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•
Structured Construction Play
•
Patterning Development
•
Writing Development
•
Math, Science, Health, and Safety
•
Concepts in Cooking
Beyond Centers & Circle Time has been practiced and perfected through over 35 years of use by the staff and children of The Creative Pre-School located in Tallahassee, Florida. The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Series is based on the theories of Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Anna Freud, Howard Gardner, Sylvia Ashton Warner, Maria Clay and David Elkind. The brain research as well as the research of Arnold Gesell, Mildred Parten, Greta Fein, Kenneth Rubin, Sara Smilansky, Elizabeth Prescott and Sybil Kritchevsky, and numerous other past and present contributors to the knowledge base for the field of early childhood education have been used through the years to substantiate and guide the design and implementation of this curriculum work. This curriculum is also research-based through 25 years of data collected on children with and without disabilities attending the Creative Pre-School. The research and longitudinal follow-up ing this curriculum has shown that when children successfully master the stages of play, they are developmentally guided toward success in reading, writing, and math skills. Focusing on the intensity and density of well-planned, organized, and scaffolded play experiences such as unit blocks, micro and macro dramatic play, art, cooking, gross and fine motor development, fluid play, and emergent literacy, adults using this curriculum will understand the stages of children’s play behaviors and product creation. Through the use of this knowledge, adults working with young children will be able to assess and scaffold each child’s individual developmental needs.
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Below is a list of primary source theory works and research that have been used in this effort. Allen, K. E., and Marotz, L. (1989). Developmental profiles birth to six. Albany, New York: Delmar. Allen, K. E., and Marotz, L. (2003). Developmental profiles pre-birth through twelve. (4th Ed.) Albany, New York: Delmar. Ashton-Warner, S. (1963). Teacher. New York: A Bantam Book. Clay, M. M. (1979). What did I write? Exeter, NH: Heinemann. Elkind, D. E. (1988). Miseducation: Preschoolers at risk. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society. (2nd ed.). New York: Norton. Erikson, E. H. (1977). Toys and reason. New York: Norton. Fein, G. G. (1976). A transformational analysis of pretending. Developmental Psychology, 11, 291-296. Fein, G. G., Moorin, E. R., & Enslein, J. (1982). Pretense and peer behavior: An intersectoral analysis. Human Development. 25, 392-406. Fein, G. G. (1979). Play with actions and objects. In B. Sutton-Smith (Ed.), Play and Learning. 69-82. New York: Gardner. Fein. G. G. (1981). Pretend play in childhood: An Integrative review. Child Development, 52, 1095-1118.
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Freud, A. (1968). Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of development. New York: International Universities Press. Freud, A. (1971). The ego and mechanisms of defense. New York: International Universities Press. Gardner, H. (1989 ). Artful scribbles: the significance of children’s drawings. New York: Basic Books Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligence: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books Gardner, H. (1996). Are there additional intelligences? The case for naturalist, spiritual, and existential intelligences. In Education, information and transformation, ed. J. Kane. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Gesell, A. (1928). Infancy and human growth. New Haven, CT: Gesell Institute of Human Development. Hanline, M. F., (1999). ing emergent literacy in play-based activities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 4 (4), 10-15. Hanline, M. F., Milton, S., & Phelps, P. (2001). Young children’s block construction activities: Findings from 3 years of observation. Journal of Early Intervention, 24 (3), 224-237.
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Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Kamii, C & DeVries, R. (1978). Physical knowledge in preschool education. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Kritchevsky, S., Prescott, E. & Walling, L. (1969). Planning environments for young children: Physical space. Washington, DC: NAEYC. Levy, A. K., Schaefer, L., & Phelps, P. (1986). Increasing preschool effectiveness: Enhancing the language abilities of 3-and 4-year old children through planned sociodramatic play. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 1, 133-140. Maslow, A. H. (1970). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row. Parten, M. B. (1932). Social participation among preschool children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 27, 243-269. Phelps, P. C. (1986). An investigation of the functional relationship between play space allotments, play materials and the social behavior of toddlers. Unpublished dissertation, The Florida State University. Phelps, P. C., & Hanline, M. F. (1999). Let’s play blocks! Creating effective learning experiences for young children. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32 (2), 62-67. Piaget, J. (1972). The child and reality, problems of genetic psychology. New York: Penguin Books. Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. New York: W.W. Norton. Pratt, C. (1948). I learn from children. New York: Simon & Shuster. Reifel, S. (1982). The structure and content of early representational play: The case of building blocks. In S. Hill & B. J. Barnes (Eds.), Young children and their families. Lexington, MS: Heath. Reifel, S. (1984). Block construction: Children’s developmental landmarks in representation of space. Young Children, 39 (3), 61-67. Reifel, S. (1984). Symbolic representation at two ages: Block buildings of a story. Discourse Processes, 7, 11-20. Rubin, K. H., Maioni, T. L., & Hornung, M. (1976). Free play behaviors in middle-and lower-class preschoolers: Parten and Piaget revisited. Child Development, 47, 414-419. Smilansky, S. (1968). The effects of sociodramatic play on disadvantaged preschool children. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Smilansky, S., & Shefatya, L. (1990). Facilitating play: A medium for promoting cognitive, social-emotional and academic development in young children. Gaithersburg, MD: Psychological and Educational Publications. Smilansky, S., (1990). Sociodramatic play: Its relevance to behavior and achievement in school. In E. Klugman & S. Smilansky (Eds.), Children’s play and learning. New York: Teacher’s College.
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Stannard, L., Wolfgang, C. H., Jones, I., & Phelps, P. (2001). A longitudinal study of the predictive relations among construction play and mathematical achievement. Early Child Development and Care, 167, 115-125. Teganok D.W., Moran, J.D. III, DeLong, A.J., Brickey, J., & Ramassini, K.K.. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. In M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman (Eds.), Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1967). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Soviet Psychology, 5 (3), 6-18. Vygotsky L. S. (1962). Thought and language. Translation newly revised and edited by Alex Kozulin. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Smith, & Fischel, J.E. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30, 679-689. Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Payne, A.C., Crone, D.A., & Fischel, J.E. (1994). Outcomes of an emergent literacy intervention in Head Start. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 542-555. Wolfgang, C. H., Stannard, L. L., & Jones, I. (2001). Block play performance among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievements in mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15 (2), 173-180.
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A complete bibliography can be found in the BCCT text, which is included in the Beyond Centers & Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Theme Series. The nine themes in the theme series provide early childhood educators with a detailed morning schedule that includes lesson plans for the early morning classroom arrangement, sharing circle, outside playtime, center time, and literacy circle. Six DVD’s are included which provide the opportunity for continuous training on serving language rich meals, dramatic play episodes, literacy circles, the theories that a rich play environment, deg literacy experiences, and continuous authentic assessment of children’s skills and play abilities. The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards arrange learning expectations from birth through age five. This alignment has chosen to focus on ages 4-5, as this is the pre-kindergarten year. The learning expectations for the 3-4 age group are also fully ed within the same alignment examples. The sections of the Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards, which will be aligned with The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten Children a re as follows: Section 1
Speech and Language Development
Section 2
Early Literacy
Section 3
Math and Science
Section 4
Social Studies
Section 5
Creative Arts
Section 6
Approaches to Learning
Section 7
Physical Development
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SECTION 1:
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
DOMAIN:
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: COMMUNICATION COMPONENT:
RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Listens with understanding and interest to conversations, directions, music and a variety of reading materials.
•
Demonstrates understanding of conversations through own actions and responses to directions and questions
The BCCT curriculum for birth through five describes the value of receptive language skill development to later school success and provides early educators with ideas that the development of receptive language skills. The three- and four-year-old Pre-Kindergarten Theme Series provides opportunities for practicing receptive language skills through out each day. Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The Sharing and Story Circles described each morning in each theme are ed by a quality children’s book. (An example can be found on page 5 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.) These circles use dialogic reading techniques to encourage listening skills. 2. The mealtime training video, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals depicts a quality family style meal experience that demonstrates the use of conversational language.
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3. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use quality children’s books and questioning techniques to develop language skills. (An example can be found on page 20 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.) 4. The Post-Scaffolding Circles are recall experiences that allow children to practice speaking before a group and listening to shared events. 5. The Literacy Circles offer the children daily opportunities to listen to the sounds of letters, play with words, and develop alphabetic knowledge and phonemic awareness. 6. The orderly transitions to play described in each theme begin by expecting the children to follow a two-step direction moving to a three- and four-step direction as the children mature.
COMPONENT: EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Uses language for a variety of purposes
•
Uses conventions of speech while expressing ideas
•
Participates in conversations
•
Speaks clearly enough to be understood
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The DVD’s provided in the Theme Series demonstrate numerous literacy and play experiences where children are encouraged to use expressive language in their play with other children and participation in group
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discussions. (Specific examples are Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals and Scaffolding Dramatic Play.) 2. Family style meals are encouraged in the curriculum with conversation between children and the adults as a major focus. (View the DVD Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals for specific details.) 3. Rich well-planned dramatic play experiences are described for each week of each theme series. Dramatic play has been shown through research to be an important vehicle for children to practice receptive and expressive language skills. 4. All of the sharing and literacy circles discussed in the theme series provide experiences for the children to discuss their ideas and provide information to the group. 5. All of the recall experiences discussed in the theme series provide experiences for the children to share their products and ideas with the group.
SECTION 2:
EARLY LITERACY
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: EARLY LITERACY
COMPONENT:
LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Understands story events and overall theme, and conversations
•
Relates plot of story to self and own experiences
•
Can organize more events and more complex events in sequential order
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Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum theme series is filled with lesson plans that provide early childhood educators with the information needed to use quality children’s books with young children and provide them rich opportunities to participate in dialogic reading scenarios. The theme series provides over 60 children’s books to assist educators in these experiences. 2. Recall experiences described at the end of each center time offer children opportunities to relate own experiences and connect them to the plot of the topic under discussion. 3. The BCCT Curriculum provides early educators with lesson plans filled with daily experiences that provide young children opportunities to learn and practice verbal expression and communication skills. Research has shown that dramatic play can be a vehicle for the development of these skills. The dramatic play scenarios suggested in the theme series provide children with many rich opportunities to act out stories found in books and create their own.
COMPONENT:
VERBAL EXPRESSION AND COMMUNICATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Engages in dialogue (conversation with others)
•
Organizes major steps of an event or story in sequential order
•
Uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary and sentence structure
•
Asks many types of questions and responds correctly to many types of questions
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The BCCT curriculum theme series provides daily opportunities for early childhood educators to expand children’s vocabularies through the language rich discussions of animals and events described in the lesson plans. Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The Sharing and Story Circles described each morning in each theme are ed by a quality children’s book. (An example can be found on page 5 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in each of the nine themes.) 2. Children and families are encouraged to bring objects and books that can be used to expand vocabulary about the theme under discussion and emphasis letter sounds. (Examples can be found in the Parent Letter provided in the theme series.) 3. The mealtime training video, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals depicts a quality family style meal experience that demonstrates the use of conversational language. 4. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use a quality children’s book and questioning techniques to develop language skills. (An example can be found on page 20 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.) 5. The Post-Scaffolding Circles are recall experiences that allow children to practice speaking before a group and listening to shared events. 6. The Literacy Circles offer the children daily opportunities to listen to the sounds of letters, play with words, and develop alphabetic knowledge and phonemic awareness. (An example can be found on page 24 of the
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theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.)
COMPONENT:
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Develops increasing sense of syllable structure in oral words
•
Produces rhyming words
•
Starts to develop an awareness of beginning sounds in words
•
Continues to increase awareness of the syllable structure of oral words
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT curriculum theme series uses poetry and rhymes throughout the nine themes and encourages children to discover the rhyming words. (An example can be found on page 50 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and on page 33 of the theme Animals That Live in The Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side as well as throughout all nine themes in the series.) 2. Onset-rime experiences give children opportunities to play with the beginning sounds of letters. Many of these lesson plans can be found in the Literacy Circle Time experiences found each day of the four weeks in the nine theme series. (An example can be found on page 29 and 92 of the theme Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea.) 3. Compound words are discussed throughout each theme as they appear in books and on word charts. (An example can be found on page 41 of the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
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4. Activities that allow children to clap, stomp, etc. to the rhythm of the syllable structure of words are suggested in literacy and sharing circles throughout the theme series. (An example of such an experience can be found on page 74 of the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
PRINT AWARENESS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Understands concept of spoken and written word and that alphabet letters have individual names
•
Shows interest in purposeful writing
•
Shows good understanding of conventions of print
•
Demonstrates good word awareness, calls attention to print in the environment, and recognizes some common words
•
Routinely engages in purposeful reading and writing
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: The BCCT Theme Series offers lesson plans throughout each day that provide early educators opportunities that allow children to practice meaningful developmentally appropriate reading and writing experiences. Books, paper, markers, crayons, and pencils are available in the environmental set-ups planned for the dramatic play scenarios, center time, early morning, and outside play. 1. The Parent Letters explain to the families the topics and letters under discussion during the month. These letters encourage families to send
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objects that begin with the letters under discussion and sharing items and books for the topic of the theme. 2. Each sharing circle focuses on the new objects and words brought by the children. These words are written on charts for later discussion. Objects are placed on a table with a word card. (An example of this experience can be found on page 7 in The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and in the sharing circle throughout each theme in the series.)
3. Each literacy circle, pre-scaffolding center experience, cooking and art activity s the learning expectations of this component. Each of these experiences begins with a discussion of vocabulary, a story, and a question and answer period. (Examples of such experiences can be found on pages 40 and 41 in The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and in the sharing circles, literacy circles, pre-scaffolding center experiences, cooking and art activities, throughout each theme in the series.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL DISCRIMINATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Discriminates likenesses and differences in black and white shapes, figures, and designs with subtle differences in detail or orientation
•
Discriminates likenesses and differences in symbols
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Research has shown that play with blocks and other structured construction materials such as legos help children develop skills with shape, detail, and orientation. BCCT encourages the use of daily Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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structured construction play experiences. (Examples can be found in each theme in the center time and early morning environmental set-up.) 2. The lesson plans for Tuesday and Thursday during each week of each theme focuses on experiences that allow children to work with letters and geometric shapes. (Examples can be found on pages 39-42 in the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.) 3. The lesson plans for the sharing and literacy circles provide many opportunities for the children to develop the skills and knowledge in this component. (Examples can be found on pages 45 and 46 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.) 4. Each theme has a geometric shape that is emphasized. Working with and comparing flat and three-dimensional geometric shapes helps children develop visual discrimination skills. (An example can be found on page 18 of the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL WHOLE-PART-WHOLE RELATIONSHIPS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Completes puzzles of 8-20 pieces
•
Produces a two-dimensional design with parts that vary by color and shape; constructs representations of objects from parts, with no model
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Research has shown that play with blocks and other structured construction materials such as legos helps children develop skills with shape, detail, and orientation. BCCT encourages the use of daily
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structured construction play experiences. (Examples can be found in each theme in the center time and early morning environmental set-up.) 2. Puzzles are a part of many early morning and center time environmental set-ups. (Examples can be found in each theme in the early morning and center time environmental set-ups. See page 4 of the theme Animals in the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.) 3. Bead-stringing and other three-dimensional patterning experiences are listed in the Tuesday and Thursday center time environmental set-ups. (See pages 27 and 28 in the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL SEQUENCING (PATTERNING)
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Reproduces simple color, size and shape patterns from a paper model
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT curriculum theme series provides many opportunities for children to see and practice creating patterns through the experiences suggested in the block, art, and fine motor activities throughout the theme series. 2. The Tuesday and Thursday center time focus on fine motor provides for the use of concrete materials such as mosaics, beads for stringing, and colored blocks. These materials help children develop the knowledge and skill needed for reproducing patterns.
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3. Numerous sharing circles and other pre-scaffolding experiences suggest activities that allow children to look for patterns in materials. (An example of such an activity can be found on page 25 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
COMPONENT:
LETTER RECOGNITION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to recognize letters
•
Begins to recognize frequently occurring uppercase and some of the most frequently occurring lowercase letters
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Each theme has a parent letter that tells parents how they can help with the theme and the letters, shape, and concepts that will be the focus of the month. Letters and letter recognition is a major part of each theme and can be found discussed in every sharing and literacy circle lesson plan. (An example of a lesson plan that focuses on letter recognition can be found in the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss on page 57. Similar lessons can be found in the sharing and literacy circles throughout the theme series.)
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SECTION 3:
MATH AND SCIENCE
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: MATH
COMPONENT:
NUMBER AND OPERATIONS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to identify and label objects using numbers
•
Develops understanding of numbers and their association with objects
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The basic math knowledge of the concepts of number should be imbedded throughout each day. Young children do not learn to relate to quantities and the numerals that symbolically represent those quantities without daily meaningful experiences with counting quantities of objects and events. The BCCT Theme Series provides numerous experiences each day for children to develop mathematical knowledge of quantities through the counting of objects during art, blocks, cooking experiences, outside gross motor games, meals, and sharing circles. (A typical example can be found on page 56 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
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COMPONENT:
PATTERNS AND ALGEBRA
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Explores and begins to sort and classify objects
•
Identifies, describes, and extends patterns
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. All play materials throughout the inside and outside of a program using the BCCT curriculum should be classified and organized. Daily experiences in reorganizing the play materials help children develop these skills and knowledge. The ability to classify and organize materials in the concrete world is directly related to the ability to organize and classify letters into patterns that create words. IQ is measured by ones ability to see patterns and to organize and classify concepts. 2. The BCCT curriculum provides daily experiences for children to develop these skills through experiences with literacy and art materials, blocks, and other structured construction materials such as legos.
COMPONENT:
MEASUREMENT
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to demonstrate understanding of time, length, weight, capacity and temperature
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Theme Series provides daily opportunities for children to develop an understanding of time, length, weight, capacity and temperature. The weather, which includes measuring the temperature, is
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done each morning in the sharing circle. Block play provides numerous opportunities for children to measure length and weight of objects. The discussion of time, what comes next, and the order of the day’s events are discussed in the pre-scaffolding experiences before center time each day and in the recall activities at the end of center time.
2. The cooking experiences in each theme provide the children with opportunities to experience the ing of time as they wait for their product to bake. (An example can be found on page 60 of the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
COMPONENT:
SPACIAL SENSE AND GEOMETRY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Becomes aware of personal space during active exploration of physical environment
•
Explores and recognizes the size, shape and spatial arrangement of real objects
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. A geometric shape is explored throughout each theme in the series. The experiences planned during each theme allow children many opportunities to discover, use, and explore the characteristics of each shape. (An example of such an experience can be found on pages 15, 16, and 17 of the theme Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea. 2. The daily use of unit blocks discussed in the Theme Series provide experiences during which children can discover, use, and explore the
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three dimensional qualities of each geometric shape represented in the unit block set. 3. The gross motor games and experiences found in the Theme Series provide the children with daily opportunities to develop an awareness of their personal space and the position of objects in their environment. (An example of such as experience can be found on pages 9 and 10 in the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and page 10 in the theme Insects and Spiders: Not-So-Creepy Crawlers.)
COMPONENT:
PROBLEM SOLVING AND ANALYZING DATA
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to develop foundation for linking concepts and procedures with active experiences
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. During the lesson plans for the sharing circles, which are provided each morning in the Theme Series, early childhood educators are encouraged to count the number of children present and absent and often make a graph using the number of boys and girls present or another variable that can be easily discovered such as the number of children who are four and the number who are five. 2. Counting and measuring ingredients is an integral part of each cooking experience provided in Friday lesson plans. (Examples can be found on pages 39 and 40 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting Our Feathered Friends.)
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3. Counting is an integral part of all art and block building experiences as well as meals.
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: SCIENCE
COMPONENT:
LIFE SCIENCE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Recognizes that living things are made up of parts
•
Recognizes that people use their five senses to explore their environment
•
Recognizes that living things live in different environments
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The body parts of animals and how they use them is discussed throughout the themes that focus on kinds of animals. (The body parts of insects and spiders are discussed throughout the theme, Insects and Spiders: Not-SoCreepy Crawlers as an example for the first learning expectations.) 2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series is filled with information that will help early childhood educators create interesting experiences that are filled with information that will help young children better understand the living creatures in their world. The vocabulary, scientific information about animals, and suggested experiences are specifically designed to help young children develop the knowledge needed to successfully fulfill the expectations of this area of learning. (A few of the many possible examples can be found in the following themes: Pages 40 and 43, 66 and
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67, as well as pages 91 through 95 of the theme, Animals of the Jungle: A Walk On the Wild Side. Pages 42 through 43 in the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.) 3. Each cooking, fluid play, and art experience encourages children to use their senses to discover information about their world.
COMPONENT:
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Recognizes the concept of day and night
•
Recognizes daily weather conditions
•
Recognizes that time and temperature can be measured with a clock and thermometer
•
Recognizes a variety of earth materials by their observable properties (rocks, sand, dirt)
•
Classifies materials by their elements
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Day and night and the animals that are nocturnal are discussed in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination. 2. The weather, day of the week, season, and month is discussed during each sharing circle, which is planned for each morning during each theme series. (An example can be found on page 6 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.) 3. Time and temperature are measured and used during each cooking experience that is planned for the four Fridays in each theme series.
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(Examples can be found on pages 77 and 78 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.) 4. The daily play experiences planned with water, sand, rocks, dirt and other fluid materials give children many experiences to develop the knowledge needed to recognize a variety of earth materials and classify them by their elements.
COMPONENT:
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Recognizes the basic concept that forces can move objects
•
Recognizes that objects have observable properties that can change over time and under different conditions
•
Recognizes that the sun gives us light
•
Recognizes that sound is produced when two objects collide
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. These learning expectations are embedded through the BCCT Theme Series. The basic foundation of the learning process requires that children be provided with many opportunities to explore and discuss materials. The cooking and art lesson plans in the Theme Series are filled with opportunities to practice and develop these skills and knowledge. 2. The outside play experiences planned with sand, water, and mud as well as micro-animals and plants allow the children to develop these skills and knowledge. 3. The Sharing Circle planned for each morning discusses the weather and the effect that the sun has on our day. Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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4. All music experiences using instruments allow the children to make sounds by creating a collision with two objects. (Example: hands on a drum)
SECTION 4:
SOCIAL STUDIES
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: SOCIAL STUDIES
COMPONENT:
HUMAN INTERACTIONS/CULTURES
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Discriminates individual, culture and community
•
Develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them
•
Begins to understand the reason for rules
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The entire BCCT Theme Series is written to provide children with daily opportunities to understand rules and why they are necessary. The prescaffolding experiences before each activity whether inside or outside provide the children with the information they will need to use the materials appropriately and demonstrate the behavior needed to be success. 2. The theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and Differences provides opportunities for the children to explore their family structures and those of their friends. Parents are invited to visit to discuss
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their jobs both inside and outside the home. Discussions in sharing circles and pre-scaffolding group discussions are planned to provide children opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge needed for these learning expectations. (Examples can be found on pages 19 and 20 of the theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and Differences.) 3. The sharing circles and pre-scaffolding discussions in the Theme Series emphasize the jobs that are needed in the classroom. Cleanup time helps children to participate in preparing the classroom for the next activities. Discussion of the work helps children develop an awareness of how their behavior affects others.
4. The outdoor games, cooking and art activities planned in the Theme Series help the children to learn to take a turn and follow the rules of the activity. (Examples can be found on pages 57 and 58 of the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
HISTORY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Identifies common events and routines
•
Begins to categorize time intervals
•
Recognizes the changes in environment
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The elements in this component are experienced during the sharing circles and the pre-scaffolding experiences described in the lesson plans of each
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theme in the BCCT series. (Examples can be found on pages 65 and 66 of the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
GEOGRAPHY/ECONOMICS
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography in the context of her classroom, home and community
•
Begins to understand that people need food, clothing and shelter
•
Begins to understand what services the community workers provide
•
Begins to understand the concept of money
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The concept of money is presented as different dramatic play scenarios are arranged that require the use of money such as the vegetable store on pages 60 and 61 in the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and the pet shop on page 43 in the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss. 2. Unit block area provides opportunities for children to build structures found in their community and the places where they live. (Examples can be found on page 83 in the theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and Differences and in the art experiences lesson plan on pages 81 and 82 in the same theme.)
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SECTION 5:
CREATIVE ARTS
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: CREATIVE ARTS COMPONENTS:
MUSIC/ART/MOVEMENT AND DRAMATIC PLAY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Responds to sounds
•
Uses sounds
•
Focuses on and show fascination for fun things
•
Scribbles and paints
•
Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration
•
Responds to artistic creations or events
•
Controls body to participate in creative movement and drama
•
Begins to purposefully act on the environment
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Songs and other music activities are embedded throughout the BCCT Theme Series. (An example of a lesson plan can be found on pages 15 and 16 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting our Feathered Friends.) 2. Poems, songs, and finger plays are a part of each weeks lesson plans in the nine-week series. (Examples of poems, songs, and finger plays can be found on pages 44, 45, and 46 of the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.)
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3. Lesson plans for games are included in each outdoor play lesson plan. (An example can be found on pages 27-28 of the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.) 4. Painting and drawing with crayons and markers are in each lesson plan suggested for early morning, center time, and outside play. The BCCT curriculum provides early childhood educators with developmental stages that help interpret the symbolic development of young children as they paint and draw. These stages of symbolic development are included in a series of posters that can be mounted on the wall as well as in the assessment tools. 5. Dramatic play scenarios are planned throughout each theme in the Theme Series and a DVD entitled Scaffolding Dramatic Play included in the materials provided in the theme series. 6. Stages of dramatic play and social interaction are included in the authentic assessment materials provided in the theme series materials.
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SECTION 6:
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
DOMAIN:
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: APPROACHES TO LEARNING
COMPONENTS:
SELF-CONCEPT/COOPERATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Uses words and seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts
•
Participates in the group life of the class
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The conflict resolution strategies used in the BCCT Curriculum are explained in detail in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses. These strategies help adults understand the stages of children’s behavior and how to encourage their development of language and problem solving skills. 2. The discipline policy used for this curriculum is published in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses that encourages the use of language to get their needs met. 3. The BCCT curriculum uses a unique method of counting play spaces that ensures that there are always enough play materials available for the children to make choices and work with. When there is enough for the children to play with and the adults model the appropriate behavior and use language that encourages children to solve problems rather than engage in physical conflict, children learn to take turns and share. (Examples of counting play spaces can be found throughout each theme. Pages 21 through 24 in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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World of Imagination illustrates a center time environmental arrangement for 20 children using 56 play spaces.) 4. Games are planned during each outside play period that provide children opportunities to practice give and take interactions. (An example can be found in the theme, Ocean and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea on page 24 and page 86.
COMPONENTS:
SELF CONTROL
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Demonstrates self confidence
•
Follows simple classroom rules and routines and uses classroom materials carefully
•
Shows empathy and caring for others
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. Children develop self-confidence when the experiences meet their developmental needs and the adults offer encouragement and when necessary. The BCCT Theme Series offers a multitude of experiences that can be successfully used with children on different developmental levels. The easel, for example, allows each child to successfully paint producing a symbolic representation appropriate for his development. Children can be successful in every activity at their own developmental level. Success allows children to feel safe and confident to continue trying and improving. 2. All pre-scaffolding experiences are planned to provide the children with information that will help them to use the materials correctly and make
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appropriate choices for both the activities they engage in and their behavior. 3. The conflict resolution strategies used in the BCCT Curriculum are explained in detail in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses. These strategies help adults understand the stages of children’s behavior and how to encourage their development of language and problem solving skills. 4. The discipline policy used for this curriculum is published in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses that encourages the use of language to get their needs met. 5. Feelings and caring for others is embedded throughout the curriculum series. (An example can be found on page 15 in the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
COMPONENTS:
MANAGEMENT OF SELF WITHIN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner
•
Shows some self direction
•
Attends to task and seeks help when encountering a problem
•
Approaches tasks with flexibility and inventiveness
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT curriculum series provides early educators with nine themes chosen because they have sparked the interest of preschool boys and girls for over 35 years. The topics of five of the themes focus on animals Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
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and are filled with information and experiences that will help children become eager learners, who are curious about their world. 2. The BCCT curriculum uses a unique method of counting play spaces that ensures that there are always enough play materials available for the children to make choices and work with. When there is enough for the children to play with and the adults model the appropriate behavior and use language that encourages children to solve problems rather than engage in physical conflict, children learn to take turns and share as well as make wise use of their time. (Examples of counting play spaces can be found throughout each theme. Pages 21- 24 in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination illustrates a center time environmental arrangement for 20 children using 56 play spaces.) 3. When the experiences provided and the adult scaffolding is appropriately matched to each child’s development, they will approach tasks with confidence and determination. When tasks are too difficult and mismatched to the children’s development they become apprehensive and insecure about their abilities. When they stop trying they cannot practice the skills needed to develop the early stages needed more a more complicated task later. (An example can be found on the DVD Literacy Throughout the Day. During the sound game with Ms. Susie all answers are accepted and the children are eager to participate.) 4. Materials for exploration and creative construction are provided both inside and outside the classroom in each BCCT theme. When children are provided opportunities to glue, draw, paint, cut, and construct as their imaginations dictate they develop creativity and inventiveness. There are no worksheets or pre-made art activities in any of the BCCT theme experiences. (Examples can be found on pages 16, 17, and 18 and
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pages 43, 44, and 45 of the theme, Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea.)
SECTION 7:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
DOMAIN:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: GROSS MOTOR
COMPONENTS:
MOVEMENT AND COORDINATION
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Moves with balance and control to perform simple, large motor tasks
•
Coordinates movements to perform more complex tasks
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides early educators with a checklist of gross motor skills that are appropriate for the preschool child. The items should be assessed during the first weeks of the year and information should be added as the child’s development changes. 2. The outdoor play lesson plans contain numerous activities that will help children develop gross motor skills. (Examples can be found on pages 67 and 68 of the theme, the Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
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DOMAIN:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: FINE MOTOR
COMPONENT:
FINE MOTOR
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: •
Uses strength and control to perform simple fine motor tasks
•
Uses eye-hand coordination to perform fine motor tasks
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides daily experiences that allow children to practice fine motor skills during the early morning activities, outdoor play, and center time. The art and cooking experiences are filled with opportunities to color, paint, cut, and stir. (Examples can be found on pages 37 and 38 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and the art activity explained on pages 20, 21, and 22 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting Our Feathered Friends.) 2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides early educators with a checklist of fine motor skills including cutting, drawing, and painting stages that are appropriate for the preschool child. The items should be assessed during the first weeks of the year and information should be added as the child’s development changes.
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DOMAIN:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: HEALTH PRACTICES
COMPONENT:
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS: • Performs some self-help skills independently • Follows basic health and safety rules
Learning Expectations are ed through the following: 1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series uses cooking experiences to teach the children about new foods and nutrition as well as appropriate hand washing techniques. (Examples of such lesson plans can be found on pages 34, 35, and 36 of the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss and pages 34, 35, and 36 of the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.) 2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides a DVD, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals that shows an early childhood educator teaching proper selfhelp skills and manners for the table such as serving their own food, pouring their milk from a pitcher, chewing with their mouths closed, and not talking with food in their mouths. 3. Children can learn many self-help skills needed for dressing during their play in the dramatic play scenarios described in the theme series. 4. Children learn and practice the skills of hand washing and toileting throughout each day.
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5. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series describes daily activities that encourage exercise and promote physical fitness. (Examples can be found in all of the outside play lesson plans such as the movement experience suggested on page 68 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting our Feathered Friends.)
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