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Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards

Nurturing Children's Sense of Wonder and Joy in Learning

By: Gera Jacobs, Kathy Crowley

Foreword by Marilou Hyson

Stimulate children's love of learning while meeting standards and benchmarks!

This research-based resource links sample early learning standards for children ages 3–5 with numerous ideas for creating joyful, playful educational experiences. In inviting, informal language, the authors walk readers through the creation of well-planned projects and activities that both capture children's interest and develop critical social and pre-academic skills. Each chapter offers:

Snapshots of "What Research and the Experts Say" and how it applies to practice
"Try This" activity ideas that engage children and meet standards
Suggestions for tailoring activities to meet the needs of English Language Learners and children with special needs

Full description

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-PreK
ISBN: 9781412928021
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2006
Page Count: 176
Publication date: November 22, 2006

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Description

"The ideas in this book will seem familiar and nonthreatening—yes, teachers can indeed use what they already know and what their children love, but they can also enhance and expand favorite activities, enriching the educational benefits of everyday experiences."
—From the Foreword by Marilou Hyson

Stimulate children's love of learning while meeting standards and benchmarks!

Teachers today are often challenged by and concerned about the expectations in states' early learning standards. They have questions about their appropriateness, implementation, and tendency to overlook the needs of the growing number of children who are second language learners or who have disabilities and developmental delays. In Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards, authors Gera Jacobs and Kathy Crowley tackle these questions (and more!) head-on, providing teachers with plenty of lively, creative ideas to develop children's genuine curiosity while building the skills they'll need to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.

In inviting, informal language, the authors walk readers through the creation of well-planned projects and activities that both capture children's interest and enhance social and pre-academic development. Each chapter offers:

"What Research and the Experts Say" snapshots, and applications of the research in practice
"Try This" activity ideas that engage children and meet standards
Suggestions for tailoring activities to meet the needs of bilingual children and children with special needs

This timely book is sure to give teachers the confidence and competence they need to connect the experiences that make preschool so enjoyable with the skill development that makes preschool so necessary.

Key features

Links activities to preschool standards for both content-area development and social & emotional development
Offers strategies and tips for working with English language learners and children with individual needs
Explains ways to design the learning environment for every interest area in the preschool classroom
Provides sample observation tools for assessing children's progress
Connects recommendations with established research in early childhood education

Author(s)

Gera Jacobs

Gera Jacobs is a professor of early childhood education and taught kindergarten, preschool, and the elementary grades for many years. She has published articles in a number of national and regional journals and produced a CD-ROM on inclusion for young children with special needs. She has presented at numerous state, regional, and national conferences, and has conducted many inservice presentations for teachers. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Governing Board and served on the NAEYC Affiliate Council. The Carnegie Corporation named her the South Dakota Professor of the Year in 2002. She was chairperson of the South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines Panel, responsible for writing the preschool standards for South Dakota.

Jacobs and her coauthor Kathy Crowley have helped to organize an annual statewide kindergarten academy for many years in South Dakota and have presented at kindergarten institutes in other states. They are the coauthors of Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards: Nurturing Children’s Sense of Wonder and Joy in Learning, published by Corwin Press and winner of a 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award, sponsored by Learning Magazine, and a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Their collaboration began many years ago as team-teachers in a kindergarten classroom.

Kathy Crowley

Kathy Crowley is a kindergarten teacher and has taught kindergarten, preschool, and the elementary grades for many years. She was director of an afterschool program and a member of the South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines Panel. Serving as a teacher leader for a statewide mathematics initiative, she provides training to other teachers on innovative math strategies. An active member of several professional organizations, she has presented at numerous state, regional, and national conferences. Crowley served as vice president of the South Dakota Association for the Education of Young Children and received the SDAEYC state service award in 2006. Her community named her the Teacher of the Year in 2007.

Crowley and her coauthor Gera Jacobs have helped to organize an annual statewide kindergarten academy for many years in South Dakota and have presented at kindergarten institutes in other states. They are the coauthors of Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards: Nurturing Children’s Sense of Wonder and Joy in Learning, published by Corwin Press and winner of a 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award, sponsored by Learning Magazine and a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Their collaboration began many years ago as team-teachers in a kindergarten classroom.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Marilou Hyson

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. Addressing Preschool Standards in Developmentally Appropriate Ways

Defining the Standards

Meeting the Needs of All Children

Addresssing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Assessing Progress Toward Meeting the Standards

Summary

2. Designing the Environment With the Child in Mind

Creating a Welcoming Environment

Building Relationships

The Power of Choice

Arranging the Room for Exploration and Learning

Materials for Creating Engaging Interest Areas

Scheduling the Day for Play and Learning

Summary

3. Developing Positive Approaches to Learning and Social-Emotional Development

Developing Curiosity and Eagerness; Initiative and Persistence; Problem Solving and Reflection; Invention and Imagination; Self-Concept and Self-Confidence; Regulating Emotions; Respect and Appreciation; and Pro-Social Behaviors and Cooperation

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Approaches to Learning

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Social-Emotional Development

Developing Positive Approaches to Learning and Social-Emotional Development Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addressing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

4. Exploring the World Through Science

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Science

Science as Inquiry; Physical Science; Life Science; Earth and Space Science; Science and Technology; Science, Environment, and Society

Exploring the World and Science Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addressing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

5. Learning About Our Community Through Social Studies

Families/Cultures; Community/Civics; History/Time; Geography/Places, People, and Environments; and Economics

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Social Studies

Learning About Our Community and Social Studies Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addressing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

6. Engaging Children in Meaningful Literacy

Reading; Writing; Listening and Phonological Awareness; Speaking/Communicating and Oral Language Development; and Learning New Languages

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Language and Literacy

Engaging Children in Meaningful Literacy Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addressing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

7. Making Mathematics Inviting

Number Sense and Operations; Shapes/Geometry; Measurement; Data Analysis and Probability; and Patterns/Algebra

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for for Mathematics

Making Mathematics Meaningful Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addresssing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

8. Fostering Creativity Through the Arts

Visual Arts; Music; Creative Movement; and Dramatic Play

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Creative Arts

Fostering Creativity in the Arts Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addressing Standards Through Engaging Experience and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

9. Promoting Physical Development and Healthy Lifestyles

Gross Motor; Fine Motor; and Health and Safety

Sample Early Learning Guidelines for Physical Development and Health

Promoting Physcial Development and Healthy Lifestyles Through Projects

Designing the Environment

Addressing Standards Through Engaging Experiences and Activities

Supporting Children Who Are Bilingual Learners

Working With Children's Individual Needs

Summary

10. Putting It All Together

Addressing Standards in Developmentally Appropriate Ways

Addressing Standards and Benchmarks Through Projects, Studies, and Themes

Supporting the Transition to Kindergarten

Final Thoughts

Resources

Sample Signs for Interest Areas

Assessing Children's Progress Toward Standards

Sample Group Observation Tool for Language and Literacy

Sample Individual Child Observation Tool for Language and Literacy

Children's Books and Music

Resources for Teaching Bilingual Learners

Assessment Materials

Helpful Websites

References

For Further Reading

Index

Reviews

"A wonderful, richly detailed book that presents children as lively, engaged learners. Successfully communicates standards and benchmarks in familiar, matter-of-fact ways that support young children’s growth and learning and that are aligned with good developmental practice. The sections on second language learners and children with individual needs are important reminders that these children too are part of our classrooms and that one-size-fits-all teaching doesn’t benefit anyone."

Julie Olsen Edwards, NAEYC Board Member and Early Childhood Education Instructor
Cabrillo Community College

"The ideas in this book will seem familiar and non-threatening—yes, teachers can indeed use what they already know and what their children love, but they can also enhance and expand their favorite activities, enriching the educational benefits of everyday experiences."

From the Foreword by Marilou Hyson

"Preschool teachers and daycare centers concerned with early education receive an excellent survey based on expert insights that provide a variety of projects and activities to enhance early learning in all curriculum areas. This is a workbook of ideas pairing benchmark standards to realistic activities."

Library Bookwatch, February 2007

Other Titles in: Teaching Methods & Learning Styles | Learning Styles | Elementary Teaching Methods

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