Curriculum LeadershipEarly Childhood and Elementary Curricula

Chapter 8

ICL 7001

Fundamentals of Curriculum Development

Dr. Thomas Rogers

December 1, 2010

Presenters

Melinda Hallock, Teacher

Grahamwood Elementary

Janice Lowe, Pre-school Teacher

Head Start

Rebecca H. Scott, Assistant Director

Campus School

Quote• “The early years are transcendentally the

most important, and if this nation wishes ultimately to achieve excellence, we will give greater priority and attention to the early years and start affirming elementary teachers instead of college professors as the centerpiece of learning.”

Ernest L. Boyer, President of the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching

History of Elementary Programs

• Established in the nineteenth century• No knowledge or attention to the individual

differences or stages of human development• Schools were designed to educate upper and

middle class boys• Lower class girls and boys were taught to read

for religious purposes• Horace Mann

Key Characteristic of Elementary Programs

• Self-contained classrooms in which teachers teach all subjects

• Integrated curriculum• Support areas for art, music, physical education and media• Specialized classes for remediation, gifted, and speech

therapy• Extracurricular areas such as band and choir• Team teaching and departmentalization is common in

upper elementary

Importance of Elementary-Level Programs

• Elementary experiences provide the educational foundation as well as allows provisions for individual differences, flexibility and continuity in learning

• Intense influence on children– Individual differences– Sufficient knowledge– Address social changes/forces

Early Childhood Programs

• Are receiving increased attention and support• Educational trend of the future• Public and private ; profit and non – profit • No institutionalized system that guarantees the

same experiences• Inconsistent resources• Head start , follow through , and Pre – K

programs are the most popular public low income programs.

Early Childhood Program Statistics

• In 1965 , 65 % of five year olds attended kindergarten

• In 1991 , 31 % of three year olds and 52 % of four year olds were enrolled in pre – K programs

• In 1996 , the numbers rose to 37 % and 90 %• In 2004 – almost 100% of five year olds attended

Kindergarten• In 2007 , 4 million children attended kindergarten.

Article I: Promoting Altruism in the Classroom

Article By: E. H. Mike Robinson III

and Jennifer R. Curry

Summary

• Altruism is a behavior motivated by concern for others or by internalized values , goals, and self rewards

• Altruism is a form of pro-social behavior and the truest form of caring

• Examples are: sharing, playing cooperatively, empathy

Research on Altruism• Altruistic tendencies are biological• Children learn to be altruistic through social

interactions such as adult role modeling of ideal behaviors and conversations that stimulates cognitive formation and development of altruistic ideas

• Parenting style and social context• Females respond empathically and verbally while

boys offer physical support• *Children have greater response to adults who model

rather than simply make statements in favor of altruism

Creating Classrooms that Care• Increase student awareness of altruism and

greed (literature, media, etc)• Increase volunteer and service learning

opportunities• Increase empathic orientation• Promote internalization of values about

helping • Assist children in identifying their gifts for

helping

Article II: Making Instructional Decisions Based on Data: What, How and Why

Article by:

Kouider Mokhtari

Catherine A Rosemary

Patricia A. Edwards

The Importance of Making Instructional Decisions based on Data

• Professional development data• Classroom data• Reading performance data

Instructional Decision Making• Organize data so members are looking at

different sets.• Select a recorder.• Partners analyze data.• Put all information together• Plan when and how everyone else will

know the data

Instructional Decision Making

• Classroom Data Questions

1. What are some instructional strengths?

2. What aspects of instruction show a need for improvement?

3. What content and strategies are emphasized in the instruction?

4. What content and strategies are not emphasized?

5. How do you explain the patterns you see in the data?

Article III: Implementing a Schoolwide Literacy

Framework to Improve Student Achievement

Article by:

Douglas Fisher

Nancy Frey

Rosa Parks Community School

• 1,500 students• 100% free lunch• 78% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 8% African

American, 3% White or Other• Rosa Parks Community-highest crime area,

poorest, and most in need of health and social services in San Diego

Core Beliefs about Literacy Instruction

• Learning is Social• Conversations are critical for learning• Reading, writing, and oral language instruction

must be integrated.• Learners require a gradual increase in

responsibility.

Assignment

Individual: Highlight the strategies that you use in your classroom.Group: 1. Discuss 3 of the strategies you use with your group and how you use them in your classroom.2. What are 2 strategies that you don’t use that you will implement in your classroom?

Article IV and V: Why is Kindergarten an Endangered Species and Learning to Read in

Kindergarten

Article IV by: Linda H. Plevyak and Kathy Morris

Article V by: Bruce Joyce, Marilyn Hrycauk, and Emily Calhoun

Standardized Testing

A test designed to measure test takers against each others and to used to assess progress in schools. Standardized- Test scores often measure superficial thinking and the decisions can have significant impact on students' lives.

Teachers are feeling pressure and stressed because students are not scoring high enough on standardized test.

Kindergarten

• Pressure on Teachers• Pressure on Parents• Pressure on Students• Retaining student due to poor scores on

standardize tests.

Pre-Schools (Advantage)Early babysitter Services A Fresh Start for learning numbers, shapes,

letters, colors , and simple wordsSocial Skills- learning how to interact with other

childrenDevelop fine and large motor skillsPre-School is a mini- version of kindergartenScore high on a kindergarten readiness test than a

non pre-schooled

Pre-School

If a child does not attend pre-school, daycare, home school or head start they will be left behind. Kindergarten teachers feels that a child should be able to write their name, recognize colors, shapes and alphabets.

Where Do We Go From Here

Teachers need more help, better training, more learning tools for students, supplies and books. More emphasizes should be placed on learning instead of standardized testing. I believe that all students should have access to an quality education.

Article VI: Building a Community in Our Classroom: The Story of Bat

Town, U.S.A.

Article by: Andrea McGann Keech

Summary

• Students at Roosevelt Elementary School in Iowa City, used their knowledge from their town’s past to create a model community for their classroom using various genres of literature and social studies themes

• Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran• Must haves for successful classroom

communities: Foundation, Atmosphere, Design, and Environment

Resources for Elementary Schools

• The First Six Weeks of SchoolPaula Denton and Roxann Kriete

• Responsive Classroom• Quantum Learning Foundations• http://www.teachingstrategies.com/

content/pageDocs/BPC_Ch2.pdf • Roxaboxen by Alice Mc Lerrran’s