Course Description
This course provides an overview of current practices related to curriculum, instruction and assessments of and for young children ages 3-6. Candidates will also enhance their knowledge related to classroom environments as well as the relationship between appropriate classroom management strategies, adult-child interactions and children’s social and behavioral skills.
Candidates will become familiar with NAEYC’s Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation, Connecticut’s Common Core of Teaching, and the Connecticut Framework: Preschool Curricular Goals and Benchmarks.
Prerequisite
- Acceptance into the program.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Design and discuss developmentally appropriate learning experiences for preschoolers and kindergartners that include all content areas (music, language/literacy, science, art, movement, numeracy) and that are aligned with the CT Common Core for Kindergarten literacy and mathematics.
- Applying the standards of Universal Design to analyze a preschool or kindergarten classroom to determine whether or not it is effective and conducive to learning for all children including those who have disabilities and/or those who are dual language learners.
- Discuss the processes of how preschoolers and kindergarteners most effectively learn through interactions with their environment and caregivers.
- Apply preschool/kindergarten learning theories to the curriculum cycle including engaging and supportive interactions.
- Design and discuss instructional strategies for supporting children who have special needs and/or those children who are dual language learners.
- Design and discuss strategies for engaging parents in a reciprocal relationship with the teacher, classroom, center and/or school.
- Discuss appropriate and effective classroom management techniques for preschoolers/kindergartners.
- Discuss appropriate and effective uses of technology in the preschool/kindergarten classroom.
Course Activities and Grading
Assignment(s) | Weight |
Discussions (11 @ 18pts each) | 32% |
Developmentally Appropriate Practices and Principles (Week 3) | 10% |
Universal Design Paper (Week 5) | 13% |
Investigations Curriculum Project Unit | 35% |
Family Engagement Plan | 10% |
Total | 100% |
Required Text(s)
- Bredekamp, Sue. Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation. 3rd ed. Pearson Education, Inc. 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-395670-2
Additional Resources
Journal articles, online materials, etc. maybe required on a weekly basis. They will be posted in Blackboard.
Course Schedule
Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignment(s) |
1 | 3 | Early Childhood, the Profession
|
|
2 | 1,3,4,5 | Developmentally appropriate principles and practices
|
|
| 3 | 3 | The Children
|
|
4 | 2,3,5,7 | Creating a caring learning communtiy
|
|
5 | 1,4,5 | Curriculum cycle
|
|
| 6 | 2,4,5 | Impact of cultural diversity and inclusion on intentional and explicit instruction
|
|
| 7 | 1,4,5,8 | A Triad of State Initiatives
|
|
| 8 | 1 | Language, literacy and creative expression
|
|
| 9 | 1,2,3 | Physical development, health and safety
|
|
| 10 | 1,3,4,5,8 | Cognitive development including math and science
|
|
| 11 | 1,3,4,5,7 | Social and emotional development, social studies and classroom management
|
|
| 12 | 1-8 | Putting it altogether for children and families
|
|
Current as of: October 27, 2017
COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.