Lesson 10: Children Age K-3 “These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten): 1. Share everything. — Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
Teaching
There is a lot of reading content to cover this week; therefore I will be brief in my notes. It is your responsibility to read the chapters. The following information on DAP is retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/dap/kindergarteners and http://www.naeyc.org/dap/primary DAP with Kindergartners, Ages 5-66 Kindergarten is a time of change, challenge, and opportunity. In many ways, kindergartners are still like preschoolers. Yet with the increasing focus on school readiness, many kindergarten classrooms unfortunately bow to pressures and begin to look more like a primary classroom than a kindergarten.
This growth affects development across physical, social and emotional, cognitive, and language domains. Kindergarten can shape a child’s overall outlook on and engagement in lifelong learning. Teaching Kindergartners Teachers must balance kindergartners’ varying abilities and needs while making sure that the curriculum fits appropriately between preschool and first grade. Let’s see what DAP in kindergarten looks like: Mrs. K sits with Keira, going over letter-sound correspondence. Then she goes to the block area to help Shelley. Mrs. K doesn’t make pronouncements; instead, she respectfully waits for the right moment to build on children’s existing conversations. She listens attentively and understands where, when, and how to intervene. She joins in the children’s play, modeling positive behavior. Her contributions are subtle, playful, and full of teaching. Kindergarten teachers must fully engage in the social world of the classroom and be intentional in their interactions and instruction. With the many differences among—and wide age range of—kindergartners, teachers should be responsive to developmental, individual, and cultural variation. Thoughtful, sensitive teaching promotes a joy of learning and prepares children for further academic challenges. DAP in the Early Primary Grades, Ages 6-8 Best practices in first, second, and third grades involve balancing children’s need for focused instruction with their need to build on what they already know. Primary grade children benefit from concrete hands-on experiences. They need to see and make connections, especially across subjects. An integrated curriculum not only fosters connections between concepts and areas of learning but also makes learning fun. Let’s see what DAP in the early primary grades looks like: The first graders sit in a circle, squeamishly watching their teacher pick up a Madagascar hissing cockroach. Katrina explains that the class will be hosting the new pet for several weeks. She takes the insect around, giving each child a chance to have a good look. “OK, what questions do we have?” Katrina asks. “One at a time so I can write them down. Maybe we can find the answers to all our questions if we study our new pet.”” The children have a lot of questions and over the next few days, as they observe the insect, come up with even more. Intrigued, the class eagerly undertakes the new research project. It’s good practice for early grade teachers to set aside time blocks for specific skill and concept study. Having time to focus helps children learn. Teachers know the children are eager for and need
Given the time to apply what they’ve learned, children make gains in every domain—from language to science to emotional development. Assessment Lesson 10 Assignment
You may format your information any way you choose. You may write a comparison/contrast paper, create a list or graphic organizer, or another organizational strategy of your choice. Make sure you identify the similarities and differences in the environments, developmental levels, and academics demands for each (early childhood programs and kindergarten/primary level classrooms).
Lesson 10 Discussion
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