Pam Schiller - The Instant Curriculum, Revised: Over 750 Developmentally Appropriate Learning Activities for Busy Teachers of Young Children

Contents THE INSTANT CURRICULUM Over 750 Developmentally Appropriate Learning Activities for Busy Teachers of Young Children Dedication To our friend, colleague, and teacher, Jan Smith. You are an inspiration always. The field of early childhood bears your footsteps. And to our children and grandchildren: Richele Bartkowiak and Tiffany Markle Austin Markle, Gabrielle and Madison Britt, and Evan Bartkowiak Kate Wright, Doug Townsend, and David Townsend Lee, Blair, and Georgia Wright Austin, Blake, and Cara Townsend Adam and Matthew Rossano May your lives be filled with the wonder of wonder! P.S. and J.R. Copyright 2005 Pam Schiller and Joan Rossano Printed in the United States of America.

Published by Gryphon House, Inc. P.O. Box 207, Beltsville, MD 20704 301.595.9500; 301.595.0051 (fax); 800.638.0928 (toll-free) Visit us on the web at www.gryphonhouse.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Reprinted June 2009 Illustrations by Deborah C. Wright and Kathleen Kerr Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schiller, Pamela Byrne.

The instant curriculum revised : over 700 developmentally appropriate learning activities for busy teachers of young children / Pam Schiller andJoan Rossano ; illustrations by Deborah Wright. p. cm. Includes index. Summary: Resource book for teachers in early childhood education, providing over 750 activities to use in the classroom--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-0-87659-002-7 1.

Early childhood education--Activity programs. 2. Curriculum planning. 3. Child development. I.

Rossano, Joan. II. Title. LB1139.35.A37S36 2005 372.19--dc22 2005001905 Bulk Purchase Gryphon House books are available for special premiums and sales promotions as well as for fundraising use. Special editions or book excerpts also can be created to specification. For details, contact the Director of Marketing at Gryphon House.

Disclaimer Gryphon House, Inc. and the authors cannot be held responsible for damage, mishap, or injury incurred during the use of or because of activities in this book. Appropriate and reasonable caution and adult supervision of children involved in activities and corresponding to the age and capability of each child involved, is recommended at all times. Do not leave children unattended at any time. Observe safety and caution at all times. Every effort has been made to locate copyright and permission information.

Introduction This book was written to serve as a resource for teachers of comprehensive early childhood programs. The title, The Instant Curriculum, Revised, denotes activities and a commitment to reducing both the amount of time teachers spend preparing and the amount of money they spend purchasing special supplies. Each chapter represents a primary domain included in a comprehensive early childhood curriculum. The chapters begin with an overview, which provides the basic philosophy behind that particular curriculum area. The activities are designed to encourage the development of skills and to provide practice with specific concepts. Underlying the structure of this book is the basic belief that children should be actively involved in the learning process and that learning experiences are connected to each other.

The most crucial role of the early childhood teacher is to help children develop the skills they need to become lifelong learners. Themes provide a springboard for creativity when planning curriculum. They also provide a format for children to connect information. But a childs success in school is predicted not by his knowledge of specific facts or by her precocious ability to read so much as by the skills he or she has mastered, such as being able to wait, to listen, and to follow directions; to communicate both feelings and ideas; to think critically; to move with agility, and many others. As accountability in early childhood classrooms continues to increase, the curriculum focus will shift away from themes and toward a focus on the scope and sequence of developmental skills. This books focus on concepts and skills provides a flexible format that allows you to select activities that strengthen a specific skill area for one child or the entire group.

It also allows you to add your own unique spin by customizing the selected activity to match curriculum themes. For example, you could change the Pasting Sets activity (page 157) in the Math chapter from pasting circles and squares to pasting sets of cats and dogs for an animal theme. In the same fashion, the E-I-E-I-O activity (page 106) in Language and Literacy can be used with a farm theme and the Megaphones activity (page 215) in the Science chapter can be used with a music or sound and movement theme. If you use a thematic approach you will find a chart in the appendix (pages 300-319) that provides suggestions for connecting themes to the skills and concepts developed by the activities in The Instant Curriculum, Revised. Many activities will fit within a variety of themes. Most activities can be modified to fit a theme by simply changing the materials to ones that represent the theme.

For example, stuffed animals for an animal themes can be changed to vehicles for a transportation theme. Although each activity is assigned to a specific area, its potential is not limited to that area. In the early childhood classroom, learning is integrated. For example, to develop the concept of four (Math curriculum area), a teacher using an integrated approach will provide opportunities to clap-count the number four (Music and Movement), collect four leaves on a nature walk (Science), or use four colors on a collage (Art). In the early childhood classroom, we have the opportunity to integrate our curriculum in a way that is both meaningful and realistic to children. We are not only able to address the needs of the whole child (cognitive, physical, and social emotional development) in a way that supports the equal value of each area, we are also able to provide activities that honor and respect the many talents and abilities of children.

In the early childhood classroom, Science is Art and Art is Science. Music is Math and Math is Music. We are able to teach many disciplines in an interconnected and natural way. Our classrooms are realistic reflections of the world. Two chapters (Literacy and Language, and Math) are sub-divided into skill areas. In both chapters, activities move in a developmental continuum that, if used in order, allows children to develop an easier skill into a more complex skill.

By using the activities in these chapters as they are presented, you will optimize the learning opportunities for children. In todays climate, early childhood teachers are being held to a new level of accountability, especially in the areas of Literacy and Language and Math. Learning to be purposeful in developing lessons and practice opportunities (learning center support) will help you in meeting these new expectations. The organization of the Literacy and Language and Math chapters will also help you learn to articulate your goals and objectives in a way that will match accountability standards.