Reaching Standards And Beyond In Kindergarten

Focusing on research-based, developmentally appropriate practices, this book shows teachers how to help young children reach standards through creative play activities that ignite their enthusiasm to learn.

An encyclopedic how-to guide for the universal early childhood program problems. Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem attempts to provide solutions to every possible problem faced by early childhood teachers—before teachers encounter them. This classic resource has been updated to focus on current issues faced by educators, including teaching twenty-first century life skills, technology, and cultural responsiveness. This easy-to-use guide gives you quick practical help, now! Educators will save time and energy with over eight hundred solutions to two hundred problems, including: Daily dilemmas and classroom issues Partnering with families to raise happy children Dealing with problematic behaviors from co-workers Learning to take care of yourself to prevent burn-out Steffen Saifer, EdD, a former early childhood teacher and Head Start director and trainer, is currently an international consultant and writer based in Spain. He has worked on projects for the Open Society Foundation, The World Bank, and UNICEF, in many countries including Bangladesh, Russia, and Zimbabwe. Dr. Saifer works with programs on culturally responsive curriculum development and implementation and with universities to develop graduate programs for ECD teachers, administrators, and leaders. When in the United States, Saifer resides in Portland, Oregon

Today's teachers and providers are often challenged by and concerned about the expectations in their states' early learning standards. How appropriate are standards for young children? How do they correlate with existing expectations and curricula? How inclusive are standards for second language learners and those with disabilities and developmental delays? In Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards, authors Gera Jacobs and Kathy Crowley tackle these questions-and more-head-on. They provide readers with plenty of lively, creative ideas to develop children's genuine curiosity while building essential skills for all children to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. With 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 early academic development in all curriculum areas. Each chapter offers: "What Research and the Experts Tell Us" snapshots and applications of the research in practice, "Try This" activity ideas that engage children and address 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 and childcare professionals the confidence and ability to connect the experiences that make preschool so enjoyable with the potential for learning that makes preschool so valuable. Book jacket.

This new edition of Joyful Learning not only demonstrates how to link student-centered theory and practice in the preschool and kindergarten classroom, but also provides a detailed index and new routines, activities, and strategies.

Todays kindergarten teachers face enormous challenges to reach district-mandated academic standards. This book presents a model for 21st-century kindergartens that is rooted in child-centered learning and also shaped by the needs and goals of the present day. Classroom teachers working with diverse populations of students and focusing on issues of social justice provide vivid descriptions of classroom life across urban and rural communities. Teacher reflections and commentary from the editors link teacher decisions to principles of good practice. Teaching Kindergarten illustrates how a progressive, learning-centered approach can not only meet the equity and accountability goals of the Common Core State Standards but go well beyond that to educate the whole child.

Packed with important information for today's parents and professionals, this new edition of a groundbreaking work presents the latest research on how visually impaired children learn and develop at different ages and in the various developmental domains: sensory development, communication, movement, manipulation, and comprehension. Clear, practical, and reassuring, and full of suggested activities, this book provides a guide to teaching young visually impaired children the important life skills they need to know--skills that other children may learn simply by observation and imitation--and preparing them to enter school ready to learn with their peers. From early intervention services to the full range of educational placements, Reach Out and Teach is the ultimate guide to helping a visually impaired child learn and grow.

The foundation for success in learning to read and write begins in infancy. As early childhood professionals, we have both the opportunity and the privilege to shape the progress young children make in acquiring the literacy skills, oral language skills, and background knowledge vital to their later success in learning to read and write. By engaging infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in experiences that foster oral language and content knowledge, literacy skills, and cognitive ability, we build a foundation for children's later academic success. Promoting children's desire to read and write is as important as helping children develop the necessary understandings and skills essential for learning how to read and write. Without motivation, children will read and write relatively little and only what and when they must. This book addresses four main points: What children need to learn in these early years The strategies that teachers can use to help children acquire these foundations The features of emergent literacy and language understandings and skills How to design the physical environment in early childhood classrooms to support language and literacy learning This revision updates information, cites new research, and includes new figures. The newest edition of this bestselling book will help early childhood professionals and families support young children in acquiring the understandings, knowledge, and skills needed for later success in learning to read and write.