Discover new, practical methods for teaching literacy skills in your early childhood classroom. Has teaching early literacy skills become a stumbling block to getting your preschool students kindergarten ready? Break out of the tired “letter of the week” routine and learn how to transform your lessons with fun and effective techniques. Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers will equip teachers to infuse every aspect of their teaching with exciting hands-on literacy teaching methods that engage students and help them build authentic connections with books, so that 100% of their students will have a strong literacy foundation and will be fully prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond. Respected author Vanessa Levin, veteran early childhood educator and author of the “Pre-K Pages” blog, breaks down the research and translates it into realistic, actionable steps you can take to improve your teaching. Features specific examples of teaching techniques and activities that engage students in hands-on, experiential learning during circle time, centers, and small groups. Offers a simple, four-step system for teaching literacy skills, based on the foundational principles of early literacy teaching Demonstrates how to build your confidence in your ability to get 100% of your students ready for kindergarten, long before the end of the school year Understand the problems with traditional literacy teaching and identify gaps in your current teaching practice with this valuable resource.

The Creative Curriculum comes alive! This videotape-winner of the 1989 Silver Apple Award at the National Educational Film and Video Festival-demonstrates how teachers set the stage for learning by creating a dynamic well-organized environment. It shows children involved in seven of the interest areas in the The Creative Curriculum and explains how they learn in each area. Everyone conducts in-service training workshops for staff and parents or who teaches early childhood education courses will find the video an indispensable tool for explainin appropriate practice.

Play is an important vehicle for learning in the early years. With intentional planning frameworks, this resource provides teachers with tools and strategies to organize and develop curriculum around high-level, purposeful play. Practical application techniques help teachers create a cycle of planning and observation as they use a play-based curriculum to help young children thrive in the classroom. Gaye Gronlund is an early childhood education consultant who trains early childhood educators across the country. She is the author of six books.

How can inclusive early educators plan and deliver challenging instructions to help all young learners succeed in kindergarten? This guide has authoritative answers from some of today's most renowned names in early childhood education. Presenting the Children's School Success+ (CSS+) framework, for building a UDL-based plan for inclusive preschool instruction, this book is a powerful tool for using your existing curriculum to address each child's unique learning needs. Through practical, evidence-based strategies and guidelines, you'll discover how to equalize access to curriculum cotent while giving learners multiple ways to access and possess new knowledge. Keep this resource at your finertips to guide your curriculum and instruction, so all young children have the skills they need to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. Learn how to: identify a developmentally appropriate scope and sequence for your students' learning bjectives; ensure a coherent, engaging curriculum that continuously builds on the knowledge and skills your students acquire; develop UDL-based activity plans that support every child's learning; use differentiation and individualization strategies for students who need extra supports; select and implement successful progress monitoring strategies; improve your teaching through a continuous loop of planning instruction, and monitoring; and engage in partnership with families to support their chidlren's success. You'll get a wealth of downloadable online resources for implementing the framework, plus specific tips and strategies on addressig key topics such as behaviour, classroom organization, and collaboration with families. You'll also see the framework in action, with recurring vignettes in diverse early childhood settings, including a public preschool, a Head Start classroom, and an early childhood special educaiton classroom.

The second edition of Early Childhood Curriculum provides a comprehensive and lively introduction to curriculum theories, approaches and issues in early childhood settings. Drawing on contemporary research and case studies, the book employs a cultural-historical framework to illustrate a variety of approaches to early childhood education. In this new edition there is an up-to-date coverage of national curriculum documents, including the Early Years Framework and Te Whariki, a glossary of key terms and learning intentions at the beginning of each chapter. There is also an updated companion website at www.cambridge.edu.au/academic/earlychildhood. In each chapter, hypothetical transcripts and real-world examples help bring theory to life. The book explores specific domain areas, including science and mathematics; literacy and language; information and communication technology; the arts; and health and well-being. Early Childhood Curriculum equips pre-service teachers with the practical skills and tools to promote young children's learning. It is an essential resource for pre-service teachers and practitioners alike.

Now in its third edition, this classic text remains the seminal resource for in-depth information about major concepts and principles of the cultural-historical theory developed by Lev Vygotsky, his students, and colleagues, as well as three generations of neo-Vygotskian scholars in Russia and the West. Featuring two new chapters on brain development and scaffolding in the zone of proximal development, as well as additional content on technology, dual language learners, and students with disabilities, this new edition provides the latest research evidence supporting the basics of the cultural-historical approach alongside Vygotskian-based practical implications. With concrete explanations and strategies on how to scaffold young children’s learning and development, this book is essential reading for students of early childhood theory and development.

Child-centered lesson planning provides a system to strengthen teaching. Great lesson planning helps teachers to choose a range of strategies that match what children are learning and doing-- from directed mini-lessons to facilitated group activities.

Learn how to connect your curriculum planning to children's interests and thinking. With this book, educators will discover a systematic way for using documentation to design curriculum that emerges from children's inquiries, what they wonder, and what they want to understand. Get strategies for designing a classroom environment at the start of the year to facilitate emergent inquiry curriculum. Each chapter guides teachers to document and reflect on their thinking through each of the five phases of a cycle of inquiry process, including observing, interpreting the meaning of the play they see, and developing questions to engage children.