Chapter 5: Individualized Language Interventions within a Collaborative School/Family Partnership -- Benefits of Early Intervention -- Research-Based Early Language Interventions -- Research to Practice -- Summary -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6: Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Early Math: Setting the Stage for Implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics -- A Model of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Early Mathematics -- Early Childhood Teachers' PCK in Early Mathematics -- Developing Teachers' PCK in Early Math for CCSSM Implementation -- References -- Appendix -- Index.

This comprehensive resource provides ready-to-use tools to lead educators through the design, implementation, and evaluation of a high-quality, standards-based curriculum that significantly and positively impacts student learning.

Now in its second edition, Nature and Young Children promotes the holistic development of children by connecting them with nature. It offers advice and guidance on how to set up indoor and outdoor nature play spaces as well as encouraging environmentally responsible attitudes, values and behaviour in your early childhood setting. Covering topics as diverse as gardening with young children, creating an accessible nature program for children with special needs and addressing cultural differences in connecting children with nature, this book reveals how important nature play can be in the development of young children. This user-friendly book offers guidance on alternative settings for nature-focused programs international approaches to nature play in early childhood the role of the adult in outdoor learning using nature play for cross-curricular learning integrating nature education and peace education health and safety. This highly accessible book will provide all early years practitioners, teachers and students on early childhood courses with a wealth of ideas on how to foster creative play and learning in nature-focused environments while also promoting positive connections with nature.

Virtually every national standards document, every state framework, and every local set of standards calls for fundamental changes in what and how teachers teach. The challenge for teachers is to implement the vision for mathematics and science classrooms called for in the standards. This issue describes that vision and suggests ways to use the standards mandated in your school to improve your practice--to help you teach in your standards-based classroom.

Implementing the National Dance Education Standards presents a wealth of tools that help you apply the standards in a way that makes dance education come alive for your students. The standards-updated from the original seven standards created by the National Dance Association in 1994-are more action oriented and outcomes based than the original set, and they present new benchmarks for four grade-level groups and expert guidance in implementing the standards. Implementing the National Dance Education Standards Will Help you develop a curriculum that engages students in developmentally appropriate learning experiences and makes dance fun and exciting for every student.

More and more teachers of young children are being asked to develop their curriculum according to standards. This essential resource will guide educators as they grapple with a plethora of issues, questions, and practices surrounding the use of standards in the early childhood classroom. Carol Seefeldt, well-known educator and bestselling author, offers teachers an overview of the standards movement; describes the status of standards in early education; presents the issues around the design and selection of standards; and provides practical strategies for effectively implementing standards with young children (preschool through the early primary grades). This book provides both the background knowledge and a working understanding of standards to help teachers: successfully judge and select standards; design appropriate ways of using and working with standards; and develop appropriate assessment strategies. Illustrated with children's work, this "how-to" guide: provides practical illustrations of how standards can be used to benefit early childhood classrooms, including many sample activities; demonstrates how to work with standards in the separate subject areas of the sciences, arts, language and literacy, mathematics, and social studies; offers ideas for including all children, such as those with special needs and those just learning English; and describes a project, Children Study Their Play Yard, illustrating how thematic, standards-based, problem-solving learning can be integrated into the total curriculum.

This book describes in detail how educators can apply curriculum standards, performance standards and opportunity standards to improve education of special learners. It provides practical examples which show you how to develop and implement standards-based IEPs, use curriculum standards and benchmarks to develop long term plans, develop performance tasks for students with disabilities, and develop curriculum units for students with disabilities. This book shows you that students with disabilities can profit from and be involved with the types of standards currently used with other students.

The general public often views early childhood education as either simply “babysitting” or as preparation for later learning. Of course, both viewpoints are simplistic. Deep understanding of child development, best educational practices based on development, emergent curriculum, cultural competence and applications of family systems are necessary for high-quality early education. Highly effective early childhood education is rare in that it requires collaboration and transitions among a variety of systems for children from birth through eight years of age. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Contemporary Early Childhood Education presents in three comprehensive volumes advanced research, accurate practical applications of research, historical foundations and key facts from the field of contemporary early childhood education. Through approximately 425 entries, this work includes all areas of child development – physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, aesthetic – as well as comprehensive review of best educational practices with young children, effective preparation for early childhood professionals and policy making practices, and addresses such questions as: · How is the field of early childhood education defined? · What are the roots of this field of study? · How is the history of early childhood education similar to yet different from the study of public education? · What are the major influences on understandings of best practices in early childhood education?