Curriculum for Early Childhood Education

Curriculum for Early Childhood Education :
Graded Project: Curriculum Development
Lesson 5 Overview
Implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum requires early
childhood teachers to understand the elements of a sound classroom
schedule and developmentally appropriate activities that successfully
engage students in each of the developmental domains.
For this project, you’ll create a weekly thematic lesson plan and a short
reflection on your curricular choices.
5.1 Create a daily classroom schedule using
developmentally appropriate activities
ECE215 Graded Project Instructions
READING ASSIGNMENT
Your project must be submitted as a Word document (.docx, .doc). Your project
will be individually graded by your instructor and therefore may take up to five to
seven days to grade. Be sure that each of your files contains the following
information:
Your name
Your student ID number
The exam number
Your email address
To submit your graded project, follow these steps:
Log in to your student portal.
Click on Take Exam next to the lesson you’re working on.
Find the exam number for your project at the top of the Project Upload
page.
Follow the instructions provided to complete your exam.
Be sure to keep a backup copy of any files you submit to the school.
Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum in Action
For this project, you’ll create a weekly thematic lesson plan and a short
reflection on your curricular choices.
Step 1: Choose an Age Group
First, you must decide on an age group for your project. Keep in mind
that you’ll be basing your entire weekly lesson plan around this age
group and a selected topic of study. Acceptable age groups for this
project are
Infants (6 weeks to 17 months)
Toddlers (18–35 months)
Preschoolers (3–5 years)
Step 2: Develop a Weekly Thematic Lesson Plan
You’ll create a weekly lesson plan by selecting a topic of study that you’ll
address in all of the developmental domains and areas of the lesson
plan. This topic should be connected in all areas of the lesson plan
throughout the week. Examples of topics of study include community helpers, transportation, dinosaurs, Diary of a Worm theme, or All About
Me. You should focus on developing activities that will be incorporated
into the various learning centers within the classroom during free play.
Keep in mind that these activities are self-selected and child-driven
rather than teacher-directed activities. No worksheets or coloring pages
should be included.
Choose the appropriate lesson plan template for the selected age group
from the ECE215 Curriculum for Early Childhood Education Resources
on the Early Childhood College Programs and Courses Learning
Resources Center (pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/earlychildhoodcenter/colleg
e) . There is one template for Infants and Toddlers and one template for
Preschoolers.
Step 3: Essay
Paragraph 1: Begin your essay with an introduction that identifies the
selected age group and topic of study for the developed weekly lesson
plan. Clearly identify the purpose of a developmentally appropriate
weekly lesson plan; details will be discussed in the subsequent
paragraphs. This paragraph will include 4 to 6 fully developed
sentences.
Paragraph 2: In this paragraph explain the rationale for creating a
detailed weekly lesson plan. Utilize the information covered in your
course textbook, study unit, and any outside research you have
independently conducted to support your rationale. NAEYC (www.naeyc
.org/) is a valuable resource for this type of information. This paragraph will include 4 to 6 fully developed sentences.
Paragraph 3: In this paragraph, research developmentally appropriate
lesson planning and connect the DAP guidelines to your weekly lesson
plan. Identify how all activities included within your lesson plan meet
best practices and are appropriate for the selected age group.
Again, NAEYC (www.naeyc.org/) is a good resource for this type of
information, especially the DAP Position Statement (www.naeyc.org/site
s/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-state
ments/PSDAP.pdf) . This paragraph will include 4 to 6 fully developed
sentences.
Paragraph 4: When developing the weekly lesson plan, it was noted
that worksheets and coloring pages could not be included. In this
paragraph, research and discuss why worksheets and coloring pages
are not considered developmentally appropriate. This paragraph will
include 4 to 6 fully developed sentences.
Paragraph 5: While developing your weekly lesson plan, it was
important to consider that the majority of the activities planned should be
provided to children during free play. In this paragraph, research and
discuss the importance of providing self-selected, child-driven activities
during free play rather than teacher-directed activities. This paragraph
will include 4 to 6 fully developed sentences.
Paragraph 6: In your final paragraph, summarize what you have learned
through the completion of this project. How will you apply this
information to your current or future work in the early childhood field?
This paragraph will include 4 to 6 fully developed sentences.
Writing Guidelines
1. Type your submission, double-spaced, in a standard print font, size
11 or 12, depending on font type. Use a standard document format
with one-inch margins. (Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial are
recommended fonts.)
2. Include a Title Page in APA format that includes your full name, the
name and number of this assignment, the name and number of this
course, the name of the school, and the date of submission. Refer
to the Sample APA Title Page on the Early Childhood College
Programs and Courses Learning Resource Center (pflibrary.pennfo
ster.edu/earlychildhoodcenter/college) .
3. Read the assignment carefully, and include all of the necessary
information. Be sure to cite all of the websites and articles you use
in both part one and part two of the assignment.
4. Include in-text citations in your essay and a References page; use
APA format for both.
5. You’re encouraged to access and review the course resources
available on the Early Childhood College Programs and Courses
Learning Resource Center (pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/earlychildhood
center/college) for additional guidance on completing this
assignment.