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.