Science and Engineering in Preschool Through Elementary Grades: The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators

Science and Engineering in Preschool Through Elementary Grades: The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators

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  • Author: National Academies Of Sciences Engineeri
  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 9780309684170
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages :

Starting in early childhood, children are capable of learning sophisticated science and engineering concepts and engage in disciplinary practices. They are deeply curious about the world around them and eager to investigate the many questions they have about their environment. Educators can develop learning environments that support the development and demonstration of proficiencies in science and engineering, including making connections across the contexts of learning, which can help children see their ideas, interests, and practices as meaningful not just for school, but also in their lives. Unfortunately, in many preschool and elementary schools science gets relatively little attention compared to English language arts and mathematics. In addition, many early childhood and elementary teachers do not have extensive grounding in science and engineering content. Science and Engineering in Preschool through Elementary Grades provides evidence-based guidance on effective approaches to preschool through elementary science and engineering instruction that supports the success of all students. This report evaluates the state of the evidence on learning experiences prior to school; promising instructional approaches and what is needed for implementation to include teacher professional development, curriculum, and instructional materials; and the policies and practices at all levels that constrain or facilitate efforts to enhance preschool through elementary science and engineering. Building a solid foundation in science and engineering in the elementary grades sets the stage for later success, both by sustaining and enhancing students' natural enthusiasm for science and engineering and by establishing the knowledge and skills they need to approach the more challenging topics introduced in later grades. Through evidence-based guidance on effective approaches to preschool through elementary science and engineering instruction, this report will help teachers to support the success of all students.


Dancing in Your School

Dancing in Your School

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  • Author: Anne Dunkin
  • Publisher: Dance Horizons
  • ISBN: 9780871272850
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

The more than 70 dance activities included in this handbook give educators the tools to use dance in their classrooms, gyms, and playgrounds. Combining theory with practice, this introduction to dance history and terminology provides a foundation for the lesson plans tailored for physical education, kinesthetic learning, and arts education contexts. Although complete on their own, each lesson plan can be customized to fit into any curriculum. Appendices on equipment and dance-education networking resources are included, along with a specialized index categorized into age-appropriate dance activities, sample lesson plans, and group dances.


Teach Smarter

Teach Smarter

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  • Author: Vanessa J. Levin
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  • ISBN: 111969888X
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 192

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.


Educating Hearts and Minds

Educating Hearts and Minds

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  • Author: Catherine C. Lewis
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  • ISBN: 9780521458320
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 266

How do children become eager, motivated learners and caring, responsible citizens? Educating Hearts and Minds, first published in 1995, is a portrait of Japanese preschool and early elementary education which examines these questions. Its thesis - which will surprise many Americans - is that Japanese schools are successful because they meet children's needs for friendship, belonging, and contribution. This book brings to life what actually happens inside Japanese classrooms. What do children learn? How do they learn? What values are emphasised, and how are they taught? In a sharp departure from most previous accounts, this book suggests that Japanese education succeeds because all children - not just the brightest or best-behaved - somehow come to feel like valued members of the school community. Ironically, Japanese teachers credit John Dewey and other progressive Western educators for many of the techniques that make Japanese schools both caring and challenging. This book brings to a wider readership the voices of Japanese classroom teachers - voices that are at once deeply consonant with Western aspirations and deeply provocative.


Music in Childhood: From Preschool through the Elementary Grades

Music in Childhood: From Preschool through the Elementary Grades

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  • Author: Patricia Shehan Campbell
  • Publisher: Cengage Learning
  • ISBN: 9781285160146
  • Category : Music
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

MUSIC IN CHILDHOOD: FROM PRESCHOOL THROUGH THE ELEMENTARY GRADES presents contemporary theories and practices of music education, including strategies for developing pitch, vocal, rhythmic, instrumental, listening, movement, and creative responses in children. The text uses practical strategies, imaginative scenarios, and comprehensive examples from worldwide musical resources, helping to inspire the best possible teaching methods. Numerous lesson plans and educational materials, review questions, critical-thinking questions, projects, and references are found throughout the text to prepare students for their teaching career. In addition, new video segments show students in actual classroom settings, providing them with real-life examples of how key concepts are utilized in class. The text combines research and practical knowledge to give students an effective overview of teaching music in a classroom setting. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.


I Compagni

I Compagni

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  • Author: William A. Corsaro
  • Publisher: Teachers College Press
  • ISBN: 9780807746189
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 224

Tells a complete story about the lives of children as they grow from young preschoolers to preadolescents in Modena, Italy. The authors both explore and participate in the rich, complex history and development of the Italian early education system.


Implementing Positive Behavior Support Systems in Early Childhood and Elementary Settings

Implementing Positive Behavior Support Systems in Early Childhood and Elementary Settings

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  • Author: Melissa Stormont
  • Publisher: Corwin Press
  • ISBN: 1412940559
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 305

Presents the Programwide/Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support system, a preventive approach that helps educators teach classroom behavior skills.


The Most Important Year

The Most Important Year

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  • Author: Suzanne Bouffard
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • ISBN: 0399184945
  • Category : Social Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 274

An eye-opening look inside pre-K in America and what it will take to give all children the best start in school possible. At the heart of this groundbreaking book are two urgent questions: What do our young children need in the earliest years of school, and how do we ensure that they all get it? Cutting-edge research has proven that early childhood education is crucial for all children to gain the academic and emotional skills they need to succeed later in life. Children who attend quality pre-K programs have a host of positive outcomes including better language, literacy, problem-solving and math skills down the line, and they have a leg up on what appears to be the most essential skill to develop at age four: strong self-control. But even with this overwhelming evidence, early childhood education is at a crossroads in America. We know that children can and do benefit, but we also know that too many of our littlest learners don’t get that chance—millions of parents can’t find spots for their children, or their preschoolers end up in poor quality programs. With engrossing storytelling, journalist Suzanne Bouffard takes us inside some of the country’s best pre-K classrooms to reveal the sometimes surprising ingredients that make them work—and to understand why some programs are doing the opposite of what is best for children. It also chronicles the stories of families and teachers from many backgrounds as they struggle to give their children a good start in school. This book is a call to arms when we are at a crucial moment, and perhaps on the verge of a missed opportunity: We now have the means and the will to have universal pre-kindergarten, but we are also in grave danger of not getting it right.


Approaches to Early Childhood and Elementary Education

Approaches to Early Childhood and Elementary Education

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  • Author: Francis Wardle
  • Publisher:
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Child development
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 480

This book covers a vast range of different philosophical and practical approaches to early education, from Free/Open schools and Waldorf education, to the Core Curriculum and the learning standards approach of the U.S. federal No Child Left Behind Act. By the early years it is meant the ages from infancy through the end of elementary school. While some of the approaches, such as Montessori and Reggio Emilia, are best known for the pre-school years, and the standards approach is best know for American K-12 education, there is more and more overlap and merging across early childhood and elementary education approaches, world-wide. All the approaches covered in this text can be seen in programs from infancy through the end of elementary school, even if each may focus on a certain age within this time frame. We are seeing major changes in infant, pre-kindergarten and elementary school education approaches, world-wide. These changes are the result of several major factors, including the extensive and powerful new brain research; globalisation of markets, ideas, and the Internet; rapid demographic shifts in many developed countries, and a move to more universal education in developing countries and more universal pre-school programs in developed countries. Thus, the focus of this book in describing a variety of current education approaches, with a detailed description of their historical and philosophical foundations and their current practice is very timely.


English Learners in STEM Subjects

English Learners in STEM Subjects

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  • Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 0309479088
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 345

The imperative that all students, including English learners (ELs), achieve high academic standards and have opportunities to participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning has become even more urgent and complex given shifts in science and mathematics standards. As a group, these students are underrepresented in STEM fields in college and in the workforce at a time when the demand for workers and professionals in STEM fields is unmet and increasing. However, English learners bring a wealth of resources to STEM learning, including knowledge and interest in STEM-related content that is born out of their experiences in their homes and communities, home languages, variation in discourse practices, and, in some cases, experiences with schooling in other countries. English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives examines the research on ELs' learning, teaching, and assessment in STEM subjects and provides guidance on how to improve learning outcomes in STEM for these students. This report considers the complex social and academic use of language delineated in the new mathematics and science standards, the diversity of the population of ELs, and the integration of English as a second language instruction with core instructional programs in STEM.