Emergent Curriculum and Kindergarten Readiness

Abstract

This article describes the curriculum activities in one child-centered, developmentally appropriate child care facility preschool classroom. In particular, it explains how activities are selected according to children's needs, interests, and abilities, and how the activities address the core competencies mandated by the public school system in kindergarten. This emergent or "grassroots" curriculum (Cassidy & Lancaster, 1993; Cassidy & Myers, 1987) is based on specific observations made of individual and small groups of preschool children. Teachers in this classroom of 3-to 5-year-olds use daily planning to respond to observed behaviors, and then facilitate learning and development for each individual child. Since this child care facility is located in the state of North Carolina, the authors delineate which competencies from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Kindergarten (North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction) are addressed through the activities.

Influence of plant on distribution of an endangered butterfly, Leptalina unicolor (Bremer & Grey, 1853), in restored riverside areas along the Geum River

“…Emergent plants are known to be appropriate refuges for avoiding predators as well as food sources for butterflies such as L. unicolor (Gilbert 1980, Cassidy et al 2003. The plant habitat of L. unicolor is determined by the shape and structure of the plant species.…”

Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program Team: Perspectives from the Principal

“…However, as a whole, the FDK students developed number knowledge at an earlier rate and initiated more complex and meaningful drawings (Pelletier, 2012) Change in Curriculum The FDK Program uses an emergent, child centered, inquiry-based pedagogical approach for the purpose of meeting the social, emotional and academic needs of the child. Emergent curriculum reflects the students' interests, core competencies and abilities (Cassidy, Mims, Rucker & Boone, 2003). Teachers develop the classroom program based on their observations of the children (Cassidy, Hestenes & Smith, 2004).…”

Okulun Hazır Oluşu Üzerine Nitel Bir İnceleme (Öğretmen Görüşlerine Göre Durum Tespiti)

“…Bu bağlamda okula uyum ve akademik başarı açısından çocuğun yaşadığı sorunların, sadece çocuğun bireysel özellikleri ile açıklanması mümkün görülmemektedir. Okulun fiziksel yapısı, okulda uygulanan programın ve öğretim stratejilerinin esnekliği, öğretmenlerin nitelikleri gibi konular, çocuğun okula hazır olma durumuna bakılmaksızın, çocuğun okula uyumu ve akademik başarısı için başat belirleyicidir (Cassidy, Mims, Rucker & Boone, 2003). Örneğin, Snow, Burns ve Griffin'e (1998) göre okuma becerisinin ediniminde karşılaşılan bir sorunun, planlama eksikliği, nitelikli öğretmen eksikliği, kaynakların verimli kullanılmaması gibi okul odaklı sorunlardan kaynaklanma ihtimali daha yüksektir.…”