The Early Childhood Curriculum

by Suzanne L. Krogh, Pamela Morehouse

Now in a fully updated third edition, The Early Childhood Curriculum demonstrates how to confidently teach using inquiry-based methods that address the whole child while also meeting and exceeding academic standards. Based on current research showing the powerful advantages of integrating the curriculum while providing inquiry opportunities, this text explores how to make such an approach work for all children, preschool through the primary grades. Since each curricular subject has its own integrity, there is a chapter for each discipline, grounding the reader in the essentials of the subject in order to foster knowledgeable and effective integration. Filled with real-life vignettes and activities, this third edition provides comprehensive information on the most recent trends in national curriculum standards and classroom technology, alongside a new section exploring the outdoors as a welcome learning environment. Offering a foundation in early childhood theory, philosophy, research, and development, this unique textbook helps future teachers, as well as current educators, understand the "why" of curriculum in early childhood and invests them with the skills they need to move from simply following a script to knowledgeably creating curricula on their own.

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rhiannon]

Key things I’ve learned
- curriculum web (e.g.
art, music (create music to sound like seasons, environments etc) language, mathematics (weigh dry and wet soil and discuss difference, weigh vegetables, cooking measurements) , science (hypothesising what happens wheb plants have too much or too little water and then seeing what happens), social sciences (trips, speak to experts, cultural practices (e.g. how people use leaves) ) , movement (how do different leaves move,

- need for thematic integration as opposed to scattergun approach of interesting but disconnected experiences

- measuring depth of puddles using unifix cubes and daily measurements of circumference with string (compared to previous days to see changes in size),different sized containers to gather rain (compare volumes), marterials rubberbanded to jars - which materials will absorb water quickest and which are waterproof)

[Kylie]

I read the 3rd edition for class.
Part two is super helpful and worth the read again. It went over ways to connect the subjects together and showed a lot of really neat tips for lesson planning.

[Jarrett Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Introduces project based learning for lower grades. Great content, but poorly organized. Featured in bulky, oversized paragraphs.