The Instant Curriculum: Over 750 Developmentally Appropriate Learning Activities for Busy Teachers of Young Children

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0876590024 ISBN 13: 9780876590027

Publisher: Gryphon House, 2005

The Instant Curriculum is a resource for teachers who create and implement comprehensive early childhood programs. The new and revised edition of this book contains many brand new activities. Activities are designed to encourage the development of skills and practice specific concepts. This book reduces both the amount of time teachers spend in preparation, and the amount of money spent for purchasing supplies. The chapters in this book represent the primary domains included in a comprehensive early childhood curriculum. Each chapter begins with an overview providing the basic philosophy behind that particular curriculum area. This book will be an essential tool for new teachers, and a useful resource for teachers who may have the first edition of The Instant Curriculum.

Special features of this book:

• The focus on concepts and skills provides a flexible format that allows teachers to select activities that strengthen a specific skill for one or many children.
• Teachers can customize an activity to match curriculum themes. For example, the "Pasting Sets" activity in the Math chapter can be changed from pasting circles and squares to pasting sets of cats and dogs for an Animal theme
• Activities are assigned to a specific area, but are not limited to that area. For example, to develop the concept of four (Math curriculum area), a teacher using an integrated approach will provide opportunities to clap-count four (Music & Movement), to collect four leaves on a nature walk (Science) or to use four colors on a collage (Art).
• Activities for Teachable Moments are interspersed throughout the book.
• Special sections on Transitions and Family Connections are included.
• A chapter on problem solving and critical thinking focuses on the potential application of these skills to all areas of learning and life.
• Chapters on literacy and math are in sub-divided into skill areas. In both cases, activities move in a developmental continuum that, if used in order, allows children to build from easier skills to more complex skills. Teachers will be able to use these activities to meet literacy, language, and math expectations.

The Instant Curriculum emphasizes allowing children to learn at their own level of development and progress accordingly. The book also encourages teachers to provide choices for children to make and to allow children to experiment and discover. In this way, young children will develop skills in independent learning and will feel confident in their ability. Learning will become an interesting process that continues for a lifetime.

From the Back Cover:

The Instant Curriculum is now completely revised and features over 350 all-new activities! This classic resource is a must-have for preschool teachers, and has activities for every area of the curriculum, including language and literacy, math, science, dramatic play, and music and movement.

About the Author:

Pam Schiller, Ph.D., is an early childhood author, consultant, and highly sought after speaker. She has written numerous articles for early childhood journals, including Child Care Information Exchange and Texas Child Care Quarterly. Pam is the author of five early childhood curriculums, eleven children's books and more than 30 teacher and parent resource books. Joan Rossano began her career in education as a public school teacher. Since then, she has worked as a department chair, established a private school and day care center in Firewood, TX, and founded and directed the Child Development Laboratory School in her hometown of Alvin, TX.