Math and Science for Early Childhood
Hybrid Course
Semester Hours Credit: 3
Lecture Hours: 48
Lab Hours: 0
Location: Patch Barracks, Building 2312 Room___
Course Dates/Times: 12 Sep.-06 Nov., 2016
In Class sessions – Wednesday: Sept. 14, 21, 28,
Oct. 5, 12, 29, 26 & Nov. 2
with additional weekly CTC Blackboard discussions and assignments
Instructor: Amber Curtis
Office Hours: 18:00-18:30 before class on Wednesday and on needed basics
Instructor Email:
Phone: (49) 01716890062 (cell)
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY
I have taught elementary school (K-5) for over ten years. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. My favorite subjects to teach are Math and Science and I look forward to sharing my knowledge and love of these subjects.
I. INTRODUCTION
A. This course will allow students to explore principles, methods, and materials for teaching children math and science concepts through discovery and play. This course is designed to provide students with a good foundation for assessing a child’s knowledge of math and science concepts, and planning activities and materials for teaching math and science concepts to young children.
B. This course is required for the AAS Degree and Certificates in the Early Childhood Development.
C. This course is occupationally related and serves as preparation for careers in Early Childhood Development.
D. Prerequisite(s): None
F. NAEYC Standards and Program Level Outcomes: All CTC’s Child Development Department coursework includes student learning opportunities and outcomes that address the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Standards for Child Development Professional Preparation in Associate Degree Programs. These Standards address areas of growth and development of the “whole child”.
STANDARD 1: The student will apply an understanding of child development and learning by:
1a: Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs.
1b: Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on development and learning.
1c: Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments.
STANDARD 2: The student will explain how to build family and community relationships by:
2a: Knowing about and understanding family and community characteristics.
2b: Supporting and empowering families and communities through respectful, reciprocal relationships.
2c: Involving families and communities in their children’s development and learning.
STANDARD 3: The student will demonstrate skills in teaching and analyze young children’s learning by:
3a: Knowing, understanding, and using positive relationships and supportive I interactions.
3b: Knowing, understanding, and using effective approaches, strategies, and tools for early education.
3c: Using own knowledge and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curriculum to promote positive outcomes.
STANDARD 4: Using developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families
4a: Understanding positive relationships and supportive interactions as the
foundation of their work with children
4b: Knowing and understanding effective strategies and tools for early
Education
4c: Using a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching/learning approaches
4d: Reflecting on their own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child
STANDARD 5: Using content knowledge to building meaningful curriculum:
5a: Understanding content knowledge and resources in academic disciplines
5b: Knowing and using the central concepts, inquiry tools, and structures of content areas or academic disciplines
5c: Using their own knowledge, appropriate early learning standards, and other resources to design, implement, and evaluate meaningful, challenging curricula for each child
II. LEARNING OUTCOMES
A. Upon successful completion of this course, Math and Science for Early Childhood, the student will be able to:
1. Relate the sequence of cognitive development to the acquisition of math and science concepts.
a. Summarize the sequential development of mathematical concepts.
b. Outline appropriate science concepts for children.
c. Describe the development of mathematical concepts through problem-solving and thinking skills.
d. Explain how to promote children’s cognitive development and understanding of their world through active, hands-on exploration of science concepts and processes.
e. Compare theories of cognitive development as they relate to math and science.
f. Summarize how brain development affects concept formation
g. Compare gender similarities and differences in the acquisition of math and science concepts
2. Describe the scientific process and its application to early childhood indoor and outdoor learning environments
a Explain how to encourage all children to view themselves as competent scientific explorers
b. Describe ways to promote all children’s abilities to think scientifically
c. Summarize ways to nurture all children’s natural curiosity by encouraging them to explore and make discoveries about their world
3. Develop strategies which promote thinking and problem-solving skills in children
a. Explain how instructional methods involving the use of
various types of thinking can enhance children’s mathematical and scientific understanding.
b. Describe ways to integrate curriculum content through a variety of learning experiences so children can make connections across disciplines
c. Explain techniques for integrating math and science throughout the curriculum
d. Plan developmentally appropriate methods that include play, small group projects, open-ended questioning, group discussion, problem solving, cooperative learning, and inquiry experiences to help children develop intellectual curiosity, solve problems, make decisions, and become critical thinkers
4. Utilize observation and assessment as a basis for planning learning discovery experiences for the individual child
a. Review a variety of assessment strategies
b. Explain how assessment information is interpreted and used to provide developmentally appropriate learning activities
c. Use a variety of assessment strategies to monitor children’s progress in achieving outcomes and planning learning activities.
d. Create, evaluate and/or select developmentally appropriate materials and environments to support the attainment of math and science concepts
e. Evaluate children’s books, software, manipulatives, music, blocks, and other materials which enhance math and science concepts for developmental appropriateness
f. Describe how to create indoor and outdoor environments that encourage emergent numeracy and scientific literacy by offering children varied, meaningful, and concrete learning experiences
g. Discuss how technology can be philosophically and physically integrated to support development of math and science concepts in the curriculum
h. Explore community resources, including cultural, available for enhancing math and science concepts
i. Make and use developmentally appropriate, culturally diverse, and nonsexist activities and materials to support development of specific math and science concepts.
j. Adapt math and science activities, materials, equipment, and environments for children with special needs
III. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
A. The instructional materials identified for this course are viewable through
http://www.ctcd.edu/academics/booksinstructional-materials/
Required Student Textbook:
Charlesworth, R. (2014). Math and Science for Young Children. (8th ed.) Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
ISBN-13:978-1305088955
ISBN-10:1305088956
IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Your first responsibility is scholarship. The grade you receive for this course will not be the grade of the instructor, but rather the grade you and you alone make.
B. You should attend class regularly in both face-to-face and online Central Texas College (CTC) Blackboard classes. Online attendance involves logging into your Blackboard class and participating in discussions, submitting assignments, etc. Be prepared to also take any unannounced quizzes relating to text assignments and lecture material presented from the beginning of the course. Please refer to ‘Class Attendance and Course Progress’ under the Academic Policies section in our current CTC Course Catalog.
C. You are encouraged to give your best effort throughout the course. From the beginning, you should plan for a steady, organized, and continuous effort, which in the long run will prove more effective for your final grade than a last minute crash-cram policy. Your course grade is not determined solely by exam grade. Such factors as class participation, initiative, attendance, and individual research papers or projects will be considered in grade computation.
D. From time to time, special library and/or outside assignments will be made to members of the class individually and/or in groups. You are expected to read all assignments and fulfill your responsibilities to any group assignment.
E. You are expected to read all assigned material and bring your textbook/reading materials to class. Keep informed on all assignments, especially after an absence.
F. Good class notes are indispensable for earning a good grade, since both the material assigned and that discussed in class will be the basis for examination material.
G. Scholastic Honesty: All students are required and expected to maintain the highest standards of scholastic honesty in the preparation of all coursework and during examinations. The following are considered examples of scholastic dishonesty:
Plagiarism: The taking of passages from the writing of others without giving proper credit to the sources.
Collusion: Using another’s work as one’s own, or working together with another person in the preparation of work, unless such joint preparation is specifically approved in advance by the instructor.
Cheating: Giving or receiving information on examinations.
Students guilty of scholastic dishonesty will be administratively dropped from the course with a grade of “F” and be subject to disciplinary action, which may include suspension and expulsion.
H. Special Work: A term paper or other project, per requirements of the instructor, will be required. The subject must be appropriate for the course material. Check with the instructor when you have made a selection. The value is indicated in the semester grade computation and has considerable weight on your final average.
V. COURSE FORMAT – Hybrid with BLACKBOARD
This course has been developed as a hybrid course. Hybrid courses combine face-to-face classroom instruction with assignments and interaction with instructor via CTC Blackboard. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that they have access to CTC Blackboard and that they are familiar with the contents and assignments. It is also the student’s responsibility to log into CTC Blackboard at least once a week to ‘attend’ the online class portion and to participate in the online Blackboard discussions and assignments. Failure to do so will violate the attendance policy and will have a negative impact on the course grade.
The course will meet for eight weeks--once a week--for a three-hour face-to-face session. In addition, instructional strategies will include weekly CTC Blackboard assignments and discussion boards to accomplish the remaining instruction per week.
VI. EXAMINATIONS
- There will be a minimum of two major examinations and a written paper or project as follows:
1. Mid-term exam on Oct. 12 during class
2. Final exam on Nov. 2 during class
3. Research Paper due on Nov.4
B.A student must be present for all examinations. Students who know in advance that they will be absent from an examination due to valid reasons must arrange to take an early examination. Unexpected absences due to illness or extenuating circumstances will require the student to see the instructor about individual make-up work.
C.Students without excused absences will be given a zero for the missed examination.
D. Examinations will consist of both objective (true/false, multiple choice, fill in-the-blank, and matching) and subjective (short answer and essay) questions. Students must be able to communicate both orally and in written form, thus some questions requiring the composition and writing of an essay answer will be required.
E. If final exam is online, it will be administered via BioSig application. See Blackboard class for registration information.
VII. SEMESTER GRADE COMPUTATIONS
The final grade in this course will be based on the following:
Discussion Board Post 200 points
Activity Cards Activity 1 100 points
Lesson Plan Activity 2 100 points
Board Game Activity 3 100 points
Backpack Activity 4 100 points
Research Paper 100 points
Midterm Exam 100 points
Final Exam 200 points
______
Total possible points: 1000 points
POINTS GRADES
900-1000 A=4 pts/sem hr
800-899 B=3 pts/sem hr
700-799 C=2 pts/sem hr
600-699 D=1 pt/sem hr
0-559 F=0 pts/sem hr
A term paper or term project is expected from all students. Students may vary in their competency levels on these abilities, so the instructor may need to revisit the term paper concept during the course.
VIII. NOTES AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
A. Tuition refunds are made only in the case of class cancellation or official and timely withdrawal from CTC or from a course. Please refer to the current course catalog for more details.
B. GoArmyEd students should contact their education counselor before withdrawing and are required to withdraw through the GoArmyEd portal.
Please note: a military withdrawal does not override CTC’s grading policy.
For self-pay students, refunds are computed from the date the Application for
Withdrawal or Refund is filed with the CTC Field Representative or designated student Services Officer. Special conditions apply to students who receive federal, state, and/or institutional financial aid.
Tuition and fees paid directly to the Institution by the Veterans Administration, Title IV (Financial Aid Programs, a sponsor, donor, or scholarship shall be refunded to the source rather than directly to the students.
C. Course Withdrawals, Student Responsibilities: It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course. The instructor cannot initiate a withdrawal based upon a student’s request. Rather, students must initiate the withdrawal with the designated Education Center Representative, through the CTC Field Representative or the Student Services Officer for that region.
Applications for Withdrawal will be accepted at any time before the completion of 75% of the course, after which time the student will be assigned an “FN”- “Failure for Non-attendance.”
D. Faculty/Administrative Initiated Withdrawals
Faculty are authorized to withdraw students who are not making satisfactory course progress as outlined in the section of the Catalog entitled "Satisfactory Progress Standards.
A student may be administratively withdrawn by a designated member of the administrative staff of the College under the following conditions:
· The student has been placed on Academic Suspension or Disciplinary Suspension;
· The student has an outstanding financial obligation owed to the college;
· The student registered for a course without the required prerequisite or departmental permission;
· Students who do not participate or complete graded activities during the first week will be administratively withdrawn.
The college is under no obligation to refund tuition and fees, or other costs associated with a student who is administratively withdrawn.