Please Note That the Following Assignments Are a Partial List. Although I Have Tried To

FHS 2600

Class Assignments

Please note that the following assignments are a partial list. Although I have tried to include all of the homework assignments for the semester, I reserve the right to give additional assignments and to modify or delete existing assignments.

Please place each assignment on its own separate page. Your name, the class section and the title of the assignment (the title is in bold print) should be single spaced in the upper left hand corner. All assignments should be typed, double spaced with standard size margins (1") and be at least one full page in length (unless otherwise noted). This sentence is typed using a size 10 Arial font. Your font size should not be any larger than a size 12 Courier font. The due dates for the assignments will be distributed on a separate form.

One last note. Many of these assignments have come from your text. When applicable, the page number and/or reference are given. “TIP” stands for the Theory into Practice boxes, while “DAP” stands for the Developmentally Appropriate Practice boxes.

TERM 1

____ Chapter 13 - Play dough Make some play dough. There are several recipes available to you.

Chapter 2 - Three Models Chapter 2 presents three contemporary models for early childhood education, the Montessori Model, the Behavioral Model, and the Constructivist Model. Of these three models, which one would you choose to use if were to be in charge of a child care facility? Explain why you chose this model and conversely, why you did not chose the other two models.

____ Chapter 1 - Threes and Eights (TIP, Pg.32) Observe a group of three-year-olds and a group of eight-year-olds at play. Make a list of what you consider the most obvious changes in children between three and eight year olds. Although the three to eight year old comparison is best, you may observe and compare two-year-olds and five-year-olds.

____ Chapter 15 – Promoting Healthy Choices Answer both of the following questions. You are a teacher. You have a child in your class that would rather read books during recess than engage in gross motor activities. (The child does not have any physical disabilities.) What can you do as a teacher to encourage the child to make healthier choices? (TIP. Pg. 501) Our textbook encourages teachers to conduct cooking experiences with children. How do plan a safe cooking experience.

Chapter 4 - Developing a Thematic Unit (TIP, Pg. 134) Select a developmentally appropriate topic for the age group with which you work and develop a curriculum web for the theme. What factors did you consider when selecting the theme? Why do you believe that this theme will keep the children’s attention for an entire week? You may want to look closely at the example on pages 123 when creating your web.

TERM 1

___ Chapter 2 - Choosing a Center (TIP, Pg. 70) Talk with three parents who have their children in different schools or child care facilities. How did the parents choose the schools for their children? What are their expectations of these educational experiences? How do they expect these experiences to influence their children’s future educational experiences? Summarize your findings. Hint: Choose parents who had a choice in what facility their child would be attending. Interviewing a parent whose child attends a public school because they “live in the neighborhood” may not be fruitful.

____ Chapter 3 - Room Arrangement (TIP, Pg. 106 & DAP, Pg. 94) (Lab) Visit an early childhood classroom. Measure the classroom and make a sketch of it, marking the doors, windows, electrical outlets, permanent fixtures, and water sources. Design a room arrangement for this classroom that you think would be workable. Explain why you think it would be good classroom arrangement. Do any elements of the classroom environment indicate developmentally appropriate practice? Why? In addition to furniture arrangement, what else in the environment would indicate Developmentally Appropriate Practice? Why? Note where materials such as art supplies, manipulatives, and such are placed in the classroom.

____ Chapter 6 - Teacher Interview (TIP, Pg. 196) (Lab) Interview two early childhood teachers (from different classrooms) and ask about their discipline problems and solutions. What are their most common problems? What are their solutions to the problems? Remember that early childhood extends to the third grade. For at least one interview, try to expand your horizons beyond the convenience of the Lab School. (Note: The “Parent Involvement” assignment in Chapter 6 also calls for interviewing two teachers. Use your time and resources wisely.)

Chapter 11 - Calculators and Computers (Pg. 393) Explain your beliefs about how computation should be taught to young children. Should children be allowed to use calculators in school? At what age should they be allowed to use them? Will using a calculator at an early age prevent a child from “learning” to do math? Finish the page off with your views concerning the use of computers in the early childhood classroom.

____ Chapter 4 - Program Assessment (Pg. 131 & 132) (Lab) Review the twelve program assessment questions on pages 131 & 132. Using the twelve questions, assess the program being offered in your lab classroom. Although many of the questions call for a simple yes or no answer, please give an explanation or example to support your answer. Do you have any suggestions for improving the program? Explain.

FHS 2600

Class Assignments

Please note that the following assignments are a partial list. Although I have tried to include all of the homework assignments for the semester, I reserve the right to give additional assignments and to modify or delete existing assignments.

Please place each assignment on its own separate page. Your name, the class section and the title of the assignment (the title is in bold print) should be single spaced in the upper left hand corner. All assignments should be typed, double spaced with standard size margins (1") and be at least one full page in length (unless otherwise noted). This sentence is typed using a size 10 Arial font. Your font size should not be any larger than a size 12 Courier font. The due dates for the assignments will be distributed on a separate form.

One last note. Many of these assignments have come from your text. When applicable, the page number and/or reference are given. “TIP” stands for the Theory into Practice boxes, while “DAP” stands for the Developmentally Appropriate Practice boxes.

TERM 2

Chapter 13 - Art (Packet) There are seven art pages in your packet labeled crayons, chalk, paint, pencils, markers, watercolors, and collage. Using each page, create a picture using the designated medium. The purpose of this assignment is first and foremost to have fun and remind yourself of the joy that doing art for it’s sake can bring. While you are doing the art, try to look at the activity from the perspective of a child. Would this medium be easy for a two-year-old to use? At what age would you encourage the use of each medium? What preparations would you need to make before allowing the children to use markers, paints, or to do a collage? You do NOT need to make a written response to these questions, merely think about them as you are doing the project. (Note: Please allow sufficient time for the glue on the collage to dry before you turn it in.)

____ Chapter 1 - DAP Observation (DAP, Pg. 30) (Lab) Observe an early childhood classroom and answer the following questions as they relate to Developmentally Appropriate Practice. Were the planned activities of interest to the children? Could most children complete the activities successfully? Were some children allowed to choose more challenging activities? Were some children allowed to choose activities that required less skill without being censured? Did expectations for performance reflect knowledge of child development? Be sure to give examples to support your conclusions.

Chapter 13 - Piggy Back Songs Following our discussion of Piggy-back songs in class, write three piggy back songs using three different tunes. Have fun with this one.

Introduction – Library/Internet The purpose of this assignment is to help you become better acquainted with the Early Childhood materials found on the internet. Follow the instructions on the handout.

TERM 2

Chapter 9 - Story Telling (Pg. 283) (Lab) Select a story to tell to a group of children. Explain why you selected the story. Tell the story to the children. (With the teacher approval, this can be done in the lab school. You may also do this with another group of children as long as they are not your own.) What storytelling techniques did you use? Were the children attentive? If you were to tell the same story again, what changes would you make? Explain your answers.

Chapter 11 - Doing Math (Pgs. 356+) (Lab) Using the many math activities (content strands) that are discussed in chapter 11, plan and do a math activity with a young child. Describe the activity, the ages of the participants, and the materials you used. Explain why you chose the activity. What were the results of the activity? Would the activity have worked as well with a younger child? With an older child? What modifications would you make, if any, if you were to do it with a larger group? Obviously, this assignment can be tied into the activity that you need to do for your lab. Do NOT hand in the activity form from the lab. This assignment should be a one page typed paper.

Chapters 11 & 12 - Math & Science Observation (Lab) During your lab time watch the children and record those experiences/activities that might be labeled as either math or science. Be sure to record the language of the children involved in the experiences. Science activities may include: observing, comparing, presenting, exploring, experimenting, classifying, measuring, or other forms of sciencing. The math activities may include: counting, measuring, graphing, creating patterns, seriating, grouping, dividing, and estimating. Feel free to express your personal reactions to the experience.

Chapter 7 - Assessing Children - (TIP, Pg. 232 (Lab) Ask at least two teachers of young children how they assess children’s progress. Are their assessments formal or informal? What type of assessments do they use? Do they report this information to the parents? How? Do the teachers have any control over what assessments they use in their classroom? Are they required to use specific assessment techniques? Explain. This is an important question: What do they do with the information once they have completed the assessment process?

____ Child Portfolio – Select one child in your lab class and create a portfolio. At the end of the semester, you are to give the portfolio to the child.

Introduction - Child Care Checklist (Lab) During your lab, complete the child care checklist that can be downloaded at the Office of Child Care’s web site. This checklist can be completed by marking either a “Y” for yes or an “N” for no. Please be sure to put your name on the checklist.

FHS 2600

Class Assignments

Please note that the following assignments are a partial list. Although I have tried to include all of the homework assignments for the semester, I reserve the right to give additional assignments and to modify or delete existing assignments.

Please place each assignment on its own separate page. Your name, the class section and the title of the assignment (the title is in bold print) should be single spaced in the upper left hand corner. All assignments should be typed, double spaced with standard size margins (1") and be at least one full page in length (unless otherwise noted). This sentence is typed using a size 10 Arial font. Your font size should not be any larger than a size 12 Courier font. The due dates for the assignments will be distributed on a separate form.

One last note. Many of these assignments have come from your text. When applicable, the page number and/or reference are given. “TIP” stands for the Theory into Practice boxes, while “DAP” stands for the Developmentally Appropriate Practice boxes.

TERM 3

Chapter 1 - Different Perspectives (TIP, Pg. 32) Compare two articles about cognitive development written from different philosophical perspectives. List the points of agreement and the points of disagreement in their descriptions of how children think. You may use a human development textbook such as the ones used in FHS 1500 or PSY 1500 or you may use an article that you found while doing the search for your internet assignment.

Chapter 12 - Integrating Science The chapter stresses the importance of integrating science activities into the curriculum. Since we live in Utah which is primarily a desert, identify at least five science activities that you would incorporate into a thematic unit on the desert. You may choose the age group. Justify your choices.

Chapter 1 - Child Observation (Lab) Observe one child for at least 20 minutes. Keep a running record of everything the child says and does. When your observation is complete, identify the information as it relates to social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Color-code each of the four areas of development with a different color. For example, you may observe a child using language or attempting to complete a puzzle. These observations might be highlighted in green. If you see a child running, jumping or climbing, you could highlight that part of the observation in blue and so on. Note: A running record of a child’s behavior covering a twenty-minute time span will probably be longer than one page (maybe even two).