Curriculum The students in our Lower Elementary School will need to learn social development. According to Daniela Maree Ashdown and Michael Bernard, “The development of social-emotional competence is an important foundation for young children’s later success and well-being (Ashdown & Bernard, 2005). The curriculum will focus on working with the students on following rules. Students will be on a school wide behavior plan that will help them learn to accept responsibility for their actions. The behavior plan will be monitored in each classroom. Each classroom will have a color coded behavior system. Blue is excellent behavior and no rules have been broken. Green is good behavior and one rule has been broken. Yellow is ok behavior and two rules have been broken. Red is unsatisfactory behavior and three rules have been broken. The school will also have a common set of rules that each child will use to guide their conduct. According to Diana Browning Wright, “When parents, teachers, kids, administrators, and other school staff develop a behavior plan together, success is more likely” (Wright, n.d.). The school wide rules at Lower Elementary School are to listen and follow directions in all areas, keep your hands and feet to yourself, and to be kind and courteous to others. Students will also be expected to accept responsibility for their actions. Another aspect of social development that will be focused on is the ability to interact with each other and govern themselves. The students will be required to solve conflicts peacefully, give and receive feedback from each other, and learn to problem solve. The subjects that will be emphasized at Lower Elementary School are English and language arts related, as well as basic math skills. The pre-k and kindergarten students will focus on letter and letter sound recognition, phonological awareness and counting skills. A good phonological awareness program should include an emphasis on the letter and letter sound relationship and an emphasis on blending and segmenting tasks (Callaghan & Madelaine, 2012). The first grade through third grade students will work on phonological awareness, reading, reading comprehension, and they will build on counting skills and begin math computation. All students will work on writing skills, computer skills, and typing skills. The use of computers will be emphasized because they have a positive impact on the child’s social-emotional, language, physical, and cognitive development (Mohammad & Mohammad, 2012). The Lower Elementary School will not focus on the subjects of science and social studies. The students need a good reading and math foundation before beginning other subjects. The skills that will be developed at Lower Elementary School involve the student’s ability to socialize. Skills will be taught to help students socialize with one another, teachers, and other adults in the school. The students will role play scenarios that display appropriate and inappropriate ways to interact with each other. For example, sharing versus taking the toy for yourself without asking. Students will be given opportunities to interact with one another. According to Marilou Hyson and Jackie Taylor, “Wanting to play with their friends, young children may feel motivated to behave prosocially, because other children may not want to play with them unless they cooperate, help solve problems, and engage in flexible give-and-take” (Hyson & Taylor, 2011). Another skill that will be nurtured is the ability to think through higher order tasks. These students will need to be able to problem solve and explain why or how they got the answer or solution. If students are able to reason and perform higher order tasks, this would help with behavior issues as well. Students will be able to think about consequences before doing something. The dispositions that will be nurtured at Lower Elementary School will be values related to positive character traits. Students will be taught to share, care, display honesty, tolerance, and respect for themselves, others, and their school. Teachers will foster a positive learning environment where there is a focus on the child’s social and emotional development. Praise will be given when the child shows a positive character trait. Students will also be working on their social behavior. References Ashdown, D. M., & Bernard, M. E. (2012). Can explicit instruction in social and emotional learning skills benefit the social-emotional development, well-being, and academic achievement of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(6), 397-405. doi: 10.1007/s10643-011-0481-x Browning Wright, D. (n.d.). Changing children's behavior in school. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/711-helping-change-behavior.gs Callaghan , G., & Madelaine, A. (2012). Leveling the playing field for kindergarten entry: Research implications for preschool early literacy instruction. . Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(1), 13-23. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=30d5f6c4-487d-4768-bebd-c5fe5ccea0df@sessionmgr4&vid=8&hid=15 Hyson, M., & Taylor, J. (2011). Caring about caring: What adults can do to promote young children's prosocial skills. Young Children, 66(4), 74-83. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201107/CaringAboutCaring_Hyson_OnlineJuly2011.pdf Mohammad, M., & Mohammad, H. (2012). Computer integration into the early childhood curriculum. Education, 133(1), 97-116. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=9&sid=30d5f6c4-487d-4768-bebd-c5fe5ccea0df@sessionmgr4&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==
The students in our Lower Elementary School will need to learn social development. According to Daniela Maree Ashdown and Michael Bernard, “The development of social-emotional competence is an important foundation for young children’s later success and well-being (Ashdown & Bernard, 2005). The curriculum will focus on working with the students on following rules. Students will be on a school wide behavior plan that will help them learn to accept responsibility for their actions. The behavior plan will be monitored in each classroom. Each classroom will have a color coded behavior system. Blue is excellent behavior and no rules have been broken. Green is good behavior and one rule has been broken. Yellow is ok behavior and two rules have been broken. Red is unsatisfactory behavior and three rules have been broken. The school will also have a common set of rules that each child will use to guide their conduct. According to Diana Browning Wright, “When parents, teachers, kids, administrators, and other school staff develop a behavior plan together, success is more likely” (Wright, n.d.). The school wide rules at Lower Elementary School are to listen and follow directions in all areas, keep your hands and feet to yourself, and to be kind and courteous to others. Students will also be expected to accept responsibility for their actions. Another aspect of social development that will be focused on is the ability to interact with each other and govern themselves. The students will be required to solve conflicts peacefully, give and receive feedback from each other, and learn to problem solve.
The subjects that will be emphasized at Lower Elementary School are English and language arts related, as well as basic math skills. The pre-k and kindergarten students will focus on letter and letter sound recognition, phonological awareness and counting skills. A good phonological awareness program should include an emphasis on the letter and letter sound relationship and an emphasis on blending and segmenting tasks (Callaghan & Madelaine, 2012). The first grade through third grade students will work on phonological awareness, reading, reading comprehension, and they will build on counting skills and begin math computation. All students will work on writing skills, computer skills, and typing skills. The use of computers will be emphasized because they have a positive impact on the child’s social-emotional, language, physical, and cognitive development (Mohammad & Mohammad, 2012). The Lower Elementary School will not focus on the subjects of science and social studies. The students need a good reading and math foundation before beginning other subjects.
The skills that will be developed at Lower Elementary School involve the student’s ability to socialize. Skills will be taught to help students socialize with one another, teachers, and other adults in the school. The students will role play scenarios that display appropriate and inappropriate ways to interact with each other. For example, sharing versus taking the toy for yourself without asking. Students will be given opportunities to interact with one another. According to Marilou Hyson and Jackie Taylor, “Wanting to play with their friends, young children may feel motivated to behave prosocially, because other children may not want to play with them unless they cooperate, help solve problems, and engage in flexible give-and-take” (Hyson & Taylor, 2011). Another skill that will be nurtured is the ability to think through higher order tasks. These students will need to be able to problem solve and explain why or how they got the answer or solution. If students are able to reason and perform higher order tasks, this would help with behavior issues as well. Students will be able to think about consequences before doing something.
The dispositions that will be nurtured at Lower Elementary School will be values related to positive character traits. Students will be taught to share, care, display honesty, tolerance, and respect for themselves, others, and their school. Teachers will foster a positive learning environment where there is a focus on the child’s social and emotional development. Praise will be given when the child shows a positive character trait. Students will also be working on their social behavior.
References
Ashdown, D. M., & Bernard, M. E. (2012). Can explicit instruction in social and emotional
learning skills benefit the social-emotional development, well-being, and academic achievement of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(6), 397-405. doi: 10.1007/s10643-011-0481-x
Browning Wright, D. (n.d.). Changing children's behavior in school. Retrieved from http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/711-helping-change-behavior.gs
Callaghan , G., & Madelaine, A. (2012). Leveling the playing field for kindergarten entry: Research implications for preschool early literacy instruction. . Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(1), 13-23. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=30d5f6c4-487d-4768-bebd-c5fe5ccea0df@sessionmgr4&vid=8&hid=15
Hyson, M., & Taylor, J. (2011). Caring about caring: What adults can do to promote young children's prosocial skills. Young Children, 66(4), 74-83. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201107/CaringAboutCaring_Hyson_OnlineJuly2011.pdf
Mohammad, M., & Mohammad, H. (2012). Computer integration into the early childhood curriculum. Education, 133(1), 97-116. Retrieved from https://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=9&sid=30d5f6c4-487d-4768-bebd-c5fe5ccea0df@sessionmgr4&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ==