Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

pt. 1. Foundations of early childhood education -- 1. Developmentally appropriate practice : an evolving framework for teaching young children -- Why is there a need for DAP? -- The early childhood profession responds -- What it means to be developmentally appropriate -- General practices typically associated with DAP -- It requires judgment to determine developmental appropriateness -- DAP has historic roots -- There Is empirical support for developmentally appropriate programs -- DAP programs vary in structure and content -- The high/scope approach to early childhood education -- The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education -- The DAP debate -- What does the DAP debate mean for early childhood practitioners? -- Implications of DAP for professional practice -- 2. Teaching and learning in developmentally appropriate programs -- Early childhood educators need to know about child development and learning -- Early childhood educators need to know about effective teaching strategies -- Which teaching strategies are best? -- Common teaching strategies -- The cycle of learning -- Linking the cycle of learning to teaching -- Teaching in the zone of proximal development -- Early childhood educators need to know about content -- Addressing content in early childhood education -- Benefits of standards -- Challenges in using standards -- Addressing the challenges --

pt. 2. Setting the stage for learning -- 3. Planning and implementing effective small-group activities -- Why plan? -- Characteristics of effective planning -- Teachers as planners -- Planning basics -- Creating developmentally appropriate plans -- Aligning all the parts of the lesson plan -- Using principles of developmental direction to enhance your planning -- Applying the principles of developmental direction to your plans -- Common activities in early childhood programs -- Making and implementing plans -- 4. Planning and implementing effective group-time activities -- Planning effective group times -- Writing group-time plans -- Group-time preparations and strategies -- Variations on traditional group times -- Common questions practitioners ask about group time -- Adaptation of whole-group instruction for children of different ages and abilities -- Pitfalls to avoid during group-time planning -- 5. Organizing space, materials, and time -- Organizing the physical environment -- Why use learning centers? -- Characteristics of effective early childhood learning centers -- Examples of centers -- Dealing with implementation issues -- Adjusting the physical environment -- Selecting materials for each curricular domain -- General guidelines for the selection and use of materials -- Using the same materials for many purposes -- Creating a daily schedule -- Sample schedule -- 6. Child guidance in early childhood classrooms -- What children need to know -- What self-discipline is -- How self-discipline evolves -- Degrees of self-discipline among children and within the same child -- Developmental influences on self-discipline -- How experience influences self-discipline -- How adult discipline styles influence children's self-discipline -- The relation between authoritative teaching and DAP -- Authoritative teaching and the importance of teamwork among staff -- Questions adults ask about promoting self-discipline in children -- 7. Evaluating and guiding children's progress by using authentic assessment -- The changing face of early childhood assessment -- Responsible early childhood assessment and evaluation -- Standardized testing : what part should it play in evaluating children's progress? -- Placement of young children on the basis of test results -- The concept of authentic assessment -- Strategies for assessment in the early childhood classroom -- Organization and use of authentic assessment and evaluation data : portfolios and student-led conferences -- 8. Strengthening developmentally appropriate programs through family involvement -- The changing nature of family involvement in early childhood education -- Barriers to family involvement -- Characteristics of effective family involvement -- Effective family involvement techniques --

pt. 3. The curriculum -- 9. The aesthetic domain -- Aesthetics defined -- The arts defined -- Scope of this chapter -- Aesthetic education for young children -- Importance of aesthetic learning -- Relationship between aesthetic learning and knowing -- Children's acquisition of a fundamental knowledge base for aesthetic development -- Aesthetic learning and the teacher's role -- Current educational issues -- Purpose and goals -- Teaching strategies -- Pitfalls to avoid -- Approaches to teaching the arts -- Activity suggestions -- 10. The affective domain -- Children's developing self-awareness and sense of competence -- Children's acquisition of a fundamental knowledge base for affective development -- Children's stress reactions in response to overwhelming emotional demands -- Promotion of healthy self-esteem in the early learning environment -- Current educational issues -- Purpose and goals for affective development -- Affective teaching strategies -- Activity suggestions -- 11. The cognitive domain -- Cognitive maturation -- Children's acquisition of a fundamental knowledge base for cognitive development -- National expectations and standards -- Current educational issues -- Purpose and goals for the cognitive domain -- Teaching strategies -- Activity suggestions -- 12. The language domain -- Oral language development -- Children's acquisition of literacy : connections among oral language, phonological and phonemic awareness, and emerging reading and writing -- Integration of language experiences across the curriculum -- Current educational issues -- Purpose and goals for the language domain -- Teaching strategies -- Activity suggestions -- 13. The physical domain -- Physical activity -- Health, safety, and nutrition -- Current educational issues -- Purpose and goals -- Teaching strategies -- Activity suggestions -- 14. The social domain -- Social skill development -- Socialization : children's behavior and adult expectations -- Social responsibility -- Social studies -- Relationship between the social domain and cognition -- Current educational issues -- Purpose and goals -- Teaching strategies -- Activity suggestions --

pt. 4. Integrating curriculum -- 15. Integrating curriculum through pretend and construction play -- Characteristics of play -- Pretend and construction play across the curriculum and in development -- Integration of multiple domains -- Teachers' questions regarding pretend and construction play -- Promotion of play skills -- 16. Integrating curriculum by using themes and projects -- Defining themes and projects -- How themes and projects contribute to children's concept development -- Additional benefits for children -- Teachers' benefits -- Program effects -- Pitfalls in theme teaching -- Principles of effective theme teaching -- How to create thematic units -- Common questions about themes and projects -- Appendix A. Sample lesson plans -- Appendix B. Field trips -- Appendix C. The big, big turnip.