Curriculum NightSTARS

Elona P. Cooley Early Childhood Development Center

TELL Materials(Teaching Early Language and

Literacy)

Matched up to

Splash Houghton Mifflin Themes

Components of the Of our day

Zoo Phonics

Math

Science

Vocabulary

Story Time

Writing Names

Snack family style conversation

Music and Movement

Art

Social/Emotional supports

Picture schedules

Gross Motor Activities (with Special Olympic equipment)

1 2 3 4 5 60

5

10

15

20

25

13.21

15.47

17.26

20.21

22.0023.26

Letter Names: 26 possible

CBM Time point

Avera

ge n

um

ber

corr

ect

Letter Names

Letter Sounds

1 2 3 4 5 60

5

10

15

20

25

13.00

16.05

18.42

20.63

Letter Sounds: 26 possible

CBM Time point

4.89

9.00

1 2 3 4 5 6

6.84

7.58

8.478.79

9.42

Print Concepts: 10 possible

CBM Time point

5.58

Concepts About Print

Arizona Early LearningState Standards

We plan our activities around the TELL curriculum themes and data gathered during the curriculum based measures. We also plan activities that coincide with the Arizona Early Childhood State Standards as well as individualized student needs.  These standards were developed to help student progress in all areas of development.

    These areas include:                Approaches to Learning

Social and Emotional Development                 Physical Development                Language and Literacy                 Mathematics                Science                Fine Arts

**You can access these standards on the web by visiting the Arizona Department of Education Early Learning website.**

Benefits of State Standards

Parent VolunteersWe love having parent volunteer in the classroom.

Beginning September 1st we will hand out volunteer packets. They must be completed and returned to the district office for approval.

Once approved, we will work together to find a time for you to come assist in the classroom. Volunteering can be on a weekly, monthly, or as needed basis. Whichever works best for individual schedules.

If you would prefer to be an “at home” volunteer we can use you too. We can send items to cut out, copy, organize, etc. and when you are done you send them back. This does not require a volunteer packet to be filled out. Talk to your teacher after September 1st if you are interested in this opportunity.

Center Based Information and Requests

The stools in the front waiting area and pods are for sitting on. Please watch your children and help them respect the furniture and facility. We have been working hard to teach them that these are not bumper cars, jungle gyms, or to stand on.

When at school please have your child follow our school rules: walking (not running), encourage independence for walking in and putting their backpacks and water bottles up, and bubbles in the hallways. This will show respect for other classrooms that are already in session.

Our classroom doors will open at 9:13 and 12:13pm for our a.m. and 1:13 and 4:13 for our pm classes. We take our lunch break at 12:30 to 1 and this only allows us a 13 minute prep between classes.

If you send your daughter in a dress/skirt please make sure they have shorts/leggings on under it. We are very active during the day and busy climbing, sliding, crawling, and sitting.

Please remember to pick up your children on time. The official end time for the morning session is 12:15am and the afternoon class end at 4:15pm. By picking your child on time, this will allow the teachers time for lunch and to prep for the next class (a.m.) and teachers can leave and spend time with their families and or pick their children up from after school care!

Please encourage your child to leave toys at home.

Classroom Based Information and Requests

MoreInformation

Learning through Play

• In a child’s world, play is a very important time. A child will pretend, imitate, imagine, and create. They use all of their senses to explore. Play allows children to make exciting discoveries about their world - all by themselves!

• Play is truly a young child’s “work”, and is a more productive learning activity than time spent on workbook pages or drill activities.

• As they play, children learn to ask questions, problem solve, work together, create, use their imagination, and socialize.

Learning through Play 

Play allows children to make exciting discoveries about their world- all by themselves! They view themselves as problem solvers, explorers, inventors and discoverers. Children develop a vision of themselves as capable learners and an enthusiasm for the further challenges school will bring.This is also a time for individual therapy and anecdotal notes made by teachers for Classroom Observational Record (COR).

Outdoor Play Skills acquired:

• Build muscles

• Awareness of body and how it moves in space

• Spatial concepts

• Problem solving

• Turn taking

• Social development

Circle TimeSkills aquired:• Language• Patterning• Sequencing• Rote counting• Shapes• Color recognition• Letter/Sound recogniton• Left to right progression• Story Comprehension• Follow directions• Decision making• Movement• Music• Leadership• Responsibility

Center ActivitiesSkills acquired:• Fine motor• Gross motor• Language• Social• Cognitive• Sensory Centers are typically teacher directed activities,

in which the finished product is created by the child. These activities are developed to help meet the needs of our students.

Technology• Smart boards were added

to our classrooms in 2009.• They are interactive white

boards that allow your child to participate in hands on learning.

• Images are projected onto the Smart board from the computer and your child’s hand is the mouse.

Thinking Maps• Thinking Maps are a set of organizational tools used

through out Higley Unified School District.• There are 8 maps.

o Circle Map-definingo Bubble Map-describingo Double Bubble-Compare/Contrasto Tree-Classifyingo Brace-Part to Wholeo Flow -Sequencingo Multi-Flow-Cause and Effecto Bridge –Analogies

You may see some of these maps sent home with your child.

Therapy • We have therapists that

contribute to the curriculum with small group activities weekly.

• Therapies provided are speech, occupational and physical.

• Speech Therapy works on language and pre-reading skills

• Occupational therapy works on fine motor skills.

• Physical Therapy works on gross motor skills.

This is going to be a great year ! Thank you for

coming.