Creative Curriculum
The framework for Creative Curriculum is intended for planning and implementing high quality early childhood programs where building relationships with children is central. The framework is designed to allow our teachers to:
- Meet children's social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development needs.
- Become good observers of children.
- Assess children's needs, interests, and abilities in order to plan appropriately.
- Use a wide range of teaching strategies that call for different levels of teacher involvement.
- Create classroom communities where children learn to work together and solve problems.
- Establish the structure that has to be in place for teachers to teach and children to learn.
- Plan meaningful learning experiences for children that build on children's interests and knowledge.
- Integrate the learning of appropriate skills, concepts, and knowledge in literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology.
Planning and arrangement
Another critical component of the framework is the planning and arranging of interest areas or learning centers within the classrooms. This is why in our classrooms you will see many learning centers arranged such as: library, writing, math, science, blocks, dramatic play, manipulatives, art, sand and water, music and technology. Extensive use of the outdoors is also integrated into our curriculum.
The keys to successful learning experiences is to figure out what interests each individual child then use those interests to engage the child in learning and exploring about the world. This focus helps children to:
- Get along with others.
- Become good readers.
- Solve math problems.
- Speak and write well.
- Be creative.
- Make decisions.
- Develop physical skills.
- Develop good study habits.
- Be self-confident and respectful.
- Enjoy learning.
Children’s learning should proceed naturally from their daily lives. Children should be able to build on their own exploration through daily interaction with manipulatives, ideas and people. Developmentally appropriate curriculum also emphasizes the importance of math and literacy and provides a model for using literature to explore mathematical concepts and skills with preschool children.
Mathematical concepts are broken down into the following skills:
- Position and Direction
- Sorting and Classifying
- Shapes
- Patterns
- Number Sense
- Geometric Solids
- Time
- Measurement
Children’s Literacy Initiative
The CLI program enhances the opportunity for children to enter school ready to learn and to be successful readers. It focuses heavily on literacy and quality children’s books to enhance the five needed skills to become a successful reader and writer. These skills include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
The overall goals of the program are to:
- Prepare children to enter kindergarten with a significant level of early literacy skills.
- Build children’s vocabulary, background knowledge and comprehension through effective instruction using quality literature.
- Use successful classroom management skills to support children’s social competence and establish successful learning habits.
- Support children in meeting state and national standards.
CLI’s experiences through which the goals will be achieved include:
- Print-rich environment.
- Classroom library.
- Two daily read- alouds.
- Reading and writing infused in all learning centers.
- A classroom that respects children and believes every child can achieve.
- Morning Message Time
- Opportunities for whole group, small group and individual learning.
- Consistent emphasis on development of language skills and vocabulary.
- Implementation of author studies and writing boxes.
- Assessment.
View our Classrooms!
