Developmentally Appropriate Practices

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Developmentally Appropriate Practices
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Five Guidelines For Developmentally Appropriate
Practices
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1. Creating a Caring Community of Learners
2. Teaching to enhance development and learning
5. Establishing Reciprocal Relationships with
Families
3. Constructing Appropriate Curriculum
4. Assessing Childrens Learning and Development
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3. Constructing Appropriate Curriculum
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Provides for all areas of a childs development
  physical, emotional, social, linguistic,
  aesthetic, and cognitive

Example for Infants/toddlers Toys are scaled to
a size that enables infants to grasp, chew, and
manipulate them (clutch balls, rattles, teethers,
and soft washable dolls and other play animals).
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Curriculum content
from various disciplines such as math, science,
or social studies, is integrated through themes,
projects, play and other learning experiences, so
children develop an understanding of concepts and
make connections across disciplines.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds Curriculum develops
childrens knowledge and skills in all areas and
helps establish a foundation for lifelong
learning.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Curriculum includes a broad range of content
  across disciplines that is socially relevant,
  intellectually engaging, and personally
  meaningful to children.

Example for Infants/toddlers Open shelves within
infants reach contain toys of similar type,
spaced so that infants can make choices.
Caregivers group materials for related activities
on different shelves.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers plan
curriculum that is responsive to the specific
context of childrens experiences.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds The content for the
curriculum is integrated, so learning often
occurs through engaging activities that reflect
current interests of children. Ex field trips
are planned that teach the concept they are
learning.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Curriculum builds upon what children already know
  and are able to do.

Example for Infants/toddlers Adults have
appropriate expectations for toddlers and are
supportive of toddlers as they acquire skills.
Caregivers watch to see what the child is trying
to do and provide the necessary support to help
the child accomplish the task.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers plan and
implement curriculum drawing upon their
knowledge of the content, what is likely to
interest children of that age, and the context of
the childrens experiences.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds Teachers adapt
instruction for children who are ahead of or
behind the age-appropriate expectations.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Curriculum plans help children make meaningful
  connections with traditional subject matter
  divisions.

Example for Infants/toddlers Healthy, accepting
attitudes about childrens bodies and their
functions are expressed.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers use a variety
of approaches and provide daily opportunities to
develop childrens language and literacy skills
through meaningful experiences, such as listening
to and reading stories, field trips, etc.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds Children acquire
deeper understanding of key concepts, skills, and
tools of inquiry of each subject area, and
understand the connections between and across
disciplines.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Promotes the development of knowledge and
  understanding, processes and skills, as well as
  how to use and apply them later.

Example for Infants/toddlers Toddlers artwork
and other creative projects are hung at a level
just above the toddlers reach but low enough for
them to look at. (promoting sharing skills with
others)
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers design
activities for children to seek solutions to
concrete problems, classify objects for a
purpose, and record changes in the environment.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds Social studies topic
allows for in-depth work for an extended period
of time. This work will allow them to develop
needed skills for the future.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Reflects the key concepts and tools of inquiry of
  recognized disciplines in ways that are
  accessible and achievable for young children.

Example for Infants/toddlers Toddlers are given
appropriate art materials, such as large crayons,
watercolor markers, and large paper. They are
expected to explore and manipulate the art
materials, not come up with a finished project.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds The curriculum is
designed to help children explore and acquire the
key concepts and tools of inquiry for the various
disciplines in ways that are accessible for their
age. For ex science experiences include
opportunities to explore and directly observe
changes and phenomena.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds Each of the
curriculum areas (math, science, art, music, etc)
are approached using varied activities and hands
on experiences so that the children can explore
their environment.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Curriculum provides opportunities to support
  childrens home culture and language while
  developing all childrens abilities to
  participate in the shared culture.

Example for Infants/toddlers Caregivers ask
parents what sounds and words their toddler uses
so that the caregiver will understand what the
child is saying when she uses beginning speech or
a home language that is not understood by the
caregivers.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers enrich the
lives of all the children with respectful
acceptance and appreciation of differences and
similarities. Books and pictures include people
of different races, ages, and abilities, and of
both genders in various roles.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds Books and other
learning materials reflect the great diversity of
the community, country, and world. The
activities are culturally diverse and nonsexist.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• Curriculum goals are realistic and attainable for
  most children in the designated age range for
  which they are designed.

Example for Infants/toddlers Children are
acknowledged for their accomplishments and helped
to feel increasingly competent and in control of
themselves.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers are
knowledgeable about the continuum of development
and learning for preschool children in each
content area. Ex the teacher understands
emergent literacy and supports the child as she
learns to recognize letters and initial sounds.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds In the area of math,
children learn concepts through solving
meaningful problems. Skills are also fostered
through spontaneous play.
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Constructing Appropriate Curriculum

• When used, technology is physically and
  philosophically integrated in the classroom
  curriculum and teaching.

Example for Infants/toddlers When preparing
children for naptime, music is provided for those
that are having troubles falling asleep.
Example for 3-5 Year Olds Teachers use a variety
of strategies to help children develop new
concepts. This can include computer programs,
music, and books on tape.
Example for 6-8 Year Olds In learning about
language and literature, children are allowed to
listen to recordings or view films of childrens
books.
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Class Activity for Constructing Appropriate
Curriculum
Music and Movement

• 1. Music Fun
• Participate in using the instruments and
  doing the actions to the songs that we play in
  class.
• Sound Bingo
• Using the Bingo cards provided, listen
  carefully to the sounds on the tape and try to be
  the first to get bingo.