Approaches to Learning
Initiative & Curiosity:
- Expresses (verbally or nonverbally) an interest in a widening range of topics, ideas, and tasks
- Shows interest in how and why others do things
- Develops increased ability to make independent choices
- Explores materials and actively uses them to follow through on an idea
Engagement & Persistence:
- Engages in individual or group activities that express real life experiences, ideas, knowledge, feelings, and fantasy
- Participates in an increasing variety of tasks and activities
- Begins to sets goals, develops plans, and completes tasks
- Demonstrates an increasing capacity to maintain concentration for a meaningful period of time
Reflection & Problem- Solving:
- Recognizes and attempts to solve problems through trial and error and by interacting with peers and adults
- Explains part, or all, of the problem when asking for help
Creative Arts
Visual Arts:
- Uses a variety of art- making tools
- Shares art materials and begins to work with peers on a group artwork
- Chooses artwork to display and keep based on personal preferences
- Explores a variety of developmentally appropriate materials and media to create 2 and 3 dimensional artwork
- Begins to use art materials safely and appropriately
- Observes and discusses artwork created by both adults and children
Dramatic Expression:
- Begins to use objects for other than their intended purpose during play
Math
Mathematical Practices:
- Develops positive attitudes about math
- Participates in whole group and small group math-focused activities
- Recognizes the idea of a “problem” and “problem solving” in the physical and social world.
- Communicates math ideas verbally and non-verbally
Counting and Cardinality Cluster:
- Rote Counts to 10 and beyond by ones with increasing accuracy
- Recognizes and names written numerals 0-5
- Recognizes the relationship between numbers and quantities: connect counting to cardinality (0-5).
- Shows understanding that the last number name spoken tells the number of objects counted up to 5 (cardinality)
Operations and Algebraic Thinking:
- Responds with number words and/or counting strategy, when asked the question, How many?
- Transitions from rote counting to 1:1 correspondence
Geometry:
- Explores three-dimensional and two-dimensional shapes in the environment
- Uses puzzles and other learning materials to demonstrate beginning part/whole, shape and orientation concepts to solve problems
- Responds to words indicating directionality and position through physical movement (near, far, beside, up, down, over)
Measurement and Data:
- Recognizes measurable attributes of objects, such as length, weight and capacity of everyday objects (e.g., long, short, tall, heavy, light, big, small, full, empty)
- Sorts, orders and classifies familiar objects by a single attribute (e.g., size, shape, color, texture, orientation, and position) and explains the reason
- Uses seriation as a strategy for organizing materials
- Demonstrates an understanding of time periods (a short time /a long time, “five more minutes”, morning, afternoon, night)
- Relates concepts of past, present and future to daily activities
- Participates in data collection activities
- Explores and begins to use measurement tools
Physical Development and Health Safety:
- Develops awareness of and the ability to follow basic safety rules and practices
- Avoids hazardous chemicals and unsafe materials
Fine Motor:
- Develops increasing strength, dexterity, and hand-eye coordination to use hands, fingers and wrists to manipulate objects
Gross Motor:
- Moves purposefully from place to place with control
- Moves with an awareness of personal space in relationship to others
Health Knowledge and Practices:
- Completes personal care tasks with increasing independence
- Follows routines independently
- Regulates own emotions and behaviors
Science
Physical Science:
- Begins to experiment with objects whose motion is affected by pushes or pulls of different strengths in different directions
- Answers questions about the effects of pushes and pulls (e.g. pulls objects attached to a string, pushes objects with and without wheels, rolls objects, collides objects)
Social and Emotional Development
Emotional Development- Self Concept:
- Develops and communicates a growing awareness of self as having certain abilities, characteristics, preferences and rights
- Chooses individual activities
- Expresses self in different roles during pretend play
- Compares self with others
- Expresses own ideas and opinions
Emotional Development- Self-Regulation:
- Begins to tell and follow basic safety guidelines and requirements
- Develops increased capacity to share materials or caregiver/teacher’s attention
- Shows increased ability to wait for his/her turn in a simple game or for use of equipment
- Uses materials and equipment purposefully, safely and respectfully
- Listens with interest and understanding to directions
- Listens with interest and understanding during conversations
Emotional Development- Sympathy and Empathy:
- Demonstrates awareness of feeling during pretend play
- Recognizes other children’s kind behaviors
Emotional Development- Adapting to Diverse Settings:
- Explores objects and materials, and interacts with others in a variety of new settings
- Begins to demonstrate ability to be flexible or adjust to routine or unexpected changes including physical setting, daily schedule, staffing and group size/ attendance
Social Development- Building Relationships with Adults:
- Approaches adults for assistance
- Offers to assist adults
- Interacts appropriately with familiar adult(s) and peers
Social Development- Building Relationships with Children:
- Separates willingly from adults to play with friends
- Plays beside and interacts with peers
- Shows enjoyment in playing with other children
- Participates in group glee
- Has at least one other friend and begins to show preference for particular playmate
- Leads or participates in planning cooperative play with others
- Understands the concept of “mine” and “his/hers”
- Joins a group of other playing children with adult prompts, as needed
Social Development- Respecting Similarities and Differences:
- Develops varied relationships with others based upon shared experiences and engagement in activities not based upon gender, ethnic background or special needs
- Carries on sustained interaction with adults in their world
- Begins to demonstrate an understanding of inclusion or fairness through words and actions
Social Studies
Civics and Government:
- Displays awareness of role as a member of a group
- Understands that people can take care of the environment through activities such as recycling
Early Language and Literacy
Speaking and Listening ~
Comprehension & Collaboration
- Begins to engage in collaborative conversations about preschool topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups:
- Begins to follow agreed- upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turn speaking about the topics and texts under discussion)
- Begins to engage in conversations with multiple exchanges
- Begins to confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking & answering questions
- Begins to ask questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood
Presentation of Knowledge & Ideas:
- Begins to describe familiar people, places, things, and events
- Begins to speak audibly and, with prompting and support, express thoughts, feelings, and idea
Conventions of Standard English:
- Begins to demonstrate understanding of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking:
- Uses frequently occurring nouns and verbs
- Begins to form some regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es? (e.g. dog, dogs; wish, wishes)
- Begins to understand question words (e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how)
- Begins to understand the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g. to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with)
- Begins to speak in complete sentence
Vocabulary Acquisition & Use:
- Begins to ask and answer questions about the meanings of new words and phrases introduced through books, activities and play:
- Begins to generate words that are similar in meaning (e.g. happy/glad, angry/mad)
- Begins to explore word relationships and meanings:
- Begins to sort common objects into categories (e.g. big/small, living/nonliving)
- Begins to apply words learned in classroom activities to real-life examples (e.g., names places in school that are fun, quiet, or noisy)
- Begins to use words and phrases acquired through conversations, listening to books read aloud, activities, and play
FCCAM Trainings 