The Creative Curriculum
The Creative Curriculum is broken down into individual subject areas; literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and technology. The curriculum describes each subject area and explains how to teach in ways that will continue to support a child’s academic progress as they grow and develop. The curriculum explains how to create an environment that allows children to demonstrate a level of independence, setting up materials in the classroom that children can easily find and put away on their own. It offers a framework on how to provide children with appropriate materials that will both support and challenge children of all abilities. The curriculum will effectively offer ways in which to help children express their feelings in a positive and productive manner, as well as provide age appropriate jobs and responsibilities and encourage children to complete tasks from beginning to end. The goal of The Creative Curriculum is to build upon a child’s success as a lifelong learner.
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The Curriculum Framework is broken down into five components:
1. How children develop and learn: The Curriculum focuses on a child’s physical, cognitive, social/emotional, and language development, as well as highlighting the importance of each individual child’s unique traits and characteristics. The Curriculum uses the Developmental Continuum, a tool that monitors a child’s development, tracking their progress according to Curriculum objectives.
2. The Learning Environment: The structure of the classroom is very important according to the Curriculum, making it possible for teachers to effectively teach their children. Maintaining high level interest areas, establishing daily routines and structure, offering choice times, small and large group activities, and creating a “classroom community” that helps children to work together with others to get along and solve problems together.
3. What Children Learn: With a focus on state and national standards in math, literacy, science, social studies, the arts, and technology, the Curriculum demonstrates how children learn both content and skills through daily experience and opportunity.
4. The Teacher’s Role: Through careful observation of children, the teacher has the ability to create a variety of teaching strategies to guide all learning opportunities in the classroom. The Curriculum uses a systematic approach for assessing each child, which enables the teacher to plan for each child and family individually.
5. The Family’s Role: The Curriculum highlights the importance of creating a family partnership to support each individual child and family’s needs. This partnership benefits the child’s learning and development.
The Eleven Interest Areas of The Creative Curriculum:
1. Blocks
2. Dramatic Play
3. Toys and Games
4. Art
5. Library
6. Discovery
7. Sand and Water
8. Music and Movement
9. Cooking
10. Computers
11. Outdoors