Mandated Curriculum vs. Developmentally Appropriate Practices Essay

I am contacting you in regards to the new state mandated textual matterbook based political program for kindergarten. While I understand that Common core nurture standards recently adopted by 45 states and the District and supported by the Obama administration and maintain that they lead to poor quality teaching and take all the joy out of kindergarten (Kenny, 2013). Many peasantren, especially kindergarteners need less strict and regimented learning opportunities to enjoy learning instead of being stressed. Our goal as parents and educators is to instill a love of learning not fear and disappointment. Not every child learns at the same rate and efficiency as others in the same classroom. This needs to be taken into account when using the textbook- based curriculum. There is except a way to stick to the state standards while making the learning experiences more fun for the children. To do this we would need to incorporate the Developmental Appropriate Practices order of learn ing.The Developmental Appropriate Practices often shortened to DAP, is an approach to teaching grounded in the research on how young children develop and learn and in what is known round effective early education. Its framework is designed to promote young childrens optimal learning and construe (NAEYC, n.d.). With this method of learning, the teachers are meeting the needs of the children, some(prenominal) individually and as the whole group. Children comprehend more when the selective information is delivered in a more relaxed setting. The NAEYC ac experiences three core considerations, knowing about child development and learning, what is individually appropriate, and what is culturally important. By incorporating theses core values into the standards the children will be able to learn in a more child friendly and reproductive environment.Students who complete kindergarten should demonstrate mastery of many of the skills within the Kindergarten Standards. It is critical tha t kindergarten instruction occurs through and through an active learning approach where teachers use differentiated instructional strategies and center on learning centers and play as get wind elements of thedaily schedule. Child directed instruction should be predominant with language and literacy and math infused through the twenty-four hours in addition to their special focus learning times. Kindergarten children should be given opportunities to develop social and emotional skills, physical skills and their creative expression within the carry of a kindergarten day (pakeys, 2009). Below is an abridged version of the 2014 Pennsylvania Department of Education Academic Standards for Language Arts 1.1 Foundational Skills Students gain a working knowledge of concepts of print, alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions.Book HandlingCC.1.1.K.AUtilize book handing skills.Print ConceptsCC.1.1.K.BDemonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. Follo w terminology left(p) to right, top to bottom, and page by page. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. 1.1 Foundational Skills Students gain a working knowledge of concepts of print, alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions.Phonological AwarenessCC.1.1KCDemonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). Recognize and produce rhyming words.Count, pronounce, blend, and component syllables in spoken words. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single- syllable spoken words. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sound (phonemes) in the three- phoneme (CVC) words. 1.1 Foundational Skills Students gain a working knowledge of concepts of print, alphabetic principle, and otherbasic conventions.Phonics and expression RecognitionCC.1.1.K.DKnow and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondence. Associate the long and short sounds with unwashed spellings for the five major vowels. Read grade-level high-frequency sight words with automaticity. Distinguish among similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. 1.1 Foundational Skills Students gain a working knowledge of concepts of print, alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions.FluencyCC.1.1.K.ERead emergent reader text with purpose and understanding. 1.2 Reading Informational school text Students read, understand, and respond to informational textwith an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and amidst texts with a focus on textual evidence.Key Ideas and expatiate Main IdeasCC.1.2.K.AWith prompting and support, identify the main idea and double key details of text. Key Ideas and Details scho ol text AnalysisCC.1.2.K.BWith prompting and support, answer questions about key details in a text. Key Ideas and Details Text AnalysisCC.1.2.K.CWith prompting and support, make a connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text 1.2 Reading Informational Text Students read, understand, and respond to informational textwith an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence. Craft and social structure Point of arrestIntentionally BlankCraft and Structure Text StructureCC.1.2.K.EIdentify parts of a book (title, author) and parts of a text beginning, end, details). Craft and Structure VocabularyCC.1.2.K.FWith prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. 1.2 Reading Informational Text Students read, understand, and respond to informational textwith an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections a mong ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Diverse MediaCC.1.2.K.GAnswer questions to describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Evaluating ArgumentsCC.1.2.K.HWith prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. 1.2 Reading Informational Text Students read, understand, and respond to informational textwith an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, andmaking connections among ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Analysis Across TextsCC.1.2.K.IWith prompting and support, identify basic similarities and differences between two texts (read or read aloud) on the same topic. Vocabulary Acquisition and UseCC.1.2.K.JUse words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading, and being read to, and responding to texts. 1.2 Reading Informational Text Stu dents read, understand, and respond to informational textwith an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence. Vocabulary Acquisition and UseCC.1.2.K.K checker or clarify the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words and phrases based upon grade-level reading and content. Range of ReadingCC.1.2.K.L Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. 1.3 Reading Literature Students read and respond to plant life of literaturewith emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence. Key Ideas and Details ThemeCC.1.3.K.AWith prompting and support, retell familiar stories including key details Key Ideas and Details Text AnalysisCC.1.3.K.BAnswer questions about key details in a text.Key Ideas and Details Literary ElementsCC.1.3.K.CWith prompting and support, identify characters, setting s, and major events in a story. 1.3 Reading Literature Students read and respond to works of literaturewith emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence Craft and Structure Point of rulingCC.1.3.K.DName the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story. Craft and Structure Text StructureCC.1.3.K.ERecognize ordinary types of text.Craft and Structure VocabularyCC.1.3.K.FAsk and answer questions about unknown words in a text.1.3 Reading Literature Students read and respond to works of literaturewith emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Source of InformationCC.1.3.K.GMake connections between the illustrations and the text in a story (read or read aloud).Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Text AnalysisCC.1.3.K.HCompare and cont rast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.In conclusion as you can see above by using the textbook- based curriculum alone there is the potential for less learning on the part of the students and a stressful environment. However, incorporating the DAP principle into the standards can offer the students both the state required learning and the NAEYC recommended approach to early- childhood learning. Children comprehend more when the information is delivered in a more relaxed setting.ReferencesKenny, D., 2013, The right curriculum for kindergarten Play, The Washington Post, http//www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/making-the-common-core-work-for-students/2013/03/08/a8e7b5d8-86a8-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html http//www.naeyc.org/DAP, Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 (PDF), adopted in 2009. https//www.pakeys.org/uploadedContent/Docs/PD/Standards/Kindergarten%202010.pdf http//www.pdesas .org/Standard/StandardsDownloadsPennsylvania Department of Education, 2014, Academic Standards for English Language Arts, http//static.pdesas.org/content/documents/PA%20Core%20Standards%20ELA%20PreK-5%20March%202014.pdf