Curriculum Development Assignment | Homework Help Websites
Assignment 08
E03Curriculum Development
Directions: Be sure to make an electronic copy of your answer before submitting it to Ashworth College for grading. Unless otherwise stated, answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English, spelling and grammar. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) pages in length; refer to the “Assignment Format” page for specific format requirements.
- Using the guidelines in Chapter 16 of your textbook, choose a thematic topic for a group of 3-year-old children. In a two-page response, explain why you selected the topic, and discuss how it is age-appropriate, individually appropriate, and socioculturally appropriate for these children. Give specifics.
- Using the guidelines in Chapter 16 of your textbook, choose a thematic topic for a group of 8-year-old children. In a two-page response, explain why you selected the topic, and discuss how it is age-appropriate, individually appropriate, and socioculturally appropriate for these children. Give specifics.
Content and Process Learning Through Thematic Teaching
Focusing on Content
Content learning encompasses all the factual information relevant to the theme. Learning content requires such mental abilities as attending, listening, observing, remembering, and recounting (Hendrick & Weissman, 2013). Thus, a group of first graders studying wild birds might engage in a variety of experiences to learn the following facts:
- Birds live in a variety of places: in the woods, meadows, plains, and deserts; near ponds, lakes, and oceans; and in cities.
- Each species of bird builds a nest characteristic of the species.
- Birds build nests to protect their eggs, which contain baby birds.
- Birds build nests of varying complexities.
- Different bird species build their nests in different places: on the ground, above the ground, in the open, or hidden.
As you already know, simple exposure to factual content such as this does not teach in and of itself. Only when children become physically involved in, talk about, and reflect on their experiences do they learn from them. This type of thematic teaching provides hands-on discovery that is highly motivating to children (Henniger, 2013; Bently, 2013). Children might learn factual knowledge about wild birds through firsthand activities such as going outdoors to watch birds fly, observing a nesting bird, recording the numbers and kinds of birds they see, or examining several different abandoned bird nests. Teachers might also give children make-believe wings and straw to use to act like birds caring for their young, or teachers could work with children to construct a replica of a bird’s nest. Throughout these activities, teachers and children would discuss which type of bird might build which type of nest, furthering children’s content learning. In addition, because the most appropriate themes and projects are based on children’s interests and experiences, children are intrinsically motivated to learn content to answer their own questions and satisfy their own curiosity. As teachers observe carefully, they are able to see children demonstrate in numerous ways what content they have learned.
