Early Childhood Education 1 and 2
Credit: 1
Course Length: One Year
Dr. Karen C. Curtis
karen.curtis@lcps.org
Course Description
This course focuses on the integration of knowledge, skills, and practices
required for career paths within early childhood education and services.
Developmentally-appropriate practice ; integration of the curriculum and instruction to
meet children’s developmental needs and interests; healthy and safe learning
environments; principles of guiding children; teaching methods and strategies; and
arranging learning centers that provide for exploration, discovery and development will
be the main units of study.
The intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of the preschool
age child is explored through theoretical and practical approaches. A preschool
program is an integral part of the course in which students will create lessons and
activities that are sensitive to and supports the development of young children. This
child-centered approach to learning allows for learning through well-planned activities
that are designed to meet the needs of individual children.
Grading – the following will be averaged to compute each nine week average:
Class work
Homework
Quizzes
Workplace Readiness Skills
Preschool Evaluations
Lesson plans
Projects/Tests
Preschool Teaching
Preschool Attendance
Practice/Process Assignments
equals 20% of your grade
Mastery Assignments = 80% of your grade
Late/Missing Work
One potential factor that may keep a student’s grade from being an accurate reflection
of his/her true level of mastery is assignments that are turned in late or not at all. A
teacher can assign a zero to a Mastery-type assignment if the student has not made up
the task/assessment within five (5) school days after parental notification. If a
Practice/Process assignment is not turned in the day it is due, a zero goes in the grade
book. A student can remove the zero by doing the following:
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Turn in by the end of the next school day for 90 percent credit.
Turn in by the day of the test on that material for 70 percent credit
Turn in by the end of the nine week grading period for 50 percent credit
No late work will be accepted after the last day of the grading period.
Note: The LCPS policy indicates that students will be given the number of days absent to
make up work without penalty.
Attendance
Attendance is very important for preschool planning and during preschool time.
Remember that you are the teacher and if you are not in class to prepare for preschool
or in the preschool to work with the children it will be difficult for you to make up the
time missed. Every effort will be made to ensure a schedule is designed specifically for
you that allows for as much time to be spent in the preschool as possible. If your
attendance becomes an issue, we will conference with your parents and guidance
counselor to determine possible solutions.
The school’s tardy policy will be followed.
Behavior
I hope you are as excited as I am about our preschool program. It will be a lot of work,
but very rewarding for all of us. Being a teacher comes with high expectations for
behavior and reliability. I expect certain behaviors from students:
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A positive professional attitude
The use of appropriate language and conversations
Appropriate dress
Always being prepared
Efficient use of time
Materials Needed
Notebook (3-ring binder preferred)
5 divider pages for 3-ring notebook
30 sheets of loose leaf paper
Set of markers (Crayola is fine)
Scissors
Pen (blue or black ink)
#2 pencils
Colored pencils
Card stock (student choice of color(s)
Portfolio (student choice of size)
Glue sticks
Pack of multicolored construction paper
Last Name A-L: 1 container of disinfecting wipes and a 4 pack of Play-Doh
Last Name M-Z: 1 container of hand wipes (ex. Wet Ones) and a package of Crayola
Model Magic.
“Education is not the filing of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ~ William Butler Yeats