The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool
This page is created solely as a summary of key pieces from The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool for Collaborative Center teachers to reference when aligning their practice with the curriculum. It is not a substitute for the curriculum materials, nor is it a training endorsed or created by or for Teaching Strategies, Inc.
Collaborative Center Preschool Curriculum
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool by Teaching Strategies, Inc is the curriculum of choice used for all collaborative center programming associated with Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency. As described in The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Touring Guide, it is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills. It is designed to help educators at all levels of experience plan and implement a developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool by Teaching Strategies, Inc is the curriculum of choice used for all collaborative center programming associated with Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency. As described in The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Touring Guide, it is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills. It is designed to help educators at all levels of experience plan and implement a developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
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Curriculum Resources for Daily Practice
Every Collaborative Center preschool classroom has The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Volumes 1-6, 6th edition, The Mighty Minutes® for Preschool Collection, and Teaching Guides for Studies. Talk to your Coordinator about checking out Guides for the following study topics: Exercise, Pets, Bread, Roads, Music Making, and Boxes. |
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The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool - Volume 1: The Foundation
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Development and Learning
As you dive into the curriculum the first volume provides a wealth of background information about how children learn and develop within the domains listed below.
Lesson Planning At the back of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Volume 1: The Foundation you will find lesson planning templates, and examples. Another resource available to support planning is the NMCAA Lesson Plan, Daily Routine, & Schedule Guide listed below. This tool aligns Head Start Program Performance Standards and Creative Curriculum guidelines in a checklist format to help ensure your lesson plans are comprehensive and comply with expectations. NMCAA Lesson Plan, Daily Routine, & Schedule Guide (9/24) |
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Bringing it all Together
When bringing all of the pieces together it can seem like a lot. Don't worry you are not alone. There are several tools to help point you in the right direction. Taking a minute to go through the checklists listed below with your team can be really helpful and rewarding too. Your Collaborative Center Services Coordinator will go over the Glows and Grows portion at recaps in the Fall to set goals for growing your practice, but teaching teams can review these any time and set goals independently.
NMCAA Physical Environment and Daily Structure Checklist (9/24)
NMCAA Curriculum Materials and Content Areas Checklist (9/24)
When bringing all of the pieces together it can seem like a lot. Don't worry you are not alone. There are several tools to help point you in the right direction. Taking a minute to go through the checklists listed below with your team can be really helpful and rewarding too. Your Collaborative Center Services Coordinator will go over the Glows and Grows portion at recaps in the Fall to set goals for growing your practice, but teaching teams can review these any time and set goals independently.
NMCAA Physical Environment and Daily Structure Checklist (9/24)
NMCAA Curriculum Materials and Content Areas Checklist (9/24)
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool - Volume 2: Interest Areas
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Teachers implementing The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool set up the environment with intention to maximize learning using the Interest Areas listed to the right. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Volume 2: Interest Areas provides a comprehensive guide of the benefits of each area and what to include. In addition, at the end of each chapter is a letter to parents describing what children learn in each interest area.
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The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool - Volume 3-5
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Volumes 3, 4, & 5 cover Literacy; Mathematics; and Science and Technology, Social Studies & the Arts respectively. Each book provides an in-depth look at the research available, "The Teachers Role" in promoting skill development within each domain, and tips to share with parents.
Details of how to embed learning opportunities throughout the day, within the environment and through interactions are simple and easy to implement. For example, in chapter 2, pages 45-48 of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Volume 3: Literacy, you will find how to prepare the environment and guidance for the kinds of interactions that promote literacy during each part of the day: Arrival, Group Meeting, Choice Time, Small Groups, Snack and Mealtime, Transitions, Outdoor Time, Rest Time, and Departure.
Details of how to embed learning opportunities throughout the day, within the environment and through interactions are simple and easy to implement. For example, in chapter 2, pages 45-48 of The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool Volume 3: Literacy, you will find how to prepare the environment and guidance for the kinds of interactions that promote literacy during each part of the day: Arrival, Group Meeting, Choice Time, Small Groups, Snack and Mealtime, Transitions, Outdoor Time, Rest Time, and Departure.
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Example from page 48: Transitions Preparing the Environment
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Interactions
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Big and Little Transitions Throughout early childhood children experience many different transitions. Two types of transitions we address here are big transitions between settings (e.g., home to child care, one classroom to another) and smaller daily transitions between routine parts of the day (e.g., Circle Time to Interest Areas). The way adults support children before, during, and after a transition can have a significant impact on how a child manages the change in the moment, and how they manage changes later in life. Anytime a child experiences a transition it is an opportunity for caregivers and parents to help children develop coping and self-regulating skills. List of Transition Activities with GOLD Objectives |
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More than Play
Not only are the books easy to explore in small chunks, they provide easy to understand explanations of how children are learning and what they are learning from play. For example, to a passerby it may look like a child is simply pretending that a pot is a drum, however, so much more is occurring. The child is developing the ability to use symbols to represent something not present. Practicing the skill of symbolic thinking helps children learn to use other symbols, e.g., letters to represent sounds, and words to express ideas and feelings. (The Creative Curriculum® Volume 3: Literacy, page 139). Examples such as these are throughout all 6 volumes and provide excellent references for talking to stakeholders about how what is happening in early childhood classrooms is more than just "play". |
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool - Volume 6: Objectives for Development and Learning
The 6th volume covers the Objectives for Development and Learning. This piece ties directly to the GOLD assessment tool and provides a roadmap for planning that is driven by the developmental progression of the children in your classroom. By using the color-bands and levels for each objective, you can select appropriate strategies from the end of each section to scaffold instruction. For more information select the GOLD tab in the navigation menu above.