Program Information
- ISBN
- 9781642850918
- Copyright Type
- Proprietary
TEA is now accepting applications( opens in new window) from qualified K–5 English and Spanish reading language arts, K–3 English and Spanish phonics, and K–12 math content experts interested in reviewing materials for the Instructional Materials Review and Approval (IMRA) Cycle 24. Visit the HB 1605 webpage( opens in new window) for more information about IMRA. The TRR reports for K–8 and high school science are now available. to support local adoptions.
The quality review is the result of extensive evidence gathering and analysis by Texas educators of how well instructional materials satisfy the criteria for quality in the subject-specific rubric. Follow the links below to view the scores and read the evidence used to determine quality.
Domain |
Student |
Teacher |
Social & Emotional |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Language & Development |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Emergent Literacy Reading |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Emergent Literacy Writing |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Math |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Science |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Social Studies |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Fine Arts |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Physical Development |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Tech Apps |
100.00% |
100.00% |
Section 2. Integration of Content and Skills
Section 3. Health and Wellness Associated Domains
Section 4. Language and Communication Domain
Section 5. Emergent Literacy: Reading Domain
Section 6. Emergent Literacy: Writing Domain
Section 7. Mathematics Domain
Section 8. Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Technology Domains
Section 9. Progress Monitoring
Section 10. Supports for All Learners
Section 11. Implementation
Section 12. Additional Information: Technology, Cost, Professional Learning, and Additional Language Supports
Grade | Student TPG % | Teacher TPG % |
---|---|---|
Pre-K | 100% | 100% |
The materials are cross-curricular and integrated in an authentic way. They include specific and purposeful connections and connect learning to domains in each activity.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials reference the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPGs) in a variety of resources. The “Interactive Correlations” provide the teacher with a way to identify when a TPG skill is first introduced and subsequently reinforced in specific lessons. This document is also organized by domain. The “Instructional Guide” to centers has an extensive listing, by domain, of the TPGs addressed in the six essential centers. Students practice and master language, social and emotional, and academic skills during these centers. Centers are always hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Cross-curricular connections are made in the daily lesson guides and in the “Week at a Glance” Instructional Guide. The “Week at a Glance” handbook is a physical guide to the interactive, online resources. It unpacks the themes and key teaching objectives in each week of the lesson sequence and aids in transitioning between activities throughout the day.
In Unit 2, “Communities,” students explore their communities in a variety of ways while practicing fundamental skills in different domains. Teachers write a theme-related “Morning Message” during “Circle Time”; students practice social studies, reading, and writing skills. Students also practice math and geography by creating maps of their classroom. Teachers read Where Do I Live? Afterward, students answer questions about the street they live on and the name of their city, state, and country. This lesson helps to prepare students for their neighborhood walk. During the walk, students use a variety of skills, observing buildings, patterns, shapes, colors, environmental print, and location words. This activity addresses the Science, Math, Pre-Reading, and Social Studies domains. Each lesson lists the guidelines to be addressed.
In Unit 5, “Living Creatures,” students explore animals on land. Students use vocabulary cards with pictures to explore and discuss animals in the backyard, jungle, and desert and describe the different habitats. Students then create a class book: They write about each of the habitats and animals one would find there. The teacher addresses Writing, Science, Language, and Communication within this lesson. Students use teddy-bear counters and read the book Teddy Bear Subtraction to practice math skills such as making patterns, adding, and subtracting. Students create a branch snake: They paint patterns to create their snake, discuss habitats of snakes, and identify the letters in the word snake. These lessons address Science, Math, and Fine Arts. The specific guidelines are listed at the beginning of each day.
In Unit 7, “Construction,” the students learn about transportation and the construction of things. The Construction theme is broken into sub-themes on how we build, the places we live, the places we play, and the places people work. The students relate and experiment with the construction of items in whole groups, small groups, and centers. In the “Places We Live” week, students relate to one another about where they live (e.g., in a house or an apartment). The students engage in building activities and count the number of blocks they use. They also participate in a read-aloud of If I Built a House by Van Dusan. The teacher asks provided questions before the read-aloud, during the read-aloud, and after the read-aloud. These lessons include Social Studies, Reading, Social and Emotional Development, and Math domains.
The materials include high-quality texts. Texts support content and skill development.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include 16 books aligned to the eight themes (eight in English and eight in Spanish) and a library of 64 titles with a variety of genres (e.g., fairy tales, poetry, biographies) and cultural diversity within the topics. There are informational texts, like Green, Green: A Community Gardening Story. An “Instructional Guide” lists additional recommended books by theme for the teacher to use as appropriate. The materials also include 27 digital books and 95 songs, all classified by the ten domains of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. They align with the themes, have clear cross-curricular connections, and reflect diverse cultures and languages. There are well-known books, such as the classic from 1969, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert. There are culturally and linguistically relevant texts for Spanish-speaking students, such as Abuela and Tito Puente, Mambo King.
In Unit 1, during a read-aloud, the teacher reads a book called All Kinds of Families! by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Marc Boutavant. In the story, students learn about how different groups of objects, such as celery stalks and beach shells, can be families, like the families we belong to. In the first reading, students answer questions to help them discuss and comprehend the book. During the second reading, students compare their families to the families in the book. Students also use different objects in the room to create families of groups like in the book. These read-alouds give students opportunities to practice math, science, language, and social and emotional skills.
In Unit 3, students explore plants while reading Perry Plants a Seed. This book is read several times, and teachers have a series of questions to ask students for each reading. The teacher can also use the wordless ebook for students to review and retell the story in their own words. The teacher uses the book to discuss what plants need to survive. There is a social and emotional focus when students discuss how the characters feel and how they have to be patient since plants take a little while to grow. As students complete different projects during the week, such as planting seeds and creating plant journals, the teacher refers to the book to make connections between the book and lessons. The teacher also uses this book in a lesson focused on the relationship between plants and bees.
In Unit 5, students engage with a book called 5 Frogs Grow Smart. This book is about five frogs that can count forward to 5 but cannot figure out how to count backward from 5. The frogs ponder how they can figure out how to count backward. A dragonfly comes by, and the frogs ask the dragonfly how they should learn to count backward from 5. The dragonfly suggests that the frogs start with Frog 5 and then jump into the water to signal that it is the next frog’s turn. The frogs do this in a wonderful way, flipping into the water and going in order backward. The frogs thank the dragonfly for the help instead of eating him. This book covers several domains, such as Math, SEL, and Literacy. This book has simple text and is on grade level for prekindergarten students.
The materials are developmentally appropriate and include opportunities for purposeful play. They connect all domains to play. Materials set up opportunities to meet, reinforce, and practice learning objectives. Materials balance explicit instruction and student choice.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials provide the teacher with 21 “Instructional Guides”; these contain best practices for various areas of the classroom, explain domains in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPG), and provide guidance on differentiating instruction and assessment. The guides cover the implementation of curriculum, instructional strategies for all domains, planning strategies, and supporting students with different needs. The “Best Practice Guide to Classroom Centers” explains the “why” behind learning centers, the importance of play in developmentally appropriate learning, and the roles teachers play. The value of student-directed centers is evident when the six essential centers are up and running in the pre-K classroom. The guide also lists connections to the TPG skills by domain.
In Unit 1, students have a variety of opportunities to practice counting, including a small group activity using Unifix cubes to count up to five and counting the number of people and pets in students’ families. In a large group, students graph how they feel (good, bad, or ok) and their favorite color, counting how many are in each column. Students participate in a lesson where they count the number of senses they have and practice counting to 10 through song. In this unit, following a “Teacher Tip” for successful center times, the teacher provides open-ended materials for students to explore and ensures that students can take the lead when using materials as opposed to following adult-imposed directions. Materials instruct that teachers should scaffold students’ play and not lead it. Materials also provide questions for center time to facilitate learning through play. For example, students have different shapes in the “Math” center; teacher questions include “Does the shape change or stay the same when you slide it? When you turn it? When you flip it?” Each week, teachers use a list of materials to be included in centers. These materials change weekly and correspond to each theme. Following another Teacher Tip, the teacher sets up the classroom so that the space is welcoming and safe, achievements are celebrated, and everyone is respectful to one another. During a week focused on families, students engage in purposeful play and exploration. Students discuss how many people are in their family and how their families are different or similar. Students bring in a picture of their family to aid in discussion; in a small group project, they create a special frame for that picture. In centers, students use materials to create a home environment. In the “Pretend and Learn” center, students use pictures of different types of families. In the “Construction” center, the teacher provides a variety of blocks with pictures of different houses. Students start a house art project in a small group activity and then take that to the “Writing” center to add more details. The teacher uses direct instruction to introduce centers and go over rules and expectations of center time. Centers are gradually opened in the first unit. Recommended centers (with lists of materials and activities) include the Pretend and Learn center, the “Library and Listening” center, the Construction center, the “Math and Science” center, the “Creativity Station,” the “ABC” center, and the “Writing Corner.” Tips discuss the importance of gradual release and giving students time to explore new skills in a variety of activities and in different group settings, including independent practice.
In Unit 4, the students use a variety of different centers to explore healthy decisions. Centers include Pretend and Learn, the Writing Corner, Library and Listening, Construction, Math and Science, the Creativity Station, and small group centers. Materials in each center are related to the theme. For example, in the Pretend and Learn center, the teacher places smocks/aprons, a clipboard with paper, plastic fruits, veggies, and real foods such as pumpkins, gourds, and apples. The students create new recipes, run a restaurant, or cook together. Students are empowered to choose their play within these learning centers. In the Construction center, students learn how healthy meals get to the table. The students are provided with blocks, trucks, some dairy products, and pictures of farms and farming activities. Students connect these experiences through read-alouds such as Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables A-Z. Activities, centers, whole group, small group, and the class project are all intertwined; students’ daily learning progresses and relates to prior experiences. Materials instruct the teacher to use activities for the whole group and small group. For example, in a whole group setting, during a circle, students begin working on the math concept of adding; the teacher shows the students how to use an online technology game. The students then practice adding using the technology game during small groups and then use it on their own during centers. The materials provide a comprehensive list of materials needed for each day at the beginning of the lesson plan for each day. The day is broken into lessons for the whole group, student choice, and small group activities to balance direct instruction and free choice activities. The direct instruction lessons follow the gradual release model. The lessons are introduced to the whole group, then taught to a small group, and finally allow for students to practice on their own. For example, the teacher reads The Grouchy Ladybug and then has students explore their feelings by creating art based on their feelings. The teacher sets up all of the following centers: Pretend and Learn, Writing Corner, Library and Listening, Construction, Math and Science, Creativity Station, and small group centers.
In Unit 6, in the online activity “All About Shapes,” students practice recognizing shapes by matching felt shapes to the online shape. Students also use cotton balls to create a variety of shapes, name them, and count their sides and corners. Students explore shapes in the Construction center by naming different block shapes and recognizing that the shape does not change even when flipped. The teacher also provides a variety of hands-on learning experiences. The first week of this unit is focused on the way our bodies move. During “Circle Time,” the teacher asks students to say and show how our bodies can move (run, jump, walk). In the Pretend and Learn center, students have hula hoops, bouncy balls (that you sit on), small, age-appropriate hand weights for lifting, and yoga mats to explore how our body moves with different items. In Writing, there are vocabulary words such as run, jump, and play with pictures and paper for students to practice writing the words and drawing the actions. Students use movement to review the letters A, D, F, H, M, and T. Each student gets a letter card and walks around finding other students with the same card. Throughout the materials, there are times when center materials change. For example, land animals (zebras, bears, tigers) are taken out and replaced with water animals (fish, dolphins, whales) as the week focuses more on animals that live in the water. The theme is further explored as students create a list of water animals and clap the syllables of each word. Students then use theme-related materials to explore the theme. In a small group art project, students create a water-based habitat and use vocabulary cards to write about water animals and why they like them. Students explore vehicles that move on land through interactive large group times. For example, students watch a video about transportation, focus on land vehicles, and answer questions. Teachers ask students where they would like to travel on land and record their answers. Students sing the movement song “Ways We Move” during each Circle Time. Students also use cars of different colors to practice counting. After counting parts of the cars, students separate the cars into colors and graph how many there are of each color. Throughout the day, students practice a variety of skills in theme-related activities such as creating road signs and exploring a variety of land vehicles, ramps, tunnels during outdoor play and centers.
The materials include differentiated instruction that is appropriate for the students’ developmental level. The materials provide an option for a half-day schedule.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include a “Best Practices” guide titled “Adapting to a Half Day Schedule.” The guide clearly lists the components of the full-day schedule that must remain in a half-day program. A sample half-day schedule is included, with approximate times for each element of the schedule. Materials include suggestions for amending times for “Circle Time” (whole group), centers, and small group time. The guide also recommends using “At-Home Activities” to involve the parents in ensuring that the children get practice in acquiring critical skills as detailed in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. The materials do not specify an age range, but they are developmentally appropriate for prekindergarten students. They also include differentiation strategies for teachers throughout the units.
In Unit 1, the students read I Hear a Pickle (and Smell, Touch, See and Taste It Too). The teacher asks guiding questions of different levels throughout the read-aloud. For example, the teacher asks questions about other items for which we might use the same sense. For example, if the sense students are reading about is taste, the teacher might ask about whether students have tasted a carrot. The teacher builds upon that question, asking about other foods students may have tasted, such as sweet pickles. The teacher then asks the student what the five senses are. The teacher scaffolds for students until they name all of the five senses. Questions are provided at a variety of levels throughout all read-alouds.
In Unit 4, the teacher motivates students of all levels, following the “Teacher Tips” provided. These include modeling both verbally and physically to teach students using different modalities. The teacher gives appropriate wait time to answer questions and gives all students time to comprehend and internalize questions. Lessons also include questions at different levels. For example, during a read-aloud of Green Green: A Community Gardening Story, the teacher asks simple questions such as “What kind of plants do you see on the cover?” and “What is happening in the town?” There are also more comprehensive questions such as “What did the community decide to do?” and “Why do some of the children look concerned?”
In Unit 7, the teacher uses visuals to assist students in learning new concepts. In a Teacher Tip within the unit, the teacher learns that the use of visuals helps children who struggle to stay on task and to transition. In one example, to assist students in learning new vocabulary, the teacher shows them vocabulary picture cards related to the theme’s construction vocabulary. In another large group discussion, students use “Feeling Face” cards to help describe how they felt during the day. Students can use the visual cards if they are not able to communicate these feelings verbally. Teacher Tips assist students with listening skills and focus during Circle Time; some tips include giving them time to wiggle beforehand, playing “Simon Says” or “Freeze Dance” to sharpen listening skills, and having students stand up and use a speaking tool when speaking.
The materials include detailed guidance that supports the delivery of instruction. Guidance includes instructional strategies, student actions that support student development, and connections to students’ prior content knowledge.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include 21 “Instructional Guides” that cover best practices in the areas of curriculum, instructional strategies, planning, and adaptations/enhancements. Within the daily lesson guides, there are icons that the teacher clicks on to display activity-specific skills, including differentiated instruction and extensions, to assist in delivering and adapting instruction. These “Teacher Tips” contain ideas to incorporate movement and manipulatives as well as general advice for supporting skill acquisition. There are eight developmentally appropriate themes; each one has four sub-themes and a project-based learning activity. The “Scope and Sequence” Instructional Guide shows the teacher how each theme builds upon the prior ones, encourages higher-order thinking, and prepares the child for further learning in K–12.
In Unit 2, the teacher uses a variety of instructional strategies. These include open-ended questions, well-planned activities with extensions, hands-on activities, and movement using songs and other learning tools. The teacher asks open-ended questions before, during, and after read-alouds. When doing a kindness activity, the teacher uses visuals: a “quiet hand” and sticks to call on students at random. Materials use music and movement throughout the unit to help with students’ focus and ensure they are not sitting for too long. On Fridays, students sing “It’s Friday” during “Circle Time” to get their bodies moving. The teacher uses data and assessment sheets for the unit to set student expectations. The teacher can attach student evidence to the assessment. The teacher follows guidance on student actions and expectations throughout the lessons. For example, the students and the teacher talk about the calendar in the Morning Circle. The teacher writes and thinks aloud, following guidance. In this same lesson, the teacher expects the students to engage in active participation and verbally assist her with the think aloud. Throughout the unit, students use prior knowledge to learn about community members and helpers. One student might have a lot of experience with a postmaster, and another might not have any idea what that means. The teacher reads the book Spare Parts to the students. The teacher uses fluid reading and expression for an engaging read-aloud. The students answer questions before, during, and after the read-aloud. The teacher also asks questions about phonics awareness and letter sounds. Students who already have the knowledge model the answers for the other students. The community theme is a big part of a child’s younger years. Some children may have lived in several communities and can explain similarities and differences. The weekly topics in the community theme include “Schools and Neighbors,” “Community Helpers,” “Helping Each Other,” and “Helping Our Planet.” These materials provide a wide range of learning to support and grow learners throughout the topics.
In Unit 3, the teacher uses a variety of instructional strategies during Circle Time, including using music to assist in transitioning into the classroom, modeling mindfulness, using volunteers to model academic tasks, and using questioning to check for understanding. During a small group literacy lesson, the teacher introduces the letter C. The teacher uses Perry the Sheep (a puppet), cut out letter Cs, and a digital photo album to introduce the letter and letter sounds. The students take over the learning by going on a walk to look for the letter C throughout the classroom. The students practice making the /c/ sound while looking for words that start with the letter C. During a “Morning Message,” the teacher activates prior knowledge in a discussion about summer. The students share what they know about the season, what happens in the season, and what they can do in this season. Then, the teacher shares what activities they will be doing today to learn about seasons, specifically about summer.
In Unit 6, a Teacher Tip explains the importance of grouping and how encouraging students to work cooperatively can help them be invested in their own learning and their peers. Student-to-student conversations help students at various levels explain and discuss their thoughts. In the special project at the end of the unit, students create a story. Students write a story about a trip together, edit the story throughout the week, and act it out as a group on Friday. The teacher can use a variety of instructional strategies throughout this project, as suggested. In assisting students at various levels, the teacher considers complexity, a variety of modes of learning, levels of learning, autonomy, scaffolding needs, peer-tutoring opportunities, and varying time spans for working. In a writing activity tip, the materials explain that students become invested in learning when they are interested and challenged. The teacher can support this by being flexible and following students’ curiosity. Teachers also take into account students’ readiness, interest, and learning style when planning and teaching lessons. The teacher asks students to discuss prior knowledge of rivers and trips they have taken to rivers. With the use of pictures to spark imagination, students then create their own story about a river. During Circle Time, the teacher introduces new vocabulary using a thematic photo album of vehicles that move in the sky. Following the scaffolding tips, the teacher helps students make connections between similar words. The teacher uses read-alouds that include new vocabulary to help students learn words in context; students define new vocabulary in their own words to create a connection. For example, the ebook Imagination Can Transport You Anywhere! includes the vocabulary rocket, race car, ship, submarine, bus, train, helicopter, boat, and airplane. The teacher stops the book as needed to discuss each vehicle and lets students make personal connections to each one.
The materials are supported by child development research across all domains and include a clear description of how the curriculum is supported by that research. The materials provide research-based guidance for instruction. Cited research is provided within the instructional guides, along with a bibliography.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
In an introduction to the materials, teachers read about the collaboration of experts involved in creating this curriculum. Experts include prekindergarten teachers, state policymakers, early childhood educational specialists, language specialists (including speech pathologists), and curriculum writers. The introduction also describes how lessons are scaffolded throughout the year for students to build knowledge and skills through interactive and hands-on activities. The instructional materials address academic and social and emotional skills across domains. Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines are also included in all lessons, and many domains are present in each lesson. There are 21 instructional guides to guide teachers in a range of topics, such as “Best Practices for Differentiated Instruction,” “Best Practices for Supporting English Language Learners,” and “Best Practices Guide for Creating an Accessible Learning Environment.” The instructional guides included in the materials include citations for research used and a bibliography of the sources used. The sources are published works from individuals, the NAEYC, and NEA. These guides, which are incorporated into daily lessons, ensure students from diverse backgrounds and languages are taught using best practices. The materials provide guidance to enrich the educator’s understanding of development throughout the units.
In Unit 2, in a “Teacher Tip,” the teacher reads about how early childhood math skills build upon each other and how students need to master one skill before moving on to the next. The teacher starts with concrete learning and ensures student mastery before moving on to abstract concepts in math. Teachers follow tips regarding student comprehension of stories. In early childhood, comprehension comes from reading, discussing, and interacting with stories in various ways. In this unit, students read Perry Plants a Seed multiple times, answer questions about the book, and independently listen during centers. Students act out the story by playing one of the characters themselves or using puppets.
In Unit 5, in a Teacher Tip, the teacher reads about how students learn to express themselves fully and how it is important as a teacher to listen to them. When students ask questions or make comments, teachers restate or rephrase what they are saying to ensure their thoughts are understood and acknowledged. The materials emphasize the importance of art in a pre-K classroom; for example, students create torn paper animals. The tip explains how art gives students an opportunity to express themselves creatively and make personal connections to the content. As students engage in these activities, they discuss the content, make observations, and use higher-level thinking through abstract ideas. There is also an opportunity for students to practice social behaviors as many students want to share their art and hear about other students’ art projects.
In Unit 7, students participate in activities utilizing creative play and music that are supported by research. The class participates in a song about patterns. Students learn and embed information about patterns while singing. Then, they create patterns and expand on their previous knowledge by learning about different types of patterns. The teacher provides opportunities for creative play within the center time activities. For example, in the “Block” center, the students build a community, add different people to their community, and act out different scenarios.
The materials provide full lessons that focus upon self-concept skills, self-regulation skills, relationships with others, and social awareness skills, as presented in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. Additionally, the materials provide guidance on teacher modeling of these skills. Within the themes of the material, the materials include appropriate texts used to support the development of social competencies. Also, the materials include appropriate texts used to support the development of competencies to understand and respond to emotions. The materials provide direct social skills instruction and explicit teaching of skills.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The teacher addresses social and emotional skills throughout the units and throughout the daily schedule. The teacher uses the gradual release model to support the development of these skills, moving from direct lessons into center times and outside time when students have a chance to interact openly with each other. The teacher utilizes lunch and snack time to teach students a variety of social skills like self-regulation and conversational rules. The materials provide a variety of texts that aid in the learning of emotional literacy; there are also additional suggested texts. The teacher uses questioning before, during, and after the reading to gauge students’ knowledge of social skills. The characters in these stories provide social lessons; students can relate to and learn from the characters. The teacher uses stories (e.g., All Are Welcome, You’re Safe with Me), songs (e.g., “Lean on Me,” “Kind Words”), visuals (e.g., “The Feeling Chart”), and rules/routines to teach students social skills.
In Unit 1, the teacher reads Ally-saurus & the First Day of School. Students engage in discussions about their feelings; they use “Feeling” cards to aid in this discussion. In another lesson on emotions, the teacher uses “Think, Pair, Share” to review a “Feelings” chart. The teacher demonstrates with another student how they think about the question for 10 seconds, discuss with their elbow partner for a minute, then share with the class. The teacher uses sample questions for each feelings picture. In a lesson on asking for help, the teacher selects his/her preferred method of students asking for help. If raising hands is the method, the teacher models and provides direction not just on what to do (raise hand straight up), but on what not to do (touch others with our hand). The students engage in repeated practice of this skill.
In Unit 3, the teacher uses the reflection time at the end of the day to give students time to connect with each other. The teacher starts by highlighting something positive a student has done during the day. The teacher follows the materials’ tip to not just focus on academics but also to include times when students were kind to each other. For example, the teacher might comment on a student comforting a sad friend. Students take 10 seconds to think about their favorite and least favorite part of the day. They then “Turn and Talk” with an elbow buddy to share and listen. During a “Morning Circle,” the teacher takes attendance. Following one of the “Teacher Tips,” the teacher models mindfulness to help students think about other students. The teacher can say, “I see that we have friends who are absent today. I will miss them today and can’t wait to see them tomorrow.” The teacher then encourages other students to express their feelings about absent students. During this unit, the teacher reads Perry Plants a Seed; there are several readings and activities for this book. During one of these readings, students focus on how Perry felt when he had to be patient and wait for his seed to grow. Students then discuss how they felt when they did not get what they wanted right away and discuss how to wait.
In Unit 7, students identify where the story characters are in the book Imagination Can Transport You Anywhere by the publisher. Throughout the story, students recall what each character turned into. Then, students retell the story together using index cards. While working together during center time, students use personal space, share, and speak kindly to one another. The teacher introduced these social skills in whole groups; students apply them during center time. During another read-aloud, the teacher reads the story The Listening Walk. Following the read-aloud, the teacher asks the post-reading questions. The teacher ties in emotions, asking students, “How do you think a listening walk would make you feel?” In another lesson, students review how to use manners when asking for something. Students watch a video of children asking for help with math problems or passing a paintbrush using please and thank you. The teacher then roleplays those scenarios or others that the students come up with to help them practice using manners. The class discusses how manners are a form of kindness and a way to be a good friend. This lesson is extended into lunch and snack time as the teacher models good manners and encourages students to also use good manners. After reading the story, Yard Sale, students discuss wants and needs. The book is about a little girl whose family is moving from a large house to an apartment. Her parents explain that not everything will fit, so they need to have a yard sale to get rid of some items. Throughout the book, the little girl watches as her items, such as her bike, are being sold. The teacher stops and asks students how they think the little girl felt and how they would feel in that situation. Students discuss why some items (like her bike) are being sold and others (like her clothes) are not. After reading, students take pictures of different items (food, clothes, water bottles, TV, toys) and separate them into wants and needs. The teacher also encourages students to express how they feel when placing items in different piles. Students might feel like that favorite toy is a need, and this discussion can help them understand wants and needs.
The materials provide opportunities to learn, practice, and apply social skills throughout the day. The materials include practice opportunities that are authentically integrated throughout all other content domains.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The teacher provides students various opportunities to practice social skills throughout the day in groups, one on one, with other students, and with adults. The teacher follows scripts (e.g., prompts, questions, transitions) on how to model and demonstrate behaviors and social and emotional competencies throughout the school day. The teacher introduces skills during large groups or a read-aloud and then incorporates the skills into centers and real-life situations. Social and emotional skills are spiraled throughout the lesson plans; there are also activities provided in isolation. The teacher embeds social and emotional skills across content areas and uses multisensory strategies like books, emotion cards, and puppets to teach feelings and how it is best to respond to those feelings.
In Unit 1, students learn the song “Obeying the Rules” and discuss why rules are important. The class then creates its rules with teacher guidance. Students practice following these rules. In a small group, students learn the “Sorting Game.” The game is accessible during centers; students use social skills, communication, and strategies for working together to play.
In Unit 3, the teacher reads the story Charlie Catches a Big Fish, which is also available in the online library. Students practice sharing, taking turns, waiting, and using their words. Students can then listen to the online book and answer additional questions from the story. During a large group activity, students work together to create a large spider web. The teacher glues together three or four large sticks. Students can then add their own web (rope or yarn) and spiders they have made. The teacher encourages students to discuss how they want their web to look and how they can accomplish this together. Students continue working during centers. In the “ABC” center, students use online activities like “Beginning Sound” or “Letter Matching.” During the activity, students take turns and help each other to get the right answer. Students also complete activities where they work in pairs to match letter cards with picture cards that begin with the same letter or use picture cards to create compound words together.
In Unit 6, students work on a variety of social and emotional skills while making cardboard-roll race cars. At the start of the project, teachers inform students that this will be a three-day project and that they will need to be focused to finish the project. Students use a variety of tools and materials to create their car; they must be responsible for these. Throughout the project, the teacher encourages students to help other students. During a read-aloud in this unit, teachers review the importance of controlling strong emotions. The teacher reads the book The Busy Body Book: A Kid's Guide to Fitness. After reading, students discuss the different ways that the characters move. Students discuss how moving and stretching is a great way to calm their bodies when they have strong emotions. Students demonstrate their favorite movement. Also, students work together in small groups to create a story about rivers. The week starts with each student sharing a time they have been on or by a river. As the week progresses, the teacher helps students put their experiences together in one story. On Friday, students work together to act out their story for the rest of the class.
The materials provide classroom arrangement supports that encourage the practice of social skills. Materials give the teacher guidance on student-to-student and teacher-to-student interactions. The materials give teachers ideas about different components of the physical space in the classroom and how arrangements support positive social interactions. The materials provide suggestions on how to engage students in classroom arrangement and promote ownership of the space.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials provide the teacher with instructional guides that relate directly to the classroom arrangements, including “Classroom Learning Centers,” “Preparing to Teach a Pre-K Lesson,” and “Creating an Accessible Learning Environment.” Throughout these instructional guides, teachers learn about the role of centers in promoting the learning of social skills, the different stages of play, how to enhance student play through questions and interactions, student-directed learning through centers, organization within each center, how to make it easy for children to access materials and put them away, how many participants should be in each center, and how to make the classroom environment accessible to students that are typically developing and those with special needs. The teacher arranges the classroom using the tips provided: make sure there are no long, open areas that invite running in the class; separate loud and quiet centers; incorporate materials and technology components; have ample room for centers that encourage gross motor skills, like the “Blocks” and “Pretend” centers.
The teacher engages students in the set-up of the classroom and environment, including creating classroom rules together and a special project where students are encouraged to decorate their classroom. The teacher plans daily student-student and student-teacher interactions through a greeting routine and an “Opening Activity.” In the daily Opening Activity, students gather together in their own space (e.g., carpet square) to listen, sing, and move to welcoming and engaging songs; count how many children are absent today; and express how they are feeling today using the emotion soundboard. This whole group time supports the development of a sense of community that extends into social practice in other learning environments and activities throughout the day. The teacher uses the gradual release model to incorporate social skills into centers and other circle times. Materials provide resources to aid the teacher in identifying areas of the room for social skills during center time. The class follows a consistent daily schedule throughout the year, providing predictability, which promotes positive social and emotional development.
In Unit 1, students create their own unique classroom environment by displaying pictures, art projects, charts, and family photos around the classroom. The teacher introduces the centers to the whole group and teaches the classroom rules and routines during centers. Students then go into a center to practice the social skills they covered as a whole group. For example, students practice sharing with one another, communicating with one another, following center expectations, and following clean-up expectations. The materials provide transition songs, puppets, read-alouds, and visuals to increase positive social interactions for students. For example, the students participate in the transition song “Make New Friends” while going to recess. This song is one of the online songs with graphics and text available to be shown on the screen. The song shows children how they can ask a friend to play in a kind way; the lyrics promote a positive way to make friends and being brave by asking friends to play. The teacher asks students questions about how they feel when they have a friend to play with. The students then practice the skill discussed in the transition during their free playtime outside.
In Unit 4, the teacher embeds social skills throughout the daily routine in all settings and locations of the classroom. For example, following a lesson on the vocabulary words tall and short, students participate in a center activity: They make a graph together to find out who is the tallest. Students decide on the location where this activity is going to take place, which promotes ownership. The teacher also uses songs and movement videos to highlight social skills. Two songs are highlighted in Unit 4: In one, students practice passing an object while dancing and saying and singing thank you; in the other, students use kind words to help cheer up others. During large group activities, the teacher uses strategies to engage students in student-to-student social interactions, such as in a “Think, Pair, Share” to discuss how they feel that day. The teacher also embeds social skills into small group lessons. One example is when the teacher demonstrates or models the process of sorting objects or creating patterning; students work with a partner to sort objects and to create patterns with teddy bear counters.
In Unit 6, following the guidance for the Block center, the teacher provides pictures of different household pets, and students socially interact while role-playing how to take care of pets. Centers are outlined daily in the lesson plans and often include practicing body space awareness, sharing, and other social skills. The teacher uses the lesson plans guide to arrange the classroom to ensure the practice of social skills. For example, turn-taking is encouraged by limiting the number of students in specific centers, such as four students in the “Construction” center. Additionally, the teacher introduces social skills in large and small group lessons and then uses the gradual release model to incorporate social skills into centers and other circle times.
The materials provide daily opportunities for students to develop their gross motor skills through movement and fine motor skills that do not require writing.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Using the lesson guides, the teacher plans for numerous daily opportunities for students to develop their gross and fine motor skills. Every lesson guide contains a schedule with regular physical activity—two outdoor times and one movement activity. Students engage in a 15-minute “Movement Time” daily, including activities such as an obstacle course, moving like animals, movement videos, games, and finger-plays. Following the “Classroom Learning Centers” instructional guide, the teacher provides materials to work on fine motor skills such as toys, letters, blocks of different shapes and weights in the “Block” center, kitchen tools in the “Pretend” center, scissors, modeling clay, a variety of paintbrushes in the “Art” center, and tweezers and measuring instruments for the “Sensory Table.” Daily opportunities for fine and gross motor practice are present throughout all units.
In Unit 1, students practice standing up with arms out to spatially distance themselves and increase the gross motor skill of balance. In a different activity, students practice hand-eye coordination by silently passing a ball around, ensuring everyone has had a turn, without talking. Within a small group math lesson in this unit, students use glue sticks and paper to create their family house, using differently colored squares of paper to represent each family member. After gluing the pieces on, the students then decorate their house in any way that they want.
In Unit 4, students learn about growing healthy bodies. They participate in games, such as “Jumping Jacks Heartbeat,” “Move like an Animal,” and “Move like the Alphabet.” The teacher reads Me and My Amazing Body and The Busy Bodies Book: A Guide to Fitness. Students engage in movement videos using different parts of their bodies. While outside, students use a variety of tools in a tub of soapy water to address fine motor skills. During centers, the teacher provides sensory tubs with tools for manipulating items like beans and grains of rice; modeling clay is used not just in writing to form letters and names but also in “Pretend and Learn” to make pretend food items.
In Unit 6, students create paper airplanes, throw them, and measure how far they went. In another activity, students reach and stretch to pretend to be modes of transportation. This activity can be done to practice balance in isolation or with a partner. The teacher uses songs throughout this unit to target gross and fine motor skills, such as “London Bridge,” “Old Brass Wagon,” and the “5 Senses Song,” encouraging movement throughout the classroom. During a large group activity, students brainstorm a list of fine motor movements (e.g., writing, playing the piano). While reviewing the list, students act out each motion while sitting on their spot.
The materials provide guidance to the teacher on modeling safe and healthy habits and give students opportunities to practice safe and healthy habits. The materials communicate the connection between physical and mental health.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials provide instructional guides and lesson guides to assist the teacher in teaching safety and health to the students. The teacher demonstrates “Conscious Discipline” as a way to foster discipline and minimize conflict and shares these ideas with parents to use at home. Throughout the units, the teacher uses songs and activities related to social and emotional competencies, including the “Emotion Soundboard” used during the arrival/opening activities. Following the “Teacher Tips,” the teacher facilitates a positive student-teacher relationship and student-to-student relationships through shared activities, finger-plays, and songs; for example, the class sings a daily welcome song. The teacher reinforces health and safety habits through lessons, transitions, meal times, songs, movement activities, interactive activities, and documentaries. Students use emotion cards to help. The teacher uses an interactive activity to help students calm their bodies before read-alouds and rest time: Students choose different stretches that go along with soothing music. Some tips for strong emotions are provided, such as discussing how exercise can help make those strong feelings less intense. Every day within the daily schedule, teachers create a safe and supportive environment for students. Teacher tips include modeling expectations, praising children, and redirecting children as needed. Health and safety are intertwined throughout all units but are mostly focused on in Units 1 and 4.
In Unit 1, the teacher establishes classroom rules and encourages students to be safe in the classroom, with friends, and with family. The teacher instructs students how to share with each other, make and keep friends, and express their feelings using words or safe places. Students are actively engaged in the creation of classroom rules. When introducing the playground, the class takes a playground walk, discussing where they can and cannot go safely. Once students begin playing, the teacher encourages them to practice personal safety habits. As students are learning the routines, at critical transition times, the teacher prompts students to wash their hands, reminding them of this healthy habit. The teacher uses the song “Wash Our Hands” to teach a lesson on bathroom procedures at the beginning of the year. It can be used year-round when students need reminders.
In Unit 4, students learn about healthy foods, healthy bodies, their feelings, and safety. For example, students explore fruit and make a fruit salad. The teacher models trying new fruits. In another activity, students create fruit and vegetable sculptures and discuss how these foods are good for us. The class engages in discussions at mealtimes that include healthy eating habits. For example, students are asked to identify what nutritious foods they have in their lunch. In addition to healthy food, the teacher teaches about healthy habits like handwashing. In one lesson, the teacher teaches students how to wash their hands and ensure they are doing it for the correct amount of time. In another lesson, the teacher introduces dialing 911. The teacher reads Dial 911! and reviews the numbers (9-1-1) in math. During small groups, the students practice calling 911.
In Unit 6, during snack time, students discuss the benefits of good nutrition and hygiene and identify healthy snacks. In a song activity, students perform different exercise movements while the teacher explains the importance of good exercise habits. In the “Pretend and Learn” center, students role-play a variety of exercises. The teacher provides materials that promote exercises, such as hula hoops, bouncy balls, yoga mats, photos of people exercising, and age-appropriate hand weights.
The materials provide guidance on developing students’ listening skills. The materials support and scaffold daily opportunities for students to listen for understanding; they provide opportunities for students to hear sounds, appropriate sentence structure, and grammar in a variety of contexts. The materials provide opportunities for students to hear conversations that follow conversation norms.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Each lesson guide contains two shared reading experiences that support students’ oral language comprehension and provide opportunities for students to hear sounds, appropriate sentence structure, and grammar in a variety of contexts. The materials include 16 theme-specific texts (eight in English and eight in Spanish). Scaffolding of listening skills is present most often in the questioning during read-alouds throughout the materials. One example is during a read-aloud of Growing Vegetable Soup; the materials include questions about the story before, during, and after the read-aloud. The questions require students to listen to the question and respond using the text that was read to them or past experiences. The questions provided are scaffolded to engage students with different comprehension abilities. For example, the teacher asks, “What gets planted in the ground?” “What do seeds need to grow?” and “What do seeds grow into?” within the same read-aloud. These questions allow the teacher to gauge students’ listening skills and build upon their comprehension of the book.
The materials include teacher guidance to model active listening for understanding. There is daily modeling and practice of active listening as students arrive and during the “Morning Message.” During arrival, teachers engage students in brief conversations, allowing each student to respond appropriately and practice non-verbal conversational skills. The lesson guides also include teacher tips to help teachers identify children who may have had limited opportunities to engage in conversations or those who have limited English skills.
Teachers receive tips to engage in child-led conversations and tips to model active listening. These supports reinforce student learning throughout individual units and lessons. For example, in Unit 1, “Welcome to PreK,” the teacher guides the classroom in a discussion of rules. The teacher models and explains different nonverbal and verbal conversation rules; for example, “When you look at me, it shows me that you are listening.” The materials provide visual supports to promote the modeling of active listening behaviors. They also provide a variety of opportunities for students to learn and practice conversation norms throughout the daily routine. Teachers model conversational norms by engaging and interacting with students during centers and mealtimes. The wrap-up project in Unit 1 is to decorate the classroom. This project requires students to converse with teachers and peers to create the classroom space they want. These conversations include asking questions, asking for help, and sharing ideas.
In Unit 3, students have multiple opportunities to engage in activities that prompt listening development, understanding, and comprehension. Students listen to the story Perry Plants a Seed in several different ways: read-alouds with teacher questioning and individually or with peers using an e-story in a “Library/Listening” center. The teacher asks questions that are grammatically correct to enhance student learning. Through the use of lessons, stories, group activities, and interactive activities, the materials provide many opportunities for students to hear appropriate sentence structure, rhyming, alliteration, and correct grammar.
There are also opportunities for students to engage in role-play to practice conversational skills. In Unit 3, the teacher provides farmer dress-up clothing and farming props for the “Pretend and Learn” center. Students dress up as a farmer and act out farmer jobs using various farm equipment, animals, a butcher paper painting of a cornfield, watering cans, trowels, rakes, shovels, hoes, and fake vegetables. Students engage in observation and investigation while describing and discussing the position and motion of the farm props.
The instructional materials provide guidance on developing students’ speaking skills. The materials provide opportunities for students to practice producing sounds and use appropriate sentence structure and grammar. The materials encourage peer- and teacher-led discussion using conversational norms and provide teacher guidance on giving feedback to students on their speaking abilities.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials provide detailed teacher tips for supporting speech production and providing opportunities to scaffold the responses. For instance, during “Circle Time/Opening,” the teacher uses guiding questions to apply knowledge and songs (found in “Supporting Resources”) to support developmentally appropriate speech production, grammar, and sentence structure. Additionally, the teacher reads a “Morning Message” every day, modeling correct grammar and sentence structure as well as pronunciation of different sounds. Finally, students say the Texas State Flag Pledge and the United States of America Pledge, learning one new line at a time. The teacher follows various tips on developing oral language speaking skills and uses these six instructional best practices: reading voice, pointing gestures, direct vocabulary instruction, comprehension questions, responsive teaching, and repeated readings.
The lesson guide provides teacher guidance and recommendations for setting up learning centers. For example, “Center Time 1” and “Center Time 2” share teacher tips on organizing the classroom environment to provide opportunities for students to practice and use oral language.
In Unit 1, the class creates the rules together. The lesson plan states that student responses should be repeated to them using correct grammar and pronunciation. The class reads the rules aloud together to practice the production of sounds and sentence structure. Teachers follow provided tips throughout the year to support speaking skills. For example, following an included tip in this lesson, teachers model speaking in full sentences and how to conduct think-alouds to help students expand and reflect on their thoughts when in a whole group setting.
In Unit 2, the class discusses how they can help their teacher and how they can help their friend. The teacher uses sentence stems to model how to answer the question, addressing responses to the teacher and to each other: “I will help you, teacher, by...” and “I will help you, friend, by....” In another lesson, students practice both verbal and non-verbal communication using cards passed out by the teacher. Students look at their cards and then find a partner that has the same card; partners shake hands and say a kind word to each other.
In Theme 3, the teacher invites students to respond to questions about the seasons, summer, and the sun. Then, a student “reads” the visual schedule and the calendar routine, which provides another opportunity for speech production. The “General Tip” icon in the “Small Group Literacy: Compound Words” lesson details how students develop oral language through singing, talking, and playing, and then extends the practice into reading and writing centers.
In Unit 4, the teacher models how to make the /j/ sound. The students practice making the /j/ sound several times, splitting into groups to practice (e.g., “all the girls say /j/”; “if you are wearing blue today say /j/”). Throughout Unit 4, students learn about healthy bodies through various discussions. Some of these discussions include their height and that of their peers, the importance of exercise, and the food they brought for mealtimes. These discussions are then carried over into independent play experiences so that students can continue these discussions with peers during centers, utilizing the same materials. For instance, following the discussion on height and measuring, measurement tools are added into centers. This activity helps to promote student discussion around a specific topic that has already been practiced in a large group. Materials provide many opportunities for students to engage in different conversations with peers and teachers that reinforce conversational norms.
In Unit 6, the teacher writes a sentence on the board: “I went on a boat and I saw a bear!” The teacher models and thinks aloud while writing the sentence on the board. The teacher starts with “I went on a boat and I saw a bear!” and then hands a toy boat to a student; the student says, “I went on a boat, and I saw...!” The teacher provides a prompt for the child to say what they saw, if necessary. The materials use the modeling of sentence stems throughout the lessons and discussion to assist students in practicing appropriate sentence structure. In Unit 6, students complete the sentence “If I could fly a…, I would go to… and….” The materials provide visuals that can be used to help ensure students of different abilities can participate and respond to the questions. Materials provide tips and information for teachers to ensure that they can give feedback that is responsive and encourages students to use their speaking skills.
The materials support expanding student vocabulary using a progression of vocabulary development that is age and sequentially appropriate. The materials include a variety of strategies to support vocabulary development that are integrated and authentically embedded in content-based learning.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The instructional materials include a set of 64 large laminated photographs and 70 classroom labels in English and Spanish to be used throughout the classroom and within the units. These items provide new vocabulary, definitions of new words, and vocabulary for the thematic units. Additionally, there are two instructional guides (“Implementing Effective Literacy Instruction” and “Supporting ELLs”) that provide teachers tools for differentiated instruction and address vocabulary development. Recommended strategies include singing, having conversations between teachers and students, and using enriched centers with meaningful play to help students learn new vocabulary. Teachers introduce a wide array of vocabulary in all conversations, integrate new vocabulary, and reinforce vocabulary already learned. For example, in one lesson, the teacher introduces the vocabulary words float and sink. This vocabulary is then reinforced at the “Sensory Table” during center time. The instructional materials also include an overview of theme-related vocabulary words for each unit.
In Unit 1, the teacher introduces the unit vocabulary through music and movement; the teacher uses a song (“Family”) and total physical response to refine students’ understanding of words like father/papa.
In Unit 2, students look through a box of uniforms to identify which community worker wears each uniform. This lesson uses the strategy of hands-on props for teaching new vocabulary.
In Unit 3, the teacher builds upon the students’ previous vocabulary knowledge to include new ways to say similar things. For example, the word hot can be taught or reinforced for students who are already familiar with it. The vocabulary list extends the vocabulary by also including warm, bright, light, heat, and shine. Students discuss how these words are similar, how they are different, and how they relate to each other.
In Unit 5, the vocabulary words for the day include jungle, snake, monkey, frog, panther, and map. Teachers introduce the vocabulary in the first “Circle Time” using visuals of each animal. The animals discussed are then integrated throughout the day in movement games, books, center time, and small group activities. For example, during movement/transitions, students do a bear walk, frog jump, and sway their trunks like elephants.
In Unit 6, children begin to develop a vocabulary of object names and common phrases. In Circle Time, the theme vocabulary is developed with visual aids (e.g., the photo album Moving in Water), and the teacher prompts children in their responses and to fill in the blank (e.g., “The ocean is....”)
The materials include a variety of appropriate strategies for supporting English Learners (ELs), including using a child’s first language as a foundation for developing vocabulary in both English and the home language.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Materials include the instructional guide “Supporting English Language Learners.” Teachers follow the supports and strategies included in the guide to support ELs. The guide starts with an overview of working with ELs and then discusses the classroom environment, planning, and instruction. Following the guide, the teacher understands the importance of modeling, using anchor charts, providing praise, and giving students wait time to respond to questions. The guide also covers how to incorporate visuals included in the materials. Visuals include printed pictures, digital pictures, and interactive activities. The teachers learn best practices related to code-mixing and code-switching. When students code mix or code switch, they may speak in two languages or begin to speak and then need a visual or to act it out. A student may say, “I need…” then point to a visual representation of the restroom. This action is an acceptable method of communication for ELs. After reading the guide, the teacher understands the importance of cultural relevance and development of the home language as the foundation for English language acquisition. All of the units include texts in English and Spanish, and songs are incorporated to instill patterns and facilitate learning words, phrases, and theme-specific vocabulary. Extra guidance is also shared in the daily lessons through a clipboard and lightbulb icon, which give tips on supporting ELs.
In Unit 1, students and teachers make an anchor chart of the classroom rules. While creating these rules, the included digital pictures support students’ engagement and understanding of the lesson. The teacher supports ELs by using the provided visual supports.
In Unit 4, the teacher introduces feelings. Throughout the lesson guide, there are opportunities for ELs to observe (listen) to teachers and other children express feelings with vocabulary like happy or sad and model the behavior. The guide for ELs makes the educator aware of common “mistakes,” such as code-mixing, so that the teacher may allow ELs opportunities to express themselves as they work toward mastery.
In Unit 5, the class engages in various ways with the vocabulary words of the day: habitat and pet. During “Circle Time,” students sing a song about the different habitats animals can have. Next, the teacher uses an online photo album to discuss pets and their habitats. Throughout the daily movement activities, students act out different pets. During centers, students play with different stuffed animals as a hands-on approach to teaching vocabulary words. Additionally, following a tip in this unit, the teacher creates groupings for small groups in order to support ELs by using peers as language models within a literacy lesson.
In Unit 6, the teacher uses both photos and concrete objects to make vocabulary connections for ELs to internalize the new vocabulary further.
In Unit 8, teachers use a variety of strategies that are incorporated into the daily schedule to support ELs. In one strategy, the teacher introduces the vocabulary (folk songs, guitar, banjo, and fiddle) using pictures and discussion. Students discuss what folk songs are and watch a video of the song “The Simple Life Song,” which shows how each of the instruments is used. The teacher stops the video to discuss each instrument. Throughout the day, the teacher uses additional visual cues to assist ELs in learning the new vocabulary, such as an interactive daily schedule, e-stories that highlight each word as it is read, and multiple read-alouds of the same book with questions that highlight the illustrations.
The materials provide opportunities for students to develop language skills through authentic conversations and active listening. Materials provide consistent opportunities for students to share ideas and information about the texts. Students work collaboratively to engage in discussions about different projects.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The class uses texts throughout the year, including 16 theme-specific texts (eight in English and eight in Spanish) and a classroom set of 64 books to support units and instruction. The books provided are accessible in both paperback and online e-stories. The students listen to online stories independently. In each daily read-aloud lesson, the teacher activates prior knowledge with “pre-reading questions,” gauges active listening with “during-reading questions,” and measures comprehension with “post-reading questions.” Following each question, the students discuss the stories.
In Unit 1, students work and play together in centers, engage in conversations about who they are, and get to know their peers. In one lesson, the teacher begins by reading I Like Myself! The teacher asks pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading questions to engage students in conversation. After students sing a song about being unique, they engage in partner talk. The teacher instructs students to discuss how they are unique and similar to their peers. Before the discussion starts, the teacher explains how we take turns when answering questions and models turn-taking in conversation with a student. The teacher provides guiding questions about students’ favorite food, favorite animal, and what they like to do. During centers, students continue the topic of differences and similarities; they look at books that have pictures of different families and children. Students create a friendship quilt, using self-portraits to discuss similarities and differences. Additionally, in Unit 1, following the included “social-emotional learning tip,” the teacher instructs students on how to listen and engage in discussions related to the texts that are being read aloud. For example, “Teach the children how to share their opinion on the book. For instance, you may ask, ‘Did you like the book?’ Children can be taught to respond like this: ‘I like the book because….’”
In Unit 3, students actively listen to the story The Magic Butterfly. Students participate in the class project, working together to make insect habitats. Students engage in conversations related to the text, and teachers guide these conversations by expanding on the text and providing additional information. In this example, students work collaboratively and engage in discussion throughout the project.
In Theme 4, the teacher reads Germs Are Not for Sharing and activates prior knowledge through pre-reading questions. The students engage in “Pair and Share” activities, both as a whole group and in centers. During the second read-aloud, using the teacher tip, the teacher reads with enthusiasm and intonation to pique the students’ interest and actively engage them in the reading.
In Unit 5, students listen to many stories about different types of animals. For example, after the reading of Who Am I? An Animal Guessing Game, students play a matching game to review the different names of animals. Each student gets a picture of an animal. The student identifies the animal they have and then draws a picture of another animal. They then say, “I have a zebra; who has a llama?” The student with the llama then draws the next animal and continues the game. This activity engages children in using academic vocabulary and actively listening to the academic vocabulary used by peers. Additionally, students activate prior knowledge by reviewing the names of animals they previously learned in the text. Also, following a read-aloud of How to Find Elephants, the teacher asks, “Why does the boy climb to the top of the tree?” The students engage in discussing this open-ended question and apply information from the text in the discussion.
In Unit 7, students use text to extend their learning on how to build houses. While reading How a House Is Built, students discuss the different people who help build houses and what each person does (electrician, carpenter, plumber). The teacher leads a large group lesson where students discuss the different types of houses people live in (apartments, houses, townhomes, trailers, farms, ranches) and the tools needed to build a house. Following the discussion, students have an opportunity to use styrofoam blocks, child-safe hammers, and golf tees to build a house. The text is interwoven into different lessons, activities, and centers throughout each day to extend and use information gained from the read-aloud.
In Unit 8, the teacher reads the book Ben’s Trumpet. During the reading, students participate by sharing answers to open-ended questions about the story. The teacher asks, “How do you think that makes Ben feel?” prompting a discussion with the students. The students then use oral language to act out and retell the story.
The materials include a variety of activities that address the development of phonological awareness based on a developmentally appropriate continuum. These activities include identifying, synthesizing, and analyzing sounds; students practice these skills both in isolation and in connection to alphabetic knowledge.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The teacher utilizes the scope and sequence instructional guide to support the teaching of phonological skills, moving from less complex to more complex skills as the year goes on. Students develop a solid base of these skills in the first six units; the last two units focus on reviewing, practicing, and mastering all the skills students have learned. Students engage with an interactive online tool that allows them to hear and see pictures of one-syllable words, segmented, and then combined. As the year goes on, this interactive tool can be modified to increase difficulty; for example, modifications could be hearing only the word or looking at the picture, and having students count and clap the syllables on their own. When students need intervention on a specific skill, the teacher can easily pull lessons from the toolbox and correlations tab. Additionally, the teacher uses the “Implementing Effective Literacy Instructions” instructional guide, which defines and identifies early literacy skills, including phonological knowledge. Following the recommendations in this instructional guide, the teacher might use music as an effective way to build upon early literacy skills.
In Unit 2, students engage in various activities to learn and review phonological skills, including rereading a favorite rhyming book in a small group and ringing a bell or playing an instrument when they hear a rhyming word, using magnet letters to identify beginning sounds of different objects, and looking at pictures and hearing what each picture is to identify rhyming words. In one example, the teacher introduces rhyming words while reading Is Your Mama a Llama? The teacher uses questions to engage students in a discussion about the rhyming words they hear. For example, “What did you hear in the book?” and “Did some of the words sound the same?” The teacher then models a few words that rhyme. Students practice saying the rhyming words with the teacher. The teacher gives the students a shaker, a stick, a drum, or bells. As the story is reread, students make a sound when they hear a word that rhymes. In another example, students listen to the song “Rhyming Words.” Students practice this skill with online interactive activities to identify words that rhyme as well with a game called “Freestyle Rhymes,” where students practice making raps out of rhyming words. Additionally, in Unit 2, students practice syllables before reading Plastic (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Students clap and count the number of syllables in each word in the title. Students then engage in online practice with syllables, where they listen to a two-syllable word and combine the syllables to create one word.
In Unit 3, during a small group activity, students practice writing their names on sentence strips and then clap and count the syllables in their names. During “Circle Time,” students practice counting and clapping their names again. During a different Circle Time, students put compound words together as a whole group. The students combine words such as rain and bow to get rainbow. In another lesson, the teacher writes or glues letters (T, S, and A) on different clothespins and writes a variety of one- to two-syllable words that start with these letters on sentence strips. Students then clip the letter to the word with that beginning sound. This activity provides the opportunity to begin to connect phonological awareness skills to alphabetic knowledge. The teacher introduces syllable counting in Unit 3 using the student’s name and then transitions to other words (theme vocabulary) in later lessons.
In Unit 7, the teacher leads a whole group syllabication lesson. The teacher says one word at a time (farm, garden, studio, store, restaurant, library, and office). The first time, students echo the word back to the teacher; the second time, students say the word and stomp the syllables, incorporating movement into the phonological lessons. Students practice this skill first with a visual and then without the use of visuals to help them. Throughout the unit, students practice syllabication with increasing task complexity. In one lesson, students identify the number of syllables in a word. In another, the students and the teacher work in small groups using interactive online activities to build words using syllables. The activity gives parts of a word, such as mark and ers, and the students order the syllables to build a word. The computer then reads the whole word to the student.
The materials follow a research-based sequence for teaching alphabetic knowledge skills and provide teachers with guidance on introducing, modeling, and using letter names and sounds.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The “Scope and Sequence” instructional guide shows how alphabetic knowledge is presented throughout the year and communicates the importance of teaching these skills. Students start the year by using their names and other familiar words, which helps them become interested in learning the alphabet. After that, materials introduce individual alphabetic knowledge lessons. Following the guidance, the teacher should not use a letter of the week to teach the alphabet. During the introduction of each letter, students explore the visual and auditory characteristics of the letter and learn letters in conjunction with the entire alphabet. After the introduction of the letter, students review and practice letters through activities that use letters in isolation and in conjunction with the rest of the alphabet. The class uses alphabet deck cards (uppercase and lowercase) throughout the units. To create a letter-rich environment, the teacher uses large laminated pictures to label the centers and other areas of the classroom. Beginning-of-the-year instruction focuses on learning letters in connection with students’ names; instruction then focuses on letters connected to new words and vocabulary, showing a progression of instruction across the year.
In Unit 2, the teacher introduces the letter T, and students learn the letter name and sound in multiple ways. The teacher starts by sharing a photo album with T-words using a puppet. Teachers ask students if any friends’ names start with the letter T. Then the class walks around the classroom, looking for objects that start with T. Students practice tracing the uppercase and lowercase letter T. The teacher provides an independent review of the letter T in centers and through interactive online activities. During the “ABC” center, students use picture cards and letter cards from the “Beginning Letter Match-Up Game” to match pictures with their beginning letter/sound.
In Theme 3, during the small group literacy block, the teacher guides the students in a scavenger hunt for the letter C. The teacher starts by introducing the letter C, saying the letter name, and making the corresponding sound. Students echo the teacher. The teacher places brightly-colored cutouts of uppercase and lowercase C around the room. The students demonstrate their learning orally and by writing in their journals the letters that they find. Students also engage in interactive online games, which include tracing letters on the computer screen and using the “Letter Spy Picture.”
In Unit 5, students focus on the letters X, Y, and Z. Students start by learning theme-related words (fox, yak, and zebra) to explore the shape of each letter and its sound. Students practice tracing on paper letters and then use their fingers, arms, and whole bodies to make the shape. Students then find the letters in their friends’ names. Finally, students are given popsicle sticks to create each letter. Students engage in alphabet knowledge through multiple learning modalities.
In Unit 8, students review the alphabet daily, in centers and groups, through games and online activities such as the “ABC Song,” “Letter Match,” “Letter Spy Words,” and “Letter Spy Pictures.” Small group lessons incorporate the formation of specific letters, and students practice including letters as they write. Teachers complete letter assessments at this time, helping students focus on letters they still need practice on. Materials demonstrate a progression of skills across the year; students receive end-of-year practice after engaging with alphabetic knowledge in a variety of ways throughout the materials.
The materials provide direct and explicit instruction in print awareness and provide students the opportunity to understand the everyday functions of print. The materials use a research-based sequence and a developmentally appropriate continuum for the development of print awareness, and they provide sufficient opportunities for student practice.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The instructional materials emphasize the importance of daily read-alouds and print-rich environments to teach students about print concepts and print knowledge. In addition to questions about the text, the teacher asks questions that focus on print awareness. For example, students make predictions about the book by looking at the cover and illustrations. The teacher sets up a print-rich environment using the materials provided, such as center posters, daily activities posters, and classroom labels. Following the guidance, the teacher provides books in all center areas, word walls, labels, children’s work displays, etc. Teachers use books from the supplemental list provided on the materials’ website. Environmental print is the first print the children experience, and making the classroom print-rich is key to effective early literacy learning. Students independently read the video books provided, which highlight the text as it is read aloud. The teacher engages the students in daily read-alouds and “Morning Messages” to learn skills such as print directionality, parts of a book, proper book handling, and writing concepts. The teacher uses an appropriate continuum in teaching print awareness. For example, the instructional materials start by teaching very simple concepts, like pointing to each word, one or two sentences, and minimal punctuation; they slowly add in more complex concepts, like modeling return sweep, spacing, reading left to right, and a variety of punctuation.
In Unit 1, the teacher introduces the “Book” center and explains appropriate reading behaviors. Students practice looking through a variety of books, and the teacher models how to start from the beginning of the book, pointing out the cover. The class discusses the author and illustrator and where to find that information. The teacher leads a book walk with the story Rosie Goes to Preschool, where students describe the illustrations. In one example of a Morning Message, the teacher writes a message and explains to the students that they will have one every day. The teacher asks the children to use clues and look for letters they already know in the message. After students have a chance to respond and “guess” what the message is (with a visual clue), the teacher uses a pointer and reads from left to right, pointing at each word as she reads it. In a read-aloud of Ally-Saurus & the First Day of School, the teacher shows children the front of the book and asks them to describe what they see.
In Unit 4, the teacher reads The Grouchy Ladybug. The teacher shows students the spine, front cover, and back cover of the book. Then, the teacher reads the story title and points to the author’s name. This idea is reinforced when students watch the video reading of the book. The video also identifies the front and back of the book. In Unit 4, at the “Writing” center, the teacher provides very simple laminated breakfast menus, which children use as a guide to work in pairs to make their own healthy breakfast menu. The center is print-rich, with labeled pictures of food items and books. In another Writing center activity that involves environmental print, the teacher provides safety words and picture cards, depicting, for example, a firefighter, a policeman, a crossing guard, safety signs, and children following or ignoring safety rules. The students use the safety words and pictures to talk, write, and draw about different ways to be safe at home, at school, and in the community.
In Unit 7, students use blueprints, large butcher paper, and writing instruments to create their own plans at the “Pretend and Learn” center. In the “Construction” center, the teacher provides books with pictures of different homes and street signs as well as cardboard boxes for students to draw on. While modeling writing in a large group setting, the teacher explains concepts of print and uses the think-aloud strategy. In a Morning Message, the teacher points out a period at the end of a sentence and explains that a period is a way to end a sentence. In another message, the teacher leaves out the periods. The teacher then asks the students what is wrong with the sentences and what is missing. The students then share where the punctuation should be placed.
The materials provide texts that are age-appropriate for read-alouds and include fiction, nonfiction, songs, and some poems. The texts are engaging to prekindergarten students, cover a range of student interests, and give students opportunities to interact with the stories. Environmental print is included and utilized throughout the curriculum.
Evidence provided in the materials:
The materials provide a collection of 64 books in the instructional materials, e-stories, and a list of additional texts that support the units. Students engage with texts independently when they use the e-stories. These texts engage students through themes such as community, movement, music, building, and animals. Titles such as Abuela and Tito Puente: Mambo King are culturally relevant to Spanish-speaking students. Some texts use rhyming or repetition to engage students in the read-aloud, including You Nest Here with Me; The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?; and The Bus Is for Us! During all read-alouds, the teacher engages students with pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading questions that include prediction and inference.
In Unit 1, the teacher fills the “Library” center with an assortment of printed text related to the sub-theme of the week, “My New Class.” The recommendations include literature and concept books, original “Quaver Books,” mounted photos, and decks of alphabet and matching cards. While in the Library center, students engage in pre-reading activities like looking at pictures and turning the pages of a book. The teacher uses the fiction book Rosie Goes to Preschool to introduce the Library center in the first week of school. Before reading, the teacher reads the author’s name and discusses how authors are the ones who write the words and create the story. Students then use the title and illustrations on the front of the book to make predictions about the story. The class discusses how the character feels in the story, and the teacher asks students how they feel about preschool and what their favorite part of the day is, giving them the opportunity to connect the story to their own experiences.
In Unit 5, the teacher reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar, an engaging fiction book by Eric Carle, which is rated a 2.9 using ATOS. The story is age-appropriate and of interest to young learners. Students interact with the story through the use of comprehension questions; for example, during the reading, students predict what food might be next; after the reading, students recall what the caterpillar ate. Students connect with the book by answering the question, “Have you ever been very hungry?” As with many other texts, the teacher reads the text multiple times to pique student interest. Students interact with the text by filling in its repetitive pattern during a read-aloud.
In Unit 7, the teacher reads the book My Dream Playground. Based on ATOS, this is a 3.6 level book when read alone, but it is recommended for the interest of lower-level readers. The book level is appropriate for students to listen to; students look at the pictures and relate them to real-life situations. My Dream Playground is a fictional story about a young child who draws and imagines the perfect playground, which appeals to the interest of young learners. Reading the nonfiction story Construction Workers by Cari Meister, students learn what a construction worker does and about the tools they use. Before reading, the teacher asks students to review different structures that construction workers build (e.g., homes, apartment buildings, playgrounds, amusement parks, buildings people work in). During the reading, the teacher points these out and discusses any new structures not discussed previously. Students also learn about different tools construction workers use and how they are used. The children are then asked to share their experiences on a construction site. At centers, students can engage with this story independently using the video book version provided.
Examples of fiction texts include but are not limited to:
Examples of nonfiction texts include but are not limited to:
Examples of songs include but are not limited to:
Examples of poems include but are not limited to:
Poems and nursery rhymes are limited throughout the curriculum.
The teacher uses environmental print to label the classroom. Materials include these labels as well as blank labels so the teacher can create her own. The teacher places these labels around the room on common objects for students to begin identifying objects. The teacher uses a variety of text materials in centers. The use of environmental print is seen throughout the learning units.
In the “Special Project” for Unit 1, students engage in making the classroom welcoming; key components involve environmental print examples and labeling the room.
In Unit 4, the students work together to make a breakfast menu. When writing the menu in the “Writer’s Corner,” students use a sample breakfast menu. Students use environmental print to write or draw ideas.
In Unit 6, the teacher provides theme-related environmental print in centers, including books about different types of vehicles, vocabulary cards with words and pictures, and geography magazines.
The materials provide guidance for teachers to connect students’ experiences with the text; they also provide guidance on basic text structures and their impact on student understanding.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Following the lesson guides, the teacher performs at least two read-alouds per day. The teacher follows scripts in the lesson guides to question children before, during, and after reading.
In Unit 1, the teacher reads the story All About Me! Students then respond to the following prompts in a discussion: “Tell us something about yourself, something about your family, something about your friends.” The students engage in a discussion about their personal life at home in connection to the story, following the tip in “Read Aloud 1.” The teacher uses shared, interactive, guided, and independent reading to demonstrate and discuss appropriate reading behaviors with students, which include listening and engaging in discussions related to the texts that are being read aloud. The teacher reads the story I Hear a Pickle (and Smell, See, Touch, and Taste It, Too!) in different settings to engage students in the story. Students are first introduced to the story in a small group, where the teacher points out the spine, the cover of the book, and the back of the book. The teacher then leads a book walk, predicting what the story will be about. After, students use this as a way to discuss their five senses. The teacher reviews the story during “Circle Time,” where students point out which sense is being read about throughout the story. This review helps students prepare for a nature walk where they will use their senses to explore their surroundings.
In Unit 4, the teacher reads the story Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Williams. Through questioning, the teacher asks students to make personal connections to the book. Questions in the after-reading section include “Why are baths important to keep our bodies strong and healthy?” and “Do you like taking a bath?” Students relate their book-related knowledge by using the pre-reading and during-reading questions. In a second reading, students recall information they learned about pigeons during the previous readings.
In Unit 5, students explore pets with the story Toby. In the first read-aloud, before reading, the teacher asks, “How can pets also be our friends?” After reading, students discuss if they have pets and if it is easy to take care of them. In the story, the little boy rescues a dog from a shelter. The teacher reviews the words rescue, shelter, and adopt. The teacher then asks students if they have adopted a pet, how they take care of their pets, or if they have ever trained a pet. During outside time, students extend the story by pretending to be pets. The teacher hides a toy, and students pretend to be the dog Toby and find the toy. Materials provide a variety of ways for students to connect to the text through different group settings and activities.
In Unit 6, the teacher reads a book from the “Quaver Classroom Collection,” called Little Pig Saves the Ship. Students make predictions throughout the book. Students are asked to predict what Little Pig’s sister and brother are doing and going to do. They are also asked to predict why Little Pig could not go with them. Teacher tips for this story include retelling, reenacting the story, adding hand gestures, and extending the story. Materials include guidance for the teacher on basic text structures for the understanding of the text.
The materials provide strategies to support English Learners (ELs) in their development of emergent reading skills. Materials include the use of students’ knowledge of literacy in their home language and help them transfer this knowledge to English language and literacy skills.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Materials provide culturally diverse books that show different families, homes, and food. A few examples of authentic cultural texts include Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist; Music for Everyone; Green, Green: A Community Gardening Story; and Look Where We Live! Students can relate to the texts, which are familiar to their culture and experiences. Throughout the units, teachers encourage students to speak in their first language when responding or discussing books and literacy, including code-mixing or code-switching. Following the instructional guide “Supporting English Language Learners,” the teacher creates a print-rich environment, constantly models, and provides students with numerous opportunities to practice throughout the day. The teacher allows extra wait time after questions for ELs and praises students who successfully model the correct usage for their fellow students. The teacher also uses visual cues (digital and hard copy), movement, and anchor charts. The visuals used throughout the materials focus on matching words, sounds, and pictures. The teacher repeats, reviews, and reuses information frequently, so students continue to gain reading skills.
In Unit 1, after reading Ally-saurus & the First Day of School in a large group, the students break into small groups to discuss the story. The teacher lets students share in their home language, showing the group nonverbal gestures for better understanding. This strategy can be carried over into all units and lessons throughout the materials. The teacher uses visuals to prompt students during lessons, activities, group time, transitions, and centers to aid students in expressing themselves and their needs.
In Unit 4, the teacher introduces vocabulary for feelings and emotions. The students listen to the story The Way I Feel. The teacher questions the children before, during, and after reading to activate prior knowledge. Students can use the illustrations to make predictions or describe a character’s feelings. While reading the story, the teacher uses a nonverbal strategy to discuss emotions. Before reading, the teacher asks students to name the different emotions they have. The teacher encourages students to act out these emotions to assist in communicating them. This technique is also used during reading. Before the teacher reads about each emotion, students discuss what they think each emotion could be by looking at the pictures. After the teacher reads the description, students act out the emotion and discuss a time when they felt that way.
In Unit 7, the students learn new vocabulary, including playground, dream, build, teamwork, and construction. Through a two-day focus on the book My Dream Playground, students extend their learning of this vocabulary using techniques that benefit ELs. The class discusses why we have playgrounds and how the characters use teamwork to build the playground. Students also review the book and vocabulary in a small group, a setting that benefits ELs. In another small group, students draw (construct) and write about their dream playground. On the second day, students review the book by looking at the title, author, front, and back of the book and retell the story using movement, if needed.
The materials include a variety of experiences to engage students in writing. These experiences include direct instruction, imitation of writing, independent writing, group writing, illustration, and connections between reading and writing.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials, in general, provide the teacher with resources to support children in the development of pre-writing skills. The “Leading Read-Aloud Activities” instructional guide discusses the use of graphic organizers to guide the children in categorizing or comparing/contrasting information from the text read.
In Unit 3, students practice and write letters while planting seeds. After students have planted their seeds, the teacher gives them a popsicle stick to put in their plastic cups. Students write their names on one side and the word bean on the other. Before they write the word bean, the teacher asks them what they think it starts with. For students who need help writing, the teacher models how to write the letters in the air and has students copy and then try to write the letter. Students also trace the letters, if needed. Students express themselves by drawing in a plant journal. Students start the journal by drawing a picture of what plants need (soil, sun, water). Every day, students draw a picture of their plant and the progress it has made. With the teacher’s help, students can write or trace thoughts about their seed. In the story Perry Plants a Seed, Perry grows impatient as the flower does not grow right away. The teacher uses this story to discuss with students that they also need to be patient with their own plants while monitoring growth in their journals. During a different activity, students record their thoughts and write about trees in a variety of ways. Students begin by discussing how the leaves on a tree change through the seasons. The teacher asks the students what they know about trees and what they want to know; the teacher records responses on a chart to provide a group writing example. Toward the end of the unit, the teacher revisits the chart, reads students’ responses, and puts a checkmark next to what they have learned, and adds any new thoughts students have. The following day, students go on a tree walk. Students take their journals with them to record their thoughts through writing or drawing/illustration while on the walk. The teacher extends writing experiences into centers. The “Construction” center includes folded cardstock and markers for students to make signs; the “Pretend and Learn” center includes a clipboard with paper and a pencil and pictures of the seasons and different plants; the “Science” center includes paper and crayons with a variety of leaves for students to make leaf impressions. In another group writing project, the class works together to understand the importance of farmers. Students start by discussing that we need food, shelter, and clothes. Farmers give us food that is necessary for survival. Students then discuss and write why they are thankful for farmers. To help the discussion, teachers can remind students how food from farmers goes from the farm to the grocery store and how we can also buy it directly from the farmers (at farmer’s markets). Students write a letter to a local farmer, thanking them for what they do. Students use a variety of texts to help in writing in their plant journal. These activities also help students make connections to the stories and extend the discussion. In Zinna’s Flower Garden, a little girl plants flowers and keeps a journal while they grow. The teacher uses this story to introduce the students’ own plant journal. Students also read What Do Roots Do? and the teacher uses this to help reinforce what students are drawing in their journal, ensuring they understand the parts of a plant.
In Unit 5, the class makes a variety of class books. The students make a class book about animal habitats. The students as a group create a habitat for an animal that lives in a backyard, an animal that lives in the jungle, an animal that lives in the desert, and one animal of the group's choice. Students then draw a picture of themselves and sign a page as an author. The teacher asks students to think about how students will find food, shelter, and water in the animals’ environment. The teacher listens to the students’ verbal answers before students begin drawing. The last thing students add is a story about the animal they drew. These stories are shared with the class and made into books made by each group. The teacher places a variety of writing materials and letters to trace or copy in the “Writing” center. The teacher encourages independent writing by providing writing prompts for the children to complete with two words; students do so independently, using labeled photos as a model, or with the teacher’s assistance. For example: “Birds have.......” During “Circle Time,” the teacher introduces the class book by displaying five large pieces of paper. The first three have different animals drawn and labeled; the fourth page is for the students to choose an animal and draw it; the last page is for the students to do a self-portrait and write their names. The teacher places books about animals and their habitats in the Writing center or Science center, and the children draw animals and write their names, knowing that the purpose is to compile a class book. Students respond to read-alouds in a group activity; their responses are also compiled into the class book.
In Unit 7, the teacher models concepts about print and thinks aloud while writing in front of the children (top left starting place, moving left to right, leaving a space between words, return sweep, top to bottom, point out punctuation marks). The students practice tracing different construction-related words and then writing them on their own. The teacher demonstrates for the students how to place the traced word over another blank card and how to look at the traced word and then back at the blank card to make their own letters look like the traced letters. In a lesson about punctuation, the teacher places a period at the end of a sentence and explains that it shows you are finished writing. The teacher introduces punctuation as a way to end a sentence and explains that there are different types of punctuation. The teacher erases the period, replaces it with an exclamation point, and reads the sentence as an exclamation; the teacher asks students how the exclamation point changed the sentence. The teacher follows the same process with a question mark. Students have an opportunity to practice punctuation in their own writing during a small group lesson. The teacher tells the students that they will read a book about a girl who designs a playground (My Dream Playground) and then provides an opportunity for students to respond to the read-aloud in writing, supporting the connection between reading and writing. The teacher asks the students to think about their favorite structure or favorite thing to do on the playground. The teacher gives each student a piece of lined paper with a box on it for students to draw a picture of their favorite structure. Materials provide the following written prompt: “On the playground, I like....” Students fill in the blank at the end of the sentence verbally and then write the word with assistance from the teacher. The teacher asks the students to sound out the word and write the onset letter independently; the teacher then writes the rest of the word for the students to trace. During a different small group, the teacher asks the students to share with the group all the fun things that they did in class for the week. The teacher provides the students with a piece of lined paper with a box to draw a picture and a prompt: “My favorite part of this week was...” The students complete the sentence and add punctuation to the end.
The materials follow a developmental continuum of how children learn to write, although they do not explicitly show that continuum anywhere. They provide guidance for teachers on how to nudge students along and how to include appropriate student contributions to writing and the writing process.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The “Scope and Sequence” instructional guide gives an overview of emergent writing skills in the curriculum and highlights three skills. The first is “motivation to write,” where students have opportunities to write and draw with purpose. The second is “writing as a process,” where students write and revise class-made and individual writing projects. The third is “conventions in writing.” In a different instructional guide, “Implementing Effective Literacy Instruction,” teachers are reminded that the foundation of reading and writing affects all aspects of learning, and the two go hand in hand. It details the developmentally appropriate stages of literacy and specific ways to promote writing skills (e.g., air writing, writing lists, scribbling, making books). The teacher is encouraged to develop not just the understanding that print has meaning but also the physical aspect of fine motor skills in the developmental stages of writing. There is a concise 10-point checklist of pre-writing and writing activities to implement in the classroom. There is also a section specifically detailing how dictation is used in the classroom to support emergent writers.
In Unit 1, the teacher starts a project where students share a story about a friend. The teacher asks students about a time when a friend was nice to them, or they did something nice for a friend and how it made them feel. The teacher writes down the students’ words and asks the students to draw a picture of the story. This activity is focused on helping students connect speech with written words and symbols. To help in this connection, the teacher writes down exactly what the children say even if the vocabulary or grammar is wrong. The lesson also suggests that this is a good activity to keep to assess students’ progress throughout the year. During a small group writing activity, students draw their favorite thing and discuss it with the group. Following the “Teacher Tip,” the teacher does not expect students to write or draw in any certain way at the beginning of the year and uses this as an assessment to plan future lessons. A second tip discusses how young students often show their work to gain praise. The teacher should not give general praise, such as “that’s great,” but should be more specific, such as “I noticed you used lots of different colors. Tell me more about your picture.” Specific observations help students think about their pictures and think about their work as opposed to teacher praise. In a large group, the class works together to write a list of classroom rules. As this is the beginning of the year, the focus is on giving students an opportunity to share ideas as a group and have those ideas written down. The teacher prompts students with questions about what keeps us safe and why it is important to follow the rules. The class then creates a list of classroom rules, and the teacher can add pictures to each rule. Students can also act out the rules to reinforce their importance. This chart can be displayed in the room for students to see and discuss throughout the day. During a different large group, the teacher creates an anchor chart titled “Ways to Share.” The interactive online “Photo Album” supports the activity with visuals. As the children brainstorm and offer examples of how they might share with a friend, the teacher writes them on the chart. The teacher reads back the students’ ideas and hangs the poster in the classroom at eye level for the children.
In Unit 4, students practice writing sentences to write about their body and being healthy. Materials provide writing prompts: “I will take care of my growing body by....” “I like to... (some kind of exercise).” “Breathing helps me....” “If I had animal teeth, I would want....” As students write their answers, the teacher points out the beginning and ending sounds of the words they are writing. Students also practice writing sentences while writing about food in a small group activity. Before writing, the teacher asks students what they like and do not like. The teacher writes down responses on a chart and gives students a chance to discuss similarities and differences in their answers. A Teacher Tip highlights the importance of providing meaningful writing opportunities for students to motivate them to write and connect to their writing. After the discussion, students choose what foods they would like to write about. The teacher gives each student a “Feeling” chart to keep track of how they are feeling each morning when they come to school. Students write their names on the chart. After students use the chart all week and are familiar with it, they have an opportunity to interview someone using the chart. The student chooses an adult in the school to interview about how they feel and mark it down on the chart. After the interview, students draw a picture of the person and how they feel. The class also creates a book about feelings. In the “Writing” center, the teacher adds pictures of people displaying different emotions. During the week, the teacher asks students to write or draw a story about a time they felt one of those emotions. The teacher collects these stories; on Friday, students share their writing and drawings. During sharing, students are encouraged to ask questions about each writing/drawing. The teacher then puts them together to create a class book. The teacher embeds writing in centers by having the students write a prescription for Perry the Puppet, who is sick. Students continue to practice writing their names on their individual papers. They draw the body parts, using words like teeth, bones, and arms.
In Unit 7, the students make a class story following the text features of the book The One Day House. The teacher has read the book to the class. The teacher now reminds the students of the repetition in the book—“One day I will....” The teacher shows a few examples from the book. The teacher then gives an example, “One day I will ride a horse.” The teacher then writes, “One day I will…” on chart paper. The students and the teacher have a discussion as to why she put the quotes around the words. The teacher then asks students to finish the sentence stem with their answer when they are asked. The teacher records the students’ answers on the chart paper. The teacher and the students reread the answer, editing the work. Each student responds and provides an answer. Students then come up to the chart paper and read their portion of the story to the class. The class then rereads the story together while the teacher points to each word in the story. As the students write a class story, the teacher scaffolds for students’ knowledge of the writing process. The teacher uses a sentence stem to scaffold student responses. Throughout the writing process, the teacher models and scaffolds students as they edit their work, rereading and pointing to each word. As the students work together to create the class book, the teacher encourages them to use the writing process. The students engage in the writing process by being authors, editors, and publishers.
The materials support fine motor development by providing opportunities to develop fine motor skills. There is differentiation and guidance for the teacher. Materials utilize a variety of tools and surfaces for student writing experiences.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The “Scope and Sequence” guide for prewriting skills notes that teaching children to print is a process that begins with developing fine motor control with specific instructional activities, such as folding and tearing paper or using modeling clay and painting. The guidance also clarifies that introducing letters that are formed using a similar prewriting stroke makes skill acquisition easier, which is why learning to print letters does not occur in alphabetical order and does not follow the same sequence for introducing sounds. Materials guide teachers on how to model printing a letter when introducing the sound and recognition of the letter. Children copy the letter in the air, and then in paint, and then using writing devices. The supplemental guide also describes the process by which children develop motor coordination, alignment, and orientation as foundational skills for printing letters. Students practice pre-writing strokes, draw geometric shapes, and complete directed drawings. The guidance states that children print lowercase first because they use more lowercase letters as emergent writers. Materials support teachers in understanding the writing acquisition process to support students’ skill development throughout the continuum for writing.
In Unit 2, the students and teachers work on a class project to make community helper hats such as a fireman’s hat, a mailman’s hat, a police officer’s hat, or a baker’s hat. The students cut, write, glue, manipulate objects, use paper clips, and staple to make a community helper hat of their choice. Throughout this activity, students are developing fine motor skills to increase their success in writing. The teacher meets each student at their developmental level. Some students need support with writing, cutting, gluing, or coloring. The teacher helps students in a way that is best for each student so that each student can succeed in building on their fine motor skills. As students make the hats, they work on a variety of surfaces and use a variety of tools. They are using scissors, glue, paper, paperclips, markers, crayons, markers, and glitter. Students are working on the table, on the floor, and on chart paper. On chart paper, they make a plan for the hat they will make; they are writing on a wall as they do so, strengthening their fine motor skills, which will eventually improve their writing. Working on a variety of surfaces increases muscle strength and fine motor skills. During small group literacy, the teacher models forming letters with playdough. The teacher places an alphabet chart in the center and allows the students to experiment and verbally describe their letters. In a different art project, the students create a “Mail Carrier Bag,” using scissors, white glue, blue construction paper, ribbon, blue marker, white printer paper, and small envelopes. The students draw stamps, use stamp stickers to place on their envelopes, and write the names of their friends on the envelopes. Once the students finish their letters and envelopes, they place them in their mail carrier bag and deliver the mail to their friends.
In Unit 3, teachers provide a variety of activities to help develop students’ fine motor skills during center time. For example, in “Math and Science” centers, students have a variety of seeds of different shapes and sizes to sort and count. They use their fingers or other tools for this activity. In the “Construction” center, students use construction paper and tissue paper along with cardstock, markers, and tape. Students create maps, signs, and models of the Earth and the Sun. In the “ABC” center, students have clothespins with letters written or glued on them. There are also words on sentence strips; students create the words using the clothespin letters. In a small group lesson, students practice writing on a textured surface. Students use crayons to write on sandpaper. They learn how to press down and use different pressure to create their design. Students then place their artwork in the sunlight and leave it there for the day to see what happens.
In Unit 6, in the “Creativity” center, students use playdough and tools, popsicle sticks, straws, toothpicks, mats, and race cars. In the Math and Science center, students manipulate tubing and ramps, small table blocks and buckets, marbles, a toy race track, and cars. Students get creative to finish a sentence and then write that sentence. The lesson starts with the teacher modeling how to write, “I went on a boat and I saw a bear!” The teacher then asks students to repeat the sentence changing what they saw on the boat. The teacher asks students to come up with something exciting since the sentence has an exclamation mark at the end. The teacher then writes this sentence on a laminated sentence strip, leaving it blank at the end for students to trace the sentence and write the last word. The teacher can also add blank laminated sentence strips for students to practice writing the whole sentence. Unit 6 includes a lesson where students learn about their fine motor skills. Students learn about how their bodies move. The teacher gives students examples of fine motor skills (writing, drawing, playing the piano) and then asks students for their own examples. During the discussion, students are encouraged to act out these skills. Students point out when they use their fine motor skills in the classroom. Students write with different writing materials during center time. In the “Pretend and Learn” center, there are cardboard boxes of different sizes and different writing tools to decorate the boxes. In the Construction center, students decorate wood planks and use them to create boats or other vehicles that move. In the Science center, students use a laminated chart on the wall to record what items sink and float in the water table.
In Unit 8, the students create poems and song lyrics in the “ABC” center. The teacher provides items to help the students, including poetry books, rhyming books, letters, punctuation, previous class-made books, online resources for tracing letters and words, words on cards, and alphabet books. The students write a poem or song individually or as a group. The students may also use the words and letters on the cards and manipulate a song using the already written words. Students develop their fine motor skills as they are writing or manipulating the words, letters, or punctuation on cards. The teacher guides students to use the tools in the ABC center to make creative poems and songs. The teacher provides a variety of tools to scaffold the students when writing and encourages students to continue to practice writing. If a student is manipulating the cards, the teacher asks the student to try and write down a combination of words or letters so the student can share their idea with the class. If the student is tracing words or letters, the teacher encourages the student to copy a few words into sentences using paper, chart paper, or note cards. The variety of tools students use to create in this activity include (besides those already mentioned) pencils, crayons, markers, lined paper, index cards, chart paper, and envelopes. Many tools can be used on the floor, vertically, and on the desk. The use of these tools and the variety of locations that the teacher provides creates a learning environment that fosters the writing experience.
The materials progress from concrete to abstract and utilize concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations. The activities include adding to, taking away, geometry, spatial sense, measurement, classification, and patterning skills.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include two instructional guides related to math instruction: the “Scope and Sequence” and “Developing Math Skills.” Teachers follow a sequence of basic concepts and then move to more complex concepts and skills throughout the year. For example, students start with naming shapes; then, they move to creating, rotating, and describing 3D shapes and finding different objects for each shape. Developing Math Skills contains sections titled “Why Math is Essential to Pre-K Learning,” “Additional Skills Developed by Mastering Math Skills,” “Counting Skills,” “Adding and Taking-Away Skills,” “Geometry and Spatial Awareness Skills,” “Measurement Skills,” “Classification and Pattern Skills,” “Quaver Support for Math Skills,” and “Relevant Core Standards.” The teacher uses the best practices guide to develop math skills; it includes the targeted skills (counting, add/take away, geometry/spatial, measurement, classification, and patterns) and strategies. Materials provide “Teacher Tips” for integrating math into daily activities. The guides give recommendations for differentiating instruction and assessing progress. Digitally, the students engage in 11 online activities to teach math concepts; there are also 12 songs that reinforce the concepts through music. Books provided in the 64-volume class library include titles that incorporate math concepts into literacy blocks, such as City Shapes (geometry) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (equal parts and patterning). During daily “Calendar Time” (“Morning Circle”), students use the month view of a calendar to rote count up to 31 with the teacher as the teacher points at the numerals. The teacher models behavior and uses scripts from the lesson guides. To further reinforce this skill, the teacher uses the online tool “Counting Practice.”
In Unit 1, the teacher introduces counting, shapes, sorting, graphing, and measuring. For example, the teacher works with children in small groups to develop one-to-one correspondence using cubes. There are two tips links in the lesson, and the teacher extends the lesson by giving the students number cards (1–5). In another small group math time, the teacher introduces the “Sorting Game.” There are a variety of concrete objects on the table; the teacher asks the children to describe their attributes and sort them. Following recommendations in the Teacher Tips in the lesson guide, the teacher asks open-ended “why” questions to encourage metacognitive thinking. Here, again, the teacher may use the best practices instructional guide on developing math skills to select materials, adapt instruction, and make cross-curricular connections. At the “Construction” center, the teacher introduces measuring vocabulary. The teacher shows the children two blocks of different sizes, using large, small, and smaller to compare them. In another small group, the teacher introduces an online activity for identifying shapes. Students make vegetables using shapes; they manipulate the shapes by flipping and moving them. Students practice graphing; they sort math cubes into different colors. Students use a graph to color the right amount of squares for each color. After, students count and compare each color using the vocabulary more, less, and the same.
In Unit 5, students practice their math skills in graphing, adding to, subitizing, estimating, writing numerals, and doing word problems. During small groups, students practice graphing using goldfish. The teacher models how to sort the goldfish into different-color piles. The class then estimates how many of each color the teacher has. Students sort and estimate their goldfish and then graph and count how many they have. In another lesson, the teacher introduces addition. The students work with frog counters, dice, and number cards. One student rolls the die and counts the number on the die. That number of frogs is added to the pond. Another student rolls the die and then adds that many frogs. Students then count and find the total number of frogs. The teacher builds upon the measuring vocabulary from Unit 1 and guides the students in measuring objects in the classroom using connecting cubes. The teacher extends this activity into one-to-one correspondence, estimation, and writing numerals. In the middle of the year, in Unit 5, Week 4, the teacher works with the children in small groups on “number nests” using concrete objects, developing the skill of subitizing and creating word problems. To teach word problems, subtraction, and reading numerals, the teacher creates 10 bird nests using brown paper bags; at the bottom of each nest, the teacher writes a number from 0 to 9. The students place the right number of toy birds in each nest. The students may also use chocolate eggs, rocks, pebbles, or twigs to place in each nest. Next, the students take one item away from the nest and tell the teacher/group how many items are left. During another small group math lesson, the students play a game called “How Many Leaves?” Perry the Sheep puppet and the teacher host the game. The teacher lays a different number of leaves on the table several times and asks the students, “How many leaves?” The group or one child says the answer aloud. Next, the students draw the correct number of leaves in their math journal and label each leaf with a numeral (to represent the total number of leaves).
In Unit 8, students practice sorting and graphing independently in centers. Students receive pictures of instruments of different colors (yellow tuba, yellow trombone, brown violin, brown drum, red maracas, black piano, black clarinet). After sorting the pictures by color, students count how many there are in each group and fill out a preprinted graph. In another sorting activity, students practice sorting objects into equal groups while eating a yummy popcorn snack. In small groups, students discuss how they can divide a container of popcorn equally between each other. Before dividing it, they estimate how many pieces each student will get after all the popcorn is divided. To build upon classification, which is introduced at the beginning of the year, the teacher scaffolds skills until the children can independently work in the “Math” center to create patterns with letters and characters in the “Matching Game.”
The materials promote instruction that builds on students’ knowledge by inquiring about students’ mathematical knowledge. Materials include cross-curricular opportunities that integrate math. They utilize the classroom environment and materials to explore math concepts and skills.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The “Developing Math Skills” instructional guide expresses the importance of students receiving a strong foundation in math that is positive and encourages them to continue their exploration in math after preschool. The guide explains the importance of integrating math throughout daily activities, formally and informally. Following the guide, the teacher should teach math not in isolation but with other subjects, including music, movement, literacy, language, and social and emotional learning. To develop language skills, the teacher should include counting books and stories that repeat, encourage story retell, include science activities, create graphs, and make predictions. When creating a classroom environment, the teacher uses patterns throughout the classroom and labels center containers for sorting to use as students clean up. Teachers utilize many lessons and activities to integrate math throughout the day authentically; this continues through all units. For example, students take daily attendance and count how many students are present. “Morning Circle” also includes an online calendar. The class views the week, month, or year as needed. For the day view, the teacher tells the students that every week, they will go to school for five days. The teacher models for the students how to count to five by pointing to the days of the week for school. The students practice counting to five aloud while looking at the calendar. For the month view of the calendar, the teacher counts the number of days that the students have been in school. The teacher points to the numerals/numbers and demonstrates to the students how to count aloud from 1 to 10; students join the teacher in counting to 10. The teacher asks students to record the daily weather and look at it over a period of time to see patterns.
In Unit 1, the teacher uses a subject that students know well to practice counting and graphing. In small groups, students draw a simple house or outline of a house. Students use colored squares or sticky notes to draw portraits of every person and animal who lives in their house, using a different color for adults, children, and pets. Students then group the colors together, count how many of each group there are, and how many there are all together. Following the “Teacher Tip” in this activity, the teacher completes an informal assessment of counting and scaffolds the activity, as needed, for each student. Students independently practice math concepts at center time with different materials; for example, in the “Construction” center, students use a variety of blocks and small Legos with colored baskets to sort; students use measurement cups, funnels, and sifters at the sand table. Students use common classroom materials (bears, shapes, and crayons) to practice sorting and describing the items. The teacher explains how cleaning time is also an opportunity for students to sort. During cleanup, teachers remind students of this and help them sort toys in the correct basket. In the “Introduction to Graphing,” the teacher asks the children, “What is a graph?” The “General Tip” (lightbulb icon in the “Lesson Guide”) explains that children have some math knowledge before coming to school and that preparing a pictorial representation of something they know (“How many friends are in the Art Center?”) helps to scaffold skills. The teacher uses photos to gauge students’ prior knowledge of counting. The teacher shows the students several photos and asks the students what things in the pictures can they count. The teacher models for the students how to tap anywhere on the photo to count and mark the items or parts in the picture. The students count out loud as one child (or the teacher) taps and marks each item or part in the picture that is being counted.
In Unit 4, the teacher introduces a balanced food plate. The students discuss the color of the food items and the shapes they see. The students then color the items on their own plate. Students may add additional food items to their plates. With or without the teacher’s help, the students count how many items they have of the same color. Teachers ask students to count the food items in different ways so they can see that it is the same amount no matter how they are counted. In this activity, the teacher is building children’s previous math knowledge. In a read-aloud of City Signs, the teacher takes a picture walk. While reading the book, the teacher pauses and asks the students to name the shape of signs in the book. Together as a group, the teacher and the students count the number of sides on each sign/shape. The teacher introduces more complex shapes, like pentagons, as appropriate. During an integrated small group activity, “Fruit Salad,” the teacher prepares a variety of fruits that will be added to a fruit salad (e.g., strawberries, apples, pineapples). The teacher gathers four small clear bowls, a large serving spoon, and some toothpicks. The teacher explains to the group that they will make a fruit salad today and that fruit is a food. The students explore the fruit with their senses (smells like, looks like, feels like, and tastes like). The students use descriptive language to describe the fruit. The teacher asks the students how many fruits are being used to make the fruit salad. The students count each fruit. The teacher asks the students how many items all together are required to make the fruit salad. The teacher explains to the students that when they take two groups of the same or different things and count them all together, they get a bigger number; this is called adding. The teacher demonstrates to the students how to make a verbal word problem. For example, “I have 3 fruits, and 2 other supplies, a bowl and a spoon, so it takes 5 things to make my fruit salad.” The students share their word problems with the teacher and the group.
In Unit 7, the students work independently online, counting what they see in the pictures and verbally communicating the quantity. In another activity, the students play the “Numbers Freeze Dance” (this dance is very similar to musical chairs). The teacher makes enough large number cards for there to be one card for each child (numerals 1–9). The teacher places the number cards on the floor. The teacher plays lively music and tells the children to move around until the music stops. When the music stops, each child goes to the nearest numeral, puts one foot on it, and freezes. The teacher pulls a numeral out of the box, holds it up, and asks the students, “What numeral/number is this?” or “Who is standing on that numeral?” The teacher can also ask each student who landed on a specific numeral to perform that many movements (e.g., clapping hands, touching toes, jumping up and down). The teacher asks the student to count each movement while doing it. In the “Math and Science” center, the teacher places several toy trucks with beds and measuring cups. In the center, the students use a measuring cup to pour sand in the bed of the different trucks and make predictions about which truck/trucks will hold the most scoops of sand. The students create a graph showing the trucks that held the most sand.
Materials intentionally develop the students’ ability to problem solve by developing their capacity to ask thoughtful questions, recognize problems in their environment, and use mathematical reasoning to solve problems in the classroom and outside world.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
In Unit 1, the students use mathematics to solve problems in various environments, and the teacher models questioning and thinking about problem-solving. In the “Construction” center, the teacher introduces measuring vocabulary in the first week of school. The teacher shows the children two blocks of different sizes, asking them to describe their shape, size, color, etc. The teacher models vocabulary for the students, like larger or smaller, to make comparisons. During the “Sorting Game,” the teacher puts a variety of objects in a center, and the students have to decide how to sort them. The teacher models open-ended questions about attributes they chose for sorting; these are designed to promote metacognitive reasoning. Math is also carried over into outdoor activities in this unit. The students must say something kind to three different people while playing outside. The teacher takes the students on a “Five Senses Nature Walk.” The teacher introduces some problem solving and counting via a scavenger hunt, which reinforces these skills with simple challenges: “Bring me 3 small rocks.” “Find 2 sticks.” In another lesson, the teacher models questioning, asking students, “Who is wearing red shoes?” “Who is wearing blue shoes?” “Who is wearing a bracelet?” (How many children are wearing red shoes, blue shoes, a bracelet, or other items).
In Unit 3, students practice counting and creating patterns using theme-related materials. During small groups, students count the petals on a group of flowers. After the teacher models creating patterns, students create and describe their own patterns. Following the “Teacher Tips” for this unit, the teacher supports mathematical thinking by asking thoughtful questions, modeling recognizing problems in the environment, and creating solutions to the issues using appropriate math vocabulary. For example, as a student creates a bear cave, the teacher asks, “There is 1 bear in the cave and then 2 more bears walk in the cave after them. How many bears are in the cave altogether?” Materials also provide questions to engage students and extend open exploration. Following one suggestion, the teacher helps students recall or make connections to their play. For example, the teacher asks a student who is making a skyscraper if the student has ever seen or been in a skyscraper; the teacher can also ask what shapes the student is using to create the skyscraper. In another example, the class creates a growth chart by placing paper on the wall; students measure each other and compare heights. The teacher keeps the chart for students to compare their height throughout the year. In a lesson about classification and patterns, the teacher uses questioning to support the development of mathematical reasoning. Along with lessons, teachers find times during free play to ask students questions to encourage them to notice patterns and sort. Questions include “Why did you sort these objects into a group?” “How are these the same?” “How are they different?” The Teacher Tip also highlights the importance of giving students time to share their thoughts: “Children should be able to describe in their own words why they sorted objects in a certain way, or how they know something is a pattern, in order to show that they have an in-depth understanding of the concept of patterning.” During a “Math and Science” center, the teacher provides the students with various sizes of seeds in different cups (suggestions include sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, corn kernels, beans). The teacher labels the cups. The students place each type of seed in a small cup and write down the number of seeds that can fit. The teacher guides the students in observing and discussing that objects of different sizes take up different amounts of space, pointing out that larger items take up more space than smaller items.
In Unit 6, students explore shapes in their environment. A Teacher Tip reminds teachers that shape knowledge comes from exposure, and students need to manipulate and engage with shapes in multiple ways, such as by identifying shapes in their environment or creating their own. After reviewing the online activity “All About Shapes,” students make cloud shapes, creating shapes with cotton balls. For example, students put four cotton balls together to create a square and then count the side and corners. The teacher models how to create clouds in different shapes and thinks out loud about the shapes he/she may create. In another activity, students explore pictures of rockets, helicopters, and airplanes and discuss which ones they would want to go on. The teacher asks students to point out shapes they see in the pictures and then draw one of the vehicles, identifying the shapes they use to create each vehicle. The teacher also uses snacks and lunch as a time to ask students to identify different shapes they see in their food or containers. A Teacher Tip highlights how math concepts can be reinforced through music, including recognizing patterns, rhythm, and counting. The teacher capitalizes on this by using music in transitions, activities, and centers (which include instruments). Students use mathematical reasoning to explore the concept of sink and float in the Math and Science center. An anchor chart in the center contains a picture of each item. Students use this chart to mark which items sink and which ones float, comparing how many there are in each column. Students also use a number chart to point out the numbers that correspond with how many items sink or float. Following the Teacher Tip for a measurement small group, the teacher supports developing measurement skills by “increasing the level of questioning,” “providing real-life problem-solving activities,” and “varying the forms of measurement activities.” In the activity, students use different types of tennis balls to explore motion. Students roll and bounce the balls on different surfaces and compare what happens. The teacher creates a chart for students to record their observations, measuring which ones bounced high or low and how far they rolled.
The materials support students in the area of number sense. They provide teacher guidance on building the concepts. Materials provide frequent, spiraled, and varied opportunities for students to participate in number sense activities like subitizing, counting one-to-one, comparing set size and numbers, counting on, and finding one more than a number.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
In Unit 2, during a math small group, the teacher gives the students five sheets of paper and asks them to count each page. The teacher reminds the students that the last number they counted tells how many in all. Students use the sheets to create a small notebook. During “Circle Time,” students cast their vote on the activity in which they would like to participate. The teacher gives the students two choices: do “Free Dance Time” or listen to the story Round and Round Again by Nancy Van Laan. The teacher decides how the students will display their vote (written ballots, raising hands, or in a created voting booth). After voting, the teacher and students count the votes aloud. The teacher reinforces to the students that the last number counted tells us how many or the total. In another Circle Time, the teacher introduces a problem in which the students need to help Perry the Sheep make groups of 10. As a transition into the activity, the children sing the song “Let’s Count to Ten”; the teacher points to each item as they count to highlight one-to-one correspondence. The students collect classroom items (e.g., pencils, paper) and create groups of ten; the teacher models counting and writing, emphasizing that no matter what we count, the sequence is the same. For students who are ready, the teacher shows how to group items in two to count them faster.
In Unit 5, the teacher works with small groups on “number nests,” using concrete objects, developing the skill of subitizing, and creating word problems. The teacher creates nests with numbers at the bottom. Students place bird objects in the nest to create the correct number in the group. Students practice identifying how many things are in each nest without counting. In another lesson, the teacher lays out number cards 0 to 9. The students, with their math journal, begin to play a game with Perry the Lamb. Perry the Lamb then lays out a number of leaves. Students draw that many leaves in their math journals. Students then tell the teacher out loud how many leaves there are. When the number of leaves is under five, the teacher encourages the student to subitize. The teacher repeats this activity several times and then reviews the work with students by counting.
In Unit 7, the students work online, counting what they see in the pictures and verbally communicating the quantity. Students continue to build on their counting knowledge. Students access the “Counting Challenge” via a QR code. The students may play together in groups of up to four. Students roll a die and count the number on the die, and then move that many spaces digitally by pressing on the rectangles and counting with Perry or the character they pick. This activity continues developing subitizing and counting skills. Moving beyond rote counting, the teacher then spirals counting one-to-one and subitizing in this unit. In a project called “Wrecking Ball,” students practice counting, subtracting, and graphing. Using rope, a ball, and PVC pipe, the teacher helps students create a wrecking ball. Students set up five different objects (e.g., water bottles, plastic cups, paper towel tubes). After counting their five objects, students take turns knocking down objects, after which they figure out how many they have knocked down and how many they have left. Students then graph how many objects they knocked down each turn. In another lesson, students practice counting and subitizing and comparing groups. The teacher takes paper towel rolls and cuts them into different sizes. The teacher puts them in groups and asks students to compare the groups and try to figure out which one has more without counting. As an informal assessment, the teacher asks students how many are in each group to see which students can subitize and which are still counting with one-to-one correspondence. Students then arrange the tubes by size and count how many there are. As an extension activity, students gather different items from the classroom and see which ones can fit in the tubes. They can graph how many fit and how many did not.
The materials develop students’ academic math vocabulary by providing repeated opportunities to hear it and practice it. There is teacher guidance on how to scaffold students’ development of math vocabulary.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
In the “Developing Math Skills” instructional guide, the first strategy mentioned is the teacher modeling math vocabulary throughout the day. In the “Teacher Toolbox” (on the “Teacher Dashboard”), students can access a dozen skill-specific songs to reinforce concepts. There are also 11 interactive activities, such as counting shapes and grouping; many activities include the appropriate vocabulary for math skills. The guide includes assessment recommendations to assist the teacher in recognizing where each individual child is in developing a particular skill and what should follow in the developmental progression. The guide includes differentiation recommendations; Lesson Guides also indicate these with various icons (e.g., clipboard, green checkmark, lightbulb) next to activities.
In Unit 2, a lesson about shapes starts with a “Teacher Tip,” which highlights the importance of teachers modeling math vocabulary and how this will increase the likelihood of students using it on their own. The tip also discusses how students should hear spatial awareness terms during activities that also model them. In this lesson, students use the online tool “All About Shapes” to review shapes and their characteristics. Students then make the shapes with their hands, their bodies, and with a partner. The teacher uses spatial awareness words as students move around. In another activity, students hear spatial awareness words while playing a game. The focus of the lesson is to describe the school using spatial awareness words. The teacher starts by giving a few examples, like “There is a restroom near our classroom”; “The cafeteria is between our classroom and the library.” The teacher then describes the school; students have to say whether the description is true or false. The teacher says both true and false statements (“Our playground is inside the nurse’s office”).
In Unit 4, the students compare and contrast heights and sizes of things using descriptive math vocabulary. In another lesson, the teacher listens to students count objects, knowing that beginner counters may count on and not stop at the last counted object. The teacher reminds the students that the last counted object is the quantity. The teacher has students repeat the last counted number. Throughout the unit, the teacher incorporates the daily vocabulary tall, taller, tallest, short, shorter, shortest, long, longer, and longest in different settings for students to hear each word multiple times. During “Circle Time,” the teacher uses blocks to create towers of different heights and uses the vocabulary to describe the towers. The lesson explains how these terms may not be understood right away, but it is important for students to hear them as they will continue to practice using them throughout the year. In a small group, the teacher shows students a variety of objects and asks them to arrange them by height. The teacher models the vocabulary and then asks students to describe the items using the vocabulary. This vocabulary is then carried over into center exploration when students build with blocks. In another example, in a small group lesson, students have a variety of real or fake fruit and compare their size, shape, length, and weight. The teacher encourages students to describe the fruit using the vocabulary. This exploration is continued into center time, where the teacher includes the fruit, scales, and a ruler. A checklist recording sheet is also included; there are pictures and names of objects for students to record which are longer/shorter, light/heavy, bigger/smaller.
In Unit 7, students review the vocabulary terms length, height, volume, capacity, and weight. A Teacher Tip highlights the importance of incorporating math into other centers and modeling how to use the vocabulary. For example, at a sand table, teachers explore volume, capacity, and weight with students. The Construction center lends itself to discussions about length, height, and weight. Teachers use math vocabulary to help students develop crucial skills, following the Teacher Tip. The teacher provides both woodblocks and hollow blocks. The students compare and discuss how items that are the same shape can weigh differently. Students sort by different attributes using shells or rocks during centers. A Teacher Tip highlights the importance of not just asking students questions using math vocabulary but giving students opportunities to ask questions and helping them to correctly use math vocabulary when asking questions.
The materials build scientific knowledge through inquiry-based instruction and exploration of the natural world. The materials develop children’s observation of their environment and their ability to communicate ideas. The materials include exploration with tools and provide opportunities to explore physical science, life science, and earth/space science.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include an instructional guide titled “Developing Science Skills.” It contains four major sections that identify the five areas of science in prekindergarten, explain the role that play-based activities occupy, provide tips to enhance student learning, and provide direction on setting up a “Science/Discovery” center within the classroom.
In Unit 2, the students learn about the weather, temperature, and the use of a thermometer. Students recall their five senses, and the teacher tells them they are going to use their sense of touch. The teacher has three bins of water: one hot, one medium, and one cold. The teacher asks the students to discuss which water is the coldest and which water is the hottest. The teacher scaffolds the students to observe and describe the water. The teacher then makes an anchor chart with the students; students record observations in their science journals. The teacher and the students use a thermometer to take the temperature of the room and the temperature outside. The students and the teacher make a paper thermometer for classroom use. During this activity, the students communicate their ideas in a variety of ways. Students make predictions about the water when looking at it before using the sense of touch. Students talk with peers about the water and how it felt. Students communicate with the teacher when making an anchor chart and then transfer observations and discoveries in their science journal. While learning about temperatures, students use a variety of thermometers: a meat thermometer, a candy thermometer, an oral thermometer, an ear thermometer, and an outside thermometer. The students also use their five senses when describing, investigating, and observing. The thermometer they use the most in this lesson is the outside thermometer. Temperature is a part of earth science. The students make a thermometer and find out how the weather and seasons are related. The students observe the outside weather on their way into the school building or at recess and describe the weather each day during “Morning Meetings.”
In Unit 3, students explore plants through question and observation. The teacher has four plants where the soil is dry and two cups of different sizes. In small groups, students start by looking and touching the soil, answering questions about whether there is anything the plants might need. Once students understand they need water, they explore the cups, answering the questions, “Which cup holds more water?” “How do you know?” Students then water the plants with the two cups; they observe what happens when they put different amounts of water in the pots. The teacher asks what else the plants need (light) and helps choose a place in the classroom to place the plants. In another lesson, students explore red, yellow, and green apples through a taste test. While students are eating, the teacher asks questions that prompt them to use all five senses. These can include questions about what the apples look, taste, smell, sound, and feel like. “What sound does the apple make when you bite into it?” The teacher creates a three-column chart with a picture of each apple; students write their name in the column of the apple that is their favorite. After students have chosen their favorite apple, teachers ask them about their second favorite and third favorite; students share why those were not their favorite. Students also explore pumpkins, gourds, apples, and squash cut in half; they use magnifying glasses, spoons, a microscope, and a small flashlight. During center time, students also use these tools to explore earthworms that are in an aquarium or a large plastic container. The unit addresses earth science when students explore the seasons and the sun. Students look at a variety of photos, including the day sky, night sky, and different types of weather and seasons, and answer questions to engage in discussion about the natural world. Outdoor time has opportunities for students to explore and discuss wind, sun, rain, and any other type of weather that they observe. The unit also addresses physical science through the exploration of seeds; live and dead flowers; trays full of rock, soil, and clay; and a variety of fruits and vegetables cut in half. Life science is also included when students grow their own plants and learn about the needs of plants in their environment.
In Unit 6, the students describe, investigate, observe, and discuss different balls and how the balls react to different surfaces. The students receive a ball from the teacher and begin to observe it. The teacher then directs them to place different balls (e.g., soccer ball, football, baseball, basketball, volleyball) on different surfaces (e.g., rough, smooth, carpet, grass, sand, floor). The student observes how differently the balls move on a variety of surfaces. The students draw conclusions about the weight of the ball and record their answers in their science journals. As the students work with different balls and different surfaces, they communicate with each other and with the teacher. They work together to decide which ball may be heavier or lighter. The students work together to see how the different balls roll faster and slower. The students and the teacher then write in their science journals to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the balls and the surfaces. The students use different tools to investigate the properties of balls and surfaces. They observe physical science through the movement of the ball on different surfaces. The students explore this through a hands-on experiment, getting their choice of ball and surface.
The materials build social studies knowledge through the study of culture and community. They follow a logical sequence and provide opportunities for students to explore commonalities and individual differences. Students learn about routines and events; past, present, and future; and explore their role as a consumer.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Materials follow a progression through the year. The first units focus on the child as an individual, the family that they are a part of, the school community, and then communities as a whole. Students explore the natural environment around them and their communities through units that focus on animals, transportation, and construction. Students explore the world through a unit on music, learning about music from all over the world. Within a specific unit, students learn about Texas, including state plants, animals, and songs. Students participate in daily “Calendar Time.” Materials include an online calendar where the teacher can look at the day, week, or month depending on the focus of the lesson. Teachers can add special days or holidays for students to be aware of when events will be happening or have happened. Teachers also use “Morning Circle” to discuss the theme and activities of the day and review the daily schedule. Teachers have a daily schedule they can post in the classroom for students to see. Throughout the lessons, the teacher leads the children in the pledges (U.S. and Texas) while displaying the flags, telling children that standing and putting one’s hand on one’s heart is a sign of respect.
Unit 1 starts with a week titled “About Me”; the next week focuses on family; the unit ends with friends. During the first week of school, the students classify themselves by hair color. The teacher points out how all of them are the same (have hair), but they are differences in the color of their hair. In Week 2, students share about their families. The teacher facilitates a lesson about graphing the number of adults, children, and pets. Each student states how many adults they have in their family, how many children are in their family, and how many pets are in their family. While the student is talking, the teacher makes marks on the graph. The student then gets to pick one family member about whom they want to share additional information with the class. The students and the teacher talk about how the families may be the same and how they are different. The class also discusses the roles and responsibilities of family members. The students are comparing and contrasting the differences in individuals while comparing their families. In addition to physical appearance, the students compare and contrast family differences and similarities. The students describe their families, and other students verbally compare and contrast with each other and teachers. While the students are talking about their families, they talk about events that have happened in the past, are happening, or will happen. The students describe how they celebrated Christmas last year and then tell the class how they will celebrate Christmas this year. Students share about birthday celebrations too. When the students talk about having meals with their families, they discuss being consumers at a market or superstore; the student would be with the parent to purchase goods.
In Unit 4, students compare eating preferences in a small group activity. The teacher creates a chart where students discuss what foods they do like and do not like and compare them with other students. The teacher encourages students to discuss the types of food they eat at home. Students use the online tool “Emotion Soundboard” to express how they feel and identify similarities and differences with other students. Students use a feelings chart that they fill out daily, which can help them compare how they felt throughout the week with other students. In a “Morning Message,” the teacher reviews what students have learned and builds on that with what students will learn that day. On Monday, students learn that they will discuss healthy food this week; the teacher asks students to name a variety of healthy foods. Each day, students recall what they learned the previous day, which helps in the daily discussion. For example, on Tuesday, students discuss how fruits and vegetables are healthy. Then, on Wednesday, they discuss what a balanced food plate is and how fruits and vegetables are an important part of that plate. Students explore being a consumer during snack time. The teacher asks students to identify the type of food they are eating and where it came from. Students engage in a conversation about how food comes from farms and then the grocery store. They also discuss how they need money to buy the food at the store.
In Unit 8, the students participate in a special lunch. Students prepare a dish with their parents to share with the class. As the students prepare a dish for other students to share, they talk with their parents about events that have happened in the past, are happening now, and will happen in the future. The student picks a popular dish from a cultural celebration and shares details of how it is celebrated. The students share about their dish and how it relates to their own culture. The students began the year learning about their own culture; they then learn about other cultures, cities, states, and countries. After they have learned about these things, the students are then ready to share and celebrate their own culture and share it with others. Students and teachers share their own culture with each other in this lesson. The students start by discussing their culture, and then they have the opportunity to share with their peers. The students share differences and similarities with each other and teachers. Some ingredients may be the same, some may feel the same about how foods can be shared and how they bring people together, and some may even share the same culture. Students share these experiences with one another. Also, when making these dishes to share with the class, students participate with their parents in going to the store. Students compare and contrast the prices and quality of ingredients. Students help parents purchase all items and experience the process of being a consumer.
Materials provide opportunities for children to explore fine arts, including through multiple mediums, and emphasize students’ engagement in the process of creating rather than the product.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
In the “Incorporation Art Skills” instructional guide, the materials provide additional understanding to teachers about teaching art to the younger students by providing them guides and activities. The guide helps the teacher understand student development, teacher preparation, how to set up the classroom, and how to select art materials. Throughout the school year, song and movement are incorporated into the lessons.
In Unit 2, students explore fine arts throughout the day. At the start of the day, students start their first “Circle Time” by singing “Hello Welcome,” which includes movement activities for students to greet each other. The materials also include 35 songs that can be played during the day’s transitions. Students engage in theme-related songs with dances and motions and practice each week. For example, with the song “Community Helpers,” students review different community helpers and how they can also help their community. Students also explore the fine arts in centers. For example, there are community helper costumes and props in the “Pretend and Learn” center for dramatic play; old maps, small boxes, painting supplies, and other open-ended materials for students in the “Creativity” center; and supplies (boxes and markers) for students to create small buildings in the “Construction” center. In another art project, students use recycled materials to create artwork. Students and teachers gather a variety of cleaned recycled materials and sort the objects into color piles. Then, on a large board, they arrange the objects and glue them down, creating a group art project. Students can arrange the objects to create an original art piece with no mention of a specific product.
In Unit 6, students use a variety of props in the Pretend and Learn center to explore different occupations involved in transportation. Students have costumes and props, such as pilot hats, wings, toy planes, jets, helicopters, hot air balloons, rockets, and space suits. Students also use large boxes and large wood pieces to create different vehicles. Students create floating boats and race cars that move. In a small group activity, students create a hot air balloon. When creating the top part of the balloon, students have an opportunity to use different art materials to create it the way they want to, and thus the focus is on the process of creating.
In Unit 8, the students participate in making a sound parade. The students recall sounds that they have created throughout the year. Students explore the sounds of different objects. They create their own musical instrument to play during the parade. The student could use a stick or other instruments they have created. The students line up and dance, sing, and march in a parade around the playground, making music together. The students lead this activity while the teacher provides assistance and ensures safety, allowing students to create a one-of-a-kind production.
The materials include technology applications that are integrated into the classroom experience. The students explore and use a variety of digital tools, and the technology supports and enhances learning.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include a variety of online tools for teachers and students, such as book covers, interactives, photo albums, songs, and stories. Before students use any of these on their own, the teacher uses them in a variety of lessons. The teacher can access all tools through the “Teacher Toolbox”; they are arranged by the domains in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. The materials also include interactive activities in phonological awareness and math skills, which are introduced in small groups. For example, students participate in adding, shape, beginning sound, rhyming, adding, and listening skills activities. The students use photo albums with preloaded photos; add text, links, and drawings; and turn on a camera to record a video response. The students can access digital storytelling throughout the materials. The students engage in learning about the letter W, while in small groups, using the “W Photo Album.” The students, guided by the teacher, learn words that start with W and use the writing feature to practice the W. The students are guided throughout the photo book until the teacher gradually releases them to work on their own.
In Unit 1, students watch a video called Welcome to Pre-K! and flip through a photo album that helps introduce students to activities they will do during the day, things they will learn, and people they will meet. The teacher introduces students to the online activities “Emotions Soundboard” and “Emotions Flash Card,” which are used to help students share how they feel verbally and nonverbally. The teacher also introduces the online activity “How’s Your Week?” where students can use pictures of different emotions to express how they felt each day of the week. The teacher references this activity during large and small groups to help students express and discuss their emotions. The teacher shows students the e-book Boobam’s First Day at School and can choose to use the story with or without text. After the e-book, students answer questions about the story. Once the teacher has read it a few times, it is placed in the “Listening” center for students to listen to the story and questions independently or with other students.
In Unit 5, the students begin by making predictions about a documentary about animals and their habitats. The teacher asks students to look at pictures and describe what they see and what they might learn. Students actively listen to the documentary, learning about what an animal habitat is and about which animals live in which habitat. The teacher brings attention to how the animals move and why certain animals may move that way. Students make meaningful connections to the animals’ habitats, how an animal may move, and why they move that way. To ensure the documentary is age-appropriate, the materials suggest a “wiggle break” if students begin to struggle with listening expectations.
In Unit 7, the students use props to pose in front of a green screen. The students get the hammers, vest, tools, and toolboxes out of the “Pretend and Learn” center. The teacher sets up a green screen in the “Construction” center. The students use the props as the teacher takes the picture. The teacher then loads the pictures through a green screen app and makes a slideshow of the students. While taking the pictures using the green screen, students and teachers use digital cameras (tablets, phones) and a green screen app. The students use the computer to see the greenscreen transform their pictures. In Unit 7, the students can use digital tools with guidance and instruction from the teacher. The teacher guides the students on using the tools until the students have an amazing finished product. The tools are developmentally appropriate to use with the guidance of an adult, such as the lesson expects.
The materials do provide diagnostic tools that are developmentally appropriate. They include opportunities for students to track their progress in an age-appropriate way. The assessment covers all content and process skills for prekindergarten. The implementation of the assessment does not allow for consistency because it is an observational checklist and not a direct assessment of skills.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include diagnostic tools that are observational, anecdotal, and informal. The cumulative assessment provided is an informal and observational checklist completed by the teacher. The materials include an “Assessments” instructional guide, which provides teachers with guidance and tips on how to assess children’s learning in the priority domains and skills, every day, in real-time. It stresses that real-time, formative assessment is the most appropriate for pre-K and identifies the five assessment models used in the materials: “Observe & Record,” “Question & Record,” “Task & Response,” “Prompt & Response,” and “Assessment (Analysis) of Student Work Progressions.” The guide also discusses the importance of assessing by keeping a portfolio of students’ work throughout the year. The guide explains how assessment in pre-K is different from other grades, as it happens throughout the day and in different settings. It details how to assess children during whole group, small group, centers, meal times, outdoor time, and rest time. The teachers also read a reminder at the start of each day to have a notebook, checklist, or portable device to add notes about student progress as well as a camera to take pictures. The materials do not specify a timeline of assessment administration and leave that up to the teacher/school/district.
The informal assessment tool is based on the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPG), and teachers can use the tool to assess students on all 10 domains. There are three skill levels: approaching, on target, and advanced. The teachers simply complete the checklist for each TPG, determining their skill level based upon observations within the classroom. Teachers use the online assessment tool to add evidence by making notes, adding videos, or adding pictures. By clicking on the “Help” button, the teacher accesses a tutorial that takes him/her step-by-step through the process of setting up a class, managing and assessing student progress, and reporting data. The assessment does not allow for consistent administration because it is not a direct assessment with a script. It is simply used as a checklist and portfolio of student work.
In the “Lesson Guides,” there are embedded tips for the teachers, including assessment tips, identified by a green checkmark. These tips include how to assess students in all domains and in different group settings throughout the day; they cover all domains. Some tips include assessing problem-solving skills through questioning in small groups and assessing story comprehension through students’ making personal connections. On the first day of class, the teacher is reminded that many of the difficulties a child will have in pre-K are related to speech and language abilities; materials direct teachers to begin assessing language and communication skills first, starting on day one and during the first six weeks of school. Following this suggestion, the teachers gather a baseline for improvements and also collect data in the event a child needs diagnostic evaluations. In Unit 2, the teacher assesses how students use books. The teacher puts out a variety of books, magazines, and classmate books, and then observes and takes notes to see how students use the books. In Unit 5, during a small group activity, teachers assess a range of math skills. Teachers create nests using 10 brown paper bags, rolling down the sides. The numbers 0 to 9 are written at the bottom of each bag. The teacher receives clear guidelines of what can be assessed by this activity, such as counting, subitizing, adding, subtracting, and creating word problems. In Unit 7, students use paper to create bridges; the teacher can assess skills in multiple domains. This domain includes science, as students create different bridges and observe which ones work better; communication skills, as students describe and discuss the bridges; and math, as students name different shapes when creating the bridges and measure each one.
Teachers also provide the opportunity for students to reflect on or analyze their own learning in an age-appropriate way. In Unit 2, the teacher does a lesson utilizing the globe to learn about water and land. At the end of the lesson, the teacher asks students to share their learning from the lesson. The teacher provides reflection time to be used for students to think back on their day and discuss what they accomplished and did well that day. This discussion can be academic or social, such as when a student helped another student. There are also lessons that include times for students to show and discuss their work in small groups or “Circle Time.” These are just some of the examples of students self-tracking progress.
In the “Engaging Parents of Pre-K Children” guide, there is a section that discusses different ways to discuss a students’ progress with families. It suggests having three conferences throughout the year and communicating through daily reports either by paper, electronically, or verbally.
The materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to individual students’ needs in all domains. The diagnostic tools yield meaningful information for planning and differentiation and provide some resources and guidance on how to leverage different activities in response to student data. The materials provide guidance for administrators to support teachers in analyzing data.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The teachers access helpful tips in the “Lesson Guides” using “Tips” icons, which include “Assessment” tips. The teacher uses these tips to differentiate instruction, scaffold, and determine where each individual child is in skills progression. In addition, the 21 “Instructional Guides” are helpful to address students’ needs within the specific domains, such as “Literacy,” “Math,” “Science,” and “Social and Emotional Development,” to name a few. There is also a “Guide on Differentiated Instruction” and a guide for English Learners, enabling the instructor to provide extra support to those children who need it.
Lessons include tips and suggestions on how to scaffold for students based upon the teacher’s ongoing assessment. For example, in one lesson, the students are working with shapes. The students make new objects using basic shapes. One student might use a square and a triangle and call it a house. The teacher models first and then allows students to describe what shapes they used and what they made. The teacher asks questions to build on students’ knowledge of shapes. Materials instruct: “Ask children to explain what they have done using complete sentences and location words.” If a student is struggling, the teacher helps the student with shape identification or counting. In another activity, students are measuring different objects in the room, and the teacher uses questioning to scaffold the activity. There are questions to reach students at all levels. The materials provide many ways to differentiate lessons, and it is easy for teachers to see which guidelines students have and have not met; however, there are no specific recommendations on how to individualize instruction for specific students using the assessment tool. The materials support teachers when students have difficulties with the progress at a developmentally appropriate level.
The assessment materials include a report in the “Assessment” tab for each student. The teacher can read this report in two views for each child. One is a graph representation of the student’s skills, and the other is a word-form representation. In the instructional guide, teachers learn about how to read the results. The assessment tool is color-coded and easy to read and interpret; it supports understanding of child development. Using the easy-to-read diagnostic tool is helpful for the teacher to include differentiation in their instruction. It identifies each student’s needs so the teacher can differentiate for that student or group of students. The assessment also allows for the teacher to add additional notes and thoughts for each student.
The materials include a “Scope and Sequence” guide and access to “Interactive Correlations” on the “Teacher Dashboard.” Using this correlations chart, the teacher can easily pull up activities to help students practice specific skills. The teachers use these resources to monitor skill development and adjust individual instruction accordingly.
The assessment included in the materials gives teachers, administrators, and support staff a clear indication of where students’ progress is, as outlined in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. A bar graph shows how many guidelines are approaching, on target, or advanced for each student. There is also a detailed list of the guidelines; each is accompanied by a colored box that shows the student’s level. Administrators have access to the data, but there is no specific guidance on how administrators can use the data to support teachers in planning and instruction. While the materials in the assessment instructional guide recommend that providing ample planning and collaboration time for teachers is key for the children to progress in skills acquisition, it does not provide specific guidance for administrators. However, administrators could access the instructional guide in order to gain a better understanding of assessment in prekindergarten and how it may differ from the other grade levels. The materials do guide the teacher in using data to group children and to differentiate instruction.
The materials include frequent and integrated opportunities for assessment. They include routine and systematic progress monitoring opportunities. The frequency is age-appropriate.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The instructional guide on assessments explains how teacher assessments should be daily and ongoing throughout the year. If available, teachers can use a handheld device to use the online assessment included in the materials. This schedule allows teachers to record in real-time, adding notes, pictures, or videos. If this is not an option, then it is suggested that teachers have notebooks to record observations throughout the day and add them to the online assessment tool at a later time. The materials integrate assessment naturally into the daily routine. For example, the teacher takes notes of student responses during the whole group/small group activities, observes students while engaged in centers, records conversation and language skills during meal times, addresses play and physical skills while outdoors, and looks for emotional regulation during rest time. These assessments can be done using different techniques, such as questioning, observation, tasks, and student work. In the online assessment tool, teachers can track students’ progress at three levels: approaching, on target, and advanced. Within lessons and at different times in the day, teachers have opportunities to track student progress through questions and observations. The online assessment tool gives teachers an opportunity to track students’ progress in all domains, aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. Teachers assess students on a daily basis, but there is no clear schedule for administering the cumulative assessment.
Beginning on the first day of school, the “Lesson Guides” include strategies and timing for the assessment of skills as well as tips for progress monitoring. The “Assessments” guide reminds the teachers that assessment in pre-K is done daily, during normal activities, on an ongoing basis. The instructors use an organized approach to monitor progress by keeping a portfolio of student work. These artifacts may also be uploaded into the “Assessment Monitor” (“Teacher Dashboard”), where they are organized chronologically along with teacher observations.
The materials provide some recommended targeted instruction and activities for teachers to implement with students who struggle to master content. Additionally, there is some evidence that materials provide recommended targeted instruction and activities for students who have mastered the content. The materials do provide additional enrichment activities for all levels of learners.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
In the “Lesson Guides,” there are several examples of small group activities, some of which are optional, as well as a large variety of center activities, which provide differentiated instruction and scaffolding. A small clipboard icon indicates additional information about the intent behind the instruction or activities. The Lesson Guides give teachers a weekly list of materials (e.g., texts, manipulatives) needed to provide opportunities for students to develop the target skills.
The “Differentiating Instruction” instructional guide provides guidance for working with students who struggle to master a skill. This guide focuses on gaining the students’ interest and asking scaffolded questions. Materials provide the opportunity for children to develop prerequisite skills in the content area. The teacher uses the provided scaffolded questions to address prerequisite skills. The teacher uses visual aids, definition cards for vocabulary, or other varied materials for each lesson, following the instructions provided with these visuals. In Unit 1, for example, the teacher places name labels on every student’s locker/cubby. In order to scaffold this down for students, the teacher pairs each student’s name with an identifiable picture/image. Materials also provide instructional strategies for students with various accessibilities and needs, including students with disabilities. These strategies are located within the “Creating an Accessible Learning Environment” guide. The guide focuses on strategies that expand instruction for students. After reading the guide, the teacher uses best instructional practices, including using books with large print or simplifying the materials to address the needs of these specific learners. The instructional materials also address a variety of ways to interact with themes being taught, such as through movement, song, and social and independent work to meet the needs of different learning styles.
The materials also include guidance for instruction and activities for children who have mastered the content in each daily activity; the teacher can access the expanded activities and worksheets via the menu button. Lessons include recommendations for extensions to deepen learning. There are eight, four-week-long themes, each with a culminating special project at the end. The special projects provide additional opportunities, including questions, for students to explore and extend the theme and skills developed during the theme. Also, within each unit, a variety of daily centers extend learning and provide opportunities to explore in small groups. There are also tips on scaffolding lessons and activities, which can help teachers add instruction for students at higher levels. In Unit 5, students have teddy bear counters in assorted colors, scales, number cards, and small containers to sort the bears. The center also has paper, markers, and pencils. To increase complexity, the teacher shows children how to use tally marks to analyze data and make comparisons (which category has more or less). The students can also create their own labels to sort the teddy bears in a variety of ways. In Unit 7, during arrival time, the teacher sets up activities for students to engage in first thing in the morning. Following the “Teacher Tips,” the teacher should have a variety of activities based on interests and skill levels. If students choose online activities, the teacher can modify them to create more of a challenge for students. Another tip discusses the importance of mindful grouping, which can help a teacher to differentiate lessons for a small group to make them more challenging. The teacher uses inferential questions, in which the answer is not directly stated and can have more than one answer, to challenge students in thinking and responding. These questions are higher-order-thinking questions; they often include “Why?” and “How?” and can be used in any read-aloud.
Enrichment activities are provided during center activities. Each theme also has a special activity for the class, which has open-ended materials and individualized, interactive tools; it takes into account students’ learning styles and interests. In Unit 4, students have a special activity where they create a healthy meal and invite family members to join in a celebration. During this project, the teacher has many opportunities to modify lessons to challenge students. For example, students have to plan and create a menu. Teachers and students can create simple recipes that can include how much of each ingredient they need, including measurements of each ingredient. Teachers can also put students in charge of ensuring that the recipes are being followed during preparation. Before the meal, students ask the kitchen staff questions about how to prepare meals. The teacher guides the students in planning what questions they would like to ask. Any opportunity for students to add their input gives them a chance to think more deeply about the subject being discussed.
The materials include a variety of instructional approaches to engage students in mastery of the content. Additionally, the materials support developmentally appropriate instructional strategies. Within the themes presented, the materials also support flexible grouping (e.g., whole, small, individual). Also, the materials support multiple types of practices (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and provide guidance and structures to achieve effective implementation.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials provide a variety of instructional approaches throughout the “Lesson Guides” and also in the instructional guides “Developing Math Skills,” “Effective Literacy Instruction,” “Supporting ELLs,” and “Differentiated Instruction.” The daily schedule includes the whole group, small group, individual, and differentiated instruction. Materials support a balance of direct and indirect instruction. Students participate in interactive center activities, and the teacher supports the students using gradual release. The teacher plans small and large group hands-on activities and scaffolding questions. The teacher uses guided questions, hands-on participation, and a balance of teacher-directed and child-directed learning. At the end of each unit, students participate in a special project that allows them to work together and further develop their critical thinking skills. Teachers use online activities in which they can change the skill level for each student. In each Lesson Guide for center time, there is a differentiation tab that provides extensions and suggestions for grouping students based on abilities as well as the “why” behind these strategies. All daily lessons throughout the curriculum have extensive opportunities for students to practice new skills, work together, learn through projects, and independently practice developing new skills.
In Unit 1, the class works on decorating their new classroom. Each student has a job, photos, and original art to build the school family community. The teacher uses multiple group settings for students to decorate their classroom. One project starts with students singing the song “About Me.” The teacher points out how the song discusses their favorite color, food, and animal. The teacher then gives students time to discuss their favorites. During small groups, the teacher draws circles or squares on a large piece of butcher paper. Students take turns writing their names and drawing their favorite things or cutting pictures out of a magazine to include in their shape. The teacher then hangs it in the classroom to give students a chance to look at and discuss the poster with other students and family members. The use and purpose of each part of the classroom are understood by the children, and they have ownership in the space they helped to create. Following a “Teacher Tip,” the teacher uses songs and chants to engage students in multiple ways through singing and movement. Students are introduced to songs like “Obeying the Rules,” “My Five Senses,” “Respect for My Family,” and “Count to Ten.” Each song includes lessons to introduce the subject being sung about, and the teacher can easily pull up any song as needed throughout the year. In a discussion about families, the teacher uses different strategies to engage students in discussions. Before the students start the discussion, the teacher uses theme-related pictures that show different types of families and families engaging in different activities. The teacher asks family members to join “Circle Time” and share a family story. If this is not possible, the family shares a story that the teacher can read during Circle Time. The teacher encourages the student to talk about the story being shared about their family and have other students ask questions. The teacher can then take these stories and create a book, which students can illustrate.
In Unit 3, the teacher follows the recommendations for materials, content, the number of children, duration, and the learning objectives for each lesson. The teacher purposefully uses transitions as opportunities to develop social and emotional skills further. During this unit, students learn about birds. The class starts with a counting song and discusses the different places birds build nests using visual aids. In the learning centers, students place nests and eggs and around the room. They discuss how the mother bird keeps babies safe and warm. In the sensory bin, students work with birdseed and measuring cups. In small groups, students complete a project; they use blocks to work together and create cliffs for birds to nest on. The teacher uses snack time and outside time to discuss what birds eat; students pretend to fly.
In Unit 7, the teacher uses modeling and questioning to introduce the unit on building and construction. The teacher starts by writing, “Today, we are going to learn about how we build things.” A Teacher Tip includes the suggestion to make a mistake during writing, such as writing the same word twice and have students help point out the mistake. The teacher then uses Perry the Puppet to ask students leading questions about the unit. These include, “What does it mean to construct something?” “Can you name some things that we build?” “What kinds of tools are needed for constructing things?” The teacher also has 20 theme-related photos to help engage students in discussion. The teacher introduces theme new, theme-related materials in centers. These include toy hammers, shovels, construction hats, goggles, rulers, Tinkertoys, cardboard, and a styrofoam block. Tips tell the teacher to encourage purposeful play during this time, repeat what students say and expand on those thoughts, and use gradual release to become a facilitator of play and purposeful questioning. One lesson involves building ramps as a whole group. Then, for the next couple of days, students have the opportunity to build ramps during centers using blocks. They can practice new skills using different kinds of blocks, different-shaped blocks, different types of ramps, etc. Students can then compare their ramps, which they built as a group or individually. During the special project “Our Town,” students work in different group settings to create a town. The project starts with a whole group discussion where students help plan their town and what they want in their town. The first day focuses on where the people in their community will live (houses, apartments). The second day focuses on where people will work. Students then decide who will create what buildings. Then, they use paper bags or boxes to create different buildings in small groups. Using a large piece of butcher paper, students start placing their buildings in their town and creating roads. When students are done with their town, they share their town with parents, teachers, and other classes and describe what they created.
The materials support English Learners (ELs) through accommodations for linguistics, scaffolds, and encouragement for students to use their first language as a means to develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in English.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The “Supporting English Language Learners” guide instructs the teacher on implementing routines that scaffold verbal cues through anticipation and motion; this allows students to develop expectations. The daily schedule of activities is the same throughout the year, providing predictability for students and teachers through the use of repeated language. The teacher uses strategies to create a positive classroom environment, including positive reinforcement, use of visuals, procedures, grouping, planning, creating a language-rich classroom environment, allowing extra wait time, and multicultural education. The teacher encourages students to participate, using their home language whenever necessary. ELs develop language skills in their first language while learning to speak, read, and comprehend English. The teacher engages in Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT), which is research-based and set in the belief that a student’s success depends on the teacher and the willingness to embrace and celebrate a child’s home culture. The approach encourages the development of the student’s home language as well as English. The teacher recognizes that code-switching or coding errors are normal in the learning of a second language.
In Unit 2, a teacher tip states: “The goal is to allow children opportunities for comprehension, speaking, reading, and practice in English while celebrating and acknowledging development in other languages.” The teacher models desired “Circle Time” behavior, such as eyes on the speaker and listening ears. The teacher uses visuals like photo albums to teach vocabulary about neighborhoods and schools. The teacher also uses music during the morning Circle Time as a way to facilitate language acquisition for all students. Finally, the teacher models thinking aloud while writing the “Morning Message.”
In Unit 4, the teacher demonstrates expressing emotions, saying, “Today I feel...” and selecting the emotion illustration on the board. Students respond verbally through imitation and using the soundboard for emotions. During centers, the teacher plans a small group art project about emotions. Students receive a variety of colors of crayons, markers, or paint to reflect their cultures and ethnicities. While working on the project, students engage in discussion, and ELs have ample opportunity to practice skills and language.
In Unit 6, students take a picture walk through a picture-only book called Imagination Can Transport You Anywhere. The teacher asks questions at various English language proficiency levels, including “What is on the front cover?” “Why is Younder upset?” “What does Younder become?” and “Have you ever gone on a trip in your imagination?” These are open-ended questions that allow students to answer in a few words or several sentences. Following the teacher tip, the teacher uses pointing, gestures, repeat readings, and responsive teaching to address ELs’ needs. During Circle Time, students answer the questions “If I could fly a..., I would go to... and....” The teacher gives ELs more time to answer the questions or uses these questions during small group activities for students who might feel overwhelmed speaking out in the larger group. The teacher uses visuals of different vehicles in the sky, and students can point which one they would want, should they not be able to verbalize their thoughts.
The materials include year-long plans with practice and review opportunities that are cohesive in concept development and consider vertical alignment. The materials provide review and practice of knowledge and skills in all domains.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Under “Curriculum Features,” the materials include six “Instructional Guides,” which are designed to give teachers the tools they need to deliver lessons in a deliberate, sequential way. There are eight themes that cover the 10 domains in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPGs), which are aligned with the Kindergarten TEKS. These themes span the time of an entire typical school year. The materials are accessed through the “Teacher Dashboard.” The guide “Preparing to Teach a [Program] PreK Lesson” provides teachers with two approaches for instruction: following the scope and sequence in the printed “Week at a Glance” guide, which implements the daily “Lesson Guides,” or using the “Teacher Toolbox” and selecting activities by TPG domain. Regardless of the approach used, the teacher spends approximately 30 minutes planning each day’s lessons. This flexibility works for both new and experienced teachers. In the “Scope and Sequence” guide, teachers see how lessons are scaffolded to build knowledge and skills across 10 learning domains of the TPGs. If the teacher chooses to follow the Daily Lesson plans, there are eight themes with four weeks of thematic lessons and an extension week that includes a special project. Each unit theme is then broken into sub-themes to scaffold the learning further. Themes include topics that students explore again in kindergarten, including plants, animals, seasons, families, communities, and being healthy.
The scope and sequence has eight different thematic units that develop, build, teach, and reteach students in all domains. For example, the teacher provides an introductory lesson on addition of numbers in Unit 4; in the subsequent units, the materials continue to build on the students’ knowledge of addition. In this example, the materials build this concept by starting with manipulatives that students add together and then moving to more abstract methods using online devices and pictorial representation to practice addition skills. In a literacy example, students learn the letters throughout the materials in a variety of ways. The teacher provides explicit instruction through small and large group times on letter identification. For example, in Unit 2, students work together to pair letter cards with picture cards that start with that letter (e.g., A, Apple). Additionally, students learn and utilize all 26 letters in a variety of centers, such as in the “ABC” and “Writing” centers. In Unit 3, the teacher provides clothespins with letters as well as words written on sentence strips. The students build words by placing the clothespin on the sentence strips.
The materials provide implementation support for teachers and administrators. The materials include a scope and sequence that outlines the essential knowledge and skills taught. The materials support the teacher in implementation and provide some resources to help administrators, although this guidance is not explicit. The materials include a year’s worth of instruction.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The instructional materials include a “Scope and Sequence” instructional guide. This guide provides a detailed list of skills in all domains of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. The scope and sequence is outlined with the “Essential Questions”; there is also an overview of each unit. It is laid out in a way that is easily accessible and interactive, both within the instructional guide and online using links. The essential knowledge and skills are listed by domain; the scope and sequence then indicates the unit(s) in which they are initially introduced, reviewed, and retaught. Clicking on a particular unit takes the teacher to the lesson for a more in-depth look at how to teach that specific skill. Another important instructional guide for implementation is “Differentiated Instruction,” which describes the purpose, desired products, and the best environment to support teachers in serving students with a variety of learning styles.
Materials provide daily lesson plans and activities that span a typical school year. Within each daily activity, the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines are listed and detailed in a tab labeled “Outcome Definitions.” At the start of each day, there is a list of key domains the teachers will focus on that day. Tips and guidance in lessons highlight students’ development in different areas. Examples of these tips include how students need concrete math practice before moving on to more abstract ideas and how writing materials should be included in all centers to give students opportunities to record their ideas and practice writing in varied settings or for different reasons. Along with an instructional guide on differentiation, there are tips for scaffolding and differentiation within the lessons. Tips include using different levels of questioning, using a variety of visuals for lessons, or adding a variety of letter activities in the “ABC” center (e.g., sensory bags with plastic alphabets, alphabet cards with pictures, magnet letters). Materials also highlight the importance of repeating and reviewing throughout the year to give students multiple times to practice and master a variety of skills within different domains.
The materials include resources and guidance to help administrators so they can support teachers, although this guidance is not explicit or intended for administrators only. The materials include many Teacher Tips that administrators can remind teachers of and reinforce with them. These tips are established based on research and best practices for prekindergarten students. The administrator can access instructional guides to gain a better understanding of the best practices in pre-K. There are instructional guides for both the new and seasoned teacher. The administrator may want to read “Preparing a PK Classroom” with a new pre-K teacher but may have a more in-depth look at the Scope and Sequence with an experienced teacher.
Materials include 32 weeks of curriculum and a special project to extend each theme; these consist of 160 daily lesson guides and 20 days of special projects. The Scope and Sequence guide walks the teacher through the thematic units and how they correlate to the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. There are eight thematic units, each lasting four weeks. Each of the four weeks has a smaller theme related to the larger theme. For example, the theme “Amazing Nature” has four sub-themes: “The Sun and Seasons,” “Plants All Around,” “Seeds and the Farm,” and “Insects, Bees, and Wiggly Worms.” This breakdown of information helps the teacher with pacing for the year.
The materials provide implementation guidance and meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling. The materials provide guidance for strategic implementation without disrupting the sequence of content. The materials are mostly designed in a way that allows LEAs to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
The materials include strategic guidance on implementation that ensures the sequence of content that is taught is consistent with the developmental progression. The materials have well-planned lessons that include a variety of activities, including centers, small groups, whole groups, recess, and snack time. The skill progression is based on research. The themes tie the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPGs) into the curriculum in a seamless and efficient way. An experienced teacher could utilize the “Interactive Correlations” to the TPGs to strategically implement specific activities and skills based upon their individual students’ needs without disruption to the sequence. Materials also include online interactive tools for students to practice a variety of skills. Teachers can change these interactives to meet the needs of each individual student, such as changing the number of tasks or questions asked.
The main instructional materials are written for a full-day program that has a daily schedule, but they include an instructional guide for half-day program recommendations. Using the guide, “Adapting to a Half-Day Schedule,” the teacher can take the materials’ full-day lesson guides and implement effective instruction and meaningful activities in half the time, stressing depth, not breadth. The guide includes a sample schedule and suggests that the teacher use the online resource “Learn At Home Activities” to partner with parents to ensure students get adequate time to develop critical skills. The lessons presented within the daily schedule are designed to build upon each other throughout the day, which may be difficult if a teacher is unable to implement the components of the daily schedule exactly as designed due to programmatic scheduling needs.
The materials foster connections between home and school and support strong relationships between families and teachers. The materials also provide activities and support for students at home.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Each unit has a special project that gives teachers opportunities to connect with families. For example, while learning about community helpers, the class can go on a field trip where parents can volunteer. While learning about healthy foods, students create and make a special menu and invite their parents to join them in enjoying this food. In another activity, parents bring a dish that celebrates their family or culture. While learning about transportation and movement, students create a “Movement Museum.” Students create different types of theme-related art, such as cars, hot air balloons, and boats, and display their art as it would be displayed in a museum. Teachers ask family members to volunteer in the class to help students create a variety of pieces, and they are invited to tour the museum. The materials provide theme-specific newsletters in English and Spanish. This newsletter discusses the theme for the month and includes a link to a website for parents. The link includes songs, interactive lessons, e-books, and activities parents can do at home to support their child’s learning. Parents have access to all the interactive tools that students use at school. This link makes it easy for the teacher to suggest activities to parents if students need extra practice in a particular skill.
The materials also include an “Engaging Parents of PK Students” instructional guide. The guide includes many strategies and explanations of prekindergarten best practices to encourage caregivers to be an active participant. The guide assists the teacher in making a connection with families, helps the teacher understand their perspectives, and even contains a step-by-step guide to parent-teacher conferences. Teachers are encouraged to utilize the assessment tool to inform parents of student progress throughout the year.
The materials utilize a visual design that supports and does not distract from student learning. Graphics are engaging without being visually distracting.
Evidence includes but is not limited to:
Online materials start with a home page, where teachers can access seven different parts of the curriculum. These include the curriculum, with daily lessons; “Correlations,” which include the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and links with activities to support each of the guidelines; “Instructional Guides”; “Assessment”; a “Teacher Toolbox,” where the teacher can access online materials; “Professional Development Support”; and “Tech Support.”
The instructional guides give teachers a plethora of information but are also concise and easy to read. The teacher guide presents information on how the information is organized so teachers can quickly reference parts as needed throughout the year. Information from these guides is also included in daily lessons for teachers to have reminders at appropriate times on how to use and implement the information. These include “General Tips,” “Teacher Tips,” “Social-Emotional Tips,” “Assessment Tips,” “Lyrics Tips,” and “Questioning Tips.” Each type of tip is represented with a different icon and is easily accessed without distracting from the main lessons or activities.
The materials are designed to support children’s learning. The materials are engaging and interactive for children. Directions are clear and are often given verbally for activities that are used independently. There are also many ways student learning is enhanced through online materials. These include an online calendar, the Pledge of Allegiance, songs, e-books, movement videos, theme-related photo albums with real photos, and interactive activities. All of these are easily accessible to teachers and students. Teachers can easily pull these up for different group settings and use them with different devices as needed. They are also designed for student use. After students have seen how to use each activity, they should be able to use it with minimal help from the teacher. There are seven different characters that are included in books, songs, and activities. These characters are also used in online activities to show students what to do and let them know if they are doing it correctly. These animated characters are engaging to students without being overwhelming, and they support students’ learning.
The teacher receives physical materials to assist with learning, such as a set of alphabet cards and 64 large photos that go along with each theme. These visuals are engaging, not cluttered, and use the appropriate amount of white space. The five puppets are very relatable and teach students academic and social and emotional skills. The materials can be easily seen by students when teaching the whole group. The books have large pictures and large print so that students can see them from a distance.
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