How do teachers plan?

At Grandma’s Place, there are two components that we use to plan our curriculum.  We use objectives from GOLD Teaching Strategies to determine the skills we want students to acquire and Creative (or emergent) Curriculum as the framework for teachers to meet those objectives. 
GOLD Objectives focus on 4 areas of development:
1.      Social-Emotional: To help children feel comfortable in school, trust their new environment, make friends, and feel they are a part of the group. To help children experience pride and self-confidence, develop independence and self-control, and have a positive attitude towards life. 
2.      Cognitive: To help children become confident learners by letting them try out their own ideas and experience success, and engage in deeper thinking skills.
3.      Physical: To help children increase their large and small muscle skills and feel confident about what their bodies can do. 
4.      Language: To help children use both receptive and productive language to follow directions, express personal needs and thoughts, and interact appropriately with teachers and peers.

Infant & Toddler Planning

Because there is such a wide range of development in children at this age we create monthly goals for each child. Using the GOLD objectives, the teachers create monthly goals in each of the four areas of development. We work on the next level of development using games, books, one on one time, baby signs and a variety materials in the class to explore and learn with. Once the individual goals are completed each classroom will create a classroom plan that includes goals for each child.

Grandma’s Place curriculum and planning is truly individualized for the classroom as well as the children’s interests and development.
 
Creative Curriculum (Toddler, Preschool, and Prekindergarten Programs):

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After teachers have identified goals for their students within GOLD Objectives, they choose a theme based on children’s interests.  This theme is derived from intentional and embedded conversations with students to determine what they want to learn more about.  Theme may be a season, community, ecosystem, or career field.  Books, art projects, and centers focus around the theme. Then, teachers embed GOLD Objectives within their classroom theme!  Social/emotional, cognitive, physical, and language goals are built into the structure of the day through circle time, small group activities, art, transitions, and centers.  Students are constantly learning, and may not even know it!  This is the beauty of embedded curriculum; it makes learning a natural and exciting part of a child’s day! ​

Curriculum