Cecil County’s Early Childhood Program

1. Cecil County’s Early ChildhoodProgram Goal: All students will enter school with the readiness skill necessary to be successful learners.

2. Cecil County’s early childhood programs center around seven domains: Personal/Social Language and Literacy Math Science Social Studies Physical Development Fine Arts All kindergarten children are assessed in each of these domains in the Fall and Spring using the Maryland Model of School Readiness. www.mdk12.org/instruction/ensure/MMSR/MMSRDE1_toc.html The Whole Child

3. What is MMSR (Maryland Model of School Readiness)? • A set of 30 indicators taken from an assessment tool called- Work Sampling System • Work Sampling System provides rubrics for a level of performance on 66 indicators covering seven domains for children three to eight years of age. • Work Sampling System is based on the premise that assessment of young children needs to be done in an on-going manner through the use of antidotal records and teacher observation. • It is also based on the premise that early childhood education needs to address all seven domains of the developing child. www.mdk12.org/instruction/ensure/MMSR/index.html

4. Language and Literacy • Houghton Mifflin Kindergarten Reading Series • All incoming kindergarten students are screened using a tool from Houghton Mifflin called the “Emerging Literacy Survey.” • The “Emerging Literacy Survey” assesses student’s skills in the area of: • Phonemic Awareness • Familiarity of Print • Beginning Reading and Writing

5. Emerging Literacy Survey Beginning Reading and Writing • Sight Words • Nonsense Words • Dictated Sentences Familiarity of Print • Letter Identification • Concepts of Print Phonemic Awareness • Rhyming • Beginning Sounds • Blending Onsets & Rimes • Segmenting Onsets and Rimes • Phoneme Blending • Phoneme Segmentation

6. Emerging Literacy Data • Research has shown that strengths in phonemic awareness skills result in strengths in reading • Phonemic Awareness data identifies specific phonemic awareness skills that need reinforcement. • This year, all kindergarten teachers were trained on Lindamood-Bell Learning Process (LiPS) to support development of phonemic awareness skills. • LiPS is presented in whole group and used in small group to reinforce phonemic awareness skills that students are still having difficulty performing. • Children entering school with a strong understanding of sound symbol relationships often use phonemic awareness tools taught in LiPS during writing activities to support stretch spelling.

7. Beginning reading and writing data from the “Emerging Literacy Survey” provides information on a student’s development of sight words and their understanding of how letter sounds are combined to form words. • Information about a student’s sight word development provides a baseline for determining the level of material a child should be reading during guided reading. • Guided reading sessions provide a student an opportunity to develop comprehension skills and strategies using a level of text at their instructional level. • The “Emerging Literacy Survey” is repeated in the winter and spring. Spring data is used to provide first grade teachers with information about appropriate reading levels for their beginning first graders.

8. Often, as young children begin to learn to read they are able to read words, however, they may not comprehend what they are reading. • Comprehension strategies are beginning to emerge, but are not fully developed. • Usually, the first type of text children read is fiction. Fiction supports their development of learning new words because it follows a predictable pattern that is supported through the use of illustrations, rhyme, or rhythm.

9. Non-fiction material is much harder for them to read because of content related vocabulary and because it is not always written in the same format. • Whole group instruction provides the opportunity for students to practice comprehension strategies using both fiction and non-fiction text in an oral format. • Comprehension strategies introduced in whole group are reinforced in guided reading with text based on a student’s instructional level.

10. Math • Curriculum is based on Cecil County indicators that are aligned with Maryland’s Voluntary State Curriculum. • Current resource for Kindergarten Everyday Math • Concepts are extended and reinforced during small group instruction. • In order to enhance math content skills and math processes, “Round the Rug Math” stories are being presented in a co-lab fashion by the challenge and kindergarten teacher. • In between sessions, the kindergarten teacher has the opportunity to extend the concepts presented during the lesson.

11. Why Round the Rug Math? Integration • Mathematical concepts need to be integrated into other content areas. • Integration allows children to develop understanding in real-life situations. • Integrating mathematical concepts provides opportunities for developing “connections” as students solve problems.

12. Literature • Literature is a powerful tool to help children understand and visualize mathematical concepts. • Research has found the process of oral storytelling is a powerful medium allowing the teacher and students to interact with the math concepts as the story is told. • Using oral storytelling traditions found within many cultures often provide context, continuity and motivation for learning early math concepts.

13. Round The Rug MathAdventures in Problem Solving • A series of six books intended to supplement and enhance instruction. • Students actively participate in mathematical activities as they solve problems presented to characters in the story using hands-on activities. • Storytelling is enhanced through the use of puppets, posters and manipulative materials. http://www2.bc.edu/~caseyb/oview.html

14. Why Spatial Concepts? • Involve the ability to think and reason through the transformation of mental pictures • Are involved in geometry, estimation, measurement, diagrams, graphs, drawing, breaking fractions into geometric regions, and conceptualizing mathematical functions • Spatial skills and mathematical achievement are closely related • Research shows that girls perform more poorly on spatial tasks involving transformations then boys

15. Primary Talent Development • PTD is based on the premise that all students (K-2) should be given opportunities to develop talents and abilities to their fullest extent. • PTD is a collection of K-2 science-based curriculum modules which include instructional guidelines and strategies for open-ended, problem-solving learning experiences to challenge students. • PTD modules are currently being piloted at Leeds, Thomson Estates, Perryville, Rising Sun, and Bay View. • PTD Modules • Kindergarten: Astounding Attributes & Questioning Quest • Grade One: Fourth Little Pig & Wiggly Worms • Grade Two: Branching Out with Trees & Environmental Explorations

16. Why Primary Talent Development? • PTD models best practices that provide learning experiences which allow all K-2 children to demonstrate advanced learning capabilities or the potential for advanced learning. • PTD provides enrichment and differentiation to K-2 students in open-ended, problem solving instruction. • PTD allows strengths of students to be identified and data to be collected over time in order to build student profiles, guide instruction, and recognize students who may need gifted and talented educational services.

17. Contact Information: Sandra Grulich Instructional Coordinator for Early Childhood 410-996-5424 sgrulich@ccps.org