Building the Primary Classroom

Addressed primarily to elementary school teachers working with children in grades one through three and grounded in developmentally appropriate practice, this book provides a practical framework for making teaching effective and learning meaningful for children in these early grades. Chapters in Part 1 of the book each present one of six teaching strategies for building the primary classroom: (1) knowing the children you teach; (2) building a classroom community; (3) establishing a structure for the classroom; (4) guiding children's learning; (5) assessing children's learning; and (6) building a partnership with families. Chapters in Part 2 each describe one of the following subject areas: (1) language and literacy; (2) mathematical thinking; (3) social studies; (4) scientific thinking; (5) technology; and (6) the arts. Each of the curriculum content chapters presents an overview of the subject area based on current national or state standards, outlines the skills and content children are expected to learn, and offers practical teaching strategies for guiding children's learning. Each chapter also contains references and resources. (KB)