DOUBLE TAB TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET 20 Chapter 1 Read through the chart again. This time, think about your own approach to curriculum and curriculum planning. What activities, room decorations, and role plays have you planned that utilize the traditional approach? What have you tried (or would like to try) that would foster and encourage the child-centered approach? Analyzing Curriculum Plans Now that you know there is more to the Three Rs and have thought about curriculum from a child’s point of view, read through two cur- ricula for the month of October. Melissa’s and Sharon’s plans reflect two very different ways of thinking about curriculum activities for young children. As you read through each plan, analyze the teacher’s approach. Keep the following questions in mind to help you focus your analysis: • What teacher goals do these curriculum plans suggest? • How does the teacher think the children learn? • What are the sensory aspects of each curriculum? • What values—religious, commercial, diversity—are promoted by each plan? • How does the curriculum plan draw on the children’s daily lives and experiences? • How does the teacher perceive her role in the learning process? Melissa’s Traditional October Curriculum Themes • scary things (witches, bats, black cats, spiders) • trick-or-treat • costumes COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL