Innovative Solution for

Curriculum Design

Kathy Tirey,

Director

Nancy Struewing,

Curriculum and Professional Development Coordinator

Karen Heyob

Education Coordinator

Hamilton County ESC Head Start

Session Objectives

Examine an innovative solution to the multi-faceted

challenges facing Head Start programs

Learn successful ways to support both new and

experienced teachers around curriculum design

Learn new strategies to enhance your instruction and

assessment practices

Explore the use of technology to enrich curriculum

implementation

Our Core Beliefs and Rational

State and Federal Requirements

Assurance that all of our classrooms were meeting or

exceeding the Head Start, and SUTQ requirements.

Equity for all children

We wanted to make certain that the

learning experiences for all children

were as equitable as possible

Our Core Beliefs and Rational

General Curriculum

We believe that by providing teachers with a general

curriculum, their focus can be on individualizing for students

Provides continuity across the program, consistency

Support for Teachers

We believe that this process provides structure and support

to all teachers but particularly for first year teachers

Turn-over rate to districts

Our Core Beliefs and Rational

Key teaching strategies

Provides the foundation and scaffolding for the

implementation of key teaching strategies to be

integrated into every classroom

New Ideas

We wanted a systematic approach to introduce new

teaching ideas into the classrooms.

Our Core Beliefs and Rational

Assessment

We wanted to ensure that embedded assessment was

part of every lesson plans and create a structure for

teachers to effectively assess children

Roadmap

We wanted the lesson plans to create

a “roadmap” for teaching the standards

and assessment objectives.

Our Core Beliefs and Rational

Support for supervisors

brings continuity to the supervision of teaching

staff

Support for special service staff

Clear vision of environmental design and key

teaching strategies for all staff working in the

classrooms

Core Beliefs Regarding Assessment:

Accurate data assessment system informs curriculum planning and

evaluation of educational goals for children.

Builds positive, productive assessment partnerships with families and

colleagues.

Targeted objectives specific to lessons plan provide teachers with

opportunities to individualize based on assessments.

Timely assessment data entry informs classroom practices.

Having common assessment practices throughout our agency promotes

collegial learning and sharing.

Accurate assessment data is essential in order to determine

appropriate agency goals/outcomes.

Key Elements of the Assessment Design:

Supervisors review/approve individualization on the lesson plans

to assure alignment with assessment data and to plan/modify

environments, curriculum, teaching.

Supervisors routinely model instruction/assessment data routines

in the classrooms.

Individual student reports are generated for monthly meetings as

supportive documentation of student progress, as needed.

Assessment data is collected 3 times for Head Start (4 EHS) and

utilized to determine progress of agency outcome goals, to

determine classroom strengths/areas for instructional

improvement, develop parent conference forms, and reports to

use for student/Kindergarten transition.

Key Elements of the Assessment Design:

Teaching Strategies GOLD online system is used to connect our

large geographic area and provide a common language.

Teachers work as a team to enter data on a regular basis into the

online system. Data recording sheets are provided with the

lesson plans to assist with this process.

Assessment reports are generated every two weeks to assist

teachers with data entry/timelines.

Teachers view student progress online throughout the year to

determine individualization on lesson plans.

Key Elements of the Curriculum Design:

General Curriculum

Provide a “General” curriculum that is content rich

Built on the foundation of Creative Curriculum

Explores a topic over an extended period of time and across all domains (typically 3 weeks)

Topic-related concepts and language integrated throughout the classroom and throughout the day

Expands children’s knowledge about their world

Reflects deeper conceptual knowledge and understanding rather than random mastery of skills

Includes strategic implementation for support of the social and emotional needs of children

Key Element:

Embedded Teaching Strategies

Use of visuals to support learning

IMIL

Handwriting Without Tears

Repeated Readings

Demonstrated Writing

Positive Behavior Supports

Key Element:

Focus on Individualization

We asked ourselves: Best use of teacher time?

Creating lesson plans from scratch each week

vs.

Using a content rich designed lesson plan and individualizing for the

developmental needs of their group of children

Teachers are required to add individualization and any other appropriate

modifications

All individualizations and any modifications are approved by supervisors

Key Element:

Assessment

Embedded assessment/alignment to standards

Assessment opportunities are written into each

lesson plan in a systematic way with recording sheets

included

All planned activities are aligned to the assessment

system objectives ( TS GOLD) and the state content

standards (correlation to School Readiness goals,

Head Start Framework)

Key Element:

Classroom Materials

Core Materials

Each classroom receives a set of core materials

needed to implement the activities on each lesson

plans (Boxes are assembles and distributed every 3 weeks)

Books

Color copies

Other materials

Supplemental information sheet with pictures and

visuals for the materials

Large Resource room with materials for check out

Key Element:

Podcasts

Each lesson plan has a corresponding podcast

On website for teachers to access

Explains and models activities and strategies

for implementation

Suggested ideas for individualizing or

making modifications of activities

Allows teachers to re-visit ideas as needed

Key Element:

Study Groups

Best way to support change in teaching practice

Approved professional development training hours

Teachers better understand and learn to articulate

curriculum and assessment

Build collaborative partnerships between teachers to

share ideas and support each other

Built on research and best practices (NCQTL)

All of these key elements not only

provides us the means to address the

individual needs of children but also

addresses the multiple learning styles

and identified needs of our teaching

staff.

Lesson Plan Format

Unit:

Teacher:_____________________________ Center:______________________Dates: _________________________

General unit information

BIG IDEAS for the unit: What will this unit be about; highlights of learning activities

Read-Aloud:

Each unit typically runs for 3 weeks with one focus book per week

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Key Vocabulary:

This includes both “concept” vocabulary and basic “word card”

vocabulary

Family/

Community

Involvement:

Additions to classroom newsletter

What can families do to help support the concepts covered in this unit

Any additional family information pertaining to this topic

Highlighted goals for this unit

TS Gold OELDS

List the key objectives (4-5) that will be embedded into multiple

activities in the lesson plan and are documentation point for this

unit.

Correlation to the Ohio standards

Approved:__________________

_

Classroom Centers: Materials to Enhance Children’s Play Writing Dramatic Play Toys and Games

Paper, pencils/markers, blank books,

children’s name cards

(KEEP any materials from the previous week that

the children were particularly engaged in)

Key obj: Key obj: Key obj:

Ind: Ind: Ind:

Art Library Discovery/Science

Paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, yarn,

collage materials

Easel:

A collection of fiction and non-fiction books

related to the topic

Key obj: Key obj: Key obj:

Ind: Ind: Ind:

Sand and Water Table Blocks Math table

Week1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Large unit blocks

Key obj.: Key obj: Key obj:

Ind: Ind: Ind:

Outdoors/Gross Motor Playdough/Trays Music/Movement

Key obj: Key obj: Key obj:

Ind: Ind: Ind:

Week 1

1st Group: Daily Routines TS GOLD OELDS Individualization

Welcome song

Review schedule and classroom rules

Classroom helpers/jobs- attendance, weather, etc.

Activity

Transition to next activity

Monday

1st Group Activity:

Small Group: TS GOLD OELDS Individualization

Group 1

Group 2

2nd Group TS Gold OELDS Individualization

Read Aloud:

Music and Movement Activity:

How the Work Gets Done!

Director

Education Coordinator

Curriculum and PD Coordinator

Curriculum and PD Specialist

Curriculum Support Assistant

Educational Field Supervisors

Technology Specialist

Fiscal Coordinator

Questions?