Section II:

Developing
Curriculum to
Support Children’s
Learning

35 | Strategies for Early Learners

 Chapter 2: The Cycle of
Curriculum Planning
Chapter Objectives
By the end of the chapter, you should be able to
 Explain how observation is the basis for curriculum planning
 Describe how to effectively document observations
 Connecting reflection to planning curriculum
 Discuss how the cycle of planning begins again as curriculum is implemented
 Summarize how curriculum planning occurs in a cycle
 Relate the importance of partnering with families

Planning Happens in a Cycle

To begin to understand how to plan effective, developmentally appropriate curriculum
for children, we must look at the context in which that planning should happen. Planning
everything, from the flow of the day, to how teachers design and stock the classroom
environment, to the way the spontaneous (unplanned) experiences of children are
recognized and valued, to the experiences teachers thoughtfully plan and intentionally
implement, happens in a continuous cycle. As we will discuss in this chapter that cycle
begins with observing and continues through documenting what was observed,
reflecting on what it means and how to plan to best support children, and then
implementing those plans, before returning back to observing. 34

Planning curriculum for young children begins with teachers discovering, through careful
listening and observation, each child’s development. Observation is an essential skill for
a teacher. When teachers mindfully observe, they discover how individual children
make meaning in everyday moments of play and interactions and how to deepen their
relationships with children. Observing for the purpose of assessing individual children’s
learning means carefully watching and listening, with thought and reflection. In doing so,
teachers find the knowledge, awareness, and strategies that individual children have
formed during their experiences. It may be evidence that pertains to individual children’s
emotional, social, cognitive, or physical development. If the evidence is clear and
significant, teachers can preserve it through, for example, a note, a photo, or a sample
of a child’s work.

Consider this example in which teachers found various ways in which the children’s
engagement in learning about snails related to the developmental profiles of different
children:

34 Content by Jennifer Paris is licensed under CC BY 4.0

36 | Strategies for Early Learners
 As the children’s interest in the snails continued, the teachers looked for ways to
expand learning opportunities and integrate them into the multifaceted
experience. The teachers also reviewed individual children’s developmental
profiles to be mindful of children’s developmental progress in different areas. In
addition to the many counting opportunities in the environment, the teachers
decided to integrate counting into the children’s exploration of snails. Younger
children who were making progress with learning to count objects between five
and ten were invited to set up a specific number (less than ten) of trays and
snails.

Before the children started, the teachers reminded them of an earlier

conversation about how to care for snails. In response, one of the children asked
to show the others how to handle the snails gently. (Learning about counting was
happening at the same time as learning about controlling the impulse to handle
other creatures roughly instead of being gentle with them.) Teachers suggested
to other children who were continuing to make progress with counting to count
out a quantity of sticks, bark, or leaves greater than ten. Other children were
asked to divide the snails evenly between the trays. The children kept saying to
themselves, “Be gentle,” and handled the snails with great care.

Figure 2.1: Handling the snail carefully.35

As teachers observed each group, they helped children develop mathematical

thinking by prompting them and asking questions. For example, at one table, a
teacher noticed that children were counting some sticks twice. She said, “I
wonder what would happen if we put each stick on the other side of the tray after
counting it.” The children tried out this idea. Teachers noted children’s efforts and
placed the notes, with the date recorded, into the children’s individual portfolios
to be used as evidence for later reference when considering developmental
progress relating to number sense and impulse control.

35 Image by Noj Han is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

37 | Strategies for Early Learners
As teachers observe children’s play and interactions, they discover ways to support
children’s learning. Ideas for the next steps in curriculum planning emerge as teachers
reflect on how they might extend or expand children’s thinking, language, and
interactions. Observation, reflection, and documentation in the moment simultaneously
launch an ongoing assessment of each child’s progress in learning as well as the
curriculum planning cycle.36

Here is a visual representation of the Curriculum Planning Cycle

Figure 2.2: The Curriculum Planning Cycle.37

Let’s explore each part of the cycle.

Observe
Observation means being present with children and attentive as they play and interact
with others and the environment. This mindful kind of presence is different from
participating in children’s play or directing their play. Whether for one minute or five, an
attentive, mindful presence means waiting to see what unfolds in order to gain a

36 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of

Education is used with permission (pg. 19-20)
37 Image by Ian Joslin references image by the California Department of Education
38 | Strategies for Early Learners
complete picture of children’s play. A teacher who observes children as a first step in
supporting learning discovers small scientists at work—experimenting, comparing,
making assumptions, evaluating assumptions through their actions. Over time, children
build mastery of a wide range of concepts and skills. The vignette about the snail
exploration illustrates the role of the teacher as observer:

During small-group time with the snails, the teacher noticed a child who had been
reluctant to hold a snail. This child had a visual impairment. As the teacher gently
placed a snail on this child’s hand, two children watched and listened as the
teacher commented, “He’s sticking his head out now, and he’s turned toward
your fingers. Can you feel him crawling toward your fingers?” The other children
who had been watching intently began to repeat the teacher’s encouraging
words, saying, “He’s sticking his head out. He’s going toward your fingers!”

The teacher wrote down her observations and added an interpretive note that the
children’s behavior may be a growing sign of empathy as measured by the
DRDP, and the other child’s willingness to hold the snail, a growing sign of
curiosity and initiative, also a DRDP measure.38

Observation Happens Through Lenses

It takes practice to become a good observer. An important aspect of being a good
observer involves becoming aware of what is noticed and how observations are
interpreted. Children may be influenced by many things. Culture, temperament,
personal experiences, professional knowledge, and even community values and
messages in the media affect how teachers see and experience children. These
“lenses” through which teachers observe and interpret are at work even though they
may not always be conscious of them.39

The Importance of Accuracy

Observations about children should be factual and objective to be useful and
meaningful. Teachers should document only what they see and hear (the facts) and
avoid using words that communicate judgment about a child’s feelings, intentions, and
motivations; are ambiguous and open to interpretation; or describe an opinion. One way
teachers may think about their own objectivity is to ask themselves: Am I describing this
child’s behaviors and interactions in the same or a similar way that someone else
observing this child would describe them?
Interpreting the meaning of children’s behaviors and interactions is important, and
impressions, feelings, and insights about children are extremely valuable to the
individualizing process. However, teachers first need accurate, factual information in
order to draw conclusions later on about children’s skills, behavior, interests, and
needs.40

38 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of

Education is used with permission
39 Observation: The Heart of Individualizing Responsive Care by the Office of Head Start is
in the public domain

39 | Strategies for Early Learners

 Pause to Reflect
Think about yourself as an observer. What do you think will come most
easily to you? What do you think will be more challenging?

Document
Documenting means gathering and holding evidence of children’s play and interests for
future use. A common form of documentation in early childhood settings is a written
note, often referred to as an observation anecdote. Anecdotal notes, along with other
forms of documentation, in particular photos, video recordings, and work samples, serve
a dual purpose. First, they preserve a teacher’s observations of children’s expressions
of feelings, their thinking, and their learning. These documentations are guides to the
next steps in day-to-day curriculum planning. And second, anecdotal notes and other
evidence can be used to support a teacher’s periodic assessment of a child’s progress.
An episode during the snail exploration highlights the dual purpose of documentation:

Figure 2.3: Holding a snail.41

During their initial encounters with the snails, the children asked questions and
made comments about the snail shells, the way the snails moved across the tray,
and what the snails ate. Although several children were reluctant to pick up the
snails, others were challenged by having to wait. The teachers recorded
children’s distinct responses, writing down significant elements of what children
said or did. For example, for a child with identified special needs related to self-
regulation, a teacher noted: “Jasmine pushed aside Yuri in order to pick up the
snail crawling off the tray. Yuri stumbled, fell, and began to cry. Jasmine
continued to focus on the snail, saying nothing to Yuri.” For the teacher,
40 Observation: The Heart of Individualizing Responsive Care by the Office of Head Start is
in the public domain (pg. 9)
41 Image by mintchipdesigns on Pixabay
40 | Strategies for Early Learners
 Jasmine’s behavior was significant. This anecdotal note provided some evidence
of Jasmine’s struggles with impulse control. It added to the growing evidence that
Jasmine was still developing impulse control and empathy. Later, as the teacher
shared her observation with her co-teacher and with Jasmine’s father in a
conference, they discussed how the small group work around keeping the snails
safe might support Jasmine as well as other children in reading cues of others
and in thinking before acting in order to keep people safe.42

Reflect & Plan

As teachers reflect on children’s play, they discover possibilities for designing
curriculum to sustain, extend, and help children’s play to be more complex and,
consequently, support the children’s continuing learning. 43

Teachers ask themselves questions about what the information they have documented
in observations of children says about the children’s development, interests, and needs.
The answers to these questions lead to individualizing care and learning. There are
many questions that teachers may ask themselves. For example:
 What developmental skill or activity does the child appear to be working on?
 What strategies does the child use to play with different toys?
 Does the child engage with objects or people differently than a month ago? What
has changed? What has not changed?
 Do my actions/the actions of other adults who interact with the child affect the
outcomes of the child’s experience? How so?
 How does the information relate to goals for the child? The family’s goals? The
program’s school readiness goals?
 What other information do I need?
 What questions do I have for the child’s family?

It is during the reflective process that interpreting the meaning of children’s behaviors
and interactions becomes important. These interpretations and insights give rise to each
child’s story. Each child’s story informs responsive practice.
Teachers use what they know about each child to
 Adapt the environment
 Modify the daily schedule and/or routines
 Make decisions about how to guide the children’s learning based on what the
child knows and can do as well as what the child is ready to try. 44

That process of reflections then informs possible next steps in the curriculum. Possible
steps might include adding materials to interest areas, books to read with large or small
groups, activities to do in small groups, or a topic to investigate over time with the

42 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of

Education is used with permission (pg. 21)
43 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of
Education is used with permission
44 Observation: The Heart of Individualizing Responsive Care by the Office of Head Start is
in the public domain

41 | Strategies for Early Learners

children. With clear ideas or objectives in mind, teachers plan curriculum that includes
strategies to enhance the learning of all children in a group, as well as strategies to
support the learning of individual children. Here is how reflection, discussion, and
planning worked in the snail exploration:

While the children were exploring snails, teachers met each week to reflect and
plan for the next steps in the children’s explorations. They decided to schedule
time for small groups of children to explore the snails in a more focused way,
hoping to extend the children’s learning and add complexity. The teachers
planned a series of walks that would allow all the children to find snails in natural
habitats.45

Figure 2.4: Teachers meeting.46

Pause to Reflect
Think back to something in your childhood that you were passionately
interested or engaged in that someone observing you could have
documented. What questions could your teachers have asked
themselves about your experiences? How could they have planned?

(If it’s easier or more relevant, you can think of a child you know and
consider what you can ask yourself and plan around what you know
about that child.)

Implement
Once a plan is written, teachers implement it. While implementing a plan, teachers
observe, reflect, and document. The curriculum-planning cycle begins again (or
continues) as teachers watch to discover how children respond to the planned
curriculum and how children show evidence of their development during the planned
45 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of
Education is used with permission
46 Image by Christina Morillo on Pexels
42 | Strategies for Early Learners
learning encounters. Teachers often approach this step with a sense of wonder, for they
may be surprised and amazed by the children’s responses.

To hold the responses in memory, teachers may record notes, take a photo, or label,
date, and keep a work sample, all of which they can later review to assess the impact of
the curriculum plans. The evidence collected will help teachers to come up with ideas
for supporting and assessing the children’s learning. Teachers might ponder the
following questions:
 Are children responding as predicted, or were there surprises?
 What do the children’s responses tell us? How might we name the children’s
interest(s) or intention(s)? What concepts and ideas are the children forming
within their play?
 How might children who are English learners and children who speak English
collaborate in small groups to learn from one another?
 Are children showing evidence of progress on any of the measures of the
DRDP?

Here is what happened when the teachers implemented their idea of going on walks
with the children to find snails in natural habitats:

Before going on their snail hunt, a small group of children gathered on a blanket
with the teacher. Each child was provided with a clipboard with paper for taking
“notes” while the teacher explained how the walk would be a way to find snails
that lived outside their classroom. Some children pretended to write while the
teacher talked, while others drew pictures of snails. In this group, teachers
included two children who were fluent in Spanish and learning English. The
teachers anticipated much conversation among children during the search for the
snails and wanted to give these children a chance to converse in their home
language as well as to share experiences with peers who spoke only English.

Figure 2.5: Children watching the teacher write.47

Before heading off on the hunt, the teacher suggested, “Let’s estimate. How
many snails do you think we will find? Each of you can guess.” On a large sheet
47 Image by Jackie is licensed under CC BY 2.0
43 | Strategies for Early Learners
 of paper that the children could easily see, she wrote each child’s name, saying
each letter as she did so, and next to each name, the number guessed by that
child.

Armed with magnifying glasses, the children went off to collect snails. There were
many discoveries along the walk, not just snails. As children found snails, they
carried them to a large examination tray set up on a table. Some children took a
break from their snail search to examine, touch, and draw the snails already
collected. At the end of the hunt, the children lined up the snails on a small log
and counted them. The teacher suggested that they compare the number they
counted with their estimates.

Before returning to their classroom, the children put the snails back into their
natural habitats. The children were excited about sharing their experiences with
other teachers and peers when they returned.

The teachers examined and reflected on what they saw in the children’s writings
and drawings on the clipboards. They decided that some of the work samples
were significant in showing how individual children were developing an idea,
concept, or skill. They filed those samples in the children’s portfolios as evidence
of developmental progress.48

Pause to Reflect
What happens when implementation goes differently than expected?
What would have happened if the children had discovered and become
fascinated with dandelions on their hunt for snails (and subsequently
lost interest in the snails)? Does curriculum have to go as planned? Why
or why not?

Curriculum Planning for Infants and Toddlers

Infants and toddlers have an amazing capacity to engage in learning and rapidly
organize vast amounts of new information. Clearly, an infant or toddler who is exploring
how something works or interacting with an adult or other children reveals an active
mind that is discovering and making sense of the surrounding world of people and
things.

Infants and toddlers experience the world and build knowledge holistically during simple
moments of play, exploration, and interaction with objects and with other people. They
constantly gather new information and make sense of it. Their minds actively take in
sounds, words, patterns of movement, and the actions and reactions of people,
creatures, and objects. They integrate new information into an increasingly complex
system of knowledge. As infants expand their encounters with objects and people, they

48 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of

Education is used with permission

44 | Strategies for Early Learners

try out emerging skills, discover new actions, and experience feelings in new ways. In
moments of play, they experiment, investigate, and invent solutions, trying to figure out
how things work.49

Figure 2.6: What happens when you hit the metal pot with a plastic spatula? This infant is enjoying the
resulting music.50

Program Features That Support Effective Infant/ Toddler

Curriculum
Program policies set the stage for infant/toddler learning and development. Program
policies that support effective infant/toddler curriculum planning and implementation
include these elements:
 Primary Care—assigning a primary infant care teacher to each child and family
 Small Groups—creating small groups of children and caregivers
 Continuity—maintaining consistent teacher assignments and groups over time
 Personalized Care—responding to individual needs, abilities, and schedules
 Cultural Continuity—maintaining cultural consistency between home and
program through dialogue and collaboration with families
 Inclusion of Children with Special Needs—providing appropriate
accommodations and support for children with disabilities or other special
needs.51

49 The California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework by the California Department of

Education is used with permission
50 Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission
51 The California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework by the California Department of
Education is used with permission

45 | Strategies for Early Learners

Figure 2.7: How would you describe this interaction? Notice the smiles on the faces of the caregiver and
parent.52

Contexts for Infant/Toddler Curriculum

In planning curriculum for the birth-to-age-three period, teachers must be aware of what
infants and toddlers do in play, both when they act on objects and when they interact
with adults and peers. In essence, play is the “work” of infants and toddlers. When
teachers are mindful of the ways in which each infant experiences a moment of play,
that child’s learning agenda reveals itself. In response, teachers are able to plan
curriculum that aligns with the infant’s inborn learning agenda. In developing curriculum
for infants and toddlers, teachers plan for three learning contexts:
1. The play environment as curriculum. Curriculum plans include the selection of
play materials that add interest and complexity to distinct areas where infants
and toddlers freely play.
2. Interactions and conversations as curriculum. Curriculum plans address ways of
being with infants and toddlers during interaction, including nonverbal interaction,
conversations, cooperation, conflicts, and times when infants express strong
feelings such as delight, sadness, anger, or frustration.
3. Caregiving routines as curriculum. Curriculum plans include care routines,
particularly mealtimes, diaper changes, and naptimes. Intentional teaching invites
infants and toddlers to participate in care routines that deepen their relationship
experiences and open up possibilities for building emerging skills and concepts. 53

52 Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission

53 The California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework by the California Department of
Education is used with permission

46 | Strategies for Early Learners

Figure 2.8: This early childhood education classroom serves the children food family style and allows the
children to develop many skills through serving themselves. Look at his focus and concentration as he
manipulates the tongs to pick up the food.54

Partnering with Families in Curriculum Planning

As the snail-exploration vignette illustrates in several places, teachers also include the
children’s families in supporting children’s learning. Teachers find it particularly helpful
to share documentation of children’s learning with children’s family members. When
families and teachers reflect together on documentation of children’s play and learning,
family members offer insights into the children’s behavior and ideas, as well as share
expectations of their children at home or in the community. Teachers also provide
resources to families in order to bridge children’s experiences in preschool with
experiences at home and in the community. For example, the teachers used the
children’s interest in the snails to support family members’ participation in creating
learning opportunities in the following way:

Figure 2.9: Taking a closer look at the snails.55

54 Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission

47 | Strategies for Early Learners
 During the snail exploration, teachers posted near the entry a note with a photo
of children exploring snails at the science table.
They suggested to families to consider doing a snail hunt on the way to school, in
a park, or in a yard. A stack of copies of the snail diagram with the words eyes,
tentacles, and shell written in Spanish, English, and Russian was available for
family members to take with them.56

How It’s All Connected

The snail vignette illustrates how teachers can help children make connections and
thereby make meaning. This exploration allowed children to investigate and learn about
creatures from the outdoor environment in the classroom. In doing so, the children were
able to make meaning about snails’ natural habitats while encountering opportunities to
engage in integrated learning in every domain.

Young children’s experiences at home and in their communities are a powerful source
of connections. Teachers nurture children’s appetites for learning and making meaning
by building upon the knowledge children bring to the preschool setting. For example,
children may come to preschool with knowledge of many family stories. Their teachers
may have observed that the children used the stories in the dramatic play area.
However, the children did not seem to be aware that their stories could be written down
and then read by someone else. In such a case, teachers can partner with families to
create a story dictation study. In planning the snail exploration, the teachers and family
members may ask:
 Would the children be interested in seeing their family stories written down, and
would such experiences help them increase their awareness of print in the world
around them?
 What strategies or adaptations might help a child who is nonverbal to become
engaged in family storytelling?
 Would children in the group who are English learners make the connection to
print more easily if they can dictate their stories in their home language to family
members or community volunteers?
 What topics may be interesting and engaging for children to dictate? What kinds
of questions would help individual children, English learners, or children with
diverse cultural experiences to get started with dictation?
 How might the activity be adapted to accommodate children with disabilities or
other special needs?
 Would asking children about how their family helps them get ready for preschool
encourage them to dictate a meaningful experience?
 Would a child who likes to draw pictures have an easy time dictating a story
about a drawing?

55 Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission

56 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of
Education is used with permission

48 | Strategies for Early Learners

Teachers can explore these questions and see where the exploration leads. 57

Overarching Principles of Planning Curriculum

for Infants and Toddlers
When planning curriculum for infants and toddlers we should keep the following
principles in mind:
 The family is at the core of a young child’s learning and development. Family
relationships have more influence on a child’s learning and development than
any other relationships he has. Family members know him better than anyone
else.
 Infant/toddler learning and development is grounded in relationships.
Relationships provide infants and toddlers a secure emotional base from which
they can explore and learn. Much of the cognitive, language, social, and physical
learning a child experiences occurs while interacting with an adult. In fact,
relationships with others are at the center of young children’s lives.
 Emotions drive early learning and development. A child’s emotional state drives
early learning and greatly influences learning in other domains. The pleasure an
infant experiences when receiving a positive response from a nurturing adult or
when making a discovery motivates the child to continue engaging in positive
interactions and exploration. For infants and toddlers, learning always has an
emotional component. They are highly sensitive to the emotional cues of other
people and are emotionally expressive in every situation
 Responsiveness to children’s self-initiated exploration fosters learning. Research
shows that responsive care and nurturance not only promotes the development
of emotional security in children, but learning and development in general.
 Individualized teaching and care benefits all children. Each child is unique. Infant/
toddler care teachers use their understanding of each child’s blend of
temperament, family and cultural experiences, language experiences, personal
strengths, interests, abilities, and dispositions to support the child’s learning and
development. Through recognizing and adapting to each child’s individual
development, teachers are able to offer learning experiences that are responsive,
meaningful, and developmentally attuned to each child. Providing interactions,
experiences, and an environment that meet the individual needs of children with
disabilities or other special needs can enrich the experiences of all children in the
program. A classroom environment in which all children are supported and feel
welcome creates rich learning experiences for everyone.

57 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of

Education is used with permission (pg. 23-24)

49 | Strategies for Early Learners

 Figure 2.10: The way this infant is being worn by his mother gives us a glimpse into the culture of his
family. It would be important for his caregivers to learn more about the routines of this child to provide him
culturally responsive care.58

 Responsiveness to culture and language supports children’s learning.

Responsive infant/toddler programs create a climate of respect for each child’s
culture and language. Teachers and other program staff members partner and
regularly communicate with family members to get to know the cultural strengths
each child brings to the program. An essential part of being culturally and
linguistically responsive is to value and support each child’s use of home
language, as “continued use and development of the child’s home language will
benefit the child as he or she acquires English.” Equally important are nurturing
interactions with children and their families in which “teachers attempt, as much
as possible, to learn about the history, beliefs, and practices of the children and
families they serve.” In addition to being responsive to the cultural history, beliefs,
values, ways of communicating, and practices of children and families, teachers
create learning environments that include resources such as pictures, displays,
and books that are culturally rich and supportive of diversity, particularly the
cultures and languages of the children and families in their infant/toddler care
setting.
 Intentional teaching and care enriches children’s learning experiences. Effective
curriculum planning occurs when teachers are mindful of children’s learning and
are intentional in their efforts to support it.
 Time for reflection and planning enhances teaching and care. In nurturing the
development of infants and toddlers, teachers engage in an ongoing process of
observation, documentation and assessment, reflection and planning, and
implementation of strategies in order to provide individualized and small-group
learning experiences. Curriculum planning requires time for teachers to reflect on
children’s learning and plan strategies that foster children’s progress in building
knowledge and mastering skills. Infant/toddler programs that support intentional
teaching and care allocate time in teachers’ schedules for both individual and
team reflection and planning.59

58 Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission

50 | Strategies for Early Learners
 Figure 2.11: Intentional teaching and caregiving thrives when teachers have a chance to share and
collaborate around their observations, inquiries, celebrations, and challenges.60

Observation as the Basis for Planning the Infant/Toddler

Curriculum
Planning infant/toddler curriculum begins with teachers discovering, through careful
listening and observation, each child’s development. Observation is an essential
teaching skill. When teachers mindfully observe, they find out how individual children
make discoveries and make meaning within everyday moments of play and interactions.

Observing for the purpose of assessing individual children’s learning means carefully
watching and listening with thought and reflection. In doing so, teachers find evidence of
individual children’s meaning-making—how a child expresses or shows feelings, how a
child responds to others’ feelings, and how a child responds to the impact of his actions
on the objects he encounters or the people with whom he interacts.

When teachers observe infants’ play and interactions, they gather evidence that
pertains to individual children’s social– emotional, language, cognitive, and perceptual
and motor development. An observation can help teachers see, describe, and
understand how an infant organizes feelings, ideas, skills, and concepts.
Sometimes, teachers may choose to write down what they observe in a note. They may
also take a photo, or, with older toddlers, they may keep a sample of each child’s work.
In doing so, teachers collect observational data that provide clear, vivid evidence of
children’s development. Observing how children explore and play with newly introduced
materials or ideas often makes it possible for teachers to track children’s developmental
progress.

59 The California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework by the California Department of

Education is used with permission
60 Image by the California Department of Education is used with permission
51 | Strategies for Early Learners
As teachers observe children’s play, exploration, and interactions, they discover ways to
support children’s learning. Ideas for the next steps in curriculum planning emerge as
teachers reflect on how they might extend or expand children’s exploration, problem
solving, thinking, interactions, and language. Observation, reflection, and
documentation in the moment simultaneously launch an ongoing assessment of each
child’s progress in learning as well as the curriculum planning cycle. 61

Conclusion
When teachers embed children’s learning into their lives, into contexts that they have
experienced, teachers make everything more comprehensible for them. Teachers also
engage children’s emotions, making the experience both cognitive and pleasurable. The
key is to find out which connections are meaningful for each individual child. When
teachers discover what may be personally meaningful for a child, there is a good
chance of fully engaging that child in making meaning and learning. 62

61 The California Infant/Toddler Curriculum Framework by the California Department of

Education is used with permission
62 California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 1 by the California Department of
Education is used with permission (pg. 24)

52 | Strategies for Early Learners

 Observing While Participating

Figure 2.12: Having note-taking materials on hand can allow you to jot down some
notes quickly without even stepping away from the children.

One of the key challenges for infant care teachers is to be able to

observe and record their observations while providing early care and
education. Learning how to address this challenge takes time and a
good support system. Teachers can develop plans together for
observing and recording behavior in the context of daily routines and
events. Some teachers take turns; others have systems such as
cameras and note cards placed around the rooms and play yards so
they can take quick notes or photos “on the fly.” There are many
ways to participate and observe at the same time.

Children become accustomed to the teacher’s taking notes and

photos, and it becomes incorporated into the daily routines.
Observations from teachers who are involved with children daily are
really the most useful because the teacher understands the child’s
context; everything from how the child slept the night before to his
current interests. Infant care teachers who observe regularly are
better able to provide care and education that connects with each
child in the group.63

63 The Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Program Guidelines by the California

Department of Education is used with permission

53 | Strategies for Early Learners

Chapter 2 Attribution

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This book is a work in progress. My goal is to adapt an open textbook on strategies for
young learners for students in the state of Tennessee.

This book chapter began as a remix of chapter 3 and chapter 15 of the open textbook
Introduction to Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (2018) by Jennifer Paris,
Kristin Beeve, and Clint Springer of the College of the Canyons. This text is freely
available here:
[Link]
and here:
[Link]
early-childhood-education

I have sought to make this text consistent with the State of Tennessee Early Learning
Developmental Standards, available here:
[Link]
[Link]

54 | Strategies for Early Learners