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Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning: Guidelinesfor Literacy and Mathematics.

Virginia State Dept. of Education, Richmond.2003-00-0027p.

Virginia State Department of Education, 101 N. 14th Street,Richmond, VA 23219. Tel: 800-292-3800 (Toll Free); Tel: 804-225-2020; e-mail: instruction@mail.vak12ed.edu; Web site:http://www.circulor.com/documents/learn2care docs/ birth-to-5 VA curriculum.pdf.Guides Non-Classroom (055)EDRS Price MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.Academic Standards; Early Childhood Education; *Literacy;*Mathematics; Performance Based Assessment; PreschoolCurriculum; *School Readiness; State Standards*Indicators; *Virginia

Research confirms that readiness skills for literacy andmathematics begin at birth and are developed in combination with lifeexperiences. This guide provides early childhood educators a set of basicguidelines or Foundation Blocks in literacy and mathematics, with indicatorsof success for entering kindergarten based on scientifically-based research.The guide describes specific indicators for prekindergarten children in thecontent areas of reading (oral expression, vocabulary, phonologicalawareness, letter knowledge and early word recognition, print and bookawareness, and written expression) and mathematics (number sense, computationand estimation, measurement, geometry, statistics, and patterns, functionsand algebra) . The guide is organized for use as a tool for early childhoodeducators in developing curriculum and meaningful classroom activities. EachFoundation Block is in box format, and is organized to build toward theVirginia Kindergarten Standards of Learning. Following the boxes areexpectation indicators for the Foundation Blocks. Sample teaching activitiesare included to assist teachers in the planning of meaningful classroomactivities. Helpful terms and 16 references to national consensus documentsused in the development of this guide are cited for clarification andresource purposes. (HTH)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

Virginia'sFoundation Blocksfor Early Learning:

Guidelines forLiteracy and

MathematicsU.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Educational Research and ImprovementEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CENTER (ERIC)This document has been reproduced asXreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it.

0 Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy.

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS

BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

1

2003Virginia Department of Education

5EST COPY AVAILABLE

Virginia'sFoundation blocksfor Early Learning:

Guidelines forLiteracy and Mathematics

Prepared byOffice of Elementary Instructional Services

Virginia Department of Education

2003

Superintendent of Public InstructionJo Lynne De Mary

Assistant Superintendent for InstructionPatricia I. Wright

Office of Elementary Instructional ServicesLinda M. Poorbaugh

Director

Gail S. BarnesEarly Childhood Specialist

Karen W. GrassElementary Mathematics Specialist

0 Commonwealth of Virginia, December 2002

Virginia Department of EducationPO. Box 2120

Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120www.pen.k12.va.U5

All rights reserved. Reproduction of materialscontained herein for instructional purposes in

Virginia classrooms is permitted.

NOTICE TO THE READER

Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning:Guidelines for Literacy and Mathematics can befound in PDF file format on the Virginia Depart-ment of Education's Web site at http://www.pen.k12.va.u5.

a

Acknowledgements

The Virginia Department of Education wishes toexpress sincere thanks to the following individu-als who assisted in the development of Virginia'sFoundation Blocks for Early Learning: Guidelinesfor Literacy and Mathematics for their time andexpertise in early childhood education.

Judy Apostolico-BuckArlington Public Schools

Laura DomalikThe Collegiate School

Sue HutchinsonJames Madison University

Robin LauverNewport News Public Schools

Joanne MeierPaige Pullen

University of Virginia

John Van de WalleVirginia Commonwealth University

4

Table of Contents

Overview 5

Limited English Proficiency. 6

Literacy Introduction 7

Literacy Foundation Blocks E3

1 Oral Expression 9

2 Vocabulary 10

3 Phonological Awareness 11

4 Letter Knowledge and Early Word Recognition 12

5 Print and Book Awareness 13

6 Written Expression 14

Mathematics Introduction 15

Mathematics Foundation Blocks 15

1 Number Sense 16

2 Computation and Estimation 17

3 Measurement 18

4 Geometry 19

5 Statistics 20

6 Patterns, Functions, and Algebra 21

Helpful Terms 22

Resources 24

Ei

"We all have the dutyto call attention to the science and

seriousness of early childhood

cognitive development -

because the (years) between

birth and five are the foundation

upon which successful lives are built."

Laura bushWhite House Summit on

Early Childhood Cognitive DevelopmentJuly 26, 2001

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Overview of Foundation E3locks

Research confirms that readiness skills forliteracy and mathematics begin at birth andare developed in combination with life experi-ences. Children experiment and explore alongvarious learning paths, or similar sequences,

as they acquire literacy and mathematicalskills. This does not mean, however, one can

predict with confidence where a child of anygiven age will be along a particular learning

path. Variation in development of literacy andmathematical skills i5 considered the norm.

Therefore, the value of early education i5imperative to the future academic Successand the growth of children's intellectualdevelopment in No Child Left Behind (2001).Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learn-ing: Guidelines for Literacy and Mathematicsattempts to establish a measurable range ofskills and knowledge essential for four-year-olds to be successful in kindergarten.

The purpose of this document, then, i5 toprovide early childhood educators a set ofbasic guidelines in literacy and mathematicswith indicators of success for entering kin-dergarten based on scientifically-basedresearch. The guidelines reflect a consensusof children's conceptual learning, acquisitionof basic knowledge, and participation inmeaningful and relevant learning experiences.Alignment to Virginia's Kindergarten Stan-dards of Learning (SOL), to Virginia's Phono-

logical Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS),

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and to the national guide, Teaching Our Young-est, A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child-Care and Family Providers i5 evident.

Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learningdescribe specific indicators for prekinder-garten children in the content areas of read-ing and mathematics. Oral expression,vocabulary, phonological awareness, letterknowledge and early word recognition, printand book awareness, and written expressionare emphasized in Literacy, and number sense,

computation and estimation, measurement,geometry, statistics, and patterns, func-tions, and algebra in Mathematics, all of whichare addressed in the Virginia Standards ofLearning.

The material 15 organized for US6 as a tool for

early childhood educators in developing cur-riculum and meaningful classroom activities.Each Foundation Block i5 in box format, and isorganized to build towards the Virginia Kinder-garten Standards of Learning. Following theboxes, are expectation indicators for theFoundation Blocks. Sample teaching activi-ties are included to assist teachers in theplanning of meaningful classroom activities.Helpful terms and references to nationalconsensus documents used in the develop-ment of this document are cited for clarifica-tion and resource purposes.

Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

A5 we consider development of literacy andmathematical skills, it i5 important to recognizethe needs of limited English proficient (LEP)children. Regardless of what language is used, iti5 the acquisition of that language that i5 essen-tial to the LEP child's cognitive and social develop-ment.

Educators recognize that children with limitedEnglish proficiency come to school with previouslyacquired knowledge and learning as a result of thelanguage used in their home. For young children,the language of the home i5 the language theyhave used since birth, the language they use tomake and establish meaningful communicativerelationships, and the language they use to beginto construct their knowledge and test theirlearning. The home language is cfirectly tied to thechildren's culture, values, and attitudes.

Just as children learn and develop at differentrates, individual differences exist as LEP childrenacquire English. For example, some children mayexperience a silent period while they acquireEnglish; other children may practice their knowl-edge by mixing or combining languages; still otherchildren may seem to have acquired Englishlanguage skills, but are not truly proficient;others will quickly acquire English-languageproficiency. Each child's progress in learning a newlanguage should be viewed as acceptable, logical,and part of the ongoing process of learning a newlanguage.

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The types of instructional activities typicallypresent in early childhood programs facilitate thedevelopment of English for LEP students. Someexamples of such activities are: using realia,hands-on activities, repetition, visual representa-tions, and experiential activities. All of theseactivities provide a context for learning, criticalfor all children, but especially critical for LEPchildren.

Young LEP children may seem to be fluent and atease with English, but may not be fully capable ofunderstanding or expressing themselves in themore complex aspects of language. Although LEPchildren may seem to be speaking a secondlanguage with ease, speaking a language does notequate to being proficient in that language. Theymay demonstrate weaknesses in languagelearning skills, including vocabulary skills, auditorymemory and discrimination skills, simple problem-solving tasks, and the ability to follow sequenceddirections. Typically, these deficiencies tend todisappear for young LEP children within one totwo years of direct instruction in English.

Literacy

Introduction

becoming a successful reader i5 dependent uponchildren's experiences and knowledge in listening,speaking, reading, and writing. Given qualityopportunities to interact with responsive adultsand peers in language and print rich environ-ments, young children develop knowledge of theworld around them through listening and speakingskills, phonological awareness, letter knowledgeand print awareness, comprehension, vocabularyand word meanings, and writing. The following aredefinitions based on scientifically based readingresearch that will help frame the categories ofLiteracy Foundation blocks.

Oral language experiences include communicationactivities that focus on speaking and listening.Educators and caregivers of young children mustengage them in conversation throughout a dailyand consistent routine, asking open-endedquestions and presenting new words to allowexpansion of vocabulary. In addition, being re-sponsive to children's questions and allowingthem to lead the conversation are essential inbuilding oral language skills.

Reading begins early with the connection thatprint and sound are related, and occurs throughdaily experiences predictive of early Success inreading. Phonological awareness or the ability tonotice and manipulate sounds in spoken languageincludes alliteration, or identifying the same

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beginning consonant sounds in a group of words,recognizing and producing rhymes, and segment-ing, or separating individual syllables into sounds.Through these kinds of daily routine activities,young children begin to develop initial under-standings about reading and how it relates totheir surroundings.

Writing is intriguing to children as adults aroundthem U5C it 35 a means of communication. Read-ing, language, and writing become intertwined aschildren develop and follow a sequence of progres-sion through routine practice in classroomactivities. Thus, it i5 imperative for teachers toallow this progression to take place and offer it inrelation to other literacy activities.

Research concludes that children who progresswell in literacy development are immersed inenvironments consisting of rich children's litera-ture, varied and frequent language experiences,and many opportunities to write. Conversely,children who are not progressing to expectationsbenefit from more of these kinds of activities inaddition to more explicit classroom experiences.By listening and telling stories, reading aloud on aroutine basis, rereading familiar texts, andproviding repeated opportunities to write, chil-dren will develop literacy skills for later readingsuccess.

Literacy Foundation Blocks

Oral Language:

The child will develop listening and speakingskills by communicating experiences and ideasthrough oral expression.

The child will develop an understanding ofwords and word meanings through the use ofappropriate vocabulary.

Reading:

The child will manipulate various units ofsounds in words.

The child will demonstrate basic knowledge ofthe alphabetic principle.

The child will demonstrate knowledge of printconcepts.

Writing:

The child will write using a variety of media.

Virginia Literacy Foundation Block 1Oral Expression

The child will develop listening and speaking skillsby communicating experiences and ideas through oral expression.

ORAL EXPRESSION

Children gain language and vocabulary skills byhaving multiple and frequent opportunities totalk, as well as listen to adults and peers. Theseopportunities must be daily and routine aschildren begin to read and write.

Listen with increasing attention to spokenlanguage, conversations, and stories readaloud

Correctly identify characters, objects, andactions in a picture book, as well 35 storiesread aloud, and begin to comment about each

Make predictions about what might happen ina story

Use two words to ask and answer questionsto include actions

U5C appropriate language for a variety ofpurposes (e.g., ask questions, express needs,get information)

Engage in turn taking exchanges and rules ofpolite conversation with adults and peers

Listen attentively to stories in a whole-classsetting

Sample Activities

Engage children in conversation throughoutthe daily routine.

Respond to children's communication andallow the child to take the conversationallead.

Present new words to expand vocabulary on aroutine basis.

Ask open-ended questions to elicit responsesfrom children and ask follow up questionsafter a response to allow expansion opportu-nities.

Play games to focus on listening carefully.

Consistently reinforce rules of good listeningand speaking in the daily routine.

When reading aloud, provide opportunities forchildren to predict what will happen next, tocomment on the story, and to connect thestory to personal experiences.

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Virginia Literacy Foundation 13lock 2Vocabulary

The child will develop an understanding of words and word meaningsthrough the use of appropriate vocabulary.

VOCABULARY

The more children know about the world aroundthem, the easier it is for them to express newinformation, ideas and vocabulary in communicat-ing this knowledge. Helping children to relateexperiences to new ideas and concepts alsoassists in the development of vocabulary andrelated skills.

Use single words to label objects

Listen with increasing understanding toconversations and directions

Follow simple, one-step oral directions

Engage in turn taking exchanges with adultsand peers

U56 new vocabulary with increasing frequencyto express and describe feelings and ideas

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Sample Activities

Read books and stories aloud to childrendaily, e.g., The Enormous Watermelon; make apretend garden by taping brown paper to thefloor, tape seeds in a row and section off withmasking tape; make garden signs with pic-tures of items related to gardening. (e.g., rake,shovel, vegetables, potting soil, watering can,etc).

Have children walk along the garden row andname the pictures on the garden signs.

F'rovide daily opportunities for children toengage in conversations in dramatic playcenter by adding props related to themes.

Play Simon Says.

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Virginia Literacy Foundation Block 3Phonological Awareness

The child will manipulate the various units of sounds in words.

PHONOLOGICALAWARENESS

F'honological awareness involves the understand-ing of sounds in spoken words, and is highlypredictive of a young child's success in beginningto read. Children's abilities to manipulate soundsin spoken words and learning to read are con-nected through rhyming, common initial sounds(alliteration), blending and segmentation, all ofwhich are equally important. Research showsthat how quickly children learn to read oftendepends on how much phonological awarenessthey have when entering kindergarten.

Successfully detect beginning sounds inwords

Listen to two one-syllable words and blendtogether to form the compound word (e.g.,rain, bow i5 rainbow)

Identify words that rhyme, generate simplerhymes

Listen to a sequence of separate sounds inwords with three phonemes and correctlyblend the sounds to form the whole word (e.g.,cat = /k/ /a/ /t/)

Sample Activities

Ask children to listen for a target sound, (e.g.,It/). Have children put "thumbs up" if theyhear the it/ sound or thumbs down if they donot hear the /t/ sound at the beginning ofwords.

May rhyming word games, like making up newverses to familiar songs or rhymes OR replacefamiliar rhymes with silly ones, like "HumptyDumpty", "Gumpty, Numpty".

Repeat rhyming songs and poems; raise yourvoice when the words rhyme.

Use words from a story you have just readaloud. Ask children to listen to pairs of wordsand determine if they rhyme.

TIP:When teachers segment words into

individual sounds, avoid adding an extravowel sound after each phoneme.

For example, avoid saying/kuh/ /ah/ /tuh/ for "cat".

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\,----' Virginia Literacy Foundation 13lock 44 Letter Knowledge and Early Word Recognition

The child will demonstrate basic knowledge of the alphabetic principle.

LETTER KNOWLEDGEAND EARLY WORD

RECOGNITION

Letter knowledge is an essential component tobegin reading and writing successfully. Functionsof letters in writing and their connection tosounds are critical components in children'ssuccess in learning to read. In combination withphonological awareness, letter knowledge i5 thecritical indicator to children's understanding ofthe alphabetic principle and the beginning connec-tion to printed words.

Correctly identify 10-18 alphabet (uppercase)letters by name in random order

Select a letter to represent a sound (8-10letters)

Correctly provide the most common soundfor 5-8 letters

Read simple/familiar high-frequency words,including his or her name

Notice letters around him/her in familiar,everyday life, and ask how to spell words,names or titles

Sample Activities

The teacher will place large letter cards (boldprint on 81/2 x 11 paper) in a circle on thefloor. Play music and have the children marcharound the alphabet. When the music stops,the child stops and picks up a letter. Alloweach child to give the name of the letter he orshe is holding. To extend the activity, havethe child give the 50Und that the letter makesand think of a word that begins with thatsound.

Provide varied forms of printed materials andprops in centers for dramatic play. Someexamples would include: menus, calendars,labels, pictures, and photographs with cap-tions, recipes, envelopes with printed words,etc.

Allow children to "type" on a computer key-board. Encourage them to "type" their nameand print it.

Have children experiment and explore withvarious types of letters: magnetic letters,alphabet tiles, almost anything can be usedto attach letters of the alphabet.

Provide opportunities for children to trace,model, and create letters with paint, yarn,pipe cleaners, play dough, sand, pudding,shaving cream, etc.

Virginia Literacy Foundation 13lock 5Print and Book Awareness

The child will demonstrate knowledge of print concepts.

PRINT AND BOOKAWARENESS

Through daily experiences with reading andwriting, young children learn basic conceptsregarding the printed word. They learn that printconveys meaning and pictures are representa-tions of print. Young children begin to understandthere is a correlation between spoken and writtenwords by following the print as it is read aloud. Anunderstanding that reading and writing are waysto obtain information and knowledge, generateand communicate thoughts and ideas, and solveproblems is developed as young children routinelyand consistently experiment with exploring booksand print.

Identify the front of a book

Identify the location of the title of a book

Identify where reading begins on a page (firstword or group of words)

Demonstrate directionality of reading left toright on a page

Identify part of the book that "tells thestory" (print as opposed to pictures)

Turn pages one at a time from the front tothe back of a book

Sample Activities

The teacher displays a book, tells the children"this is the front of the book", and reads thetitle of the book while pointing out each word,"this is the title of the book".

The teacher opens the book,"we will read thispage first," and continues modeling to pointout first word, "we read this way," movingfinger from left to right (tracking). Thisshould become a routine daily practice whenreading to children aloud (voice-to-printmatch).

Teach the children the following song to thetune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and TO65:

Top to bottom, left to right, left to right;Top to bottom, left to right, left to right;Top to bottom, left to right, left to right;Top to bottom, left to right, left to right.

Introduce various forms of print and talkabout why people read with different types ofprint. Forms of print can include: non-fictiontopic books, how-to books, poetry books, andstorybooks.

Virginia Literacy Foundation Dlock 6Written Expression

The child will write using a variety of materials.

WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Through early writing experiences, young childrendevelop understandings about the functions ofwritten language. They begin to generate ideasabout how written language works and explore itsU565. Young children's attempts to write throughscribbling, forms, and inventive spellings help themto understand writing as a means to communi-cate ideas and information. Over time, attemptsat early writing will more closely align to conven-tional writing.

Copy letters using various materials

Print first name independently

Print 5 8 letters with a pencil using appro-priate grip

Copy simple words (3 -5 letters)

Use inventive spellings to convey messages ortell story

Sample Activities

Place baking flour (various other materials likeshaving cream, pudding, paint, sand etc.) intray and alphabet cards on a table. Havechildren U56 their finger to copy letters,drawing them in the flour. After a letter i5copied, the child can gently shake (wipe) thetray to "erase" the letter and copy the nextletter. This activity can be expanded forcopying names and short words.

Provide opportunities for children to write in avariety of contexts.

Place clipboards with unlined paper and avariety of writing materials (colored pencils,crayons, markers) in learning centers.

Provide a classroom Post Office.

Encourage children to "write" about their play(e.g., what they build in the block center,grocery lists in the dramatic play center, etc).

Encourage children to dictate words, phrases,or sentences to an adult recording on paper.

Mathematics

Introduction

Young children are natural learners, and they bringinformal mathematics knowledge and experiencesto the preschool classroom. They continuallyconstruct mathematical ideas based on theirexperiences with the environment, their interac-tions with adults and other children, and theirdaily observations. Children approach new taskswith curiosity and a sense of experimentation.

Mathematics learning builds on these character-istics of young children, and challenges children toexplore ideas about patterns and relationships,order and predictability, and logic and meaning.Appropriate instruction occurs in environmentsthat are rich in language, encourage children'sthinking, and nurture children's explorations andideas. These ideas include the concepts ofnumber, pattern, measurement, shape, space, andclassification.

<> Mathematics Foundation 13Iocks

./'Number and Number Sense:

The child will count with understanding, anduse numbers to tell how many, describe order,and compare.

Computation and Estimation:

The child will recognize change in groups(sets/collections).

Measurement:

The child will identify and compare the at-tributes of length, capacity, weight, time, andtemperature.

Geometry

The child will describe simple geometricshapes (circle, triangle, rectangle includingsquare) and indicate their position in relationto him/herself, and to other objects.

Statistics:

The child will participate in the data gatheringprocess in order to answer questions ofinterest.

Patterns, Functions, andAlgebra:

The child will identify simple patterns ofconcrete objects and use them to recognizerelationships.

Virginia Mathematics Foundation Block 1Number and Number 5ense

The child will count with understanding, anduse numbers to tell how many, describe order, and compare.

NUMBER ANDNUMBER SENSE

Young children enter pre-school with a foundationof experiences with number. To grow in an under-standing of number and develop number sense,children must have daily experiences involvingcomparison and counting in ways that are per-sonally meaningful and challenging.

Count with understanding to 20 or more

Count a group (set/collection) of three to fiveobjects by touching each object as it i5counted and saying the correct number (one-to-one correspondence)

Count the items in a collection of one to fiveitems and know the last counting word tells"how many"

Compare two groups (sets/collections) ofmatched objects (less than five) and describethe groups using the terms more, fewer, orsame

Sample Activities

Include counting as part of the daily routine(lunch count, attendance, distributing snackitems).

Provide collections of three to five objects(buttons, plastic animals, plastic lids, keys)that encourage counting.

Read counting books.

Encourage one-to-one correspondence ascchhiiildd)r.en hand out materials (one item for each

Include counting as a part of special class-room activities and materials (recipes,recording science observations, names).

Ask children, 35 they line up, who is first in theline, second, third. A5 children participate inraces on the playground, ask who crossed theline first, second, third (ordinal numbers).

Provide opportunities for rote counting whichinvolves saying the numbers or singing thenumbers as far as students can count in thecorrect, memorized order. Similar to recitingor singing the alphabet song, students needmany experiences saying the number names insequence before they are able to countmeaningfully.

Share Big Book stories and poems withchildren, e.g., "Five Little Ducks". Point out thenumerals 1through 5 in the poem by tracingover them and having children make thenumeral in the air with their hands, pointing toeach duck as you say the number. As the childbecomes more familiar with the value ofnumerals (symbols for numbers one throughfive), point out the corresponding number ofobjects in stories and pictures.

Distribute five napkins and place threecookies on three of the five napkins. Encour-age meaningful discussion about which grouphas more, the cookies or the napkins. U56matching and counting to determine if groupshave more, fewer or the same.

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Virginia Mathematics Foundation Block 2Computation and Estimation

The child will recognize change in groups (sets/collections).

COMPUTATION ANDESTIMATION

Young children notice the effects of increasing ordecreasing the items in a collection of objects. Todevelop an understanding of computation chil-dren need many opportunities to match andcount objects to find out more dependably whichquantity i5 more, and to use counting to describechanges in a set.

Describe changes in groups (sets/collections)by using more when groups of objects (sets)are combined (added together)

Describe changes in groups (sets/collections)by using fewer when groups of objects (sets)are separated (taken away)

Sample Activities

Tell stories and have the children U56 countingobjects (toy cars, toy animals, cookie shapes)to solve problems involving adding together orcombining groups. For example, "A mama bearand a daddy bear are walking in the woodswith their two baby bears. How many bearsaltogether?".

Describe stories where groups or objects aretaken away or separated. For example, "threecars were parked in front of the school, thentwo cars drove away; how many are left? Fivegoldfish swam in the aquarium; the teacherused a net to take two out. How manygoldfish are left in the aquarium?" Have thechildren U56 goldfish crackers or toy cars toshow what happens in each story.

U56 predictable fingerplays and traditionalcounting songs, i.e., "Five Little Monkeys", "Tenin the bed" to practice adding and takingaway objects. Have students act out thesongs and fingerplays or use finger puppetsto represent the characters as they deter-mine how many are left or how many areadded.

Virginia Mathematics Foundation 13lock 3"<> Measurement

The child will identify and compare the attributes oflength, capacity, weight, time, and temperature.

MEASUREMENT

Children naturally make comparisons. From a veryyoung age on, children are comparing who i5 tallerand who has more. Comparison i5 the first step indeveloping an understanding of measurement.Young children should be immersed in activitiesthat allow them to use their senses to makethese direct comparisons. They should also beexposed informally to tools that are used formeasurement.

Recognize attributes of length by using theterms longer or shorter when comparing twoobjects

Know the correct names for the standardtools used for telling time and temperature;and measuring length, capacity, and weight(clocks, calendars, thermometers, rulers,measuring cups, and scales)

U56 the appropriate vocabulary when compar-ing temperatures (e.g., hot, cold)

U58 appropriate vocabulary when describingduration of time (e.g., hour, day, week, month,morning, afternoon, night, day)

Sample Activities

Ask children to match two pencils or crayonsof different lengths, by matching one end ofthe ob ject with the end of the object beingcompared. Ask the student to tell which ofthe two objects is longer and which is shorter.Provide students with opportunities to

compare many examples of length, i.e., lines ofstudents, lines of cups on a table.

When using the standard tools for telling timeand measuring attributes of length, capacity,and weight (clocks, calendars, balance scales,thermometers, rulers, measuring cups) indaily routines and activities, have children U56the correct terms for the tools.

Man food preparation activities to include theU5e of clocks, thermometers, and balancescales.

Share pictures and real examples of variouskinds of clocks (e.g., analog, digital): thermom-eters (e.g., dial, mercury column): and scales(e.g., two-pan, produce department/grocerystore, bathroom).

Explore the concept of weight by holding twodifferent objects and determining which one i5heavier, labeling one heavier and the otherlighter. Children can also begin to place ob-jects on a balance scale and determine if theybalance (weigh the same), or if one pan islower than the other, (the object weighsmore). Making discoveries and predictionsusing skills related to balance leads to stan-dard measurement experiences.

Explore the concept of volume by usingcommon objects (shoes, fruit, blocks, balls,marbles, sand, or water) to fill the space of agiven container (trash can, box, milk cartons,pitchers). These activities will help studentsto realize that objects can fill space and thatcontainers have space (volume) inside.

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Virginia Mathematics Foundation Block 4Geometry

The child will describe simple geometric shapes(circle, triangle, rectangle - including square) and indicate

their position in relation to him/herself and to other objects.

GEOMETRY

Geometry for young children involves observing anddescribing the shapes that are found everywherein their environment. Children naturally U56 geo-metric shapes and spatial comparisons as theybegin to express themselves through drawing andconstructions. This familiarity is a foundation forlearning experiences involving shape, position, andorientation in space.

Match and sort shapes (circle, triangle, rect-angle including square)

Describe how shapes are alike and different

Recognize shapes (circle, triangle, rectangleincluding square) by pointing to the appropri-ate figure when the teacher names the shape

Describe the position of objects in relation toother objects and themselves using the termsnext to, beside, above, below, under, over, top,

and bottom

Sample Activities

Provide opportunities for students to findshapes in their environment, inside and outsidethe classroom. They should see all sorts ofshapes, find some that are alike and different,and U5C the appropriate language to describehow they are alike and different. Childrenshould also find shapes that are like a givenshape. Provide many experiences for childrento draw, cut out, build and talk about shapes.

Create cutouts of shapes (circle, triangle,rectangle including square) out of varioustypes of materials (plastic lids, constructionpaper, cardboard, fabric). Have children usethe cutout shapes to sort into groups. Havechildren describe the ways they have sortedthe shapes, i.e., by color, shape, number, andtexture. Encourage the students to label theshapes with the appropriate terms.

Create an obstacle course in the classroomor on the playground. Ask children to describetheir positions as they move through thecourse, i.e. next to the desk, below the table,over the chair. The children should alsodescribe the position of other objects inrelation to themselves, i.e., the climbing barsare above the child, the sandbox is below thechild, the swings are next to the child.

Expose children to three-dimensional shapesthrough everyday experiences with cans(cylinders), balls (spheres), and playgroundcones or ice-cream cones. Teachers candescribe these objects and refer to theirmathematical names.

Provide children with a variety of materials tomake shapes by tracing around cutouts ofshapes and combining them to create pic-tures.

Provide many opportunities for children tobuild with blocks (unit blocks, legos, discoveryblocks) giving children meaningful experiencesusing geometric shapes.

Virginia Mathematics Foundation 13lock 5Statistics

The child will participate in the data gathering processin order to answer questions of interest.

STATISTICS

Children are natural questioners; they startasking questions and finding out opinions from ayoung age. To build upon this strength, childrenneed to ask questions, collect answers, and thentalk about what they found out. Analyzing datais a key step in making sense of information andthe world around us.

Collect information to answer questions ofinterest to children

Use descriptive language to compare data inobjects and picture graphs by identifyingwhich is more, fewer, or the same

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Sample Activities

Provide opportunities for children to partici-pate in the process of collecting data about aquestion, i.e., "How did you come to schooltoday?' Children can place a picture of a car,bus, or a person walking on a graph to indicatethe way they traveled to school. Toy vehiclesand toy people may be used as well. Askquestions about the graph once it is com-plete, i.e., "Which way of traveling (by car, bybus, or walking) was used by more children?Which way was used by fewer children?'

Use the children themselves to create a realgraph of the data. For example, have studentsstand in groups by the types of shoes theyare wearing. Then have students count thenumber of children who have each type ofshoe. Record the information in a picturegraph for students to U5C in comparing thedata. Ask questions about the picture graph.

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Virginia Mathematics Foundation 13lock 6Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

The child will identify simple patterns of concrete objects,and use them to recognize relationships.

PATTERNS, FUNCTIONS,ALGEBRA

Algebra begins with a search for patterns. Beingable to identify patterns allows young children tomake generalizations and predictions beyond theinformation directly available. The recognition andanalysis of patterns are important componentsof a child's intellectual development. Childrenshould have many opportunities to engage inpattern related activities and recognize patternsin their everyday environment.

Identify and explore simple patterns (i.e., AB;AD; red, blue; red, blue)

Use patterns to predict relationships be-tween objects, i.e., the blue shape follows theyellow shape, the triangle follows the square

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Sample Activities

F'rovide children with wallpaper samples thathave simple patterns, and ask them topredict what would come next in the pattern.

Provide children with many opportunities toobserve patterns in the environment, i.e., inclothing, buildings, brick walls, etc. Patternsare part of the world in which we live. The childshould be helped in becoming aware of pat-terns and ways to make patterns.

Involve students in predicting patterns whenlining up students by starting the line with aboy, a girl; a boy, a girl. Have the studentspredict who would come next.

Helpful Terms

Listed below are some terms one may encounterin reading more about early childhood education.

Alliteration The same consonant sounds at thebeginning of words in a sentence, group ofwords, or a line of poetry. For example, thesound of "P" in Peter Piper picked a peck ofpickled peppers.

Alphabetic principle The use of letters and lettercombinations to systematically representsounds/phonemes. For example, the wordship has four letters, but only three sounds/phonemes (sh-i-p).

Cognitive development Children's development ofknowledge and skills, which help them to thinkabout and understand the world aroundthem.

Decoding The translation of letters in writtenwords into recognizable sounds and combiningthese sounds into meaningful words.

Emergent literacy The view that literacy learningbegins at birth and i5 encouraged throughparticipation with adults in meaningfulliteracy-related activities.

Environmental print Printed materials that arepart of everyday life, including signs, bill-boards, labels, and business logos.

Explicit instruction Teaching children in a direct,systematic, and sequential manner.

Experimental writing Young children experimentwith writing by creating pretend and realletters and by organizing scribbles and markson paper.

Graphing The picturing of information in anorganized manner, resulting in a graph. Thereare several types of graphs, including bargraphs and pictographs.

Invented spelling Phonemic-based spelling wherechildren create their own nonconventionalspelling.

Letter knowledge The ability to identify thenames and shapes of the letters of thealphabet.

Journals Books in which young learners scribble,draw, and use their own spellings to writeabout their experiences.

Literacy Includes all the activities involved inspeaking, listening, reading, writing, andappreciating both spoken and written lan-guage.

Model The hands-on materials, such as pictures,blocks, counters, and flash cards, which areused to demonstrate a concept. When youuse these materials to represent a concept,you "model" the concept.

Non-standard units of measure Units of mea-sure whose values may vary, such as aperson's foot length, a handful, or paces.These are unlike standard units of measure,such as inches and pounds, whose values donot vary.

Number An abstract concept involving a quan-tity. For example, if you see , you thinkof the number three.

Numeral The written symbols that represent anumber. For example, "12" and "XII" are numer-als for the number twelve.

One-to-one matching Matching one set ofobjects with another set of objects. Forexample, in a group of cups and saucers, youmight match one cup with each saucer.

Ordering Placing a collection of items fromlargest to smallest or smallest to largest.

Ordinal numbers A number that tells the posi-tion of people or things in order.

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Phonemes The smallest parts of spoken lan-guage that combine to form words. Forexample, the word hat i5 made up of threephonemes (h-a-t) and differs by one phonemefrom the words pat, had and hot.

Phonics The relationships between the sounds ofspoken language and the individual letters orgroups of letters that represent thosesounds/phonemes in written language.

Phonological awareness The ability to notice andwork with the sounds in language. Phonologi-cal awareness activities can involve work withalliteration, rhymes, and separating individualsyllables into sounds.

Pictograph A type of graph that displays infor-mation as pictures on a chart.

Print awareness The knowledge that printedwords carry meaning, and reading and writingare ways to obtain ideas and information. Ayoung child's sensitivity to print i5 one of thefirst steps toward reading.

Rote counting Saying the names of the numbersstarting with one: one, two, three, and 50 on.

Scaffolded instruction Instruction in whichadults build upon what children already knowand provide support that allows children toperform more complex tasks.

Set A collection of things belonging togetheraccording to a rule such as things that are allsquares, red, or round.

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Set counting Counting the number of objectstogether because they belong together forsome reason.

Sight vocabulary Words a reader recognizesautomatically without having to 50U nd themout.

Spatial reasoning A sense of shapes and howthey relate to each other.

Statistics The science of assembling, classify-ing, and analyzing facts or data

Unit measure A consistent quantity used formeasuring (i.e., cube, block).

Vocabulary The words we know to communicateeffectively. Oral vocabulary refers to wordswe Use in speaking or recognize in listening.Reading vocabulary refers to words werecognize or U5e in print.

Volume The amount of space inside an object; thenumber of unit measures that it will take -tofill the object. For example, the number ofcups it will take to fill a gallon container i5 thevolume of that container as measured incups.

Word recognition The ability to identify printedwords using strategies such as recognition bysight or decoding to determine meaning.

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ResourcesListed below are additional resources that will provide more information about early childhood

education. An 4' denotes a reference used for development of this document.

Adams, M. J., B. R. Foorman, I. Lundberg, and T. Beeler(1997). Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: AClassroom Curriculum. Baltimore, MD: Paul H.Brookes Publishing Co.

Anderson, R. C., E. H. Hiebert, J. A. Scott, and I. A. G.Wilkinson (1985). Becoming a Nation of Readers:The Report of the Commission on Reading.Champaign, Ill.: Center for the Study of Reading,Washington, DC: National Institute of Education.

Armbuster, 5. D., F. Lehr, and J. Osborn (2001). PutReading First: The Research Building Dlocks forTeaching Children to Read. Washington, D.C.:National Institute for Literacy, National Instituteof Child Health and Human Development, and USDepartment of Education.*

Sums, M. S., P Griffin, and C. Snow (Eds.). (1999).Starting Out Right: A Guide to PromotingChildren's Reading Success. Washington, DC:National Academy Press.*

Clements, D. H., J. Sarama, and A. M. DiDiase, (Eds.).(in press)..Engaging Young Children in Mathemat-ics: Findings of the 2000 National Conference onStandards for Preschool and KindergartenMathematics Education, Mahwah, NJ: LawrenceErlbaum Associates, Inc.*

Copley, Juanita V (2000). The Young Child and Math-ematics. Washington, DC: National Associationfor the Education of Young Children.*

Early Childhood-Head Start Ta5k Force (2002).Teaching Our Youngest: A Guide for PreschoolTeachers and Child-Care and Family Providers.Washington, DC: US Department of Educationand U5 Department of Health and Human Ser-vices.*

International Reading Association. Second LanguageLiteracy Instruction, (2001) Newark, DE: Interna-tional Reading Association.*

Kilpatrick, Jeremy, Jane Swofford and Bradford French,(Eds.). (2001). Adding It Up. Center for EducationDivision of Behavioral and Social Sciences andEducation, National Research Council. Washington,DC: National Academy Press.*

National Association for the Education of YoungChildren. Early Childhood Mathematics: PromotingGood Beginnings, Joint Position Statement of theNational Association for the Education of YoungChildren and The National Council of Teachers ofMathematics. (2002). Washington, DC: NationalAssociation for the Education of Young Children.

National Association for the Education of YoungChildren. Responding to Linguistic and CulturalDiversity Recommendations for Effective EarlyChildhood Education. (1995) Washington, DC:National Association for the Education of YoungChildren.*

National Council of Teachers of Math (2000). Principlesond Standards for School Mathematics. Reston,VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.*

National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching Children toRead: An Evidence-Based Assessment of theScientific Research Literature on Reading and ItsImplications for Reading Instruction. Washington,DC: National Institute of Child Health and HumanDevelopment.*

Neuman, S. B., C. Copple, and S. Bredekamp (2000).Learning to Read and Write: DevelopmentallyAppropriate Practices for Young Children, Washing-ton, DC: National Association for the Education ofYoung Children.

Neuman, S. 13. and D. K. Dickinson (2001). Handbook ofEarly Literacy Research. New York, NY: GuilfordPress.

Snow, C. E., M. S. Bums, and P Griffin (Eds.). (1998).Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children.

Washington, DC: National Academy Press.*

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,gtiatThe Virginia Department of Education

does not unlawfully discriminateon the basis of sex, race, color, religion,

handicapping conditions, or national originin employment or in its

educational programs and activities.

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