Reaching Standards and Beyond in Kindergarten : Nurturing Children's Sense of Wonder and Joy in Learning

"This book clearly outlines how teachers can make standards the foundation of their practice without leaving behind what the best teachers know about creating challenging and ordered environments that respect the learning needs of young children. Through clear examples and informative vignettes, including how to meet the needs of children with special needs and those learning English, this books helps teachers find the resources to return joyful learning to this critical year of schooling."
―Harriet A. Egertson, Educational Consultant

"A great overview of a developmentally appropriate kindergarten classroom. This book gives me the support I need to know that I am teaching my students through practices based on research."
―Darcy Sammelson, Kindergarten Teacher
Austin School, Vermilion, SD

Help kindergarten students meet national standards in developmentally appropriate ways!

Standards provide an important benchmark for student learning, but meeting them doesn′t mean you have to take away fun and creativity. Reaching Standards and Beyond in Kindergarten offers research-based strategies and ideas for addressing content standards in ways that nurture children′s natural love of learning.

The authors show how creative play activities can help children reach standards in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts. They also offer suggestions for promoting healthy physical and social-emotional development. Covering the transition to kindergarten as well as the transition to first grade, this book:

• Presents authentic assessments for measuring student progress toward meeting standards
• Offers strategies and tips for working with English language learners and children with special needs
• Discusses how to develop relationships with caregivers and strengthen the critical home-school connection
• Includes sample templates, calendars, book lists, and more

This resource provides novice teachers with field-tested strategies and gives veteran teachers fresh ideas to add to their existing instructional repertoire.

Gera Jacobs is a professor of early childhood education and taught kindergarten, preschool, and the elementary grades for many years. She has published articles in a number of national and regional journals and produced a CD-ROM on inclusion for young children with special needs. She has presented at numerous state, regional, and national conferences, and has conducted many inservice presentations for teachers. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Governing Board and served on the NAEYC Affiliate Council. The Carnegie Corporation named her the South Dakota Professor of the Year in 2002. She was chairperson of the South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines Panel, responsible for writing the preschool standards for South Dakota.

Jacobs and her coauthor Kathy Crowley have helped to organize an annual statewide kindergarten academy for many years in South Dakota and have presented at kindergarten institutes in other states. They are the coauthors of Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards: Nurturing Children’s Sense of Wonder and Joy in Learning, published by Corwin Press and winner of a 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award, sponsored by Learning Magazine, and a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Their collaboration began many years ago as team-teachers in a kindergarten classroom.

Kathy Crowley is a kindergarten teacher and has taught kindergarten, preschool, and the elementary grades for many years. She was director of an afterschool program and a member of the South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines Panel. Serving as a teacher leader for a statewide mathematics initiative, she provides training to other teachers on innovative math strategies. An active member of several professional organizations, she has presented at numerous state, regional, and national conferences. Crowley served as vice president of the South Dakota Association for the Education of Young Children and received the SDAEYC state service award in 2006. Her community named her the Teacher of the Year in 2007.

Crowley and her coauthor Gera Jacobs have helped to organize an annual statewide kindergarten academy for many years in South Dakota and have presented at kindergarten institutes in other states. They are the coauthors of Play, Projects, and Preschool Standards: Nurturing Children’s Sense of Wonder and Joy in Learning, published by Corwin Press and winner of a 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award, sponsored by Learning Magazine and a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Their collaboration began many years ago as team-teachers in a kindergarten classroom.