(Krogh & Slentz, 2001)
The following list provides a few suggestions of ways in which language and literacy can be incorporated into the curriculum for children of various ages. There are, of course, countless others.
Math—
Create story problems from everyday activities that the children experience. These can be carried out as conversations about naturally occurring events, such as deciding how many napkins are needed for the snack table, counting the number of children in line, or figuring out how many students are absent. Create story problems in conjunction with short stories you write for the children to read independently or in pairs. These can be integrated into the body of the story or added at the end. When children learn new math processes, they can write about them in their journals or in letters to take home to their parents. As they describe what they have learned, they reinforce the math learning while expanding their writing and critical thinking skills. Cut up paperback versions of the children’s favorite stories and place pictures of the plots’ sequence of events on index cards. Number the back of the cards and have children tell the stories to each other and place the cards in the correct order. They can check their accuracy by looking at the numbers on the back of the cards. Social Studies—
When children are having difficulty interacting appropriately with others, provide them with direct instruction in oral communication skills that will help build their friendship skills. For example, instead of saying, “That’s mine!” children could be encouraged to say, “May I share that when you’re all done?” As children enter the classroom in the morning, hand them index cards with a map outline or picture of a particular country or state. Have them search the room to find another student with the same outline, then direct them to work together to find their country or state on the class map. The children can then remain partners for the rest of the morning to complete their work as a team. Place “coffee table books” of interesting places around the world in one of your classroom centers for children to explore. Advanced readers may read the captions under pictures they find interesting, or you could leave a few notes for students to discover throughout the book that indicate pictures of some of your favorite places. Science—
Any science experiment that involves equipment can benefit from labeling. Make a label with the name of each piece of equipment and tape it on. If the item is to be put away, make a matching label in its proper place. Even children who aren’t quite ready to read can match and put equipment away properly. (This idea could be applied to just about anything in the classroom--art supplies, games, books, coats, etc.) After any observational experience such as a nature walk, have children dictate everything they remember observing. Write their ideas on a chart. Recreate the same observational experience at another time and add additional ideas/observations to their chart. Primary children can keep science journals or write “lab reports” of their experiments in science. These can be free form where they relate their experience in their own words and summarize what they learned, or they can have a more formal format, using printed questions with spaces left for students to write their answers. You may supply questions such as: (1) List the steps you took in this experiment. (2) What is one important thing you learned? (3) Draw a picture of the most interesting part of the experiment. Creative Arts—
Whenever young children learn a new letter, part of speech, punctuation mark, or word, have them act it out in some way. Letters, for example, can be made with the whole body or parts of it; children can pretend to have their letter dance on the wind, freeze in space, or melt on the floor. Favorite stories can and should be acted out whenever possible. This can be done formally, in play form with children acting out the different parts, or informally, with children doing finger motions to accompany a story you read aloud to them. Children should become active participants in the reading or retelling of a story whenever possible. Use music experiences to play with various kinds of sounds. Let children substitute words and nonsense syllables for the original ones. Make up whole new verses or try singing the verse from one song to the tune of another. If you are singing or humming while holding an infant, repeat the same words to the same tunes rather than being inventive. The child will eventually grasp the patterns of sound and learn to expect them. Whenever possible, let children tell you about the pictures they are drawing, but don’t ever force them to. Sometimes children enjoy dictating stories about what they have done, but at other times they prefer to let the picture tell its own story. Respect their artistry and ask permission first.