Elementary Teacher Education Concentration

This course introduces the basics of integrating Children?s Literature and the Expressive Arts (art, music and movement and drama) across the curriculum. Students actively participate in activities in all of these areas both in the college classroom and in the local community. The course integrates this study of the Expressive Arts with a study of Children?s Literature, including genres, authors, response to literature and reading aloud.

Explores theory, activities, and materials to help the child understand concepts and develop skills in basic math and science. Explores materials that further physical and logic mathematical knowledge.

Students plan lessons and units for teaching in primary classrooms. Emphasis is on social studies curriculum planning for the five to eight year old child. Observations in a variety of primary classroom areas are completed. This course is taken concurrently with Primary Field Experience (EDU 256).

Students work two half-days or two full days per week in a kindergarten, first, second or third grade, planning and carrying out lessons for small and large groups on a theme-related curriculum. This course is taken concurrently with Integrated Primary Curriculum (EDU 255).

This course focuses on the teaching of Language Arts to students in kindergarten through sixth grade and is based on the Vermont Standards. Topics include early literacy development, selection and management of a reading program, development of reading and writing strategies, and the use of fiction and nonfiction for directed lessons and research. A variety of assessment techniques are also explored. Students spend two hours per week observing and working in a kindergarten through sixth grade classroom. (Fall only)

The Vermont and NSTA Standards are used as the basis for course content. Topics will include science process skills, physical science, life science, earth and space science, science and technology, and the scientific experiment. Students complete a long-term thematic unit on a topic of interest, relating lessons to the Vermont and/or NSTA Standards. Commercial science materials and texts will be examined and evaluated. Students will spend two hours per week observing and working in a kindergarten through sixth grade. (Spring only)

The Vermont and NCTM Standards are used as the basis for course content. Topics will include number sense and operations, geometry and measurement; function and algebra, fractions and decimals, probability and statistics, use of technology, and problem solving. Hands-on activities and lessons are used to explore each of these conceptual areas. Commercial math materials and texts will be examined and evaluated. Students will spend two hours per week observing and working in a kindergarten through sixth grade classroom where they will do their full-time student teaching in the final semester. (Fall only)

Students explore the underlying principles and research-based best practices of elementary-level classroom management and organization to prepare them as a professional in the field. The course will include a focus on the elements of successful classroom: space design, selection of materials, short and long term planning, using assessment data to plan curriculum, organizing for pro-social behavior and collaboration with staff, colleagues and families.