What is a Thematic Unit?
A thematic, or integrated unit, is the organization of multiple skills and subjects developed around a
central theme. It is a compilation of lessons infusing several realms of the curriculum-such as math,
reading, social studies, science, language arts, etc.
A thematic unit integrates core subjects, as well as a variety of approaches to teaching and learning.
Effective, integrated learning will appeal to multiple styles of learners while providing cohesive and
connected learning experiences. All of the lessons tie into the main theme of the unit. Each activity
should have a main focus toward the thematic idea.
Thematic, or integrated units, could be based on either a topic or a concept. For example, the solar
system, the human body, plants, farm animals, five senses, or mammals. It could also address a concept
such as diversity or interdependence.
A thematic unit IS connected, intentional, standards-based learning. A thematic unit is NOT fun, random
activities. Based on current brain research and best practice, thematic/integrated teaching supports
overall achievement and efficacy with both teaching and learning.
Why Use Thematic Units?
Thematic units:
• Increase student interest
• Helps students make and understand connections
• Expands assessment strategies
• Keeps students engaged
• Compacts the curriculum into manageable units-by incorporating all subjects
• Draws connections to real world life experiences
• Research supports the use of connected learning opportunities
Key Components of a Thematic Unit
• Theme-select theme based on learning standards, student interests and student experiences
• Grade Level-selected for specific grade level-activities are judged as appropriate to grade level
• Objectives-specific objectives are identified and these are the learning objectives the students
will master during the course of the unit.
• Standards – infuses multiple subjects and standards
• Materials-preplanned materials for use in teaching the unit• Activities-Specific activities that you will use to teach your thematic unit-activities cover across
the curriculum
• Discussion Questions-teachers create a variety of discussion questions to guide students to think
about the theme of the unit
• Literature Selections-A variety of books are selected that correlate with the activities and central
them of the unit.
• Assessment-Evaluation of student progress throughout the unit. Measure student mastery by
using rubrics or other means of assessment.
Tips for Creating Thematic Units
• Find an engaging theme- The theme should be age-appropriate and motivate and captivate
student interest.
• Standards-based – Anchored in relevant standards and objectives
• Create fun activities-these activities are central to a successful thematic unit. Activities need to
cross the curriculum and sustain student interest. Learn Centers are a great way for students to
experience a theme.
• Evaluate Student Learning-a portfolio based assessment is a good way to see student progress
throughout a thematic unit.
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 246 – 250
Global Conference on Contemporary Issues in Education, GLOBE-EDU 2014, 12-14 July 2014,
Las Vegas, USA
Advancing Kindergarten Teachers’ Knowledge and Capabilities of
Differentiated Instruction Associated with Implementation of
Thematic Integrated Curriculum
Dr. Su-Chiao (Angel) Wua* , Dr. Yu-Liang (Aldy) Changb
a
Department of Early Childhood Education, National Chiayi University Address: 85 Wunlong Village, Minsyong, Chaiyi 62103, Taiwan
b
Graduate Institute of Educational Administration and Policy Development, National Chiayi University
Abstract
Within the “multiple and heterogeneous” kindergarten classrooms that have young children with academic diversity, the
implementation of “differentiated instruction” is truly valuable and useful in achieving the goals of considering individual
differences and teaching with the student-center philosophy. However, do our kindergarten teachers have adequate professional
knowledge and capability of evaluating young children’s learning profiles, and designing and executing differentiated instruction
(DI)? Based on these arguments, the researchers (as teacher educators) establish and develop a kindergarten teacher learning
organization. Also, the main purpose of this study is to explore kindergarten teachers’ professional growth of DI. A single-case
holistic design is employed in this qualitative and “explanatory and descriptive” case study. One kindergarten classroom of one
public elementary school in southern Taiwan is selected as the research field. Two kindergarten teachers and their young
children are the main participants. Data is gathered through semi-structured observations, in-depth interviews and follow-up
interviews, and various kinds of documents, and then analyzed qualitatively. According to the results of preliminary analyses,
main findings are reported as followings: At the beginning, it is found that these two teachers own adequate professional
knowledge and capability in designing and executing the thematic integrated curriculum in the kindergarten classroom.
However, their comprehension of DI is comparatively inadequate. Same as mentioned in previous studies and articles, they
possess some misconceptions of DI; for example, they think DI is one kind of “instructional strategy or method”, which is similar
to other instructional strategies (or methods). After receiving the professional development program, they gradually become
familiar with DI, as well as understanding how to design DI within the thematic integrated curriculum. Since this is an ongoing
research, more findings and analyses (about how these teachers design and execute DI) will be provided at the presentation of the
conference.
* Dr. Su-Chiao (Angel) Wu. Tel.: +886-932632687 .
E-mail address: angelwu421@yahoo.com.tw
1877-0428 © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of GLOBE-EDU 2014.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.404
Su-Chiao (Angel) Wu and Yu-Liang (Aldy) Chang / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 246 – 250
©
Published
by by
Elsevier
Ltd.Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
©2015
2014The
TheAuthors.
Authors.
Published
Elsevier
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of GLOBE-EDU 2014.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of GLOBE-EDU 2014.
Keywords: Differentiated Instruction, Thematic Integrated Curriculum, Kindergarten Teacher.
1. Introduction
Within the “multiple and heterogeneous” kindergarten classrooms that have young children with academic
diversity, the implementation of “differentiated instruction (DI)” is truly valuable and useful in achieving the goals
of considering individual differences and teaching with the student-center philosophy. Children in a classroom are at
different knowledge, skill levels and progress at different rates. kindergarten teachers need to be aware of children's
diversity and recognize how to meet the learning readiness, learning profile, learning interest of all children
(Tomlinson & Edison 2003). Through DI, kindergarten teachers are able to create an environment that is
welcoming, safe and respectful for children to learn (Tomlinson, 1999). One However, do our kindergarten teachers
have adequate professional knowledge and capability of evaluating young children’s learning profiles, and designing
and executing differentiated instruction (DI)? Based on these arguments, the researchers (as teacher educators)
establish and develop a kindergarten teacher learning organization. Also, the main purpose of this study is to
explore kindergarten teachers’ professional growth of DI.
2. Methodology
A single-case holistic design is employed in this qualitative and “explanatory and descriptive” case study. One
kindergarten classroom of one public elementary school in southern Taiwan is selected as the research field. Two
kindergarten teachers and their young children (in one class) are the main participants. Data is gathered through
semi-structured observations, in-depth interviews and follow-up interviews, and various kinds of documents, and
then analyzed qualitatively. The research procedure and focus are generalized in Table 1.
Table 1. Research procedure and Focus
Phase/Procedure
Focus
Research Task
Time
Phase I
Designing professional
Research team members work
August 2013!
Professional
development program for
together to discuss and design
development—
kindergarten teachers (A learning
professional development activities
Merging
organization)
differentiated
1. Starting professional
instruction (DI) into
development program
thematic curriculum
2. Meetings and operation
records of the learning
organization
1. Implementing thematic curriculum
August 2013 ~
(designed and executed by two
January 2014!
kindergarten teachers, and
monitored by the research team)
2. Weekly discussion meeting
3. Data collection — e.g.
teachers’ reflection notes
Guiding/assisting two teachers to
understand their children’s
learning profiles, which are
beneficial for designing/merging
1. Observing children’s learning
profiles
2. Two teachers write their
observations
September 2013
~ January 2014
247
248
Su-Chiao (Angel) Wu and Yu-Liang (Aldy) Chang / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 246 – 250
DI into thematic curriculum
3. Discussing every child’s learning
profile — the research team works
with two teachers (reviewing the
profiles together)
Phase II
Designing the curriculum for the
Analyses of teachers’
second semester (merging DI into
professional
thematic curriculum)
1. Two teachers design the targeted
curriculum for the second semester
2. Observing (the curriculum and its
knowledge and
implementation) and interviewing
capability in merging
teachers in understanding the
DI into thematic
design focus and content
curriculum
February 2014
Continuous professional
1. Weekly discussion meeting
February 2014 ~
development (for teachers) and
2. Observing (curriculum
July 2014
revising the targeted curriculum
implementation) and interviewing
teachers in understanding possible
changes and the whole process of
the two teachers’ professional
development (especially for DI)
3. Findings (Because of the page limit, only a small part of findings was presented here.)
According to the results of preliminary analyses, main findings are reported as followings: At the beginning, it is
found that these two teachers own adequate professional knowledge and capability in designing and executing the
thematic integrated curriculum in the kindergarten classroom. However, their comprehension of DI is
comparatively inadequate. Same as mentioned in previous studies and articles, they possess some misconceptions
of DI; for example, they think DI is one kind of “instructional strategy or method”, which is similar to other
instructional strategies (or methods). After receiving the professional development program, they gradually become
familiar with DI, as well as understanding how to design DI within the thematic integrated curriculum.
3.1 Teachers’ “pre-assessment”—from absence to actually design adequate activities
Before receiving the professional development (PD) program, the two teachers didn’t really know why and how
to design pre-assessment activities (or tools) for understanding their children’s learning profiles. In fact, it is
important for teachers to do the “pre-assessment”, which allows them to generally assess their children’s
backgrounds, previous experiences, needs, and interests before the actual implementation of the designed curriculum
(Tomlinson & Moon, 2013). Once they obtain essential information through the pre-assessment, they can use
concept maps to plan their thematic curriculum. Also, it is easier to know most of children's backgrounds through
their entrance family reports (4-year-old children) or previous learning portfolios (5-year-old children). On the
contrary, it is more difficult to understand children's favored learning styles and/or intelligences, because there is
less classroom “pre-assessment” used in the kindergarten. Actually at the beginning of the semester, the two
teachers didn’t take the “pre-assessment” as an appropriate tool in understanding their kids. However, after
receiving the PD, they gradually understood that they could design some activities or games as “pre-assessments”
before formal learning activities, which would be beneficial for them to clarify their children's individual learning
needs and learning profiles. In fact, at the second semester, they designed some proper “pre-assessments” in the
Su-Chiao (Angel) Wu and Yu-Liang (Aldy) Chang / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 246 – 250
249
targeted curriculum. As Kelly’s (2007) opinion, if a teacher could apply proper instructional strategies (e.g. using
pre-assessment) in designing the curriculum, it will be very helpful for the implementation of the targeted
curriculum. Accordingly, kindergarten teachers should carefully evaluate their children’s learning profiles (such as
readiness, interest, and affection) in order to apply the evaluation results to the design process of instructional
content, process, and outcome, as well as using these results for revising the curriculum and instruction.
3.2 The teachers design diversity learning content form the beginning to the end
Traditionally, kindergarten teachers are encouraged to provide varying levels of resources and materials for
children rather than giving the standard text or learning content. The two teachers are good at design thematic
integrated curriculum with interesting content and abundant materials. After the PD classes, thy are getting more
familiar of providing various support mechanisms (e.g., reading buddies, small group learning, and learning guides).
For example, the two teachers want to consider children's difference of learning readiness in space concept, they
apply differentiated instruction (DI) strategies in the original thematic curriculum; that is, they design three tiers of
activities for kids to learn the space concept (see figure 1): The “first tier (easier)” activity is to let children learn
“direction—front, back, left, and right” concepts by asking children draw the dining seat map. The “second tier
(middle)” activity is more difficult, which is to understand the basic coordinates. The teachers use the graph of
“animals live in the apartment” for their kids to recognize the concept of “coordinates”—e.g. first building and
second floor) and operate themselves. The “third tier (more difficult)” activity is to ask children to observe the
space/room scheme of the whole classroom, and then they can draw the floor plan of their classroom. In this way,
these children can gradually and successfully learn the space concept through the three-tier activities, which just
matching Tomlinson’s (2001) thought, that is, using tiered activities or assignments can ensure that children with
different learning needs will work with the same essential ideas and use the same key skills but at different levels of
complexity, abstractness, and open-endedness (Tomlinson, 2001).
Examples
Tier 1
Direction
Examples
Space
Tier 2
Coordinates
Examples
Tier 3
Floor Plan
Figure 1. Tiered activities of space concept
250
Su-Chiao (Angel) Wu and Yu-Liang (Aldy) Chang / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 177 (2015) 246 – 250
Acknowledgements
This “High Scope” project (Phase II) is supported by National Science Council of Taiwan, NSC 100-2514-S-415
-001. The author was grateful to all scholars and participants for their valuable suggestions. (Note: “National
Science Council” is renamed as “Ministry of Science and Technology”
References
Kelly, M. A. (2007), Differentiating instruction to include all students, Preventing School Failure, 51(3), 49.
Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). Mapping a route toward differentiated instruction. Educational Leadership, 57(1), 12-16.
Tomlinson, C. A., & Edison, C. C. (2003). Differentiation in practice: A resource guide for differentiating curriculum, grades 5-9. Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Tomlinson, C. A., & Moon, T. R. (2013). Assessment and student success in a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classroom (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
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Thematic teaching in the kindergarten: A description of
changed and unchanged practices
Jay, Annemarie B., Ph.D.
U niversity of Pennsylvania, 1990
C opyright © 1990 b y Jay, A nnem arie B . AH rig h ts reserved.
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THEMATIC TEACHING IN THE KINDERGARTEN:
A DESCRIPTION OF CHANGED AND UNCHANGED PRACTICES
Annemarie B. Jay
A Dissertation
in
Education
Presented to the Faculties of the
University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
1990
Supervisor of Dissertation
Graduate Group Chairperson
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Copyright
A. jay
1990
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DEDICATION
To
Jim and Christine, who are miraculously my own, and
who are an inspiration to everything that I do. The
you
have
two
of
given such full meaning to my life. I am proud of
both of you, and I proudly dedicate this research
study
to
you.
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iv
Acknowledgements
This research would not have been possible without
willing
participation
of
significant
professionals, and the support of
Although
my
my
the
educational
family
and
friends.
gratitude is briefly stated here, it is deeply
felt and will endure as long as I do.
The
members
of my committee have been a guiding light
and constant source of support and encouragement. Dr. Morton
Botel,
my
adviser
chair,
has
at Penn over the years and dissertation
consistently
encouraged
my
interest
in
researching emergent literacy and demonstrated an unwavering
standard of excellence. Dr. Marty Chaffee, of the University
of Pennsylvania and Cabrini College, has been my teacher and
mentor. Her openness and
Dr.
colleagiality
are
inspirational.
Alan Kapczynski ("Dr. Kap"), Director of Curriculum and
Instruction in
the
Ridley
School
District
and
external
scholar to my committee, is a constant source of support and
encouragement both at work in Ridley and as an adviser to my
work
at
Penn.
I
am
extremely
grateful
to
Drs. Botel,
Chaffee, and Kapczynski for serving on my committee. It
has
been a privilege to know and work with each of them.
All of my friends have been supportive of my efforts in
this
research,
but two deserve special recognition, First,
Dr. Patti Baxter, a long-time friend, has had unlimited
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V
patience
in
reading
brainstorming
ideas
draft
for
after
revised
improvement
draft
and
and
clarity.
She
enthusiastically encouraged me throughout the writing of the
dissertation.
Also,
Mrs.
Dot
friend, has been a constant
though
she
Rubincam, another long-time
source
of
encouragement
even
typed draft after revised draft. Her friendship
and clerical experitse are sincerely appreciated.
I
am also indebted to the members of the Ridley School
District
family.
Mr.
John
S.
Cochran,
Superintendent,
allowed the study to take place in Ridley and encouraged the
researcher to go forward.
Arts
Coordinator,
Mrs.
provided
Charlotte
Roede,
encouragement
to
Language
all
of
involvement with kindergarten studies and in-service in
district,
my
the
and was especially encouraging of this study. She
is cherished as a dear friend and professional colleague.
The
participating
teachers,
Mrs. Vicki Clement, Mrs.
Sandy Jones, and Mrs. Marlene Lark were
of
my
presence
cooperation
expectations.
and
and
intrusion
openness
I
am
also
was
extremely
tolerant
in their classrooms. Their
above
grateful
and
to
beyond
the
my
elementary
principals who agreed to the study being conducted in
their
particular buildings.
There is no way I can adequately express
my
gratitude
to my family. My parents, Pip and Madeline Baroni,
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vi
the
most
loving
and
unselfish people I know, have always
been supportive of my career and educational endeavors. They
are
a
constant
source of inspiration and I am proud to be
their daughter.
My
husband,
Jeff,
my
son,
Jim,
Christine, have been the strongest support
Their
and
my
system
daughter,
of
all.
love and encouragement mean the world to me; they are
the "extended theme" in my life.
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Vll
ABSTRACT
THEMATIC TEACHING IN THE KINDERGARTEN:
A DESCRIPTION OF CHANGED AND UNCHANGED PRACTICES
The
process
purpose
through
teaching
analyze
of this
in
the recent
implementation
relationship
and
between
the literacy
the
of
newly
growth
practices in representative classrooms
research
the change
thematic
the kindergartens in a school district, and to
the
curriculum
study Was to examine
of
implemented
the
are
children;
described.
The
is unlike other studies for two reasons. First, it
is a qualitative description of
extended
teaching
themes,
that is, themes which are designed to cover an instructional
period of at least a
few
weeks.
Second,
it
investigates
areas in which the change process affects and is affected by
the implementation of
qualitative
study
a
it
new
is
curriculum
framework.
As
a
a
contribution to the theory of
overview
of the staff development that
change process.
An
preceded
historical
and
teacher-written
accompanied
thematic
the
units
development
and
the
roles
agents are given. The main research questions
of
the
of change
addressed
in
this study focus on teachers' assumptions about teaching and
learning, the implementation of thematic teaching, types and
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viii
frequencies
of
students'
literacy
progress.
research tended
to
events,
The
and
the
assumptions
support
the
evaluation
which
stance
of
guided
that
a
the
standard
framework of curriculum does not necessarily denote standard
implementation
of
participant-observer,
school
district's
examine
the
teaching
ethnographic
seven
various
practices.
study
kindergartens
teaching
of
was
practices
A
three
of
conducted
a
to
that might exist
within the thematic structure.
Data
related to curriculum implementation revealed the
relevancy
of
promoting
a
fundamental
aspects
literate
of
environment
the
curriculum
kindergarten,
established a relationship between the curriculum
and
literacy
learning.
Both
spontaneous
literacy events occurred during data
assumptions
were
revealed
what they said. The data
teaching
facilitated
and
collection.
to
and
framework
directed
Teachers'
in what teachers did as well as
revealed
the
that
learning
extended
processes
thematic
of
young
children and promoted literacy.
Change
study.
was
Positive
found
to
changes
be a recurring theme within the
were
evidenced
in
teachers'
assumptions
and instrucitonal practices. The pertinence and
convergence
of
roles
of
learners,
educational
administrators
in
early
the
teachers,
and
literacy learning is
discussed.
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ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION................................................ iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................... iv
ABSTRACT........
vii
LIST OF FIGURES AND TRANSCRIPTS......................... xii
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Overview.................................................. 1
Background................................................ 1
The New Curriculum and the Change Process.............. 6
Assumptions Guiding the Research........................ 8
Questions Guiding the Research.......................... 9
Organization of the Dissertation.......... ..............9
chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW AND KEY TERMS
Overview ....................................... ......... 11
- Change Process within Education.. ..................... 11
- Emergent L i t e r a c y ......................................16
- Developmentally Appropriate Practice ................. 18
- Teachers' Roles and Assumptions.. ..................... 22
- Conclusions Based on the Research .................... 27
- This Study as a Contribution tothe R e s e a r c h ......... 28
Key Terms Relevant to the Research .....................30
- Thematic Teaching ......................................30
- Teachers' Assumptions ................................. 30
- Literate Environment .................................. 31
- Literacy Events ........................................ 32
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
O v e r v i e w ................................................. 33
Rationale ................................................ 33
The Site ................................................. 37
The P a r t i c i p a n t s .......... .............................. 39
Data Collection Procedures ............................. 40
Data Coding and Retrieval ...............................42
The Role of the Researcher ............................. 42
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X
Chapter 4
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
O v e r v i e w .................................................. 45
Implementation: The Three Themes ("Plants and Seeds,"
"Bears," "Seasons")..45
- Centers, Goals, and Concepts ...............
46
- Curriculum Framework: Its Relationship to
Literacy Learning ................
65
Types and Frequencies of Literacy Events ............... 66
- Spontaneous and Directed Literacy Events .............67
- How Literacy Events Promote Children's Literacy
Growth
76
Teachers' Assumptions ....................................80
- What Teachers Did ...................................... 81
- What Teachers S a i d ..................................... 88
Evaluation: Growth in L i t e r a c y .......
102
- Congruence/Incongruence Between Curriculum and
Evaluation ................................ 105
Chapter 5
SUMMARY AND FINDINGS
Overview ................................................. 109
109
S u m m a r y .......
The Recurring Theme: Change ............................ Ill
- Teachers' Assumptions
............................... 112
- Instructional Practices .............................. 114
Educational Implications ............................... 120
- Promoting Congruence Between Curriculum
and Evaluation .............. 120
- Staff Development ..................................... 122
Reflections of the Researcher .....
125
Conclusions ............................................. 130
chapter 6
NEXT STEPS: CONTINUING EMERGENCE
Overview ................................................. 135
Roles: Learners, Teachers, Administrators .............135
- Learners' Roles ....................................... 136
- Teachers' Roles ....................................... 137
- Administrators' R o l e s .... ........................... 139
- Convergence of Roles:Achieving Continuity ............139
The Socio-Cultural Context of Change .................. 141
Literacy: The Rite of Passage ..........................143
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xi
APPENDICES
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Kindergarten Philosophy ......................... 146
"Plants and Seeds" (Representative Theme) ......147
Principles for Congruent Evaluation
from PCRP I I ........... 157
Spatial Mappings of Classrooms in which
observations took place: Classroom # 1 ......... 159
Classroom # 2 ......... 160
Classroom # 3 ......... 161
Ridley School District Kindergarten Curriculum Unit Goals:
Plants and Seeds ................................ 162
Bears ............................................ 164
Seasons .......................................... 166
List of Trade Books R e a d - a i o u d ..................168
Formal Evaluation:
Metropolitan Readiness Test Class Profile ...... 170
Ridley School District Kindergarten
H
Progress Report ........ 171
Informal Evaluation (Teacher-made Instruments):
Questionaire ..................................... 172
Checklist # 1 .................................... 173
Checklist # 2 .................................... 174
BIBLIOGRAPHY
175
INDEX
186
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xii
LIST OF FIGURES AND TRANSCRIPTS
Figures
3.1
3.2
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
Interview Script ............................... 35
Data Collection Time Line ..................... 41
An Overview of Unit Goals for "Plants and
Seeds," "Bears," and "Seasons".. ............. 49
A Comparison of Three Teachers' use of
Centers, Goals, and Concepts for the Thematic
Unit "Plants and Seeds" ...................... 52
Samples of Children's Writing of Original
Stories ........................................ 54
A Comparison of 3 Teachers' use of Centers,
Goals, and Concepts for the Thematic Unit
"Bears" ........................................ 61
A Comparison of 3 Teachers' use of Centers,
Goals, and Concepts for the Thematic Unit
"Seasons" ...................................... 64
The Spontaneous and Directed Literacy Events
in Three Kindergartens which implemented
Thematic Teaching ............................. 75
A Sample of a Student's Written Composing
using Invented Spelling .............
84
Transcripts
# 1
#
#
#
#
2
3
4
5
# 6
#7
# 8
# 9
# 10
#
#
#
#
11
12
13
14
Helping Students Understand Different
Characteristics and Sizes of Bears .......... 57
Helping Students Understand Size ............. 60
Spontaneous Literacy Event ....................68
Directed Literacy Event ....................... 69
Example of Teacher encouraging Choice in
Students' Writing ............................. 83
Example of Teacher encouraging Choice in
Students' Writing ............................. 85
An Example of a Writing Activity Void
of C h o i c e ....... 87
Entry from Dialogue journal
(Researcher & Teacher # 1) ................... 89
Entry from Dialogue Journal
(Researcher & Teacher # 2) ................... 92
Entry from Dialogue journal
(Researcher & Teacher # 3) ................... 94
Entry from Researcher's Journal ............ 126
Entry from Researcher's Journal ............ 126
Entry from Researcher's Journal ............ 127
Entry from Researcher's Journal".......... ..128
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1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Overview
The purpose of this
process
through
the
study
recent
is to examine
implementation
the
of
change
thematic
teaching in a school district's kindergartens.
This chapter provides an argument for examining extended
thematic teaching in kindergarten classrooms.
of
extended
thematic
reflects
emergent
consider
the
teaching
literacy
social
nature
is
significant
perspectives
of
The timeliness
because
which
learning.
it
strongly
Facilitating
emergent literacy through holistic teaching approaches is a
recurring topic in current educational
journals.
A brief
historical background regarding the change process in this
particular
research
stated.
study
as
well
will
as
be
given.
questions
Assumptions
guiding
the
guiding
the
research
are
Finally, the remainder of the dissertation will be
organized to guide the reader through the process of reading
this document.
Background
This study evolved as I became invested in the writing
and implementation of a teacher-constructed curriculum for
kindergarten teaching. The development of the curriculum
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2
spanned
four
interest
years.
themes
It
for
involved teachers
children.
Each
choosing
of
the
high-
themes
was
developed in an extended manner: the teaching time frame was
to
be
at
least
several
weeks,
and,
the
scope
was
to
be
integrated across all curricular areas.
My investment was cast in both theoretical perspectives
and practical
applications
of
emergent
literacy research.
Literacy learning, and all the complexity it entails, begins
before
young
children
developmentally
literacy
appropriate
learning
Therefore,
the
enter
is vital
school;
ways
to
for early
curriculum design
set
a
continue
emphasize the
literacy
out
to
and the
need
for
c h i ldren’s
reflect
(1975;
both
1978)
and
(1978). Both notions
importance of adult assistance
development
of
childhood educators.
Bruner's notion of scaffolded instruction
Vygotsky's notion of mediated learning
realization
such
in children's
assistance
to
support the child in achieving the child's intended outcome.
The
adult
supports
questions,
the
modeling
child’s
sense-making by
strategies,
guiding
answering
practice,
and
gradually removing himself from the scaffold or mediation as
the child constructs new knowledge.
I came
to
the
curriculum-writing
task
with
a
strong
belief in these notions and the assumption that each of the
co-writers shared this belief; the teachers had participated
in
in-service
training
in which
they
were
made
aware
of
theoretical postions and discussed the implications of the
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3
theory
for
their
own
teaching practices
practices which may warrant change.
especially
those
Because the kindergarten
teachers themselves wrote the curriculum there was generally
high-ownership
of
the
final
p r o duct.
However,the
implementation, the processes engaged in by both teachers and
students, was varied.
The
process
purpose
of
this
through
the
study
recent
is
to
examine
implementation
the
of
thematic
teaching in the kindergartens in a school district,
analyze
the
relationship
between
the
newly
change
and to
implemented
curriculum and the literacy growth of the children. Practices
in three representative classrooms are described.
This
research
is
unlike
other
studies
because
it
examines extended teaching themes, that is, themes which are
designed to cover an instructional period of at least a few
weeks.
Although the literature seems to advocate thematic
teaching,
virtually
found to date.
no
qualitative
descriptions
have
The significance of the paradigm shift
been
from
the traditional kindergarten, centered on an arranged, skilloriented curriculum,
to the
current
focus on the emergent
literacy kindergarten, centered on a holistic, child-centered
curriculum,
is
implicitly
imbedded
in the
examination
of
teaching practices in this study.
This study was conducted in a school district which had
a
traditional
years.
planned
course
of
study
in place
for
many
However, there was a large variance of teaching
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4
philosophy , methods, and materials used in the kindergartens
across
the district until the thematic teaching units were
implemented during the 1988-1989 school year.
Beginning with the 1986-1987 school year, a long-range
of inservice
purpose
of
for kindergarten teachers was initiated.
the
in-service
was
to
examine
the
The
d i s trict’s
philosophy of kindergarten education and to network a longrange plan for a cohesive curriculum across the district's
ki n d e r g artens.
Earliest
discussions
ce n t e r e d
on
the
historical perspective of kindergarten with an emphasis on
the
differences
between
the
fragmented
curriculum
of
the
arranged environment and the whole language approach of the
literate environment.
about
practices
discussed
the
classrooms.
visit
Next,
as
literate
implications
literate
district,
in
Teachers then read research articles
of
the
kindergartens
research
arrangements were made
environment
well
environment
as
classrooms to observe,
kindergartens
arrangements
to
for
their
for teachers
outside
visit
each
of
and
own
to
the
others’
discuss and share their own teaching
practices.
Subsequent meetings were held to discuss the importance
of curricular congruence across the district's kindergartens
and how the research and visitations could lend support to
such
congruence.
It was decided by the
teachers
and the
support staff participating in these meetings that thematic
teaching units could provide curricular congruence as well as
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5
the means to
apply research to teaching practices
language, math,
socialization,
so that
and other content areas could
be integrated.
During
the
summer
of
1987,
a
committee
of
four
kindergarten teachers, all volunteers, and I, as the Language
Arts Supervisor, were charged with writing a philosophy
(See
Appendix A) and the goals for kindergarten curriculum as well
as with selecting three themes and choosing a format for the
thematic units.
Because
the
units
were
literature-based,
children's books were the core of each unit.
The committees
of
in
t e a cher-writers
classrooms
and
piloted
shared
their
their
units
experiences
with
their
own
colleagues.
Subsequent committees were formed intermittently through the
spring of 1990 until all kindergarten teachers had been on
committees
responsible
for
writing
thematic
units.
The
curriculum of thematic units was mandated beginning with the
1989-1990 school year.
Each of the thematic units assumes the same framework.
That is,
for each theme pertinent concepts are selected for
teaching holistically.
as suggestions.
Activities are detailed and offered
Teachers are encouraged to select activities
which best meet the needs of their particular students.
"Plants
and
Seeds"
theme,
teacher-written units,
representative
of
the
The
twelve
illustrates the standard framework of
the thematic goals, concepts, and activities
(Appendix B ) .
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The New Curriculum and the Change Process
Networking a long-range plan for a cohesive curriculum
across the district's kindergartens involved facilitating and
supporting
a
educators,
change
the use
process
which
of materials,
affected
and district
students,
policy.
I
played a major role as a key facilitator of in-service and
therefore served as a change agent in the before, during, and
after stages of the curriculum writing.
introducing
teachers
to
emergent
literacy
practices before the writing began.
which
teachers
shared
ideas
This role involved
from
research
and
I planned meetings in
readings
and
from
visitations they made to kindergartens outside the district.
These visits were made as one or two teachers and I spent a
day at a visitation site.
Establishing time for teachers to
gather and share ideas and reflections seemed to provide for
the emergence of“ tttfe literature-based thematic teaching units
as the common instructional framework in our kindergartens.
I taught demonstration lessons in each of the kindergarten
classrooms which emphasized the implementation of integrated
teaching.
The demonstrations frequently involved the use of
materials and/or methods which were new to the teachers.
books,
enlarged predictable texts,
hand-held
texts
were
newly
Big
and accompanying sets of
introduced
materials.
New
methods, such as responding to literature through independent
writing,
booksharing,
and
p aired
reading
were
also
demonstrated.
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7
During the writing process I participated as a co-writer
and
mentor
of
a p p r o p r iate
concepts
brainstorming,
piloted
in
informing
rationale,
teachers.
and
various
and
I
Informing
elementary principals,
about
outcomes
other
was
of
involved
the
with
philosophy,
extended
administrators,
crucial.
involved
Once themes were
became
constituencies
determining
activities
and concensus.
classrooms
desired
themes,
related
selectivity,
several
teaching.
Choosing
thematic
especially
Regularily
scheduled
meetings with principals and curriculum coordinators provided
the opportunity to make principals aware of the curriculum
imple m e ntation
instructional
and
changes
practices.
in
I also
use
of
materials
and
had
the
opportunity
to
present this information to the Board of School Directors and
to Home-School Associations.
each
We gained mutual awareness for
o t h e r s ' expectations
of
the
new
curriculum
and
the
change process.
The sharing of ideas among teachers continued after the
twelve
extended
themes
periodically to exchange
had
been
written.
Teachers
meet
ideas and attempt to improve upon
them.
A lthough
continuous,
role
in
the
change
process
has
been
I was not the only change agent involved in the
implementation
c hange
my
of the new
agents.
The
curriculum;
initiators
of
there
were multiple
change
were
the
administrators who determined the district's need for a
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8
cohesive
program
and
made
a
commitment
to
a
long-term
improvement process.
The largest number of change agents, as
well
change
as
significant
teachers themselves.
especially
with
agents,
were
the
kindergarten
Their interactions with each other, and
their
own
students,
were
paramount
to
implementing extended thematic teaching in the classrooms.
The
creation
of
a
new
curriculum
change process began four years ago.
an
attempt
to
coordinate
an
and
it's
inherent
It may be described as
understanding
of
theoretical
concepts and appropriate instructional practices to best meet
the needs and learning styles of young children,
be
described as the
creation
cohesive
kindergarten
teachers
represented
practiced,
and
of a new
curriculum was
a
community
revised
the
of
an
it may also
district
policy:
innovation.
learners
implementation
who
a
The
shared,
of
a
new
curriculum.
Assumptions Guiding the Research
Although the structure of the thematic units endorses
the literate environment by acknowledging the varying stages
of
preparedness
and
experiences
assumptions which guided the
stance
that
necessarily
a
standard
denote
young
children,
research tend to
framework
standard
of
of
support
curriculum
implementation
of
does
the
the
not
teaching
practices.
I believe that the human dynamics involved in the
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teaching/learning process are affected by change
implementation
whether
of
imposed
internalized
a
new
curriculum
or naturally
due
to
framework),
evolved,
individual
(such as the
change
differences
and
that
is
uniquely
in
teaching
styles, beliefs, and knowledge.
Questions Guiding the Research
Given this historical development of thematic teaching
in a district's kindergartens, the identification of a change
process,
and the
perspective
the
current
main
emphasis
on an emergent
research questions
addressed
literacy
in this
study include:
1.
What are the teacher's
assumptions about teaching and
learning in the development of the thematic unit?
2.
How is thematic teaching implemented in representative
classrooms?
3.
Are instructional practices changed or static?
What are the types and frequencies of literacy events
occuring in these classrooms and what purposes do they serve
in promoting children's literacy growth?
4.
In what ways are the methods used to evaluate student
progress
congruent
or
incongruent
with
instructional
philosophy of thematic teaching?
Organization &£ the Dissertation
Each
overview.
chapter
of
this
dissertation
begins
with
an
The purpose of the overview is to guide the reader
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10
through the sections, as well as the whole, of each chapter.
Chapter
Two
provides
related to this study.
research
and
an
a
of
current
literature
Conclusions are drawn based on the
argument
is
contribution to the research.
pertain to this study.
review
made
about
this
Key terms are
study
as
a
defined which
.
Chapter Three presents the methodology used to collect
data
for
given;
this
study.
the site,
A
rational
the participants,
for
the methodology
is
and the data collection
procedures are discussed.
Chapter Four includes the description and analysis of
thematic teaching in representative kindergarten classrooms.
The
f ramework
relationship to
The
congruence
of
the
thematic
literacy
and/or
learning
c u r r iculum
is
incongruence
discussed
between
and
in
it's
detail.
curriculum
and
evaluation is also discussed.
Chapter
discussion
Five
of
presents
educational
a
summary
of
implications,
findings,
and
a
personal
reflections of the researcher.
Chapter
steps
to
learners,
importance
occurs
affects
Six,
the
final
promote
the
emergence
teachers,
of the
chapter,
of
suggests
literacy.
continuing
Roles
and administrators are discussed.
context
is discussed
in
of the
setting
relation to these
literacy development.
in which
roles
of
The
change
and as
it
Literacy is described as a
life-long learning process.
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11
Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW AND KEY TERMS
Overview
The purpose of this
literature
related
literature
that
major areas:
literacy,
to
chapter is to review the current
this
study.
informed this
the
Perspectives
study
were
from
drawn
from
change process within education,
studies
the
four
emergent
of developmentally appropriate practice,
and teachers' roles and assumptions. These areas are deemed
relevant because their convergence provides substance to the
argument of this study:
the
learning
literacy.
processes
Conclusions
literatures.
research.
extended theme teaching facilitates
of
young
are drawn
children
from the
and
four
promotes
converging
This study is described as a contribution to
Key terms relevant to this study are defined.
Whangs. Erocess within Education
The
change
persis t ent
process
effort
to
within
coordinate
education
an
involves
u n d erstanding
a
of
theoretical concepts and appropriate instructional practices
among professionals who vary in how and why they teach.
The
variations occur because teaching professionals are people,
and
people
are
as
diverse
teaching/learning process itself.
and
complex
as
the
The goal of change process
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12
within
education
is
Educational change,
continuous
educational
improvement.
or any institutional change,
invariably
takes a great deal of time (Academy for Cultural Development,
1985) .
The school district
subtly
imposed
in which this
change
on
study was conducted
teaching
professionals
by
acknowledging change as a process which occurs and evolves
over
time,
often
than
short-sighted.
curriculum
within
rather
an
event
which
Because
this
implementation,
education
is
the
particularly
(Owen,
short-lived and
study
research
reveals that teachers are at the
improvement"
is
on
deals
change
relevant.
The
with
process
research
"front line of curriculum
1990), yet it makes recurring arguments
for the need of further research on teachers’ practices and
how teachers
learn about teaching
(Bertoff,
1987;
Cochran-
Smith & Lytel, 1990; Fullan, 1985; 1990; Joyce, et al, 1990).
Therefore,
it seems that the role of teacher-as-learner is
inherent in the concept of change process within education.
Fullan
(1985)
reports
that
initial
stages
of
any
significant change involve anxiety and uncertainty and that
on-going support
from school leaders and teaching peers is
crucial in alleviating anxiety and uncertainty.
Fullan also
emphasizes the developmental aspect of change for the teacheras-learner:
new
skills
and
practices
are
repeated practice and supportive feedback.
learned through
In Taking Charge
Chance (Hurd, et al, 1987) the Concerns-based Adoption
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13
Model
(CBAM)
(Hall, 1979) of change emphasizes a focus on the
individual in implementing a new program.
It seems that this
model
this
has
a
significant
relationship to
individual implementing the new program
k ind e r g arten
curriculum)
teacher
implementing
study.
The
(in this case,
the
the
newly-introduced
experiences change because of the innovation. The
CBAM rationalizes change as a highly personal, developmental
experience.
It
facilitation
systematic"
endorses
of
change
in
sound
leadership
order
to
and
promote
effective
"adaptive
and
interventions of individuals' needs which exist
in "particular contexts and settings."
There seems to be a correlation between the CBAM model
and
the
change
process
initiated
which this study was conducted.
in
the
kindergartens
in
The changes represented in
both the CBAM model and the school district’s in-service plan
are intended to be improvement endeavors.
Harrison,
et al
(1989) recommends that "school districts clearly define their
understanding of the desired end result early in the change
process."
The participating school district
seemed
desire
to
positive
changes
t e a c h e r s’ increased theoretical
and
improvement
in
their
which
in this study
would
result
in
and pedagogical knowledge,
instructional
practices.
Such
incentives are both ambitious and commendable.
An unfortunate aspect of the change literature is the
identification
of
a
major
roadblock
to
professional
improvement efforts in schools: decline or lack of supportive
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
14
services for teachers involved in educational change:
"...change effects typically demand that
the majority of staff participants become
heroes
since
organizational
often impede improvement.
conditions
That is, the
time it takes to understand an innovation
and translate it into practice conflicts
with
the
pe r f o r m
time
their
priorities
staff
duties.
compete
i ncentives
for
members
need
to
Improvement
with
one
making
another;
changes
are
glaringly absent, and participants rarely
see
evidence
of
a
systematic
support
innovation." (Corbett, 1989)
Those
charged with
assessing and
implementing needed
change in education must be acutely aware of these obstacles
and concerns to avoid the roadblock mentioned above.
path
can
parents
cushion
administrators,
teachers,
A safer
students,
from unimproved educational endeavors when
services
match
process.
The
participants'
coordination
of
needs
throughout
services
and
and
support
a
needs
change
is
important yet difficult dimension of the change process,
an
for
it has to be addressed and readdressed as needs increase or
decrease.
a
It seems that the evolving nature of change defies
generic treatment
to
educational
innovations,
for
the
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15
context
and
setting
of
each
innovation
set
particular
criteria for the change process within education.
Hurd,
et al
(1987)
caution facilitators of change that
frustration may accompany attempts to change the status quo
for two reasons.
First,
facilitators often falsely presume
that once an innovation has been introduced and training has
been completed,
the
intended users will put the innovation
into idealized practice.
assume
that
similarly.
all
users
Second, some facilitators of change
of
the
implementation
will
react
It would seem that in order to avoid frustration
during the change process
facilitators
should realize that
change within education does not occur easily.
should strongly consider the
impact
of human
Also,
they
dynamics
and
individual differences and concerns as they affect and are
affected by
change.
"Accepting
legitimate reflections of changes
individuals’ concerns
in process"
(Hurd,
as
1987)
seems to be a key in successful facilitation of change within
education.
A
shortcoming of
recent
research on teachers'
awarenss of change related to their beliefs and attitudes is
that much of the data does not "provide any direct statement
of what
teachers
1986).
Because this study specifically deals with teachers
assumptions,
it
think
helps
and
to
feel"
lessen
(Feiman-Nemsar
the
gap
in
& Floden,
this
type
of
research by providing direct statements of teachers beliefs
and the effects
of change on those beliefs
as well
as
on
instructional practices.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
16
The
research
on
the
change
process
within
education
pertains to each of the four questions asked as part of this
study.
An understanding of the
research regarding change
should help provide insight into the experiences of students,
teachers,
and
administrators
as
thematic
teaching
was
implemented in representative classrooms.
Emergent Literacy
The IRA Joint Statement
be
encouraged
to
be
(1986) recommends that children
active
participants
in
the
learning
process rather than passive recipients of knowledge by using
activities
that
listening,
writing,
recommendations
allow
for
and
parallel
experimentation
reading.
the
I
with
believe
critical
talking,
that
these
experiences
in
Pennsylvania Comprehensive Reading/Writing Plan: Language and
Learning Across
1988)
the Curriculum
(PCRP
II) .
(Lytle & Botel,
and that inherent in both documents is the philosophy
of active student participation and manipulation of language
in order to construct meaning.
Both the IRA Joint Statement
and PCRP II deal with the concept of integrated curriculum, a
notion with theoretical roots implanted in the work of Dewey
(1966),
equal
Piaget
(1964),
significance
the
and Vygotsky
interests
of the
manipulative instruction over time.
learn
their
from
repeated behaviors
evolving
interests
and
(1978)
and
which view with
child and active,
Because young children
experiences
experiences
over
are
time,
seen
as
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
practical and functional.
that
"integration
includes
of
concern
content
for
differences"
framework,
that
is
a
function"
and
emergent
c h i l d r e n ’s
individual
"realistic
Strickland and Morrow (1990) state
and
that
thematic
for
realization of the purposes
interests
an
unit,
learners
for becoming
skills
and
integrated
teaching
young
literacy
to
their
teaching
provides
a
come
a
literate.
to
In an
earlier study Strickland and Morrow (1989) state that "Themed
units
of
instruction
bring
new
literacy activities in science,
art,
music,
literacy
and
play
materials"
opportunities
to
enhance
social studies, mathematics,
through
especially
inclusion
when
of
reading
appropriate
and
writing
materials based on a particular theme are placed in a "play
area”
in
the
classroom.
appreciate reading,
In
writing,
to learn and to communicate.
other
words,
young
children
and speaking as what people do
This appreciation is as much an
attitude as it is the acquisition of complex skills.
In a study involving the acquisition of literacy from a
developmental perspective
(Mason, 1984)
it is suggested that
the education of young children should involve a "less formal
approach" to learning to allow for the natural emergence of
literacy.
concepts
Holistic,
in
a
way
thematic
which
developmental perspective.
Risk.
Elkind
(1987)
teaching
typifies
the
In Miseducation.
advocates thematic
includes
rationale
these
of
a
Preschoolers At
teaching
for young
children through what he terms "permeable learning," because
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
18
children
younger
than
six
or
seven
are
not
capable
of
categorizing skills and subjects:
"Young children do not organize their thinking
and knowledge in subject-matter terms such as
reading, math, science, and art.
Rather, their
thinking is organized around projects, activi
ties and frames.
Each project, activity, or
frame includes skills and information which at
a later age might be grouped under one or another
subject matter category, but which for children
are part of a global whole" (P. 143).
It
seems,
foundation
for
therefore,
emergent
that
literacy
from the home to the school.
can
be
deemed
the
"natural"
sound
supports
theoretical
its
continuance
Both environments for learning
in
that
they
provide
reading,
writing, and speaking interests and experiences for children
under the guidance of an adult who models those interests and
participates in those events.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Developmentally appropriate practice involves purposely
guiding
teaching
participate
in
and
learning
activities
socialization
and
developmentally
appropriate
c hi l d ' s
so
that
that
promote
collaboration.
developmental,
when
they
cognitive,
young
children
meaningful
Practices
nurture
and
the
are
young
maturational
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
19
milestones.
Developmentally appropriate curriculum can be put into
practice with thematic teaching.
Thematic teaching allows a
community of young learners to share a common avenue leading
to
the
exploration
choices.
Children
of
a topic
can
choose
or
theme
those
to them
in
a
variety
activities
and with
of
which
are
they
are
particularly
interesting
which
comfortable.
A formalized kindergarten curriculum outlining
skill and drill in a scope and sequence is too linear,
and
seems likely to be a mismatch to the natural learning style
of the young child.
Martin
(1985)
reports
that
a
formalized kindergarten
curriculum is a misunderstanding of the way young children
learn and is actually counterproductive.
Thematic teaching
seems to broaden the scope by embracing the possibilities of
a
wide-range
neither
of
of
responses
these
options
and
is
encouraging
included
in
risk-taking?
a
formalized
curriculum which procedes in a lock-step manner.
When
developmentally
appropriate
practices
occur
the
experiences of the kindergartener can be thought of as the
bridge between the learning experiences of the home and the
learning experiences
of
research
naturalistic
(Brown,
encourages
1986;
Combs,
the
1987;
school.
Huck
Much
settings
of the
in
& Kerstetter,
the
current
school
1987;
IRA
Position Statement, 1986; Lehr, 1988; Martinez & Teale, 1987)
to provide continued support and maintain established comfort
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
20
levels
Combs
for
continued cognitive
(1987) and Brown
this
support
through
and
the
For
example,
(1986) state that one way to continue
comfort
reading
development.
of
with
enlarged
kindergarten children
texts.
This
is
activity
"continues many of the positive aspects of lap reading while
modeling the reading process" (Combs, 1987).
Brown
(1986) suggests that "home style reading" continue
at school so that young children receive contextual support
more
closely
familiar
resembling the
and
that
in
an
learning with
environment
which
"rich in
they
are
literary
experiences" including exposure to good literature, hands-on
experiences,
close contact with caring adults and activities
that enhance self-concept,
"children's reading-like behavior
will emerge."
According to Hill
(1987)
one of the
functions of the
kindergarten is to "look backward to the home,
studying the
experiences and types of learning which have taken place."
Elkind
(1986)
cautions us to the fact that the education of
young children
must "be in keeping with their unique modes
of
learning" and that young children learn best through "direct
encounters with their world rather than the formal education
involving the inculcation of symbolic rules."
seems
that
the
concept
of
Therefore,
developmentally
it
appropriate
practice connotes the types of activities and interactions in
which
teachers
and
students
construct
and
share
meanings
based on social encounters and literary themes in a caring,
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
21
supportive
atmosphere
scaffolding of
1986;
the
Vygotsky,
in
child's
1978).
naturalistic
o n e ’s
earliest
learning
that
setting,
the
learnings
thematic
adult
engineers
experiences
the
(Spencer,
involving language
contexts comprise a large part of
in
learning in the classroom.
reasons
the
These processes
immersion through social
the
which
setting
the
home
which
to
helps
o n e ’s
bridge
extended
It is for these research-based
teaching
and
naturalistic
settings
complement each other.
The need exists to research the area
of
especially
thematic
teaching,
at
the
kindergarten
early grades stage of the educational continuum,
and
because so
little can be found about it in the current literature.
The
literature seems to advocate thematic teaching, also cited as
" inte g r ated
learning,"
but
virtually
no
qualitative
descriptions can be found.
According
to
Atwood
and
Finkelstein
(March,
1988)
socialization is a major objective in the kindergarten.
objective
is
met
thr o u g h
a
recursive
agenda,
The
often
spontaneous, and deals with developing positive self-concept,
acceptance of differences among people,
personal
qualities.
collaboration
as
The
more
inducive
independent work for the
Drake,
1986; Duckworth,
current
and development
research
to
learning
young child
1979; NAEYC,
also
1988).
identifies
than
(Azmita,
of
that
1988;
of
Day &
Azmita’s study
of eighty five-year olds involved with peer interaction and
problem-solving showed that collaboration had greater effects
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22
on novices' task engagement than on experts1 task engagement
because
"...expertise
effects."
experts ’
clearly
contributed
to
interactive
In this sense, learning was mediated "not only by
guidance
observings,
but
also
imitating
interactive
effects,
and
novices’
making
largely
own
initiative
suggestions."
These
students’ conversations,
generally task-oriented and Azmita
benefits increased over time.”
found that
Day and Drake
in
were
"interactive
(1986)
remind
us "interaction, understanding and cooperation in a group are
fundamental
(1986)
requirements
repeatedly
states
of
society."
that
In addition,
children are
active meaning
-makers and supports such claims with evidence.
adults
to
help
children
learn
guidance, and encouragement"
In
reflecting
upon
"by
giving
Wells
them
He charges
evidence,
(p.215).
the
research
on
developmentally
appropriate practice it seems that a grasp of this research
is fundamental to an acute understanding of emergent literacy
and schooled practices for young children.
because
the
interactive,
collaborative,
It is fundamental
social
nature
of
learning is basic to the continuing psychological, cognitive,
and social development of young children.
Teachers ’ Roles and Assumptions
Maximum learning takes place as children interact with
peers
and
environments
adults
in
(Vygotsky,
social
1978).
settings
and
conducive
This theoretical perspective
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
implies that the teacher of young children should serve the
role of facilitator, one who provides a classroom setting in
which language is the foundation of all learning.
to
Vygotsky,
literacy events
which are
According
initially socially
mediated are eventually internalized and become part of the
repertoire
of
the
individual
(Langer
&
Applebee,
1986).
Vygotsky stresses the social origin of learning in his notion
of mediated learning which occurs
in an interacitve social
setting.
a
In
mediated
learning
child
grows
to
value
purposeful knowledge by realizing that he can receive help
from an adult who models the learning process.
of
the
model
is
gradually
decreased
The structure
and
the
child
internalizes the structure.
It seems that theories of the social origin of learning,
and
especially
research
of
properties
Winograd
of
mediated
Wood,
Bruner,
an
interactive
& Paris
procedures
and
instruction.
(1989)
the
work
These
Piaget,
child development
adult
assistance
children.
are
Ross
reflected
(1976)
who
cite
the
same
dialogue
in
the
list
six
exchange,
and
who
instructional
properties
properties
for
(recruitment,
as
scaffolded
reduction
in
direction maintainence, marking critical
frustration
of
&
instructional
degrees of freedom,
features,
learning,
control,
Bruner,
and demonstration)
and Vygotsky
parallel
on learning and
in that they emphasize the importance of
in promoting growth in literacy of young
The crucial variable in this structure is
the
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
24
adult,
and when that adult is the classroom teacher he/she
needs to capitalize on children's learning potential.
In
"Creating
Thinking"
(Wells,
effectively
the
Conditions
1990}
when
to
Encourage
Literate
it is emphasized that children learn
they
participate
in
"meaningful
joint
activities in which their performance is assisted and guided
by a more competent member of the culture."
Wells'
earlier
studies
to
"active
(1986)
which
meaning-makers’
found
have
young
children
important
be
implications
for
the
instructional role and personal assumptions of the teacher.
The
structure
envir o n ment
of
by
p reparedness
recommends
thematic
a c k nowledging
and
experience
child-centered
connote teacher guidance,
participates
units
endorses
the
of
varying
young
activities.
but not
the
literate
stages
learners
Such
dominance,
as
of
it
activities
as the
child
in inquiry and manipulation-based activities.
It seems that Duckworth’s view of the teacher's role
is atuned to the philosophy of the literate,
classroom
for
situations
in
she
states
which
that
children
their intellectual structures,
at
teachers
various
(1979)
child-centered
should
levels,
"...offer
whatever
can come to know parts of the
world in new ways."
In this way both teachers and students control literacy
learning for such acquisition involves "negotiations between
and among students and teachers"
to Holdaway
(1984)
(Shannon,
1989).
According
"common sense" shapes the teacher's role
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25
as a facilitator in literacy development as the teacher makes
herself
that
"redundant"
for
teacher
to the child.
child-centered
must
assume
The
activities
three
communicator with parents)
roles
to
research indicates
to
be
effective
(observer,
ensure
optimal
the
model,
and
learning
for
each child.
The teacher-observer is cognizant of the processes the
students use with the tasks
(1982)
(s)he sets before them.
states that the "noticing teacher not only discovers
new behaviors,
and changes in behaviors, but also begins to
think about children's learning in new w a y s ."
Strickland
tend
Clay
to
(1986)
Cullinan and
report that teachers of young children who
carefully
observe
the
learning
process
of
their
students tend to view themselves as active learners in the
classroom,
frequently use
literature-based activities as a
means to study the development of language and literacy, and
adapt methodologies that coincide with their view of language
and literacy development.
The
role
of
teacher
as
model
is
implicit in emergent literacy research.
teachers
should
use
language
both
explicit
and
"In the classroom,
appropriately,
listen
and
respond to children's talk, and engage in their own reading
and
writing"
(IRA
Joint
Statement,
1986).
The
research
suggests that these types of activities provide dual modeling
opportunities —
and
those
those involving uses of literate behaviors
involving
social
skills
such
as
turn-taking,
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26
politeness,
acceptance of others' views, and the responsible
use of materials.
The third role of the teacher is that of communicator
with parents.
many
paper
Child-centered activities may not include as
and
pencil
Teachers need to
child-centered,
Statement
of
the
inform parents
some
parents
may
expect.
about the philosophy of a
The IRA Joint
recommends that teachers make parents aware
reasons
and
as
emergent literacy classroom.
(1986)
curriculum
tasks
for
provide
carry out at home.
a
language-based,
them
with
ideas
child-centered
and
activities
to
This type of communication keeps parents
informed about the topics and activities that their children
are involved with in school and provides them the opportunity
to discuss,
read, view television programs and movies, visit
museums or local attractions with their children that pertain
to those themes being learned about in school.
The research related to teachers
roles
indicates that
close home-school relationships which adequately communicate
school
happenings
to
parents
gives
the
young
child
the
message that both parents and teacher are as interested in
school activities as
(s)he is.
Such communication makes the
child's commutative existence between the home and the school
more meaningful than
if the two environments were diverse,
sharing no reciprocity.
teacher's
need to
intrinsically
assume
motivated;
The research also implies that the
the
aforementioned roles must
that
is,
a
positive
be
attitude,
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27
willingly applied to the delivery of instruction.
Conclusions Based on the Research
B a sed
on
research
education,
emergent
practice,
teachers'
on
the
literacy,
roles
change
process
developmentally
and
within
appropriate
assumptions,
a
core
of
theoretical conclusions may be stated:
1.
Emergent literacy, the natural continuation of language
learning in young children,
and
guide
children's
is maximized when adults model
learning
in
natural,
meaningful
contexts.
2.
The paradigm shift from the traditional kindergarten to
the
emergent
learning
literacy
for young
children
together may construct,
An
kindergarten
so that
emphasizes
teachers
informal
and students
share, and control literacy learning.
informal approach seems to promote spontaneous
literacy
development.
3.
Teachers
of
understanding
that
internalized;
their
young
ch i l d r e n
mediated
roles
s hould
learning
guide
reflect
eventually
(rather
than
an
becomes
dominate)
children's production and comprehension of text.
4.
wi t h
Implementation of a new framework of curriculum is laden
i mplica t i o n s
instructional
development,
for
change
experiences.
training,
in
Change
both
personal
involves
and learning approaches.
a
range
and
of
Perceptions
of change may either promote or hinder the implementation of
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28
an innovation.
This Study as a Contribution to the Research
This study is deemed a significant contribution to the
educational
research
for
two
reasons.
First,
informal
approaches are most often discussed in general terms in the
research.
Specific practices such as lap reading and written
composing are cited as promoting literacy but implementation
via
holistic,
integrated
curriculum
generalities throughout the literature.
is
found
only
in
Therefore, a review
of the literature indicates that examining specific informal
approaches,
such
kindergarten,
a needed
as
extended
thematic
teaching
in
the
is both a complement to current literature and
link between what
is known and what
needs
to be
learned about emergent literacy, developmentally appropriate
practice, and teachers’ roles.
Second,
research
regarding
the
change
breaking new ground in educational contexts.
process
is
This particular
study investigates areas in which the change process affects
and is affected by the implementation of a new curriculum
framework.
The particular educational context of this study,
representative
kindergartens
which
implemented
extended
thematic teaching, provides the opportunity for a case study
of educational change in emergent literacy kindergartens.
As
a qualitative study it is a contribution to the theory of
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
29
change because
change
as
of the
change
scarcity of qualitative
continues
to
evolve
within
research of
a particular
context.
Literatures
reviewed for this
study provided critical
information for shaping the participant-observation and other
data collection procedures
also
created
implementation
a
of this
theoretical
of
extended
study.
base-line
thematic
for
The literatures
analyzing
teaching
as
it
the
was
observed throughout this study.
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30
Key Terms Relevant to the Study
Themat ic-Teachiag
Thematic teaching is the provision of instruction which
focuses on a particular theme or topic without confining the
theme to a specific content area.
Thematic teaching embraces
a scope which integrates content area learning in order to
promote knowledge of key concepts.
Thematic teaching allows
a community of learners to share a common avenue leading to
the exploration of a theme in a variety of choices.
Children
can choose those activities which are particularly interest
ing to them and with which they feel comfortable.
This
study
specifically
teaching in kindergarten.
examined
extended
thematic
Extended themes are designed to
cover an instructional period of a least a few weeks.
The
nature of extended thematic teaching endorses an informal,
child-centered approach to teaching and learning.
Teachers' Assumptions
Teachers' assumptions
regarding
the
are their beliefs and attitudes
teaching/learning
process.
I believe
there is a strong connection between teachers'
and the instructional decisions they make,
a holistic,
literate
environment
that
assumptions
and that creating
requires reexamination of
o n e ’s beliefs and attitudes on a regular basis.
In this study,
teachers'
assumptions were examined by
analyzing what teachers did and what teachers said.
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31
A Literate Environment
Literacy
learning
begins
kindergarten classrooms.
kindergarten
learning
is
that
kindergarten.
to
well
children
enter
The goal of a literate environment
continue,
has
before
not
preceded
disrupt,
the
the
c h i l d ’s
literacy
entry
into
Unfortunately, much of the current research is
replete with evidence of qualitative differences between the
literacy contexts of the home and the literacy contexts of
the school.
the school
ideal
If a disparity exists between the two contexts,
experience may be dramatic for the child.
situation
seems
to
be
that
the
child
come
The
from
an
oral/print-enriched home to an oral/print-enriched school.
A literate environment is more than the arrangement of
books,
paper,
literate
and
objects
environment
within
a
does not merely
physical
exist,
space.
A
it is created
through the events which facilitate oral and written language
de v e l o p m e n t .
A
literate
literacy
expectation,
speaking,
reading,
a
environment
desired
is
one
outcome
and writing by children,
in
for
which
a
frequent
is nurtured by
adults who provide opportunities for such occurrances.
The
opportunities should be interesting and meaningful to young
language
users.
The adult
should
facilitate the
language
learning processes until the child demonstrates a proficiency
commensurate with his developmental milestones.
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32
Literacy Events
A
literacy
event may be
defined as an
experience
in
which one actively engages in the production or comprehenson
of text.
The text may be oral or written.
Literacy events
occur in social groups as well as in
independent engagement with language.
of kindergarteners
For example,
a group
sharing and discussing picture books
engaged in a literacy event.
is
An adult reading a newspaper or
magazine is also engaged in a literacy event.
A major focus of this study was to examine the types and
frequencies of literacy events occurring in the classrooms
which implemented extended thematic teaching.
They will be
described and analyzed in Chapter Three.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
33
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
Overview
This
chapter
provides
a
rationale
methodologies used in this study.
the site, participants,
secured
information
for
the
research
A detailed discussion of
and data collection procedures which
regarding
the
implementation
and
evaluation of thematic teaching and the types and frequencies
of
literacy
events
is
included.
A
time
line
for
the
procedures is given as well as a description of the role of
the researcher.
Rationale
Because
this
research dealt with classroom practices,
information pertaining to the research questions was gathered
primarily through observations of those practices.
kept
a
journal
observation
was
in
which
recorded.
a
reflective
The
research
account
I also
of
addressed
each
these
questions:
1.
What
are the teacher’s assumptions about teaching and
learning in the development of the thematic units?
2.
How is thematic teaching implemented in representative
classrooms?
3.
Are instructional practices changed or static?
What are the types and frequencies of literacy events
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
34
occuring in these classrooms and what purposes do they serve
in promoting children’s literacy growth?
4.
In what ways are the methods used to evaluate student
progress
congruent
or
incongruent
with
the
instructional
philosophy of thematic teaching?
In order to collect data on the first question several
methods were utilitzed:
first,
classroom observations were
made and recorded via video/audio-taping, and both formal and
informal
interviews
were
conducted
informal
interviews
took
place
with
teachers.
immediately
The
following
an
observation.
They were usually brief due to the teacher’s
instructional
obligations.
took
place
children
when
the
attending
education class.
Sometimes
observations
a
were
school-wide
had
interviews
interrupted by
assembly
or
a
the
physical
In these instances when the teacher was not
the primary supervisor of the children,
researcher
informal
the
opportunity
to
the teacher and the
discuss
what
had
just
evolved in the classroom observation.
The formal interviews took place on a day that was set
aside specifically for the purpose of interviewing teachers.
A major goal of the formal interview was for the researcher
to meet with each teacher individually in order to obtain
additional
questions
significant
asked
information related to the
in this
study.
Figure 3.1,
The
specific
Interview
Script, lists questions asked during the formal interview and
correlates interview questions with questions related to the
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
35
Figure 3.1
INTERVIEW SCRIPT
QUESTIONS FOR TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Questions for Teacher Interviews
Related Research Question
1.
How does RSD's curriculum
framework help/hinder you in
deciding what to teach as you
prepare to teach a thematic
unit?
#1, #2, #3, #4
2.
Which of the following events
occur most frequently in your
classroom?
Which occur least frequently?:
Read-aloud
SSR/Booksharing
Oral composing
Written composing
Language Experience Activity
Creative drama/Role-playing
#1, #3
3.
How do you evaluate students'
progress at the completion of
a thematic unit?
#1, #2, #4
4.
Do you feel that the district's
required evaluative measures,
Metropolitan Achievement Test
Primary Level 2, and the Ridley
Kindergarten Report Card give a
valid rendering of students'
progress?
#1, #4
5.
Do you think that most students
benefit from the integrated
language arts/integrated curric
ulum? Why? Why not?
#1, #2
6.
Which of your teaching practices
do you feel best meets the needs
of your students? In what way(s)?
#1, #2
7.
What do you see as the advantages/
disadvantages of thematic teaching
in the kindergarten?
#1, #2
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36
research.
Parts
teachers
of
the
video/audio
and discussed with the
formal interviews.
in the entries
form of
tapes
researcher
played
for
the
researcher as part of the
Another source of information was found
of the dialogue
on-going
were
journals which served as a
information between
throughout
the
study.
the teachers
The
dialogue
and the
journals,
written entries and responses between the researcher and the
teachers, were focused on observations of teaching practices.
To research the second question,
in
three
kindergarten
classes
thematic teaching approach.
in
and
observed during
which
teachers
used
a
Two or three observations per
theme and per classroom were made.
taught
observations were made
the
Three similar themes were
study.
The
participating
teachers met prior to the observations to decide upon the
themes to be taught during the time the
study took place.
The three themes chosen were "Bears," "Plants and Seeds," and
"Seasons."
Both
observations
and
journals
were
primary
sources of data in examining this question. Figure 3.2 shows
the schedule of observations.
To address the concerns of the third question,
the methodologies of the prior questions were used as well as
two others:
video/audio taping of specific literacy events,
and collection of samples of children's written work.
The
taped transactions as well as participant observation by the
researcher rendered information about the social and
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37
Figure 3.2
Data Collection Time Line:
Observations of Thematic Teaching
"Bears"
Theme
"Seasons"
Theme
"Plants &
Seeds" Theme
Teacher:
M r s . Clement
M r s . Jones
T Jan. 16
T March 13
T
May 15
W
Jan. 17
W
March 14
W
May 16
F Jan. 19
M
March 19
Th May 17
M April 30
M
Jan. 29
T
W May 2
T
Jan. 30
Th March 22
M Jan. 22
M
Feb. 12
W
May 9
W Jan. 24
T
Feb. 13
F
May 11
March 20
ThMay 3
M r s . Lark
ThFeb. 15
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38
collaborative
expressed
components
connections
or
of
the
events
extensions
of
as
well
as
any-
the
theme
by
the
learners.
The
fourth
question
was
addressed
largely
through
interviews as well as descriptions of evaluative processes
and forms used by teachers.
The Principles
for Congruent
Evaluation, as outlined in PCRP II. (Appendix C) were used to
qualify
the
types
of
evaluation
used
by
the
classroom
teachers during the study.
The rationale for the research methodology used in this
study provided a holistic approach for collecting valid data
on teacher-student,
interactions.
student-student,
and teacher-researcher
The variety of instruments
used to
collect
data, multiplicity of observations and journal entries,
and
the use of both formal and informal interviews allowed the
researcher
to
collect
multiple
threats to interview data
and Simmons,
perspectives
and to
(Evertson and Green,
avoid
1986; McCall
1969).
The S ite
All observations took place in the elementary schools of
the Ridley School District in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
The
school district encompasses the Township of Ridley and
the boroughs of Eddystone and Ridley Park and comprises an
area
of
seven
and three-quarter
square miles.
The
three
elementary schools in which this research was conducted were
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39
the Eddystone School in Eddystone,
Pa.,
the Lakeview School
in Ridley Park, Pa. and the Woodlyn School in Woodlyn, Ridley
Township, Pa.
boundaries
District
working
Only the Woodlyn School is situated within the
of the township.
come
class
from
Students in the Ridley School
predominantly
families.
The
m i d d l e .to
district's
scheduled for half-day sessions.
lower-middle
kindergartens
are
Observations were made in
the afternoon sessions of the kindergartens in each of the
three buildings involved in this research.
two
There were twenty-
(22) children in the Eddystone kindergarten, sixteen (16)
children
in
the
Lakeview
kindergarten,
and
eighteen
(18)
children in the Woodlyn kindergarten.
In addition to class size being fairly similar in each
of the three heterogeneous kindergartens, classroom equipment
and materials were also similiar.
Two of the the classrooms
were similar in their generous size; the Woodlyn kindergarten
was
considerably
Ridley
School
smaller
District
in terms
of physical
Kindergarten
space.
Curriculum,
The
which
provides a strong literacy expectation in kindergarten,
implemented in each of the classrooms.
was
Spatial mappings of
each of the three classrooms can be found in Appendix D; the
physical classroom environment is an important consideration
in this study because it can either promote or hinder (1) the
types and frequencies of
literacy events which occur,
and,
(2) the manner in which children are grouped for instruction.
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40
The Participants
The three
teachers,
(3) participating teachers were kindergarten
each from a different elementary school,
consented to take part in this study.
who had
The three women have
each spent their entire teaching careers in the Ridley School
District.
Two of the teachers,
School and Mrs.
completed
taught
fifteen
from the Lakeview School,
years
of
teaching
and
kindergarten during their tenure.
Eddystone
Her
Jones
Mrs. Lark from the Woodlyn
School,
career began
have
each
have
exclusively
Mrs.
Clement,
of
has completed sixteen years of teaching.
as
a
junior
high
reading teacher
making the transition to elementary teaching.
before
She taught
fifth grade for most of her elementary career and has spent
the past five and a half years teaching kindergarten.
The participants demonstrated cooperation and interest
in the study from start to finish.
Such willingness actually
precluded the need to negotiate entry into their classrooms;
each of the participants had been part of the in-service and
curriculum
b uilding
writing
principals
that
were
had
preceded
also
the
study.
cooperative
when
Their
formal
requests to conduct the study in their schools were received.
Prior to the actual classroom observations,
the three
participating teachers met as a group and chose and agreed
upon
the
thematic
teaching
observed during the study.
units
that
were
taught
and
They chose "Bears,” Seasons,” and
"Plants and Seeds" from among the twelve available units.
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41
Data Collection Procedures
Collection
January
and May
of
data
of
1990.
for
this
The
three selected classrooms.
study
occured
between
researcher observed in the
The observations, which varied in
length from one to three hours depending on the individual
classroom schedules, were made during a reasonable time frame
(from three
to
seven
teaching
days).
This
schedule
was
arranged in order to study the development of a particular
theme and the frequency of spontaneous
directed
(teacher-initiated)
Video/audio
tapings
transcriptions
were
were
(student-initiated) or
literacy events which emerged.
made
analyzed
of
to
each
observation
determine
how
the
and
data
answered the questions raised in this study.
Data
collection
interviews
with
also
teachers,
childrens' written work.
information
which
for the
reflective notations
dialogue
journals.
and
formal
collecting
and
samples
informal
of
the
Two types of journals also provided
study:
participating teachers
included
the
were
and the
The
researcher kept a diary in
recorded,
and each of the
researcher made
entries
included
entries
comments
in
and
questions about the most recent observations.
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42
Data Coding and Retrieval
Information collected throughout this study was coded in
order
to
systematically analyze
and
retrieve
observation was video and audio taped.
exact
transcripts
according
teacher.
to
the
of
each
theme
Each
The researcher made
observation
particular
data.
and
taught
coded
by
a
each
specific
In this way the implementation of thematic teaching,
could be compared and analyzed among the three classrooms.
Frequent
transcripts
reviewing
allowed
of
the
video
tapes
researcher
frequencies of literacy events.
to
and
rereading
focus
The types
on
types
of events
of
and
were
initially coded into three general areas, and later coded as
specific types of literacy events by identifying each type
with
an
appropriate
label.
written on transcripts.
The
labeling
term
was
hand
Occurrences of events were computed
to determine their frequency in classrooms.
The
Literacy
Events
are
described
and
analyzed
in
Chapter Four.
The Role of the Researcher
This
research
is
continuing process.
administrators
actually
The process
the
middle
originated when
of
a
district
identified the need to implement a cohesive
program among the district’s kindergartens.
not
stage
consciously
aware
researcher began then,
of
it
at
the
Although I was
time,
my
role
as
in the early stages of the process,
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43
being charged with planning and implementing the changes that
would
result
in a
cohesive,
developmentally
sound program
eventually led to examining the implementation of curriculum
in an ethnographic study.
The
process
was
the
kindergarten teachers,
Methods
and
discussed
regarding
district
materials
and
collaborative
used
evaluated;
both
emergent
as
the
read
the
staff
current
and
of
and myself.
teaching
the
literacy
appropriate teaching practices,
well
administrators
by
we
endeavor
were
literature
developmentally
and we visited each others'
classrooms
as
kindergarten
classrooms
in
other
districts.
The decision was made to write thematic teaching
units for which children's literature was the springboard for
language arts and content area learning.
My
role
as
researcher
in
this
particular
study
was
nurtured from the seeds planted a few years before the study
took place.
study
I had been
began
and
observations
an active
continued
of
the
an
study.
participant before
active
Not
role
only
was
during
I
the
active
the
key
as
a
participant-observer but also as a facilitator of specific
literacy
events,
experience
pieces.
role
story
such
or
as
the
the
creation
creation
of
of
a
language
individually
written
I read to children and children read to me.
blossomed
during
the
five
months
that
spanned
The
this
study.
The
role
as
researcher
also
had
an
impact
on
my
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44
interactions with the participating teachers.
these
women
as
co-workers
for
a
undertaking this research project.
th e m
and
presumably
attempted
to
they
protect
felt
the
several
I had known
years
before
I felt comfortable with
comfortable
quality
of
data
with
by
me.
I
ensuring
confidentiality of communication between each participating
teac h e r
and
myself
and
by
supporting
each
instructional practices with non-threatening,
verbal
and
physical
behaviors.
My
t e a c h e r ’s
non-judgmental
relationship
with
the
teachers had been that of working colleague and friend both
before
and
during
welcome when
notebook,
the
study.
invading their
and
professionalism
frequent
and
Each of
feel
classrooms with video cameras,
v erbal
their
them made me
interruptions.
friendship
made
my
Their
role
as
researcher an enjoyable experience.
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45
Chapter 4
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
Overview
The purpose of this chapter is to describe the structure
an d
nature
of
thematic
teaching
and
to
analyze
the
information as it relates to the specific questions asked in
this research.
curriculum
The major components of the thematic teaching
(centers,
goals, and concepts)
will be discussed.
Because a major thrust of this study concerns the types and
frequencies
of
literacy
teaching,
literacy
compared
among
Teachers'
thematic
events
events
the
assumptions
teaching
occurring
will be
three
during
categorized,
representative
regarding
the
and an evaluation
thematic
coded,
classrooms.
implementation
of
and
growth
of
in
literacy
and
Seeds,
will also be described and analyzed.
I m p l e m e ntation :__ His__ Three
Themes
(" P l a n t s
"Bears." "Seasons11)
The three themes described and analyzed in this study
(as well as the other nine thematic units which comprise the
Ridley
School
literature-based,
District
holistic
Kinder g a r t e n
curricula.
stories are th...
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