Little Raccoon packs his baseball mitt, butterfly net, and water pail, and with his pal Red Squirrel in tow, goes out to catch a cold.

CAROUSEL CURRICULUM Definition- carousel: a merry-go-round, a conveyer on which items are placed for later retrieval. (Education should be fun, and we learn by retrieving old information and building on it.) My curriculum is a collection of literature-based thematic units for early learners. The units are developmentally appropriate for all early learners. They are standards based and Creative Curriculum friendly. Carousel Curriculum has been used successfully with young learners including English language learners, children with special needs and diverse learning styles as well as homeschoolers. I am a teacher with 35 years of teaching experience in the areas of early childhood education and early childhood special education. Principals and co-workers always expressed an interest in my thematic units. This planted the bug for me to write down and market what I have used successfully for so many years. The curriculum was created through years of education, experience, trial and error, revisions, and updating. Each unit covers a span of 4-6 weeks. Each unit includes an introduction, weekly outlines, daily plans, poems and songs, a book list, additional activities listed by domain, and related ideas for centers. Each unit can be used independently or be used as part of the collection of units to create an interwoven curriculum: Animals And Their Environments. The total collection includes: Farm Animals, Forest Animals in Winter, Polar Animals, Jungle Animals, Pond Animals, and Ocean Animals. Additional units available are Farm Crops, A Safari, The Zoo, and The Circus. I hope the units will be a great resource for you and your class. Enjoy!!!

Little Raccoon has adventures fishing by himself at night, venturing into the outside world beyond his woods, and babysitting two tricky chipmunks.

This book explores current research on young children’s beliefs and knowledge about the biological world – otherwise known as ‘folkbiology’. Contributors discuss factors that shape the development of folkbiological knowledge, as well as possible interventions designed to counteract cognitive biases that can interfere with the development of scientifically informed reasoning about natural phenomena. Taken together, the papers provide insights into the contributions of cognitive biases to the development of biological misunderstandings and into the life experiences and contexts that can contribute to or impede accurate learning of biological concepts. As part of a wider literature, the insights provided by the authors are relevant to the design of educational experiences that will foster children’s exploration and further their understanding of life science ideas. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Early Education and Development.

Grounded in research and practical expertise, this volume helps K?6 teachers skillfully support all of their English language learners (ELLs)?from a single student to an entire classroom. Ideas for teaching ELLs across different grade and proficiency levels include ways to link instruction to students? lived experiences, use a variety of motivating print and electronic texts and materials, engage families, and conduct effective assessments. Chapters are packed with tools and activities for promoting ELLs? development in oral language, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and grammar. Handy reproducibles and ?Voice from the Classroom? teacher vignettes enhance the utility of the book.

Support children's connections with nature through classroom activities.