Reflective Analysis of Portfolio Artifact

Rationale/Reflection
NAEYC Standard:
STANDARD 5. USING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE TO BUILD MEANINGFUL CURRICULUM
Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs use their knowledge of academic disciplines to
design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for each and
every young child. Candidates understand the importance of developmental domains and academic (or
content) disciplines in early childhood curriculum. They know the essential concepts, inquiry tools, and
structure of content areas, including academic subjects, and can identify resources to deepen their
understanding. Candidates use their knowledge and other resources to deepen their own knowledge and
other resources to design, implement, and other evaluate meaningful, challenging curriculum that promotes
comprehensive developmental and learning outcomes for every young child. (NAEYC, 2010)

Brief Description of Evidence:

During the spring semester of 2014 during my ECED 235-Early Preschool Practicum Curriculum course,
collaboratively I worked with a small group of peers to create a unit framework for preschool aged children.
The unit framework required the use of an overall unit goal, Indiana Foundations, measurable objectives, a
short annotated childrens book bibliography, descriptions of changes in the environment, content specific
activities with objectives for literacy, math, science, art, and an overall culminating activity. In addition to the
unit framework, I also created a family activity calendar to go along with the overall theme.

Analysis of What I Learned:

Through completion of this unit plan framework I was able to use positive interaction and social skills
to work collaboratively with a small group of peers. I now know the importance of early childhood
professionals working together and sharing ideas about content and classroom practices. Through this artifact
I have learned how to integrate subject matter into an overall curriculum in which children are actively
involved in their own learning. Through the integration of subject areas, children are able to make real life
connections between content and the real world.

How This Artifact Demonstrates my Competence on the NAEYC Standard:

This project is just one of many projects in which I worked collaboratively with peers to create,
implement, and reflect on current teaching trends and classroom practices as well as design developmentally
appropriate approaches for learning for school and at home. Through spending time researching various
teaching activities with peers, I feel more informed that my teaching practices are developmentally
appropriate for young children and will positively influence each childs development and learning by
providing him/her with well-rounded hands on experiences that promote learning from all domains.