Review

Individualization Based on Interests: Big Day for PreK™ does not describe the importance of or offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Learning experiences are pre-planned, and there is no guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For example, each "Big Learning Experience" provides modifications for 3-year-olds as well as enrichment modifications. Additionally, the learning activities offer "Responsive Instruction: One-to-One Follow-Ups," which provide suggested scaffolding strategies for children with particular needs.

Individualization Based on Interests: The curriculum provides minimal guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on children's interests. The Teacher's Handbook explains that children may have specific interests and encourages teachers to "pick up on these interests and use them to engage children." In addition, some learning center and lesson instructions reference children's interests. For example, Unit 3 instructions for the Show What You Know Center suggest including materials needed to make the toys children are interested in. The Unit 4 (Exploring Museums) Learning Overview states that the unit is designed to address topics children find interesting. Teachers may add these topics to the unit or replace the unit's focus on paleontology or medieval times. Even so, lessons (e.g., Welcome and Read Aloud, Small Group) are pre-planned and there is no guidance on how to modify them based on children's individual interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. Small Group lessons include checkpoints, and other lessons offer reminders for teachers to pay attention to individual children's progress toward learning goals (e.g., take note of children's abilities to identify emotions). The Units offer ways to individualize through "More Support" and "More Challenge" prompts for Small Group lessons. In addition, Welcome and Read Aloud lessons suggest ways to individualize for children who need more support (e.g., have them think about what helps them feel better when they are sad or upset, and then extend that idea to helping a friend).
 

Individualization Based on Interests: The Handbook discusses the importance of child-initiated activities and provides some information about following children's interests during informal conversations and learning center time. However, the curriculum does not provide guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The Handbook provides general guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For each domain, the curriculum includes examples of scaffolding for children who need higher and lower levels of support. It states, "Although the examples below demonstrate only high support and low support, effective teachers adjust support along the continuum to meet the needs of individual children."

Individualization Based on Interests: The Creative Curriculum^® for Preschool provides guidance on how teachers can incorporate children's interests into the curriculum's interest areas and learning activities. For example, the "Choice Time" hour each day allows for children to make choices daily to engage with materials and activities that are of interest to them. While the Teaching Guides have pre-planned activities for the first three weeks of each study, teachers are invited to plan the fourth week of the investigation based on children's interests and needs.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: Volume 1: The Foundation provides an overview of how individualization is central to the curriculum's philosophy. Teachers are encouraged to "Observe-Reflect-Respond," which is one way of responding to children's individual strengths and needs. Furthermore, the Intentional Teaching Cards provide specific scaffolding strategies to support children at different levels of a developmental progression. This allows teachers to individualize learning experiences to meet children's strengths and needs.

Individualization Based on Interests: Curiosity Corner explains that Plan & Play scenarios are merely suggestions, and teachers may add their own or extend popular scenarios from previous weeks to best suit children's needs. However, the curriculum does not offer any guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on the interests of individual children. Learning experiences are pre-planned and there is no guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: Curiosity Corner provides minimal guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. Each Learning Lab includes a facilitation guide that contains questions that can be asked to engage children at any developmental level. However, the curriculum lacks guidance on how to modify most learning experiences (e.g., Clues & Questions, STaR, Math Moments) to be responsive to individual children's strengths and needs.

Individualization Based on Interests: Foundations for Learning states that the teacher's role is to set out a wide variety of materials in different learning centers throughout the day, setting the stage for children to discover, choose, and carry out activities that hold the greatest interest to them. However, Learn Every Day™ lacks guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on the individual interests of children.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum describes the importance of offering learning experiences that are responsive to children's strengths and needs. For example, Foundations for Learning explains that children have different ability levels, interests, learning styles, and backgrounds that impact how they learn, and children need a lot of activity choices with varying degrees of difficulty. In addition, the curriculum suggests that small group activities are opportunities to individualize instruction. Even so, the curriculum lacks specific guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual strengths and needs.

Individualization Based on Interests: Galileo® Pre-K describes the importance of planning learning experiences that build on children's individual interests. For example, the "Positive Approaches for Preschool Learning" section of the Curriculum Guidebook suggests "teachers can differentiate interest centers by encouraging students to participate in those centers that address their particular interests, talents, or questions." It recommends children have daily opportunities to engage in child-initiated activities. The curriculum promotes teachers' use of observation to document children's interests and to plan learning experiences. Even so, the curriculum provides no guidance on how to plan learning experiences based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: Foundational to Galileo® Pre-K is the use of children's assessment data to plan learning experiences. For example, teachers input ongoing child assessment data into the G3 Assessment Scales, and the online system selects learning experiences based on the children's strengths and needs. Additionally, the curriculum provides general guidance on how to make the curriculum's learning experiences responsive to individual children's learning styles. For example, the Curriculum Guidebook suggests that teachers use scaffolding, such as language, hints, and visual aids, for children who need greater support. The "Enrichment" sections of a few activity plans also include some individualization based on children's strengths and needs. For example, children who are able to duplicate an "AB" pattern are offered the opportunity to create their own patterns. However, further, specific guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual strengths and needs is not embedded throughout the curriculum materials.

Individualization Based on Interests: The HighScope approach emphasizes the importance of teachers observing for and planning based on children's interests. Furthermore, the plan-do-review process, which is an integral part of the curriculum, allows for children to make choices daily to engage with materials and activities that are of interest to them.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The HighScope approach emphasizes the importance of teachers observing, planning, and scaffolding based on children's developmental levels. For each KDI, the curriculum provides specific scaffolding strategies for children at various levels of development.

Individualization Based on Interests: The DLM Research and Professional Development Guide discusses the importance of child-initiated activities, but the curriculum does not offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Learning experiences are pre-planned, and there is no guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For example, "Differentiated Instruction" offers suggestions for modifications to activities based on children's strengths and needs (e.g., "Enrichment" for children who have already mastered certain skills and concepts and "Extra Support," "Accommodations for 3's," and "Special Needs" for children who may need further scaffolding throughout the activity).

Individualization Based on Interests: Frog Street Pre-K does not offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Learning experiences are pre-planned, and there is no guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For example, Adaptations for Young Learners is designed for children who may need additional support before being introduced to the lessons in the Teacher Guides, such as younger children or children with disabilities or other special needs. This resource is arranged in the same thematic order as the core programs so the lessons may be used as scaffolds. Additionally, the set of Resource Guides (e.g., Continuum of Physical Development, Multiple Intelligences in the Early Childhood Classroom) provides guidance on how to modify learning experiences based on children's strengths and needs. Finally, the Teacher Guides offer specific suggestions for modifying learning experiences for children with disabilities or other special needs and children who are DLLs.

Individualization Based on Interests: Welcome to Frog Street Threes discusses the importance of following children's interests (e.g., invite children to choose books; if a child shows an interest in bugs, take them outside to search for crawling critters). Occasionally, the curriculum's learning activities or practice centers invite children to share their curiosities and wonderings. However, the curriculum does not offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Learning experiences are preplanned and there is no guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For example, Welcome to Frog Street Threes describes the importance of differentiated instruction and some high-level strategies to promote it. The Teaching Guides offer specific suggestions for modifying learning experiences for children with disabilities and other special needs, as well as children who are DLLs.

Individualization Based on Interests: World of Wonders offers guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Within the learning experiences themselves, teachers are prompted to learn from children if they have prior experiences with the topic. In addition, the curriculum includes templates for teachers to create their own mini-units based on children's interests. Teachers are also invited to think about other thematic projects or about a center based on children's interest.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides specific, embedded guidance that is responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. The differentiated text boxes modify the learning experiences for younger children and include additional support (e.g., tracing letters, giving time for experimentation with pencil grasp and body position). In addition, some of the descriptions within the learning experiences and centers include prompts to challenge children who have mastered a basic skill set (e.g., prompting children to retell key story events to a partner and share personal responses). 

Individualization Based on Interests: OWL does not offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. While children may select their center time activities, all learning experiences, including centers, are pre-planned, without guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For example, Teacher Guides provide ways to individualize learning through "Make It Easier!" and "Make It Harder!" prompts for different lessons across the units.

Individualization Based on Interests: Pre K for ME consistently provides guidance on how teachers can be responsive to children's interests within learning activities. During learning center time, children can choose centers freely and move between activities (e.g., discovery/sensory table, art studio, writing, and drawing). In the units, specific prompts provide opportunities for children to explore based on their own interests. For example, the curriculum provides daily opportunities to create and act out stories based on child interests and topics within the curriculum. 

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides a variety of strategies to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. For example, the Adaptations for Additional Challenge prompts provide modifications such as sorting and identifying geometric shapes by more than one attribute. In addition, some prompts include guidance for children who may need more support (e.g., providing sentence frames). 
 

Individualization Based on Interests: InvestiGator PreK 2018 describes Learning Centers as child-directed activities that encourage children to explore areas of interest. However, the curriculum does not offer support on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Learning experiences (including Learning Centers) are pre-planned, without guidance on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual strengths and needs. The Research and Professional Guide offers general guidance such as asking teachers to reflect on what skills present the biggest challenge for their class and what they can do to reinforce these skills. Each Teacher Guide includes specific scaffolding suggestions for children at different developmental levels through "Differentiation" callout boxes. For example, in a gardening activity, children at more advanced levels of development are encouraged to try writing their plant name on signs using a word list as a model.

Individualization Based on Interests: Just for Threes 2018 describes Learning Centers as child-directed activities that encourage children to explore areas of interest. However, the curriculum does not offer guidance on how to plan learning experiences that build on individual children's interests. Learning experiences (including Learning Centers) are pre-planned, without direction on how to modify them based on individual children's interests.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum provides some support on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual strengths and needs. The Research and Professional Guide offers general guidance, such as asking teachers to reflect on what skills are the most challenging for children to master and what might be done to reinforce those skills. The Let's Investigate Teacher Guide includes some specific scaffolding suggestions for children at different developmental levels through "Differentiation" callout boxes. For example, in a gardening activity, children at more advanced levels of development are encouraged to try writing the name of their plant on signs using a word list as a model. However, the Marvelous Me! unit and other Just for Threes 2018 materials lack guidance on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual strengths and needs.

Individualization Based on Interests: Tools of the Mind^® provides children with daily opportunities to play in classroom centers of their choice (e.g., Free Choice, Mystery Game Block) and to choose their activities and materials. Children also engage daily in Make-Believe Play. As the year progresses, teachers are instructed to choose play themes that follow children's interests and reflect the community in which the children live. Children invent new actions and scenarios, play different roles, use their imagination to invent props, and expand play themes based on their interests. However, other activities in the curriculum are pre-planned (e.g., Story Lab activities, Math and Science activities), and there is no guidance in on how to plan learning experiences based on the interests of individual children.

Individualization Based on Strengths and Needs: The curriculum offers specific guidance embedded throughout its materials on how to make learning experiences responsive to individual children's strengths and needs. All activities are designed so that children at different levels of development can participate and learn. Within each activity, "Zooming in on the ZPD" provides scaffolds to support children who need extra support. Each activity also includes "Up the Challenge," providing ideas for making the activity more challenging, either by making it more difficult cognitively or by increasing self-regulation demands on children.