DEPARTMENT: Department of Teacher Education SEMESTER: Fall, 2000
COURSE DESIGNATOR & NUMBER: CICE 401 SEMESTER HOURS: 3
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
The significance of play in the development process. An examination of various aspects of play in early childhood programs.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to...
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the historical views and issues related
to play.
2. Demonstrate comprehension of play theories.
3. Appreciate the value of play as a normal developmental function.
4. Identify normative stages in play behaviors.
5. Evaluate play materials.
6. Appropriately incorporate culturally diverse play materials into
early childhood settings.
7. Adapt and select appropriate play materials for culturally diverse
and developmentally different young children.
8. Appreciate the role of play and games in curriculum-planning and
learning.
TEXTS
Kamii, C. & DeVries, R. (1996). Group games in early education: Implications of Piaget’s theory. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Kuroyanagi, T. (1996). Totto-chan: The little girl at the window. New York: Kodansha International.
Rogers, C. S. & Sawyers, J. K. (1995). Play in the lives of children. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Wassermann, S. (2000). Serious players in the primary classroom: Empowering children through active learning experiences. New York: Teachers College Press.
Wipfler, P. (1990). Listening to children. Palo Alto, CA: Parents Leadership Institute.
ATTENDANCE
You are allowed one absence--no questions asked. After that, excused absences are only those accompanied by a medical excuse signed by a doctor. Showing up more than 10 minutes late without a signed excuse will be considered an unexcused absence. Three points will be deducted from your final point total for each unexcused absence.
GRADING
100 total points will be calculated as follows: Grades will be calculated as follows:
Class Participation / Reading Reflections - 10 A - 93 – 100
Reclaiming Play as Adults - 5 B - 85 – 92
3 Play Observations (5 pts./observation) - 15 C - 77 – 84
4 Special Times (5 pts./special time) - 20 D - 69 – 76
Group Games – Part I - 5 F - less than 69
Group Games – Part II - 20
Final Examination - 25
ASSIGNMENTS
Class Participation
Students are expected to complete all reading assignments and contribute actively and consistently to class discussions. Attendance will be factored into your class participation score.
Reading Reflections
Students will submit personal reflections on the assigned readings. Papers must be typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins on all sides. Papers should be roughly a half-page in length and should address one or more of the following:
1. The most important ideas that I gained from this
week’s reading are…
2. Some things I learned about myself, understanding
play, or working with children are...
3. Questions I have based on this week’s reading
are…
Reclaiming Play as Adults
The assignment will be explained in class. Upon completion, students will write up the experience by addressing the following questions. Write-ups must be typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins on all sides, and 1-2 pages in length.
1. Details (who was your partner, setting, time of
day, length of each play time)
2. Description (what happened, how was your time
spent, how was your partner’s time spent, what kinds of play occurred,
what kinds of play materials were
used, etc.)
3. What did you learn when you were the player? What
surprised you?
4. What did you learn when you were the support person?
What surprised you?
5. How will this experience help you to understand
children’s play more fully?
6. Additional comments...
Play Observations
The assignment will be explained in class. Upon completion, students will write up each play observation by addressing the following questions. Write-ups must be typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins on all sides, and 1-2 pages in length.
1. Details (age of child, gender, setting, time of
day, length of observation):
2. Description (what happened, how was the time spent,
what kinds of play occurred, what kinds of play materials were
used, etc.)
3. What surprised you? What did you observe that
was unexpected?
4. What did you learn about play as it applies to
this particular group of children? How will this impact your interactions
and
expectations of children in the
future?
5. Additional comments...
Special Times
The assignment will be explained in class. Upon completion, students will write up each Special Time by addressing the following questions. Write-ups must be typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins on all sides, and 1-2 pages in length.
1. Details (age of child, gender, setting, time of
day, length of Special Time)
2. Description (what happened, how was the time spent,
what kinds of play occurred, how were you able to
support/encourage the child’s
thinking/feelings?)
3. How was this Special Time different from previous
Special Times?
4. What did you do well? What could you have done
better? What will you do differently the next time?
5. What did you learn? How will this affect the way
you think about and interact with children in the future?
6. Additional comments...
Group Games – Part I
The assignment will be explained in class. Upon completion, students will write up their Group Game plan by addressing the following questions. Write-ups must be typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins on all sides, and 1-2 pages in length.
1. Name of game
2. Type of game
3. Setting (child care setting, age of players, will
you know the children beforehand, etc.)
4. How is the game played? (number of players, rules,
objectives, materials, etc.)
5. What is the teacher’s role in the game? (how will
you introduce the game, what kind of teacher involvement do you
anticipate throughout the game,
etc.)
6. How does this game meet (or not meet) each of
the three criteria of good games? What adaptations will you make so that
the game meets each of the three
criteria?
7. Additional comments...
Group Games – Part II
The assignment will be explained in class. Upon completion, students will write up their Group Game experience using the following format. Papers must be typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins on all sides. Please adhere to the page lengths given below. Please begin each section on a new page.
1. Details (maximum length: 1 page): how many
players participated, ages and gender(s), setting, length of time spent
playing
the game, did the players know
you previously, etc.
2. Description (maximum length: 2 pages): how
did you gather the players, how did you introduce the game, how did you
explain the rules, how did the
game play out, what happened in each round, etc.
3. Analysis (maximum length: 3 pages):
WEEK 1: AUGUST 29
SEPTEMBER 7
SEPTEMBER 14
SEPTEMBER 21
OCTOBER 12
OCTOBER 19