3 Semester Hours

ESSE 493/593, Integrating Early Childhood Literature, Language Arts,  and Social Studies across the Early Childhood Curriculum is a three-credit-hour, undergraduate/graduate-level course offering a review of literary materials suitable for nursery, kindergarten and early elementary school children.  Social issues affecting children and early childhood literature related to these issues, the use of teaching strategies and techniques in the content areas of history, geography, economics and civics, which are based on Piaget's theory of constructivism, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Council for the Social Studies standards, and the Virginia SOLs are emphasized.

Integrating Early Childhood Literature, Language Arts, and Social Studies across the Early Childhood Curriculum has the following two-fold purpose of acquainting and/or assisting the professional educator with:

1.  techniques for promoting positive and long-lasting attitudes in all children PK-4, including children with disabilities and developmental delays, toward social studies, real-life problem solving, language, literacy and a love of books;
2. determining appropriate ways to integrate early childhood literature, language arts, and social studies across the early childhood curriculum using instructional strategies, materials, content and environments which are developmentally appropriate for young children and that address professional standards (PK-4);