Planning

Resources Created by Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners

  • Using the Teaching Cycle to Inform Your Practice – This article, created by Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners, shares information about the process of using the teaching cycle. This process, which includes observation, documentation, and assessment, informs educators’ planning and implementation of age-appropriate, culturally relevant learning experiences. The framework also highlights the importance of considering individual children’s developmental levels and goals when designing curriculum and classroom environments.
  • Assessments to Inform Practice – These slides, created by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners, share information about using assessment to inform educational practices. The slides make connections to the teaching cycle and developmentally appropriate practices.

Resources from HeadStart.gov

  • Purposeful Lesson Planning: Exploring the Focused Teaching Cycle Tool – In the HeadStart.gov video, Ounce of Prevention shares their research and experience using an intentional lesson planning process called the Focused Teaching Cycle. Implementing effective teaching strategies is a critical task for early childhood educators and requires purposeful planning, and this video.
  • Effective Practice Guides – These guides provide classroom teachers, family child care providers, and home visitors with information about domain-specific teaching practices that support children’s development. The guides are organized around 4 principles of learning, show what the practices look like, and can be used in multiple ways to support changes in practice.

Other Resources

  • NAEYC: DAP: Planning and Implementing an Engaging Curriculum to Achieve Meaningful Goals – The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) position statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) emphasizes the importance of a well-planned and engaging curriculum to achieve meaningful learning goals for young children. It highlights that curriculum should be culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate, and designed to reflect both general knowledge about child development and the unique needs of each child. The statement also highlights the need for collaboration between educators and families, as well as the importance of connecting learning experiences to children’s existing knowledge.
  • The Framework for Teaching: A Guide for Reflection, Observation and Planning – The Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson provides a comprehensive guide for educators focused on enhancing their teaching practices through reflection, observation, and conversation. It outlines four key domains: planning and preparation, learning environments, learning experiences, and principled teaching. The framework emphasizes understanding students, creating engaging and supportive classrooms, and continuously growing as a professional, with the ultimate goal of promoting student learning and development. It also highlights the importance of involving families and communities in education, emphasizing the role of educators as moral leaders.
  • Shaping the plan: Elements to consider in approaching teaching – This Penn State webpage shares the importance of thoughtful planning in early childhood education. It encourages educators to consider the children themselves, their intentions, and various resources when creating lesson plans and approaches to teaching. The webpage also provides tips on creating plans with reflection questions to guide instruction.

 

Updated 5/07/2025