Individualization: An Essential Element of the Curriculum

Introduction
Six Months Old
One Year Old
Eighteen Months Old
Two Years Old
Three Years Old
Four Years Old
Five Years Old

The Program Performance Standards require that learning experiences in Head Start be individualized. It is possible to design experiences to be appropriate for a child at various ages and stages of development, and with changing interests and needs. An activity can be done in a variety of ways that respond to the interests and learning styles of the child.

Sharing stories between adults and young children is an excellent example of how an experience can be individualized. The following vignettes examine how story sharing provides opportunities for many kinds of experiences: the emotional closeness of sitting on the lap of a trusted adult and hearing a familiar voice; the security of hearing familiar words from a favorite book; the fun of anticipating and recognizing an upcoming word in a story; the sense of pride that comes from being able to chime in with the next word when the reader pauses; the excitement of recognizing letters or words on the page.

Each of the following vignettes proposes a goal for the activity in this case, story sharing and illustrates how the activity can be adapted to meet the developmental needs of a child. They describe the experience of a young girl, Cathy, in two Early Head Start programs, a Head Start program, and as she moves from one home to another and to a homeless shelter.

Six Months Old

Goal: To help Cathy adjust to a new situation

It's Cathy's first day at her local Early Head Start program and she's very scared. Things smell and sound different here. She can see other children playing, but all she does is cry. Her teacher understands and picks her up, holds her close, and whispers in her ear. When Cathy starts to calm down, her teacher reaches for a board book with pictures of other babies. These pictures interest Cathyshe reaches for the pages and looks at whatever pictures she chooses.

One Year Old

Goal: To make the sharing of stories a fun activity

Discovering that legs can take her anywhere she wants to go, Cathy is so busy. She explores with pull and push toys and loves to kick. Her teacher makes story time special by picking out books about other children who are busy running and playing. The teacher reads these stories when Cathy is ready to sit and relax a while in her lap.

Eighteen Months Old

Goal: To introduce the idea that books are handled in particular ways (e.g. books have a front cover)

Each morning, Cathy comes to Early Head Start excited to play with all the toys, and especially the dolls. She is often seen "reading" to her "babies." Her teacher notices that the books are often held upside down and the pages are turned in both directions. Without correcting Cathy, her teacher uses this opportunity to help Cathy identify the front of the book. Cathy is later seen "teaching" her baby about the front of books.

Two Years Old

Goal: To foster familiarity between Cathy and a new teacher

Cathy's family has moved from a small rural community to the city, and Cathy is now in a different Early Head Start program. The new program means a different teacher, a bigger building, and many more people around. Since the change occurred in the middle of the year, the other children and teachers have already formed close relationships. The special one-on-one time Cathy and her teacher spend reading provides Cathy with a familiar sense of security.

Three Years Old

Goal: To recognize that books are handled in particular ways (e.g., books have a front and back, a top and bottom, and they are read from left to right)

Cathy has demonstrated that her favorite activities include books. Cathy's teacher, Miss Vanessa, lets Cathy find the front covers of books. Cathy is also beginning to understand that books have beginnings and endings. Miss Vanessa encourages her to turn the pages, reinforcing the idea that books go from the front to the back and left to right. In this way, Cathy shows her teacher that she can "read."

Four Years Old

Goal: To understand the connection between spoken and written language

Cathy's family has just moved into a homeless shelter. She isn't sleeping or eating very well, and her teachers have noticed that she is taking less initiative. She isn't talking very much and is more hesitant to play with other children. Miss Vanessa makes a special effort to stay close to Cathy. When the class takes field trips, Cathy holds on to Miss Vanessa's hand at all times. Miss Vanessa takes advantage of this by talking with her about what they see on their trips. When they return, Cathy draws pictures of the trip and shares them with Miss Vanessa. As they talk, the teacher writes Cathy's story at the bottom of each picture. Cathy helps write letters and some words of her own. Miss Vanessa staples the pictures together and reads the "story" back to Cathy, who smiles as she hears her words repeated. Cathy asks to take her "book" home to the shelter to "read" to her mother and some of the other children.

Five Years Old

Goal: To facilitate transition

Cathy and some of her classmates will be entering kindergarten in the fall, and her Head Start teachers have been working with the kindergarten teachers and families to finalize transition plans. They have arranged to have some of the same books in both classrooms, so the children will see something familiar when they enter their new class. Cathy's Head Start teachers read and discuss books about children going to school. The Head Start children and parents visit the new school and kindergarten classes several times. When they return from each trip, Cathy and the other children discuss their upcoming adventure and some decide to "write" a book about the new "big school." They draw pictures and the teacher helps write their words.