Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years (Early Childhood Education Series)

Now in its Third Edition Young Investigators provides an introduction to the project approach with step-by-step guidance for conducting meaningful investigations with young children. The authors have expanded their bestseller to include two new chapters How Projects Can Connect Children with Nature and Project Investigations as STEM Experiencesand to provide more help to teachers of the youngest children (toddlers) and older children (2nd grade). The new edition also shows teachers how to use standards in the topic selection process and identifies activities and experiences that will help children grasp key concepts and skills. Throughout the text readers listen to teachers concerns witness how they find solutions to challenges and experience how excited children become during project work. This book is appropriate for those new to using the Project Approach as well as for teachers who already have experience with implementing the Project Approach. Book Features: Examples of projects from child care centers and preschool K2 and special education classrooms. Instructions for incorporating standards and STEM skills into project work. A variety of experiences to help children connect to the natural world. Toddler projects that reflect knowledge from recent mind/brain research. Tools for integrating required curriculum goals and for assessing achievement. A Teacher Project Planning Journal that leads teachers through the major decision points of project work. Full-color photographs of children engaged with projects. A study guide for pre- and inservice teachers (available at tcpress.com).