Home as Partner: The Shared Connection
NANCY LEE CECIL
This article helps teachers of young children establish a home-school connection that integrates the literacy experience of the child at home and in the community with the classroom literacy instruction. After reviewing some research on home literacy, the importance of understanding differences in home practices is discussed. Suggestions for making the initial connection and for conducting parent workshops are provided. Other forms of communication with parents are presented.
NANCY LEE CECIL is Professor of Teacher Education at California State University, Sacramento.
The Thinking Child: An Interpretational Research Study
JACKIE L. IMBIMBO
This is an interpretive study in a kindergarten classroom that looks at representational thinking in the construction of knowledge. Using theory building as the context in the acquisition of knowledge, the study focuses on the theoretical frameworks of Piaget, Vygotsky, and the Theory of Mind. The classroom teacher who conducted this study utilized science curriculum as a focus for examining the social, developmental, and cognitive processes that are involved in representational thinkers constructing an understanding of causal relationships through the construction and reconstruction of theories.
JACKIE L. IMBIMBO is a kindergarten teacher at Austin Creek School in the Rincon Valley School District, Santa Rosa.
What Do I Need to Know About Including a Young Child With Autism in My Kindergarten Class?
STEVEN E. DALEY / MAURINE BALLARD-ROSA
Many kindergarten teachers are being asked to include autistic children in their classrooms. This article provides resources for these teachers to initiate their own learning about autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The article emphasizes a team approach for working with the autistic child, and members of the team include the classroom teacher, special education professionals, and members of the family of the autistic child. The article also emphasizes that no one practice or set of practices, or even a theoretical perspective, that is better than another because autistic children have a wide variety of behaviors, not all of which are behavioral. References to many resources and an annotated resources list are provided.
STEVEN E. DALEY is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology at California State University, Sacramento.
MAURINE BALLARD-ROSA is a Professor in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology at California State University, Sacramento.
