M M.ed Bridgett Parsons

Carousel Curriculum Polar Animals: a Literature-based Thematic Unit for Early Learners M M.ed Bridgett Parsons

CAROUSEL CURRICULUM Definition- carousel: a merry-go-round, a conveyer on which items are placed for later retrieval. (Education should be fun, and we learn by retrieving old information and building on it.) My curriculum is a collection of literature-based thematic units for early learners. The units are developmentally appropriate for all early learners. They are standards based and Creative Curriculum friendly. Carousel Curriculum has been used successfully with young learners including English language learners, children with special needs and diverse learning styles as well as homeschoolers. I am a teacher with 35 years of teaching experience in the areas of early childhood education and early childhood special education. Principals and co-workers always expressed an interest in my thematic units. This planted the bug for me to write down and market what I have used successfully for so many years. The curriculum was created through years of education, experience, trial and error, revisions, and updating. Each unit covers a span of 4-6 weeks. Each unit includes an introduction, weekly outlines, daily plans, poems and songs, a book list, additional activities listed by domain, and related ideas for centers. Each unit can be used independently or be used as part of the collection of units to create an interwoven curriculum: Animals And Their Environments. The total collection includes: Farm Animals, Forest Animals in Winter, Polar Animals, Jungle Animals, Pond Animals, and Ocean Animals. Additional units available are Farm Crops, A Safari, The Zoo, and The Circus. I hope the units will be a great resource for you and your class. Enjoy!!!