Expanded environments Curriculum-

Expanded environments places the child at the center of the universe. Study of the world begins in Kindergarten with "me." In the first grade it expands to the study of the child's own family; in the second grade to the child's neighborhood; and in the third grade to the local community; in the fourth grade to the earth's regions; in the fifth grade the United States and in the sixth grade, the World.

Spiral Curriculum-

In a spiral curriculum, essential concepts are identified and taught at each grade level. Each concept is spiraled through the curriculum and taught at a more sophisticated level as children progress from year to year. Instruction related to each concept should be relatively basic and concrete at the lower grades and progress to more sophisticated levels as students proceed through the grades.

Integrating the Expanded Environment and Spiral Curricula

The two curriculum approaches are now being integrated in many textbook series. General topics, concepts or themes are identified and spiraled through the grade levels. The content of each grade level series then reflects and expanding environment influence.

California Curriculum-

This curriculum is divided into three strands. The strands include: 1) Knowledge of cultural understanding (knowledge), 2) Skills, attainment, and social participation (skills), 3) Democratic understanding and civic values (citizenship)

NCSS Position Statement-

(Focus is relational)

K- Awareness of Self in Social Setting

1- The Individual in Primary Social Groups: Understanding School and Family Life

2- Meeting Basic Needs in Nearby Social Groups: The Neighborhood

3- Sharing Earth-Space with Others: The Community

4- Human Life in Varied Environments: The Region

5- People of the Americas: The United States and Its Close Neighbors

Playdough Activity:

1. Provide students with a written description of the each curriculum model.

2. Have each student create a model out of playdough that represents his/her understanding of each model.

3. Once completed, organize the students into groups of _____. The students should share their models with the other students in their group.

4. After sharing, select one representation for each curriculum model to be shared with the class. Be prepared to share why these models were selected.

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