How and what should young children be taught? What emphasis should be given to emotional learning? How do we involve families? Addressing these and other critical questions, this authoritative volume brings together developmentalists and early educators to discuss what an integrated, developmentally appropriate curriculum might look like across the preschool and early elementary years. State-of-the-science work is presented on brain development and the emergence of cognitive, socioemotional, language, and literacy skills in 3- to 8-year-olds. Drawing on experience in real-world classrooms, contributors describe novel, practical approaches to promoting school readiness, tailoring instruction to childrens learning needs, and improving the teaching of language arts, math, and science.

How and what should young children be taught? What emphasis should be given to emotional learning? How do we involve families? Addressing these and other critical questions, this authoritative volume brings together developmentalists and early educators to discuss what an integrated, developmentally appropriate curriculum might look like across the preschool and early elementary years. State-of-the-science work is presented on brain development and the emergence of cognitive, socioemotional, language, and literacy skills in 3- to 8-year-olds. Drawing on experience in real-world classrooms, contributors describe novel, practical approaches to promoting school readiness, tailoring instruction to children’s learning needs, and improving the teaching of language arts, math, and science.

I. Development and Early Education1. Developmental Science and Early Education: An Introduction, Oscar A. Barbarin and Kevin Miller2. Rethinking Early Schooling: Using Developmental Science to Transform Children’s Early School Experiences, Sharon Ritchie, Kelly L. Maxwell, and Sue Bredekamp3. Bridging Developmental Theory and Educational Practice: Lessons from the Vygotskian Project, Anna Stetsenko and Eduardo Vianna II. Brain Functioning and Learning4. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Education Practice, Maria Fusaro and Charles A. Nelson III5. Neurodevelopmental Changes in Infancy and Beyond: Implications for Learning and Memory, Patricia J. Bauer 6. Learning to Remember, Peter A. Ornstein, Jennifer L. Coffman, and Jennie K. Grammer7. The Mind of the Preschool Child: The Intelligence–School Interface, Marc H. Bornstein III. Social and Emotional Development8. Development of Self, Relationships, and Socioemotional Competence: Foundations for Early School Success, Ross A. Thompson and Miranda Goodman9. Taming the Terrible Twos: Self-Regulation and School Readiness, Susan D. Calkins and Amanda P. Williford 10. Teaching Hearts and Minds in Early Childhood Classrooms: Curriculum for Social and Emotional Development, Janet E. Thompson and Kelly K. Twibell11. Supporting Peer Relationships in Early Education, Kathleen Cranley Gallagher and Patricia R. Sylvester12. Promoting Social Acceptance and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Young Children: Learning from Developmental Research, Oscar A. Barbarin and Erica Odom IV. Language and Literacy13. The Social Context of Language and Literacy Development, Gordon Wells14. Teaching and Learning to Read, Barbara Hanna Wasik and Beth Anne Newman15. Changing Classroom Conversations: Narrowing the Gap between Potential and Reality, David K. Dickinson, Catherine Darrow, Sarah M. Ngo, and Lisa A. D’Souza16. Young Latino Children’s English Reading Development: Insight for Classroom Teachers, Steve Amendum and Jill Fitzgerald17. Supporting Parental Practices in the Language and Literacy Development of Young Children, Oscar A. Barbarin and Nikki Aikens V. Mathematics and Science 18. Early Mathematics Education and How to Do It, Herbert P. Ginsburg19. Improving Preschoolers’ Number Sense Using Information-Processing Theory, Robert S. Siegler20. The Early Construction of Mathematical Meanings: Learning Positional Representation of Numbers, Maria G. Bartolini Bussi and Mara Boni21. Applying Developmental Approaches to Learning Math, Beth Casey22. Construction and Representation of Space in 5-Year-Old Children, Rossana Falcade and Paola Strozzi 23. Enhancing Mathematical Problem Solving in Primary School Children, Erik De Corte, Lieven Verschaffel, and Fien Depaepe24. Science Education for Young Children: A Conceptual-Change Point of View, Stella Vosniadou25. Improving Science Teaching for Young Children, Mark Enfield and Dwight Rogers VI. Conclusion26. Applying Lessons from Developmental Science to Early Education, Samuel L. Odom, Oscar A. Barbarin, and Barbara Hanna Wasik