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Young children have a natural curiosity about their
physical, social and technological world. They have a
strong desire to make sense of their world...
It is important that learning experiences build upon each
child's understandings, skills, values and experiences. |
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Before they can comprehend the world
at large, students in the Early Childhood phase of development
have to gain an understanding of the world immediately relevant
to them: their family, local community/neighbourhood and school.
They are very much tied to the present and how it affects them.
Moreover, young children from Years K to 3 are just beginning
to develop a concept of time. It is well known that they anticipate
significant events in their lives by counting the number of
'sleeps' before the important date.
The following suggestions therefore, assume that the Future
theme will be more meaningful for these students if examined
in terms of the immediate future, relevant to young children,
rather than looking forward many years ahead.
The aim is to help children understand the future by looking
at the concept of 'later' and 'tomorrow' in terms of parts of
the day, days of the week, or months of the year and perhaps
when they grow up, rather than what the world will be like in
the next century.
Click on the approaches listed below
for learning ideas and fiction titles to get you started.
- Stories About
- Search Future
- Fiction in the CMIS Resource Bank
for a complete list of related stories. [Use the Early
Childhood restrictor to just see titles appropriate
for this phase]
Read and examine issues in stories about:
- A new baby in the family or a grandparent
moving in
- Celebrations such as birthdays, Christmas,
festivals
- Planning holidays or other important events
- Beginning school or moving up to a new
class
- Moving house
CLARKE, Gus. How
Many Days To My Birthday?
Mammoth, 1994
When you are only four, it seems such a long time between birthdays.
For Danny, the wait seems to be never-ending. Florence next
door has had six and even the cat has had more birthdays than
him.
GLEESON, Libby and JAMES, Ann. Hannah
and the Tomorrow Room
Penguin, 1999
Hannah is very excited, because at long last her parents have
nearly finished painting the 'tomorrow room', a new bedroom
that has been built on for Hannah and the baby to share. However,
all the plans are thrown awry when grandad becomes ill and moves
into the new room.
GLIORI, Deb. New Big House
Walker,
1994
With one budgie, two hamsters, the school
rabbits at weekends and a lonely goldfish, plus a cat almost
ready to have kittens, a family finds their house is too small.
it seems to shrink even further when the twins begin to walk.
So they set out to buy a larger house. However, non of the houses
they inspect are suitable. Finally they decide on the perfect
solution.
INSERRA, Rose and SCOTT, Marjorie. My
First Sleepover
CIS, 1995
Picture Book. A young girl shares her excitement and fears as
she prepares to sleep over at a friend's house for the first
time. Social justice issues are positively addressed in this
story which includes characters from different racial groups.
ROSEN, Michael and WILLIAMS, Sophy. Moving
Puffin, 1995
Picture Book. Through the eyes of an independent
cat this book tells of moving house and the disruption and resentment
it causes. With patience and the temptation of food, a young
boy is able to settle his cat in its new home.
WHYBROW, Ian and BIRMINGHAM, Christian. A
Baby For Grace
Kingfisher, 1998
Picture Book. Grace is waiting for the new baby to come home.
She tries to help with putting up the wallpaper in the baby's
room 'No Grace, a bit sticky for little girls'. When the baby
finally arrives and Grace tries to hold her new sibling everyone
says 'No Grace not like that'. Grace is feeling rather left
out until her present for the new baby is greeted with 'Yes
Gracey... what a kind sister.'
WILD, Margaret and GAMBLE, Kim.
First Day
Allen & Unwin, 1998
Picture Book. For any child, the first day at school is a very
emotional experience. This delightful story tells of how six
children from varied family and cultural backgrounds cope with
their first day. Each of these little characters has a set idea
about what to expect from school but at the end of the day each
child returns home fulfilled and happy.
Look at stories dealing with:
- The Seasons
- Days of the Week
- Clocks
HAFNER, Marylin. A
Year With Molly and Emmett
Walker, 1998
Picture Book. Presented in colourful, comic-strip format, this
book is divided into four sections corresponding with the seasons.
Each season contains a story featuring Molly and her friend
Emmett, the cat, explaining what activities are common to that
particular time of year. Children will be attracted to the cartoon
format and will be especially entertained by the antics of Emmett.
CARLE, Eric. Today is Monday
Penguin, 1996
Picture Book. This book with accumulative poem about food and
the days of the week, includes a simple melody for the poem
at the end of the book.
CARLE, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Hamilton, 1994
Picture Book. Eric Carle's classic story about the life cycle
of a caterpillar can be used to help children learn the days
of the week and develop a concept of growing up and changing
over time.
GRAHAM, Bob. Queenie
the Bantam
Walker,
1997
Picture Book. Bob Graham's story about a family who rescue
a bantam hen from the lake, is a careful interweaving of picture
and text; and is totally engaging. Queenie takes over the dog's
basket, becoming a member of the family very rapidly. When the
family try to return her to the farm she has other ideas and
every time she is taken back, she returns and lays just one
more egg in Bruno's basket.
It is useful for concept development of under and over, around,
through and across, discussion about families (including the
arrival of a new baby) as well as aspects of time passing and
change.
HUTCHINS, Pat. Clocks and More
Clocks
Penguin, 1974
If your school has a copy of this old favourite about Mr Higgins
and his four clocks, it provides a good introduction to time.
McKEE, David. The Schoolbus Comes at Eight O'Clock
Andersen, 1993
Picture Book. The Giles family set the time
by the school bus every morning. But, Mrs Giles buys a clock
and that's when the fun begins. Another clock is bought to see
if the first one is right, then they have to buy another and
another. Eventually it is decided that they were really better
off before they had clocks to rule their lives.
WHEATLEY, Nadia and McLEAN, Andrew.
Highway
Omnibus, 1998
Picture Book. The theme of families on holiday is not
a new one but this is the story of a family holiday with a difference.
Dad has work to do but that does not mean there is no time for
a holiday adventure. All the preparations are done as if everyone
will be gone for days, not just on a delivery run with dad in
his truck. Everybody feels like it is a real holiday, and it
is. There is even a souvenir collection to remember it all.
Andrew McLean's line drawings washed with colour, catch the
holiday spirit and the essence of the characters. The idea of
a journey down a highway is maintained using a child's map representation
of the route taken. Each stage of the trip is presented as part
of a narrative and clarified with illustrations of highway signs
and symbols drawing on the reader's personal experiences and
adding further interest.
NOTE: This story can be used to introduce children to
the idea of going on holiday 'tomorrow': 'When are we going
in the big truck?'...'Tomorrow', my father promises.
The passage of the day from before dawn until late at night
is also useful to help students think about day and night, morning,
afternoon and evening.
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Examine various aspects of growing up:
- What do you want to be?
- Different ages, different stages
- New Experiences
CORNWELL, Linda and ROWE, Gavin. Baby
Seal All Alone
Koala Books, 1999
Picture Book. A newly born baby seal plays all alone in the
sea and each day learns more and more about her world. When
she wants to play with each new bird or sea creature she sees,
her mother warns her to take care because they are big and she
is small. Gradually baby seal matures and when a new seal is
born she is given the responsibility of caring for it.
HUTCHINS, Pat. Titch
Red
Fox, 1997
Picture Book. Titch is the youngest and smallest in his family.
His brother Pete and sister Mary have bigger bikes, kites that
fly higher, and instruments that make bigger noises. However,
when Titch plants a tiny seed, they all find that starting off
small is a stage of growing.
Lester, Alison. When Frank Was Four
Hodder Children's Books Australia, 1995
Picture Book. Taking a light-hearted look at everyday life,
this delightful book recounts amusing incidents from the childhood
of Frank and his six friends from age one to seven.
ROGERS,Paul and PRATER, John. Nearly
But Not Quite
Bodley Head, 1997
Picture Book. When Simon goes out to play with his friends he
finds that he does not feel like the bog boy everyone tells
him to be. He is nearly but not quite able to climb, fire a
bow and arrow, and ride a bicycle. Simon cannot seem to keep
up with the older children but he finds there are advantages
in being a little younger.
WILLIS, Jeanne and REES, Mary. What
Do You Want To Be, Brian?
Andersen, 1998
Picture Book. Everybody in Brian's family wants him to be something
different. His mother wants him to be a violinist, his sister
wants him to be a ballerina and so it goes on. Brian doesn't
want to be any of the things suggested, so finally he speaks
out for himself.
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