Young Children - May 2008 - (Page 12) Calendar Time for Young Children Heather, a student teacher, watches as Ms. Kelsey begins calendar time with the 4-year-olds seated in a semicircle on the rug. “What day is it today?” Ms. Kelsey asks, gesturing toward the large calendar on an easel next to her. When no one responds, she asks, “Well, what day was it yesterday?” The children show little enthusiasm for the exercise, but finally Mindy offers, “Yesterday was Friday!” Ms. Kelsey says, “No, it wasn’t Friday, Mindy. Does someone else know what day it was yesterday?” Terrance suggests, “Wednesday?” to which Ms. Kelsey responds, “Right! And if it was Wednesday yesterday, then what day is it today?” Several wrong guesses later, the correct answer emerges. Ms. Kelsey then asks Terrance to cross out the corresponding date on the calendar. When he hesitates, she prompts, “Just look at the date we crossed out yesterday.” Terrance still seems confused, so Ms. Kelsey points to a box and says, “That’s the one for today.” Although the children are quite restless and appear indifferent to the solution to the date problem, Ms. Kelsey succeeds in getting them to say in unison, “Today is Thursday, February 15th.” Shortly after large group time, Heather meets with her faculty supervisor, who suggests that when helping the children get ready to go home, Heather might casually ask them what day it will be when they get home. She also suggests that when a child gives the correct answer, Heather should ask, “Are you sure?” Later, following this advice, Heather finds that about a third of the children do not know what day it will be when they get home. Among those who get the day right, about half are unsure of their answer. Heather wonders about the calendar activity. After all, it is February, and calendar time has been part of the children’s daily routine since September. Good Intentions Gone Awry Sallee J. Beneke, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, and Lilian G. Katz Why do the children struggle to answer Ms. Kelsey correctly, when they have participated in this routine for months? What is the long-term impact on children when they engage regularly in an activity they do not fully understand? Here is a fresh look at calendar time in light of what we know about child development and best practices. Young children’s development of a sense of time Adults use calendars to mark and measure time, such as scheduling appointments, remembering birthdays, and anticipating upcoming special events (spring break, a basketball tournament). However, if we look at the development of children’s understanding of time (sometimes referred to as temporal understanding), there is © Diane Greenseid Sallee J. Beneke is the author and coauthor of several books on the project approach. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois and provides professional development for school districts and child care centers. Micki Ostrosky, PhD, is on faculty in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She collaborates with other faculty in the Center on Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and is involved with The Autism Program in Illinois. Micki is involved in research on social interaction interventions, naturalistic language interventions, social-emotional competence, challenging behavior, and transitions. ostrosky@uiuc.edu Lilian G. Katz, PhD, is codirector of the Clearinghouse on Early Childhood and Parenting and professor emerita at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Lilian served as vice president and president of NAEYC in the 1990s. She has lectured in more than 60 countries and served as visiting professor in a half dozen countries. ® 2, 3, 4 Young Children • May 2008 12
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