The Mitten Curriculum Units

Early childhood comprehensive curriculum uses familiar children’s literature to provide a solid educational foundation of the basic skills necessary for children to be successful in kindergarten. Uses rhyme, rhythm and repetition as the foundational approach to teaching, making this curriculum appropriate for all young children and especially effective for children with autism, language delays, or developmental delays. Storybook is not included./

Level 1 Unit Highlights:

• Extensive text and vocabulary
• Teaches animal identification
• Variety of gross motor movements associated with each animal
• Story-telling sequencing skills
• Discuss Ukrainian culture
• Colorful detailed illustrations
• Good winter unit

Level 2 Unit Highlights:

• Phonemic awareness
  The Mitten Alphabet Cards (letter identification)
  Matching Boots
  Color Words
  Snowball
  Syllables
  One or Many Animals (plurals)
  Animals in Action (action words)
• Math
  Dots and Numbers on a Mitten (number identification)
  A Basket Full of Yarn (graphing)
  The Mitten Simple Addition and Subtraction
  Shapes in a Mitten Shape Book
• Science
  A Closer Look at Animals in the Mitten
  What is Snow?
  Nicki, It’s Cold Outside! (weather chart)
  The Great Snowball Melt (measuring with a thermometer)
• Creative Writing and Social Studies
  The Mitten Creative Writing Stories
  If I Were a _____, Action Writing Prompts
  It’s a Cultural Thing (Ukranian Culture)

This curriculum systematically provides activities that provide explicit instruction on the most basic foundational skills, including activities for the common domains of speech/language, cognitive, gross motor, fine motor, daily living skills, and socialization. Uses rhyme, rhythm and repetition as a strategy to ensure that there is an intentional, extended focus on the most basic skills necessary for future academic success. Research has proven that having a firm understanding of these basic essential skills is necessary to achieve educational success in higher academic learning.

Activities reinforce basic fundamental concepts and are systematically offered in a variety of literacy based lessons throughout each domain. This curriculum unit uniquely provides a flexible structure where the environment and teaching strategies are solidly predictable with elements of creativity and exploration woven into each day. Includes color CD containing over 100 activities with printable graphics which teachers can manipulate in color or black and white to decrease prep time.

Most of the concepts in the activities are offered in multiple levels of difficulty. This allows teachers to work on a particular skill individually or in a small group setting with children functioning at different levels. Every child has the opportunity to be successful which promotes a “can-do” attitude and fosters positive self-esteem.

Language skills are embedded into the activities in the domains of Speech and Language, Cognitive, Motor, Daily Living, and Socialization. Read It Once Again ensures that your students will be constantly immersed into a language rich curriculum.

Goals and objectives for activities provided in the speech and language section of every unit are designed to fulfill the requirements of many Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) for children with language delays. This feature enhances the probability of mastering IEP goals and objectives.

Each unit includes an “At-A -Glance” as an introduction to the vocabulary used in the story. At- A- Glance lists all of the nouns, verbs, and teachable concepts found in the story. This is a handy tool for Speech and Language therapists who are seeking stories with a low or high volume of vocabulary, particular nouns, verbs or words with certain suffixes or pretexts.

Literary units are presented in a format which encourages teachers, therapists, parents and other related services to easily share the content of the curriculum. The storybook, the unit, its goals and objectives, and related activities in each domain become the common factors which unite professionals to intertwine and overlap services. Therapists can easily provide push- in services in the classroom which benefit teachers and most importantly, children.

Effective and all inclusive

• Meets the needs of a wide range of abilities in a single classroom
• Literacy-based using familiar children’s literature
• Provides a structure for parent involvement
• Research-based and aligns with typical state standards/ developmental guidelines

Benefits Your Program:

• Promotes literacy
• Provides continuity for your Early Childhood department
• Easy to create long range planning
• Follows state standards and developmental guidelines
• Can be used alone or in conjunction with other curriculums as a supplement
• Supports special education IEPs (Individual Educational Plan)
• Documented record of student success
• Coordinates classroom activities with special therapy services (SLP, OT, PT)
• Provides guidance and structure for inexperienced teachers
• Motivating and flexible format for experienced teachers

Benefits Your Students:

• Improves speech and language skills
• Incorporates language into these early childhood domains:
  • Cognitive
  • Gross motor
  • Fine motor
  • Daily living
  • Socialization
• Creates an atmosphere combining literacy with fun and learning
• Promotes early literacy by introducing them to familiar children’s literature
• Age appropriate materials promoting success
• Captures the fun of using rhyme, rhythm and repetition as a tool for promoting language