This best-selling text addresses all aspects of classroom life, including the roles of children and adults, the physical and social environments, and teaching and learning within multiple domains for children age three to eight. It provides a comprehensive, cohesive approach to curriculum development, which results in greater continuity for children and practitioners in group settings in childcare, preschool, and the early elementary grades. Concentrating as much on the "how" of curriculum development as on the "what and why," the authors provide practical, research-based guidelines for translating theory into best practice that accommodates age-appropriateness, individual differences, and social and cultural diversity. Students learn how to conceptualize, plan, implement, and evaluate curriculum through detailed application opportunities in each chapter.New Features to this Edition include: Assignable activities online at MyEducationLab are meaningfully integrated into each chapter, with margin notes referring to videos, classroom artifacts, and strategies in "Assignments and Activities" and more applied exercises in "Building Teaching Skills and Dispositions" New Developmentally Appropriate Practice definitions are incorporated throughout Stronger focus on national curriculum standards More emphasis on key topics such as circle time, structuring the environment, classroom arrangements, scheduling, and cultural variations in teaching Thorough integration of children with special needs in every chapter, offering examples, case studies, and specific adaptations to activities Stronger emphasis on intentional teaching, helping students prepare for the reality of classroom expectations