Casebook: Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8 

Editors, Contributors, and Reviewers 

Introduction and Book Overview | Jennifer J. Chen and Dana Battaglia 

Part 1: Creating a Caring, Equitable Community of Learners | Lisa R. Roy 

1.1 Missed Opportunities: Relationship Building in Inclusive Classrooms | Julia Torquati 

1.2 “My Name Is Not a Shame” | Kevin McGowan 

1.3 Fostering Developmentally Appropriate Practice Through Virtual Family Connections | Lea Ann Christenson 

1.4 Counting Collections in Community | Amy Schmidtke 

1.5 The Joy Jar: Celebrating Kindness | Leah Schoenberg Muccio 

1.6 Prioritizing Listening to and Learning from Families | Amy Schmidtke  

Part 2: Engaging in Reciprocal Partnerships with Families and Fostering Community Connections | Stephany Cuevas 

2.1 Julio’s Village: Early Childhood Education Supports for Teen Parents | Donna Kirkwood 

2.2 Healthy Boundaries: Listening to Children and Learning from Families | Jovanna Archuleta 

2.3 Roadmap of Family Engagement to Kindergarten: An Ecological Systems Approach | Marcela Andrés 

2.4 Taking Trust for Granted? The Importance of Communication and Outreach in Family Partnerships | Suzanna Ewert 

2.5 Book Reading: Learning About Migration and Our Family Stories | Sarah Rendón García  

Part 3: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing Children’s Development and Learning | Gayle Mindes 

3.1 Pairing Standardized Scale with Observation | Megan Schumaker-Murphy 

3.2 The Power of Observing Jordan | Marsha Shigeyo Hawley and Barbara Abel 

3.3 “But What Is My Child Learning?” | Janet Thompson and Jennifer Gonzalez 

3.4 Drawing and Dialogue: Using Authentic Assessment to Understand Children’s Sense  

of Self and Observe Early Literacy Skills | Brandon L. Gilbert 

3.5 The ABCs of Kindergarten Registration: Assessment, Background, and Collaboration Between Home and School | Bridget Amory 

3.6 Creating Opportunities for Individualized Assessment Activities for Biliteracy Development | Esther Garza 

3.7 Observing Second-Graders’ Vocabulary Development | Marie Ann Donovan 

3.8 Writing Isn’t the Only Way! Multiple Means of Expressing Learning | Lee Ann Jungiv  

Part 4: Teaching to Enhance Each Child’s Development and Learning | Emily Brown Hoffman  

4.1 Engaging with Families to Individualize Teaching | Marie L. Masterson  

4.2 Tumbling Towers with Toddlers: Intention and Decision Making Over Blocks | Ron Grady  

4.3 What My Heart Holds: Exploring Identity with Preschool Learners | Cierra Kaler-Jones  

4.4 “I See a Really Big Gecko!” When Background Knowledge and Teaching Materials Don’t Match | Germaine Kaleilehua Tauati and Colleen E. Whittingham  

4.5 Using a Humanizing and Restorative Approach for Young Children to Develop Responsibility and Self-Regulation | Saili S. Kulkarni, Sunyoung Kim, and Nicola Holdman  

4.6 Joyful, Developmentally Appropriate Learning Environments for African American Youth | Lauren C. Mims, Addison Duane, LaKenya Johnson, and Erika Bocknek  

Part 5: Planning and Implementing an Engaging Curriculum to Achieve Meaningful Goals | Daniel R. Meier  

5.1 Using the Environment and Materials as Curriculum for Promoting Infants’ and Toddlers’ Exploration of Basic Cause-and-Effect Principles | Guadalupe Rivas  

5.2 Social Play Connections Among a Small Group of Preschoolers | Leah Catching  

5.3 Can Preschoolers Code? A Sneak Peek into a Developmentally Appropriate Coding Lesson | Olabisi Adesuyi-Fasuyi  

5.4 Everyday Gifts: Children Show Us the Path—We Observe and Scaffold | Martha Melgoza  

5.5 Learning to Conquer the Slide Through Persistence and Engaging in Social Interaction | Sueli Nunes  

5.6 “Sabes que todos los caracoles pueden tener bebés? Do You Know that All Snails Can Have Babies?” Supporting Children’s Emerging Interests in a Dual Language Preschool Classroom | Isauro M. Escamilla  

5.7 “Can We Read this One?” A Conversation About Book Selection in Kindergarten | Larissa Hsia-Wong  

Part 6: Demonstrating Professionalism as an Early Childhood Educator | Christyn Dundorf  

6.1 Take a Chance on Coaching: It’s Worth It! | Lauren Bond  

6.2 It Started with a Friendship Parade | Angela Vargas  

6.3 The World Outside of the Classroom: Letting Your Voice Be Heard | Meghann Hickey  

Part 7: Supporting Children with Disabilities and Implementing Inclusive Practices | Pamela Brillante  

7.1 Communication as a Two-Way Street? Creating Opportunities for Engagement During Meaningful Language Routines | Kameron C. Cardenv  

7.2 Eli Goes to Preschool: Inclusion for a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Abby Hodges 

7.3 Preschool Classroom Supports and Embedded Interventions with Coteaching | Racheal Kuperus and Desarae Orgo 

7.4 Addressing Challenging Behavior Using the Pyramid Model | Ellie Bold 

7.5 Dual Language or Disability? How Teachers Can Be the First to Help | Alyssa Brillante 

7.6 Adapting and Modifying Instruction Using Reader’s Theater | Michelle Gonzalez 

7.7 Supporting Children with Learning Disabilities in Mathematics: The Importance of Observation, Content Knowledge, and Context | Renee B. Whelan  

Part 8: Supporting Dual Language Learners and Respecting Cultural and Linguistic Diversity | Jennifer J. Chen 

8.1 Facilitating a Child’s Transition from Home to Group Care Through the Use of Cultural Caring Routines | Josephine Ahmadein 

8.2 Engaging Dual Language Learners in Conversation to Support Translanguaging During a Small Group Activity | Valeria Erdosi and Jennifer J. Chen 

8.3 Incorporating Children’s Cultures and Languages in Learning Activities | Eleni Zgourou 

8.4 Adapting Teaching Materials for Dual Language Learners to Reflect Their Home Languages and Cultures in a Math Lesson | Karen Nemeth 

8.5 Studying Celestial Bodies: Science and Cultural Stories | Zeynep Isik-Ercan 

8.6 Respecting Diverse Cultures and Languages by Sharing and Learning About Cultural Poems, Songs, and Stories From Others | Janis Strasser 

Index