From Basketball to the Beatles: In Search of Compelling Early Childhood Curriculum [Paperback]

Ben Mardell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0325001944 | ISBN-13: 978-0325001944 | Publication Date: October 12, 1999

This entertaining and informative guide provides both the big picture about work in early childhood classroomsthe theory of teaching young childrenand the details of developing and implementing preschool curriculum.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[This] book does not leave us awestruck by the brilliance of a single teacher. It draws us in.”–Eleanor Duckworth

About the Author

Ben Mardell has taught in early childhood classrooms for more than 15 years. Ben was the afternoon preschool teacher at Oxford Street Day Care Cooperative in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Currently, he works at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on the Making Learning Visible Project, a collaboration with the Municipal Infant-toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The author of From Basketball to the Beatles: In Search of Compelling Early Childhood Curriculum (Heinemann, 1999), Ben is also a speaker in Heinemann's Professional Development programs. Presentations by Ben Mardell emphasize the nuts and bolts of planning and implementing early childcare curriculum, as well as larger themes about early childhood curriculum-goals, moral education, and behavioral issues. Mardell's work at Harvard has also taught him about the vital area of documentation as well as some of the practical considerations involved I putting together useful documentation of children's learning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (October 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325001944
• ISBN-13: 978-0325001944
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Having fun with ideas, December 4, 2000

By 

Jessica (Brownsville, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Basketball to the Beatles: In Search of Compelling Early Childhood Curriculum (Paperback)

I thought this was a great book from the beginning to the ending. I like the way the author/teacher takes the reader through the year, with an introduction to the children and some of the problems they may be having at home. As a reader you become closely aquainted with each child and the themes he uses throughout the year. Getting to the main purpose of his book, Ben Mardell goes into detail with each of his themes. He dedicated an entire chapter for each theme and what kind of activities he uses with his children. As he goes through these themes and activities, he also remembers to incorporate the children with problems at home to the theme at hand, and what sort of reactions they have to their new environments. The themes he uses are so original and fun. He makes sure to use themes that not only the children will enjoy, but that he himself will enjoy presenting and working with. There are some things that he decides to do that some of the parents as well as some of the teachers disagree with(the dissecting of a frozen dead squirrel)that he does anyway, and in which the children learn a lot from. I personally enjoyed this book a lot, and found all of his ideas wonderful and so original!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this before your kids can!, June 22, 2001

By 

D. Kass "DK" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Basketball to the Beatles: In Search of Compelling Early Childhood Curriculum (Paperback)

Though this book is about creating meaningful pre-school curricula, readers should not think its creativity and thoughtfulness is limited to classroom prescriptions. It's a carefully crafted philosophy on how children learn and interact with each other and adults. I often think about the chapter on teaching kids about the Beatles, or about preparing kids for group activity as I interact with my child outside of a daycare setting. I gave copies of this book to my child's daycare center, and will evaluate future early childhood education efforts against the standard set by Mardell.

5.0 out of 5 stars For New Teachers, February 26, 2010

By 

J. Nunez (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From Basketball to the Beatles: In Search of Compelling Early Childhood Curriculum (Paperback)

This book is perfect for teachers just entering the field. It gives different curriculum ideas, and how Mardell carried them out. What's interesting about the book is that Mardell includes the issue he faced while carrying out the curriculum and how he handled them. The book is mostly based on curriculum but there is a chapter about dealing with children that goes against the rules of the classroom. Mardell seems to speak really fast, so you just have to keep up with him saying a lot of things just on one page. I love this book, I think its a great book to keep in your library if you plan to continue teaching.