Early Childhood Education P-3 Major
The Early Childhood Education P-3 major is designed for students seeking a preschool through grade 3 teaching endorsement. Coursework and field experience provide multiple opportunities for applied understanding of children's growth and development, building family and community relationships, conducting observations and assessments, understanding developmentally appropriate practices, implementing curriculum, and promoting the well-being of young children and their families.
Students complete two consecutive semesters of part time practicum teaching prior to student teaching. During the practicum semesters, students spend the equivalent of four half-days in supervised settings working directly with children while concurrently completing their P3 methods and other upper division courses. The student teaching semester is a full time, whole day, fourteen-week supervised experience in a K-3 classroom setting. No other courses are taken during the student teaching semester.
Students must receive a grade of "C" or higher in all required courses and must be admitted into the Teacher Education Program prior to taking their upper division methods and practicum coursework.
Upon completion of the degree, students are eligible for licensure in the state of Montana. For more information on admission to the Teacher Education Program, student teaching, licensure, professional expectations, and more, please see the Teacher Education Program section of this catalog.
| Freshman Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | |
| EDU 101US - Teaching and Learning | 3 | |
| EDU 222IS - Educ Psych & Child Development | 3 | |
| M 132 - Numbers & Operations for K-8 Teachers | 3 | |
| University Core and Electives | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| EDEC 160 - Early Childhood Development | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | 4 | |
| M 133Q - Geometry & Measure K-8 Teachers | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
AMST 101D - Introduction to American Studies or AMST 201IH - American Identity, American Dreams or ANTY 101D - Anthropology and the Human Experience or GPHY 121D - Human Geography or GPHY 141D - Geography of World Regions or SOCI 101IS - Introduction to Sociology | ||
| University Core and Electives | 3 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 16 |
| Sophomore Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| EDEC 108 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education | 2 | |
| EDEC 288 - Signing for Early Childhood Educators | 3 | |
| EDU 263 - Teaching Grammar Through Writing | 3 | |
| EDU 370 - Integrating Tech into Educ | 3 | |
| HDFS 263 - Relationships and Family Systems | 3 | |
| NUTR 221CS - Basic Human Nutrition | 3 | |
| EDEC 253 - Nutrition & Physical Activity in Early Childhood | 3 | |
| EDU 204IA - Arts & Lifelong Learning | 3 | |
| EDU 211D - Multicultural Education | 3 | |
| EDU 330 - Emergent Literacy | 3 | |
| University Core and Electives | 3 | |
| Year Total: | 17 | 15 |
| Junior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| EDEC 350 - Play and Learning in Early Childhood | 3 | |
| EDSP 306 - Exceptional Learners | 3 | |
| EDU 382 - Assessmt, Curric, Instructn | 3 | |
| HDFS 371 - Research Methods in HHD | 3 | |
| Electives | 2 | |
| EDEC 385 - Integrated Curriculum Early Childhood Education | 3 | |
| EDEC 450 - Language and Literacy in Early Childhood | 3 | |
| EDEC 455 - P-3 English Language Arts and Social Studies | 3 | |
| EDP 301 - Practicum I: K-8 | 3 | |
| EDSP 458 - Assessment and Intervention | 4 | |
| Year Total: | 14 | 16 |
| Senior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| EDEC 430 - Social and Emotional Development in the Young Child | 3 | |
| EDEC 453 - P-3 STEAM | 3 | |
| EDP 302 - Practicum II: K-8 | 3 | |
| EDU 438 - Literacy Assessment, Diagnosis and Instruction | 3 | |
| Electives | 3 | |
| EDU 495R - Student Teaching | 12 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 12 |
| Total Program Credits: | 120 | |