THEOLOGY: 7 credits required

THE9105    Old Testament Bible Lessons          2 Credits
An in-depth study of the Old Testament Bible stories that are commonly taught in Lutheran early childhood ministries, stories that reveal how God carried out his plan of salvation and that point to Jesus as the promised Savior.

THE9106    New Testament Bible Lessons          2 Credits
An in-depth study of the New Testament Bible lessons commonly taught in Lutheran early childhood centers with a focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the spreading of the Christian Church; faith and eternal life; and the office of the public ministry.

THE9534    Grounded in Scripture          3 Credits
An introduction to theology that focuses on scriptural teachings that are of special importance to Christian early childhood teachers and lay chaplains.

EARLY CHILDHOOD MINISTRY EDUCATION: 5 credits required

EDU8103   Developing Home & School          1 Credit
Emphasis on developing a family-oriented classroom, techniques of communication, methods of actively engaging families, and resources to benefit family nurturing and school interaction. A family take-home kit and plan for implementing partnerships will be developed.

EDU8114   Roles and Responsibilities of the Lutheran Early Childhood Educator          1 Credit
An examination of the role of the early childhood educator in a Lutheran early childhood ministry setting.

EDU9109   Bible Story Telling in Early Childhood          1 Credit
Materials and methods for effective Bible storytelling and for enabling children’s retelling.

MUS8101  Music and Worship in ECE          1 Credit
Spiritual, musical, psychosocial, and cognitive aspects of music learning in early childhood. Participants will survey early childhood music learning theories and music teaching methods. The course will include the use of the WELS music curriculum, Sing and Make Music.

THE8112   The Role of ECE in Mission Outreach          1 Credit
Strategies to increase gospel outreach through early childhood education.

EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: 6 credits needed

EDU8101   Intellectual, Social, & Emotional          1 Credit
The social and emotional development of preprimary children and its impact on cognitive functioning and instructional approaches.

EDU8102   Operation & Management of ECE          1 Credit
An overview of the operation and management of early childhood education programs.

EDU8105   Encouraging Literacy Development          1 Credit
Theoretical and practical approach to promoting children’s emergent language development in early childhood settings.

EDU8108   Preprimary Curriculum Essentials I          1 Credit
Theory, research evidence, standards, teaching practices, Christian ECE philosophy, an active early learning environment, and a consistent daily routine that underlie and support a quality ECE curriculum.

EDU8109   Preprimary Curriculum Essentials II          1 Credit
Theory, research evidence, standards, teaching practices that underlie and support the ECE curriculum areas of mathematics, science and technology, social studies, and the visual and dramatic arts.

EDU8112   Health and Safety in Early Childhood          1 Credit
Planning for safety, first aid, health, and nutrition in the early childhood learning environment.

EDU8113   Assessment of Young Children          2 Credits
The knowledge and skills necessary to establish a practical approach for the observation and development assessment of young children and communication of progress to parents.

PED8101   Physical and Motor Development for Pre-primary          1 Credit
Teachers of young children play a vital role in fostering their physical and motor development. This two-day course addresses the physical needs of children from conception through childhood. Participants will plan for a week of physical education classes using a format presented in class.

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

A five-week experience in a WELS early childhood setting to be arranged on an individual basis.  This experience should be pre-approved by the director of teaching ministry certification. It may take place in the teacher’s own classroom.