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LANGUAGE
ARTS
In Kindergarten, Language Arts focuses on two main areas:
·
Preparing
children in a concrete, systematic way to embark upon the reading process;
·
Developing
positive feelings towards books and an awareness of the benefits of reading
The preparation for teaching children to read
begins with learning the letters and accompanying letter sounds. Letter names,
formation, and letter sounds are presented in conjunction with each other in a
multi-sensory approach. As the children learn the letter sounds, they are
exposed to how the sounds can be blended to form words and how words can be
segmented into sounds they know. Rhyming, syllabication, and other aspects of
phonological awareness curriculum are introduced systematically through
activities including games and songs. Trade books are incorporated into the
curriculum both to support the specific objectives of lessons and for
enjoyment. Excitement about reading is enhanced through dramatization, art
activities, and puppetry. Oral and listening skills are important aspects of
the language arts curriculum, and are also developed during content area
lessons too.
The Junior Great Books program is
used to complement language arts. Through the Junior
Great Books program, children are introduced to personally reacting to a
work of literature, critical thinking, relating literature to their own
experiences, composing poetry, and acting out critical parts of the story. The
stories and poems used in this program include classic American literature,
folktales from around the world, and poems written by noted poets.
MATHEMATICS
The
mathematics curriculum strives to teach children various number concepts such
as patterns, counting, more and less, odd and even, and estimation, which are
a necessary foundation for further mathematical work. This is done through various means, including the Mathematics
Their Way curriculum and Unifix Cubes, pattern blocks, and Cuisenaire Rods
activities. Symbolic
representation of numbers is introduced only when a solid understanding of the
concept under study is developed. Literature
is also integrated into the mathematics curriculum.
Children gain a firm understanding of the quantities 0-15, and enjoy
rote counting (by ones, twos, fives, and tens) to 100, which is developed
through numerous activities documenting the number of days the children have
been in school.
SCIENCE
The
science program is a hands-on program. The
excitement of life science, for example, is fostered through activities such
as having live ladybugs in the classroom, a root garden in which the roots of
the plants are viewed and measured, and an apple unit in which the children
followed the life cycle of an apple (from the tree to the preparation of apple
related foods). Subject
appropriate literature is also very important in the science program, as is
creating class and individual books and art projects documenting and reacting
to the activities.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
The
study of self is very important in the kindergarten class.
The year begins with learning about the common experiences of all
children through a literature driven study of emotions.
Every other week a new child is highlighted as the “Someone
Special”. The featured child
brings home the Someone Special Book
in which they work with their parents to create a photo history of their lives
in which their uniqueness and special interests are reflected.
Members of the child’s family are invited in to read books, share
talents and interests. The child’s favorite foods are shared among
classmates. The aim of this
program is to share the unique culture and personality of the child and his or
her family. Children take turns performing simple jobs in the classroom,
developing a sense of the classroom community and a responsibility to it. The
principles of conflict resolution are encouraged to build a sense of control
and a feeling of having a personal role in the classroom community.
Holidays are also an important vehicle through which cultural
traditions are shared. The goal
of the social studies program is to promote an awareness of the child’s role
in the classroom and global community. An
awareness of various world cultures and traditions is also used to
achieve this goal.
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