Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum Overview

Transcription

1 Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum Overview

2 Dear Kindergarten Parents & Guardians, This document gives you an overview of the curriculum offerings of the Sachem Central School District, which have been aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The subjects and content listed may be presented through a variety of teaching methods in each classroom with an emphasis on an interdisciplinary approach to learning. We hope to stimulate, through the curriculum, a variety of interests and develop skills and good work habits in all children while accommodating the different styles of learning. English language arts, literacy, mathematics, social studies, and science are only part of the student s day. In addition, the children participate in library, computer literacy, physical education, music, and art. These subjects are an important part of your child s educational experience. In all subjects, active hands-on experience is provided and children are encouraged to express themselves, make connections among subject areas, explore issues and problems, and work cooperatively with peers and adults in the pursuit of understanding to become lifelong learners. Our immediate goal is to meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards. Partnership between the schools and community is essential to meet this challenge. By working collaboratively, we can empower our children to succeed to their fullest potential. Please take the time to read this information, share it with your child, and discuss the expectations for the school year ahead. Please keep in mind that this is a sampling of what your child will be exposed to. Connect with your child s teacher and communicate regularly throughout the year. Together, we can and will make a difference in your child s future. Sincerely, The Sachem Staff Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 2

3 English Language Arts & Literacy English Language Arts and Literacy encompasses the heart of the curriculum in Kindergarten. Learning new language skills is a hallmark of kindergarten and is evident throughout the curriculum. Reading Your child will learn about the alphabet and its role in reading. Your child will practice rhyming, matching words with beginning sounds, and blending sounds into words. Practice with these types of activities is a powerful step toward learning to read and spell correctly. The size of your child s vocabulary is another key factor in his or her ability to read and comprehend books and stories. Students will be exposed to the following: Literature: With prompting and support, students will ask and answer questions about key details in a text, retell familiar stories, including key details. They will also identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. Informational Texts: With prompting and support, students will ask and answer questions about key details and the main idea of a text. They will describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. Foundational Skills: Among other skills, students will be able to follow words from left to right, top to bottom, page by page; Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters, understand that words are separated by spaces and recognize and name all upper and lower case letters. Writing Your child also will begin to experiment with writing and will be encouraged to use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing letters to share information, ideas, and feelings. The types of writing your child will be exposed to are listed below: Opinion Writing: Students will tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about, stating an opinion or preference about the topic or book. Informative/Explanatory Writing: Students will name the topic they are writing about and supply information about it. Narrative Writing: Students will narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, sequence the event and provide a reaction to what happened. Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 3

4 A Sample of What Your Child Will Be Working on in ELA Naming upper- and lower-case letters, matching those letters with their sounds, and printing them Comparing the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories, such as fairy tales and folktales Retelling familiar stories and talking about stories read to them using details from the text Using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to describe an event, including his or her reaction to what happened Stating an opinion/preference about a topic or book in writing (e.g., My favorite book is) Speaking clearly to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas, including descriptions of familiar people, places, things, and events Asking and answering questions about key details in stories or other information read aloud Understanding and using question words (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how) in discussions Learning to recognize, spell, and properly use those little grammatical words that hold the language together (e.g., a, the, to, of, from, I, is, are) Speaking & Listening Development of speaking and listening skills enables students to develop language, expand vocabulary, and increase attention span. By the end of Kindergarten, students making adequate progress should be able to: Take part in classroom conversations and following rules for discussions (e.g., learning to listen to others and taking turns when speaking) Participate in collaborative conversations. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges Seek to understand and communicate with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Confirm understanding of a text read aloud of information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information or clarify something that is not understood. Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional details. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 4

5 Mathematics Young children arrive in kindergarten with widely varying knowledge in math. By the end of the year, your child must have some important foundations in place. One of the most important skills your child should develop is the ability to add and subtract small numbers and use addition and subtraction to solve word problems. This will rely on gaining some fundamentals early in the year, such as counting objects to tell how many there are. Addition and subtraction will continue to be a very strong focus in math through 2nd grade. Counting and Cardinality Counts to 100 by ones and tens Writes numbers from 0-20 Count to tell the number of objects Uses ordinal number (first through tenth) to describe a position Compares objects using the terms greater than, less than, or equal to Operations and Algebraic Thinking Adds within 10 using objects, fingers, drawings, etc. Subtracts within 10 using objects, fingers, drawings, etc. Number and Operations in Base Ten Represents numbers as tens and ones using ten frames Geometry Identifies, describes, and compares: square, rectangle, circles, triangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, spheres Describes the position of objects using: above, below, beside, in front of, behind, next to Distinguishes between two dimensional and three dimensional shapes Measurement and Data Describes and compares objects using attributes such as height and weight Classifies objects into categories Mathematical Practices Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them Reason abstractly and quantitatively Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for and make use of structure Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 5

6 Science Topics of study encompass Earth, Physical, and Life Science with an emphasis on the development of inquiry skills through a hands-on, minds-on approach to learning science through scientific exploration. Earth Science: Weather and Sky Weather The Clouds The Seasons Night and Day Sun and Shadows Physical Science: Moving Right Along Wheels How Things Move Ups and Downs Sounds All Around Magnets Life Science: Plants and Animals Plants o Parts of Plants o What Plants Need o How Plants Grow Animals o Animals are Everywhere o What Animals Need o Bugs and More Bug Social Studies The kindergarten social studies program focuses on helping students realize their roles as members of a family and school community. The development of identity and social interaction skills are stressed to promote respect for self and others. Interdependence Myself and others My family and other families My school and community My neighborhood Location of home, school community on maps and globes People helping one another to meet wants and needs (i.e. recycling, conservation projects, etc.) Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 6

7 Citizenship Awareness of symbols of our nation Understanding of holidays and celebration of our nation Rights and responsibilities of good citizenship Making and Changing Rules and Laws Rules affect children and adults Families develop rules to govern and protect family members People in school groups make rules to govern and protect themselves Health The Health Education Curriculum is designed to maintain and enhance personal health and fitness and create and maintain safe environments. Students learn to develop and demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices that are essential in making responsible health-related decisions. Personal and Family Health Identify feelings and share feelings with others Build self esteem Identify family members and discuss feelings toward family Accepting and respecting others Personal hygiene Identify and monitor physical changes of growth Physical Activity Identify health food choices Describe the benefits of exercise Injury Prevention Fire, bus, and bicycle safety Stranger awareness Traffic safety Tobacco and Alcohol Prevention Understanding the effects of tobacco on the lungs and body Being tobacco free and healthy Describing the effects of tobacco to others Avoiding secondhand smoke Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 7

8 Physical Education Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health. The purpose of the Sachem Physical Education program is to provide students with a comprehensive curriculum to foster the achievement of the standard. Motor/Movement Skill Development Introduction to locomotive and non-locomotive movements Development of body and spatial awareness Introduction to manipulative skills Fitness/Wellness Introduction to basic fitness concepts Introduction to safety practices Focus on physical activity as a source of personal enjoyment Living Skills Develop self confidence and self control while engaged in physical activity Acquire social interaction skills as cooperative participants in small and large group activities Experience positive feelings that result from participation in physical activity Exploratory movement, manipulative skills, creative rhythm, educational games, fitness tasks, and basic gymnastics are the tools used for goal achievement at this grade level. Music The Kindergarten music program involves exploration of the general elements of music with an emphasis on rhythm and melody. Students will be introduced to various aspects of music by the use of classroom instruments. The following will also be addressed: Singing alone and with others Develop listening skills Use creative movement Learn basic dynamics Keeping a steady beat Experience fast and slow Pitch training- low and high Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 8

9 Library The Sachem Library curriculum explores the information literacy standards through real world activities and handson exploration in the areas below. Library Procedures Locate books and recognize order Circulation procedures Proper care of materials Appropriate library behavior Literary Understanding and Appreciation Author and illustrator Introduction to fiction and non-fiction Introduction of parts of a book Book selection that is guided Information Literacy Skills Following directions Listening skills Technology Expose to a variety of multimedia technology formats Art Students will develop fine motor skills through the use of various art materials and activities, including the following: Cutting Pasting Drawing Painting Collage Crafts Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 9

10 Resources Would you like more information about the Common Core State Standards and Sachem s Curriculum? If so, please visit the following websites. The homepage of the Sachem Central School District A link to New York State Core curriculum. The official website of the Common Core State Standards The homepage of the PTA, where you will find Curriculum guides for parents about the Common Core State Standards. Sachem Students Can! Sachem Central School District Kindergarten Curriculum 10

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