THE KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM A typical kindergarten day will include the following schedule of activities: Opening The opening includes the Pledge of Allegiance, announcements, attendance, and calendar activities. Art The elementary visual arts curriculum helps students understand how media, technique and process are used to create works of art; how artworks are structured and how art has a variety of functions; how to identify, analyze and select subject matter, symbols and ideas for personal/cultural expression and how historical and cultural contexts provide meaning for works of art, and to assess the merits of their own artworks and the artworks of others. Resource Discover Art, Davis Different types of media such as crayon, pencil, paint, clay and paper Basic skills such as making marks, cutting and pasting Art created based on personal experiences and imagination Visual elements of line, shape and texture Color names and color mixing techniques Artworks and how images convey ideas People around the world make different kinds of art for many reasons How their own artwork reflects their experiences Guidance Guidance, which is integrated into other curriculum areas, helps in establishing goals, expectations, support systems and experience for all
students. It is designed to enhance student learning by helping students acquire and use lifelong learning skills in three broad areas of development: academic, career and personal/social. The curriculum employs developmentally appropriate strategies to enhance academics, provide career awareness, encourage self-awareness, foster interpersonal communication skills and convey life success skills for all students. The guidance and health curriculum complement each other to provide knowledge and skills in the area of drug prevention. Variety of district-selected materials Students will acquire knowledge and skills in the following areas: Improved academic self-concept Improved learning Plan to achieve goals School success Career awareness Organization and time management Self-knowledge Interpersonal relations Personal safety Health Development of self-awareness (emotionally, socially and physically) and the best ways of keeping well (healthy decision-making) are emphasized. introduced in the first years are reviewed and discussed in more depth each year along with new topics. The health and guidance curriculum complement each other to provide knowledge and skills in the area of drug prevention. Your Health, Harcourt, Inc. Mental/Emotional/Social Conflict resolution, Cooperation and respect, Self management,
Feelings, Responsibility. Chemical Health Medicines Drugs Safety and First Aid Bus safety Fire safety Pedestrian/bike safety Playground safety Emergencies Personal safety Stranger Growth and Development Five senses Communicable/Chronic Diseases Cleanliness Hand washing Consumer Health Identify helpful adults Environmental Health Reuse Decision-Making Choosing healthy behaviors (decision-making model) Reinforcing healthy decisions (refusal skills) Language Arts Reading, writing, listening, speaking, spelling and handwriting are all important components of language arts. Skills and strategies in each area are modeled, taught and practiced, taking into account the unique needs of each learner. Knowledge and skills are acquired through connected experiences between home, school and community. Students read from a variety of texts, including fiction (short stories and whole books), poetry
and nonfiction (textbooks, newspapers and magazines). Students read (or are read to) and write daily. Invitations to Literacy, Houghton Mifflin Literacy 2000, Rigby Handwriting - K-5, Zaner-Bloser Phonics: Letters, Words & How They Work, Fountas and Pinnell Units Of Study For Primary Writing, Lucy Calkins Reading Predicting before, during and after reading Summarizing information Relevant facts and details Main characters - plot and setting Similarities and differences in letters and words Letter-sound relationships (phonemic awareness) Rhyming words Writing Using writing skills to plan, compare and write Print concepts, including upper and lower case letter, proper spacing, and writing left to right and top to bottom of the page Speaking Complete sentences Responding to questions Relevant contributions to discussions Appropriate listening skills Spelling Spelling frequently used words correctly Handwriting Legible printing of letters and numbers
Mathematics While connecting mathematical experiences to the world around them, young children are challenged to become increasingly sophisticated in dealing with mathematical concepts. The elementary mathematics curriculum builds on students' math understanding, skills, and proficiency at each grade level, as appropriate, by integrating concepts such as number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability. Students also engage in problem solving, reasoning, and communicating ideas while making connections to the world around them. Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley Mathematics Investigations in Number, Data, and Space - Dale Seymour Publishers NUMBERS AND OPERATIONS - Understanding of and proficiency with counting, numbers and arithmetic, as well as an understanding of number systems and their structures Sense of numbers Basic counting techniques Size of numbers Number relationships Place value Addition and subtraction Computational fluency ALGEBRA - Relationships among quantities, including ways of representing mathematical relationships and expression of relationships by using symbolic notation Classification, patterns and relations Operations with whole numbers Use of step-by-step processes GEOMETRY - Geometric shapes and structures, and how to analyze their characteristics and relationships Explore, investigate and discuss shapes and structures in the classroom Become proficient in describing and representing shapes in their environment Learn to represent two- and three-dimensional shapes Recognize and create shapes that have symmetry
MEASUREMENT - The assignment of a numerical value to an attribute of an object; understanding what a measurable attribute is, becoming familiar with the units and processes used in measuring attributes Attributes of length, volume, weight and time How to measure using standard and nonstandard units Select appropriate unit and tool for attribute being measured Use repetition of a single unit to measure something larger than the unit DATA ANALYSIS AND PROBABILITY - How to collect, organize and display data in graphs and charts that will be useful in answering questions; methods of analyzing data, and of making inferences and conclusions from data Pose questions to investigate Organize responses Create representations of data Sort and classify objects according to their attributes Organize and display data through graphical displays using counts, tallies, pictures and graphs Analyze and describe data PROBLEM SOLVING - Engaging in a task for which the solution method is not known in advance Develop and broaden range of problem-solving strategies Pose or formulate challenging problems Monitor and reflect on their own problem-solving ideas Solve problems from a variety of contexts, from daily routines to mathematical situations in stories Music The music program focuses on making music, and listening to and responding to music others have produced. Students sing, play instruments, move and create music.
The singing voice through clear, light singing Vocal flexibility and expression Easy use of speaking, singing, whispering and calling voice qualities Moving to a steady beat while singing or listening to musical instruments Science The science curriculum provides opportunities for students to learn science concepts through hands-on activities. Students learn to observe, compare, collect data, organize and analyze information, and communicate what they have learned. The investigations focus on physical and life science concepts. Full Option Science System (FOSS) kits Paper, Wood or Fabric (physical science) How the material interacts with water The properties that make the material easy or difficult to cut Different ways to join the material Comparing the properties of the material to determine its best use Trees (life science) Similarities and differences Seasonal changes Size, shape, texture and color of tree leaves Observations Animals Two by Two (life science) Observe and describe the structures of a variety of common animals Compare structures and behaviors of animals Observe interactions of animals in their surroundings Communicate observations and comparisons
Social Studies The social studies curriculum provides the opportunity for each student to acquire knowledge and develop skills necessary for social, political and economic participation in a diverse, interdependent and changing world. District-created units of study Variety of district selected books A Healthy Self in a Healthy World (understanding self and others in social settings) Emotions Community environment and the people who occupy it Similarities and differences between cultures Classroom environment and others within that environment School environment Physical Education Once, every 8 school days, each kindergarten class has scheduled physical education class in the gym. Children participate in activities using equipment such as bean bags, balls, the parachute, scooters, hula-hoops, and jump ropes. These activities, as well as those provided in the classroom and on the playground, will help children develop large and small muscle skills. Children are asked to wear tennis shoes on gym days. Computer Children are introduced to computer instruction in kindergarten. Each class is exposed to several different computer activities in our school computer lab.