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Kindergarten |
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A typical day in kindergarten begins with circle time where students update the calendar and discuss the days of the week and the weather. The class then works with mathematics, using the approved core program series and the calendar as tools for learning numbers and number concepts. Utilizing the children’s acquired phonetic skills to develop word and usage comprehension, specific letters and sounds are studied each day. Students work on handwriting, vocabulary, journal entries, and verbal response exercises daily. In addition, the social studies program is integrated into language arts. Language Arts The language arts program for kindergarten is composed of three main areas of study: reading, writing, and handwriting. The goal of the reading literature program is to provide students with the tools they need to read with fluency. Phonic skills enable children to get beyond the distractions and mechanics of decoding words in order to focus on reading comprehension. Both classic and contemporary pieces are read in class and the importance of fine literature is stressed to the students. Comprehension skills introduced:
In addition, we will be using the Jr. Great Books interpretive activities. Jr. Great Books is a shared inquiry discussion of literature. Kindergarten will participate in Jr. Great Books Read Aloud program, where they will discuss the joy of reading through an engaging interactive approach. Students will:
This program will be used to enhance and enrich the students reading experience. The writing program consists of dictation, spelling and composition. Because kindergartners are taught to sound out words and spell what they hear, they quickly learn that there is no need to memorize words. The use of dictation develops the students’ listening skill and instills a connection between decoding (reading) and encoding (writing), while daily composition assignments in journals and writing books promote creative written expression. The Scholastic Reading Counts program is available and encouraged. Reading Counts is a supplement to setting individual goals and choosing literature in which computer generated quizzes are taken for comprehension. Handwriting instruction enables students to write legibly, clearly, and with ease. The children are expected to hold pencils correctly, form letters and numbers correctly, use proper placement on tablet paper, and use proper spacing within and between words. We want to see all our kindergartners consistently forming legible letters by the end of the year, but we also hope to encourage a love for writing and promote a sense of pride in their work. Resources Used: D’Nealian Handwriting Book Time allocation: 1-˝ hours each day Core Material: SRA/Open Court Reading Program, Kindergarten Level Other Resources: Phonics Enrichment, Scholastic Reading Counts Jr. Great Books Social Studies The kindergarten social studies program looks at the relationships of the individual child in ever-expanding circles. Discussion and activities begin with a student’s relationship to other individuals, their family, their neighborhood community, and the world at large. Our program emphasizes family, major international holidays, and the lives of noted women and men. Ideas and themes introduced:
Time allocation: 1 hour, 30 minutes each week Core Material: Harcourt Brace Text Other Resources: Harcourt Brace Weekly Reader Science In kindergarten students observe, classify, measure, explore, and recognize relationships. Our goal is to present science in ways that help the children begin to understand how the world works. Three main approaches used in our program are hands-on activities, observation and questioning. Class exercises involve comparing, classifying, and summarizing, and are designed to expand the children’s vocabulary and expand their understanding of cause and effect relationships as well as how living and non-living things are connected. Following are the main subjects:
Time allocation: 45 minutes, twice weekly Core Material: McGraw-Hill SCIENCE, Kindergarten Level Copyright 2000 Other Resources: Science Center Materials CDSA Campus as a “Living Laboratory” Wilkie Science Center Mathematics In kindergarten students soon realize that mathematics is not just learning numbers and amounts, rather it is a way of thinking, exploring, discovering, explaining and justifying everyday life. Lessons are interactive, using a calendar, number line, and a 1 – 110 number grid chart. Elements are added and changed throughout the year, keeping a variety of math topics active and under discussion everyday. Work involves investigation, games with partners, class projects, and activities to share at home. In this way, we hope to instill a love for mathematics and problem solving in each student. The mathematical strands include: Numeration and Order: Counting Correct number sequences through rote counting and counting objects. Counting on from a number, backward, skip counting. Numeration and Order: Numeration Read and write numbers; use the term “digit”. Patterns, Functions, and Sequences Rules; dealing with more than one element; pairs and collections of things (objects and numbers); relationships; patterns. Measures and Measurement and Reference Frames: Measure Weight, linear measure; area. Customary and metric measurement units. Nonstandard units. Designate units; record results. Measures and Measurement and Reference Frames: Money Names and value of money; coins and bills. Underlying tool for teaching place value, fractions, equivalence, and the decimal system. Measures and Measurement and Reference Frames: Time Clocks; calendars; number line. Understanding the duration and relationship of time units. Ordering units of time. Geometry and Spatial Sense Informal and intuitive awareness about geometric shapes. Exploring Data and Chance Collect, organize, and display data. Tables and graphs. Make counts and comparison of data. Operations Concrete problems that arise in children’s daily life. Story problems; reversibility; relation vocabulary. The things we “do” with numbers. The Everyday Mathematics program objective is to develop the view that mathematics is not just learning numbers and amounts. Instead, this is a research-based program that involves a way of thinking, exploring, discovering, explaining and justifying everyday life. This program is a “hands-on” approach that facilitates a variety of ways to solve math problems. The program’s dynamics work in a spiral and skills are introduced and re-introduced throughout the year. Our goal is to make math enjoyable as well as challenging. Time allocation: 45 minutes each day Core Material: University of Chicago’s Everyday Mathematics-Kindergarten Copyright 2000 Resources: Calendar Math Foreign Language The importance of learning a foreign language is not overlooked at CDSA, and our students begin to learn either Spanish or French at the kindergarten level. Our program consists of five focus areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, culture.
Time Allocation: 45 minutes twice weekly Art Kindergarten students are exposed to life drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, crafts, color theory, and art history. Attention is given to noted artists, artwork and art books, while hands-on projects develop an understanding of space, texture, shape and other important elements. Working with two- and three-dimensional materials, students learn to share their feelings and tell a story through artistic expression. A variety of art projects assigned are in collaboration with classroom studies and other disciplines. Major goals:
Time Allocation: 45 minutes weekly (with an additional 45 minute class every 3 weeks) Physical Education In grades K-2, children learn fundamental movement skills and begin to understand how the muscles, bones, heart, and lungs function in relation to physical activity. Students develop a vocabulary for movement and apply concepts dealing with space and body awareness. Students are engaged in activities that develop basic levels of strength, endurance, and flexibility. In addition, students learn to participate safely in group- and individual-movement settings. A major objective is to present activities that complement their natural inclination to view physical activity as challenging and enjoyable. In particular, kindergartners focus on learning basic body control while moving in a variety of settings. Students become aware of strength, endurance and flexibility in different parts of their bodies and begin to learn ways to increase health-related fitness. Time Allocation: 45 minutes three times a week Music CDSA offers students a very comprehensive and appealing music program. Music provides a vehicle for students to become confident, creative and expressive individuals. In this discipline, practice and hard work are rewarded by recognition, growth in self-esteem, character development and enhanced intellectual functioning. The curriculum provides musical growth through a variety of programs. Kindergarten students study the basic elements of music through several approaches. Movement, rhythm instruments, dance, and body percussion activities teach rhythm. Melody is explored in song. Singing fun songs, informative songs that link with academic curriculum, songs from here, and songs from far away lead to positive musical experiences. Listening experiences, utilizing multi-media, add to age appropriate participation in music history/appreciation activities. Kindergarten students are offered activities involving music theory, music appreciation, music history, composers past and present, instruments of the orchestra, introduction to the basic elements of music, composition, dance, music vocabulary, and learning opportunities in creative performance and movement through the Orff-Schulwerk method. Time Allocation: 45 minutes weekly (with an additional 45 minute class every 3 weeks) Computer The technology program is conducted through hands-on projects that integrate computer instruction with language arts, math, science, and social studies, health, music and art. Categories covered include:
Time Allocation: 45 minutes weekly (with an additional 45 minute class every 3 weeks) Special Offerings for kindergarten students:
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