KINDERGARTEN
Developmental Characteristics of Five and Six Year Olds
Children at this age are changing dramatically in mind, body and spirit! They enjoy a lot of physical activity but still tire easily. They can be talkative and noisy but easily upset when corrected. There is a LOVE of friends and peers and often a level of insatiable curiosity. Students at this age learn best through games, song and hands-on learning opportunities. They enjoy doing a lot of work but are often not concerned about the quality. They are explorers, creators and dreamers!
English Language Arts-Reading
Kindergarten is a transitional phase in which students transition from exploring and experiencing texts into emergent readers. They are given the opportunity to work in small guided reading groups, as well as time to read independently and individually with teachers. Concepts of print, reading strategies and comprehension skills are taught as they develop their fluency through stories that are read and listened to.
Curricular Materials and Resources:
- Wilson Phonics
- Guided Reading and Leveled Library
- Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study
- Balanced Literacy Including Reader’s Workshop
Students Will:
- Choose books with a purpose in mind
- Use pictures to gain meaning from a story
- Talk about books with a partner
- Retell a story with some detail and accuracy
- Decode words with letter sound knowledge
- Use text structures and features to get information
- Begin to read with expressions
- Begin to make predictions and use background knowledge
English Language Arts-Writing
Students develop an understanding of the writing process while developing pre-writing skills and concepts of print. They write every day and are encouraged to share their ideas, personal experiences and opinions. As part of this process, they are also invited to share their writing with others. At this level, handwriting is also an essential component in conjunction with the development of fine motor skills.
Curricular Materials and Resources:
- Guided Reading and Leveled Library
- Step Up To Writing
- Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study
- Six Traits of Writing
- Balanced Literacy including Writer’s Workshop
STUDENTS WILL:
- See themselves as a writer
- Develop ideas to put on paper
- Attempt to spell using temporary spelling
- Begin to sequence and organize ideas
- Begin to explore different types of writing
- Edit drawings / writing when working with a teacher
Math
Children will begin to see themselves as mathematicians as they develop basic number sense and explore patterns and relationships in numbers and the real world. They will become problem solvers as they explore and practice different strategies.
Curricular Materials and Resources:
- Various math manipulatives and tools
- Simple Solutions
- McGraw Millhaven Textbook Series
- Envisions Math Program
STUDENTS WILL:
- Know numbers, names and count to 100 by ones and tens
- Count to tell the number of objects
- Compare numbers
- Understand addition as putting together and subtraction as taking apart
- Gain foundations for place value
- Describe and compare measurable attributes
- Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category
- Identify and describe shapes
- Analyze, compare, create and compose shapes
- Understand what a problem is asking, and begin to develop a plan to solve
Religion
Students Will:
- Discover that they are a child of God and that all creation is a sign of God’s love
- Express their love for God by cultivating virtue in their own life and in others
- Worship and give thanks to God through prayer
- Discover that God created all kinds of families as a sign of God’s love
- Demonstrate that we are part of a faith family by supporting each other and worshipping together at Mass
- Identify the Bible as a holy book
Theme Studies - Social Studies
Curricular objectives based upon the College, Career and Civic Life framework developed by the National Council for Social Studies.
Principles of the Republic
- Why are rules and laws made?
- Identify the flag as a symbol of our nation? - Recite the Pledge of Allegiance
- Participate in a democratic decision process
- Explain how to resolve disputes peacefully
Principles and Process of Government Systems
- Describe how groups need to make decisions
- Explain what it means to make rules, carry out rules and enforce them
Economic Concepts and Principles
- Identify examples of scarcity
- Identify examples of opportunity and cost
- Elements of Geographical Study and Analysis
- Identify maps and globes as geographic tools
- Relationships of Individuals and Groups to Institutions and Traditions
- Name common, physical, social and emotional needs
Theme Studies - Science
Curricular objectives are based upon the Next Generation Science Standards and in partnership with Washington University’s MYSCI units of study.
Life Science Domain
Where do animals live, and why do they live there?
Physical Science Domain
What happens if you push or pull an object harder?
Earth Science Domain
What is the weather like today, and how is it different from yesterday?
Engineering and Design
Ask questions, make observations and gather information about a situation
Develop a drawing or model that functions in order to solve a problem