Pre-K Curriculum

	Social/Emotional Development
	Learning to share, take turns, communicate, listen, follow classroom rules and respect others will be our focused objectives in the area of social/emotional development. auditory and visual discrimination sequencing patterning cause and effect observation classification

	Academic Readiness
	Each letter of the alphabet and its sound is introduced through developmentally appropriate activities. Also, numbers through 20 are introduced as well as activities to reinforce counting, set making and simple graphing. letter/sound recognition story sequencing journal writing graphing simple addition and subtraction size, color and weight comparison

	Physical Development
	Each letter of the alphabet and its sound is introduced through developmentally appropriate activities. Also, numbers through twenty are introduced as well as activities to reinforce counting, set making and simple graphing. letter/sound recognition story sequencing journal writing graphing simple addition and subtraction size, color and weight comparison

	Afternoon Enrichment
	The Pre-Kindergarten child may participate in the Afternoon Enrichment program, an optional program, two to five days a week. It is open to all Pre-Kindergarten children on a contractual basis. The minimum requirement of at least two days a week is to help assure the development of social and curricular continuity for the enrolled student. This program is less structured than our morning program, but offers plenty of opportunities for additional learning through creative work and play, both in the classroom and outdoors. During this time additional opportunities for music, physical education, spanish and literature are scheduled. A time for rest and lunch is also included in the afternoon.

	Physical Education
	Pre-School learning outcomes focus on fundamental motor play whereby exploration of all basic locomotor and non-locomotor movements, manipulatives and body awareness are the primary concentrations. Transferring fundamental play, appropriateness of locomotor and manipulative skills to simple games/activities is the next step of development. Pre-school physical education covers the following principles and concepts in the development of motor skills: manipulative skills within rudimentary patterns, fundamental skills within rudimentary patterns, weight-bearing and balance activities, identification of body parts and exploring their possible movements independently and in conjunction with other body parts, kinesthetic adjustments in simple movement patterns, body positions in equilibrium, environmental directions in relationship to their own body and objects outside of their own body, and the acquisition of rhythmical skills. All children learn to listen respectfully to directions, retrieve and return equipment, and follow simple rules of behavior. Choosing to accept others without regard to personal differences is a mission of the school. Safety measures of body control in initiating boundaries, both personal and in general space are learned. Understanding and applying interrelated concepts connects (e.g. math, science, social studies, reading/language arts, music and art) to the learning of movement skills.

	Music
	Singing and song repertoire constitute the basis of Pre-Kindergarten music classes. Much of the movement, simple dances, acting out activities, miming, and rhythmic actions in which the children engage, are connected with songs. Songs transmit culture, history, and the richness of shared human experiences, values, and feelings. Through music, the children celebrate the seasons, and observe in some meaningful way the traditional Holidays and Festivals. Special emphasis is placed on agricultural cycles since Barnesville School is located in the Agricultural Reserve; thus, farm animals are a favorite subject in Pre-Kindergarten music! The Pre-Kindergartners always make an outstanding contribution to the Lower School May Day. They lead the traditional processional up the gently sloping hillside singing, Unite and Unite, finally arriving at the playground to place their flowers and branches of May at the base of the May Pole. Later in the May Day Program they perform a singing game around the May Pole and sing a song of Spring. Objectives: to follow “picture” symbols on the staff which show melodic direction and rhythm to move appropriately to music: miming, acting out, and dancing to make rhythmic sounds to accompany singing to learn nursery rhymes (Mother Goose) to sing with dynamic variety (loud vs. soft) to perform on stage for an audience to develop a rich vocabulary, and a feeling for poetry to have fun! to develop appreciation of beauty and a sense of what is aesthetically pleasing and lovely

	Library
	In the Pre-Kindergarten class the student is introduced to the library as a wonderful place where together we grow in the love of books. The stories from the books that are read help the student relate to children’s experiences much like their own. They develop a feeling of comfort for the library environment and library routines. They learn to appreciate that library books are to be borrowed, returned and cared for properly because everyone in the community shares them. Students are introduced to children’s picture books, early readers, and primary non-fiction. They learn to appreciate the story and the illustrations through discussion. They learn to make good book choices and to understand that each book has a special place in the library. Objectives: to joyfully arrive at the library and follow the routines to listen to stories and appreciate illustrations to share in book discussion to properly care for books to return borrowed books each week to make a good book choice