Kindergarten Curriculum

	Language Arts
	In Kindergarten, children are introduced to a wide variety of literature throughout the year. Fiction (in the form of stories, fairy tales, and tall tales) as well as nonfiction (on topics such as science, math, biography, and geography) books are read, enjoyed and analyzed every day. Children have daily opportunities to develop their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. They practice blending sounds to make words, using phonics skills to decode words, and recognizing word families (rhyming words). As they learn the letters and their sounds, the children are introduced to an artist beginning with each letter. In conjunction with the art teacher they create art works in the style of that artist to be displayed in a student art gallery at the end of the year.  Children serve as tour guides through the gallery to share what they have learned about all the artists studied during the year. They also memorize and learn to use high-frequency words in spoken and written sentences. Children write every day, for in learning to separate and record the sounds they hear in words, they gain greater ability and confidence to blend sounds and read words. As they listen to stories and begin to read on their own, the children are encouraged to summarize what they hear and read, sequence events, predict and infer, describe the characters and setting, and discuss cause and effect. Children develop oral language skills through retelling favorite stories, making up their own stories, and vocabulary extending activities. Objectives: to listen attentively and respond to literature to participate in story discussions to think critically and compare stories to recognize environmental print to recognize common print conventions—capitals, punctuation, etc. to read and write words, phrases, and sentences, using phonetic and sight word strategies to retell a story and analyze plot, characters, and setting to write creatively in journals and class books using phonetic spelling to expand letter sound knowledge by relating beginning sounds to an artist's name and work Resources: Houghton Mifflin Reading Kindergarten Teacher's Edition Higglety Pigglety: A Book of Rhymes From Apples to Zebras A Book of ABC's Various Trade books Children begin the writing process with a wide range of readiness and skills. Some dictate their stories, some write initial and perhaps final consonants, and a few write with vowels. Through the Language Arts curriculum, children are introduced to the “Alphafriends,” which teach letter sounds, as well as a range of high frequency words. By the end of the school year, many children are able to write and illustrate sentences, using correct grammar and punctuation. Objectives: to identify and write upper and lower case letters of the alphabet to write creatively in journals and class books using phonetic spelling to understand the concept of a sentence to write to convey meaning Resources: D'Nealian Handwriting Kindergarten edition

	Mathematics
	Kindergarten children explore mathematics through guided lessons and group and individual exploration. They learn about classification, patterns, numbers, time, measurement, money, shapes, and operations using manipulatives, games, and activities. They learn to solve problems, identify and extend patterns, use graphs in a variety of ways, count coins and make change, estimate, and find dates on a calendar. Objectives: sort and classify objects by attributes, such as color, size, and shape to model, describe, and extend patterns that repeat two and three elements to identify groups of objects 0-31 to count up to 100 to count, recognize, and write numbers 0-31 to solve problems by interpreting graphs to use a calendar to learn the names of the months of the year and days of the week to tell time to the hour and half later to compare, order, and measure lengths, weights, and capacities to identify coins and their value to add and subtract to 10 to identify basic shapes and solid shapes Resources: Houghton Mifflin Mathematics Kindergarten Teacher's Edition Everyday Mathematics, Everyday Learning Corporation, Kindergarten level

	Social Studies
	Kindergarten children learn about holidays and the ways they are celebrated through literature, art, music, and food. They explore maps and globes as they listen to stories from around the world. They explore the commonalities that connect people around the world and develop a respect for other people. They begin to learn about their community at school and at home. Children learn about maps and direction as they trace their routes to school. Objectives: to respect the ideas and opinions of others to understand the concept of self and family to understand that families come from different places and have different customs and traditions to understand the concept of the classroom community, as well as the community in which we live to create and interpret simple maps Resources: Scholastic “Let’s Find Out,” Kindergarten edition

	Science
	Kindergarten science is integrated into the Language Arts, Math, Art, Music, and Social Studies curricula. For example, in the fall, children learn about seasons as they listen to The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree and make an apple tree booklet; they sort, graph, and taste apples; they learn about Johnny Appleseed and trace his travel route on a map; and they count, graph, plant, and observe the growth of apple seeds. Throughout the year, children study seasons, weather, plants, animals, machines, and magnets through literature and experimentation. They are encouraged to predict, experiment, draw conclusions, and report on findings. Objectives: to make observations and predict outcomes to participate in experiments to demonstrate an understanding of the results Resources: Scholastic “Let’s Find Out,” Kindergarten edition

	Spanish
	The Spanish program continues to be theme based and integrated with the language arts and social studies curriculum. The emphasis is on the development of a vocabulary base and the enjoyment of the Spanish language through the use of age appropriate activities: songs, rhymes, puppets, stories and movement. The program continues the development of an awareness of peoples and cultures with languages other than English, in particular as it relates to Spanish speaking people. The children are expected to respond to Spanish language input with appropriate physical responses and limited verbal output. The first stage in language acquisition is the receptive stage, where input is understood but verbal output is yet to develop. This holds true for foreign languages too. When verbal output is achieved, young learners produce near-native speech. Objectives: to respond appropriately to five discipline requests in Spanish. to answer with their name to the question ¿Cómo te llamas? to ask someone the question ¿Cómo te llamas? to find out their name. to identify ten basic colors in Spanish. to greet each other with Hola and Adiós. to use common courtesy words. to learn basic family terms. to explore the world of friendships. to rote count from 1 to 10 and in tens up to one hundred with support. to learn basic weather expressions. to use terms about transportation.

	Physical Education
	Kindergarten focuses on fundamental movement exploration and body mechanics, whereby the techniques of all locomotors and non locomotors are properly executed. Identification of body parts and their use; ball control including bouncing, tossing and catching; balancing objects including a bean bag; learning environmental directions; clear contrasts in movement explorations; approaching and kicking a ball; passing techniques including under, over, and chest passes; striking an object such as a balloon with different body parts, and many other skills are taught. Incorporating locomotor skills into simple games and activities enables the children to demonstrate chasing, fleeing, freezing and dodging skills, safe movement in space, change of speeds and transfer of the appropriate locomotor skill. The transfer of manipulative skills into games enables them to hit targets, and spatially coordinate. Fitness and skill acquisition is introduced whereby the children work on bilateral, lateral and directional awareness; proper weight transfer, identification and actualization of different ways to move through space; use of body for shapes and problem solving; variety of body part usage in high, lows and middle; identification of all body parts, and use of multi-sensory modalities for movement stimuli. Fitness is demonstrated and discussed including warm-ups, and lessons that focus on distance run, stretch, abdominals, arm strength, agility and flexibility. Simple rhythmical patterns are learned along with body control in stopping, starting, moving through space, etc. 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. Children learn to make decisions and utilize choices. They will demonstrate positive ways to handle conflict. 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. Most importantly physical education will help the learner to utilize optimal effort on all tasks for personal best. Objectives: to explore movement, body mechanics, and work toward competency and proficiency in many of the forms. to transfer fundamental play and appropriateness of locomotor skills to simple games/activities. to transfer fundamental manipulative skills into simple games/activities. to perform skills to apply apple movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of motor skills. to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness. to acquire rhythmical skills. to demonstrate responsible personal and social behavior in activity settings. to move safely and efficiently through space, being aware of self, others in indoor and outdoor environment. to develop a positive self-concept, respect for self and others and positive interpersonal skills. to demonstrate an understanding of interdisciplinary approach to movement science and its application.

	Art
	The goal of kindergarten art is to introduce students to some of the basic elements of art: line, shape, color and texture. Students do both two and three-dimensional projects revolving around these themes. Literature may be introduced that fosters an appreciation of the themes and a specific artist is taught whose work exemplifies an individual element. When time permits, students may also do an artwork related to what is being taught in the classroom. Students meet for formalized art a half-hour a week. Objectives: to promote imagination and creative and dramatic play to recognize and work in the style of an artist taught in class to be inspired to make art by listening to literature and interpreting it. to learn the basic elements of art through making projects targeted towards specific elements such as line, shape, texture and color to explore a variety of materials and processes when doing art to work both two and three-dimensionally in art to practice motor skills such as cutting, gluing, folding, tracing and painting

	Music
	Singing and song repertoire constitute the basis of 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, the Barnyard Song (I Had a Little Cat) with its cacophony of animal sounds is a favorite song in Kindergarten! The Kindergarten always makes an enthusiastic and strong contribution to the Lower School May Day as they participate in the traditional processional up the gently sloping hillside singing Unite and Unite! Later in the May Day program they perform a singing game (or “play-party” game, really a precursory dance which introduces the children to many basic elements of a dance) at the May Pole, and sing songs 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 hear classical music from a variety of style periods to identify basic instruments of the orchestra to make a good sound on the xylophone, using proper technique and awareness of tune structure 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 Resources: Celebrate the Winter, Revels Inc. Celebrate the Spring, Revels Inc. Sally Go Round the Moon, by Nancy and John Langstaff Hi! Ho! The Rattlin' Bog, by John langstaff Children Sing, Children Play by Kathleen Wojcik-May

	Library
	In the Kindergarten class the student is introduced to the library as a wonderful place where together we grow in the love of books. Kindergarten sessions are closely linked to the classroom curriculum with books selected that enrich and expand the units. The students continue to enjoy stories about other children so that they might appreciate their common experiences. They are encouraged to follow routines for library visits, to return borrowed books weekly, to care for books, and to make good choices. Students are taught that there is a special arrangement of the primary collection and how it is divided, that books are in alphabetical order, and that they have a special address. They are encouraged to use a shelf maker to maintain book order. They begin to look at the parts of the book with special emphasis on the front cover and end pages. Objectives: to return and care for a borrowed book each week to listen to the story and to share in a discussion about the story to appreciate the illustrations to use a shelf marker to help return a book to the correct address when browsing to participate in activities that reinforce the location of information books and fiction books to select a variety of books to enjoy