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Copyright Wooster School 2006
Kindergarten
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WRITING
Unit One - Writerly Life
Rationale: Students see themselves as authors
and believe that they have stories to tell.
They learn the rituals and routines of the Writer’s Workshop. They choose topics, the emphasis being on
true experiences from their own lives, and then draw or write as best they can
to make their page match their ideas. Students
come to understand that writing can be done through pictures and/or words. They assemble several pages of writing
together to create a book.
Unit Two – Everyday
Writing
Rationale: Students recognize
that writing has a significant place in their everyday life. They recognize
that different kids of writing exist in the classroom, the school, their homes,
and the world. Students learn that writers write for many different purposes.
They explore different types of writing and discover authentic purposes for
their own writing: making a birthday card for a friend, writing out a grocery
list, placing a sign on a special block structure. Students see that writing
serves a purpose and can be used to communicate important ideas.
Unit Three – Personal
Narrative
Rationale: Students learn to value the tiny
moments from their lives and realize that many of our best stories come from
personal experiences. Students create a
memory box using concrete objects from home.
These objects are tangible reminders of special events or personal
experiences. Initially through story
telling and eventually using inventive and conventional spelling, the children
write their own personal narrative.
Unit Four - Nonfiction
Rationale: Students learn how nonfiction books are different than fiction books. Students learn that nonfiction writing can be
used to teach others about the world. Students
recognize that they are experts on certain topics. They then write their own "How to
Book" that will sequentially describe how to do something.
Unit Five – Revision
Study
Rationale: Students recognize that writing can be changed and improved after a first
draft. They recognize that the order of sentences can be shifted to improve the
flow of their writing and make their ideas clearer to the reader. Students are encouraged to look for ways to
change individual words to better convey their ideas. With support, students talk about ideas
within a personal narrative which need more development or would be
appropriately omitted.
Unit Six – Author Study
Rationale: Students recognize that they are writers, just like many of their favorite
authors. They learn that other writers
can help them to become better writers by serving as mentors. Students learn what it means to use a mentor
author. Students look closely at the
work of Donald Crews and explore how he lives as a writer, what themes he tends
to write about, and especially his crafting techniques. Students use this information to write their
own pieces and actively try out the crafting techniques of Donald Crews.
Unit Seven - Poetry
Rationale: Students learn that poetry is different from narrative writing in the
following ways: rhyming pattern, rhythm, language,
structure, and length.
Through the exploration of published poems the
children begin to notice for themselves the differences between poetry and
prose. Students are exposed to a variety
of poems and discover that poetry can be about any topic. Students learn about the 3 R’s of
poetry: rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Students write their own poems and practice
playing with rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and white space.
Unit Eight – Writing
Projects
Rationale: After a year of
working and learning as writers, students will have a chance to take all that
they have learned and choose their own independent writing project. This reaffirms to the students that they are
writers with ideas of their own and gives them the opportunity to imagine and
pursue their own writing projects.
Unit One - Developing
Good Reading Habits
Rationale: Initially, students learn about the different members of our reading
community by sharing their favorite books brought from home. This sharing
establishes a strong home-school link and brings the joy of comfort and
familiarity to those first days of school. During the initial weeks of school
students also learn the routines and rituals of our Reading Workshop. They
begin to adopt the habits of good readers even though most are not yet reading
conventionally. Students begin to see
themselves as "readers" whether they are telling a story through
pictures, retelling it from memory, or beginning to decode the words. Students are introduced to the classroom
library and learn how to select books as well as how to put them back in the
appropriate baskets when finished. Rich,
engaging books are read and reread during shared reading. These texts promote a sense of being part of
a reading community, help to support concepts of print, demonstrate literary
language, support directionality, build phonemic awareness and, most of all, and
instill a love of books.
Unit Two- Reading with
Pictures and Patterns
Rationale: The students are exposed to many highly predictable Big Books. Students
learn to read simple, predictable texts by using their knowledge of the way
these books are structured. Students are also exposed to many pattern books and
begin to see that once they learn the pattern of the text, they are able to
read the whole book. Students understand that pattern books have ideas, words,
sentences, or phrases that repeat. Using familiar texts, students learn to look
closely at the details in pictures to help them orally retell the story. By
looking closely at the details in pictures, and by drawing on what they know of
the story structure, children learn to retell a familiar story using their own
words. Over time and through repeated exposure to favorite books, students
learn to incorporate much of the story's familiar language into their
retelling.
Unit Three - Learning
the Leveled Library
Rationale: Students learn
that books in the kindergarten classroom library are carefully organized in
several different ways. In addition to the now familiar "theme"
baskets which are organized by author or subject matter, the students learn
that there is a part of the classroom library that is organized by the level of
text difficulty. The students learn how to use the leveled library to help them
find texts that are "just right" for them as a reader. Students learn
the specific characteristics which make a particular text "too easy",
"too difficult", or "just right". Students preview texts at the end of the
reading workshop and self-select the reading material for the following day.
Unit Four - Reading
Strategies
Rationale: Students learn
various reading strategies to employ when they are struggling in their reading.
They take strategies modeling during our shared reading period and use them in
their independent reading. Students may be conventionally reading texts or
continuing to read familiar, shared texts.
Everyone practices strategies for reading a difficult text: picture
clues, one-to-one voice to print matching, left to right directionality,
initial and final consonant sounds.
Unit Five - Focus on
Comprehension
Rationale: Students learn
that the pictures and the text should support each other or
"match". They learn that they
can use the pictures to help them figure out unknown text. Students learn that
reading should make sense. They are reminded to stop and reread as soon as they
become confused by what they have read or realize that the story line no longer
makes sense. Students learn that if they are unable to make sense of the story,
even if they are able to read all of the words, the text is too difficult for
them as a reader.
Unit Six - Partnership
Reading
Rationale: Students learn how to be a good reading partner through explicit teaching
of what a good reading partner does and through daily opportunities to practice
these ideas in a partnership. Students learn how to sit with a partner, how to
take turns choosing books, how to hold a book with a partner, how to decide the
manner of reading with a partner, and how to "help" their partner.
Unit Seven – Beginning
Book Talk
Rationale: Students learn to talk about books
that they are reading with their partner: making comments, sharing ideas,
asking questions, making predictions, and expressing connections. This
reinforces for children the idea that through shared reading experiences we can
think about ideas. During shared reading, teachers model the way readers talk
about text, stopping to make connections between texts, between the text and
ourselves, or between the text and the world. Students also learn the phrase
"I think" and learn the importance of sharing their ideas with
others.
Unit Eight – Reflecting
Back and Planning Ahead
Rationale: Students reflect on their reading life throughout the year. They are
encouraged to think about their reading skills in September and acknowledge the
growth they have made. Students learn to make plans for themselves as readers
which will support their needs through the summer.
WORD STUDY
Recognizing
names
Hearing
rhymes
Learning
lower and upper case letters
Hearing
words in sentences
Hearing
syllables
Saying
words slowly to hear sounds
Hearing
beginning sounds
Using
letter sound analysis
Hearing
ending sounds
Beginning
consonant letters and sounds
Making
rhymes
Beginning
consonant letters and sounds
Noticing
word families
Making
new words by changing the first letter
Blending
syllables
Hearing
and blending onsets and rimes
Learning
letter names and sounds
Matching
word by word
Hearing
middle sounds
Hearing
sounds in sequence
Learning simple plurals
Changing
first and last letters to make new words
Hearing
saying and deleting beginning sounds
Understanding
alphabetical order
Learning
the initials for names
Recognizing
syllables
Using
known words to solve new words
The kindergarten social studies curriculum centers around developing a sense of the diverse classroom community; what it means to be a part of the community.
In the beginning of the year the children learn about one another's family. They discover each other's culture, where they live, and their family celebrations. The multicultural nature of the classroom library ensures that all children see themselves and their families reflected in the literature read in class. The children learn about the kindergarten community; it's rituals, roles, and celebrations. Expanding to the broader school community, the children explore the campus, the roles of the faculty and staff working on campus, and how community members work together to create a supportive school community. Using the block area, the students 'build' their own communities, working cooperatively to create the structures most familiar to them.
GOALS:
Recognize that each family is unique and has its own identity.
Create graphs to illustrate different family characteristics.
Share and discuss literature which represents different cultures.
Understand the roles and responsibilities inherent in being a member of the kindergarten community.
Learn to cooperate and listen respectfully to the ideas of others.
Design and build block structures in small groups.
KINDERGARTEN SPANISH
GOALS
To introduce the sounds of Spanish
To make students feel comfortable with the language
To teach a basic Spanish vocabulary of immediate use
To create a positive attitude about learning a second language
To foster beginning listening skills
To promote correct pronunciation
TOPICS
Daily greetings
Numbers to 50
Domestic and farm animals
Family members
Days of the week and months of the year.
Parts of the body
Weather expressions
Various foods, fruits and vegetables
CULTURE AND GEOGRAPHY - ACTIVITIES
End of year "fiesta" with a piñata
Story telling -
Authentic folklore and legends from
Authentic children's songs and games
SKILLS MASTERED
Arithmetic
Count to 100 by 1s and 10s.
Count to 30 by 5s.
Count backwards from 10.
Count to 10 by 2s.
Understand concept of "one more" and "one less".
Read and write numbers 0-20.
Familiarity with number families to 5.
Patterns
Recognize patterns in a real world context.
Continue and develop 3-part patterns.
Identify pattern blocks and use them to complete a design.
Data Analysis
Understand a simple bar graph.
Time and Money
Recognize pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
Geometry
Sort objects by various attributes.
Compare and describe sizes of objects.
SKILLS INTRODUCED AND PRACTICED
Arithmetic
Count backwards from 22 or higher.
Count to 100 by 2s.
Count beyond 110 by 5s and by 10s.
Read and write numbers 0-100.
Understand 2-digit numbers in terms of 10s and 1s.
Understand equivalent expressions as two or more different expressions of the same number.
Estimate
Data Analysis
Perform simple data collection and graphing.
Time and Money
Know the value of a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.
Estimate times on an analog clock using only the hour hand.
Geometry
Identify and use measuring tools for linear, weight, and volume measures.
Recognize and name basic plane and solid figures.
The kindergarten science curriculum centers on growth and change. This life science inquiry encourages the students to look at the changes in themselves over the course of the year as well as to learn about how living things grow from seed to plant. The outdoor "kinder-garden" provides a perfect setting for hands-on discovery and exploration.
In addition, students observe and care for classroom pets. Daily experiences with the classrooms pets allows students to learn about the pets' habitats and life cycles. The fall study of Monarch butterflies provides a daily opportunity to witness the miracle of growth and change.
In keeping with the developmental stage of the students, much inquiry is child-directed. This encourages the students’ curiosity about the world around them and allows for their questions to become the basis for scientific inquiry.
OBJECTIVES
Students will:
ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the environment;
recognize that all plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying;
understand that all organisms have basic needs, such as air, water, and food;
observe the steps in the growth process from seed to plant; and
perform the process of composting and understand how we can turn our garbage into rich soil.
Kindergartners vary widely in ability. They have tremendous imagination. This first year of school is a good time to introduce many basic materials and make art friendly to all styles and skill levels. Many children feel inadequate at this age because adults often value control of fine motor skills over imagination and exuberance. Starting with large, expressive work in painting and collage and free work in clay rather than focusing on drawing helps children feel successful. Kindergartners gain control of their fine motor skills rapidly over the course of the school year, and are soon ready for more complex and intricate work, and can sustain energy and interest in a long-term project.
OBJECTIVES
Over the course of the school year, kindergartners learn to:
Painting:
Mix colors wet on the paper
Mix secondary colors in cups or using pumper bottles
Match brush size to the task at hand.
Cover the paper completely
Monoprint from wet paintings
Stick additional paper to wet paintings to enlarge them or change the shape
Drawing:
Draw simple shapes
Combine simple shapes to make something recognizable
Use pencils, watercolor markers, permanent markers and oil pastels appropriately
Collage, Assemblage, Mixed Media:
Use glue either on the object to be glued or on the backing according to need
Use both Elmer's and Tacky glue appropriately with squeeze bottles, spreading sticks, or brushes
Understand layering from big to small
Understand the limits of glue (vs. gravity)
Make choices from piles of diverse collage materials
Clay and Sculpture:
Make and combine ball, slab and coil
Make a pinch pot
Tools and Techniques:
Cut out simple shapes with scissors; use patterned scissors on single sheets*
Hole-punch single sheets*
Tie string, twist pipe cleaners, perform simple sewing stitches*
Clean-up and General Behavior:
Clean up materials according to instructions
Bring paint boxes and mixing cups to clean-up area
Put tools and materials away in appropriate containers
Sit quietly during instructions and demonstrations
Understand the difference between intentional and accidental mess
Be respectful of others' work
*These skills vary greatly among kindergartners; given a requisite amount of strength and fine motor development, these skills can be acquired.
MAJOR AREAS OF
INSTRUCTION
Painting:
Individual painting with primary colors, big brushes, paper in large geometric shapes; free wet mixing of colors
Controlled mixing of secondary colors in cups; combination of paper shapes into abstract as well as recognizable forms
Puzzle pictures, group paintings
Painting of three-dimensional work
Drawing:
Combinations of shapes referring to three-dimensional work and painting
Self-portraits at beginning and end of year, both with and without direction
Small drawings of creatures, plants or objects studied in class after looking at books or from direct observation
Large preparatory drawings for big projects
Free and imaginative drawing
Collage, Assemblage, Mixed Media:
Basic paper collage with cut shapes
Paper exploration (cutting, tearing, folding, crumpling, spindling, curling)
Puppets (drawing, collage)
Box sculptures ( painting, collage with a variety of three-dimensional materials)
Stuffed forms (drawing, painting, cutting, hole-punching, sewing, collage).
Books ( folding, drawing, painting, cutting, hole-punching, sewing, twisting, collage)
Clay:
Free work with basic shapes (ball, slab, coil)
KINDERGARTEN MUISC
Singing
Sing within the range of middle C to G1
Sing with a clear and pleasing tone quality
Match high and low pitches
Sing independently in question and answer form
Sing a varied song repertoire:
relating to the
general
relating to special seasons and events
Rhythm
Demonstrate an awareness of the beat in instrumental and vocal music
Distinguish between fast and slow tempi
Repeat short rhythmic patterns by clapping and/or playing on hand percussion instruments.
Recognize the staff and treble clef (G clef)
Recognize high and low pitches by following hand movements
Listening
Listen attentively to various compositions
Identify instrumental colors of strings, percussion, and piano
Recognize concepts of loud and soft dynamic levels
Discriminate between high and low pitches
Movement
Demonstrate the ability to walk, run, hop, jump, gallop, and skip
Walk to a steady beat
Move freely with spatial awareness
Participate in action songs and singing games
Dramatize situations in stories and songs
TOPICS
Each student:
Defining
understands and uses terminology: title, author, illustrator, spine, spine label
Locating
is aware of layout of library
finds resources in school library with assistance: fiction
Selecting/Analyzing
selects books appropriate to interest and reading ability using browsing techniques
makes selections using simple scanning techniques involving cover, title and illustrations
Organizing/Synthesizing
asks questions appropriately with guidance
KINDERGARTEN COMPUTER CLASS
TOPICS INTRODUCED
Basic
Operations and Concepts
Communicate using computer terminology
Operate computer - on/off
Open, use, and quit programs
Use and care for media
Keyboarding and mouse skills
Social, Ethical and Human Issues
Equipment and work area maintenance
Technology Communications Tools
Graphics (Paint tools, clip art, images)
GREAT BODY SHOP - KINDERGARTEN
Injury Prevention
& Personal Safety
Safety rules & helpers
Effects of no rules, where injuries happen
Safety awards
Routines for fire, storms, floods; decision-making, emergencies
Safe and unsafe play
Personal safety
Refusal skills
Who to trust
Safe and unsafe touches
Nutrition
Healthful food choices
Safe food handling
Cultural, familial & individual preferences
Goals for healthful eating
Decision-making for healthful diet
Food needs of living things
Healthful vs. unhealthful
Variety
Meal plans
Healthful breakfast
Functions of the Body
Defining family & team
Identifying love, trust & caring
Family similarities & differences
Growing & changing
A special person at every stage
Family rules & jobs
Consequences of no rules
Comparing & contrasting different bodies
Growth &
Development/Cycle of Family Life
Defining family & team
Identifying love, trust & caring
Family similarities & differences
Growing & changing
A special person at every stage
Family rules & jobs
Consequences of no rules
Comparing & contrasting different bodies
HIV/AIDS and Illness
Prevention
What doctors, dentists, nurses & others do
Responsibility for following directions when sick
MD’s & dentist’s tools
Knowing phone #
Good hygiene
Decision-making
Not sharing
Defining sick
Showing concern
Substance Abuse
Prevention
Define drugs & medicines
Importance of saying no
Identify dangerous substances
Practice identifying different drugs
Following drug safety rules
Drugs vs. non-drugs
Drug effects
Where to go for help
Refusal skills
Community Health
& Safety (Violence Prevention)
Define community
Community helpers
How being a responsible citizen helps your community
Rules and laws
Unsafe and violent actions
Safety routines to avoid violence and danger
Bullying
Self Worth, Mental
and Emotional Health
Seeing unique qualities in self and others
Respect self and others
Practice self care and healthy habits
Identify feelings and ways to help others
Family support
Boundaries & expectations
Communication skills
Friendship
Empathy
Environmental and
Consumer Health
Identify healthy and clean communities
Good citizenship
Routines for clean environment
Pollution
Identify health care professionals and services
Safety rules for medicines and health care products
Physical Fitness
Fitness routines
Safe physical activity
Benefits of exercise on heart and muscles
Safety routines for physical activity
Organized and after school play
Good sportsmanship
Goals for fitness
KINDERGARTEN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The Kindergarten Physical Education Program works to introduce and enhance the student's physical growth, development, and self esteem. The students practice skills to improve eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, balance, agility, and speed. The class emphasizes positive social interaction between students, listening to and following simple one and two step directions, cooperation, and good sportsmanship. The goal is that each child will have fun and look forward to his/her next class.
TOPICS/ACTIVITIES
locomotion skills
gross motor skills
Project Adventure activities (parachutes, new games, problem solving, and initiatives)
soccer skills and modified games
basketball skills and activities
volleyball skills and activities
pillow polo skills and modified games
kickball
wiffleball
tennis baseball
tennis
lacrosse
motor skills assessment
"new" games created by the physical education staff throughout the year
SKILLS STRESSED
Fundamental Movements
walking
SKILLS INTRODUCED
Fundamental Movements
jogging
running
hopping
skipping
jumping
sliding
galloping
walking up and down stairs while alternating feet
combination skills
Movement control
common space
personal space
balance skills- 1 and 2 feet
eyes open and eyes closed
directional activities
body awareness
spatial awareness
Ball Skills- Pre Bouncing Skills
move ball around body
roll ball in straight line
jumping with ball between feet
jumping over a stationary ball
rolling ball and jumping over it
tossing ball from hand to hand
catching a rolling ball
Bouncing/Dribbling Skills
dropping ball and catching it
bouncing ball waist high with 2 hands
bouncing ball knee high and catching it
alternating hands when bouncing
bouncing ball with 1 hand
bouncing ball and count
bouncing ball and walk forward
bouncing and catching with partner
tossing and catching with partner
Foot Skills
explain dribbling and trapping
dribbling with inside of foot
trapping ball
passing to partner or wall
standing kick without using big toe
kicking with an approach
Basketball Skills- on low 5'-6' basket
lay up
short foul shot
Soccer Skills
dribbling with instep
changing directions while dribbling
passing to stationary partner
passing to moving target
shooting a stationary ball
shooting with approach
shooting a moving ball
catching a rolling ball
catching a bouncing ball
Hockey Skills
stick handling (dribbling)
gripping the stick
passing to stationary partner
passing to moving target
stopping the puck
shooting
Pillow Polo Skills
grip on stick
safety rules
field layout
dribbling ball with stick
stopping ball with stick
passing to stationary target
passing to moving target
shooting at goal
game rules
Volleyball Skills (done with balloons and beach balls using only 10' of court)
bumping and digging
Tennis Skills
forehand and backhand grips
forehand and backhand strokes
net strokes
hitting a tossed or bounced ball
Kickball Skills
kicking a rolled ball
running bases
getting people out at a base
Wiffleball / Tennis Baseball Skills
grip
stance
swing
hitting a tossed ball
running bases
getting people out at base
Scoop Lacrosse Skills
grip
cradle
scooping off ground
tossing
catching
Tumbling and Stunts
alligator crawl
kangaroo jump
walking on line
walking in place
jogging in place
jumping and turning
bear walk
crab crawl
log roll
forward roll-knees apart
backward roll
Scooters
how to sit
how to move while sitting
safety rules
tummy pushing
kneeling and pushing
Please note:
The information contained
in these documents is the intellectual property of
and intended solely
for the use of current and prospective members of the
to better understand
and anticipate course content.
Reuse, resale, or reproduction of
this material outside of
Copyright Wooster School 2006