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Early Learning Community Pre K & K

The Early Childhood Learning Community is comprised of our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Classes.  The foundational years of education are vital for our young learners to experience social, emotional, and academic education, as well as an introduction of the lessons of Jesus Christ.  While reading, writing and math are key components of each day, exposing our children to key concepts they will need in their school careers, we also feel that reinforcing kindness, problem solving, and collaboration through play and peer interactions is an integral aspect of our Early Education Learning Community.  

PRE-KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Purpose

The Pre-Kindergarten curriculum is a “Readiness Program” focusing on preparing the “whole child” for entrance into our Kindergarten class.  Teacher resource guides and materials are numerous and are adapted to the abilities of four and five year old children.  The Pre-Kindergarten curriculum is not text book orientated. 

Here is just a small sampling of the areas your child will focus on:

  • Religion - Recite prayers, Learn that they are special gifts of God
  • Work/Play habits - Seek help when needed, Value their own work, Finish what has been started
  • Social/Emotional development - Respect and show concern for people and things, Maintain a good self image/confidence
  • Personal development - State full name, age,  birthday, etc
  • Physical development (fine & gross motor) - Manipulate writing materials, perform simple puzzle assembly, manipulate small pieces, i.e. Legos, linking people, pop and groove, snap-cube, participate in games
  • Art development - Explore art media, Be imaginative with art materials
  • Music development - Show enthusiasm for music, Sing songs used to introduce themes
  • Math readiness- Counting, Understand “how many” and “more/less”
  • Language development - Speak in sentences, Re-tell a story in sequence
  • Written development - Print  first name (upper and lower case), Form letters correctly, Work from left to right
  • Reading Readiness- Recite the alphabet (rote memory), Identify alphabet letters (upper and lower case)
  • Cognitive development -Recognize own name and peer’s names, Interpret pictures
  • Computer development - Engage in various computer CD games, i.e. Counting and Sorting, Disney Magic Art Studio, Jump Start Numbers. I want to Read, Candy Land
  • Science development - Identify daily weather, Identify life cycles of plants and animals, Participate in incubation and hatching projects, i.e. chicks, fish , tadpoles, butterflies, ladybugs
  • Social Studies development - Student will participate in various field trips, including: Apple picking, Pumpkin picking, Theater productions, Museums, Historical, Fire department
  • Cooking - The student will prepare Snacks, i.e. crackers and peanut butter, apple pie, apple sauce, rice krispie treats and measure ingredients during baking projects
     

Teaching Strategies

The morning meeting
The daily lesson
Dramatization
Storytelling
Songs, poetry
Ceremonies
Visits to Church
Handwriting or counting practice
Math activities

Assessments

Observation
Discussion
Participation
Written/oral conference with parent
 

Materials

Mailbox series
Frog Street Series
Weekly Reader Series
Bible Story Book
100 Days of School/Emily’s first 100 Days by Rosemary Wells
Giant Basic Skills Workbook Series
Scholastic Alphabet Wheels Book
Mother Goose and Friends Series
Noah’s Ark Alphabet Book, numbers, shapes, colors, mazes, dot-to-dot, hidden pictures – Grace Publications
Turtle Magazine Series
Brighter Child Reading Series
I Am Special Series
Lakeshore Theme Units
Charts
Poems
Story Books
Music CD’s
Music Cassettes
Videos
Library

KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

The purpose of the kindergarten language arts curriculum is to review previously learned skills, to introduce new skills and to give the children the opportunity to practice skills, to explore materials, to work independently and with other children, and to receive instruction at their own level.

MATH

In kindergarten, there is a focus on two critical areas: (1) representing, relating, and operating on whole numbers, initially with sets of objects; and (2) describing shapes and space.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The purpose of the Kindergarten social studies curriculum is to introduce the child to the world outside the classroom and community. The children learn about the people and events we celebrate on our own national holidays and they also listen to folktales, true stories, and songs from around the world. The children are encouraged to become better citizens; to learn the responsibilities of belonging to a group; to work cooperatively within a group; to be respectful of others and to share with those less fortunate.

SCIENCE

Students will develop an understanding of patterns and variations in local weather, the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object to analyze a design solution and what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive and the relationship between their needs and where they live.

The crosscutting concepts of patterns; cause and effect; systems and system models; interdependence of science, engineering, and technology; and influence of engineering, technology, and science on society and the natural world are called out as organizing concepts for these disciplinary core ideas.