KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

 2007-2008 School Year

LANGUAGE ARTS

The emphasis in Language Arts is to introduce the basic skills needed to be successful and independent readers.  The total program includes the development of auditory and visual skills as well as writing skills and oral language development. Learning to read is an informal process in kindergarten. Listening and speaking opportunities take place constantly in the school environment.  Our curriculum revolves around language and play experiences with sensitivity to a child’s growth and development.

PHONICS AND PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS

An introduction of the sound/letter relationship is the foundation on which the other decoding skills depend.  Our focus is to equip the child with simple and efficient decoding strategies that establish independence in reading (phonics). Phonological awareness includes letter sequencing, rhyming words, blending and segmenting sounds.

COMPREHENSION

Comprehension gives meaning to all of the decoded words that are read. This skill is developed in several different ways such as listening attentively to stories and recalling the main idea, characters, plot, predicting the outcome, details, cause and effect, and understanding the vocabulary involved in the reading selection.

MATH

Kindergartners enter school with a great desire and excitement to “do their numbers”.  Our kindergarten math program is based on the frequent use of many kinds of manipulative materials.  This provides the foundation for pattern development, comparisons and learning basic number combinations.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The kindergarten social studies program encompasses the child’s world of self, family, school, and friends. It extends into the community, country and world as well. The program also reaches into the past by studying prehistoric, medieval as well as modern history. Sociology is addressed in the curriculum through the study of Native Americans and world cultures. The geography component includes map and globe skills as well as basic landforms and major bodies of water.

SCIENCE

The science curriculum includes life science, physical science and earth science.  Life science areas involve discovering how animals such as mammals, butterflies, frogs relate to their environments.  In addition, dinosaurs are studied. The area of physical science envelops magnets, buoyancy, density, sound, states of matter, and simple machines. Earth science explores seasons and weather, shadows and ecology. Plant life and growth are also explored. An awareness of the human body, including the five senses, body parts and their functions and daily health habits are also studied.

ART EXPERIENCES

St. Mary’s kindergarteners are fortunate to have weekly art classes with a specialist art teacher. Many media are provided to the kindergartners in the classroom and during art classes.  Every kindergarten is equipped with an art center that is supplied with a variety of materials. There are many specialty items relating to particular themes or concepts that are being studied. The child is allowed to explore the materials in a creative way. In kindergarten it is not the finished product that is most important, but the process the child went through to achieve the product.

St. Mary’s has a traveling collection of Old Masters that include representations of genre for each artist such as reproductions of their most renowned works, puzzles, biographies and pictures of the artist.

MUSIC

The kindergarten music program gives our students the opportunity to work with our music teacher twice weekly. Two musical programs are presented during the school year. The Masters Music Program focuses on one composer every month. The composers are not only presented through their compositions but also the genre they represent.  A picture and book about each composer is added.   There are musical instruments included for the child to experience and enjoy such as chimes, drum, and percussion instruments.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Being physically fit as well as having fun is the basis for our kindergarten P.E. program. Kindergartners participate in physical education classes twice each week.

COMPUTER LAB

Every kindergarten class has access to the computer lab as well as having computers in the classroom.  The computers are used for educational games and programs that are a component of the Open Court Reading Program..

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