Grade Level Curriculum Guides

Kindergarten

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The Kindergarten classroom is a nurturing, warm, non-threatening environment that stimulates the social, emotional and intellectual growth and development of the individual child. The goal of language arts is to develop independent, confident, lifelong readers, writers and communicators. We will expose kindergartners to activities that emphasize the following listening, speaking and writing skills:

ORAL COMMUNICATION  

Using appropriate language and complete sentences.

· Verbally conveying wants and needs.
· Participation in group discussions including knowing when to listen, when to speak and when to take turns.
· Relating prior knowledge and experience to group discussions.
· Thinking about what is heard and asking appropriate questions.
· Listening and retelling a story in sequence.
· Expressing ideas and stories through drama.
· Recognizing rhyming words.

READING  

Kindergartners will have the opportunity to enjoy many types of literature including fiction, nonfiction, poems and chants. Through the exposure to these various types of literature, we will introduce kindergartners to the following skills:

· Ability to identify own name.
· Understanding of the relationship between the written and spoken word.
· Naming the letters of the alphabet, recognizing both capital and lowercase
· Identifying letter sounds.
· Distinguishing beginning consonant sounds
· Differentiating between real and imaginary items.
· Using pictures as a way to understand stories.
· Recalling and comprehending a story.
· Developing vocabulary.
· Beginning to identify common sight words.

WRITING

In Kindergarten, the overall goal of writing is to express personal feelings, reactions, values, interests, or attitudes. Children do this verbally, through pictures, and in other symbolic ways. Children will be familiar with the following skills:

· Printing own name.
· Ability to copy and write letters.
· Writing from left to right.
· Expressing ideas through dictated stories and illustrations.
· Contributing to group stories.
· Using developmental spelling that shows they are beginning to understand sound-symbol relationships.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In Kindergarten children begin with the study of themselves and their families, how they grow and change, and the similarities and differences in the world around us. As the kindergartners acclimate themselves to the classroom and school environment, they begin to develop skills relating to working cooperatively, and becoming more responsible individuals. We develop the following skills and concepts in kindergarten:

· Recognition that we are unique individuals, having our own individual qualities and
  capabilities.
· Awareness of ones importance in a group such as a family, class, and community.
· Awareness of ones feelings toward self and others.
· Recognition that ones behavior is and responsibilities affect family, school, and 
  community.
· Realization of the importance of rules and laws.
· Understanding the necessity of respecting the rights of others.
· Appreciating the importance of participation in school and classroom activities.
· Participation in democratic decision making.
· Acceptance of responsibility in classroom routines and activities.
· Recognition of common national symbols
· Exposure to the similarities, differences, and diversities of families.
· Identifying cultural traditions and holidays.
· Gain understanding that diversity is beneficial to everyone.
· Knowledge that we are members of the Long Beach community.
· Recognition of the importance of community helpers to the community and its people.
· Realization that families have wants and needs.
· Understanding that people rely on each other for goods and services.
· Familiarity with places in the home, classroom, school, and community setting.
· Exposure to maps, globes, and drawings of home, classroom and school settings.
· Recognition of seasonal changes.
· Realization that our environment is precious and needs our help for its preservation.

MATHEMATICS

By using concrete, manipulative materials, Kindergartners develop an understanding of mathematics. Our Kindergarten mathematic environment is a place where children engage in collaborative interactions. Emphasis is placed on the learning process rather than quick, correct answers. Children are free to experience, react, think, and ultimately learn to grow and change. Our Kindergartners engage in activities that involve the following skills:

· Patterning
· Recognizing, describing, extending, completing, and analyzing patterns.
· Sorting and Patterning
· Sorting and patterning objects by their properties such as color, shape, size, etc.
· Comparing
· Recognition of likenesses and differences when comparing physical properties, length, weight, and quantity.
· Graphing
· Understanding and interpreting information obtained from graphs.
· Estimating
· Making and checking predictions involving quantities and size.
· Counting
· Exposure to the sequence of cardinal and ordinal numbers.
· Count out how many objects are in a set.
· Associate a number word and digit with a specified quantity.
· Number writing
· Copy and write numbers from 1 through 10.
· Problem Solving
· Listen to and solve simple story problems.

SCIENCE

The Kindergarten science curriculum focuses on life and physical science. It is highlighted by using multiple instructional materials such as Elementary Science Program (ESP) kits and extended classroom activities.

LIFE SCIENCE

· Plants
· Identification of plant needs for survival.
· Comparison of seeds
· Planting of seeds and observing plant growth.
· Animals
· Recognition that animals go through their own stages of growth and development.
· Understanding that physical attributes of an animal help that animal to live and thrive.
· Realization that animals move from place to place to meet their needs.
· Acknowledgment that all animals have babies.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

· Water
· Through water play, we expose students to the following:
· Water has distinct properties.
· Realization that water can take on different properties according to its temperature.
· Understanding that floating objects move by air and water movement.
· Introduction of the ideas of evaporation and condensation.
· Light
· By creating shadows and silhouettes, we will expose students to the following notions:
· Realization that light is an important source of energy.
· Identification of different light sources.
· Observation and description of shadows.
· Understanding that shadows need light.
· Comprehension that shadows change as the position of the light source changes.
· Realization that objects can be sorted by those that pass light through them and those that do not.