Wesley Hall School



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Social/Emotional Skills:

• Develop a sense of responsibility for his/her actions

• Demonstrate self-help skills

• Control emotions and actions

• Follow classroom rules and routines

• Demonstrate ability to work independently with positive work habits

• Demonstrate effort in tasks

• Follow teacher director activities

• Demonstrate positive time management skills

• Demonstrate ability to communicate with teachers and others

• Demonstrate consideration for others

• Respect the rights and properties of others

LANGUAGE ARTS

Our Language Arts program includes the components of reading, writing, literature and handwriting. Each child will be exposed to a combination of whole language and a phonics based approach to early literacy development.

Reading, Writing, Literature and Handwriting Skills:

• Develop oral language-speaking and listening comprehension

• Learn to associate oral language with print

• Sequence, predict events, retell and summarize a story

• Understand and use left to right progression

• Identify and form upper and lowercase letters

• Hear and identify rhyming words

• Identify vowel sounds in words

• Recognize and use simple sight words

• Exposure to various genres of literature

• Seek and discover information in pictures and books

• Understand the terms author and illustration

• Participate in class and individual bookmaking

• Participate in shared and interactive writing

• Participate in creative writing using the inventive spelling method

MATHEMATICS

Our Mathematics program is based on the Everyday Math Curriculum developed by the University of Chicago Mathematics Department. The Chicago math program emphasizes the use of math in everyday real life situations. The children use manipulatives to develop early math concepts and problem solving skills. The program is designed to provide various exposures to topics and frequent opportunities to review and practice skills through hands-on experiences.

Math Skills:

• Understand the concept of zero

• Count forward and backwards

• Skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s

• Recognize and write numerals

• Understand the concept of 1:1 correspondence

• Recognize numerals in random order

• Recognize the order of numerals and numerals before and after

• Explore the meaning of addition and subtraction

• Learn the +, -, and = symbols

• Identify sets of objects least to greatest

• Create and analyze tally charts, tables and bar graphs

• Estimate and compare weight and length

• Identify coins and dollar bill

• Explore temperature and thermometers

• Track and measure time using calendars and other tools

• Explore 2 and 3 dimensional shapes

• Recognize, continue and create patterns

Home Connection

Each parent can be involved in his/her child’s day by regularly discussing school. We encourage parents to read to your children often. There will not be regularly scheduled homework but there will be some take-home activities on occasion. At times your child will also receive “Everyday Math” activities for parent/child participation.

THEMATIC STUDIES

The morning program will consist of the core Language Arts and Math subjects. Various science and social studies topics and themes will be introduced throughout the year and incorporated into the reading, writing, literature and math programs. The afternoon program is dedicated to specific themes with different specialty teachers each day.

SCIENCE

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Children are naturally curious. The lessons taught in our science program are designed to enhance this curiosity and help the children to develop good observation skills – an essential quality in good scientists!!

The following is an overview of the topics we will study. Parents will be updated weekly on upcoming topics.

These are the PLANNED units of study:

- Kangaroos: Since the children are the Kindergarten Kangaroos, they will discuss what they already know about kangaroos and then build on that information. The class will measure how far a kangaroo can jump and compare the distance to their own jump, as well as make comparisons in size to a newborn joey.

- The Five Senses: The children will name and describe each of the five senses and learn how animals and humans adapt when one or more senses are weakened or non-existent. The class will be involved in sensory activities such as identifying and distinguishing between various sounds, tastes and smells.

- Fall: The fall will bring many topics of discovery and exploration. The children will explore the leaves changing color and experiment with color changing chemicals. The class will gather leaves and compare leaf types. Other fall topics filled with hands-on activities will include: apples, pumpkins, owls, spiders, bats, and turkeys.

- Winter: As the children head toward the winter months they will be introduced to animal hibernators and non-hibernators. The class will discuss reindeer and their habitat. The Kangaroos will travel to the top of the world to discover polar bears and other arctic animals, as well as below the equator to learn about penguins. In February the class will explore light and shadows. They will find ways to create light and explore what happens when light is blocked. The children will investigate the human body. They will study external body parts as well as internal organs. X-rays will be viewed and identified. Magnets will be explored. The class will predict and then discover whether objects are magnetic or not and why. The children will enter the world of dinosaurs as they measure dinosaur sizes, create a mural and make fossils.

- Spring: As spring approaches, the Kangaroos will investigate cloud formations and precipitation. Outside they will cloud-gaze and then once inside will create shaving cream clouds. Topics for spring learning will be butterflies, chicks, insects, and birds. The children will identify the parts of a flower and plant various plantings. The class will learn how to be environmentalists as they discover ways to reduce, recycle and reuse. As we move toward the summer months the children will investigate the oceans; where they are located and the creatures they hold. They will identify their favorite sharks.

- As the year unfolds the kangaroos will have input on any other topics of interest.

MONDAY PM PROGRAM –

ART THROUGH THE ALPHABET

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The weekly art centered activities are designed to meet the individual needs of the kindergarten child in a group setting. Activities in this class are designed to draw the children into the dynamic, interactive, ever-changing process that is the essence of art.

Art Skills:

• Develop a common art vocabulary – i.e. line, texture, primary and secondary colors, abstract, landscape, portrait, still life, etc…

• Develop a sense of art appreciation through examination of the works of famous artists

• Reinforce alphabet recognition skills

• Develop phonic awareness and pre-reading skills

• Creates an Art Through the Alphabet sketch book through guided drawing by the teacher

• Creates ORIGINAL works of art!

Class Topics

Elements of Art

• Line (straight, curvy, zig-zag, dotted, broken, crisscrossed, spiral, squiggly, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal)

• Texture (using sense of touch and sense of vision)

• Shapes (circles, squares, rectangles and triangles)

• Colors (primary, secondary, warm and cool)

• Value (contrast, positive and negative images, shading)

Types of Art

• Abstract

• Landscape, Cityscape, Seascape

• Portrait

• Still Life

Artists

• Leonardo da Vinci Paul Cezzane

• Edgar Degas Wassily Kandinsky

• Henry Matisse Claude Monet

• Georgia O’Keefe Pablo Picasso

• Jackson Pollack Henry Rousseau Georges Seurat

• Vincent Van Gogh Andy Warhol And others …

TUESDAY PM PROGRAM –

ROAD TRIP ACROSS AMERICA

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The children will participate in many hands-on activities while learning about the 50 States of the Union and Washington, D.C. The following is a list of the skills and topics that they will cover:

• Important Places – Children will discuss where they and the members of their families were born and also other places where they may have lived. The class will make a chart showing which states (and countries) the children come from and where their parents and extended family members may live.

• Map Skills – Children will learn how to read and a map. The class will learn compass points, how to interpret scale, symbols, topography, land and water, boundaries, cities, capitals and roads. We will focus on identifying all the states and learning something significant about each.

• States and their Capitals – They will map each state and their capital cities as the year progresses.

• Time Zones – Each region of the US has its own distinctive time zone. There are six zones: four for the 48 contiguous states and one each for Alaska and Hawaii.

• Regional Areas of the United States – The class will look at how the various states can be seen as parts of specific regions, such as New England, the Middle States, the Great Plains and the Deep south.

• Native Americans – The children will identify various Native American groups as they are identified with particular states and regions.

• Weather Tracking – The class will review the newspaper to see how various regions and climate zones differ in their “average” weather.

• Products – They will identify the origins of various consumer products. They will find food items such as Wisconsin Cheese, Vermont maple syrup and Florida oranges.

• State Flowers, State Birds and Sports Teams

• Leisure Activities and Vacation Destinations in Different States

• State Songs – Each of the 50 states has its own state song. Among them are: Beautiful Ohio, Rocky Top Tennessee and I Love New York

• Literature – Various states contribute to famous writings. For example, The Wizard of Oz originates and ends in Kansas.

• State Coins – The children will look at quarters and other coins that highlight states

• License Plates

• Famous Landmarks and Famous People

WEDNESDAY PM –

COOKING THAT COUNTS

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Cooking is an ideal classroom project. It involves math and chemistry and it teaches the children how to follow directions using a recipe.

Cooking Class Skills:

• Listening Skills

• Ordering by following a recipe – what comes first, second, third

• Counting and measuring ingredients

• Sensory skills using smelling, tasting, touching, seeing

• Appreciating other cultures through food

• Learning basic cooking vocabulary – i.e. teaspoon, tablespoon, beat, whip

• Practicing simple table manners

• Exploring the origins of foods

• Learning about the food groups and the food pyramid

• Learning fractions of a whole

The following is a sampling of some of the recipes that the children will make: thumbprint cookies, pesto pasta, cinnamon buns, zucchini bread, popovers, apple butterscotch cake, crepes, dirt cups, pumpkin bread, chocolate chip turkeys, crumb cake, quiche and holiday cookies!!!

THURSDAY PM –

FLIGHT TO FRANCE

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The kindergarten children will be learning the basics of the French language through song, dance, storytelling, games and simple written assignments.

Social Skills

• The children will be active participants in circle time

• They will develop self-confidence. Each child will have opportunities to perform the practice their skills using the French language.

Literacy Skills

• Begin to communicate in French

• Recalling songs in French

• Following simple commands in French

Vocabulary Skills

• Colors

• Alphabet

• Body Parts

• Numbers to 50

• Weather

• Farm and Wild Animals

• Days of the Week

• Months of the Year

• Family Members

• Food

• Simple phrases

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

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Physical skills develop throughout the early childhood years. To develop large and small muscle skills, children should have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of movement activities.

The children in our kindergarten will work on three types of skills:

1. Locomotor skills – moving the body from one location to another through walking, marching, leaping, skipping, and relay races.

2. Stability skills – these skills involve keeping the body in one place but moving in other ways. Examples are balancing, jumping, landing, dancing, and stretching.

3. Manipulative skills – these skills are developed through activities in which force in applied or received from objects – tossing and catching a ball, bouncing or kicking a ball.

It is more important than ever to keep children moving! With passive computer and video game use on the rise, it is essential to schedule active time. The kindergarten physical education class will also include basis exercise: jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups. As the children develop their skills, yoga, pilates and zumba activities will be added to their classes!!

ASSESSMENT

Twice a year, a report will be distributed to each child’s family. They will be distributed in January and again in June. There will be parent/teacher conferences with our AM kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schulz, in January. Conferences will be scheduled to discuss student progress.

If you have any questions or concerns at any time during the school year, please speak with the teachers or with the director. Close communication between parents and the school will optimize the child’s school experience.

A good Kindergarten curriculum is like a ballet between a sensitive adult and enthusiastic children.

Both in control, both respond, and both take cues from one another.

From: “How Good Is Your Kindergarten Curriculum?” by Carol Seefeldt, Principal, Vol. 68, No. 5, May 1989, p. 12. Reprinted with permission. Copyright 1989, National Association of Elementary School Principals. All rights reserved.

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