Language Arts - Patterson Elementary School :: Home



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Curriculum Night

Kindergarten

Patterson Elementary

Miss Consolazio

Mrs. Garwood

Miss Rivers

Mrs. White

Language Arts

1. Methods of Instruction

Our reading readiness program includes the integration of reading and writing. Each child begins at his/her own level and builds upon it Our District curriculum is based on a balanced literacy framework both in content and process. Content areas of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension are addressed through the processes of read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, and independent practice. A rich variety of children’s literature expands students’ vocabulary and understanding and hopefully builds a love of reading.

2. Researched Based Programs

• Harcourt Brace “Trophies” (Letter of the week/Letter Poems)

• Michael Heggerty (Phonemic Awareness)

• Jolly Phonics (Phonics instruction)

|Phonemic Awareness |Phonics |

|Main focus is on phonemes / sounds |Main focus is on graphemes / letters and their corresponding sounds |

|Deals with spoken language |Deals with written language / print |

|Mostly auditory |Both visual and auditory |

|Students work with manipulating sounds and sounds in words | |

3. Power Hour Reading Block

Patterson is committed to providing excellence in reading instruction. Our literacy block or “Power Hour” is a daily hour (9:15-10:15) of reading instruction across the entire building. All staff members are engaged in the teaching of reading during this time, and staff members other than your child’s classroom teacher may be providing instruction during this time. We would like to respectfully request that parents refrain from visiting their child’s classroom during Power Hour, allowing our students make valuable gains during this uninterrupted teaching time.

Teaching Reading: Skills Progression

This checklist includes skills that are introduced.

Ongoing review and practice of these skills occurs throughout the year.

Kindergarten students are not expected to master all skills. Some skills are introduction only.

August/September

*Listening & speaking-understanding oral directions

*Connects oral language to written language

*Expands ideas…details through drawing, oral, or written language

*Book sense: cover, author, illustrator, title page, left to right, top to bottom

*Letter recognition capital and lowercase

*Letter sounds

*Environmental print & color word recognition

*Isolate initial consonant (beginning sounds)

*Tracking-one point for each word in familiar sentence

*Inflection for different types of punctuation (question mark, exclamation mark)

*Comprehension: reaction to text, sequencing (beginning & end)

October/November

*Letter/Week begins-including letter formation

*Sight words: a, my, the, is

*Hears rhyming words

*Manipulates phonemes

*Isolates ending consonant

*Blending CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant)

*Reading strategies: PICTURE CLUES, LOOK AT FIRST LETTER,

GET YOUR MOUTH READY, WORD IN A WORD

LOOK THROUGH THE WORD,

*Developmental spelling: labeling/lists…beginning & ending consonant

*Fiction & non-fiction

*Comprehension: Beginning, middle, end…recall questions…react to text

December/January

*Guided Reading at instructional level

*Parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective

*Produces rhyming words & word families

*Segments words to spell

*Uses short vowels in writing-writes simple sentences

*Applies letter/sound knowledge to decode unfamiliar words

*Uses strategies when presented with unfamiliar words in text

*Sight words: like, at, and, I, we, can, she, on, am, go, he

*digraphs: (sh/th/ch/wh)

*Comprehension: character/setting/problem/solution

prediction

*Re-read for fluency

February/March

*Consonant blends

*”ing” ending

*Increasing independence in both reading and writing

*Shows confidence in word attack

*Long vowel-silent e

*Sight words: it, no, yes, to, you, do, have, what, in, see, will, play

*Reading strategies: DOES IT MAKE SENSE? & SKIP AN UNFAMILIAR WORD

*Comprehension: prediction and inferring

April/May

*Vowel digraphs (when two vowels go walking…)

*Compound words

*Plural endings

*Sight words: look, come, me, one, are, here, for, little

*Increasing fluency

*Increasing length and difficulty of attempted texts

*Comprehension: graphic organizers, compare and contrast

Assessment

Evaluation of each student is based upon teacher’s observations, daily classroom work; report card checks each quarter, and the Curriculum Based Measurement test.

  After first quarter, conferences will be held to discuss student progress; this conference is based on the “whole child.”  We will cover the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual areas at each reporting period.  During the second, third, and fourth quarters, we will issue report cards evaluating specific Kindergarten objectives.

  Your child will also be assessed according to the Curriculum Based Measurement test.  This CBM test is given to your child twice in the fall (September and shortly before conferences), winter, and spring.  The fall results will be given to you at conferences, and winter and spring results will be included in your child’s report card.  This test assesses your child’s pre-reading and math skills.

Writing

For Kindergarten students, whose skills will greatly vary, the goal is to move pre-emergent/ emergent readers into the writing process by eliciting a story from a drawing, recording the student's words in dictation form on the drawing and encouraging the student to move from drawing to writing by guiding the student in the use of phonetics to sound out words. Students are encouraged to write and draw daily in their school journals and in their classroom Writing Center.

1. D’Nealian Handwriting

D’Nealian handwriting instruction is an improved method of teaching the basic number and letter forms, size, slant, rhythm and spacing. It provides an easier transition from manuscript to cursive. Children will be taught to write their names with a capital letter followed by lower case letters (John, not JOHN). D’Nealian formations are introduced in kindergarten, and while children are encouraged to use this formation when writing their names, mastery of this method is not required. Children will receive more intensive handwriting instruction in first grade. Reversals are common at the Kindergarten level. Do not be concerned by this as reversals tend to diminish as your child matures.

2. Writer’s Workshop

Writer's Workshop is a teaching technique that invites students to write by making the process a meaningful part of the classroom curriculum. Writing is an expected daily activity. Students will be exposed to the organization and thought required to create a story or write about a favorite topic. Due to the fact that students will have a flexibility and independence in the choosing their writing topic for the day they are allowed to choose, students are motivated to create and complete works to read to classmates. The main components of the Writer's Workshop include a Mini-lesson, Writing & Conferencing, and Sharing and Author's Share Chair.

The main components of the Writer's Workshop include a Mini-lesson, Status of the class, Writing & Conferencing, and Sharing & Author's Chair. Some of these components may already be a part of your classroom routine.

Math

 

The kindergarten mathematics program will emphasize the process of problem solving within everyday situations.  Through this process, students will have the opportunity to develop confidence in using mathematics meaningfully, as well as understand the value of mathematics.  Mathematics should be integrated throughout the entire kindergarten program, and students will be encouraged to communicate “mathematically.”

          Daily activities in math include, counting, recognizing numerals, and identifying patterns.  Weekly activities may include estimating, sorting, graphing, and developing patterns.  In addition to these skills, units throughout the year will include:

 

▪ Identifying numerals through 120 and above

▪ Exploring number sequence

▪ Introducing ordinal numbers (first, second, etc,)

▪ Exploring place value and grouping objects by tens

▪ Recognizing and identifying shapes

▪ Exploring measurement in everyday situations

▪ Introducing time and money

▪ Solving problems

▪ Exploring addition and subtraction

 

          Since most of our math lessons are done with manipulatives, there will not be many “math worksheets” brought home by your child.  Parents will be able to notice progress by listening to your child in everyday situations.  However, an important component of the Everyday Mathematics series is the “home links” program which enables the student to further explore mathematical concepts in the home environment.

Kindergarten Math Skills Checklist

First Quarter:

*Counts by 1’s to 40

*Counts up to 22 objects

*Sequences numbers 1-10

*Reads numbers 1-10

*Recognizes shapes (square, circle, rectangle, triangle)

*Uses rules to sort objects 2 ways (ex: sort by size, then sort by color)

*Builds patterns

*Compares lengths

Second Quarter

*Counts by 1’s to 50

*Reads numbers 1-21

*Writes numbers 1-21

*Counts on (ex: start at 4 and count-start at 10 and count)

*Counts backwards from 15

*Recognizes more, less and equal sets

Third Quarter

*Counts by 1’s to 100

*Sequences numbers 0-22

*Reads numbers 0-100

*Writes numbers 0-100

*Counts by 10’s to 100

*Recognizes a reasonable estimate

*Solves addition stories

*Uses nonstandard tools for measurement

Fourth Quarter

*Counts by 1’s to 115

*Reads numbers to 115

*Counts by 5’s to 100

*Counts backwards from 21

*Solves addition and subtraction stories

*Generates equivalent names for numbers 2-5

*Identifies coins (penny, nickel, dime)

*Tells time to the hour

 

Social Studies

 

          Units of study within the content area of social studies will include:  self awareness, family, school, community, famous Americans, safety holidays, map reading, and problem solving. 

Another ongoing activity within the classroom is Star Student. Every child will have a chance to be the Star Student for one week within their individual classroom. Star Student allows students to share about themselves and also learn about their peers. Students will learn about similarities and differences and will also practice questioning skills. Please remember to pick up the important Star Student information in your child’s classroom before you leave tonight.

Science

 

 Your child will experience activities from several science kits throughout the year.  These science kits include water exploration, ecology, the five senses, seeds to plants, and magnets.  Other life science, earth science, physical science, and health science topics will be discussed and integrated into the Kindergarten curriculum.  

Technology

The goal of technology education in District 204 is to provide students with the opportunity for technological literacy starting with the elementary curriculum. Our emphasis with students is the application of technology across all grade levels and curricular areas as well as the development of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Each individual Kindergarten classroom will have the opportunity to use Patterson’s Computer Lab on a weekly basis. The District has adopted new technology standards that will be implemented and assessed starting at the Kindergarten level.

P.F.A. Physical and Fine Arts Classes

• Art

Children are encouraged to express themselves through various forms of art activities. Students will receive 50 minutes (two 25 minute class periods) of formal instruction in art per week. Students will need to keep an art smock in their backpacks for art class and occasional class projects. Additional opportunities for art and creative expression will occur in the classroom on a regular basis.

• Music

Kindergarten students are provided with 50 minutes (two 25 minute calss periods per week) with our music teacher, as well as additional experiences throughout the week. Musical expression and rhythm are introduced.

• Physical Education

Kindergarten students enjoy 75 minutes (three 25 minute class periods) per week in the gymnasium plus various activities presented throughout the week. Your child will need to wear gym shoes on the days he or she has P.E.

Learning Media Center (LMC)

To supplement our curriculum, we have various programs in the LMC. In addition to special activities in our LMC, students will have the opportunity to check out library books to bring home.

Optional Homework

          All homework is completely optional at the Kindergarten level; however, we encourage parents to reinforce new concepts as they are introduced.  Please go over your child’s papers each evening and talk about the math and reading readiness concepts presented that day.  See if your child can recall the letter of the day/week and its sound.  Once a week, your child will receive a handwriting page to practice the letter of the week.  Please encourage your child to practice the D’Nealian form of this letter at home. If your student brings home work that is uncompleted, please encourage them to finish this as well.   This homework does not need to be returned to school. 

          To increase vocabulary and build listening skills, we ask that you read to your child every day. Reading to your child in a quiet, relaxed atmosphere will help him/her come to value the reading experience.  When you finish a story, check your child’s listening comprehension by asking some basic questions: who, what, when, where, and why.  Above all, have fun reading!!

  Another area of Kindergarten homework is our periodic report card checks.  Before the end of each quarter, we will inform you of some specific goals we will be evaluating, for example, address, phone number, letters and sounds, numbers, etc.  This gives you some time to review these concepts at home.  

  The last area of homework is personal care skills.  If your child does not already know how to zip, button and tie, then please work on these skills at home.  These skills become especially important during the cold weather months. 

 

Birthdays

We are happy to celebrate your child’s birthday in class. Please do not send edible treats and goody bags to class. Patterson School policy prohibits this. You may choose to celebrate your child’s birthday by sending in ONE inedible treat (stickers, pencils, etc.) or you may choose to donate a book to the school library.

INVITATIONS TO BIRTHDAY PARTIES ARE TO BE HANDED OUT BY THE PARENTS. THEY WILL NOT BE HANDED OUT AT SCHOOL. THE SCHOOL PROHIBITS THIS.

Classroom Rules

Each classroom teacher will be implementing a “Sunny Cloudy Rainy” behavior plan. Our behavior support focus in the classroom is specifically based on the building philosophy. Throughout the year we will continually discuss the Patterson Positive points, “learning of others”, friendships, respect and responsibility for one’s self.

Communication

Each week you will receive an electronically sent Kinder Korner newsletter. Please take the time to read this letter to become familiar with ongoing classroom activities, important dates and special supplies your child may need for an upcoming event.

Please remember to report any absences for your child. You may do this by contacting the Patterson office. 630-428-6505

School Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:05-3:35

Wednesday: 9:15-3:35

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