Kindergarten Teachers
Mrs. Bulley, Mrs. Dougherty, Mrs. Foster, Ms. Ord, and Mrs. Prince-McCormick
Kindergarten Curriculum at a Glance:
Reading
The student ...
- recognizes letters of the alphabet
- associates sounds with letters of the alphabet
- understands basic phonological/phonetic principles (ex., knows rhyming words, knows words that have the same initial and final sounds and blends individual sounds into words
- understands how print is organized and read (ex., locating print on a page, matching print to speech, knowing parts of a book, reading from top-to-bottom and left-to-right and sweeping back to left for the next line
- uses a variety of sources to build vocabulary (ex., word walls, other people and life experiences
- develops vocabulary by discussing characters and events from a story
- uses strategies to comprehend text (ex., retelling, discussing, asking questions, using illustrations and sequences of events)
- knows the main idea or essential message from a read-aloud story or informational piece
- selects materials to read for pleasure
Mathematics
Number Sense
The student…
- counts, reads and writes numerals to 10 or more and counts backwards from 10 to 1
- knows that cardinal numbers indicate quantity and ordinal numbers indicate position
- uses language such as before or after to describe relative position in a sequence of whole numbers
- compares 2 or more sets (up to 10) and identifies which set is equal to, more than or less than.
- uses concrete materials to represent whole number and fractional parts of a whole (ex., one-half and one-fourth
- counts orally by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s using concrete materials, pictures and hundred chart to show the concept of numbers
- demonstrates and describes the effect of putting together and taking apart sets of objects
- creates, acts out with objects, and solves number problems
- estimates the number in a set and verifies by counting
- builds models to show that numbers are odd or even
Measurement
The student...
- measures and communicates length, distance and weight of objects using nonstandard, concrete materials
- describes the concepts of time, temperature and capacity
- uses direct and indirect comparison to sort and order objects
- uses uniform, nonstandard units to estimate and verify by measuring length and width of common classroom objects
- knows and compares the value of a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter
- knows measurement tools and uses them for length, weight, capacity and time
Geometry
The student…
- knows and sorts 2-dimensional shapes (ex., circles, squares and triangles) and 3-dimensional objects (ex., cubes and cones)
- recognizes and creates symmetrical figures
- knows the attributes of circles, squares, triangles and rectangles
Algebraic Thinking
The student…
- identifies simple patterns of sounds, physical movement and concrete objects
- classifies and sorts objects by color, shape, size, kind and which do not belong in a group
- predicts, extends and creates patterns
- knows that symbols can be used to represent missing or unknown quantities (ex., fill in the missing number in 5, 6, _, 8)
Data Analysis and Probability
The student…
- knows how to display answers to simple questions involving two categories or choices using concrete materials or pictures on a graph or chart
- interprets data in pictorial or concrete materials (ex., pictures on a graph or chart)
- interprets data in pictorial or concrete graphs
- uses concrete materials, pictures or graphs to show range and mode
- knows if a given event is more likely, equally likely, or less likely to occur
Science
The Nature of Matter
The student…
- knows that objects have many different observable properties:
- color
- shapes (circle, triangle, square) The student…
- forms (flexible, stiff, straight, curved)
- textures (rough, smooth, hard, soft)
- sizes and weights (big, little, large, small, heavy, light, wide, thin, long, short)
- positions & speeds (over, under, in, out, above, below, left, right, fast, slow)
- knows that matter exists in different states (solid, liquid, gas).
- knows that materials can be changed by cutting, folding, bending, and mixing.
- knows that some objects are made up of many different materials.
Energy
The student…
- knows the effects of sun and shade on the same object (for example, crayons, ice, chocolate).
- knows that light can pass through some objects, but cannot pass through other objects.
- understands that a terrarium or an aquarium is a model of a system.
- knows some processes where heat can be released (for example, playing a radio, burning a candle).
- understands that people eat food to survive.
Force and Motion
The student…
- understands that different things move at different speeds (bicycle/motorcycle, car/plane, tortoise/hare).
- knows the names of objects that roll, slide, or fly.
- knows that the motion of an object (for example, toy truck, toy car, ball, marble) can be changed by a push or a pull.
- knows that vibrations caused by sound waves can be felt (for example, on a speaker when music is played, the head of a drum when it is hit, or a tuning fork).
Processes that Shape the Earth
The student…
- knows that the surface of the Earth is composed of different types of solid materials (for example, sand, pebbles, rocks, clumps of dirt).
- knows that life occurs on or near the surface of the Earth in land, water, and air.
- uses charts to display daily changes in the weather.
- knows ways to care for the Earth at home and in school (for example, limiting use of paper towels, turning off water while brushing teeth, turning off lights when no one will be in the room).
Earth and Space
The student…
- knows that the sky looks different during the day than it does at night.
- knows that the position of the Sun in the sky appears to change during the day.
- knows some of the objects seen in the night sky (for example, stars, Moon).
Processes of Life
The student…
- knows some of the basic needs of living things (for example, food, water, space).
- knows ways living things change and grow over time (for example, seed to flowering plant, tadpole to frog).
- knows that plants and animals are found in different kinds of environments and are often hidden.
- knows selected characteristics of plants and animals (for example, shape, size, color).
- knows names for animal offspring (for example, puppies, kittens, cubs, calves, chicks, children).
- knows that plants and animals may live in different habitats.
How Living Things Interact with Their Environments.
The student…
- understands ways that animals obtain food from plants and other animals.
- knows that if living things do not get food, water, shelter, and space, they will die.
The Nature of Science
The student…
- knows that learning can come from careful observation.
- repeats events several times and compares the findings.
- works with a partner or small group to collect information.
- shares findings about scientific investigations with others.
- poses questions, seeks answers, draws pictures of observations, and makes decisions using information.
- knows that the five senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight) allow us to take in and respond to information in order to learn about our surroundings.
- understands that continuous patterns occur in nature (for example, seasons, phases of the Moon, blooming flowers).
Ideas for helping your child at home:
Language Arts
- Make flash cards for upper and lower case letters and practice them daily OUT OF ORDER.
- Take your child to the library to get a library card and choose books.
- Talk, sing, listen and read to your child every day.
- Put letters in a bag and have your child reach for a letter and say the sound. Have him/her reach in for another letter. If your child does not know a sound, say the sound and put it back in the bag. Count how many sounds they can do in a minute.
- Write a note each day to put in your child’s lunch box or on your child’s pillow.
- Read a nursery rhyme. Reread leaving out the last word of every other line of the rhyme for your child to say.
Mathematics
- Allow your child to help you sort the groceries before putting them away (canned goods, boxes or items that need refrigeration).
- Have a bag of various objects. Have your child sort by size, then shape, color, texture, etc.
- Practice counting orally to 100 by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s using a hundred chart