Kindergarten

Literacy:

The Kindergarten Literacy program focuses on skill development in the areas of phonemic awareness, oral language, vocabulary, comprehension, reading fluency, listening, and writing. Activities center around ten themes and the rich assortment of materials included in the Houghton-Mifflin series. Instruction is delivered in both large and small groups, and activities are cross-curricular. A full hour of Literacy Center time is built into the daily schedule to provide students with meaningful, differentiated activities. Some examples of centers are: listening to stories on CD; partner reading; letter/word work; poetry; writing; math; and science/social studies. While students are engaged in Centers, the teacher meets with reading groups and conferences with students about the work they are doing at the centers. The children are motivated by the opportunity to make choices, work at their own pace, and be responsible for organizing and completing their work.

Science/Social Studies:

The Science/Social Studies curriculum is supported by the cross-curricular nature of the Literacy program. Each Reading theme contains non-fiction literature and small group Science/Social Studies activities. Attention to seasons and holidays is incorporated into the curriculum. Use of the Science Lab and interactive SMART board encourage student participation, and support and extend the lessons. Some of the areas covered in the curriculum include: Animals (families/habitats); Fire Safety; Community Workers; The Five Senses; Pilgrims/Native Americans/Thanksgiving; Nutrition/The Food Pyramid; Weather; States of Matter; Transportation; Plant Growth; and The Sun. Science/Social Studies activities provide many opportunities for skill development in vocabulary, comprehension, writing, oral language, and math.

Religion:

In Kindergarten the text used for Religion is God Loves Us. This program recognizes that young children have a readiness to learn about God. The program integrates Scripture and doctrine in each lesson to help the children relate the Catholic faith to their everyday lives. The lessons are divided into the following: Faith content, Parent and family resources, Traditional prayers, and a ChildŐs Bible. During each lesson the program also integrates Music and Art. The students are offered many experiences to help develop their love for God. In Kindergarten the lessons we learn in our Religion classes are integrated our entire school day. The children attend Mass weekly.

Math:

The Math program used in Kindergarten is Math Concepts. This program provides students with the appropriate development of problem-solving strategies, skills, and applications in Kindergarten. Students are provided with ongoing opportunities to apply their math skills and solve problems using visual thinking, logical thinking, number sense, and algebra. Math Concepts provides extensive support for reaching all learners. Every chapter includes suggestions for meeting the individual needs of the students. The areas of concentration in Kindergarten are: sorting and comparing objects, using numbers through 20, position words, patterning, constructing and using graphs, measurement, time, geometric figures, addition and subtraction.