Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum

PRE-KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES

…To provide a solid foundation in academics for Kindergarten
... To develop critical thinking
…To design a creative, “mind stretching” curriculum
…To meet the needs of fives from academically oriented homes
…To challenge the fives, most of whom have had two years of nursery school
…To balance the curriculum so that physical, social and economical needs are also met

ROLE OF TEACHER

…To maintain a more structured classroom setting than for the four year olds
…To individually screen each child to assess knowledge
…To introduce work on the level of each child
…To work individually without pressure until child is ready to work in small groups
…To gradually increase the amount of group direction, as opposed to individualized direction
…To keep parents appraised of progress throughout the year

SOCIALIZATION – An Important Need for Fives

…Supportive social atmosphere for sharing ideas, exploring feelings and finding acceptance
…Free play periods indoors and out (weather permitting)

EMOTIONAL GROWTH

…Success-oriented activities (program on child’s level)

GROSS-MOTOR COORDINATION

…Playground
…Wagon, tricycle, climbing apparatus
…Block building (large muscle involvement)

SMALL MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT (for writing skills)
…Correct use of scissors – determining handedness and give left handed or right handed scissors, teaching the cutting of irregular shapes
…Paper hole punch projects to strengthen fingers
…Tracing templates
…Sewing, weaving and lacing projects

ART-all media …Easel and table painting, pasting, collages, clay, sponge, string and potato printing, finger painting, puppetry (paper bag pumpkins, stick, sock) papier-mache and folding projects

MUSIC

…Group singing
…Interpretive movements to activity records
…Rhythm instruments – discrimination of sound intensity and pitch
…Classical music appreciation (records)
Whole Numbers—
…Combine two sets, the cardinal number of which is less than 10 Operating with Fractions—
…Develop awareness of fractions in daily use, inequality of parts, two equal parts, many equal parts of a whole …Estimation, comparisons of length, height, width, depth …Using real money to learn names of bills and coins

READING READINESS

…Identifies shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, oval and diamond
…Recognizes capital letters
…Recognizes lower case letters
…Hears rhyming words
…Uses picture cues
…Sees likenesses and differences in words
…Shows interest in reading
…Likes to be read to
…Learns initial consonant sound in initial, medial and final positions
…Knows, endings—ed, ing, s
…Knows common word families
…Comprehends material read