KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
The Wyndcroft School
What’s New in Kindergarten?
Kindergarten is an exciting time for learning with the
start of reading and learning basic mathematic skills.
Through instruction in phonetics and literature
appreciation, kindergarteners blossom as readers.
Children write basic sentences and practice their letter
formation. Our kindergarteners also become confident mathematicians as they add and
subtract, tell time, and count coins. They also explore the world through engaging
themes and units. A highlight of the year is the 100th Day Celebration.
The following is a typical kindergarten daily schedule at Wyndcroft:
6 periods with the classroom teacher learning Language Arts, Mathematics, and
Social Studies
3 periods with Special area teachers (Art, Computer, French, Library, Music,
Physical Education, Science)
Language Arts
In kindergarten, children develop their listening skills, speaking
skills, and oral reading skills. They engage in a variety of
writing experiences. Kindergarteners learn the structure of a
story, understand the meaning of a story, and predict story
outcomes as they read various forms of literature. They practice
sounding out initial and final consonants, short and long vowels,
and blends. Children apply phonetic skills to decode new words,
learn word families, and examine sight word vocabulary. They
also gain an understanding of the concept of a sentence and learn to identify a table of
contents and glossary. The children experience poetry and literature on a daily basis.
Mathematics
Kindergarteners explore numbers, operations, classification, time, value, and
measurement. They solve problems, use graphs, look for patterns,
count coins, examine shapes, measure amounts, and estimate.
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Kindergarten p. 2
Social Studies
Kindergarteners explore seasons and holidays with
appropriate customs, art, music, literature, and food.
Geographical locations in the world are also explored,
such as rainforests and polar regions. This is a multidisciplinary course that includes art, music, literature,
and writing.
Special Subjects:
Art
Beginning in kindergarten, students explore art through
the three lenses of space, light, and texture. There are
three focuses of art at this stage:
Space: line arrangement
Light: primary colors
Texture: experience
Computer
As in prekindergarten, this course focuses on the basics of
computer usage, the care of input devices, and the practice
of responsible use and care of hardware and software.
French
Kindergarteners continue to build upon their introduction to French language and culture
through visual, oral, and aural methods of learning. They use new materials, such as
coloring worksheets, to reinforce new vocabulary. Topics are expanded and added to
enhance the language learning experience. Kindergarteners learn greater numbers,
additional colors, simple weather expressions, extended family members, basic foods
including fruits and vegetables, and table setting vocabulary. They explore French
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Kindergarten p. 3
culture through technology, songs, and stories. Children discuss holidays and plan a
special art project for Noël. Children participate in French activities throughout the year.
Library
Kindergarteners learn about the organization of materials in
the library as well as evaluation and selection techniques.
They hone their listening and viewing skills, and gain an
appreciation of literature.
Music
Kindergarteners continue to focus
on developing an awareness of basic musical skills and a basic
appreciation of music. They learn basic rhythm and melody.
They gain basic appreciation by listening to a variety of music,
hearing stories of composers (age-appropriate), and
understanding the different families of musical instruments.
Physical Education
Kindergartners develop their motor skills as they engage in
many movement forms. They take part in small game activities
with emphasis on following directions, fair play, understanding
rules, and getting along with fellow teammates.
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Kindergarten p. 4
Science
This course incorporates all areas of general science. Students gain a brief overview to
each new science concept and learn new words to further build on their scientific
knowledge. Kindergarteners explore the following topics: definition of a scientist;
scientific tools; the seasons; trees; weather and the water cycle; density; floating and
sinking; magnets; building; simple machines; ice cream; and animals. Through
experiments, students learn how these concepts play a
role in real life situations and their importance in
daily life skills.
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