Kindergarten Curriculum Letter

January 2020

A curriculum letter outlines the general learning objectives that have been covered and assessed to this point in the year.

English Language Arts

This term, students have explored and developed their early literacy skills. They have participated in small group and whole class discussions about picture books, fairy tales, stories, videos and other media texts. Students are learning to communicate their thoughts and ideas through drawing and writing. They are learning to form recognizable letters, print their own names, and explore and experiment with new words and terms. Through the acquisition of knowledge about the alphabet letters, both capital and lowercase, students are beginning to use their knowledge to phonetically sound out and spell words.

Expresses ideas and develops understanding

• shares personal experiences prompted by oral, print and other media texts

• talks about ideas, experiences and familiar events.

Experiments with language and forms

• talks and represents to explore, express and share stories, ideas and experiences.

Expresses preferences

• talks about favourite oral, print and other media texts.

Sets goals

• talks about own reading and writing experiences.

Considers the ideas of others

• listens to experiences and feelings shared by others.

Combines ideas

• connects related ideas and information.

Extends understanding

• expresses interest in new ideas and experiences

Uses comprehension strategies

• begins to use language prediction skills when stories are read aloud

• asks questions and makes comments during listening and reading activities

• recalls events and characters in familiar stories read aloud by others

• reads own first name, environmental print and symbols, words that have personal significance and some words in texts.

Uses phonics and structural analysis

• begins to make connections among sounds, letters, words, pictures and meaning

• identifies and generates rhyming words in oral language

• hears and identifies sounds in words

• associates sounds with consonants that appear at the beginning of personally significant words.

Uses references

• recites the letters of the alphabet in order

• copies scribed words and print texts to assist with writing.

Experiences various texts 

• participates in shared listening, reading and viewing experiences, using oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as picture books, fairy tales, rhymes, stories, photographs, illustrations and video programs

• listens and views attentively

• identifies favourite stories and books.

Constructs meaning from texts

• relates aspects of oral, print and other media texts to personal feelings and experiences

• talks about and represents the actions of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts

• talks about experiences similar or related to those in oral, print and other media texts.

Mathematics

Students have explored sorting, patterns and are beginning to develop their number sense for the numbers 1-10.

Develop Number Sense:

• says the number sequence 1 to 10 by 1s, starting anywhere from 1 to 10 and from 10 to 1.

• subitizes (recognize at a glance) and names familiar arrangements of 1 to 5 objects or dots.

• relates a numeral, 1 to 10, to its respective quantity.

 • represents and describes numbers 2 to 10, concretely and pictorially. • compares quantities 1 to 10, using one-to-one correspondence.

Patterns:

• demonstrates an understanding of repeating patterns (two or three elements) by: – identifying – reproducing – extending – creating patterns using manipulatives, sounds and actions.

• sorts a set of objects based on a single attribute, and explains the sorting rule.

3-D Objects and 2-D Shapes:

• sorts 3-D objects, using a single attribute.

• builds and describes 3-D objects.

Science

Community and Environment Awareness

We are following the seasons and learning how humans, animals and plants adapt to these seasonal changes. We are beginning to explore and describe the world through Our Five Senses and are learning to write about what we “SEE, THINK and WONDER”. Through exploration in centers and science experiments students are learning to use sand, water, blocks and other manipulatives to explore scientific and aesthetic concepts. They have been encouraged to explore the design, function and properties of a variety of natural and manufactured materials. Students are learning to select and work with a variety of materials to build structures. Students have also begun to demonstrate their awareness of the properties of objects and events in the environment. For example, we are learning to describe and sort objects according to common properties such as colour, size, shape and texture.

Social Studies 

Citizenship and Identity: Being Together

Learning through play with our peers has been a major focus of our social skills this term. We have been exploring and learning what it means to be unique and special. We have discussed and learned about the interests and characteristics we may have that are similar to or different from our peers. Exploring our classroom environments and investigating in centres has been a great way to spark conversations, make new friends and allowed us to develop skills to participate and work together as part of a group.

I am Unique

-I know and value my unique characteristics, interests, gifts and talents.

-I know and appreciate the unique characteristics, interests, gifts and talents of others.

I Belong

-I know I belong to my home.

-I know I belong to my school.

I know I belong to my community.

Physical Education

This term students participated in indoor outdoor cooperative games, catching and throwing, and beginner soccer, basketball and volleyball skills. 

Through soccer, basketball, and volleyball, as well as small and large group games, students have:

- Acquired skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement activities, games and individual activities.

Selected, performed and refined basic skills in a variety of environments, while using various equipment.

Demonstrated strategies and tactics that coordinate effort with others; e.g., team, in order to achieve a common activity goal in lead-up games.

- Interacted positively with others, demonstrated through game etiquette and fair play.

- Understood, experienced and appreciated the health benefits that result from physical activity

Health

In health, we have continued to develop understanding of ourselves as learners, our rights and responsibilities, and the Zones of Regulation. Nutrition and healthy lifestyle have also been emphasized.

Creative Expression

Art

Art has been integrated throughout our curricular areas through sketching, step by step drawing, oil and wax pastels, tempera paint, watercolor pencil crayons, and playdough.

Music

Students are learning to sing and recite a growing repertoire of songs and poems. They are expressing the story or feelings of a song through movement and playing classroom instruments. They presented their learning at the winter concert when they sang and did the actions for “Little Snowflake” and “Dancing Snowflakes”.   

Technology

Technology is integrated into subject areas and in some instances direct teaching of specific programs is used.  Students are learning to use IPads and SMARTboards for literacy and math games.