Kindergarten Curriculum

Reading Units of Study is an integrated curriculum that builds student foundational reading skills and strategies. Students in kindergarten will engage in four integrated units of study throughout the school year as well as If, Then units. Each unit is connected with the Writing Units of Study and Phonics curriculum. We will also be covering all of the Kindergarten Common Core Standards throughout the year. We are fortunate that Mrs. Jane Sheth, our Language Arts Specialist, will be a reading resource for the kindergarten classes and will work with the students in small groups as needed.

We will continue using Writing Units of Study this year. Writing Units of Study is an integrated curriculum that helps students develop and refine strategies for writing. This curriculum also supports greater independence and fluency through explicit writing opportunities. Throughout the school year, kindergarten students will master narrative writing, opinion writing, “How to” and information writing. As students work on their pieces of writing, support will be provided through small group strategy groups and individual conferencing. Throughout the writing process, students will be taught to plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing. Students are also allowed to use developmental spelling so that the flow of language and ideas are not interrupted. Additional kindergarten writing will take many forms, including journal writing, shared writing and independent writing, especially across other subject areas.

We use a variety of resources to build strong foundational skills in phonemic awareness and phonics throughout kindergarten. Phonics Units of Study, Heggerty, Words Their Way and small group work will provide differentiated phonics instruction to reach the needs of each student. Students will be monitored throughout each trimester to match appropriate word sorts, activities and specific skills for their learning needs.

Reading and Math Intervention or WIN Time (What I Need) will take place 4 days per week for 30 minutes (30 minutes for reading intervention and 30 minutes for math intervention). During this intervention time, the students will be divided into differentiated reading and math groups. Groups will be targeted to improve their reading and math skills and will be specialized to fit each student’s specific needs.

This year we will continue using Eureka Math, and other resources to educate all students using the Common Core Standards. We will follow a math workshop model where students will be exposed to a learning target each day during a ten minute mini-lesson and then break into small groups for differentiated centers. Throughout these concepts, the students will learn how to use problem solving strategies in real life mathematical contexts. The use of manipulatives is a priority, as the students will discover the broader aspects of mathematics as well as its more traditional computational aspects. Students will experience rich activities and focus deeply on one strand at a time. Children will learn to communicate mathematically and make real-world connections.

District 97 has embraced a commitment for students to experience in-depth investigations in the physical, earth and life science frames by the conceptual themes of systems, models, stability, patterns of change, evolution and scale (THE SCIENCE REPORT). There are three science units provided by Foss Curriculum that emphasizes basic science concepts and content while developing the process skills. The units are inquiry based with a hands-on approach. Students will practice observing and questioning various scientific concepts. Our units for kindergarten are Animals Two by Two, Trees & Weather, and Materials & Motion.

This year we will continue using the Handwriting Without Tears program in kindergarten. Skills that will be developed through the program include proper pencil grip and posture for writing, correct formation of letters and numbers, appropriate sizing and correct placement for letters and words, basic sentence writing structure, and consistent handwriting habits for writing fluency. Students will practice their handwriting skills through workbooks and daily writing lessons. Ms. Affetto, our Occupational Therapist will be coming to our classroom to support students' fine motor development if needed.

Social Studies will be integrated throughout all subject areas, especially through our reading and writing curriculum. The goal of this program is to promote the study of history, geography, and citizenship while also strengthening reading and critical thinking skills. Over the course of the year, students will learn the following units: community, weather’s impact on people, transportation, needs & wants, taking care of plants & animals, and biography research projects.