Kindergarten

Reading

	Recognize and name all of the uppercase and lowercase letters
	Recognize and say the common sound of most letters and write a letter that goes with a spoken sound
	Produce rhyming words and recognize pairs of rhyming words
	Use their knowledge of letter sounds to figure out simple, regularly spelled, single-syllable words
	Read high-frequency words that are recognized by “sight”
	Begin to track print when listening to a familiar text being read or when rereading their own writing
	Read simple texts containing familiar letter-sound correspondences and high-frequency words
	Retell a story in their own words or reenact it, getting the events in the correct sequence
	Respond to simple questions about a book’s content
	Make predictions based on illustrations or portions of stories

Writing

	Write daily
	Use their knowledge of sounds and letters to write phonetically, representing consonant sounds with single letters in the correct sequence
	Leave spaces between words they have written
	Use beginning capitalization and end marks
	Independently create text with words
	Attempt to write text that is related to the picture
	Recognize and read their own writing

Spelling

	Use their knowledge of sounds and letters to write phonetically, representing consonant sounds with single letters in the correct sequence
	Leave spaces between words they have written

Listening

	Listen attentively by facing speaker and making eye contact
	Follow oral directions
	Listen to and follow a story read orally
	Participate in discussions around a common topic

Speaking

	Recognize and say the common sound of most letters
	Retell a story in their own words orally or reenact it, getting the events in the correct sequence
	Respond orally to simple questions about a book’s content
	Participate in discussions around a common topic

Mathematics

Everyday Mathematics encourages teachers and students to explore more of the spectrum of mathematical ideas through a deeper understanding of key mathematical concepts and an in-depth study of all the content strands of mathematics.

The curriculum allows students to construct an understanding of mathematics from their own experience, and includes practical routines to build arithmetic skills that are essential for building number sense, estimation skills, and flexibility in a problem-rich environment. Important concepts or skills recur with variations throughout the curriculum, and concepts are introduced and revisited in a variety of formats providing considerable practice.

Our focus is to have students recognize that there are various ways to accomplish a task, and to use the best tools and strategies for solving problems. This is done by establishing a framework for dialogue about mathematics between the teacher and students.

Content strands include:

	Operations and Computation
	Numeration
	Patterns, Functions & Algebra
	Data and Chance
	Measurement and Reference Frames
	Geometry

Science/Health

The purpose of science is to provide students with balanced, (Life, Earth, Physical and Health) relevant, hands-on opportunities and experiences to better understand science and to promote scientific literacy.

Kindergarten topics include:

	Life – Seeds to Plants
	Earth – Ecology- Save the Earth
	Physical – Water Explorations
	Physical – Magnets
	Health – Senses
	Planetarium – Intro to Sky Motion

Each Unit or Kit is explored over a period of several weeks.

Social Studies

Kindergarten students are beginning to develop an awareness of the world around them. Units include:

	School
	Decision-making
	Families and responsibilities
	Respect for culture, customs, & symbols of our country
	Communities
	Symbols on a map

Physical Education

Students learn, develop, and apply skills needed for participation in personal fitness and lifetime activities that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Concepts introduced and developed include:

	Fundamental gross motor skills
	Movement and spatial awareness
	Health-related fitness
	Cooperative skills

Visual Arts

The purpose of the visual arts curriculum is to have students grow creatively, intellectually, emotionally, and aesthetically. The content standards include:

	Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes
	Use knowledge of art elements and principles of design
	Choose and evaluate ideas, subject forms, and symbols
	Understand visual arts in relation to history and cultures
	Reflect on and assess student work
	Make the connections between arts and other disciplines

Music

The general music program will develop the students’ understanding and the relationship of music to other disciplines and cultures as well as history. Content standards include:

	Singing
	Performing on a variety of instruments
	Improvising melodies
	Composing and arranging
	Reading and notating music
	Listening, analyzing, and describing music
	Evaluating music and musical performances

General Information

The District achievement testing program assesses the strengths/needs of our instructional programs and measures the achievement of individual students. Testing includes standardized tests, State tests, District assessments, and classroom evaluations.

Homework

Homework at the elementary level begins in an informal fashion but becomes more formal and requires more time and effort as the child progresses through each grade.

Parents are expected to be sufficiently interested in their child’s education to commit the time and energy needed to monitor/supervise the child’s home study and thereby insure that he/she makes a reasonable effort to complete homework assignments.