Curriculum Overview
Social Studies and Service Learning – This curriculum focuses on the students and their understanding of themselves as an individual, as part of a family, classroom, school, and community. We will focus on our community and what communities need to function smoothly. We will learn about the different social services in our community and will take many walking trips to visit them (police station, fire station, train station, trash/recycling center, etc.) The students participate in the three main service learning events at HCS which are Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Empty Bowls.
Language Arts/Literacy Centers – The integrated Language Arts/Reading curriculum focuses on exposing children to a literature rich environment. The main components of a read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and paired reading help to provide each student with a balanced literacy program. The children will understand concepts about print such as the difference between letters and words, following from left to right, top to bottom, and recognize that print represents spoken words. We will also focus on their phonological awareness and will assess them frequently through rhyming, clapping syllables, and substituting sounds. They will understand that the sequence of letters in a written word represent the sequence of sounds (phonemes) in a spoken word (alphabetic principle). We will focus on decoding and word recognition. The students will be expected to recognize some words by sight and will learn to sound out words (CVC and CVCV words), recognize and name uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, and recognize, read and write their name. The students will practice their reading behaviors such as retelling, reenacting, or dramatizing stories as a demonstration of their fluency for reading.
Writing/Writing Workshop - As part of the Language Arts literature-rich environment, writing is conducted through a variety of forms: Guided Writing, Journaling, Writer’s Workshop, Handwriting, and Phonics-based workbooks (Code Books). The kindergarten class will learn about writing as a process and recognize that thoughts and talk can be written down in words through Guided Writing activities and observation of the teacher modeling writing. Students will be expected to write their first and last names by the end of the year. The kindergarten class will also focus on writing as a product and be expected to show and talk about work samples containing pictures, developmental spelling, or conventional text. We will also focus on mechanics, spelling, and handwriting during our writing times. They will be expected to use letter/sound knowledge in attempting to write some words, recognize and begin to use left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality and spacing between words when writing. They will gain increasing control of penmanship, including pencil grip, paper position, and beginning strokes. Included in the writing curriculum is speaking. Throughout the year the students will be assessed in their in speaking through daily discussion with the teacher and peers, their ability to contribute relevant ideas and topics, their ability to question, and their ability to describe feelings, people, objects, and events using the correct language.
Math - The primary focus of the Mathematics curriculum is that students develop mathematic skills through the use of manipulatives, simulations, and exploration. HCS uses a mix of the Everyday Mathematics curriculum provided by the Everyday Learning Corporation and Envisions Math. A wonderful part of this curriculum is that it provides four basic kinds of problem representations or models for problem solving: Verbal (number story), Pictorial (drawings, etc.), Symbolic (number models), and Concrete (counters, etc.). The children can use all of these representations at one time or another, depending on the specific situation at hand. Not only do certain problems “invite” one particular representation over another, but individuals often find they are more comfortable with one representation than another. The beginning part of the Kindergarten Math curriculum will focus on Numeration and Order: Counting. The students will be expected to count in correct number sequences through rote counting and counting objects. They will count on from a number, backward, and skip count. They will use a variety of objects of different sizes, shapes, and arrangements to practice counting. The students will also be able to read and write numbers and use the term “digit.” They will practice this in a variety of ways including but not limited to creating number books and stories, by ordering numbers (smallest to largest), and use number cards to play games. The students will also create number models and write simple addition and subtraction equations.
The Kindergarten Math curriculum also explores Geometry and Spatial Sense. Students will gain an understanding of symmetry and the attributes of shapes. They will use their understanding of shapes and symmetry to construct a variety of drawings, collages, rubbings, and puzzles. We will also introduce the concept of Collecting Data and Chance through a weather chart, bar graphs, pictographs, and be able to discuss outcomes and discuss probability.
Science - The Science curriculum helps students develop their ability to think and ask questions about their environment. The Kindergarten class will learn how to question, investigate, explore, and construct reasonable explanations for questions posed. The three main areas of the Science curriculum are plants and animals, pushes and pulls, and weather. During our studies of plants and animals we will establish the difference between living and non-living and learn to observe plants and animals in the classroom, at home, and in our environment. During our studies of pushes and pulls we will learn about motion and movement. The Earth, sky, weather and natural resources are part of the curriculum for our unit on weather. We will concentrate on the Human Body throughout the year with topics such as Who Am I and how to stay healthy.
Social Studies and Service Learning – This curriculum focuses on the students and their understanding of themselves as an individual, as part of a family, classroom, school, and community. We will focus on our community and what communities need to function smoothly. We will learn about the different social services in our community and will take many walking trips to visit them (police station, fire station, train station, trash/recycling center, etc.) The students participate in the three main service learning events at HCS which are Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Empty Bowls.
Language Arts/Literacy Centers – The integrated Language Arts/Reading curriculum focuses on exposing children to a literature rich environment. The main components of a read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and paired reading help to provide each student with a balanced literacy program. The children will understand concepts about print such as the difference between letters and words, following from left to right, top to bottom, and recognize that print represents spoken words. We will also focus on their phonological awareness and will assess them frequently through rhyming, clapping syllables, and substituting sounds. They will understand that the sequence of letters in a written word represent the sequence of sounds (phonemes) in a spoken word (alphabetic principle). We will focus on decoding and word recognition. The students will be expected to recognize some words by sight and will learn to sound out words (CVC and CVCV words), recognize and name uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, and recognize, read and write their name. The students will practice their reading behaviors such as retelling, reenacting, or dramatizing stories as a demonstration of their fluency for reading.
Writing/Writing Workshop - As part of the Language Arts literature-rich environment, writing is conducted through a variety of forms: Guided Writing, Journaling, Writer’s Workshop, Handwriting, and Phonics-based workbooks (Code Books). The kindergarten class will learn about writing as a process and recognize that thoughts and talk can be written down in words through Guided Writing activities and observation of the teacher modeling writing. Students will be expected to write their first and last names by the end of the year. The kindergarten class will also focus on writing as a product and be expected to show and talk about work samples containing pictures, developmental spelling, or conventional text. We will also focus on mechanics, spelling, and handwriting during our writing times. They will be expected to use letter/sound knowledge in attempting to write some words, recognize and begin to use left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality and spacing between words when writing. They will gain increasing control of penmanship, including pencil grip, paper position, and beginning strokes. Included in the writing curriculum is speaking. Throughout the year the students will be assessed in their in speaking through daily discussion with the teacher and peers, their ability to contribute relevant ideas and topics, their ability to question, and their ability to describe feelings, people, objects, and events using the correct language.
Math - The primary focus of the Mathematics curriculum is that students develop mathematic skills through the use of manipulatives, simulations, and exploration. HCS uses a mix of the Everyday Mathematics curriculum provided by the Everyday Learning Corporation and Envisions Math. A wonderful part of this curriculum is that it provides four basic kinds of problem representations or models for problem solving: Verbal (number story), Pictorial (drawings, etc.), Symbolic (number models), and Concrete (counters, etc.). The children can use all of these representations at one time or another, depending on the specific situation at hand. Not only do certain problems “invite” one particular representation over another, but individuals often find they are more comfortable with one representation than another. The beginning part of the Kindergarten Math curriculum will focus on Numeration and Order: Counting. The students will be expected to count in correct number sequences through rote counting and counting objects. They will count on from a number, backward, and skip count. They will use a variety of objects of different sizes, shapes, and arrangements to practice counting. The students will also be able to read and write numbers and use the term “digit.” They will practice this in a variety of ways including but not limited to creating number books and stories, by ordering numbers (smallest to largest), and use number cards to play games. The students will also create number models and write simple addition and subtraction equations.
The Kindergarten Math curriculum also explores Geometry and Spatial Sense. Students will gain an understanding of symmetry and the attributes of shapes. They will use their understanding of shapes and symmetry to construct a variety of drawings, collages, rubbings, and puzzles. We will also introduce the concept of Collecting Data and Chance through a weather chart, bar graphs, pictographs, and be able to discuss outcomes and discuss probability.
Science - The Science curriculum helps students develop their ability to think and ask questions about their environment. The Kindergarten class will learn how to question, investigate, explore, and construct reasonable explanations for questions posed. The three main areas of the Science curriculum are plants and animals, pushes and pulls, and weather. During our studies of plants and animals we will establish the difference between living and non-living and learn to observe plants and animals in the classroom, at home, and in our environment. During our studies of pushes and pulls we will learn about motion and movement. The Earth, sky, weather and natural resources are part of the curriculum for our unit on weather. We will concentrate on the Human Body throughout the year with topics such as Who Am I and how to stay healthy.