Concepts of Print

• Letter recognition
• Letter formation
• Letter sound

(The understanding that spoken words consist of a sequence of sounds.)

Activities that build phonemic awareness:

• Rhyming
• Counting syllables
• Same-sound matching
• Blending sounds (ex. mmm aaa nnn)
• Breaking words into sounds (segmentation) (ex. what three sounds to you hear in b-oo-k?)
• Sound manipulation (ex. change the "a" in cat to "u". What new word do you have?)

In Kindergarten we celebrate all writings. The writing expectations listed are exit expectations.

• Pre-writing (picture)
• Expresses a complete thought in writing
• Writes left to right and top to bottom
• Uses phonetic spelling
• Uses lower case letters where appropriate
• Spaces between words

From their very first day in school, students will be actively engaged in learning to view the world scientifically. This means encouraging them to ask questions about nature and to seek answers, collect things, count and measure things, make observations and talk about their findings.

Life Science Topics

• Plants
• Human anatomy identification

Earth Science Topics

• Weather – measurements of weather (graphing, etc.), rainbows and rain

Physical Science Topics

• Colors of the rainbow
• Solid, liquid and gas

In Kindergarten children study aspects of their immediate world:

• Topics
• The family
• The school
• The community

• Map direction (north, south, east and west)

The Dorset School uses "INVESTIGATIONS" as our primary resource for teaching math in grades K-6.

Mathematics in Kindergarten:

• Unit 1 – All About Me

Data Analysis
. Collect, sort, organize and describe data
. Construct graphs using real objects and pictures
• Unit 2 – Red, Red, Blue

Patterns and Functions
. Find missing pieces and sequence numerals
. Skip count
. Recognize and complete pattern sequences

• Unit 3 – Beginning Numbers

Number Relations
. Count, compare, recognize and write numbers
• Unit 4 – Making Groups
  
Logic and Algebra
. Collect, sort, organize and describe data
. Construct graphs using real objects and pictures

• Unit 5 – Let’s Count
  
Number Relations
. Count, compare, recognize and write numbers
• Unit 6 – Shapes
  
Geometry and Visual Thinking
. Compare and order objects by length, width, height and weight
. Estimate and use nonstandard units to measure objects
. Recognize, identify, name and draw shapes
. Use clocks to tell time
• Unit 7 – Long and Short
  
Measurement
. Compare and order objects by length, width, height and weight
. Estimate and use nonstandard units to measure objects
. Recognize, identify, name and draw shapes
. Use clocks to tell time
• Unit 8 – Numbers Big and Small
  
Number Relations
. Count, compare, recognize and write numbers to 99

Social Development

• Self-esteem
• Peer relationships
• Communication with adults
• Personal space
• Spacial awareness
• Individual and team problem solving activities

Physical Development

• Gross motor movements

• Fine motor movements
• Rhythmic movements
• Awareness of body posture and conditioning
• Manipulative skills
• Cleanliness and minor first aid
• Nutrition and food pyramid
• Elementary individual games
• Elementary team games
• Beginning orienteering activities

The art program will consist of a spiraling curriculum. Each lesson/project will build on the previous one. It will reflect the Vermont Standards and be based on the elements and principles of design, incorporating art history, aesthetics and art criticism with projects appropriate to each grade level. A wide variety of media and techniques will be used. All activities will be structured to accommodate different learning styles and paces. Art education will be available for all students.

The art program includes content from the four foundational art disciplines known as Discipline Based Art Education:

• Art history – art in a cultural or historical setting
• Art production – the concepts and skills used to make art
• Aesthetics – the philosophy or nature and value of art
• Art criticism – making judgments and analyzing art objectively

Assessments will be conducted on a regular basis. Assessments will be teacher assessments in the form of grades, mid-term reports, report cards and oral critique.

Motor skills will be addressed with cutting, gluing, painting, drawing and using clay. By the end of the school year students should be able to demonstrate understanding of:

• Collage, still life and landscape
• Texture, pattern, line and shape
• Composition
• Primary and secondary colors
• 2-D and 3-D

Kindergarten students spend much of their time using computer programs to support academic goals such as math and reading.

Basic Operations

• Using Windows

Information Tools

• Word Processing
• Graphics

Sample Activities

• Double click to start a program
• Click on X to exit a program
• Simple paint tools
• Keyboard identification

Library Media Program

In the Library Media Program the two main focuses are to encourage the students to have a love for reading and to teach them to be information literate. To be information literate means to be able to access, evaluate and use information efficiently and effectively. The Library Media Program operates on a flexible schedule. This allows the library media specialist to collaborate with the classroom teachers so that these skills are taught as the students need to use them for their classroom assignments instead of in isolation.

The students will:

• Be introduced to the research process by following a simple research model
• Learn about the different sections of the library media center with an early focus on picture and easy reader books, and later the fiction, non-fiction and reference sections
• Learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction
• Be introduced to the different parts of a book including the title, author, illustrator, call number and spine.

Life-Long Reading

The students will:

• Be guided to select books that interest them and that they enjoy reading
• Be encouraged to check books out on a regular basis
• Be encouraged to choose books that they enjoy reading
• Be introduced to different genres to help students read a variety of literature

The student will:

• Be able to find a book using the online catalog by title, author and subject

The student will:

• Learn to use and care for books and other resources in a respectful way
• Be able to return books on time