PreK-3 Curriculum

Learning to read and write is an ongoing process. Our PreK3 children learn in a print-rich environment and are continually observing and learning about written language.

Our emergent literacy curriculum emphasizes reading and writing workshop preparatory skills, and stresses participation in literacy activities that are meaningful and functional from the students’ point of view.

• Writing is modeled through charts, stories, songs and poetry.
• Emergent writing and word-building is supported with appropriate materials for children who have not yet developed these fine motor skills.
• Proper grip and letter formation are explicitly taught.
• Teachers encourage and support student writing by creating many opportunities to draw, copy, and dictate stories.
• Student authors share their writing with the class and receive encouragement and feedback.
• Children learn to be part of an audience by listening to their peers share their personal writing.
• Children listen and respond to stories, informational text and poetry.
• Children are encouraged to “read” individually, with friends, and to adults every day.
• Children play with sounds through rhyme and alliteration to increase phonemic awareness.
• Children are taught to ask and answer thoughtful questions related to topics being discussed.
• Children learn new vocabulary and develop oral language skills by listening, retelling, and narrating stories.
• Children are taught to name the letters of the alphabet and recognize letters in print.

Students in PreK3 explore math concepts that are integrated throughout our preschool curriculum and are embedded in daily activities.  Our program helps the students make sense of the world around them and teaches them to reason and problem-solve. We build off of children's prior knowledge and capitalize on their spontaneous discoveries to further their understanding of mathematical concepts.

Students will engage in the following math concepts:

• Introduction to math vocabulary
• Count and explore math concepts using a variety of manipulatives
• Count using one-to-one correspondence
• Use finger-plays and songs involving math concepts
• Identify and continue simple patterns
• Identify and describe shapes
• Sort, classify, and order objects by size, shape, color, and other attributes
• Measure and compare using standard and non-standard units
• Explore spatial relationships
• Create basic graphs as a class

The PreK3 Social Studies curriculum is designed to foster a democratic social learning community based on respect for yourself and others. As part of the Responsive Classroom curriculum, students begin each year involved in group discussions to develop rules for their classroom. This sets the tone for daily meetings and learning opportunities throughout the year.

Science is integrated into the PreK classrooms. Children discover concepts through their own active involvement and reasoning. Students have opportunities to discover science through a multi-sensory, hands-on approach that emphasizes observing, interpreting, collecting, recording and predicting information about scientific topics and concepts. Science is integrated into the curriculum with math and language arts, and held in the classroom, with STEM education occurring each week in the Innovation Lab.

Students in PreK3 learn common expressions, topics, vocabulary, and grammar usage through use and repetition. Stories and songs engage the students and lessons are highly interactive. The design and variety of the learning components are intended to provide a natural learning experience by surrounding a student with an immersive environment of the new language, modeled in the way we all learned our first language. Students attend Spanish class each week.

The PreK3 art program affords our young learners many opportunities to experience, explore, and discover many different media. On a nearly daily basis, the children experience the process of creating through sensory- based exploration. The children work with the art teacher on creative projects each week.

The PreK3 classes attend music in the Music Room each week. Music activities focus on providing:

• Group and solo singing opportunities
• Rhythmic activities 
• Musical games and creative dramatics
• Movement to melodic and rhythmic selections
• Opportunities to play rhythmic and melodic instruments
• Use of technology (Smartboard and iPad)

The Physical Education program provides students with opportunities to develop gross motor skills through running, climbing, kicking, throwing, and swinging. The children attend physical education classes twice each week.