In this course, students receive learning through all areas of development: intellectual, language, physical, and social emotional within an appropriate early childhood environment. This integrated curriculum focuses on all areas such as literacy, numeracy, science, social studies and the arts.
In Pre-Kindergarten we incorporate structure and routines to help students develop school behaviors that support a positive learning environment. School behaviors include working with others in small groups, listening as another is speaking, making choices, taking turns, problem-solving and building peer relationships.
Language Arts
World of Wonders builds a strong foundation for early literacy and provides developmentally appropriate instruction for early learners, ages three to five, including cross-curricular activities, a focus on social-emotional development, and preparation for kindergarten and beyond. It provides an instructional system for reading both literature and informational texts, for acquiring foundational skills, and for developing basic skills of speaking, listening and writing.
- Phonics: World of Wonders Phonics program contains 4 weeks of introduction to letters, 26 weeks of a weekly letter focus, and 4 additional weeks of letter review. The weekly letter or skill will coincide with the weekly literature, readers, center activities, and practice pages. Students learn new skills or practice what they’ve previously learned through Incorporating meaningful play with the letter focus at centers. Also skills are reinforced at seat work and teacher table.
The Phonics Dance!™ is a supplemental phonics resource to teach phonics and increase the reading and writing skills of each student. This Six Step Program offers learning through rhyme, movement and chant. Building on phonemic awareness, students become confident, successful writers. In the process they develop strong decoding skills through the use of “hunking and chunking” to build poise and fluency in reading.
- Literature and Comprehension: World of Wonders program consists of 8 thematic units with 4 weeks of study including a variety of reading selections from classic tales, multicultural stories, nursery rhyme, social-emotional books, and more. Students will listen to and read a variety of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to develop their reading comprehension skills.
- Spelling: As students use World of Wonders and The Phonics Dance!™ Students will discover that letters together build words and words build sentences. As students’ phonemic awareness grows students will be able to build and read words on their own. Students will practice spelling basic words and weekly high frequency words.
- Handwriting: Students will learn basic letter formation of all 26 letters, number, and basic shapes through Handwriting Without Tears. Students will practice and reinforce these skills throughout the year in handwriting pages, teacher table, centers, and free choice play.
- Vocabulary: World of Wonders expose students to a wide variety of words. Students will learn, review, and practice words in the classroom daily.
- Writing Skills: World of Wonders Children will enjoy classic tales, songs, multicultural stories, nursery rhymes, and more as they build background knowledge and overall literacy. Paired with the Retelling Cards, the Read-Alouds prepares children to narrate and write about what they’ve read. Children will also have daily opportunities to write in meaningful ways during play, whole group, seat work, centers, and teacher table. They will discover and engage in purposeful writing activities throughout the year.
Math
Everyday Mathematics focuses on doing math everyday through the calendar, whole group lessons, and games. Preschool math lessons focus on number sense to 20. Students will focus on counting one to one correspondence, writing numbers, sequence of events, exploring basic addition and subtraction through literature and songs, spatial reasoning skills, sorting, patterns, and basic shapes. Everyday Mathematics is a spiraling curriculum that repeatedly goes over content through daily lessons and calendar time. This research-based course is designed to gain a basic understanding of mathematical concepts and gain a solid mathematical foundation. Children construct mathematical understandings and problem-solving strategies by building on their own knowledge and experiences. Basic math skills will be reinforced through play and real life experiences in the classroom.
Science
World of Wonders incorporates themes and nonfiction text to help students explore the world around them. Teachers work hard to incorporate these themes into centers, experiments, live experts, and play. Children explore basic science skills through thematic units each month that give students hands-on experiences that build their curiosity of the world. Units of exploration: My Five Senses, What does a scientist do, Being a scientist, Science At My House, Science in My Neighborhood, Trees around us, Insects around us, Mix and Growing, Weather, Sound, Sky, Land, and Water, All Parts of Nature, Animals, Motion and Energy.
Social Studies
World of Wonders program consists of themes, lessons, poems, social stories, and other nonfiction texts that students use to engage in the social world around them. Teachers work hard to incorporate real world experiences, literature, and discussions to create teachable moments in the classroom. Each week students will discover a different social studies theme to go with their unit of study. Different social studies themes include: I Live in America, Our Flag, Cultural Diversity, My Culture, Friends Share, Follow the Rules, My Home, Around the World, Family History, Farm to Table, Food Jobs, Buying Things, Neighborhoods, Here to There, Vehicles, Maps, On the Farm, Our Pets, In the Wild, Animals and their Habitats, Weather, and Understanding a Globe.
Bible
Positive Actions is a bible program that will incorporate 40 weekly lessons that target Vocabulary, The Big Picture, Setting the Stage, Review Questions, Social Skill, Read-Aloud Stories, Scripture Memory, Music Curriculum, and Student Pages. Positive Actions for preschoolers guide your preschoolers from the wonders of Creation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, emphasizing the Father’s glorious love along the way. This study highlights many examples of God’s love.