11. Unit 1: Communities Unit 2: Materials
We all need to understand where we belong. Children are naturally curious about objects in
Students will inquire into the communities they the world around them. Students will explore the
belong to, identifying similarities and different properties of man-made and natural
differences along the way. The concept of objects that are present in their everyday lives.
uniqueness will be discussed and how this They will participate in experiments and
enriches our classroom community will be explorations into how the properties of different
explored. Students will discuss, role play, and materials affect their uses. They will work both
practice being responsible caring, and cooperative independently and in small groups to construct
in their own classroom community. meaningful knowledge about objects in their
world.
Unit 3: Our Bodies Unit 4: Stories
Our bodies are a big part of who we are and we all Stories are a universal way of communicating.
share a common cycle of life. Students will Through listening to, reading, telling, writing,
participate in projects that will help them learn and acting out stories, students will develop an
different and body systems and how they work. understanding that stories are told all over the
They will also learn about how to keep their body world in different ways and for different
parts and systems functioning well by living a purposes.
healthy lifestyle. They will inquire into the
different stages of life we all go through and how
different cultures celebrate and respond to these
stages.
Our Units
12. Dispositions Trans-disciplinary
Skills
• Caring - Communication
• Self Directed - Critical Thinking &
Problem Solving
• Balanced
- Collaboration
• Creative
- Personal Management &
• Fair Reflection
• Responsible - Research
22. Communication
• Report Cards (Dec and June )
• Parent Conferences (Oct)
• Student Led Conferences (Mar)
• Blogs
• Black Folders
• E-mail (cowledj@ismanila.org)
• In Person
23. Parent Volunteers
• Room Mom
• How can you help?
• Wednesday Reading Mornings
(8:30 - 8:50)
• Special Projects
• Field Trips
24. What your child needs to
bring each day:
• Water Bottle
• Hat
• Healthy Snack
• Black Folder
• Change of Clothes
• Backpack – not too
big please
• LABEL
EVERYTHING!
25. House Keeping
• Absent or Late
• Leaving School Early
• Birthdays and Invitations
• Food (restrictions &
allergies)
• Class Mascot
• Poetry and Song Books
26. House Keeping Cont.
• Costumes (International Day
/Filipiniana / Character Day)
• Telephone Tree
• Junk Materials
• After School Activities
• ID Tags
• Uniforms
• Library Books
It is important to remember that all children come to Kindergarten with different skills and abilities. Children also develop mentally and physically at their own individual pace. A child that is not ready to learn something at the beginning of the year might easily grasp the same concept later in the year. Your child’s growth will be unique to them. Kindergarten is an exciting year where you will be seeing great progress in your own child.
Dispositions the ways we expect the students to behave throughout all subject areas. Trans are skills that are needed throughout all subject areas.
We want students to be good at asking questions, not just good at answering them. Teachers model, with students taking more of a role later. Inquiry Process…tuning in, finding out, sorting out, going further
Theory behind class name vs teacher’s name Whole class responsibility School rules 2nd steps Interact and build Friendships Communicate, collaborate and cooperate Apply listening skills Resolve conflicts Take appropriate risks Independence
Oral language is woven into all areas of the curriculum. Whether it’s sharing a piece of art that they have created or talking about something they did at home, children are learning to express their ideas and communicate to their peer group. We develop speaking as a tool for sharing and observing our everyday experiences. Making meaning and sense of the world
We are trying to develop the following reading skills: -A positive attitude towards reading. -The ability to read with self monitoring skills. -Reading for meaning. -Using letter sound links in reading. -Interpreting pictures and predicting story events. -Sequencing story events beginning, middle and end. -Developing concepts of print such as reading left to right and using proper grammar. HOW DO WE DO THIS? - Shared Reading Experiences (Big Books, Poems, Songs) - Small Group Work - Guided Reading Groups (We will discuss Guided Reading in detail at the Parent Reading Workshop in January) - Independent Practice HOME READING: The most important thing you can do at home to help your child is to make reading with them a daily event. Poetry / Song Books CMC Books (8 Books for Parents) Books from home even in another language
We also practice writing to develop self confidence and a positive attitude. Teachers provide direct writing instruction through modeled writing activities. The children work on individual writing, practicing the skills that they have learned. Teachers meet with individual students to discuss the progress of their writing skills and develop writing goals frequently. INVENTED SPELLING Invented spelling is the name for children’s spelling before they know the rules adults use to spell. Research has proven that invented spelling is a developmental stage in children’s learning to spell correctly. Just as a child’s first picture of themselves might be a circle with two stick legs, early drawings are not interpreted as signs of visual, cognitive, or fine motor problems. Why Allow Invented Spellings? * Independence * Children don’t have to ask how to spell every word. * Fluent and Powerful Writing * They can focus more on getting their message across instead of if every word is spelled correctly. * Early Control and Responsibility * Children learn to take risks. * They also internalize what they learn about writing as it becomes more relevant to them
Being a mathematician: Students will be working on the following topics throughout the year: * Numbers and Counting * Patterns * Sorting and Classifying * Shapes * Measurement How We Teach Math: * Small Groups * Whole Class * Individual Work Emphasis on - manipulatives, - hands-on activities - games - investigation It is rare that students master something new the first time they encounter it. For this reason many of the key ideas, concepts, and skills are repeated and presented in different ways throughout the year.
Encouraging a sense of wonder in the world around
Encouraging a sense of wonder in the world around
Language-English is not better, just happens to be what we speak at school Importance of 1st language at home Valuing other cultures respecting differences and similarities in others
