IV. KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
Kindergarten Program LANGUAGE ARTS – USAGE OF LETTERS AND SOUNDS IN READING AND WRITING Kindergarten children use their growing awareness of letters, words, and sounds to learn to read and write. Instruction occurs in both large and small group settings. Each day, children spend time in a small group at a Language Arts center for teacher-directed activities. Employing multi-sensory strategies using the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses, children learn the letters and their sounds. Phonics and reading skills are taught simultaneously. Sight-word vocabulary is gradually built throughout the year using a classroom “Word Wall,” containing both high frequency and phonetically irregular words. Children use these “Word Wall Words” in reading and writing. They learn phonetic skills, progressing from beginning sounds in words, to final sounds, to medial sounds. They learn the short vowel sounds, beginning with short “a” and moving to the other vowels. Word families are introduced in conjunction with the short vowels. For instance, the word family “at” would be taught after short “a” is introduced.
Instructional Materials t t t t t t t t t
“Sounds Abounds,” by Cutts and Olson “Explode the Code 1,” Educators Publishing Service “Ready to Read,” Educators Publishing Service “Primary Phonics,” Educators Publishing Service “I Can”; “Dig In”; and “Catch On,” McGraw-Hill “Handwriting Without Tears,” by Olson and Knagston Student journals Phonetic readers Teacher-created materials
Reading and writing are closely linked. Children write regularly about their experiences and read their writing to Teachers. Enjoyment of literature is fostered through daily oral reading, which is followed by class discussions incorporating reading comprehension on various levels. All types of literature are included – poetry, chapter books, fiction, and nonfiction. Through the experiences offered by the various Kindergarten themes, children broaden their vocabularies and develop more refined speaking skill patterns. Special presentations in school, as well as field trips, coordinate with Kindergarten themes. Listening and speaking skills are fostered through varied activities, such as Show and Tell, classroom dramas, following directions at centers, and even opportunities to perform at LS assemblies.
2012- 2013 Lower School Program Guide
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