Kindergarten 12 Grade 5

Kindergarten Curriculum

At-a-Glance

Kindergarteners investigate, experiment and discover. They acquire independence over the year and learn when and how to ask others for help; develop responsibility for themselves and others; gain confidence and gain social skills crucial to success. Based on findings from Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls, students use growth mindset, an element of resilience, to frame their learning and take appropriate risks and accept challenges. Girls discover that they are learners and feel a strong sense of community within their school.

Literacy:

• Develop core knowledge of letter sounds through Fundations, a multi-sensory phonics/phonemic awareness program to support decoding and encoding skills • Acquire skills in sight-word recognition and comprehension • Explore reading through guided and individual experiences • Study selected authors • Learn uniform letter formation and pencil grip • Journal to process thinking and develop a voice

Social Studies:

• Explore relationships between environment, people and ecosystems through themes on the rainforest, the Hawaiian Islands, Kenya, the polar regions and the Sonoran Desert • Examine the influence of geography and climate on specific habitats and animals • Interpret and use maps to demonstrate understanding of relative size, location and shape • Explore causes, consequences and solutions to global problems • Engage in Storypath units that promote global exploration, such as Safari in Kenya: The Land and the People • Foster creativity through role-play and the integration of music, dance and art

Mathematics:

• Explore numbers and place value with tens and ones in numbers to 100 • Solve story problems using addition and subtractionDevelop skills in joining and separating sets (using + and – and =), patterns, measurement, data analysis and the identification and comparison of size • Discover geometry with two-dimensional shapes and solid shapes • Use models to explain reasoning • Learn methods of mathematical communication through connections and representation

Science:

• Engage in scientific inquiry: posing questions, predicting, observing, collecting and analyzing data • Conduct field investigations at the Butler Campus • Explore habitats, specifically those of spiders and insects, with a particular focus on honeybees • Study the ecology of the Hawaiian Islands, the wildlife and savanna of Kenya, the rainforest, the Sonoran Desert and the polar regions • Investigate units on agricultural engineering, botany, gardening, nutrition and fighting germs (creating healthy habits) • Participate in outdoor experiential education–Learning at Butler

Days and seasonal gardening

Technology:

• Foster and increase awareness of technology concepts • Develop a foundation for digital citizenship and responsible use by discussing online safety • Introduce and practice appropriate use of digital learning tools that foster collaboration, creativity, and authentic audiences, such as iPads, Beebots and Dash • Introduce coding topics and skills, such as sequencing, conditionals and events

Art:

• Explore personal expression through individual choice • Engage in drawing, painting, basic printmaking, collage, clay and glaze • Examine line, shape, color and pattern • Discover female artists from other times and places and connect artwork to themes from the classroom curriculum • Engage in arts immersion experiences and performances combining visual art, drama, music and dance

Dance:

• Explore time, space, energy and shape • Develop movement patterns • Take part in and create problem-solving activities • Demonstrate individual and group expression • Develop quality awareness—sustained, percussive, vibrating, spiral and swing—and rhythm awareness • Perform in classroom and on stage • Apply music to dance compositions

Music:

• Internalize and express music in multiple modalities • Foster vocal exploration and utilize the head voice for in-tune singing • Differentiate between and perform steady beat and rhythmic patterns • Explore and play basic percussion instruments to accompany performances • Utilize instrument techniques to develop fine motor skills

Physical Education:

• Explore elements of force, time and space while moving at different levels and in different directions • Develop motor, foot- and hand-eye coordination, manipulative and spatial skills • Practice the concept of boundaries and simple game rules • Experience and use a wide variety of equipment—balls, hoops, ropes, scooters, bats and gymnastic equipment