Reminders:
Monday, August 16: Kindergarten Parent Meeting 6-6:45pm in our Kindergarten Room
Wednesday, August 18: Meet the Teacher/RAMS fest 4-7pm Inside and Outside ZCS
Tuesday, August 24: First day of school!
What Will We Be Doing In Kindergarten:
Kindergarten Curriculum Overview
Literacy
My education and experience in the classroom have taught me that children learn best with a well-rounded approach to literacy. This means that they are exposed to a lot of different activities to help them become confident readers and writers. At the beginning of the year we focus on letters, the sounds that they make, and also how they look. Then we will start to focus on how to put the letters together in order to form words. As children have practice and become more familiar with their letters and sounds they start to recognize words and eventually begin to read! Below is a brief breakdown of some of the different activities.
WORD WALL BOOKS
I will be sending home a word wall book, which focuses on the word wall word for the week. These books do NOT need to be returned to school. They are a gift for learning. I would like you to keep them in a special place (maybe a folder or a shoe box) so your child can continue to read them as the year progresses. He/she may read to you, a stuffed animal, a grandparent, friend, sibling, the list is endless!
Helpful Hints:
- Please have your child point to the words as they read.
- It is perfectly fine if your child memorizes the books. This is still a very valuable skill and great practice for your beginning reader.
DAILY 5
Once we establish routines and procedures in our classroom we will dive into our literacy block, which Zeeland Christian uses the Daily 5 framework. I have the privilege of introducing the Daily 5 to your children in kindergarten, as they will continue it for many years to come. Much of our time early in the school year is spent learning how the Daily 5 works, allowing your children to become familiar with the routine. This is also a special time because I get to meet with children in small groups based on their literacy ability. I will talk more about the Daily 5 in our weekly newsletter.
LEVELED BOOKS
After the Daily 5 has started and your child has an understanding of letters and what sounds the letters make, they will begin to bring home leveled books. These are books that are paired to your child’s reading level. We will practice the books during our reading group time – the Daily 5. While reading leveled books your child will gain basic reading skills such as: using picture clues to read, turning pages from left to right, reading fluently, quick word recognition, etc.
READING AT HOME
Kindergarten is an important time in your child’s life to develop a LOVE for reading. Take time to simply enjoy books this year. ☺
PHONICS
Twice a week we will spend time beginning to understand the English language. We will start the year exploring our names and learning about characteristics of letters. As the year progresses we will learn about rhyming, segmenting and blending words. I will keep you posted on each week’s lessons in our newsletter.
INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD
Interactive read aloud (IRA) is a collection of children’s books that are paired with literacy concepts. Each week I will read a popular children’s book and we will focus on different concepts such as characters, settings, problem or solution, main idea, etc. Children will also learn to “turn and talk” to a classmate as we interact with the text.
WRITING
Another large component of literacy is writing. Writing is done in a workshop format accompanied by small lessons, which allow plenty of time for your children to practice. The small lessons teach a variety of concepts, from coming up with creative topics, to learning how to place adequate spaces between words. In kindergarten we start writing without paper or pencils. Instead, we introduce writing through the imaginative minds of each of your children… by telling stories. Later on, we learn that these oral stories can be drawn in the form of a picture, and then finally written down in words. We will start by writing stories that have happened to each of us. We will also have practice writing pattern books, how-to books, and nonfiction books.
Handwriting
We use a curriculum called Handwriting Without Tears to teach proper letter formation. Each week we will practice two letters on a chalkboard before practicing in a workbook. Look for a breakdown of the steps we use to teach letters and numbers in your child’s red folder.
Engaging God’s World
We are calling our social studies and science learning “Engaging God’s World.” Each month we will focus on a different topic. Some of the topics include the five senses, motion, God’s Earth, living and non-living things, learning about ourselves, our family, our community, how to build relationships, and how to solve problems.
Math
We use Math Expressions as our curriculum at ZCS. It is a comprehensive mathematics program that develops conceptual understanding and fluency by using objects, drawings, and real-world situations to help students make sense of numbers. When we start a new unit in Math Expressions I will send home a Family Letter that will explain in detail what we are doing in class. It is full of ideas for you as a parent to help reinforce this learning at home.
Bible
BIBLE MEMORY
We will learn a number of Bible verses this year. We will learn them using picture and hand signs to help us remember them. Most of the learning will be done at school but practicing the verse can be a great addition to family devotions or bedtime routines. I will let you know in the weekly newsletter when we start each verse and when your child will have a chance to say it to the class.
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
Along with our Bible curriculum kindergarteners will focus on the nine fruits of the spirit.
I am certain this will all make more sense to you as the year unfolds. As always if you have questions or comments about anything please communicate them to by phone or email. Thank you! ☺
