Our Kindergarten Program offers the beginning of our formal classes. The nature of the Creative Curriculum places the child at the center, which allows TRAIL to consistently position the student's strengths and interests at the forefront of the learning experience. No two students are alike, and the School enthusiastically supports and fosters each child’s unique passion. One may be a future mathematician, another a budding artist, and still another a world-class athlete in the making.
Young children are like little scientists who are continuously exploring the unknown. One major way for them to explore, understand, and relate to the world around them is through play. Play becomes an intricate part of a young child’s development, and the pathway to reach cognitive, social/emotional, physical, and language milestones.
Play is children’s work. Through this work, children learn about who they are and about the world around them. By allowing ample playtime, children use language to engage with friends, inquire about new topics, and explore new materials. These play times throughout the day provide meaningful experiences for building skill sets, thus creating foundations for success in later school experiences. The following are the skills that children develop when engaging with the materials in the learning centers.
Our goal in kindergarten is to accept all children where they are in their literacy development. We help our students progress by providing them with daily reading and writing opportunities that inspire them to become lifelong learners.
Kindergarten reading instruction is based on the reading workshop curriculum model. Kindergarteners are engaged in the following reading opportunities throughout the week: read-alouds, shared reading, guided reading, paired reading, and independent reading. Reading aloud to children exposes them to different genres of literature and new knowledge, vocabulary, and patterns of speech. Shared reading, or reading as a whole class, allows students to learn and practice decoding skills and reading strategies. We also use this time to develop comprehension skills to help students understand the meaning of printed text. Guided reading occurs in small groups or one-on-one with a teacher. These sessions are highly focused and allow children to work on specific skills that need development. Paired reading invites students to interactively share the reading process with their classmates. Students also participate in independent, self-selected reading activities. Independent reading provides students with an opportunity to practice reading on their own level, develop fluency, and pursue personal reading interests.
Spelling and phonics instruction are structured around the kindergarten word wall and individualized word study lessons. Sound and letter recognition are important stepping stones on the path toward reading. In order for students to master each phonemic sound, we embed daily phonics activities in reading. We extrapolate key word sounds from reading experiences and often use familiar and accessible words, such as student names, to demonstrate letter sounds. These keywords, as well as high-frequency words, are added to the word wall for student reference. High-frequency words are grade-level words that commonly appear in printed text. We expect students to fluently read and correctly spell high-frequency words in their writing. We also teach children to decode and spell words through small group word study lessons based on individual student needs.
Writing Workshop is a key component of kindergarten language arts instruction. Students are given many opportunities throughout the day to write about a topic of their choice. While writing, students apply phonemic understanding, practice penmanship, learn about grammar, and gain knowledge about the writing process. It is important that our students feel like successful writers who have a valuable and unique voice to share. In kindergarten, we encourage students to use invented spelling so they are not hindered by researching the correct spelling of all words. Invented spelling pushes students to contemplate letter-sound relationships and keeps them actively engaged in the creative process.
Our math program is designed to help children explore a wide variety of mathematical concepts. We study patterns, numbers, geometry, sorting and classifying, graphing, counting, addition, subtraction, measurement, time, money, and problem solving. To aid our mathematical exploration, we use many materials such as counters, Unifix cubes, tiles, links, Cuisenaire rods, dominos, and pattern blocks.
Kindergartners will begin to view math as a part of everyday life rather than just a subject in school. We want children to recognize math at home, school, play, and in the community. Parents can encourage student mathematical thinking by demonstrating that math is a necessary skill used by all people in and out of school.
The Spanish kindergarten program is based on immersion exposure to the Spanish language. Students are expected to use their previously learned language skills in a culturally rich and exciting way with translated and original Spanish songs, games, and storybooks. Students are able to create and understand simple commands and short sentences, which prepares them for the next step in second language fluency.
Kindergarteners’ focus in music is on understanding dynamics (short/long and high/low), demonstrating steady beat, responding to music through movement, and beginning sight-reading. Students are also very involved in instrument exploration and improvisation. They are often playing and composing during class, and singing songs in a variety of languages and styles. The curriculum is designed to connect students to different diverse musical experiences as they develop listening, singing, and composing skills.
Kindergarten students in physical education classes will review and utilize the basic skills learned in previous physical activity settings and apply them in different settings and situations. Locomotor movements become more challenging by adjusting speed, level, pathway, or direction while maintaining control and body awareness. Students are introduced to movement sequences consisting of a small number of steps in a pattern with awareness of the position of objects and/or people in relation to oneself. Kindergartners begin to demonstrate simple and modified techniques found in sports (striking, kicking, volleying, etc) and use small group games to promote teamwork and cooperation. Greater emphasis is placed on well-being and healthy lifestyles and students are introduced to the importance of rest, well-balanced nutrition, and exercises to form connections between health and physical activity.
In kindergarten, students conduct an in-depth study of two of the basic elements of art: color and line. They identify different types of lines and are introduced to working with and making the appropriate selection of media: tempera, oil pastels, crayons, and clay. Students are given their first sketchbooks, in which they put their ideas, make preliminary sketches, or free-draw. Students also learn the important concept of using art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner.
In kindergarten, technology is integrated with learning in the classroom and is directed by the classroom teachers. Students experience the basics of coding and programming by using the Code & Go Robot Mouse and learn simple commands. Students also begin using computers and iPads in the classroom so that they are prepared for regularly scheduled technology classes when they enter first grade.
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