Beginners

Pre-K students explore mathematical tools and systems such as pattern, shape, quantities

Emergent reading and writing and an explorative approach to math and number sense is woven into each day of Beginners. Children are exposed to fiction and non fiction and poetry as part of our vibrant Language Arts Program.

Beginners explore a large spectrum of literacy and writing such as reading and writing names, rhyming, isolating sounds in a word, identifying syllables and exploring inventive spelling
 

A Responsive Classroom approach to social-emotional learning encourages Pre-Kindergarten students to:

• ask questions

• see oneself as a unique and valued individual

• see oneself as a capable member of the group

• regulate emotions and behaviors in a productive way

• understand and respond to the needs of others

• engage in cooperative play

• communicate thoughts and needs

• remember, recognize, and connect experiences

• use mindfulness practices

We visit outdoor classrooms often—including the woods, the bike path, the duck pond, the children’s garden, and the greenhouse. 

Nature helps us to:

• learn by doing, trying, and trying again

• observe our environment and document what we find

• look deeper, and read more about our questions

• authentically understand numbers, patterns, quantities, systems, tools, and so much more

• find mindful opportunities in nature, which can help us with our emotions

Discovery time in Beginners is a thoughtfully crafted learning block of interdisciplinary learning where Literature, Art, Science, Math and Social Studies are interconnected and simultaneously blended into the curriculum. 

During a discovery block, students can move freely around the room, choosing activities and engaging with the classroom. Teachers observe closely and guide deep learning through provocation, stories, research, resources, small group time and accessing new materials. As students ask questions and engage with their environment, the curriculum dives deeper authentically. In this way, our curriculum is ‘student-led’, where children are intrinsically motivated to learn.

• The Beginners attend Spanish class one day per week. During this time, students are exposed to basic Spanish through music and movement.

Find our songs from class on Spotify! The playlist is: Señora Walcutt's Spanish Class, Beginners.

• Become familiar with the library
• Understand library procedures for checking books out, caring for books, and returning books
• Listen to picture books, both fiction and nonfiction
• Show understanding through drawing
• Develop a love of books and reading

• Sing tunefully within the range of a major 6th
• Build a repertoire of songs, games, and rhymes
• Demonstrate a steady beat
• Be aware of body space — individual and moving in a circle
• Improvise motions to know songs
• Identify and demonstrate understanding of fast and slow; loud and soft; high and low; short and long; same and different

• Experiment with using primary colors to create secondary colors
• Identify, draw, and combine different lines and simple geometric shapes to create more complex drawings
• Understand the terms horizontal and vertical
• Complete a 3-D multi-step long-term project
• Create texture with clay
• Be familiar and confident with a variety of materials and methods
• Introduce and participate in a community critique using Pre-K art vocabulary

• Demonstrate improving locomotor movements
• Perform manipulative skills such as kicking, throwing and rolling
• Move in self-space while respecting others’ boundaries
• Demonstrate an understanding of beginning game play
• Gain awareness of our healthy bodies through play, yoga, and exercises