Curriculum Highlights
The academic program for the three-year-old classes introduces children to letters and their sounds, numbers, science through nature, social studies through community, music, art, French, drama and free-play. The children experience indoor and outdoor play, structured and non-structured time, quiet and active times during the day.
The academic program for the four-year-old classes helps to prepare the children for kindergarten. Both four-year-old classes are considered a junior kindergarten class. The children are exposed to a phonics-based pre-reading/reading program that helps to prepare them for the joys of reading. Story-time is part of the daily routine and children are exposed to classic children’s literature, nursery rhymes, and poetry.
- Language development in listening and expressive language
- Pre-reading and reading skills through a phonics-based program (SRA Imagine It)
- Alphabet recognition/sound correlation
- Matching of letters and words
- Visual discrimination and memory
- Word recognition
- Auditory discrimination and memory
- Pre-writing and development of fine motor skills (tracing, puzzles, story writing)
- Sorting, matching, and counting objects
- Grouping into sets
- Recognition and sequencing of numbers
- Recognition of shapes
- Beginning addition and subtraction skills using math manipulatives
- Self
- Family
- Study of holidays and historical events during the calendar year
- Community helpers
- Simple map skills activities
- Caring for the environment and all living things
- Gathering and examining materials from nature
- Simple experiments
- Activities to improve observation and memory skills
- Plants
- Animals
- Physical science
- Human body
- Environment
- Large muscle development and control
- Small muscle development and control
- Balance, coordination, hand-eye coordination, spatial skills
- Good health habits: hygiene, diet, safety
- Weekly art class
- Self-expression
- Exploration of various media and materials
- Introduction to specific artists and styles
- Listening to music
- Stopping and starting on musical cue
- Moving/singing to a steady beat
- Performance opportunities – three choral programs and possible cameo appearance in lower-school grade level plays
- Weekly French class
- Numbers, colors, greetings, simple expressions
- Introduction to French culture
- Classroom library
- Daily read-alouds
- Independent library time
- Westminster School’s library (story time, introductory library instruction)
- Book fair
- Minimum of one off-campus field trip and/or on-campus special event each month, e.g.:
- Local plays/puppet shows
- Discovery museums
- Farm visit/pumpkin patch
- Attend K-6th grade drama productions in Gryphon Theater
- In-house programs such as visiting community members (e.g., veterinarian, dentist, police officer)
- Special events such as Halloween Parade, Thanksgiving Feast, Winter Holiday Party, Fun-in-the-Sun, etc.
