Pre K Curriculum Overview

 

Schoolwide Learning Expectations

Grades Pre-K-3

 

Holy Name of Mary School Students are:

 

Persons of Faith who:

  • have an understanding of Catholic faith and teachings
  • work and help our Church
  • help our community

 

Academically Prepared Persons who:

  • are able to read, write, listen and speak
  • learn about Social Studies
  • develop math skills
  • explore scientific concepts
  • develop study skills
  • think and solve problems
  • participate in the fine arts
  • are familiar with computers

 

Persons of Global Awareness who:

  • respect differences
  • know how to be responsible persons
  • take care of the earth
  • Responsible Learners who
  • stay on task
  • set goals and work at them
  • are kind and work well together
  • try new things
  • try to be healthy and active

 


 

Pre-K Learning Goals and Objectives:  An Overview

 

Our main goal in any curriculum area is to be respectful of individual learning styles and progress and for each child to feel valued and loved.

 

Pre-K is a developmentally appropriate program.

 

We believe children learn best through play and hands-on experiences.  

 

Young children create and build based on what they know.  It is our objective to broaden their realm of knowledge in order to create new learning experiences and successes.  

 

With the parent as the child’s primary educator, we strive for a relationship in which school and home work collaboratively.  

 

We endeavor to create an environment, both physically and emotionally, which acts as another teacher in the classroom.  

 

We entrust Christ, the master teacher, as our leader and mentor. 

 

 

Religion


  • enjoys a loving and personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
  • views the bible as the Word of God
  • values Christ’s presence within self and others
  • develops empathy and forgiveness through the teaching of Luke 6:31:  Do to others as you would have them do to you.
  • emulates kindness by living out Jesus’ own words: “Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  - John 13:34
  • celebrates and is introduced to Catholic holy days and Church celebrations
  • learns to seek out peace by practicing being still in order to listen to God
  • is aware of social justice through serving the needs of the extended community, world missions, and the parish
  • becomes accustomed to regular Mass attendance while learning reverence, purpose, and privilege of attending
  • develops an ability to discuss and identify various feelings and how God is a part of these
  • learns spontaneous and recited prayers and their purpose
  • discovers the ability to come to God with all needs through prayer, but is aware that God sometimes answers to those needs differently than had been desired
  • values self and place in society, family, and school

 

 

Large Motor Skills 


  • catches, throws, and bounces a ball
  • pedals a tricycle
  • walks balanced on a balance beam
  • learns coordination through exposure to running, skipping or galloping, and hopping
  • follows and repeats simple movements to various tempos
  • is able to start and stop body with prompts
  • dresses and undresses self
  • imitates simple dance and rhythmic movements
  • kicks a ball
  • climbs
  • is exposed to swinging on swings
  • participates as a leader and a follower while walking or doing various activities in line formation

 

 

Small Motor Skills 


  • zips, buttons, and begins tying knots
  • cuts a straight and a curved line with control of scissors
  • tears paper
  • learns control of drawing and painting instruments
  • writes first name using upper and lower case letters
  • draws a human figure with at least 6 body parts
  • draws simple shapes
  • manipulates small objects with control
  • strings items (i.e. buttons onto a string)

 

Listening Skills 


  • follows 2-step oral directions
  • listens attentively to stories, either read, told, or acted out
  • listens to and repeats simple rhymes or poems
  • participates in group and individual activities
  • follows rules

 

Math


  • folds paper or material in ½
  • develops recognition of patterns and has the ability to create variouspatterns
  • begins graphing and sorting likenesses and differences, classifies objects by attributes, and identifies objects that do not belong
  • uses the concept of more/less
  • recognizes and verbalizes opposites such as small/large, front/back, over/under, above/below, fast/slow, up/down
  • counts to 10 by rote memorization
  • recognizes printed numbers 1-10
  • understands that numbers represent quantity
  • has one-to-one correspondence for up to 10 objects
  • has beginning awareness of right and left
  • estimates and measures distances using a variety of materials, such as:  yarn, feet, measuring tape, bodies, rocks, blocks
  • is familiar with the calendar:  months, days, dates, holidays, weather, seasons, yesterday, today, tomorrow, number sense
  • identifies simple shapes:  circle, square, triangle, rectangle, diamond, oval, star
  • builds a tower of blocks
  • uses pattern blocks in creating shapes and classifying

  

Dance and Music 


  • participates in dance games, songs, and activities
  • is exposed to music and dance from various cultures
  • is familiar with various instruments and has an awareness of tempo and beat

 

 

Theater 


  • uses vocabulary of theater, such as:  pretend, imagination, audience
  • participates in call-and-response games
  • engages in fantasy play
  • identifies various theatrical experiences such as live theater, plays, and television
  • responds appropriately as an audience member
  • role-plays adult roles
  • uses body and voice to reinforce vocabulary such as:  big, little, loud, quiet

 

 

Visual Arts 


  • develops perceptual skills when observing the natural and man-made world:  what is seen and its textures
  • identifies primary, secondary, and neutral colors by name
  • understands that colors can be blended to form other colors
  • identifies lighter and darker shades of colors
  • demonstrates beginning skills in the use of materials, such as:  pencils, paints, crayons, dough, water, scissors, glue
  • creates a self-portrait
  • incorporates images of everyday objects into drawings, paintings, or 3-dimenssional art
  • identifies art observed in daily life
  • is exposed to, identifies, and creates art in the style of various artists
  • uses vocabulary which describes own art or that of others
  • discusses illustrators and how art is used to illustrate stories 
  • creates visual patterns to match rhythms made by clapping, drumming, or the beat found in a particular poem or music 

 

 

Science


  • identifies and categorizes healthy foods
  • practices physical activity as well as rests in order to be healthier
  • learns and uses scientific vocabulary, such as:  hypothesis, observation, experiment
  • identifies the 5 senses and body parts used with them and uses them to make observations about organisms, objects, and events
  • understands transformation of materials (such as ice into water) 
  • experiments mixing various substances to achieve new ones and learnsthat one property can change another
  • experiments with floating, sinking, weight, estimation, evaporation
  • understands the importance of recycling and caring for our earth
  • learns how plants grow from seeds and cares for them
  • learns about the 4 seasons, holidays, and changes in weather
  • learns about farm, wild, and zoo animals
  • is able to care for animals in the classroom (i.e. feeding fish, being gentle)
  • respects environment God created and cares for the earth
  • conserves natural resources (i.e. uses small amounts of paper towels, turns off water when done, turns off bathroom light when all are out of bathroom)

 


Language Arts 


  • is able to communicate needs to peers and adults
  • is understood by peers and adults
  • responds at appropriate times to verbal greetings (i.e. good morning, hello)
  • has phonemic awareness/recognizes most upper and lower case letters and sounds
  • follows 2-step directions that are sequential, but not necessarily related
  • is aware of the difference between fantasy and reality
  • can verbally describe a story in sequence
  • retells a familiar story
  • formulates own stories and illustrates them
  • identifies the front and the back of books and holds books properly
  • engages in discussions about books
  • pretends to read books
  • turn pages of books from left to right
  • understands and recognizes that printed material provides information
  • comprehends literary vocabulary, such as:  author, illustrator, book jacket, publisher, publishing date
  • knows own first and last name
  • identifies and sorts common words into basic categories, such as:  colors, shapes, wet things, animals, transportation
  • makes predictions about a story’s ending
  • asks and answers questions about essential elements of a book
  • recites simple rhymes, songs, and chants
  • engages in conversations that develop a thought or idea (i.e. tells about past events or retells main events in a story)
  • experiments with new vocabulary and uses more complex grammar
  • uses strings of repeated letter-like symbols as pretend writing
  • writes first name using appropriate upper and lower case letters
  • writes some numbers


Social Studies 


  • learns about and is exposed to different cultures through literature,classroom environment, foods, music, art, people, world missions
  • learns how we are alike and how we are different
  • learns the pledge of allegiance
  • recognizes the United States flag
  • is exposed to the world as 3-dimensional and on a 2-D map
  • knows school town and home town
  • is familiar with community helpers, including church and school leaders
  • is familiar with resources in the local community:  library, fire station, market, church, apartments, houses, traffic lights, senior center
  • demonstrates familiarity with school and church layout, environment, and the jobs people do there

 

Social Skills 


  • shares, takes turns, and knows the consequences of not doing so
  • follows rules
  • takes responsibility for caring for oneself, such as:  dressing self, cleaning self after toileting, cleaning up after eating, picking up after self
  • works collaboratively with peers to accomplish a goal (i.e. mural painting)
  • feeds and serves self
  • washes dishes, cleans, and clears tables with help
  • can set a simple table and have one-to-one correspondence when doing so
  • prays before meals and waits to eat
  • turns down food politely or tries new ones
  • passes food at a dining table to others
  • uses an indoor voice at the dining table
  • shares and passes materials when working on school projects
  • responds to adults politely, using Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms./Fr./Sr.
  • recognizes and greets adults when one enters a room
  • uses a gentle voice with one another and gentle hands
  • waits in turn to speak
  • expresses empathy or caring for others (i.e. consoles a friend when sad)
  • contributes to the overall effort of the group
  • engages in cooperative play activities with peers (i.e. plays house, builds towers, creates fantasy role play)
  • exhibits impulse control and self-regulation (i.e. uses appropriate words or signs to show anger, waits for a turn, shows some patience)
  • uses acceptable methods to resolve conflicts and disagreements with peers
  • interacts with others regardless of differences
  • seeks adult help when appropriate
  • negotiates with peer before calling teacher
  • is able to use isolated space, prayer, a friend, or an adult to help find comfort when upset

 

Health and Safety


  • washes hands before meals and after using the restroom
  • uses restroom independently
  • knows routines to follow in an emergency and adheres to them
  • walks in the classroom
  • is aware of how to pass food and drink items at the table to minimize the spread of germs (i.e. passing a water pitcher by the handle, not the rim)
  • sneezes and coughs into the inside crease of own elbow to minimize the spread of germs
  • uses a tissue when needed
  • uses gentle hands with peers and adults
  • drinks water during the school day to replenish lost fluids
  • is aware of healthy food groups and choosing healthy foods
  • uses indoor and outdoor equipment safely
  • follows safety rules
  • remains within the boundaries set by the teacher for safe observation
  • reports emergencies or suspicious circumstances to the teacher (i.e. a hurt friend)

 

 

 

Resources used in compiling this pamphlet and designing the Pre-K curriculum:

 


Preschool Learning Foundations, California Department of Education

Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for Pre-K, California Department of Education

California State Curricular Standards for Kindergarten, California Department of Education 

California Pre-K Curriculum Standards, Rutgers University

Lower grade-level meetings and collaboration with HNM teachers

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children

Pasadena City College Curriculum Standards, 2005

National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington D.C., Accreditation Performance Criteria Universal and Preschool Strands, 2005

HNM Curriculum Standards, Pre-K

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Comments

New comments are currently disabled.

Pre K Right Margin Pictures

PreKAngelPuffs.jpgHNMPreKStainedGlassArt.jpgprekcubbies.jpgpreksmocks.jpgprekpainteasel.jpgprekcoatrack.jpgHNMPreKPinWheelFlower.jpg


 Developed by Hybrid Web, Inc  © 2001-2010 Holy Name of Mary School. All rights reserved.