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Welcome to the Kindergarten at GICS!

Be sure to read our Monthly
Highlights following the Program and Curriculum Overviews.
Program Overview
The GICS Kindergarten is a
full-day program. In Kindergarten, we value the development of the whole
child and therefore strive to provide a program that addresses all aspects of a
child's growth and development. Equally concerned with the academic,
motor, social, and emotional growth of our students, we pursue developmentally
appropriate activities that provide ample opportunity for children to interact
with their environment through hands-on activities.
Kindergarten instruction
emphasizes hands-on projects and the use of manipulatives to allow children to
experience learning first-hand. Depending on the subject and activity,
they may work in small groups, with a partner, and as a whole group.
Language arts is more teacher directed but the children still have many
opportunities to add their own special touches. Music, art, rhyming, games
and other activities heighten interest and reinforce skill building and
comprehension. Field trips have included Anne Arundel County Library, a
trip to a farm, and performing arts programs.
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Curriculum Overview
Language Arts
The Language Arts
program in Kindergarten lays the foundation for literacy. It provides
children with a thorough understanding of the letters of the alphabet and their
sounds -- the most basic elements of our spoken and written language. Each
child learns about the alphabet and the letter names, how to write the letters,
what sounds the letters represent, and what function the letters serve as their
sounds are blended to form words. The use of daily handwriting is used as
a means of reinforcement for these skills. Both the D'Nealian and Block
methods of printing are taught. The program strives to strengthen a
child's knowledge of print and how it works. An appreciation of literature
is also an important component of the program. While Beginning to Read,
Write and Listen is our main resource, it is not the only resource on which
we rely. Whole Language components like "sight words" are used to provide
additional support for helping to develop these skills.
Mathematics
The Every Day Math
program is used. Areas of study include: constructing numbers, shapes,
sorting and classifying, one-to-one correspondence, counting and recognition of
numerals, graphing information for comparison, measuring and recognizing coins.
Math manipulatives are an integral part of the math program.
Social Studies
We begin by looking at
ourselves as unique individuals within our own families. From there we
look at others, both past and present. We study Native Americans, holiday
customs, both here and around the world, transportation, people of historical
importance and getting along and caring about one another. We celebrate
many special days with feasts and/or other appropriate activities. Appropriate field trips are integrated into
the units of study.
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Art
The Kindergarten art
curriculum is designed to broaden each student's awareness of art's purpose in
our world. It creates opportunities for creative expression, creative
development, and small motor skill enhancement using a variety of art materials.
The art curriculum supports classroom curricular goals in social studies,
language arts, math, science, music and social awareness.
Computer
The Kindergarten program
continues to provide students with opportunities to use computer hardware and
software to enhance their learning. Students locate specific alphabet keys
on the keyboard, and type their first names on their work. They continue
to work on their mouse skills, selecting buttons and objects to change the
appearance of their designs. Experimentation is encouraged as graphics
programs are explored more fully.
Library
The Library program
continues to promote each student’s love of reading and encourages an
appreciation of the many resources that a library has to offer. Library
skills for Kindergarten include an awareness of subject grouping of nonfiction,
familiarity with the terms author, title, and illustrator, and continued
exposure to a variety of literature genres.
Music
Students further explore
basic music elements such as pitch and tempo with the introduction of basic
rhythmic patterns. Students learn to sing with hand cues and advanced
repetition. They also continue to learn about the four major instrument
groups and are exposed to different music genres through composer of the month
and multicultural music. Cross-curricular approaches are integrated into
music lessons in cooperation with the homeroom teachers. Exposure to
performance opportunities occurs in class and during the December Holiday
Program and assembly programs.
Physical Education
Students participate in
movement exploration, group organization patterns and rhythm activities.
The fundamental skills of throwing, catching, dribbling and bouncing balls are
introduced. Sportsmanship, cooperation and safety are emphasized.
Locomotor and non-locomotor skills are reviewed and practiced through the use of
varied activities. The introduction of their muscles in their body is
expanded.
Science
The study of science takes
place both within the kindergarten classroom and the special science class the
children attend each week. Within the kindergarten classroom, we strive to
develop process skills and provide hands on activities to explore our senses,
weather, plants, animals and seasons.
In Science class, held
two times per week, we focus on a hands-on discovery approach to the world
around us. Subjects studied include space exploration, earth and moon,
animal classification and seasonal living habits, weather and seasonal changes,
human body parts and function, plants and animals, insects, growing plants from
seed and exploring the nature trail.
Spanish
The Kindergarten students
are introduced to greetings, family, numbers to 20+, colors, shapes, body parts,
animals, weather, seasons, months, days, date, foods, likes and dislikes,
holidays, and so much more! Students learn the alphabet, one letter at a
time with a word, song or activity to go with each letter, and will bring home
the letter papers. If saved, the papers will make a complete
alphabet-coloring book! We sing many songs, hear stories, recite poems,
finger plays, and nursery rhymes, play games, and do fun activities with basic
conversation and vocabulary.
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Kindergarten Highlights
May & June 2008

May Notes: Hard to believe that the end of the school
year is almost upon us. Just a few more weeks and summer
vacation begins!! In language arts we will be working on the letters
K/Q, J, X/Y and A. In math, we will be working on grouping and
skip counting to 100, addition, subtraction and money. Later
in the month begins a general review of all subjects leading up to
our end of the year testing. Please mark your calendars for
the following dates: 5/9, field trip to the B & O Museum in
Baltimore and 5/26 no school for Memorial Day. As always,
thanks for all that you do at home and in the classroom. The
children and I have greatly benefited.

Specials Highlights
May & June 2008

Art
Due date for submissions to the Art Show is May
1st! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to show us your talent!
Kindergarteners have been busy recycling scrap paper into new
paper pieces. They’ve enjoyed mixing colors in the blender to see
what new combinations they can make. Kindergarteners will explore
techniques with watercolor paints next. They’ll learn about the
terms Wash, Wet-on-Wet, Graded Wash and Stipple. They’ll use these
techniques to create a painting.
Computer
In May and June, students will be working on selecting and moving objects as
they sort a variety of transportation vehicles. They will then create
backgrounds showing the different environments – water, land, and air – for
those vehicles.
Library
In May, we will we be reading predictive stories and stories that have rhythm to
their text. Toward the end of the month and into June, we will share some books
that are based on songs and hear songs that have evolved from stories.
Music
Pre-K and K will finish off the year with a musical trip to the beach! We’ll
sing and move to some fun “Beach Party” songs, use unpitched instruments to
accompany poems about seashells and fish, and play some solo singing games.
P. E.
We
will continue our activities outside this month and work on refining our large
and small locomotor skills as well as eye-hand coordination and upper body
strength. The Kindergarteners have enjoyed the April “playground activities”
unit participating in kickball, hopscotch, capture the flag, and SPUD. We will
add a jungle gym obstacle course, tee-ball, 4-Square and others.
Field Day will be held on Wed, June 4. Parent volunteers are needed!
PE Uniform reminder: navy dress shorts are not PE uniform shorts. Please wear
the navy gym shorts with GICS logo.
Science
The
kindergarteners will begin to study mass and density. We will have several labs
where the students will investigate how to find the mass of an object and why
that matters. Later this month we will investigate the animals of the Chesapeake
Bay. 
Spanish
In May we
are working on Dr. Seuss’ Un Pez, Dos Peces, Pez Rojo, Pez Azul, One
Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. We will begin a new unit on the
months of the year and the days of the week. There will be songs and fun
activities to accompany the new vocabulary. We will also add new
vocabulary to our list of “opuestos, “opposites”. We continue to review
past vocabulary, practice the alphabet and count 1-30 and we still have “Tobillo”,
the elephant, joining us in class. The students will be participating in a
Cinco de Mayo celebration to become aware of an important event of Mexican
culture.
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