Welcome to the Pre-Kindergarten at GICS!

Following the Program and Curriculum Overviews are our Monthly Highlights.  Enjoy!

Program Overview

    The Pre-Kindergarten experience at GICS is often the child's introduction to school and to a more structured, yet stimulating, learning environment.  Our goal is to make this experience a positive one that fosters a joy for learning.  Children learn by actively exploring a variety of materials and activities in a nurturing, organized, child-centered atmosphere.

     Skills are introduced through creative individual and group play, as well as through developmentally appropriate class projects.  Teaching methods include whole group, small group, and one-on-one instruction; the use of learning centers; cooperative and independent activities and projects; an emphasis on manipulatives and hands-on, experiential activities; and the incorporation of music, art, rhyming, games and other activities to heighten interest and reinforce skill building and comprehension.  Parents may choose to have their child attend half day or full day.  Field trips have included Green Meadows Farm, performing arts programs, and the Baltimore Zoo.

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Curriculum Overview

     Language Arts
          Reading readiness and language arts are taught not as separate subjects but as an integral part of the entire day.  Through the development and reinforcement of reading readiness skills, a foundation is formed for future reading, as well as the enjoyment of literature.  High interest units are developed to support these goals with culminating activities such as a student-made book, Teddy Bear Tea Party, or Mother’s Day Tea.

          Students learn by actively exploring a variety of materials in a nurturing, organized, child-centered atmosphere.  Emphasis is placed on name recognition, print awareness, and an introduction to letter recognition and sounds.  Classroom writing activities support the reading-writing connection.  Our Pre-Kindergarten program stresses a strong literature base with story time set aside each day as well as classrooms rich in books and print.  The D’Nealian method of printing is introduced.

      Mathematics 
          The math curriculum in Pre-Kindergarten is designed to introduce children to basic mathematical concepts.  These concepts are presented visually as well as through hands-on and interactive activities.  The areas of study include shape and number recognition, one to one correspondence, sorting and classifying, patterning, and measurement.  Math study is incorporated through daily activities, and all children are encouraged to explore and investigate mathematical ideas through manipulatives and teacher-directed activities.

    Social Studies
         In Pre-Kindergarten, students begin to develop self-understanding, which is the foundation for learning about others.  History is introduced through the study of historical figures and the recognition of holidays.  Units include the study of self and family, respect for self and others, safety, community helpers, and holiday and cultural celebrations.  Topics are presented and explored in the curriculum through projects and activities such as the Mayflower re-enactment, Thanksgiving feast, visits from community helpers, and study of holiday celebrations.

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     Art
          The Pre-kindergarten art curriculum is based on an introduction to art for the small child.  The course will help the child learn about art's meaning in the world, give an understanding of other cultures, introduce art materials, encourage creativity and imagination, aid in small motor development, and improve memory.

     Computer
          The Pre-Kindergarten computer program is designed to help students see computers as familiar learning and working tools.  Pre-Kindergarteners become familiar with terms such as computer, mouse, mouse pad, keyboard, click, double click, and enter, and learn to open and navigate through programs on their own.  The emphasis at this level is on graphic-oriented programs, allowing students to practice their motor skills while becoming comfortable using a mouse and keyboard.

     Library
          The Library program for Pre-Kindergarten is designed to provide a rich, stimulating environment that promotes an appreciation for literature and a life-long love of reading.  We stress exploration of traditional literature (folk and fairy tales, nursery rhymes) and award-winning books; awareness of parts of and care of books; the location of and difference between fiction and nonfiction.

     Music
          Students are introduced to basic music elements such as pitch and tempo.  Students are also introduced to the four major instrument groups and exposed to different music genres through composer of the month and multicultural music.  Cross-curricular approaches such as the use of Nursery Rhyme Book and/or ABC Book of Music are integrated into music lessons in cooperation with the homeroom teachers.  Performance opportunities occur in class and during the December Holiday Program and Assembly Programs.

     Physical Education
          Students participate in movement exploration, rhythmic expression and activities that introduce locomotor and non-locomotor skills.  Music is used for rhythm with activities. We discuss sportsmanship, taking turns, sharing, cooperation, safety, and an introduction to the muscles of their body.

     Science
          The science program for Pre-Kindergarten takes place both in the classroom and in the weekly science class with the science teacher.  In our classroom, we discover and explore weather and seasonal changes, our senses, life cycles, dinosaurs, bears, aquatic mammals, our bodies, nutrition, and water play.  Language arts and math are incorporated into these units as well.  In science class, taught once a week, students explore their world through hands-on experiential activities that nurture their curiosity and lead to student-driven experiments.

          We investigate the human body, our five senses, plants, animals and their homes, weather, seasonal changes, and explore the sky above and the earth below.  Some features are aquarium, growing plants from seeds, nature trail, and games that reinforce what has been learned.  Science room and outdoor nature path activities complement and augment the science content of the classroom, as well.

     Spanish
          The Pre-kindergarten students receive an exposure to the Spanish language and culture.  Each student is given a Spanish name.  They begin to learn Spanish just the same way they learned their first language, by hearing sounds over and over, by repeating these sounds when they are comfortable, and finally by attaching meanings to the sounds.

          The students are exposed to greetings, family, numbers to 10+, colors, body parts, animals, weather, food, fruits, vegetables, and so much more!  We sing many songs, recite poems, play games, and do fun activities with basic conversation and vocabulary. 
        

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Pre-K Highlights

May & June 2008

PreK-A:  Our themes for May and June will center on the animal kingdom. We will begin our study of animals by exploring animals that live in the sea, and we will concentrate on aquatic mammals. The children will be working on projects , songs, and poems for Mother’s Day and will have a Mother’s Day Tea on May 9th. In conjunction with our trip to the Baltimore Zoo on May 23rd, we will be comparing animals that live in the zoo with animals that live on the farm. The children will have the opportunity to spend some time in Kindergarten on May 30th for Move-Up Day. On June 4th they will participate in Field Day with the rest of the school.

The letters that we will focus on for these months are Qq, Xx, Yy, and Zz. We will continue with our responsive journal writings. Please take the time at the end of the year to “read” their journals with them, as the children are very proud of their work. In math we will continue to work on number concepts 6-12, printing numbers, recognizing larger numbers, graphing, reviewing shapes, and measurement.

In preparation for Kindergarten we are working with the children on working more independently, staying focused on their task, completing their projects in a timely manner, and taking responsibility for their behavior. Once again, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. We are looking forward to the busy and fun-filled warm months ahead. Thank you for sharing your children with me this year. It is amazing how much they have grown and learned since entering school last August. They are a joy to teach.

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!

Preschoolers will be experimenting with a variety of art media during May and June. They will try watercolors, “hot tray” art and painting a group painting outdoors. Preschool constructions in the “workshop” center on center days have shown increasing complexity, and their descriptions of their creations allow them to express new words and concepts. We plan to enjoy the nice weather at the end of the year and work outside as often as possible. Al fresco!

Computer

  In May and June, the students will be using their skills to create a variety of designs including Mother’s Day cards and scenes showcasing aquatic mammals. They will also be working their way through Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo and other interactive programs.

Library

  We will be sharing and discussing Caldecott Award books in May, looking at the different kinds of materials that illustrators use when they create pictures for their books. Toward the end of the month and into June, we will look at books based on songs and listen to songs that are based on books.
 

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 Pre-K students have enjoyed the April “playground activities” unit participating in kickball, tee-ball, hopscotch, and SPUD. We will add a jungle gym obstacle course, capture the flag, 2 & 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

We have just started to look at the life cycle of birds. The students will spend time outside looking for birds and birds’ nests. We have also been keeping a close eye on the finch’s nest just outside the science room.   

Spanish

In May we will begin a unit on “helado”, “ice cream”, which will include new adjectives. We will do lots of fun games and activities to help reinforce the new vocabulary.

We still have Tobillo visiting our class and joining us when we sing. We continue to review our past vocabulary and counting 1-20. The students will participate in a Cinco de Mayo celebration to become aware of a special event in Mexican culture.

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