Pre-K & K

Philosophy:
We believe children learn best through meaningful play and that they acquire knowledge through the 
active exploration of their environment. Consequently, it is the teacher’s responsibility to 
provide a learning-enriched environment, which provides stimulating and challenging 
experiences for them. The teacher then acts as a facilitator: encouraging, promoting and 
reinforcing a child’s attempts, questions, skill development, and discoveries. 
Reggio Emilia
Many experts have hailed the Reggio Emilia approach as an exemplary system for helping children develop strong thinking skills. The primary goal of this method is to create learning conditions that help children develop these abilities through exposure to all matter of expressive, communicative, and cognitive experiences. Four guiding principles work together to meet this objective:

• Emergent curriculum: Topics for study are built on the interests of the children, determined by discussions with the class and their families, and by areas that fascinate many children, such as puddles and dinosaurs.  
• Projects: Children participate in in-depth studies of concepts, ideas, and interests. Such projects are often explained to the children as adventures, and can vary in duration from a week or two to the entire school year (These are our Themes or Unit studies).
• Representational development: Teachers present new ideas and concepts in multiple forms, such as print, art, drama, music, puppetry, etc. This variation is considered essential in making sure that all children (who have many different styles of learning) have the chance to understand what is being taught to them. (These make up the majority of the "lesson time" with 10-20 minute activities)
• Collaboration: Groups both large and small are encouraged to work together to solve problems using dialogue, comparisons, negotiations, and other important interpersonal skills. Each child's voice should be heard within the group to promote the balance between a sense of belonging and a sense of self.

More about Reggio Emilia 

We believe that this should be combined with a large dose of exposure to literature.  Classic storybooks, basic stories of history and scripture, and nursery rhymes should be drawn from extensively to fuel projects.
Although the bulk of learning is to be done through projects and activities, repetitive practices and memory work will not be ignored, rather incorporated.  Memorization of basic facts and learning to read are major objectives and goals of any early education program.

3 year old Objectives:
Some resources are linked for easy access

1. Literacy- 
1. Letter formation
   Letter Tracing Cards
   PomPom Letters
   Worksheets: Full Alphabet, Individual Letters
2. Letter identification
   Identification Worksheets
   Kindle Book/App
   Eric Carle Flashcards
   Plain Flashcards
3. Letter sound
   Worksheets: Sound Matching
4. Associate Upper and Lower case letters
   Case Matching Worksheet
5. Rhyming
6. Phonetic sound identification
   Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons- Engelmann
7. Familiar with Nursery Rhymes, Classic, Historical, and Scripture stories
8. Can understand and answer questions about picture books
9. Can identify and write name
2. Math
1. Count to 20
2. Identify 1-10
   Sensory Flashcards
   Playdough Counting Cards
   Learning Links Cards
3. Identify and Draw Basic Shapes and differentiate between two and three dimensions
   Flashcards
   Intermediate Worksheets
4. Sort by shape, color, and type
   Gemstone Sorting (shell, bead, ect)
   Circle Size Sorting
   Worksheets
5. Adds objects by counting the total
   Counting/Addition Mat
   Worksheets
6. Uses vocabulary to describe distance
7. Uses positional words in a functional way
8. Identify and continue basic patterns
   Worksheets
3. Creative Arts
1. Express themselves and develop an appreciation for music
1. Provide opportunities for them to play musical instruments
2. Familiar with correct musical terminology
3. Daily exposure to a variety of genres
4. Sings Along with basic songs and hymns
2. Develop an appreciation for dance and movement
1. Explores different ways of moving their body
2. Responds to changes in tempo
3. Models different dance movements
4. Experience performances of Dance
3. Develop an appreciation of dramatic play and storytelling
1. Can tell and retell a story using dress up, puppets, or flannel boards
2. Can play a role observed from life experience 
3. Can make up a new role and act it out
4. Art and Small Motor Skills
1. Draw self portrait
2. Identify Colors
3. Follow lines to cut
   Worksheets: Shooting Star
4. Can follow directions for a craft
5. Can creatively express with open ended assignments using a variety of mediums
6. Can talk about observations from art using appropriate vocabulary
7. Can complete lace card
4. Science
1. Health and Hygiene
1. Understand the concept of germs
2. Understands appropriate hand-washing
3. Can independently brush teeth
4. Can dress self including buttons, zippers, and snaps
5. Has appropriate table manners including use of utensils
6. Can pour for self and others
7. Can recognize and alert adults to potential danger
8. Can identify community helpers
9. Knows to dial 911 for help
2. Scientific Process
1. Can formulate observations, questions, and predictions
2. Can share and record findings
3. Can answer a question by using simple experiments
3. Biology
1. Acquires and uses vocabulary for the parts and characteristic of people
2. Acquires and uses vocabulary for the parts and characteristic of plants
3. Acquires and uses vocabulary for the parts and characteristic of animals
4. Explains that living things have specific needs
5. Demonstrates knowledge of different environments for living things
6. Understands difference between living and non-living things
4. Environmental
1. Identifies day and night objects
2. Identifies and can name weather phenomena
3. Can identify changes in weather by season
4. Identify days of the week
   Worksheets
5. Social
1. Identify family and family roles
   Photograph Fun
2. Identify members of community
3. Identify building in community
4. Label and describe variety of feelings
   Robot Feelings Flashcards
5. Practices basic manners
6. Chemistry
1. Understands and can articulate that matter changes shape
2. Can measure and combine ingredients under supervision for basic recipes
5. Physical Activity and Gross Motor Skill
1. Demonstrates large movements: Jump, gallop, skip, run, march.
2. Can aim to throw, kick and catch a ball
3. Basic Gymnastics skills
4. Basic Swimming skills

Additional Resources:
Get Ready for Pre-K- workbook
PreKinders- teacher resources
School Sparks

Unit Studies/Projects- For Pre-K3 sessions should be held at least three times a week. Each week should include:

• Theme
• Letter of the Week
• Science Project
• Craft/Art
• Books/Stories/Imaginative Play
• Music
• Value
• Math
• Practices/ Memory Work

Ideally themes are determined (at least in part) by children's interests, yet at the Pre-K3 level the teacher will largely influence and direct themes.  Therefore, here is a list of themes in order (if started the first week of September) that may be of particular interest to a variety of children.  Themes should be adjusted or changed based on the needs of the class.

Themes:
(click on theme to view Project ideas and resources) 
Safety Week/Community Helpers
Teddy Bear Picnic
Dog Week
Leaf
Hygiene
Apples
Family
Farm
Halloween
Jewels
Owls
Thankful/Turkey
Mittens/Yarn
Reindeer
Christmas
Around the World
Money
Unicorns
Weather
Feelings
Valentines
Birds
Senses
Zoo
St. Patrick's
Incects
Kites
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Garden
Space
Dinosaurs
Music
Things that Go
Patriotic
Beach