Warbasse Nursery School

WARBASSE NURSERY SCHOOL CURRICULUM GOALS:

3-4 Year Old Nursery School Program

Our intention at Warbasse Is to provide parents with a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum and program for 3-4 year olds as it is delivered to their children.

It's imperative that parents keep in mind the conceptual importance of the "individual child", (his/her own needs and capabilities), with regard to an individualized curriculum. A child's unique interests and learning style are highly considered in planning appropriate curriculum. A choice of materials and activities are made possible throughout the day to help sustain the child's interest. When a child's interests are followed, learning is most successful.

I. MATH

ONE TO ONE CORRESPONDENCE - When a child counts a set of any number of objects, he touches one object at a time and gives it a numerical value. Also includes an understanding that one child gets one chair, one cup and one cracker
COUNTING -Number 1-20. Counting objects, # of children in the class, etc.
CONCEPT OF NUMBERS 1- 5 - Ability to form sets of objects 1-5, or bring a set of a stated number of objects forward.
SHAPES - Ability to identify, label and match a square, circle, rectangle, and triangle.
RELATIONSHIP - Ability to compare objects for size.

Example: big -small, tall - short

Ability to find parts of the whole and construct a whole from these parts.

Example: Constructing a puzzle

Understanding a batter (the whole) is divided into muffins (the parts).

NUMBER RECOGNITION -Ability to recognize and label numbers 1 -10
Measuring -Ability to measure in the following ways:

-Using blocks in unit, half units, double unit

-Cooking experiences

-Taking measurements of height and weight -charting and comparing them.

-Measuring liquids, as in water-play (i.e. How many cups can fill a quart container?)

ESTIMATION -Ability to guess or estimate.

Example: How many blocks will equal the length of a yardstick?

SORTING AND GROUPING -Sort objects for color, size and, shape.

Recognizing attributes of objects. Objects are grouped and recorded for

further learning.

II SCIENCE

DAILY WEATHER -Ability to recognize the day's weather: sunny, cloudy, raining, snowing, windy, etc. Ability to determine proper clothing for the weather.
SEASONAL CHANGES -Ability to determine the environmental signs of the seasons.
COOKING -Ability to determine the hot and cold effects on food through frequent cooking experiences.

Example: Oven produces heat and cooks food. Freezer keeps foods frozen

Understanding concepts of dry and wet ingredients.

OUR BODY AND HOW IT WORK -Ability to name the body parts and their functions.

Exploring our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, feet, etc. and their functions - running, seeing, listening, etc.

Some activities are: tracing the body outline: Moving our bodies with music further awareness and exploration.

SENSES -Our five senses and how they are used.

Example: Exploring different textures, tastes, smells, sounds, etc. through a variety of activities.

WATER/LIOUIDS: Ability to understand and identify the 3 states of liquids: solid- ice, liquid -water, gas -steam. Explore concepts of freeze, melt, wet, dry, boiling. Example: Snow is taken from outdoors and melted into water and then boiled into steam.

Understand the state of "FLOAT" and "SINK". By experimenting at the water table, many objects are placed in the water and tested for their ability to sink or float.

MAGNETS -Understanding that magnets attract metal (iron) objects.

Providing children with magnets and a variety of objects, metal and non-metal, they will discover which objects are attracted and which are not - which are metal and which are not.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS -An integral part of the classroom:

-Caring for a class pet: feeding and cleaning, nurturing.

-Growing plants from various seeds.

-Comparing the needs of plants with needs

Example: Plants drink only water

-Comparing the needs of pets with ours

Example: fish live in water and have no feet.

III. READING READINESS/LANGUAGE ARTS

VISUAL DISCRIMINATION -Ability to recognize likenesses and differences between objects. A skill that is necessary for letter recognition.

Example: Matching Pictures in a lotto game

Sorting buttons for color and size

Picking what is different from a group of objects.

ENCOURAGING EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE -Ability to express thoughts, to .relate experiences, to speak in sentences, to build vocabulary.

Example: Class discussions, storytelling, frequent field trips that will offer interesting materials for discussion.

RECALL/MEMORY -Ability to retell events in real life and in story books.

ENCOURAGE LEFT TO RIGHT PROGRESSION -Books are read from left to right. Classroom charts and graphs are read from left to right, as well as their names.

RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE -Strengthen child's ability to listen and comprehend.

Example: Reading stories daily. Asking questions foster memory and comprehension.

Help and encourage children to listen to one another. Give verbal directions and have child follow.

PICTURE STORY BOOKS -learning to use books for:

-Front to back progression

-left to right progression

-Story sequence of events

-Proper handling and care of books

-Getting meaning of a story from illustrations.

-Seeing printed words on a page (symbolic of the story)

Taking trips to the library. Providing a "library" in the classroom for use as

a child chooses.

ALPHABET - Recite the letters of the alphabet and be able to recognize and label the letters.

-Ability to recognize his/her own name and the names of some other children.

-Ability to write his/her own name.

“LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCES” STORIES – Using a child’s own words to record a story. A method of teaching reading by using words and language that is the child’s own. In this way, the story content is familiar and easy to remember for the child.

Example: Recording a story about a field trip using the children’s words. Writing down what a child says about his/her building.

IV. SOCIAL STUDIES

FAMILIES

Members that make up a family

How families differ

Jobs of family members

NEIGHBORHOOD - Learning about the neighborhood through walking field trips and discussion.

-About stores and buildings in the neighborhood
-About the workers in the community – policeman, firemen, postman, etc.

HOLIDAYS – Learning about the holidays we celebrate

-What they are
-Learning about cultural differences and traditions
-What they mean to us
-How we celebrate them

TRANSPORTATION -Learning about the different ways we travel from one place to another.

-The way we come to school; bus, car, walk, train, taxi.

-The ways people travel far away; boat, airplane, train, car.

WORKING IN A GROUP -Children need to learn the rules for safe work and play in the classroom and outdoors.

-Taking turns

-Sharing toys and materials

-Waiting -a real hard one!

-Walking in the classroom

-Taking responsibility for clean -up. (putting blocks away, putting empty cup in the garbage after snack, putting books and puzzles away, etc.)

ART - Art as a means for symbolic representation and self expression

-Encourage creativity

-Learn about colors: Primary colors and mixing to make secondary colors.

-Gluing: collages of all sorts

-Cutting: manipulation of scissors

creating parts from a whole

-Clay: Manipulation of clay

Using clay for modeling an object

-Playdough: cooking it, manipulating it, using cutters with it, storing and caring for it, rolling it and just creating with it.

Art also includes:

CLEAN -UP -Learning to wash up after art activities means caring for brushes, paints, clay, etc. so that the material can be used by the next child and at another time.

FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS are also necessary for proper use of materials.

VI. MUSIC -An opportunity for self-expression, and/or group involvement.

-Singing

-Dancing and creative movement

-Circle games . -Speeds: fast, slow

Ability to follow music accordingly

-Using instruments

-Sounds: high, low (discrimination) soft, loud

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

1. MOTOR -SKILLS -Ability to develop:

A. Manual Dexterity; using puzzles, working with table toys such as LEGOS, bristle blocks; writing and drawing with crayon or pencils, markers, etc.

B. FINE MOTOR SKILLS -Button, zip, snap, draw, cut, write.

C. GROSS MOTOR SKILL -jump, run, hop, skip, walk, throw a ball, catch a ball, kick a ball, ride the scooters, climb on bars, tumble, walk a balance beam.

D. EYE-HAND COORDINATlON -Ability to judge the distance to the paper or table; also described as the ability to aim successfully towards the desired space from eye to hand.

Example; Putting a peg in the desired hole, putting a piece in the puzzle, stringing beads, and so forth.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SENSE OF SELF; POSITIVE SELF IMAGE

-Encouraging a feeling of accomplishment and success

-Encouraging a good feeling for individuality and worth

-Offering praise for achievements

Example; Building, art work, cleaning up, sharing, helping another peer, are just a few of the ways children are made to feel good about themselves throughout the day.

KNOWLEDGE OF EMOTION; Ability to:

-Discuss ones' feelings

-Recognize another’s feelings and act appropriately

-Show sympathy for another’s feelings

-Knowledge of vocabulary such as: sad, happy, angry, silly, etc.

FOSTER SENSE OF SELF IN RELATION TO SPACE

Child's ability to move about the room with a good sense of the position of furniture and other children.

Example: Ability to sit at "group time" without kicking another and with knowledge of who and what surrounds him/her.

SELF-HELP SKILLS: Fostering Autonomy

-Drink from a cup

-Clean-up responsibility
-Toileting one's self

-Take off simple garments

-Use a spoon

-Put clothing in cubby

SELF-CONTROL - Knowledge of one's strength, and ability to use words rather than physical aggression in peer interactions.

INTELLECTUAL/COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Knowledge of subject matter: Math, Science, Language Arts, etc..
Foster Symbolic Representation

-"Pretend area play": when children role play, it increases their understanding of the real world.

Example: going shopping, cooking, going to work, taking a bus, and so on in a pretend fashion, with perhaps dress-up clothes.

-Using building material to recreate or symbolize an object or event.

-Ability to understand that words are symbolic of a message

Reality and Fantasy:

The ability to understand what is real and can actually happen. To comprehend when things are only make -believe.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Rules for appropriate work situations

The complete ability to function as a group or individually in a way that we, as adults, feel necessary.

For example: no hurting, taking turns, sharing, eating at a table, cleaning-up chores, listening while others speak, holding on when walking in the streets, etc.

Young children have so much to learn about their world. It is our hope to provide an environment where children can feel safe to learn and grow: A special/earning center where all their needs can be met. We feel it's important as teachers to create an atmosphere where trust and cohesiveness exists. It's equally as important to provide a stimulating and enriching environment where learning is readily conducive and information extracted. And where love, warmth and understanding prevails.