Kindergarten

Welcome To Kindergarten!

Kindergarten is a year of great growth. Kindergartners are busy learning about themselves and the world around them. They are wonderful Inquirers, always asking questions. As Kindergarten teachers we will provide routines in which we can engage their creativity and guide their inquiry.

Your Kindergarten Teachers,

Ms. Schwartz, Ms. Vang, and Mr. Vieth
 

Getting School Ready In Minnesota

Curriculum

Phonics: We will use the UFLI phonics curriculum. This curriculum is based on the science of reading and focuses on foundational literacy skills like phonemic awareness and phonics. 

Writing: We will be using a brand new writing curriculum called, Step Up to Writing. This curriculum is multidisciplinary and attempts to add writing components to other literacy skills. Throughout the year we will develop our writing skills from just making pictures, to writing letters for sounds we hear, to adding complete and grammatically correct sentences.

Math: We will use the HMH math curriculum in Kindergarten. We begin with basic number operations like counting to 10, but eventually we get into adding and subtracting, exploring complicated patterns, and concepts of measuring. We push our students to represent numbers in different ways and to explain their thinking. 

Reading: We will use the Fountas and Pinnell reading curriculum. With this curriculum, we will emphasize read-alouds and getting kids thinking and expressing their thoughts about the books we read. Common literary explorations will include: character studies, genre studies, book comparisons, fiction vs nonfiction, story summaries, and reactions to stories.

IB: IB aspects will be included in daily Phonics, Writing, Math, and Reading instruction. Throughout the year we will explore concepts like: Who helps us at school, How the weather affects our lives, How we share the planet with animals, how we express ourselves, and what makes us who we are.