Transitional Kindergarten Core Academic Subjects
Class Overview
Our class uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. Some important focal points in TK are developing a positive sense of self, developing and sustaining relationships with teachers and peers, working both independently and cooperatively, identifying emotions, following rules, and meeting expectations.
For TK’s core subject matter, we bridge preschool content with the ACS kindergarten focus, all while exceeding the Transitional Kindergarten California Common Core Standards for each subject. This means we keep elements of preschool (sensory play, creativity, dramatic play, social and emotional learning, etc.) along with the goals and purpose of each subject’s content matter.
Mathematics
In TK, we begin by teaching or reiterating counting (the sequence of 1-10, and later on, up to 20), writing numbers and refreshing our knowledge of shapes. We will also start to develop number sense by asking “How many?” in questions, and learning to be thoughtful in terms of solving problems with numbers. As the school year progresses, we dig deeper into the concept of number by using counting and matching strategies to solve problems, understanding and completing addition and subtraction problems using our hands, objects/drawings and number lines. Additionally, we will cover the unit of measurement, where we will compare and contrast measurable attributes of various objects, record data, and classify/sort.
English Language Arts
We will master our knowledge of the alphabet and learn letter sounds. Students will become more familiar with listening and recalling stories, predicting the endings of stories, and answering questions about the stories. They will also become familiar with recalling the sequence of events in stories, and recognizing the parts of a book such as the author, illustrator, characters, and events. As students begin to read high-frequency words and sound out their letters, they will gain familiarity with the concept of reading -- left to right, up to down, and page by page. They will start to learn or reiterate the concept of writing by practicing writing the letters, writing their names with an uppercase first letter, and making spaces to separate words when writing.
Civility
TK students will begin learning about themselves, and what makes them different and unique from their peers. They will learn about what they have in common with their peers in regards to likes and dislikes, families, and communities. We will start with the theme At School, and continue on to other themes throughout the year that include All About Me, Our Community, Health and Nutrition, The Earth Our Home, Living Things, Science is Everywhere, and Technology in our World. Students will practice empathy and respect in the classroom and in school, and will start to understand that our actions have an effect on the things around them.
Social Studies
There will be an introduction to U.S. geography and the continents by viewing globes and maps. Students will learn about past, present and future events through their personal experiences, stories they heard from family, and will begin to distinguish what happened in the recent past from those that happened “long ago.” We will also cover international holidays, learn about the traditions and culture behind each, celebrate birthdays, and each other’s individuality.
Science
TK students will have many opportunities to observe, experience, and experiment using their senses to investigate. We will record findings as a class and introduce the beginning of the scientific method by describing characteristics and physical properties. Students will work together, performing experiments as a group, and create new sensory material (ex. playdough) together. Some of the themes we will cover in science are ocean/sea life, the five senses, the human body, teeth and dental hygiene, landforms and bodies of water, and the animals that inhabit each. In this class, the students have a chance to explore in the sensory bin, which changes upon theme. This bin invites and encourages positive interactions and behavior among the students, while getting a great hands-on feel for the theme they are learning about.
Visual Art
Art for the students will relate to all the subjects we teach in class. We will use shapes and patterns from math, animals and the human body from science, stories from language arts, and countries from social studies. These are just a few examples of how we will use art to connect with the world around us. Students will be able to manipulate model clay, use watercolors and paint, crayons, colored pencils, and markers to express themselves on a variety of canvases. Using different art-making tools will help students develop their fine motor skills and expand their creativity when creating their art.