Curriculum
Good planning is essential for successful teaching at any level. A preschool teacher must be flexible and prepared to meet the individual needs of each child. The teacher should be ready to adapt a lesson plan according to the way a child is reacting or the group in general is responding.Religion
Religion is an integral part of the Catholic Pre-Kindergarten Program. During the early childhood years, a child is developing good decision-making skills and forming good habits. The child is developing a positive self-image in relationship to God. A child learns to love God through the warm atmosphere of love and acceptance in the preschool environment where the child learns about God's wonderful world. Classroom prayer and prayer services prepare him/her to participate in the celebrations of the Church. Children will acquire cooperative social skills.Language Arts
Children will demonstrate the ability to orally share information and experiences and develop skills in receptive and expressive language.- Listen to stories, music, and poetry
- Small group or individual instruction in rhyming, sound manipulation, blending, segmenting and phonological awareness of decoding and primitive spellings will be included in programs.
- Children will listen for information and listen for pleasure.
- Flannel board activities
- Sequencing activities
- Children will demonstrate writing behaviors through playing, drawing and painting
- Produce conventional words: mom, dada, name, etc.
- Develop fine motor skills as a precursor to writing (e.g. shaving cream on table)
- Bunny Hop Game: The child who is the bunny asks the farmer: How many hops do I get? Child hops the number of syllables in the word. (potato - 3 hops).
Math
- Children will sort, classify, and match objects, explore patterns, arrange items in graduated order e.g. first, next, last or lightest, heaviest, etc.
- Play with blocks, play dough, etc.
- Buttons for counting
- Puzzles, geoboards, bean bags
- Water table fun for use with measuring cups, etc.
- Estimating jars, graphs, problem solving activities
Social Studies
- Citizenship: Dignity in everyone and demonstrate respect for everyone in speech and action.
- Develop an awareness of the dignity of work by learning about difference occupations
- Career talks
- Finger plays and songs, field trips
- Name the basic human needs: good, clothing, shelter, belonging
- Children will learn about the symbols of our country (flag)
- Patriotic music
- Cultural diversity
Science
- Observe a flowering plant
- Story: Stone Soup
- Land animals, animals which live in the sea, types of birds, types of insects
- Become aware of the elements of weather
- Water cycle
- Seasonal changes
- Become aware of the solar system and simple machines
Physical Education
- Develop cooperation and a spirit of good sportsmanship
- Start and stop
- Move at different tempos
- Walk, jog, run,, hop, skip, gallop
- Catch and throw bean bags and balls (elephant walk)
- Fitness run (head-shoulders-knees and toes, hokey pokey, Simon Says)
- Safety: Know full name, address and phone number
- Safety Drills and Traffic Tips, Poisonous Awareness, Fire Safety Awareness, Play Equipment Safety
Nutrition
- Develop awareness of good nutrition
- Healthy foods for snacks
- Stories
Music / Movement
- Sing songs, recite poems, changes and finger plays
- Dance, marching and skipping activities
- Play simple musical instruments
Assessments
- Observation, samples of work, conferences
- Does the child demonstrate an interest in and enthusiasm for art, drama and music.
- Does the child demonstrate the ability to imagine and visualize
- Does the child use a variety of materials appropriately
- Does the child show confidence in and acceptance of their own work.