Senior Kindergarten Program of Study, 2025-26 School Year

SENIOR KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM OF STUDY 2025-26 School Year

LANGUAGE ARTS Our balanced literacy program combines age-appropriate reading and writing activities, joyful language, and authentic reading experiences to help students build a strong reading foundation.

Children see the diversity of our world by engaging with a wide range of engaging books, including fiction and nonfiction. SK Lukers learn to read through a combination of phonics, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, sight words, shared reading, songs, poetry, and more! As the Senior Kindergarten year progresses, scaffolding by the teachers allows students to gradually take on more of the work in reading and writing until they are able to do it independently.

Writing is explicitly taught through whole group mini-lessons, followed by plenty of time for students to apply the taught skills independently. Teachers spend time in one-on-one conferences with each student throughout the week. Students create authentic writing products, such as making their own books, writing in a journal, or writing through play by creating menus, magazines, labels for blocks, and various other writing opportunities.

LANGUAGE ARTS Exit Outcomes Language and Literacy Independently read grade-level books using both sight words and decodable words and be able to retell the story Recognize sight words with automaticity and be able to use resources to spell them correctly when writing sentences Comprehension strategies such as retelling the information, making meaningful connections, asking questions and noticing key ideas and details, and making ageappropriate inferences and predictions Develops confidence in discussing and answering questions about the text Writing Find sight words in the environment and spell them correctly when writing Write simple dictated words and sentences with the correct letter formation, capitalization, spacing, and punctuation Start names and sentences with uppercase letters Write upper and lower case letters legibly with fluency Use a combination of phonetic spelling (encoding) and sight words to write simple sentences Phonemic Awareness & Phonics Recognize letter names and orally produce letter sounds of consonants, long vowels, and short vowels with automaticity Decodes using phonics and word patterns

Experiences that Support Learning Apply writing skills through making books Book Clubs Collaborative discussions Flexible small groups Hands-on, multi-sensory approach to phonics, spelling, and sight words Independent reading and writing Interactive read alouds Leadership opportunities: Present Read a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction texts Service Learning opportunities: Yearly food drive, Thanksgiving meal for a family in need Shared Reading Small group instruction Student Work Showcases: Publishing Party Systematic benchmark assessments Writing for an audience

MATH Our math curriculum is hands-on, engaging, and collaborative. It is based on research and provides a spiral approach to teaching math.

Math workshops are a joyful time in our SK classrooms, where children can be found participating in activities and games that are purposeful, fun, and engage them in critical thinking skills with their classmates. Throughout the year, the SK math curriculum covers the strands of number sense, geometry, algebraic thinking, operations within base ten, as well as graphing and data.

Students learn perseverance in math and engage in solving problems accurately and efficiently, while also sharing their learning with their peers and learning from one another. Math is differentiated in order to provide all learners with the small group support that they need. We also teach math in cross-curricular ways by incorporating science, technology, engineering, and art! SK children love math!

MATH Exit Outcomes Number Sense Identify, compare, and order numbers to 25 Orally count to 100, and skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s Counts backward from 20-0 Decomposing numbers Using subitizing and conservation strategies to compare numbers Operations Model and create addition and subtraction stories using concrete objects Solve addition and subtraction problems with sums up to 10 using various strategies, such as ten frames, tally marks, and number lines Geometry Name 2D shapes Describe shapes Identify whether a shape is 2D or 3D Analyze and compare 2D and 3D shapes Compose simple shapes to make larger shapes Measurement, Graphing, Data Lead the class in calendar and weather routines, including measuring temperature, counting the days in school, comparing and graphing temperatures.

Apply basic measurement concepts such as width, length, and height.

Experiences that Support Learning Applying math skills, such as measuring, to STEAM projects Collaborative math activities Differentiated small group instruction Hands-on, multi-sensory approach to learning Intentionally used games to develop math concepts and skills Number talks- problem-solving conversations to articulate math strategies Technology that supports individualization 100th day of school

MUSIC In Senior Kindergarten, students experience music through speech, singing, movement, and playing instruments. Musical contrasts such as high/low, short/long, and fast/slow will be discussed. Students will begin to develop their singing abilities through simple songs and games. Movement, such as folk dancing, will be used to help students develop a sense of steady beat and reinforce musical concepts. Kindergarteners will also learn the basics of rhythm. Over the course of the year, students will learn about the four instrument families and the instruments that make them up.

Exit Outcomes Sings alone and with others using good vocal tone Plays percussion instruments with proper technique Imitates simple rhythmic and melodic patterns Demonstrates the difference between beat and rhythm Performs using musical contrasts such as high/low and loud/soft.

Identifies orchestral instruments by sight Reads iconic notation in preparation for traditional notation

Experiences that Support Learning Listening to/singing/playing a variety of music Engaging in creative movement, rhythmic movement, and folk dances Playing instruments: rhythm sticks, hand drums, xylophones, etc.

Performing body percussion Learning simple songs and rhymes Following nonverbal cues from a conductor Performing in front of an audience

ILAB Through a year-long study of a schoolyard tree, students are encouraged to explore the natural world through the lens of a tree. As students visit the same tree each month, they begin to ask questions about changes in the tree and make connections to the world around them. Then, they go back into the classroom to find answers to their curiosities about trees, the seasons, weather, and animals through hands-on STEM and arts-based activities. After spring break, the focus shifts to Lego Robotics and Coding where students will follow schematics to engineer robots to perform specific tasks and apply basic programming.

Exit Outcomes Understands the changes of the seasons by following a school yard tree Compares and classifies living and nonliving Uses the 5 senses to identify seasons Asks questions that demonstrate curiosity and understanding of scientific concepts Makes connections between nature and the world in which they live Engineers robots to perform simple tasks Designs, plans, and build planned and open-ended projects Works both collaboratively and independently

Experiences that Support Learning Monthly visit to Joe the Ginkgo Tree to draw the tree and discover seasonal changes Hands-on, multi sensory approach which includes songs and fingerplays, experiments, construction, and arts-based projects Creates simple models to illustrate scientific concepts Designs and engineers prototypes using recycled materials Draws using a “scientist’s eye” Incorporates technology to support learning Designs and engineers prototypes using Lego Follows schematics accurately Understands and applies basic programming Works as a team to plan, problem solve, troubleshoot, and edit

SPANISH

When children are exposed to other languages at a young age they will be more likely to be interested in learning it as they grow older, also it helps expand their world and become more aware of other cultures and diversity. Students will begin with greetings, verbs Soy & Estoy, numbers, and colors. We will then progress to days, food, likes and dislikes, Navidad, months, opposites, transportation, and clothing. Spanish class will also incorporate seasonal vocabulary, geography, art, music, customs, and food from Hispanic cultures.

Exit Outcomes Builds basic Spanish vocabulary by learning the Spanish alphabet and the sounds of the letters Integrates content learning through multimedia, singing, dancing, games, and storytelling Participate in authentic songs and games Explores Hispanic culture and traditions

Experiences that Support Learning Hands-on, multi-sensory approach Shared Reading Interactive Read-Alouds Modeling Matching games Role Playing

LIBRARY In Senior Kindergarten, we use a wide variety of award-winning books to explore children’s literature. Using the Whole Book Approach, students will learn to identify basic parts of a book, with special emphasis on observing and thinking about the role of illustrations. Students will learn about the jobs of authors and illustrators. They will also learn to identify the main characters, the setting of a story, and learn to distinguish fiction from nonfiction books. During book readings and discussions, students will predict outcomes, draw conclusions, and demonstrate sequencing of events.

Students

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listening skills, participate during class, and practice proper book care. At the beginning of the year, children check out books to keep in the classroom. Mid-year, children will begin to check out books to take home.

Exit Outcomes Develop a growing interest and joy in children’s literature Increase awareness of why Formative Five traits are important Expand awareness and respect for others through literature Identify the basic parts of a book Understand the different roles of the author and illustrator in creating a story Grow an awareness of a story’s main characters and setting Distinguish between fiction and nonfiction Expand abilities to predict outcomes, draw conclusions, and demonstrate sequencing of events Grow listening skills in group settings Learning the locations in the library of fiction and nonfiction books for the SK grade level Learn how to check out books from the library Learn how to properly take care of books that are checked out and how/when to return books

Experiences that Support Learning Class read alouds each week Sharing books from diverse authors and illustrators with students Monthly focus on a specific Formative Five trait (empathy, self-control, integrity, embracing diversity, and grit) Weekly class collaborative discussions related to book readings Weekly hands-on opportunities to explore the sections of the library from which SK readers select books Librarian-student collaboration on books selected weekly by students Weekly checkouts of books to read in the classroom and at home with families, with an emphasis on reading for joy and engagement Incorporation of monthly DEI books to support awareness of others’ cultures, experiences, and contributions to the world at large

ART Kindergarten art is an introduction to the art elements of line, shape, form, space, color, value, and texture. We explore all kinds of art media: watercolor and tempera paint, clay, collage, and more.

Children begin to learn basic drawing skills and assembly skills and see examples of art from many cultures and styles. Children come once a week for 45 minutes. Our expectation of children is that they do their best and that they respect the materials in the art room and each other. The goal is for every child to gain art-making confidence and skill, and learn to love creating.

ART Exit Outcomes Students are comfortable navigating the art room, aware of proper use of materials including how to hold a pencil and brush, use glue, and respond at clean up time Recognizes art elements in their own works and other works of art — line, shape, form, space, color, value and texture Understands and can identify basic art color theories such as primary colors and mixing of secondary colors Observe texture in relationship to nature and in art Recognizes, draws, and cuts out shapes and sees how shapes create objects Is introduced to the shapes in a face and a figure Recognizes line diversity Understands the difference between object and background Demonstrates the difference between abstract and representational art Understands that different artists work in different styles and is introduced to a variety of artists from different cultures Creates artwork with varied materials/techniques: painting (watercolor and tempera), drawing, oil pastels, clay, collage

Experiences that Support Learning Hands-on art making experience in every class Inclusion in all projects the students freedom to create individualized expression and content within the boundaries of the objectives of an assignment Examples and discussion about artwork showing different styles Examples and discussion about artwork from different countries and cultures Modeling/demonstration of technique and correct usage of various materials Modeling/demonstration of how to identify and pick out shapes to draw objects Modeling/demonstration drawing of a face Praise and use of examples of artwork of classmates Use of examples of artifacts (for example: masks from all over the world) One-on-one dialogue and help as needed with students to determine their goals in art and how best to achieve them Availability of a variety of materials and visual references