Positive Changes Ahead

Positive Changes Ahead

PreKindergarten Adopts a New Curriculum

BY: AMANDA WARLEY

Last year, Pre-K teachers and Dr. Bevan Koch, Head of School, and Dr. Carol Harrison, Lower School Principal, began an extensive search to replace the 15-year-old Pre-K curriculum. The group determined that Pre-K students needed to have a curriculum that prepared them for kindergarten and included multi-sensory materials that support all levels of learning. It was also crucial that the curriculum have a robust technology component that could be used in the classroom or online if needed for virtual learning. Many curriculum options were researched, and the committee chose five options to review in-depth. Pre-K teachers used samples from each program in their classrooms to see how well they met the needs of their students. The committee then met with representatives from each curriculum and systematically ranked each program to determine the best fit for their students.

After many hours of meetings, the Learning Without Tears (LWT)- Get Set for School Pre- K curriculum emerged as the obvious choice. Get Set for School is a research-based curriculum with lessons that address a wide variety of Pre-K learning and developmental standards. The curriculum uses hands-on, playful teaching strategies and multi-sensory materials to make learning fun and engaging for children. Through active participation, Pre-K students acquire and retain knowledge easily and effectively. The curriculum is comprised of three main components that help young children prepare for Kindergarten: Language and Literacy, Numbers and Math, and Readiness and Writing.

Language and Literacy uses dramatic play, singing, fingerplays, manipulatives, and movement to teach children phonological awareness and pre-reading skills. This component also works on developing oral language and vocabulary. Students are introduced to rich literature to foster a love of reading, learn how books work, and build vocabulary. Numbers and Math develops problem-solving skills while teaching numbers and operations, measurement and time, and geometry and spatial relationships. Students play with concrete objects and test their ideas so that math becomes real and meaningful. Readiness and Writing teaches crayon grip, letter and number formation, social-emotional skills, and body awareness. This part of the curriculum is based on more than 25 years of success with the Handwriting Without Tears program.

The Pre-K students at Westview have benefited from the research and due diligence of teachers and administration to find a curriculum that is a perfect fit for our students.

Westview teachers and Occupational Therapists have long used Handwriting Without Tears to teach pre-writing and handwriting skills to our students. Writing requires many essential skills for school: physical, language, cognitive, social, and perceptual. Teachers and therapists use music, movement, and multi-sensory manipulatives to teach these core readiness skills within this learning area. Science and Social Studies lessons are also woven throughout the curriculum to spark the imagination of our students as they learn about the world around them. These lessons cover community, basic geography, self-care, plants, animals, and caring for the environment.

Get Set for School has been well-received by students this year. On any given day in Pre-K, you will see children interacting with Squawker the Parrot, a puppet who helps them develop vocabulary and use language to express their thoughts and feelings. You can also watch students enjoy a variety of sensory experiences while learning, such as playing with tactile literacy and math manipulatives or making letters and numbers with playdough. Students who previously disliked handwriting activities are excited to use the Pre-K Interactive Tool to write numbers and letters on the smartboard. The Pre-K Interactive Tool is a favorite of teachers as well, as it provides a variety of multimedia activities that can be used to reinforce lessons in the classroom. It has also proven to be an invaluable resource for teachers and students when the need to switch to virtual learning arises.

Our students are continuing to develop the skills necessary for kindergarten, but they are doing so in new and engaging ways. Teachers have also benefited from the new curriculum by having more fun and easy resources to implement in the classroom. Just as they teach their students, teachers have learned that change can be a wonderful thing.