Pre-Kindergarten

Our pre-kindergarten language arts program focuses on developing phonological awareness, the foundation for learning to read and spell. Phonological awareness includes the ability to notice and connect sounds, recognize sounds and rhyme, and hear syllables in words. Through songs, poetry and games, students become familiar with letters and the sounds they represent. During read-alouds children develop a love of literature, expand their vocabularies and learn about story structure. Students also practice letter identification, letter sequencing, and letter-sound correspondence. Uppercase letter formation is taught using the program Handwriting Without Tears.  

The Grammar School mathematics program develops mathematical thinkers who value collaboration and communication when investigating big ideas, identifying patterns and explaining relationships. Students learn to think flexibly and persevere through productive struggles as they develop the growth mindset needed for problem solving. Concepts and skills build from grade to grade in each of the major domains: counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, numbers and operations in base ten, numbers and operations with fractions, measurement and data, and geometry. Students are given ample opportunity to construct their own understanding of foundational concepts and computation strategies through hands-on experiences and rich opportunities for discourse, as well as the use of concrete materials, pictorial models and contextual problem solving. Our teachers and math specialists promote the type of learning environment that encourages risk-taking and celebrates mistakes as students revise and develop their thinking. 

Pre-kindergarten mathematicians develop foundational concepts within number sense and geometry through play and exploration. Their natural curiosity and questioning allows for many experiences in counting, sequencing and quantifying all parts of their daily experiences. Students learn that math is all around them as they explore patterns, shapes, calendars, schedules, tools for measurement, and ways to collect and record data. They experience numbers and cardinality through concrete materials and manipulatives, estimate larger quantities and learn how to sort and classify objects. The integration of art, music, literature and movement facilitate learning and make math fun and meaningful. 

At CGPS, the social studies curriculum focuses on events from the past and present through the lens of an essential question. In pre-kindergarten, the question is, “Who am I?” The year begins as students learn about themselves within the structure of a new school experience. Becoming aware of student behaviors and how each individual child helps to create a successful classroom is key to the pre-kindergarten year. Then, as a precursor to kindergarten, students begin to explore their self-image and understanding of identity through studies of family, family traditions and holidays. Developing pride and confidence and being able to talk about themselves while also understanding that they are both the same and different from others are fundamental learning outcomes. Through these objectives, it is emphasized that each child is loved, respected and valued.

Pre-kindergarten students explore basic greetings, shapes, colors, body parts, animals and other beginning words in Spanish. A unit on weather expressions and winter clothing has vocabulary reinforced by dressing a weather frog named Señor Sapo (Mr. Toad). The children develop their vocabulary by creating shapes with play dough, building patterns and other hands-on activities, as well as singing, chanting and listening to stories and by playing games like Simon Says and Mystery Box. To complement their Clifford study within their classroom, the children read Clifford books.

In pre-kindergarten, students become familiar with the library space. During library they listen to stories, often engaging in conversation about questions or ideas the story might raise. They also have the opportunity to choose a library book to take home, an act which engenders a sense of responsibility and pride and makes a positive connection to both books and to the library.

The goal of our pre-kindergarten physical education curriculum is to create a safe, supportive and fun environment where the students are exposed to a variety of activities and challenges. Some basic movement and ball skills such as skipping, galloping, rolling and bouncing are incorporated into large and small-group games where children engage in interactive learning and cooperative play.

Pre-kindergarten dancers combine music and movement to create dance through storytelling and creative motion. Students focus on spatial and body awareness fostering self-expression and regulation. Concepts such as slow, fast, forward, backward, under, over, as well as gross motor skills such as galloping, jumping, bending, rolling and partner dances are explored. Pre-kindergarten dancers will start to have an understanding and appreciation of dance!

In pre-kindergarten, children’s love and appreciation for music is cultivated through games, stories, and movement activities. Just as children speak before they learn to read, they sing and perform before they learn the language of music. Pre-kindergarten students begin to identify fundamental elements of music such as pitch (high and low), dynamics (loud and soft), and tempo (fast and slow), and begin to connect sounds to actions and ideas.