The Kindergarten program offers a sound introduction to the elementary years of education.

Through hands-on activities that are child-led and teacher-led the students are encouraged to be successful in accomplishing and/or exceeding the educational standards defined by the state board of education.

Often the students’ experiences are enhanced by discoveries through experimentation and play. These types of developmentally appropriate practices encourage long-term success in the academic arena.

The Kindergarten class curriculum aligns with the Arizona Department of Education Academic Standards.

The Kindergarten curriculum extends beyond the traditional areas of learning and offers Spanish, Physical Education and Art Masterpiece. There are plenty of opportunities for outside discovery through activities as well as recess.

Students are required to bring lunch and will have a snack-time.

Scholarships are made available through IBE Scholarships. (www.ibescholarships.org)

The Kindergarten classes are:

Monday - Thursday  8:30 am - 1:30 pm Fridays 8:30 am - 11:30 pm.

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Listening and Speaking Skills

  • Tell or retell a personal experience or creative story in logical sequence

  • Follow simple directions

  • Share ideas, information, opinions and questions

  • Listen and respond to stories, poems and non-fiction

  • Participate in group discussions

Reading Skills

  • Identify characters in a story and retell stories in sequence

  • Predict elements and events in a story

  • Identify facts in nonfiction material

  • Use whole language and phonics to read simple words

  • Comprehend the meaning of simple written selections, using prior knowledge, letter/sound relationship and picture clues

  • Recognize and read beginning commonly used words

  • Distinguish between upper and lower case letters

  • Develop phonic awareness

Writing Skills

  • Relate a narrative, creative story or other communication by drawing, telling and writing individually and within a group

  • Spell simple words

  • Copy the 26 letters of the alphabet, upper and lower case

  • Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., capitalization, punctuation)

Social and Emotional Skills

  • Follow simple rules

  • Use creative thinking skills and imagination to solve problems

  • Work cooperatively with and show respect to classmates

  • Use and develop rational and critical thinking

Number Sense

  • Count to thirty with manipulatives and practice rote counting

  • Identify numbers through thirty in and out of order

  • Write numbers through thirty in and out of order

  • Recognize ordinal numbers through the fifth

  • Identify penny, nickel, dime, quarter and dollar by using manipulatives and/or pictures

  • Solve word problems using numbers 0-9 using addition and subtraction

  • Identify the symbols +, -, =

Measurement

  • Compare quantities (more, less, equal, unequal)

  • Compare objects (size, height, weight, length)

  • Compare volume (more, less)

  • Compare area (big, small)

Music

  • Use different movements (clap, stomp, pat, jump) and play a steady beat with a group

  • Sing, using voices that are fast or slow, loud or soft

  • Change voice to match different pitches

  • Sing a variety of songs

  • Echo short rhythms and melodic patterns.

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Operations

  • Model addition through sums of 10 using manipulatives

  • Model subtraction with minuends using manipulatives

  • Introduce and solve word problems using addition and subtraction through 9

Patterns

  • Create different patterns involving everyday life

  • Identify and continue a pattern with materials

  • Identify geometric shapes

  • Sort materials by common features

  • Create and experience graphs

Art

  • Use color and texture in artwork

  • Identify and use a variety of art media

  • Identify various subject matter, ideas and symbols used in own work and the work of others

  • Begin to look at and talk about art

  • Engage in open ended art activities

Science

  • Display a curiosity about the world

  • Cooperate with classmates to solve problems

  • Understand that questioning is part of the scientific process

  • Discover ways scientists make observations and solve problems

Development of Concepts

  • Identify and explain that descriptions about natural occurrences can be sorted in different ways

  • Identify that in the natural world cause-and- effect relationships exist

  • Use and design models to understand natural occurrences

  • Recognize that in the natural world change occurs

  • Identify the relationship between the function of an organism and its structure

Health

  • Describe how different people and places can give us help when needed

  • Name ways to avoid germs

  • Give examples of nutritious snacks

  • Describe proper dental care

Physical Growth

  • Play simple, non-competitive games

  • Demonstrate understanding of simple directions (up, down, high, low)

  • Display a sense of risk-taking

  • Balance the body while doing simple stunts

  • Catch a large object with two hands

Social Studies

  • Recognize that accepting responsibility and having rules is important

  • Describe the different ways families celebrate special events or holidays

  • Demonstrate appropriate ways to communicate wants or needs

  • Use a calendar daily to identify the days of the week and the months of the year

  • Compare how clothing differs because of the changes in weather

  • Use a calendar to locate events including birthdays, holidays and school events

  • Recognize national symbols and icons that represent American democracy