Kindergarten

Language – Aims & Content

Aims: Competence in language will enable students to:

• learn about the role language plays in our own lives
• communicate thoughts, feelings and information
• participate effectively in society
• make informed decisions about personal and social issues
• analyze information and formulate viewpoints
• develop confidence and enjoy using language freely

Content

Oral Communication

• listening – to gain information and respond appropriately
• speaking – to communicate effectively; expressing feelings and stating opinions

Written Communication

• reading – learning about the structure of print and the meaning it conveys
• writing – expressing oneself meaningfully and creatively using rules and conventions of English

Visual Communication

• learning to use, understand and construct different forms of visual images
• experimenting with visual media and its influence on thinking and behaviour

Learning Outcomes: By the end of Kindergarten students are expected to:

Oral Communication: Speaking and Listening

• speak clearly
• follow and give directions
• listen attentively
• participate in discussions and conversations
• formulate questions
• retell, relate and sequence events and stories with increasing competency

Written Communication: Reading

• be eager to read
• enjoy playing and experimenting with reading behaviours
• show an interest in books, stories charts and songs
• “read” familiar texts using visual, contextual and memory clues
• Focus on meaning of text rather than word accuracy
• "read” daily in a variety of situations and have opportunities to discuss what has been read

Written Communication: Writing

• be curious about print
• enjoy playing and experimenting with writing
• move from scribble to writing letters and words
• assign meaning to messages regardless of their stage of written development
• gradually produce recognizable spellings of a range of words
• be encouraged to write daily with or without support

Visual Communication: Viewing and Presenting

• understand that communication involves visual as well as verbal features
• recognize that signs and symbols carry meaning
• use a range of communications media to locate, present and record information
• use technology such as a computer, printer and CD-ROM

Kindergarten Mathematics
Teachers use a variety of resources and mathematics schemes in their planning and teaching. The emphasis is on learning mathematics through practical activities, discussion and application.

The aim of the programme is to help students to develop:

• an understanding of the nature and the purpose of mathematics
• skills in mathematical thinking with a supporting network of concepts, facts and techniques
• confidence in using and applying mathematics
• an appreciation for its challenges and satisfaction from solving mathematical problems
• an awareness of the place of mathematics in solving the problems of everyday life

Content
The Mathematics curriculum is divided into five strands: Shape and Space, Data Handling, Measurement, Pattern and Function, Number.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of Kindergarten students are expected to:

Shape and Space

• recognize and classify colours and simple shapes
• describe the position or direction of an object using prepositions

Data Handling

• compare groups using pictorial representation
• create graphs using real objects and compare quantities

Measurement

• estimate, measure, order and compare lengths – longer or shorter, taller or shorter
• estimate, measure, order and compare volumes by pouring, filling and packing
• estimate, measure, order and compare mass – heavier or lighter
• identify special and significant times relevant to daily lives – hours, days of week, months

Pattern and Function

• describe patterns that exist in or on real objects
• recognize, copy, create and continue simple patterns

Number

• stimate how many
• read, write, compare and order numbers to 20
• use concrete objects to add and subtract to 20
• create and solve addition and subtraction word problems relating to everyday experiences
• divide an object into equal parts and describe using the terms half and whole
• use ordinal numbers such as first, second, third

Pre- school

Language – Aims and Content

Aims
The aim is to develop the child’s ability to express themselves in fluent, confident and accurate English within an integrated programme of speaking and listening, reading and writing. Much of the language taught is integrated into the Units of Inquiry, not necessarily isolated lessons.

Written Expression
At the Pre School level, teachers help students to express their ideas on paper. With help, the children will work through a writing process of drafting, editing and publishing their work. They will be encouraged to use a variety of writing styles and genres. Initially, the children will try to spell on their own. Spelling aids such as personal dictionaries and word lists will also be used. The children will study frequently used words, letter sound relationships, specific letter patterns and a variety of spelling strategies.

Reading
The children will be encouraged to develop an enjoyment of language and literature. Through reading favourite stories, poems, songs and factual text, and by participating in a variety of reading activities (e.g. making class books, comprehension activities, cloze activities [missing word], sentence making, unjumbling words), basic reading strategies will be taught, focusing on initial sound recognition then moving to the more common blends.

The children will be taught strategies for decoding unfamiliar words with a strong emphasis on fluency and reading for meaning. Phonics skills will be taught, focusing on initial sound recognition then moving to the more common blends. Reading is encouraged not only in the classroom, but also through library visits and take home readers.

Handwriting
Emphasis will be on correct letter formation, adequate spacing, correct grip and letter size. As the year progresses, there will be an emphasis on increasing speed while maintaining neatness.

Content

Oral Communication

• listening – learning to listen to gain information and respond appropriately
• speaking – using spoken language to communicate effectively; express feelings and state opinions

Written Communication

• reading – learning about the structure of print and the meaning it conveys
• writing – using writing to express ourselves meaningfully and creatively using rules and conventions of English

Visual Communication

• learning to use, understand and construct different forms of visual images
• experimenting with visual media and its influence on thinking and behaviour

Dramatic Communication

• learning how to develop creativity, self-expression and empathy
• participating in drama

Learning Outcomes: By the end of Pre School students are expected to:

Oral Communication: Speaking and Listening

• speak clearly
• follow and give directions
• listen attentively
• participate in discussions and conversations
• formulate questions
• retell, and sequence event and stories with increasing competency
• present a personally researched factual report

Writing

• use capital letters, full stops, and question marks
• write in a variety of genres
• write imaginative stories
• proof read, self correct, edit and publish
• write letters correctly and of a uniform size
• present handwriting that is consistently neat and well presented

Visual Communication: Viewing and Presenting

• understand that communication involves visual as well as verbal features
• recognize that signs, symbols and icons carry meaning
• use a range of communications media to locate, present and record information
• use technology such as a computer, printer and CD-ROM

Dramatic Communication

• use drama to devise or adapt stories
• take part in dramatizing a story
• recite phrases or a poem
• use appropriate tone and volume for a situation

Mathematics
Teachers use a variety of resources and mathematics schemes in their planning and teaching. The emphasis is on learning mathematics through practical activities, discussion and application.

The aim of the programme is to help students to develop:

• an understanding of the nature and the purpose of mathematics
• skills in mathematical thinking with a supporting network of concepts, facts and techniques
• confidence in using and applying mathematics
• an appreciation for its challenges and satisfaction from solving mathematical problems
• an awareness of the place of mathematics in solving the problems of everyday life

Content
The mathematics curriculum is divided into five strands: Shape and Space, Data Handling, Measurement, Pattern and Function and Number.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of Pre School students are expected to:

Space and Shape

• describe, classify and sort 2D and 3D shapes
• recognize symmetry
• describe the position or direction of an object using prepositions
• give and follow directions

Data Handling

• compare groups
• read and interpret picture and bar graphs

Measurement

• estimate, measure, order and compare lengths using non standard units of measurement
• recognize the need for standard measurement (cm, m)
• understand the term “area” when applied to parts of the school or classroom
• estimate, measure, order and compare volumes
• use a calendar to describe the day and date
• name and order the months of the year and seasons
• tell time on the hour and half hour

Pattern and Function

• recognize, describe and extend patterns in numbers: skip counting
• create and continue repeating patterns of colour, size and shape

Number

• read, write, compare and order numbers 1 to 100
• represent numbers using tens and ones
• count by 5s, and 10s
• use concrete objects to demonstrate understanding of adding and subtracting
• complete word problems
• model and describe equal groups or rows and find their totals
• divide an object into equal parts and describe using the terms half, quarter and whole

Application

• talk about mathematics used in daily living
• learn strategies such as using manipulatives or drawing diagrams to solve problems

 Back to European Kindergarten & Preschool