Conceptual and Developmental Areas Covered in Curriculum

in PNS Pre-K Program for Four-Year-Olds

 

At Presbyterian Nursery School each teacher is encouraged to design her own curriculum including these guidelines and to adapt her curriculum each year to fit the specific group of children and their needs. The method used to teach the curriculum is one of “learning through play.” This means that the children are given opportunity and responsibility to make choices during their day, to move around the room from one “center” or activity to another, and that all offerings are designed to be fun and active. With two parent-helpers in the class with the teacher, small groups are possible for many parts of the day, allowing for individual attention.

 

The following areas and activities are included in the curriculum throughout the year:

 

Social

Forms relationships, develops friendships (shares, cooperative play with peers,

communicates and negotiates through conflicts, shows empathy)

Follows a class schedule, moves through transitions, responds appropriately to

           adult authority

 

Emotional

Separates from parent

Depends on other adults than parent

Deals with new situations (special events in other rooms, visits by fire truck, trips

            off premises)

 

Cognitive

Language

Listening (follows directions, attends to story during circle time, attends to

 peer during show and tell)

            Orally retells events (dictates story after trips and holidays), learns and

verbalizes finger plays, retells story, makes relevant verbal contributions during circle time, describes picture, uses opposites and rhyming words

            Recognizes written name and classmates’ names, writes first name,

                        recognizes simple words (“stop”, “Mom”, “Dad”, “love”), and begins

                        attempt to write

            Verbally identifies letters in first name, names and identifies many letters of

                        the alphabet, begins to associate letter with sound at beginning of

                        word

Self

Verbalizes first name, last name, address, phone number; names body parts

 

Social Studies

Basic facts and concepts associated with historic and traditional events,        seasons, and holidays (fall, Christopher Columbus, Johnny Appleseed, Election Day, Thanksgiving and Native Americans, Christmas, Hanukkah, winter, Martin Luther King, Jr., Presidents Washington and Lincoln, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Spring, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Summer)

Family make-up

Community helpers

 

Math

Counting, to 15-18, and forward and backwards to 10

One-to-one correspondence

Identifying numerals 0-10

Verbal problem solving, estimating

Classifying objects by color, size, and shape

Developing and “reading” bar graphs

Sequencing by size

Measuring, using balance, scale, ruler, and unit cubes

Name shapes (circle, triangle, square, rectangle, diamond)

 

Science

Scientists predict (guess) then test (experiment) to see if their prediction is

correct; then chart results

Name colors, create through mixing paints

Plants grow from seeds and bulbs, and need sun, soil, and water to grow

Object sinks or floats in water

Animals’ habits, habitats, foods; farm animals, nocturnal animals (bats, owls,

raccoons), backyard birds, penguins, bears and other hibernating animals, family pets, sea creatures

Healthy bodies need food, exercise, rest and love

The five senses help us learn about the world

We live in families and in a home (our house has an address)

 

Physical

Gross Motor

            Full body movement (run, walk backwards, march, gallop, skip, hop on one

 foot, climb, bike-ride)

            Arm-eye coordination (ball catch and throw)

            Rhythm (clap hands, chant, use of rhythm instruments)

 

Fine Motor

            Finger strength, dexterity (playdough, crayons, paint brushes, scissors,

                        lacing)

            Eye-hand coordination (bead stringing, puzzles, connect dotted lines,

                        reproduce shapes)

 

Spiritual/Values

Prayer: saying grace before eating snack, remembering sick classmates

Christian holidays and traditions (Noah’s Ark, Christmas as baby Jesus’ birthday, Easter

as Jesus with us always, new life in Springtime, the cross as reminder of Jesus, Jesus as carpenter)

Sharing holiday traditions of classmates (Jewish celebrations of Hanukkah and

            Passover, Hindu Diwali, Chinese New Year)

Kindness and good manners are modeled and shared

 

Musical

Songs, fingerplays, chants are learned

Rhythm instruments are used; bells, shakers, kazoos are made and used

Marching and dancing to recordings

Coloring and painting to music

 

Artistic

Materials used for open-ended projects designed to foster creativity (some or many

offered every day) include: tempera, water color, and finger paints; crayons,

chalk, markers, cut paper, tissue paper, wood scraps, fabric, etc.

Specific projects may be designed to reinforce concepts from the story or theme for

 the day, or to use skills such as cutting, gluing, memory or following

 directions

 

 

 

Created by Presbyterian Nursery School. Use with permission.