Kindergarten Curriculum

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Mission: To help each student realize their full academic and affective potential. Vanderhoof Elementary School will be a safe, supportive environment where students become responsible, productive citizens and life-long learners.

Kindergarten Team

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Introductions

• Missy Vais
• Alyssa Kinghorn
• Michelle Poisson

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This Google Slide Presentation will be on the Kindergarten Website Please refer to this information prior to contacting your child’s teacher with questions.

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Teacher Contact Information/Communication

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• Website
• E-mail
• Newsletters (weekly)
• Friday Folders
• Take out the papers each weekend and leave the empty folder in the backpack
• SignUp Genius
• Future Assessment Days
• Parent/Teacher Conferences

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• Missy Vais

missy.vais@jeffco.k12.co.us

• Alyssa Kinghorn

Alyssa.kinghorn@jeffco.k12.co.us

• Michelle Poisson

michelle.poisson@jeffco.k12.co.us

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Please use e-mail as much as possible for contact. Please e-mail questions instead of asking in the morning for student safety. We will do our best do respond within 24 hours.

Building Community

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• We strive to build a classroom community:
• SOAR Passes - Safe * Outstanding * Accountable * Respectful (given by any staff member)
• Individual class reward system
• Second Step SEL curriculum

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Together we are growing

children into adults!

SOAR (Safe, Outstanding, Accountable, Respectful)

• SOAR tickets are positive reinforcement for students doing the right thing.
• Teachers and staff give out SOAR tickets to all kids anytime and any place during the Vanderhoof school day.
• Students earn rewards after accumulating 5 SOAR passes

Learning Resources

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Resources:

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Reading/Writing: Into Reading Curriculum

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Phonics: Orton Gillingham

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Phonemic Awareness: Heggerty

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Math: Illustrative Mathematics

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Science/Social Studies: Jeffco Created

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Social/Emotional Education: Second Step

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Daily Schedule

OPENING

We welcome the students each morning as we gather in the classroom. We each start our day a little bit differently to suit our classrooms. With our soft start, the students are able to ease into the day.

Literacy

• Read Alouds
• Comprehension
• Story Elements

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• Literacy Print Concepts/Phonetics
• Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Letter Naming Fluency, Word Work (centers)

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• Shared Reading, Guided Reading, Independent Reading, Buddy Reading
• Using leveled text for differentiated instruction

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During Literacy Centers students may complete a variety of literacy activities:

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• Writing
• Phonics/word work practice
• Listening Center
• Chrome Books
• Reading to Self or buddy

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These are meaningful activities

designed to engage each child

and inspire their literacy development.

Into Reading Scope and Sequence

Into Reading Scope and Sequence Continued

Literacy Expectations

End of year Kindergarten reading a decodable text independently

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Students can retell beginning, middle and end in sequential order.

Writing

During writing we work on formulating ideas, drawing detailed pictures, making our words match the picture, phonemic spelling, and reading our own writing.

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• Progression of Writing
• Drawing
• Word lines
• Strings of letters
• Beginning Sounds/Ending Sounds
• Medial Sounds - Vowel rules
• Sight Words
• Word Families

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It is appropriate and encouraged for your child to be sounding out and then writing words phonetically!

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Writing Expectations

• End of Year Writing Expectations:
• Capital to begin a sentence
• Periods to end a sentence
• Finger spaces between words
• Sight Words spelled correctly
• 3 complete sentences
• Detailed picture to match words (includes setting and character traits)

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Handwriting/Graphics Practice

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Graphics Practice

• Correct pencil grip, fine motor practice

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Handwriting Practice

• Make sure they start at the top
• A-ok grip or duck grip
• Letters do not touch
• Start with your child’s name

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End of year goal is that children can write their first and last names correctly. We begin the year working on our first name and learning how to form our letters correctly.

Math Expectations

End of Year Math Expectations:

• Counting to 100 by 1’s, 5’s, 10’s - counting on from any number
• Counting backwards from 20
• Writing numbers 1-20
• Decomposing teen numbers to understand place value - tens place and ones place.
• Addition and subtraction fluency 0-10
• Number Partners (1+4=5, 2+3=5, 4+1=5…)
• Shapes: Identify and describe attributes of 2D and 3D shapes
• Measurement: (longer/shorter)
• Story Problems: addition and subtraction 0-10
• Understanding maths application to the real world

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SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Science and Social Studies are incorporated throughout the day and during our designated Science and Social Studies time.

Topics:

• Citizenship
• Comparing Life Stories
• Wants and Needs
• Different Places and Ways to Live
• Plants and Animals
• Weather
• Forces (push and pull)

Grading

• Kindergarten report cards are based on a 1-4 number system

1-unsatisfactory

2-partially proficient

3-proficient

4-advanced

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• Report cards are distributed via paper or via Infinite Campus each trimester- November, February and May

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Assessments

Reading:

• DIBELS-Letter naming, phonemic segmentation, nonsense word fluency, oral reading fluency
• Informal assessments: reading levels, running records, spelling

Writing:

• Teachers take formative notes throughout the writing process
• Writing prompts are given to access student’s ability to write to a prompt and use writing structures and processes

Math:

• Fluency checks
• Unit tests

Snack/Water Bottle

• Please send your student with one labeled healthy snack each day
• Please send your student to school with a labeled and full water bottle each day.
• Water bottles will be sent home every day to be cleaned.
• Please make sure your student is able to open and close their water bottle independently

Homework

• Reading:
• A monthly reading log and letter fluency sheet will be sent home in your student’s Friday Folder each month.
• We ask that students read ( or are read too) a minimum of 10-15 minutes each night.
• Math and Other Work:
• Other special projects or extra practice work will be clearly labeled.

Homework will be sent home on September 8th.

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Parent Volunteers

We love having parent volunteers in our classroom to assist with learning!

Currently, our students are working on developing routines and good learning habits.

We hope to begin inviting parent volunteers into our classrooms starting in November Look for details in our future newsletters!

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Thank You

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We look forward to partnering with you and an amazing Kindergarten year!