Curriculum Overviews > Kindergarten

At The Branch School, the following objectives are taught through an integrated, developmental, hands-on, and in-depth approach that teaches critical thinking, problem-solving, and cooperative learning.

• Students engage in many activities that help them develop their oral language skills and help them begin to read and write.
• Kindergarten students take part in language activities that extend their vocabulary and conceptual knowledge.
• Students learn to follow directions and develop the language of schooling.
• Students discuss the meanings of words from familiar and conceptually challenging selections read aloud.
• Students express themselves in complete thoughts.
• In Kindergarten, students listen to a wide variety of children's literature, including selections from classic and contemporary works. Students also listen to nonfiction and informational material.
• Students learn to listen attentively and ask and respond to questions and retell stories.
• Students know simple story structure and distinguish fiction from nonfiction.
• Kindergarten students identify and write the letters of the alphabet.
• Students learn that individual letters are different from printed words, that words have spaces between them, and that print is read from left-to-right and from top-to-bottom.
• Through meaningful and organized activities, Kindergarten students learn that spoken language is composed of sequences of sounds.
• Students learn to segment and identify the sounds in spoken words.
• Students name each letter of the alphabet, begin to associate spoken sounds with the letter or letters that represent them, and begin to use this knowledge to read words and simple stories.
• In Kindergarten, students write the letters of the alphabet, their names, and other words.
• Initially, students dictate messages and stories for others to write.
• Students begin to use their knowledge of sounds and letters to write by themselves.

• Throughout mathematics in Kindergarten-Grade 2, students build a foundation of basic understandings in number, operation, and quantitative reasoning; patterns, relationships, and algebraic thinking; geometry and spatial reasoning; measurement; and probability and statistics.
• Students use numbers in ordering, labeling, and expressing quantities and relationships to solve problems and translate informal language into mathematical symbols.
• Students use patterns to describe objects, express relationships, make predictions, and solve problems as they build an understanding of number, operation, shape, and space.
• Students use informal language and observation of geometric properties to describe shapes, solids, and locations in the physical world and begin to develop measurement concepts as they identify and compare attributes of objects and situations.
• Students collect, organize, and display data and use information from graphs to answer questions, make summary statements, and make informal predictions based on their experiences.
• Problem solving, language and communication, connections within and outside mathematics, and formal and informal reasoning underlie all content areas in mathematics.

• Comparing and Measuring
• Wind and Weather
• Butterflies
• Space
• Human Anatomy with 5 senses and parts of the body

• Students discuss geographic concepts of location and physical and human characteristics of places.
• Students are introduced to the basic human needs of food, clothing, and shelter and to ways that people meet these needs.
• Students learn the purpose of rules and the role of authority figures in the home and school.
• Students learn customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity.
• Students compare family customs and traditions and describe examples of technology in the home and school.
• Students acquire information from a variety of oral and visual sources.

• Students are exposed to the basic elements of art and explore them in detail through projects that emphasize each specific art principle. Students engage in exciting exploration with a variety of media such as painting, clay, pastels, etc.

• They are read books appropriate to their level as well as given help, if necessary, checking out books.

• Students express themselves through singing and movement, and by playing simple instruments. Children learn to experiment with music concepts, volume, tempo, and sound. They begin to appreciate different types of music. Students attend at least one live concert. They perform several times a year at school-wide events.

• Students learn to empathize with, feel comfortable in, and understand fundamental processes of nature. We do this through a “working wildscape” partly accessible to children on the playground, partly fenced to allow more habitat development, and through horticulture activities from growing vegetables to propagating plants.

• Students acquire the knowledge and skills for movement that provide the foundation for enjoyment, continued social development through physical activity, and access to a physically active lifestyle. Students learn group games as well as sportsmanship.

• Students are taught the importance of peacemaking with their classmates. They learn conflict resolution as well as communication skills. They learn to be life-long peacemakers. In addition, a curriculum on ethical decision-making designed by the Institute for Global Ethics is implemented. It is based on Rushworth Kidder’s book, How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living.
• Students practice creative thinking through brainstorming solutions to a variety of spontaneous problems.

• Students are immersed in the Spanish language through a Spanish program three times a week.

• Students use engaging, age-appropriate, and challenging software and technology to extend their knowledge and to enrich their learning of curriculum content and concepts. Children learn the basic functions of the computer and related technologies.