Children learn best through the active exploration of their environment – using all five senses to discover their world. Our Early School I program provides many opportunities for students (ages 4-5) to explore.

Children in this class learn how to cooperate in a group,  take responsibility for themselves and to try new activities. Early School students learn through art projects, singing, puppetry, dramatic play, out-door activities, center time and much more. Early literacy skills are developed through letter of the week format and journaling with a focus on letter recognition and sounds. Math skills are shaped through tactile operations and focus on graphing, problem solving, classifying and sorting.

Special classes include Spanish, P.E., Art, Pottery, Music and Library

MATH

  • Classify, sort and group sets of objects
  • Compare and contrast objects by color, size, shape, texture and detail
  • Begin to use simple graphs
  • Count accurately – orally and with manipulatives
  • Identify shapes
  • Start to recognize and reproduce simple patterns
  • Begin to recognize numerals and to understand number value
  • Develop problem solving skills

LANGUAGE ARTS

  • Build oral vocabulary and communicaton skills
  • Listen to stories for pleasure and understanding
  • Participate in group discussions, story telling, role playing and dramatic play
  • Develop a sense of story sequence and main idea and make predictions
  • Build classification and visual discrimination skills
  • Begin to recognize familiar words in the environment
  • Letter recognition
  • Awareness of letter-sound associations
  • Awareness of rhyme
  • Express ideas through art work and dictated stories

Social Studies

  • Awareness of self and family
  • Living in a community
  • Classroom routines and social skills
  • Partners with an older class
  • Explore other cultures and holiday celebrations
  • Community service projects

Science

  • Integrated thematic units
  • Hands-on exploration
  • Participate in science experiments
  • Use the scientific method:  observe, predict, compare and discuss
  • Develop respect for other living things
  • Care for class pets
  • Cooking and art projects

Special Classes

  • Spanish
  • Physical Education
  • Art
  • Pottery
  • Music
  • Library

About the Teacher

Teacher Sue graduated from Old Dominion University with a Masters Degree in Early Childhood education.  She has more than 20 years teaching experience with pre-school and kindergarten aged children.