The Kindergarten Program
The Kindergarten Program is based on the following areas: Language, Math, Science & Social Studies, Music, French, Health & Physical Activity, Visual Arts and Personal & Social Development.
LANGUAGE
Oral Comunication
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Communicate needs
- Listen and respond to others appropriately
- Follow simple directions
- Ask questions, express feelings, share ideas
Reading
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Enjoy listening to stories/poems
- Retell stories in their own words
- Make story predictions
- Recognize that words consist of beginning, middle & final sounds
- Begin to read phonetically spelled 3 & 4 letter words and Phonetic readers (Level 1 – short vowels, Level 2 – long vowels)
- Identify opposites, rhyming words and compound words
Writing
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Use writing tools appropriately
- Write simple messages using a combination of pictures, symbols, letters and phonetic spellings
- Print all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet
- Print their own name
- Copy text accurately using lines and margins properly
- Spell 3 & 4 letter words, and words with short and long vowel sounds
- Begin cursive writing
MATH
Number Sense & Numeration
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Sort and classify objects
- Match like objects
- Count object sets
- Count orally to 100
- Recognize and write numerals to 30+
- Perform Addition and Subtraction to 20
- Learn place value to 1000
- Skip count by 2, 5, 10, 100
- Work with bead chains and multiples
Measurement
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Use simple measurement terms (tall/short, big/small, empty/full, heavy/light)
- Order objects according to size
- Use standard measuring devices (ruler, clock)
- Identify the names and values of coins
Spatial Sense & Geometry
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Describe basic spatial relationships (above/below, near/far, in/out)
- Identify and name geometric solids (cylinder, cube, sphere, cone)
- Relate everyday objects to geometric solids (cans, blocks, balls, cones)
- Identify and name geometric shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle)
Patterning
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Recognize, create and extend simple patterns (red, blue, red)
Data Management & Probability
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Represent and interpret data in bar graphs and pictographs
- Compare objects (rough, smooth)
SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Describe some natural occurrences (leaves fall in autumn/snow in winter)
- Understand the differences between living/non-living things
- Describe natural habitats (nests, trees, rivers)
- Identify patterns and cycles in nature (life cycle of a butterfly and frog)
- Have an awareness of weather and its impact on humans and the environment
- Identify country and province of residence
- Identify countries, continents and oceans on a globe
- Have some awareness of land and water forms
- Complete puzzle maps of Canada and the World
- Recognize community helpers, their tools, and responsibilities
- Have an awareness of patterns, cycles, time concepts (daily routines, yesterday/tomorrow, morning/afternoon/evening)
- Exhibit an understanding of the calendar (days of the week/months of the year)
- Be able to talk about the needs of plants
- Identify some parts of The Leaf, The Flower and The Tree
- Identify some external and internal parts of animals
- Complete puzzles of vertebrates (Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians)
MUSIC
The music program nurtures the child’s natural abilities through; creative movement, singing, improvising, and listening experiences including different genres and periods, and their composers. By the end of Kindergarten the children will have:
- Played percussion instruments
- Been exposed to musical concepts such as pitch, dynamics, rhythm, beat, tempo and mood
- Explored musical notation
- Been introduced to music of the world’s people
- Explored the instruments of the orchestra
FRENCH
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Be able to count from 1-20
- Recite the days of the week, and months of the year
- Name some colours, animals, family members
- Sing songs such as Happy Birthday, Head and Shoulders
- Know some theme/holiday related vocabulary (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day)
- Use basic conversational vocabulary (greetings, simple sentences, questions)
HEALTH & PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Name body parts and talk about their function
- Learn about Canada’s Food Guide
- Identify nutritious foods and junk foods
- Select appropriate clothing for the weather
- Practice personal hygiene
- Apply basic safety rules indoors and out
- Participate willingly in physical activities
- Use equipment with ease (balls, bats, sticks)
- Demonstrate balance and flexibility
- Learn how to skate
VISUAL ARTS
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Use pictures to represent ideas
- Identify primary and secondary colours
- Show skill in cutting, pasting, and painting
- Use tools appropriately
PERSONAL & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
By the end of Kindergarten children will:
- Communicate own interests and preferences
- Express thoughts and share experiences
- Adapt readily to new situations
- Demonstrate self-reliance (dressing, bathroom)
- Attempt new tasks willingly
- Follow class rules and routines
- Act and talk appropriately with peers and adults
- Show consideration for others
- Identify feelings/emotions and express them in acceptable ways
- Use simple strategies to solve problems