Kindergarten

At five and six years old, the students in Kindergarten and Young Kindergarten are very much the senior members of the Early Childhood division, and they face new expectations to serve as leaders in the halls.

With the added responsibility comes new autonomy. Students will find they have new license to explore long-term projects during choice time, and a new capacity to work alone or in small groups with less direct help from an adult. In turn, they may find themselves entrusted to care for a patch of garden, a corner of the classroom, or, in the spring, a live caterpillar or baby chick.

Young Kindergarten and Kindergarten represent a shift from Nursery and Preschool; there's one teacher in each classroom, and the three classrooms open onto a shared space that, formally and informally, serves as a meeting place and collaborative classroom for all of the students.

In Kindergarten, academic work takes on a new feel with daily, direct instruction in both math and literacy and the days of the school year are tallied and writer's workshop becomes part of the morning routine. Their literacy skills are formally assessed three times a year to ensure every student is appropriately challenged.

In the spring, the Lower School Literacy Specialist works closely with teachers to support students who would benefit from additional support in reading and writing. Gordon’s literacy specialist begins visiting the classroom during Kindergarten. The literacy specialist will work closely with students throughout Lower School.

Students of color in Kindergarten are invited during the spring months to participate in Tuesday Common Ground after school to get to know the program.

Language arts

Gordon’s Kindergarten language arts program is a literature-based approach designed to foster a love of reading and writing and to develop a strong foundation in phonemic awareness and phonics to support emergent reading and writing skills. Four areas of activity and instruction that directly support the reading and writing process are reading aloud to children, guided contextual reading, letter sound study using the Telian Lively Letters, and writing. A variety of structured activities, materials and games are used for skill acquisition and reinforcement. Many books are read to the children to support each child’s literacy development, as well as the shared reading of big books, poems, songs and individual readers. Children write each day using the Lucy Calkins Writers’ Workshop format. This research-based approach to writing instruction includes direct and individualized instructions, helping students to share their voice through writing and deepen their connection to what authors write about.

Math

In Kindergarten, Gordon’s Math in Focus curriculum introduces children to thinking mathematically through unique lesson plans, which provide children with multiple approaches to a concept. Children investigate, discover, explore and apply their own mathematical solutions. Children complete hands-on activities and games which allow them to use math manipulatives and apply what they learn. There is an emphasis on student discussion as students are given many opportunities to explain their mathematical thinking.

Each day’s morning meeting includes a tally of the number of school days in the year so far, and much is made of the one hundredth day of the year, when students discover that this once-daunting number is within the reach of their own tallying and counting. The schoolwide math specialist begins visiting classrooms in Young Kindergarten and Kindergarten, lending a new voice and perspective to the students' explorations.

Science

The main objective of science in Early Childhood is to nurture a young person’s innate sense of curiosity and wonder about the world around them. The science curriculum in Early Childhood uses materials to engage students in activities which build foundational skills of the scientific process and methods like observing, exploring, using the senses, and asking questions.

Science for Gordon Kindergarteners includes the study of the physics of force and motion as well as chemistry and measurement, building on their experience in Nursery and Preschool. Children continue to explore the push and pull of magnetic force and build on work drafting criteria for experiments. They explore chemistry through rigorous testing of numerous bubble solutions as they search for the “perfect” one. They engage in the engineering design process as they identify problems and multiple possible solutions during our unit on Novel Engineering. Kindergarteners build upon their programming skills as they learn how to break tasks down into smaller steps to make complex programs for our BeeBot robots. In the spring, the chick project consumes their work, as Kindergartners investigate eggs, egg development, and young birds as they hatch.

Social studies

Social studies in Early Childhood focuses on interpersonal relationships through the themes of family and the community. From morning circle and read-alouds to individual choice time and collaborative play, children develop a deeper awareness of themselves and their relationship to others in their families, their classrooms and broader community outside of Gordon’s walls.

The curriculum aligns with the national social studies standards and addresses questions such as What makes a family? What makes a friend? What is a community of care? What does fairness mean? Embedded in the daily life of Gordon's youngest students, these questions ensure that social studies work is a part of every day in Early Childhood, sparking relevant conversations in a variety of classroom and playground contexts.

As early as Nursery, teachers and students work together to identify and explain expectations for classroom behavior. Playing in the classroom and exploring outdoors, students actively work on learning how to cooperate and collaborate with others, how to share about themselves, and how to listen to their classmates.

Teachers engage students in one-on-one and small-group conversations about individual similarities and differences and guide students in thinking about how to build a classroom community where everyone belongs. Teachers use books and other resources that illustrate diverse races, ethnicities, cultures, ages, abilities, genders, family structures, and non-stereotypical gender roles so that every student can feel valued and represented.

Morning circle is an important routine where students gain practice speaking, listening and asking questions and children have an opportunity to learn more about each other as an important aspect of empathy and building community.

Spanish

Spanish at Gordon begins by getting young learners excited to engage, play and learn through speaking and listening. The Spanish teacher collaborates with classroom teachers on unit topics, vocabulary and activities. Playing interactive games, singing, and reading allows for a natural integration of Spanish into the rhythm of a child’s day. As children build vocabulary like the numbers from one to ten, basic colors, family members, fruits and emotions through songs, games, and familiar stories, they begin to acquire an ear for the language.

Physical education

The Kindergarten physical education curriculum focuses on body awareness, body part identification, spatial awareness, locomotor skills as well as classroom expectations, listening skills and following directions. The primary objectives of physical education for Early Childhood are to introduce and expand developmentally appropriate movement and health goals. Each class includes a warm-up activity, an instructional piece and a cool down period. By including elements of student choice, individual differentiation and problem solving, teachers strive to provide a balance of opportunities to learn through movement exploration and locomotor and manipulative skills.

Library

Children in Early Childhood are introduced to the library beginning in Nursery, with once a week trips to meet with the school librarian for read-alouds and book selection. The library houses a vast collection of multicultural and bilingual books; all children can reach for a library book which reflects their background and experience and also find books that expose them to the experiences and perspectives of others. Gordon’s youngest students learn to appreciate what access to a library means for their growing curiosity and awareness of themselves as learners and library patrons. Working closely with classroom teachers, Gordon’s librarian supports children’s inquiry and discovery of the world of books.

Creative arts

The creative arts curriculum is designed to instill a love of creative expression and introduce children to the process of conceiving, creating and sharing their own ideas.

Music in Young Kindergarten is full of exploration and discovery, finding joy in all aspects of music. Classes always begin with "Hello" and "Greeting" songs from around the world. Lessons then progress from songs with small movements to dances or large movement activities to playing various percussion instruments in imitative and improvisational songs. Concepts like fast-slow, high-low, and loud-soft are woven throughout the curriculum. Pitch matching and steady beat work are continually emphasized and reinforced throughout the year.

Students encounter terms like "ostinato," "rhythm," "verse and chorus," and "inner hearing." Children accompany themselves on various percussion instruments and in imitative and improvisational songs. Kindergarten students are learning to visually track written symbols left to right as they play patterns on drums. They also can play simple rhythmic patterns while singing. Many songs reflect the general themes found in the Kindergarten curriculum: making friends, building community, the weather and seasons.

Through experimentation, repetition and play, the Kindergarteners explore music and become more comfortable as musicians. Students sing continuously in higher and lower ranges, as soloists and in groups. They explore the difference between music, noise and chants. They play various classroom instruments to accompany their singing, distinguishing between steady beat and rhythm. The culminating spring concert is a joyous display of their mastery and an enthusiastic embrace of all they've learned throughout the year.

The Kindergarten visual arts program presents students with a series of experiences that gradually develop their abilities in a range of media, skills, techniques, and concepts in art. In an environment that fosters creativity and independence, children explore the ways that art can help them share their ideas about the world and themselves. Respect for materials and their unique qualities are taught. Care for one's work and the work of others is stressed as children work independently and in groups.

Kindergarten art students work on the skills necessary to take part in a formally structured art class. Skills include behaving appropriately during instructional demonstrations and independent work time. Students practice learning by watching carefully and listening thoughtfully to ideas they will be expected to explore during designated work time. Cultivating the self-reliance to work independently with perseverance is an explicit goal. Students are introduced to the art concepts of line, shape, form, and color by exploring visual problems with pencils, paints, cut paper, and clay. Every student has their artwork presented in the annual art show.

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