Curriculum Units

The children will become familiar with school and what it means to go to school. They will develop social skills by learning about cooperation and trust....  

There are many ways in which people are similar and many ways in which they are different. All people have bodies, thoughts, and feelings that are their own. Even though the way a person looks on the outside may change, that person remains the same person on the inside.

In this unit, the children will learn about what makes a family. They will learn that a family is a family no matter how far apart or close together they live. They will be able to tell stories about their own family experiences and relate them to the experiences of other families.

The senses work together to help us learn about the world around us. Our eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and skin send the information they gather to our brains. Experiences using your senses are not only more fun but also are more likely to be remembered.

The children will develop social skills as they learn about their classmates through a variety of activities. They will understand what it means to trust and be trusted. They will gain knowledge of ways to get along with others, and they will understand the importance of being a contributing member of a community group.

The children will learn about the colors in their community, in their homes, in plants and animals, and in the world. They will identify primary, secondary, and tertiary colors by name and will understand how mixing two colors together creates a third.

The children will understand that shape refers to the way something looks. They will also understand that there are many different shapes of different sizes in the world.

In this unit, children explore measurement. They will learn about the instruments we use to measure things, and they will use vocabulary appropriate to various types of measurement activities. Children will learn how to measure using traditional measurement instruments as well as nonstandard instruments, such as paper clips.

The children will experiment with and discover the many ways people use numbers in their daily lives. They will understand that whole things can be divided into parts and then reassembled into the whole again. They will learn how to make and interpret simple bar graphs.

Music provides a rich sensory experience for young children. Children love music, and everyone has a favorite song. Musical experiences are an important way to help develop creativity, reading and math skills, social skills, and positive self-esteem.

The children will learn about different ways people express themselves artistically, from the visual arts to the performing arts. They will learn how art is produced and how artists are inspired to create. They will take on new roles and explore familiar ones as they participate in a theatrical production.

The children will be introduced to the concepts of fiction and nonfiction as they begin to understand the difference between real and pretend. They will be able to identify examples of how we pretend when we role-play or when we make believe that we are something or someone.

The children will learn the importance of physical activity and will understand that staying physically active leads to overall personal health.

Places in the community provide us with education, resources, recreation, and fun. We go to community places to shop, to learn, to play, and to get together with others. You may live in a big city or a small town, but everyone has favorite community places.

The children will learn about the many people in their own neighborhoods and surrounding communities who help others every day. They will learn how to call 9-1-1 and will understand they must call only in an emergency. They will determine ways they can help within their own homes, schools, and communities.

The children will understand that vehicles are tools used by people in everyday life. Vehicles move people and objects from one place to another. The children will be able to name several different types of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, trains, and airplanes. They will also recognize that walking is a healthy form of transportation.

The children will learn about personal safety and how to keep themselves safe. They will understand safety rules and how they apply to different situations. They will perform fire-safety practice drills, such as “Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll,” that will increase their personal safety. In addition, they will learn about calling 9-1-1 and how to ask for help from adults and others when they need it.

The children will learn that their social world begins with themselves and expands outward from there. In this unit, the children will learn what it means to be citizens of their neighborhood and how they are alike or different from children in other parts of the world.

The children will understand that there are many different people and countries around the world. They will learn that people are usually very proud of the places their families came from and that they often hold onto traditions as a way of forming bonds among members of their extended families.

The children will understand why people celebrate events in their lives. They will be able to state personal reasons for having celebrations and for participating in activities centered on the celebrations of others.

The children will learn about the history of the world around them and of their own families. They will relate stories about the past with their present-day lives and make connections between how things have changed and how they have stayed the same.

Children will be introduced to the scientific method as well as basic concepts of physics, chemistry, astronomy, and biology. Throughout the unit, emphasis will be placed on building observation skills, working together, and understanding science through exploration.

The world is our home and therefore very important for everyone. It is our job to take care of our world—our environment. When the environment is dirty and polluted, people are more likely to get sick, too.

This unit introduces the ocean and the animals who call it home, and helps children learn about the importance of the ocean to our environment. The ocean is home to many creatures, small and large: fish, octopi, starfish, crabs, and whales, to name just a few.

The children will learn that rocks contain clues about what the Earth was like in the past. They will understand that different areas of land play host to different kinds of rocks. They will learn how rocks form and that they continue to change.

The children will be able to identify different types of plants and where they grow. They will understand that plants serve many purposes, such as providing food and shelter, and play a role in keeping the environment clean.

The children will learn that fruits and vegetables are living things that require care and certain conditions to grow and thrive.

Children will learn how nutrition keeps their bodies healthy and strong. Through these activities, the children will become more aware of the many things we do to take care of ourselves and will realize that eating well is essential if they want to stay healthy.

This unit gives the children the opportunity to investigate the seasons and learn about seasonal changes. Children will observe and predict seasonal weather patterns and participate in activities to explore the many aspects of each season.

The children will understand that weather is all around us all day long, and they will be able to recognize and describe different types of weather. They will learn about the sun and how it affects the weather.

The children will learn about dinosaurs in the context of fossils. They will be able to name four different types of dinosaurs and describe some of their physical features.

The children will learn how to care for family pets. They will understand what pets need to live and thrive and will learn about the environments in which they live. They will practice recognition and matching skills.

The children will understand that both birds and fish hatch from eggs, grow, and change. They will identify characteristics of both birds and fish, and they will discover how birds and fish move, live, and eat.

The children will demonstrate curiosity about the natural environment and the creatures that live there.

The children will learn about animals that live on farms. They will understand that many of the foods they eat and drink, such as cheese and milk, come from farm animals.