Chandler Curriculum Outline | 

Kindergarten

Language Arts emphasizes phonics, sight reading, writing, grammar, and reading readiness and comprehension. Students learn to recognize, sound out, read, write, spell and memorize simple words and review all sounds, including short and long vowels. Students begin to understand the concept of rhyming words, recognize smaller words in larger words, and discriminate between similar words.

Students read for comprehension in groups according to skill level and read aloud in order to make reading smooth. Stories and poetry are read aloud for enjoyment and content. Students listen and comprehend the details in the story, and use illustrations to follow the story plot. Through stories, they learn about the seasons, holidays and different cultures. Listening and speaking skills are emphasized throughout the language arts curriculum as students follow verbal directions, recite poetry, and ask and answer questions in complete sentences.

Handwriting instruction includes holding a pencil correctly, letter and number formation, and how to write names properly using upper and lower case letters. Students progress to writing simple sentences using proper language, grammar and punctuation. Eventually they are able to write a simple story about themselves and creative stories.

Mathematics focuses on number recognition, counting, patterns and basic addition and subtraction. Students learn to recognize and write numbers one to one hundred, count to thirty by fives, and add and subtract numbers one to ten. They learn to make patterns and recognize patterns in their school and home environments.

Social Studies encompasses family, community, citizenship, famous Americans, and holidays and customs from around the world. Students learn how their families are similar to and different from their classmates and children around the world. They learn what a good citizen is and how to be one. The lives of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. are honored with stories, songs and poems. Monthly holidays and the reasons we celebrate them are discussed.

Science includes the study of living vs. non-living things, the five senses, solids, liquids, gases, landforms, and seasons. Students work cooperatively, make hypotheses, conduct experiments, make observations within and outside the classroom, and learn to graph and record results accurately.

Foreign Language introduces students to Spanish language and culture. Students learn basic greetings, colors, numbers, foods and songs. They also learn about cultural celebrations and famous Hispanic people.

Technology covers how to use the computer and how to type. Students work with Adobe Photoshop Elements and Microsoft Word in weekly computer classes.

Physical Education is taught daily. Through various games and activities such as basketball, soccer, hockey, gymnastics and juggling, students learn to use proper movements while throwing, catching, kicking, running, jumping and swinging.

Art class meets once a week and includes introduction to the elements of design, color, line, shape and space. Students learn to express ideas using a range of media including paint, clay, paper, and drawing materials while developing basic skills with a number of art tools.

Music is taught weekly and focuses on singing, language and movement. Students learn simple songs and create words for songs. They move to, march to, pat and walk on beat, and learn to express movement through dance.