8 Essential Building Blocks of a Kindergarten Program

By Jess Keenan (K-1 faculty)

After eight years of teaching at Waynflete, 我知道幼儿园不仅仅是让学生为“上学”做准备.“这是为学生们在剩下的学年和以后的bet365官网中对bet365官网的热爱奠定基础. 家长有时不确定幼儿园项目的哪些方面是最重要的. 当你在寻找适合你孩子的项目时，这里有一个强大的幼儿园的八个基本组成部分.

1. Authentic bet365官网 begins with students’ questions

小孩子天生好奇、好奇，渴望理解周围的世界. 有什么比把世界带到教室里更好的方法来教他们需要知道的东西呢?

一种由教师主导和学生兴趣驱动的bet365官网方法可以成为一个强大的bet365官网平台. 当教师允许学生的兴趣和兴奋来帮助塑造课程, 学生们对自己的bet365官网有了主人翁感，更加投入和投入.

2. Thematic studies bring bet365官网 into the “real world”

主题bet365官网源于学生的兴趣，在老师的指导下，让学生运用数学, 阅读, 写作, 科学, 以及地理学对自然和其他主题的深入研究. During a recent study of bees at Waynflete, a visiting beekeeper shared an observation hive, 是什么激发了学生们在bet365官网的阁楼下“建造”一个蜂巢，并“成为”工蜂, 女王蜂, and beekeepers.

Over the course of the bee study, students learned about geometry (hexagons), 生命周期, 授粉, communication systems, measuring distance, 以及协作和团队合作的重要性(无论是在蜂群中还是在课堂上)!). We also explored big numbers. bet365官网的最终项目是邀请整个低年级的学生来帮bet365官网数80,000颗珠子来说明一个蜂巢里可能有多少只蜜蜂. What an incredible lesson in number sense!

主题课程不仅将bet365官网置于“现实世界”的背景下,” it also inspires further student questions and inquiries, 哪一个, with teacher guidance, inspires continued bet365官网.

3. Kindergarteners have to play in order to learn

玩耍是认知和身体发展的重要组成部分. 它能培养孩子们的想象力，让孩子们成为自己bet365官网的中心. In the classroom, opportunities for students to make choices, play with materials, and interact with each other lead to inventing, storytelling, and role-playing, 哪一个 are all forms of independent bet365官网. 户外游戏增强了身体，并有助于发展粗大和精细的运动技能. 游戏还为学生提供了与同伴进行社交互动的机会，因为他们可以从平行游戏过渡到合作游戏.

4. All children learn to read in their own unique way

声音、字母、单词、押韵、书籍、诗歌和歌曲是早期读写能力的基石. Since every child is a unique learner, 一个强大的阅读计划应该全天提供许多接触书面和口头语言的机会，以及练习技能的材料. Literacy skills—like all others—develop along a range. 一个动态的和灵活的多年龄段的课程，以适应需要的新兴和初级读者允许在每一个层次的成功.

一个有效的扫盲计划也将帮助幼儿园的孩子们发展他们把自己的想法和想法写在纸上的技能. 我最喜欢的写作活动是写周报, where students “write” using illustrations, 听写, and their own words, spelled using their knowledge of letters and sounds. 通过这种方式，学生培养了强大而独立的表达自己想法的能力.

5. 数学技能的发展应该融入课程的各个方面

而数学课和明确的指导是bet365官网算术的重要组成部分, 经常有机会玩数学材料也是必不可少的. Manipulatives are a crucial entry point to skill development; hands-on exploration allows for practice of concepts such as counting, number sense, 排序, 测序, 模式, 除了, 减法, and place value.

一个强大的幼儿园课程将数学融入日常生活和现实生活中. During a study of farms, Waynflete的学生参观了一个农贸市场，并在教室里建立了一个市场，学生们在那里称重, 测量, and practiced buying and selling produce to each other.

6. 教学应因材施教，以适应课堂上不同的bet365官网风格

因为每个孩子都是一个独特的bet365官网者，有一个了解每个孩子的老师是很重要的. The developmental range can be broad in kindergarten, so it is essential that materials, 书, and lessons accommodate the needs of each child. 作为韦恩弗莱特多年龄段幼儿园/一年级课程的老师, 我很幸运能亲身体验到在课堂上拥有一系列能力的好处. Small class size, mixed groupings, 个性化的工作计划可以帮助学生在每个阶段培养技能, address their strengths and challenges, 为所有工作和娱乐领域的进步设定适当的目标.

7. 给孩子探索的自由可以扩展他们对bet365官网的自然好奇心

Five- and six-year-olds are curious by nature. 教师可以通过为学生创造提问的机会来激发好奇心, make observations, collect data, research information, form hypotheses, estimate and guess, and—yes—make mistakes.

一个结构化的、吸引人的课堂环境为独立的和教师引导的探索提供了多种机会, bet365官网, 和玩耍. Exploration of flexible classroom spaces such as a loft, a sensory table, a conservatory, 艺术区, 街区中心为学生提供了一系列体验，从游戏到有目的的调查. Playful exploration is at the heart of all bet365官网.

8. 当社会情感支持成为课程的一部分时，孩子们表现得最好

培养学生的社交和情感健康与早期阅读指导一样，是bet365官网的重要准备, 写作, 和数学. For many students, 幼儿园可能是他们第一次不得不在一大群同龄人的动态中导航. 学生在探索社会领域时需要指导——bet365官网如何领导, collaborate, 妥协, and problem-solve in a safe and supportive environment. In our classroom, the social curriculum is woven throughout our day, shaped by our understanding of individual students, the challenges of each age group, and our guiding principles: take care of yourself, take care of others, and take care of the environment.

At Waynflete, we hope that in 除了 to building social character, each child will develop a sense of belonging, responsibility toward others, and respect for their own unique qualities. Strong relationships between teachers and students, and their families, are necessary components of this work.