1. Kindergarten Program Beavercreek City Schools

2. Philosophy
The kindergarten program in the Beavercreek City School District provides children a foundation for academic success and develops an enthusiasm for life-long learning. Student outcomes are standards-based and focus on the whole child: academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. The developmentally appropriate learning environment provides substantial opportunities to learn through purposeful play and provides teacher-guided, interactive small group and large group experiences. The kindergarten school year is an important time to provide students with rich, relevant learning experiences that allow them to reach goals that are both challenging and achievable regardless of their varied experiences and backgrounds upon entering kindergarten.

3. Kindergarten Readiness
Expressive Language
Speak in a manner that most people can understand them.
Describe familiar people, places, things, and events. 
Correctly use parts of speech when speaking - he/she/they, have/has.
Ask and answer basic who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
Retell a story or talk about an event in order.
Produce rhyming words.
Encourage your child to talk! Having command of spoken language will prepare your child for interacting with his/her peers and teacher. This will assist your child in having a pleasant and successful year in Kindergarten!

4. Kindergarten Readiness
Receptive Language
Follow 1, 2 and 3 step directions. (play games such as Simon Says, follow the leader at the park or pool, recall items to get at the grocery)
Attend to a short story and answer basic who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
State whether or not words rhyme. (Read Dr. Seuss books, nursery rhymes, play rhyming games)
Since students will receive most of their directions as spoken by the teacher, please practice following directions at home. Begin with 1 direction and over time add additional directions such that your child is able to listen to a 3 step direction and respond appropriately.
Rhyme (phonemic awareness) is an important pre-reading/writing skill for your child to practice. Rhyming words sound the same at the end of the word: cat/bat, rhyme/time, dad/sad. Hearing how words sound alike or different is a precursor to the ability to linking letter sounds to the letters that represent that sound.
Reading with your child is vital to your child’s success in school. Students who understand how to “use” a book come to school prepared to begin reading books. Knowing directionality (left page before right page, top of page before bottom of page, left side of word before right side of word) will assist your student in foundational pre-reading/writing skills. Discussing the story and asking questions help your child understand there is a message which is a precursor to independent comprehension skills.

5. Kindergarten Readiness
Social Skills
Accept “No” for an answer.
Gain attention appropriately.
Wait your turn (play board games)
Share with others.
Communicate feelings appropriately-words not actions.
Understand authority figures.
Adapt to transitions appropriately.
A vital part to working together as a community in the classroom or school building is treating one another with respect. Students should understand that in school, they are sometimes required to accept “no” as an answer without questioning his/her teacher. Another part of respectful behavior is realizing that if a teacher is engaged in a discussion with another adult, or teaching another child that he/she should wait patiently without interrupting unless there is an emergency (restroom, feeling ill, injured). Please help your child practice using words to communicate his/her feelings instead of physically acting out. As students transition from one activity to another in the classroom, the expectation is this will be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. Please help your child practice responding to your voice and transitioning from one activity to another at home as practice for this expectation.

6. Kindergarten Readiness
Social Skills
Follow rules and routines
Problem solve/make choices
Communicate needs and wants
Engage in cooperative play with peers
Encourage independence
-One of the requirements for our students is to actively participate in group discussions and take turns in speaking. Practice at home will help prepare them to do so.
-Not all children know to use visual cues to self monitor behavior. Speak with your child about looking around to see what his/her peers are doing which will help with this skill.
-Young children are ego-centric because of where they are on the developmental continuum. Please practice APPROPRIATE communication at home so he/she can express needs and wants while at school. This relates to tone (indoor voice) and timing (wait your turn to have the teacher’s attention).
-Independence is practiced and reinforced in Kindergarten. Give your child the opportunity to walk him/herself to the classroom.
-To prepare your child for Kindergarten you can give your child choices in their daily activities to help them develop their decision making skills.
-For example, you may pick out school supplies, like a folder with your child and have them choose one or give them two choices of a healthy snack to pack for school.
-It is also important to practice patience and turn taking in conversations with a large number of children in the classroom and one classroom teacher.
-It is always fun to have playdates! This encourages your child to share objects, develop their vocabulary skills, and form friendships with their peers.

7. Kindergarten Readiness
Self-Help Skills
Put on and take off own coat
Zip and button coat and backpack
Pack and unpack own backpack and belongings
Go to restroom and wash hands independently
Tie shoes
Open snack/lunch items with minimal assistance
-Children need to demonstrate independence in these self help skills. You can help your child learn these skills by giving him/her an opportunity to practice BEFORE the first day of school. When we start school, children won’t be wearing coats/boots, etc. so give your child an opportunity to practice zipping and buttoning with a piece of clothing prior to cold weather.
-Children need practice to build enough stamina to attend to an activity for approx. 10 min. (read aloud)
-In the beginning of the year, your child may be nervous about attending school.
-A terrific way for your child to start making friends would be to ride the school bus or make playdates with other children in your neighborhood.
-You are welcome to visit the school and playground to become familiar with the new environment and school layout.
-These would be great ways for your child to build confidence and become excited to attend school.
-After the first few weeks of school (or state your building procedure here), we recommend that your child walk down the hallway to their classroom and demonstrate independence by completing the following self-help skills (go over some skills)

8. Kindergarten Readiness
Academic Expectations
Recognize and write first name
Basic foundation of letters
Count to 10 and recognize some numbers
Hold a pencil and use scissors
Name colors and shapes
Tell birthday and phone number
-This is a list of expectations that kindergarten teachers feel are most important for students to have when they begin kindergarten.
-These are skills typically introduced preschool and students should have these basic skills before entering kindergarten.
-Basic foundation of letters -primarily capital letters and letters in name
-Hold pencil and scissors (see YELLOW HANDOUT) for proper positions)
-If your child is not yet able to do these things, please work with them over the summer so they can have a smoother transition into the beginning of the school year.

9. Kindergarten Readiness
Activities to build fine motor skills
Mold Play-Doh®
Build with LEGO®/DUPLO® bricks/blocks
Cut with scissors
Trace letters in shaving cream, sand, salt
Color with different writing tools
For more ideas, see handout
REFER TO GREEN HANDOUT
The best way to do this with children is... Toys and Games, of course! Below, you will find some great games and toys that are both fun, challenging, and great for developing those critical fine motor skills.
You can use Play-Doh®, Silly Putty, Theraputty (library.osfhealthcare.org OR orthoncforms.com), kids scissors, beads, crafts, markers, crayons, learn to dress dolls, puzzles, paints and paintbrushes, finger paints, pencil grips (help you hold your pencil correctly), mazes, coloring books, "quiet books", pegboards, or ANYTHING you can possibly think of, to get those hands and fingers workin'!

10. Kindergarten Daily Activities
Arrival/morning activities
Calendar/morning meeting
Literacy block
Intervention/enrichment
Lunch/recess
Math
Science/Social Studies
Specials
Dismissal
This is a list of activities your child will experience each day.
The literacy block will include reading groups, writing, and phonics instruction.
The math program is Math in Focus. Students will experience Math through the Singapore Approach using visuals that present concepts and model solutions allowing students to focus on the math lesson. Students will experience math by going from concrete to pictorial to abstract. This approach provides students an opportunity to begin with the kinesthetic (by handling objects which represent concepts) to the pictorial (seeing and drawing pictures which represent concepts) to abstract (where students manipulate numbers based on foundational understanding of number sense).
In Kindergarten, instructional time should focus on two critical areas: (1)representing, relating, and operating on whole numbers, initially with sets of objects; (2) describing shapes and space. More learning time in Kindergarten should be devoted to numbers than to other topics.

11. Transportation
Bus assignments will be communicated to families in August.
Departments
Transportation
Bus Assignment eLink
Additional questions: , ext. 1
SEE PINK HANDOUT
The handout explains in detail information that you will need as it relates to transportation for your kindergarten student.

12. English Language Arts Reading skills Writing skills
Letter-sound relationships
Rhyming
Sight words
Concepts of print
Oral and written comprehension of text
SEE IVORY HANDOUTS
They must recognize all 26 letters upper and lowercase. By the end of the year they should read at Guided Reading Level of C or higher.
Writing all letters should be written from top down and written from memory without a model by the end of the year.
Children should know all 26 letter sounds and apply them while writing at kindergarten level. They need to be able to manipulate sounds (blending and decomposing)
We have 30 sight words that children need to be able to read by the end of the year. (HANDOUT –GOLD)
The children need to read and write left to right and top to bottom. Distinguish between letters and words and add spacing while writing
During reading and writing they have to be able to identify beginning middle and end of text. Also identify main characters and setting of a text. They respond to text they have read or heard orally through pictures and sentences to demonstrate comprehension.

13. Mathematics Number recognition to 20 Counting to 100 by ones and tens
Addition and subtraction facts to 5
Positional words (above, below)
One-to-one correspondence
Place value
Geometry
ORANGE HANDOUT (calendar)
-Number recognition to 20 both reading and writing
-Addition/Subtraction not only understanding the process of how to solve, but also fluency in facts
-One to one correspondence: being able to count a set of items, attaching only one number to each object
-Positions in numerals matters; knowing that 81 is not the same as 18, even though they are the same digits
-Understanding use of ten frames, number lines and base 10 blocks as tools in math
-Focusing on both 2D and 3D shapes; number of sides, faces, corners

14. Science & Social Studies
Heritage/family history
Models and maps to represent places
Humans/physical environment
Wants and needs
Science
Seasons
Weather
Moon, sun, stars
Sound
Living and non-living things
-We will be teaching a large portion of this content through shared reading and writing about books we’ve read in class as well as inquiry activities.

15. Special Area Classes Art Physical Education Library Music Computer Lab
All children at all buildings will have the special areas listed but times and days are not determined at this time.

16. Technology in the Classroom
Smart board
Computer
iPad
At home links
Smart boards are a fun and interactive way for students to engage in lessons. They are used whole group to teach a main point and small group for individual instruction.
Student computers are used as a great literacy and math center tool.
eSpark is a program the students use on an iPad that allows them to complete quest on their level in both reading and math. The program allows students to practice the skills through pre-test, post test, and apps.

17. This PowerPoint is available on the district website at http://www.