Kindergarten

Small Voices, Big Impact

Children of all ages can be powerful changemakers. In Kindergarten, students explore their physical world while learning that their voices can create meaningful change.

Core Units

• All of Us Together
• Our World, Our Voices
• Beloved Community
• Activism in Bloom

Language Arts is taught using the inquiry process. Student ownership of the process is at the heart of reading instruction. Skills and exploration are adjusted to correspond to the developmental readiness for each individual student. 

Developmental skills include: 

• Direct skill instruction takes place in the context of thematic activities and morning messages in whole group settings, and in weekly small group literacy sessions.
• All readers are met at their individual level of development and brought forward.
• Children explore the value of learning to write as they bring their own individual learning, creativity, and discoveries to the class as a whole to discuss and share them with each other.
• Students develop written documentation in the form of illustrations, written stories and narratives, and regular Story Workshop pieces.

Kindergartern uses Illustrative Mathematics (IM), a curriculum that builds deep mathematical thinking through active play and discussion.

Here is how our year unfolds:

• Unit 1: Math in Our World | Exploring math tools and counting real collections.
• Unit 2: Numbers 1–10 | Connecting physical objects to written numbers and comparing amounts.
• Unit 3: Flat Shapes | Discovering 2D shapes (circles, squares, triangles) in our environment.
• Unit 4: Addition & Subtraction | Solving story problems through play, drawing, and simple equations.
• Unit 5: Making & Breaking Numbers to 10 | Learning how numbers split apart (e.g., 5 = 3 + 2) and exploring pairs that make 10.
• Unit 6: Numbers 0–20 | Expanding our count and understanding teen numbers as “10 and some more.”
• Unit 7: Solid Shapes | Building and comparing 3D shapes like cubes, spheres, and cylinders.
• Unit 8: Putting It All Together | Reviewing key concepts and building fluency with addition and subtraction within 5.

Scientific inquiry is explored primarily through active exploration of materials, with daily Reggio-style provocations and investigations designed to engage students’ curiosity. We emphasize “fieldwork” throughout the year in both science and social studie, using the natural world as an inspiration for discovery and a tool for learning.

Students in K explore science through themes such as:

• Water
• Light
• The human body
• Engineering
• Plants

In the Kindergarten level, we focus the technology curriculum on using physical tools, learning to create simple electrical circuits, introducing programming through block-based languages and physically acting out instructions, and engineering physical structures for robots to navigate through.

Examples of technology units include:

• Programming in Scratch Jr
• Building bridges for BeeBots
• Using conductive play-dough to create houses from LEDs
• Recording and photographing fairy tale re-enactments
• Taking apart old electronics

The Kindergarten Art program builds on skills started in PreK. The focus continues to be exploring a range of art materials, with an emphasis on self-expression.

Topics of study in Art include:

• 3-D Forms – clay sculptures, building with recyclable materials, wool and felt, found natural objects, such as acorns, leaves, sticks.
• Shapes, Marks, and Lines – imaginative drawing, paper collage, brush movement
• Color – painting with primary colors, mixing secondary colors, blending oil pastels, tempera and watercolor
• Texture and Relief – texture rubbings, surface textures in clay, oil/water resist

The Kindergarten Spanish curriculum expands on early exposure to the language through lively, interactive activities. Songs, stories, movement, and simple conversations help students broaden their vocabulary and strengthen their listening and speaking skills. Through comprehensible input and Total Physical Response (TPR) strategies, students learn to recognize and use familiar Spanish words and phrases. The goal is to foster joyful engagement with Spanish and spark genuine enthusiasm for learning about other cultures.

The Physical Education program builds on skills started in PreK, focusing on how to activate and control the many ways in which their bodies move. 

Examples of skills include:

• Manipulative skills – throw, catch, kick, dribble, strike
• Balance, coordination – tumbling, animal walks, partner activities
• Locomotor skills – run, hop, skip, jump, gallop
• Social skills and positive self-concept – cooperative games
• Spatial skills and body awareness – creative exploration
• Sense of rhythm – dance, parachute, lumni stick play, rope jumping

In Kindergarten, students continue to build their love of books while becoming more familiar with how the Library works and how to care for and engage with books. Students develop their ability to make connections, share ideas, and respond thoughtfully to stories and questions. They also explore the inquiry process through collaborative and independent design challenges, learning to ask questions, develop ideas, and reflect on their work.

Kindergarten students continue developing emotional awareness and self-regulation through the Zones of Regulation, learning to recognize feelings, manage emotions, and understand how their actions impact others. Through Kelso’s Choices, students practice safe and respectful problem-solving, friendship skills, inclusion, and conflict resolution. Lessons also focus on responsibility, independence, safety, the importance of trusted adults, and developing a positive sense of self within the school community.