American Leadership Academy Kindergarten Curriculum

Reading At ALA, we use the Core Knowledge Language Arts Curriculum. (C.K.L.A) This curriculum is divided into two strands. The skills strand and the listening and learning strand. These strands work together to instill both background knowledge and foundational skills. Below is a brief description of each component.

CKLA Skills: The Skills Strand provides comprehensive instruction in foundational reading skills, such as phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition, language skills including conventions of English, spelling, and grammar, as well as reading comprehension and writing instruction. It is divided into units at each grade level. This strand is taught for 60 minutes each day.

CKLA Listening and Learning (Domain): The Listening & Learning Strand is centered around complex narrative and informational read-aloud texts. The Listening & Learning Strand focuses on background knowledge and vocabulary acquisition, analysis of complex text, and speaking and listening. It is divided into domains (units) at each grade level. This strand is taught for 60 minutes each day.

Both Domains are very rigorous and move quickly. It is helpful for kindergarten students to be able to perform skills prior to school starting to ensure quick success with the curriculum.

Helpful Skills to Review or Learn Prior to Beginning Kindergarten: • Be able to quickly name and give the sound for all letters in the alphabet. (Both upper and lower-case letters) • Know how to spell and write their own first name. (Last name would also be helpful) • Be able to correctly hold a pencil and crayon to write. (Correct pencil grasp) • Understand that print starts on the left and moves toward the right on a written page. • Have basic phonemic awareness skills such as rhyming, providing the first "sound" in a spoken word, hearing long vowel sounds vs. short vowel sounds in words, hearing individual sounds in words. • Be able to repeat complete sentences and be able to speak in complete sentences. • Be able to sit quietly (without interrupting) for at least 10-15 minutes to listen to a story. Be able to answer basic questions from a story. • Be able to follow 2-3 step oral directions.

Saxon Math At American Leadership Academy, we use Saxon as our Math Curriculum. Since we are an accelerated school, Saxon first grade is taught. The Saxon math lesson has multiple components: Math meeting, new concept, guided practice, and homework. The Meeting: During the Meeting, your child will answer questions about the calendar and practice counting, patterning, telling time, and estimation. The Lesson: Every day a new increment or skill is briefly taught. Guided Practice: This is a very important part and leads to concept understanding. The teacher will model exactly what the child is to do when they practice on their own. Written Practice: Each written practice sheet includes a short practice of the new objective and a review of previous concepts. Your child completes Side A in class and Side B, which mirrors the problems on Side A, is completed independently for homework.

Since we teach math concepts a year ahead, here is a list of items that your child should be familiar with prior to Kindergarten.

Number Sense: • Write the number 5 on a piece of paper. Ask your child to tell what the number means or represents. Provide objects to count out to show you how many 5 represents. Practice counting from 1 to 100, sometimes adding a degree of difficulty by alternating the number used to start the series. Encourage your child to count everyday objects in your home with emphasis on the final number. • Writing name with both lower and uppercase letters. Understand that letters and numbers are different. Numbers relate to quantity. Ask how many do you see, etc. • Counting 1-25. Count steps as you walk, point out birds in the sky and count them together, or count beans or coins as you sort them. • Know how to count on from a given number: use playing cards, take out all picture faces and pick a card, ask your child what would come next, find it in the pile. • Able to write numbers from 1-10 - use number poems to remember how to form the numbers • Find the number of objects to make any group of 1 to 9 into a group of 10. Ten frames with counters helps to visually see how many more • Find the number of objects to make any group of 1 to 9 into a group of 10. Ten frames

Shapes: How many angels and names. Help your child become familiar with the shapes of commonly used objects and where they can be found in everyday life; for example, an orange is round (as described in two dimensions) or a sphere (in three dimensions).

Comparing: The size of a group using some more, some went away, more, less. Can sort objects by their attributes (color, size, shape). Have your child compare the attributes of different objects and rank them based on their length, height, width, weight, and so on.

Know and use positional words (on, next to, under, up, down, etc.) Can make an AB pattern - ex red, blue, reel, blue Know basic colors (reel, blue, yellow, green) Days of the week

Interactive Websites for home computers https://www.education.com/games/preschool/ http://pbskids.org/games/ http://www.starfall.com/ http://www.cookie.com/kids/games/viewallgames.html

Educational Apps for iPad, iPhone, Android https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/best-apps-for-preschoolers/