Bannockburn Nursery School

Curriculum Goals

Four-year-olds entering the 5x4 class are skilled at managing their own needs. The children attend school Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 12 noon. Through the course of this year, the children will participate in group sessions to share and identify the date and weather, be assigned to complete individual tasks and group ones, enjoy free time for playing with toys, explore music and physical movement, and create boundless numbers of art projects. Favorite topics include instruction on the types of clouds present in the sky, the habitats and characteristics of dinosaurs, the vascular and arterial systems of the body, and the species of insects. Literature is shared through readings by the teacher, individual, and books-on-tape. The children are exposed to appropriate news topics found in the Kids Post and learn to discuss their points of view to the group. This class prepares the students to the rigors of elementary school while allowing them to grow and play as developing preschoolers.

Math

• Recognize and name the shapes of circle, triangle, square, rectangle, oval, octagon, and hexagon
• Count consecutively from one to 20
• Demonstrate understanding of one-to-one correspondence of numbers
• Recognize numerals through ten
• Match and classify objects by characteristics of size, shape, and color
• Recognize and use a calendar

Language Arts

• Say letters in the child's name
• Write own name
• Recognize and name the letters of the alphabet
• Recognize rhyming words
• Follow simple directions
• Listen attentively to stories and music
• Express oneself clearly in words
• Answer questions about pictures and stories

Science

• Name and identify colors (primary, secondary)
• Name and identify senses
• Recognize and describe seasons
• Describe weather conditions
• Recognize which items are magnetic and which are not
• Recognize aspects of our solar system and planet
• Name requirements of living things for food, warmth, water, and light
• Follow rules of personal safety
• Follow rules of personal heath
• Identify some types of dinosaurs and their life styles
• Identify some types of insects and their body parts
• Describe the life cycle of an insect

Social Studies

• Follow the rules of the classroom and understand why they are important
• Show respect for oneself and others
• Develop concepts of different holidays
• Begin to understand people of different cultures
• Recognize jobs that people do in society
• Recognize that people and animals live in different types of homes
• Recognize different types of families and roles within a family
• Develop a sense of historical time

Physical Development

• Manage clothing fasteners: buttons, zippers, snaps, etc.
• Assemble manipulative games and toys and develop a sense of how machines go together
• Control lines and colors in drawing/writing and develop a sense of what product is made in addition to the process
• Develop an ability to cut with scissors in a controlled fashion
• Refine eye-hand coordination
• Learn to catch a large ball with both hands
• Develop large muscle control: jumping, standing on one leg, hopping, balance, climbing, limb control, crossing over the mid-line
• Learn to modulate body speed

Emotional Development

• Respect the rights of others
• Show evidence of self confidence and self worth
• Attempt to solve one’s problems in an appropriate manner
• Cooperate with peers and adults
• Form close relationships with other children
• Develop an ability to guide the behavior of other people by using language
• Take turns and raise hands to talk during group time
• Express feeling in a genuine and acceptable way
• Complete tasks
• Share classroom materials
• Take responsibility for room maintenance: help with clean up, snack set up, replace materials when finished using them, etc.
• Develop a sense of independence and ability to care for self