Creating a Caring Community of Learners: • Respect for others. • Respect for shared space. • Being part of a group. • Social interaction and problem solving. • Values such as empathy, friendship and giving are nurtured. • Social accountability and responsibility.
Language Development: • Increase in vocabulary. • Putting feelings/desires into words.(Verbalising)
Achieved through: stories, ring time activities, free play, encouragement and language use from teachers, singing songs, "author's chair" (oral presentations of drawings/stories), reciting children's rhymes and forger plays, acting out stories and performing puppet shows, journal activities (putting words/stories to their drawings, paintings and other creations.)
Discovery: • Asking questions. • Exploring the world. • Using all five senses.
Achieved through: art tables, sensory bins, block play, outdoor play, nature tables, cooking and experiments, participation in field trips and special community events.
Confidence and Positive Self-Esteem: • Sense of worth. • Sense of belonging. • Making good choices and decisions. • Sense of independence and control in projects (encouragement of open-handed projects that are self-designed and constructed.)
Achieved through: specific words of recognition and encouragement from teachers, choice of activities during free play, sharing thoughts and ideas at ring time, actively participating in singing and dance classes, independent use of art and building type materials.
Gross & Fine Motor Development: • Exercising large muscles in legs, arms, back and core. • Exercising small muscles in fingers and hands. • Sense of independence and control in projects (encouragement of open-handed projects that are self-designed and constructed.) • Hand and eye co — ordination.
Achieved through: Art/drawing tables, play dough, outdoor play, developmental ring, large motor skill equipment (jungle gym), finger plays at ring time, cooking and experiments Cognitive/Academic Development (Age Appropriate):
Reciting days of the week, months of the year and seasons.
Recognition of the sounds of the letters for pre-reading skills development.
Recognition of one's' own name.
Recognition of numerals 1 through 10.
Increase in counting, sorting, matching skills.
Recognition of shapes, colours and patterns.
Continuation of "joumaling" activity (story telling and drawing).
Introduction to the idea of self-portraits.
Ability to write first (possibly last) name and also small words that are personally important to them.
Ability to draw an interpretation of body image.
Achieved through: Ring time activities including small group activities, journal time, games, songs, rhymes, alphabet bag activity, felt board activities art activities and free play time.
Self-Help Skills (Independance) • Further developing the skills to dress themselves and put on shoes. • Taking care of personal needs in the bathroom (washing hands, using toilet) • Taking responsibility of one's belongings.
Achieved through: Encouragement and assistance from teachers, modelling peers who are skilled at it, lots of patience, practice and praise, parental support at home.
Personal Awareness • Knows first and last name. • Knows how old he/she is. • Knows birth date.
Achieved through: Peer and teacher interactions, conversations and parental support at home.