I teach the all day, every other day kindergarten class.  I have two groups that attend on alternating days.  Occasionally, both groups attend on the same day, which allows all of the children to interact with one another.  Some of the things we cover in kindergarten at Shalom:

•  Phonics:  Each child is given a letterbook for each letter of the alphabet.  Activities in the letterbook will help the students learn the sounds of the letters, how to write the letters, and be able to determine their position in a word.  We also work on blending sounds to make words, listening skills, and cut and paste activities to strengthen fine motor skills.
• Math:  Math curriculum is very hands-on.  We use math manipulatives to identify numbers, put numbers in order, sort, graph, copy designs, compare numbers, and tell time to name a few!
• Science/Social Studies: I teach science and social studies on alternating months.  Some of the science topics covered are how to be a scientist, space, nutrition, and weather.  The social studies topics include community helpers, presidents, and multicultural topics.

    I strive to incorporate the bible as much as possible into each activity aside from our daily bible lessons.  The children learn weekly bible verses and a monthly character verse.

    The children LOVE writing in their kidwriting books.  Kidwriting focuses on helping the children pinpoint the sounds in the words and write the sounds they hear.  At the beginning of the year, the children mainly pick out one sound from a word.  As the year progresses, it is great to watch the kids pick out more sounds and write longer sentences.

   When the children are not involved in a structured activity, they are involved in free play where they are encouraged to make choices on their own and learn from their environment.  Kindergarten is full of activity and rarely ever boring!

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