Kindergarten

Kindergarten marks a magical and formative period in a child's life, characterized by boundless curiosity, energy, and a lack of inhibitions. Art class plays an essential role in nurturing the innate curiosity of young learners, encouraging them to observe with intent, pose questions, and express themselves through art. Drawing is a foundational skill that takes center stage in kindergarteners' art lessons. They develop hand strength and fine motor skills with lessons emphasizing lines and pattern formation in their artwork. Painting sparks their imagination and introduces the students to the fascinating world of color mixing and texture making. Clay is a tactile and sensory-rich activity that builds a foundational understanding of form and space. The combination of structured learning and free expression in kindergarten art class creates an environment where students develop the skills and vocabulary necessary for artistic expression that they will need as they progress through the art program at Harbor Day School.

The kindergarten reading program promotes a strong foundation in phonics and word analysis as well as a love of reading. Students are taught beginning- and final- consonant sounds, short vowel sounds, consonant blends, and digraphs. Students learn a variety of strategies for decoding words during guided reading groups and Reading Workshop. They read high frequency words by sight. Kindergarten uses the Orton Gillingham Method to support the decoding and encoding of words. Using the Reading Workshop method, students learn to make connections, ask questions, create mental images, make predictions, and determine importance. These comprehension skills are assessed while students confer with the teacher or while meeting in small groups to discuss stories. Students learn the different elements of fiction and nonfiction stories. Daily read-alouds help to develop vocabulary, listening skills, and the appreciation of literature. Students learn to choose books that align with their interests that they can read independently. When a student finishes kindergarten, he or she can read simple factual text, animal fantasy, realistic fiction, and picture books with two to six lines of text on each page. The texts will have familiar and easy content, themes, and ideas and have few repetitive language patterns.

The kindergarten writing program includes a wide range of writing through Writing Workshop and teacher-guided activities. The primary goal of the kindergarten writing program is to help the children see themselves as authors and to learn the rituals and structure of a writing workshop. During Writing Workshop, the students work independently while the teachers conference with individual students to enhance their writing. Students write small-moment stories, poetry, pattern books, how-to books, and nonfiction books. The students learn to punctuate and write complete sentences. The kindergarten spelling curriculum focuses on consonants, short vowels, digraphs, and consonant clusters, and introduces some long vowel spelling patterns. Students learn to segment words into their sounds. Children practice handwriting daily and learn appropriate letter size and spacing. When a student finishes kindergarten, he or she can write simple stories and books with focus, detail, and sequence.

Kindergarten students visit the school library weekly as they begin to develop skills to find, evaluate, and use print and non-print information. Students develop a love of reading via weekly library lessons and library book checkouts. All kindergarteners participate in the Caldecott Program and read a minimum of forty Caldecott Medal and/or Caldecott Honor books. Students explore various techniques and formats of illustration and storytelling focusing on the medium of the picture book. Students begin to develop an understanding of the library’s various sections and collections, including the Easy Reader books, Picture Book collection, and library Tinkerspace. Students are assigned individual library accounts and learn basic library skills, such as identifying the parts of a book, library decorum, check-outs, and book care. Kindergarteners begin to learn basic digital citizenship and research skills, such as how to use technology safely and how to search for a book in the library catalog.

Throughout the year, students are exposed to a variety of genres in literature. The following list is a sampling of book titles incorporated into the Language Arts program in Kindergarten.

Picture Books

The Sandwich Swap - Kelly DiPucchio and Rania Al Abdullah
When Sophie Gets Angry- Really, Really Angry… - Molly Bang
I Yam A Donkey - Cece Bell
Leave Me Alone - Vera Brosgol
The Quiltmaker’s Gift - Jeff Brumbeau
The Very Impatient Caterpillar - Ross Burach
Cat Dog Dog - Nelly Buchet
I Am Enough - Grace Byers
The Name Jar - Yangsook Choi
So Much! - Trish Cooke
Jabari Jumps - Gaia Cornwall
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type - Doreen Cronin
Roller Coaster - Marla Frazee
Corduroy - Don Freeman
The Perfect Nest - Catherine Friend
Billy Goats Gruff - Paul Galdone
Chrysanthemum - Kevin Henkes
Mother Bruce - Ryan T. Higgens
The Ugly Pumpkin - Dave Horowitz
Pumpkin Jack - Will Hubbell
Same, Same, But Different - Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
A Big Mooncake for Little Star - Grace Lin
Otis - Loren Long
Julian is a Mermaid - Jessica Love
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon - Patty Lovell
The Invisible Boy - Trudy Ludwig
Kitchen Dance - Maurie Manning
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years - Stacy McAnulty
Enemy Pie - Derek Munson
A Family is a Family is a Family - Sara O’Leary
The Recess Queen - Alexia O’Neill
All Are Welcome - Alexandra Penfold
Ruby Finds A Worry - Tom Percival
Paperboy - Dave Pilkey
Not A Box - Antoinette Portis
The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Beatrix Potter
Officer Buckle and Gloria - Peggy Rathmann
The Button Box - Margarette S. Reid
School’s First Day of School - Adam Rex
Be You - Peter H. Reynolds
The Great Gracie Chase - Cynthia Rylant
Where The Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
Somebody Loves You Mr Hatch - Eileen Spinelli
Tops And Bottoms - Janet Stevens
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi - Chris Van Allsberg
Two Bad Ants - Chris Van Allsberg
The Three Little Pigs - David Weisner
Tuesday - David Wiesner
Books - Mo Willems
Waiting Is Not Easy - Mo Willems
Owl Moon - Jane Yolen

Nonfiction Books on Historical Figures

Martin Luther King Jr.
Abraham Lincoln
Squanto
George Washington

Harbor Day School recognizes the importance of mathematics as a cornerstone of a student’s education. Our mission is to develop confidence and competence in mathematics as students learn to think critically and to problem-solve strategically and collaboratively. Throughout the grades, students are encouraged to communicate their understanding in verbal and written form and to consider and critique alternate solution strategies for problems. Lessons and activities facilitate making connections, seeing patterns, and experiencing the joy and success that mathematics can bring.

The mathematics program utilizes Singapore Math strategies. These strategies help students build strong number sense, fluency, place value understanding, and problem-solving ability. The components of our K-5 math program are designed around these four pillars of Singapore Math. The use of concrete materials and pictorial representations provides students with a well-balanced approach to concept mastery. Through the use of manipulatives, students develop a solid foundation for the more abstract thinking and approaches required in later math courses. Mathematical practices and habits of mind are developed and reinforced as students develop confidence and enthusiasm for mathematics. In grades K-5, the scope and sequence is aligned with and utilizes the Dimensions textbook series. Many additional resources provide opportunities for students to extend and support their acquisition of skills and to apply them in problem-solving activities. Some of these resources include, but are not limited to: Marcy Cook Tiles, iPad apps, and IXL.

The primary aim of the kindergarten math program is to develop a strong number sense. The morning calendar lesson integrates math with the children’s worldly knowledge and reinforces their emerging number sense. The students practice counting, number order, place value, money, time, and odd/even numbers as the foundation is laid for place value understanding and math fluency. Ten frames and number bonds are introduced in kindergarten and support students’ developing number sense. The curriculum maintains a balance between conceptual understanding and accuracy with computation. Manipulative materials allow children to explore mathematical concepts physically before applying them. Math Talks provide the opportunity to introduce problem solving, to build students’ math vocabulary, and to challenge them to think logically. The children approach problems from different perspectives and share their reasoning with the class. They develop efficient and accurate strategies for solving simple addition and subtraction problems. The math program is scaffolded to meet the needs of different learners in the classroom through the use of classroom associates and the math specialist. The children practice their math skills to promote fluency, and they begin to develop tools to complete higher-level thinking problems when they are ready for them.

Kindergarteners meet with their music teacher twice a week. Following a comprehensive curriculum of varying methodologies, kindergarten students learn rhythmic skills through gross motor movement activities that provide them with opportunities for moving to music and engaging their imaginations in creative movement. In kindergarten, non-pitched percussion instruments are used to accompany songs and explore sound qualities like dynamics, tempo, and meter. Kindergarteners engage in basic movement games that involve both structured and improvisational responses to music, storytelling, and dramatic play.

Singing is taught using the Kodály curriculum, which uses a child’s natural voice and natural vocal development.

Discussions are held concerning the meanings of lyrics, and an effort is made to help children understand the meanings of the songs and the cultures from which the songs originate. To enhance their social and personal development, students learn to share, cooperate, take turns, perform in front of their peers, and experience personal success through performance, both formal and informal. Kindergarten students perform in three major productions each year: Thanksgiving Program, Holiday Program, and Grandparents’ Day. 

In kindergarten, students will:

• Find and maintain a steady beat at a wide variety of tempos
• Practice matching vocal pitch - primary focus on sol-mi 
• Interpret music through movement
• Move expressively to music
• Play a wide variety of classroom instruments (unpitched)
• Improvise simple songs and movement sequences
• Recognize music’s unique ability to convey specific emotions
• Act out stories to music (Dalcroze methodology)
• Study musical traditions from other countries and cultures
• Recognize simple patterns in music (musical form)
• Perform at different dynamic levels
• Perform at a variety of tempos
• Integrate music and movement into their daily classroom experiences

The purpose of the physical education program in kindergarten through second grade is to provide the student with a wide variety of movement activities through the movement education approach. A major goal of a movement education program is that each child becomes a decision maker and a self-directed learner, and also develops an understanding and knowledge about movement. Emphasis is on keeping students active, improving movement skills, and having fun while learning. Class activities often develop body awareness and an understanding of how one can use different types of locomotor and non-locomotor skills to move from place to place. Personal and general spatial concepts are explored, as well as directionality, laterality, levels, ranges, planes, and pathways. Manipulative skills are developed through a variety of ball skill and object manipulation activities. Ball skills include the mechanics of catching, throwing, kicking, bouncing, and rolling. Object manipulation skills are enhanced through the use of hoops, ropes, bean bags, and the parachute. Instructional activities explore the qualities of movement and how our bodies move in relation to concepts of force, the qualities of force, absorbing force, and creating force. Speed, rhythm, and sequences are additional concepts explored. Low organizational games are played to develop a knowledge of rules, boundaries, teamwork, and cooperation. Activities may include: movement activities, ball activities, hoops activities, target activities, relays, scooters, bowling, pillo polo, kicking games, tag games, dance, and station work.

At the conclusion of the year, students in kindergarten should be able to perform the following skills: hop, jump, skip, jump rope ten times in a rope turned by others, catch a ball thrown underhand from a short distance, and kick a stationary ball.

Harbor Day School’s kindergarten Introduction to Engineering and Design meets for thirty minutes once a week and is intended to help students develop a mastery of California’s Next Generation K-2 Engineering Design Science Standards (2015). The Engineering Design Process follows an investigate, brainstorm, plan, build, test, and present sequence. Assignments, such as constructing an apple container, teach students how to ask questions and gather information about a situation needing change. They are guided to develop proposals for material solutions to the chosen problem and then are encouraged to make predictions and perform the experiments necessary to evaluate the success of their designs. Additionally, students are introduced to the hand tools, marking, and measurement instruments necessary to build and test their designs. The proper use of hammers, files, measuring tapes and squares is covered as students need to use such tools in the plan, build, and test phases of their design process.

Kindergartners meet multiple times a week with the lower school science teacher. The kindergarten science program encourages the development of scientific curiosity and an understanding of the scientific method by incorporating CA NGSS (California’s Next Generation Science Standards) based lessons. The kindergartners are introduced to Discovery Education’s Science Techbook, which is utilized throughout their elementary years at Harbor Day School. The students experience the scientific process by observing phenomena (phenomena are observable events that occur in the universe that we can use scientific knowledge to explain), asking meaningful questions, and conducting investigations. Songs, books, videos, hands-on activities, and movement are incorporated into the curriculum in order to engage every type of learner.

At the beginning of the year, kindergarten students are given a science notebook. They use their notebook to learn how to think, draw, and write like a scientist. In kindergarten, students study weather, seasons, climate, and biogeology on earth. Students observe weather over a period of time and notice patterns and variations in local weather. They understand the purpose of weather forecasting and use describing words to talk about the seasons and weather. Kindergartners develop an understanding of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive and the relationship between their needs and where they live. Other topics include pushes and pulls, force and motion, and energy transfer.

The following list is a sampling of book titles incorporated into the science program in kindergarten.

Earth Science 

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Barrett, Judi  
Pickles to Pittsburgh - Barrett, Judi 
Clouds - Delano, Marfé Ferguson
Energy Island - Drummond, Allan
Be the Change - Gandhi, Arun and Hegedus, Bethany
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - Kamkwamba, William and Mealer, Bryan
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years - McAnulty, Stacy
Mars! Earthlings Welcome - McAnulty, Stacy
Moon! Earth’s Best Friend - McAnulty, Stacy
Ocean! Waves for All - McAnulty, Stacy
Our Planet! There’s No Place Like Earth - McAnulty, Stacy
Sun! One in a Billion - McAnulty, Stacy
Shadows - Otto, Carolyn B.
Erosion: How Hugh Bennett Saved America’s Soil and Ended the Dust Bowl - Pattison, Darcy
One Plastic Bag - Paul, Miranda
Clouds - Rockwell, Anne
Magnets - Schreiber, Anne
All About Earth’s Processes - Thompson, Rosina

Life Science 

The Tiny Seed - Carle, Eric
Poop on the Potato Farm - Culbreth, Kelly Lee
Are You My Mother? - Eastman, P.D.
Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist - Evans, Christine
Buzzing with Questions - Harrington, Janice N.
Do Lizards Eat Ice Cream? - Kaner, Etta
Shark Lady - Keating, Jess
What If You Had Animal Teeth? - Markle, Sandra
Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack - McAnulty, Stacy
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures - Mosca, Julia Finley
I Am Farmer - Paul, Baptiste and Paul, Miranda
A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds - Richards, Jean
A Pet for Petunia - Schmid, Paul
Imogene’s Antlers - Small, David
Small Wonders - Smith, Matthew Clark
Ocean Speaks - Tharp, Marie
The Water Princess - Verde, Susan

Physical Science 

Iggy Peck, Architect - Beaty, Andrea
Rosie Revere, Engineer - Beaty, Andrea
Rumble and Roar - Fliess, Sue
Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket - Fliess, Sue
Chicken in Space - Lehrhaupt, Adam
Sounds All Around - Hughes, Susan
What Do You Do With an Idea? - Yamada, Kobi
What Do You Do With a Problem? - Yamada, Kobi
What Do You Do With a Chance? - Yamada, Kobi

Multiple Disciplines 

11 Experiments That Failed - Carpenter, Nancy & Offill, Jenny
Exemplary Evidence: Scientists and Their Data - Fries-Gaither, Jessica
Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings - Fries-Gaither, Jessica
Never Stop Wondering - Morgan, Emily
What Do You Do with a Chance? - Yamada, Kobi
What Do You Do with an Idea? - Yamada, Kobi
What Do You Do with a Problem? - Yamada, Kobi

The primary aim of the kindergarten social studies program is to make connections between students’ lives and their community. Students learn the basics of citizenship, economics, geography, and history in the context of learning about themselves, their neighborhood, and the world. There is a large emphasis on respectful interactions as students learn to create a safe, happy environment for all. Students investigate the concept of citizenship and the importance of actively participating in their community. They learn about honesty, courage, and patriotism through stories of American leaders. Students discover the meaning behind the Pledge of Allegiance and other American symbols. With a focus on empathy, students gain a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity. Social studies lessons highlight holidays and customs from around the world. Students get to know their classmates by sharing their family celebrations and traditions. They learn about the difference between wants and needs and ways to take care of natural resources.

In the Lower School Spanish Program, the language is taught using Comprehensible Input (CI) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS), and Total Physical Response (TPR) methods. These methods use a more natural approach to language acquisition. In Kindergarten the primary objective is to differentiate sounds between the English and Spanish languages, and comprehension of the Spanish language. Students learn high-frequency present tense verbs in the 3rd person singular. Songs, rhymes, props, actions, and stories are used to teach and reinforce the material. Some basic topics that are studied include: greetings and farewells, days of the week, months of the year, weather, numbers, family, colors, emotions, and food. Kindergartens also study the history and culture of Costa Rica in the second semester.

In kindergarten, technology instruction takes place once a week in the lower school Technology Lab. Learners are introduced to desktop computers with external input devices, such as the keyboard and mouse. Kindergarteners practice how to open and close programs, save files, and print completed work. Students begin their foundational learning of keyboarding, coding, and using various digital tools to build computational thinking skills. Keyboarding instruction focuses on key recognition and an introduction to finger placement. Kindergarten coding activities emphasize concepts such as sequencing, loops, and conditions.