Posts in Early Childhood
early childhood - foreign language

Foreign Language

The Greene School early childhood foreign language program actively uses play and activities such as songs, hands-on projects, games, and stories to expose students to the language with classes four times each week. Students are exposed to sounds and words which develop attention and auditory perception of the new language. The new language is integrated as much as possible to provide opportunities for students to develop comprehension and respond as they build confidence. Students acquire language proficiency through songs and visual and interactive support using age-appropriate vocabulary and techniques such as Total Physical Response (TPR) and Natural Approach. The goal of both of these strategies is to allow students to learn a second language in the same way they learned their first language – through their senses, encouraging long-term retention of the language.

  • Students will be introduced to and become familiar with colors, shapes, numbers, transportation, seasons, weather, farm animals, oceans, rainforest, insects, family members, greetings, days of the week, five senses, foods, and feelings.

  • Students will be introduced and become familiar with topics presented through songs and stories.

The primary purpose of early childhood foreign language curriculum is to create a positive attitude toward language learning and to develop communication competence.

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Early ChildhoodSamantha PennForeign Language
early childhood - science

Science

Early childhood science includes experiments, discussion, crafts, and exploration. Our students take part in hands-on activities for each concept that is introduced.

Units include:

  • Trees

  • Science Tools

  • The Plant Cycle

  • Seasons and Weather

  • The Five Senses

  • Animals and Their Habitats

  • Nutrition

  • Our Environment

Within each unit, students brainstorm things they already know and things they want to know. Lessons stimulate interests, and activities are planned around student curiosities.

  • Students will learn to answer questions through thoughtful and meaningful exploration.

  • Students will participate in planting and maintaining a garden.

  • Students will learn to recognize and use their senses.

  • Students will learn to research animals around the world.

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Early ChildhoodSamantha PennScience
early childhood - social science

Social Science

Social science in early childhood includes a wide variety of topics and exploration through cross-curricular activities. Students participate in large group, student-led small group, and one on one teacher-guided activities.

Our units for the academic year include:

  • All About Me

  • Community Helpers

  • Transportation

  • Holidays Around the World

  • Presidents

  • Maps

  • Activism

  • Geography

Each unit includes a discussion and writing element, as well as a hands-on interactive activity or craft. Students use in-class iPads to research new inventions and people throughout history, and have the opportunity to be curious and find answers to their questions during student-led projects. Students learn about the world around them and begin to make connections between people, places, and concepts around the globe.

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Early ChildhoodSamantha PennSocial Science
early childhood - mathematics

Mathematics

Math in early childhood encompasses many of the foundational skills that will be necessary throughout our students’ educational journey. Our fun and engaging math activities are conducted during scheduled math time, as well as teachable moments throughout the day, to make math learning meaningful and connected to various other life skills. Units include: patterns, geometry, measurement, addition/subtraction, graphing, time, money, number writing, and more.

  • Students will learn number sense and number relationships.

  • Students will learn how to read a calendar, and how to use it as a helpful tool as we discuss important events in chronological order noting months, days, dates, and the year.

  • Students will learn to write numbers.

  • Students will learn one-to-one correspondence.

  • Students will learn skip counting by fives and tens.

  • Students will learn to collect and document data using bar graphs.

  • Students will determine when and how to use graphs, and read the data to answer questions pertaining to the information given.

  • Students will learn about positional words that will help them understand object relationships.

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Early ChildhoodSamantha PennMathematics
early childhood - language arts

Language Arts

Language arts is a main focus in our early childhood curriculum. Throughout the year we focus on phonological awareness through interactive activities. Students are constantly engaged in projects that interest them, as they build upon their prior knowledge. We base our lessons on the children’s needs and abilities when it comes to letter identification and sounds, building words, letter formation, handwriting, literacy and comprehension. Students participate in Orton-Gillingham based lessons that teach letter sounds in fun ways that have the students moving, speaking, practicing sounds, manipulating, and understanding consonant-vowel-consonant words. We incorporate phoneme review and phonological awareness into all of our activities. Topics covered include writing about small moments, informational writing, fiction vs. nonfiction, poetry, research, character study, and more. Students are assessed individually by teachers to ensure individualized and differentiated instruction.

  • Students will learn to analyze each part of a story as we explore story elements.

  • Students will learn to identify characters in each story, as well as the setting, problem, solution, character feelings, and events during whole-group discussions and shared reading.

  • Students will learn to read new sight words each week and identify these sight words in environmental print, as well as during independent and shared reading time.

  • Students will practice making sentences using sight words.

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Early ChildhoodSamantha PennLanguage Arts