Parent

Curriculum
Handbook
Kindergarten

Inspiring and building futures... one student at a time.

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

Every child benefits from a quality, comprehensive education rooted in Reading,
Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Additional knowledge of
technology, enhanced physical and social development along with exposure
to the fine arts capstone the intellectual development of all of us.
In Huron Valley Schools, we place the highest priority on having standards
developed in each of these areas. These standards allow us to measure the
progress of our students and the effectiveness of our curriculum and instruction.
The purpose of this handbook is to provide parents with information about
curriculum and student expectations.
For parents, an important component of this guide is the You can help by
section. We believe that a strong partnership between parent and teacher can
best affect the academic performances of your child. Showing your interest
and positive involvement in school will increase the likelihood of your child
having a successful school experience.
Our district goal is for each and every student to have the necessary skills,
knowledge and attributes necessary to lead a successful life. We trust that this
information will prepare you to assist us in that endeavor.
Have a wonderful school year.

Sincerely,

The Department of Learning Services

Development of a Kindergarten Child

It is important to remember that each child is unique and that a wide range of
individual differences will be apparent with any group of children. Although there is
diversity, there is also consistency. A childs development is organized and directed.
Age characteristics are broad guidelines to help us know what may be expected from
children of a certain age.

The Kindergarten Child

Is usually physically active and needs a lot of space.

Is emotional.
Is rigid in their expectations of others (tattles a lot).
Has a lot of energy.
Is excited and motivated about anything new.
Has a hard time making choices.
Needs a lot of attention.
Has a short attention span.
Wants to be liked by classmates and teachers.
Is beginning to have the capacity to wait.
Is calm, friendly, and not too demanding in relationships with others.
Can follow directions.
Is generally reliable, stable, and well adjusted.
Likes to be taught and seeks permission.

You can help by

Helping your child to find ways to learn at home.

Encouraging your child to attempt tasks that are challenging but not too
difficult.
Providing varied experiences such as visits to the farm, zoo, museums, and the
library.
Letting your child see you reading every day.
Building independent skills.
Attending parent conferences and school meetings.
Volunteering at school and in the classroom.
Monitoring screen time.
Making sure that your child eats healthy foods and gets sufficient rest.
Acknowledging your childs accomplishments.
Reading to and with your child every day.

English Language Arts

Overview

Elementary teachers in Huron Valley Schools deliver literacy instruction using a

balanced literacy approach. The kindergarten Language Arts curriculum includes units
of study that are designed to develop skills in reading and writing and expand the
strategies that enhance these. Students are active participants in the process of
Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. Children are encouraged to form ideas,
opinions and feelings about their reading and writing through various forms of
communication. They read and write within a variety of genres and curriculum areas.

Reading Workshop
Reading Workshop is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of kindergarten
readers. Kindergartners enter this first year at various stages of reading, with some
already reading and others knowing a few letters and sounds. By the end of the year,
their reading moves towards the benchmarks designated for their grade level.
Children read both fiction and nonfiction throughout the year. Kindergarten readers
learn how to integrate sources of meaning so that they understand reading is not
merely reading the words, but also understanding the text.

Writing Workshop
Within the structure of Writing Workshop, students learn to build habits and develop
strategies that proficient writers use on a daily basis. Kindergarteners enter school in
various stages, with some writing sentences and others creating a line of unconnected
letters. Children are encouraged to express their ideas in written form, utilizing the
writing process. Students learn about the crafting techniques that are common to
narrative, informational and opinion writing. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are
introduced and practiced within the context of daily writing activities.

English Language Arts

(continued)

By the end of kindergarten, students should be able to

Reading

Understand basic features of print.

Recognize and produce rhyming words.
Identify the front cover, back cover and title of a book.
With help, ask and answer questions about text.
Recognize common types of text.
Associate letters and sounds.
Apply multiple reading strategies.

Writing

Use a combination of writing and drawing to tell about a single event.

Use a combination of writing and drawing that tell some information about a
topic.
Use a combination of writing and drawing that tell the name of a book and
state an opinion about the book.
Participate in shared research and writing projects.

You can help by

Reading aloud with your child daily: nursery rhymes, pattern and predictable
books are especially beneficial.
Providing many types of childrens reading materials in your home.
Playing sound games with your child that focus on beginning sounds and
rhymes.
Visiting libraries regularly.
Monitoring your childs TV screen time.
Encouraging your childs reading effort.
Helping your child to recognize everyday words i.e. McDonalds to develop
print awareness.
Providing many opportunities for your child to write (e.g., messages, lists,
cards).
Encouraging your child to dictate stories that you write.
Encouraging your child to form the letters in the alphabet correctly.
Making writing materials available to your child at home (e.g., pencils,
markers, paper).
Providing small motor experiences like Legos.
Encouraging your child to orally express themselves with complete thoughts.

STAGES OF LITERACY
Children develop literacy through integration of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
They progress through a series of stages as they develop abilities to communicate ideas,
thoughts and perceptions.

Reading
By completion of the grade level indicated, most children will be
reading at these stages:
Kindergarten
Reading

Emergent to
Early

First
Transitional

Second
Extending

Emergent

Self-corrects 2 or more miscues or reads accurately (no miscues or selfcorrects all miscues)
Uses cues (e.g., pictures, sentence pattern, visual information) most of the
time
Controls directionality on one line of text
Points to words; consistent one-to-one match
Demonstrates an understanding of the following terms: word, begins, ends,
letter, and/or sound by responding accurately
Identifies and/or comments about each object/action without
prompting
Repeats familiar verses
Retells familiar stories
Begins to recognize frequently encountered words
Identifies upper case letters and lower case letters
Understands that print carries meaning

Early Reader

Reads in short phrases most of the time

Self-corrects 2 or more miscues or only makes 1 uncorrected miscue
At difficulty, uses 1 or 2 cues to problem-solve unknown words
Identifies and connects at least 3 key events without prompting; some
relevant vocabulary in the prediction
Includes most of the important events from the beginning, middle, and end,
generally in sequence in a retell
Refers to most characters by name and includes some important details in a
retell

Stages of Literacy

(continued)

Uses language/vocabulary from the text; basic understanding of most

key words/concepts in a retell
Retells with 1 or 2 questions or prompts
Gives a specific story event/action and a relevant reason for a response
(e.g., personal connection) in a reflection
Makes a literal connection that relates a basic understanding of the
story
Understands what is read and attempts to construct meaning
Uses phonetic and picture cues to decode words
Reads high frequency words in context

Transitional

Expression reflects mood, pace and tension at times

Reads in longer phrases at times; heeds most punctuation
Makes at least 2 reasonable predictions that go beyond the pages read
aloud in a prediction
Includes most of the important events from the beginning, middle, and
end, generally in sequence in a retell
Refers to most characters by name and includes some important details
in a retell
Uses language/vocabulary from the text; basic understanding of most
key words/concepts in a retell
Retells with 1 or 2 questions or prompts
Understands important text implications; may include supporting details in
an interpretation
Identifies a significant event and gives relevant reason(s) for opinion in a
reflection
Monitors and checks own reading by applying different strategies
(predicting, picture clues, context clues, phonics, sentence structuring
Reads to others
Recalls facts from information text
Reads unfamiliar text with support
Reads from information text
Reads for pleasure

Extending Reader

Expression reflects mood, pace and tension at times

Reads in longer phrases most of the time; heeds most punctuation
Description of each character; includes at least 2 specific details

12

Stages of Literacy

(continued)

At least 2 reasonable predictions that go beyond the text read aloud

Summary in own language; includes important characters, many of the
important events, and some details from the beginning, middle, and end
Accurate response
Understands important text implications; may include supporting details
Significant event and a relevant reason for opinion
Confidently reads and understands familiar text
Uses reading to acquire information
Regularly applies reading strategies
Site vocabulary
Connects own reading based on meaning

Writing
By completion of the grade level indicated, most children will
be writing at these stages:
Writing

Kindergarten First

Second

Emergent to Fluent
Developing

Proficient

Scribbling/Pictorial

Combines pictures/scribbles to represent writing

Shows some evidence of over-all form
No recognizable letters

Pre-Emergent

Understands that ideas can be written down

Strings together random letters (upper case) and letter-like forms
Prints own name
Occasionally copies words with dots, dashes, spaces
Begins to use letter/sound relationship with support

Emergent

Uses letter/sound relationships

Uses one beginning letter to write a word
Separates words with dots, dashes, spaces begins to write left to right
Understands that print holds meaning

13

Stages of Literacy

(continued)

Developing

Shows confidence in letter/sound relationships

Uses both upper and lower case letters
Spells familiar words correctly
Leaves space between words
Writes a complete thought
Includes some vowels
Begins to use punctuation

Correctly spells some high-frequency words

Begins to use punctuation
Writes longer sentences
Uses some silent e (make, life), double consonants (mitt, cliff) and vowel
combinations

Fluent

Proficient

Correctly spells many high-frequency words

Uses more complex sentence structure uses correct punctuation
Writes longer passages edits and revises written work
Uses larger vocabulary

14

Mathematics
Overview
In kindergarten, children begin to develop a foundation in Mathematics through handson exploration and talking about Math. Students will use the Mathematical
Practices. Problem solving in everyday situations and Mathematical contexts is
emphasized. At the beginning of the year, teachers establish daily routines that utilize
Mathematics. The consistent and regular use of ongoing routines is a key to
achievement of the kindergarten Mathematics expectations throughout the year.
Mathematical games and revisiting topics throughout the units of study are also
essential to concept development and retention of learning.

By the end of kindergarten, children should be able to

Count to 100.
Add, subtract and compare numbers through 5.
Understand addition and subtraction stories.
Identify 2 and 3D shapes.
Write and create teen numbers.
Sort and classify objects.
Solve basic number stories.
Create number partners.
Compare lengths, heights, and weight.
Use 1:1 correspondence.

You can help by

Cooking with your child.

Sorting and classifying household items such as dishes, toys, and laundry with
your child.
Asking your child to count with pennies.
Playing simple card games with your child.
Playing Math games with your child, such as Dominoes or Connect Four.
Encouraging your child to play and count with blocks.
Pointing out numbers and patterns in your childs world.
Asking your child how many questions (people, trees, plates for dinner, lights,
etc.).

15

Science
Overview
Young children have a natural curiosity about the world. By using the Science and
Engineering Practices, students will be able to ask questions and define problems, develop
and use models, plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, use
mathematical and computational thinking, construct explanations and design solutions,
engage in argument from evidence, and obtain, evaluate and communicate information.
During the kindergarten year, students will have their first formal teachings in the four
disciplines: Science Processes, Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science.

By the end of kindergarten, students should be able to

Make purposeful observations of the natural world using the appropriate

senses.
Share ideas, communicate, and present findings of scientific observations.
Develop and use models.
Describe the position of an object.
Demonstrate pushes and pulls on objects and observe how shape and mass
can affect motion.
Identify that living things have basic needs.
Identify and compare living and nonliving things.
Identify Earth materials that occur in nature and how these materials
contribute to the growth of plant and animal life.

You can help by

Visiting science centers and zoos.

Reading science books and magazines with your child.
Engaging in conversations about the world around.
Talking about scientific topics using the appropriate senses.
Planning and conducting simple investigations.
Using inanimate objects to explain force and motion.

16

Social Studies
Overview

The kindergarten Social Studies curriculum is designed to help students gain an

increased awareness of themselves and the world around them. Using the framework
of Myself and Others students begin to learn about the Social Studies disciplines of
History, Geography, Civics and Government, and Economics. Using events from their
own lives, they begin to explore and learn the basic historical concept of time and to
distinguish past, present and future. To develop the geographic concept of space,
students learn positional words and understand that maps and globes represent
places in the world. To lay the foundation for the study of Civics and Government,
students begin to understand that the flag is an important symbol of the United States.
As classroom citizens, they learn appropriate rules for individual and group activities
and decision making. An awareness of Economics is developed by understanding
familiar economic wants and how those wants are met. Throughout the year, students
learn to respond appropriately to classroom issues and make individual responses.

By the end of Kindergarten, students should be able to

Distinguish among yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Describe ways people learn about the past.
Recognize that maps and globes represent places.
Describe ways people meet their needs and wants.
Recognize the flag as a symbol of the United States.
Describe classroom rules and their purpose.
Describe fair ways for groups to make decisions.
Distinguish between goods and services.
Compare their viewpoint with that of another person.

You can help by

Talking about events in the past, present, and future with your child.
Making graphs of your childs height and weight and noting changes over
time.
Encouraging your child to describe locations in your home and community.
Reinforcing directional terms like below, above, on and over.
Including your child in discussing needs before shopping for groceries.
Encouraging the use of problem solving skills at home.
Following and discussing laws in your community with your child.
Following local and state laws and discussing them with your child.
17

Physical Education
Overview
Kindergarten physical education is a yearlong course which uniquely combines
physical activities with personal and social character traits. This course is the
foundation for engaging students in various physical activities to promote health
and wellness. They learn about the importance of physical activity and the role
of practice. Students begin to develop elements of form specific to an activity.
They are introduced to personal and general space in an active setting.
The curriculum has been designed to prepare students for a wide variety of
lifetime activities, keep them involved throughout the class period, and build
confidence and competence. Students of all abilities and skill levels will be
challenged.

By the end of kindergarten, students should be able to

Demonstrate fundamental skills.

Demonstrate object control skills.
Maintain moderate to intense movements.

You can help by

Enrolling your child in a community recreation class or program.

Providing opportunities for your child to use and strengthen large
muscles.
Encouraging all family members to practice physical fitness in their daily
lives.
Encouraging outside play.
Reinforcing good sportsmanship and fair play.
Participating in physical activities with your child

18

Music
Overview
The elementary music classes use experiential learning to develop fundamental music
skills and knowledge as well as create a foundation for additional music study as
children progress to middle school. Singing, playing instruments, moving to music, and
creating music are used throughout elementary school to acquire these skills and
knowledge in a natural and authentic way. Learning to read and notate music gives
students the skill with which to explore music independently. Listening to, analyzing, and
evaluating music aids in the development of critical thinking skills that are valuable
across the curriculum. Students will also build an understanding of their own historical
and cultural heritage, as well as the heritage of others, within their community and
throughout the world.

By the end of first grade, students should be able to

Demonstrate melodic skills.

Recognize musical form.
Demonstrate various rhythmic patterns.
Follow classroom rules.

You can help by

Taking your child to musical concerts, plays, performances.

Listening to a wide variety of music at home (vocal and instrumental).
Providing your child with the opportunity to play a musical instrument.
Encouraging creative movement to music.
Teaching your child appropriate audience behavior.

19

Art
Overview
The kindergarten art curriculum introduces students to the elements of art. Students
begin to understand how the elements of art are used as visual language to convey
meaning. They begin to develop their own artistic voice through personal expression.
Using line, shape, color, texture, and form, students begin to communicate meaning in
the creation of works of art. They learn the safe and responsible use of art materials
and tools.

By the end of kindergarten, students should be able to

Know art vocabulary and meet project objectives.

Demonstrate quality work through skillful use of materials.
Organize and apply art elements and principles of design.
Follow classroom rules.

You can help by

Providing art materials and opportunities to draw, paint, color, and create at
home.
Pointing out various geometric shapes found at home.
Discussing colors, textures, patterns in clothes, toys, household items, etc.
Taking your child to art museums.
Displaying art work at home.
Encouraging creative experiences.

20