First School Curriculum

With mathematical lessons integrated into their units of study, students apply mathematical reasoning to solve problems in their literature studies, engineering projects and science investigations.

As students dive into engaging challenges and expand their capacities to think quantitatively, they gain an appreciation for mathematics.

In Key-Wee and Pre-School classes, students begin to quantify sets of objects, sort and classify materials, and practice one-to-one correspondence. In Pre-Kindregarten and Kindergarten, students use counters, coins, dice, and other manipulatives to build a solid understanding of mathematical concepts and lay the groundwork for symbolic understanding.

Key’s First & Lower School Math Coordinator oversees the program from Key-Wee through Grade 4, ensuring the curriculum builds efficiently and effectively in every class and at every grade level.

Key’s First School Science program allows students to develop and practice the skills necessary to learn about their world with scientific exploration taking place through the day.

Children are encouraged to use all of their senses to carefully observe their surroundings and environment. A focus on place-based learning is a primary component of First School science.

As the children progress through First School, the sequential program evolves to meet their developmental needs. In addition to their classroom work which is often related to a timely unit of study, students at each grade level work in the science classroom with a dedicated First School science teacher.

The development of literacy and language skills in early childhood is of the utmost importance. Our children learn that the printed word provides access to vast sources of information and can provide great enjoyment. They also discover that the written and spoken word are a powerful means of self-expression.

In the First School, children are immersed in a print-rich environment where quality children’s books and other forms of writing such as signs, charts, letters, and journals are used to find answers to questions, communicate ideas and provide enjoyment.

Children are also given many opportunities to develop their ability to communicate through speech as they interact with classmates and share information and ideas during group discussions. The texts of songs, rhymes and books are also integrated into each thematic unit to reinforce reading, speaking and listening skills employing multi-sensory phonics techniques.

Social Studies begins to be integrated with Language Arts in Pre-Kindergarten. The curriculum is designed to create a community that values mutual respect, compassion and personal responsibility while keeping literacy and language skills a focus. Direct instruction about the alphabet, phonics and other reading skills is primarily done through use of the texts of the songs, rhymes and books that are integrated into each thematic unit.

Content rich thematic units expose children to a wide range of ideas that help them make sense of their world.

The First School physical education program is designed to encourage children to cooperate in small and large groups, to learn new skills, and to help build physical fitness through play.

Children participate in a variety of games and activities. Some of which involve the use of manipulatives such as hula-hoops, bean bags, jump ropes, large and small balls, and parachutes. All of the games the children play in P.E. reinforce one or more of the following skills:

• Perceptual motor development
• Attention span and concentration
• Listening skills
• Self-control
• Development of the thinking process
• Reinforcement of basic concepts
• Recognizing and creating patterns
• Estimating distance
• Social growth
• Physical abilities

P.E. provides an excellent environment to help each child improve perceptual motor development, vital to daily functioning; therefore, most of the activities the children participate in during the year promote the further development and reinforcement of the following motor abilities:

• Body awareness
• Body control
• Body and space relationships
• Spatial awareness
• Visual awareness
• Auditory awareness
• Temporal awareness
• Tactile awareness

The First School art program fosters creativity and self-expression with a focus on process rather than product.

Engaging in creative art is valuable for young children's personal development. They learn to participate, make choices and express themselves.

Goals of the First School art program include:

• Strengthen self-concept and confidence
• Explore a variety of textures, media and styles of art
• Develop an appreciation of the work of oneself, peers and professional artists
• Encourage fine and gross motor development
• Learn to make choices and try out ideas
• Enhance capabilities in planning, organizing and carrying out a task
• Work cooperatively with adults and peers
• Understand and build abstract ideas using symbols
• Develop visual spatial skills
• Use as scaffolding for more advanced artistic, architectural and engineering concepts

The First School music program strives to build a musical community through active music-making.

All students are engaged in the study of speech, rhythm, instruments, singing, creative movement, dance, drama, and improvisation.

Moving:

• Exploring gross and fine motor movement possibilities
• Developing body awareness
• Exploring individual and shared space
• Exploring non-locomotor movements: twist, bend, shake, stretch
• Exploring locomotor movements: crawl, jump, hop, walk, run, gallop, slide, twirl
• Pantomiming and acting our stories
• Learning simple folk dances
• Responding to music with creative movement

Speaking/Singing:

• Demonstrating talking, whispering, calling, and singing voices
• Matching pitch with a singing voice
• Experiencing a wide-range of traditional folk songs, singing games, holiday songs, and songs related to classroom units
• Chanting traditional nursery rhymes and play tea parties
• Using the voice expressively in dramatic play

Playing

• Practicing body percussion (tapping, clapping, snapping) to demonstrate steady beat
• Exploring small percussion instruments as tools for music-making

Academic/Social Skills

• Eye/hand coordination
• Cooperative work with a partner and in small groups
• Left to right tracking (pre-reading)
• Body control/self-awareness

The instruction of SEL is at the heart of the First School curriculum. Taught implicitly and explicitly, SEL is integrated throughout individual units and academic disciplines. With the primary goals of developing each child’s self-awareness, self-regulation and capacity to collaborate, teachers draw from a variety of resources to develop a cohesive, sequential curriculum focused on the development of:

• Empathy: Students learn to identify and understand their own and others’ feelings.
• Emotional Management: Students learn specific techniques for calming down when experiencing strong emotions such as anger, anxiety or sadness
• Problem-Solving: Students learn techniques for solving problems with others
• Skills for Learning: Students gain skills that help them learn how to focus, stay on task, listen carefully, and self-advocate

Lessons include visual, auditory and kinesthetic elements. Reinforcement of life skills lessons occurs throughout each day in diverse, real-life situations. Key School’s Counselors and Special teachers partner with classroom teachers in the enhancement of the curriculum.

Hands-on activities in the classrooms and Maker Tech Lab afford First School students opportunities to visualize possible solutions to real-world challenges. Students design, build, test, rethink, refine, and rebuild their creations, often in collaboration with their peers.

Integrating the principles of science, technology, engineering, and math, each challenge promotes creative problem-solving, refines fine motor skills and encourages collaboration.