What will my child learn during the school year?
St. John’s preschool classes offer a complete educational program for even the youngest child. The lessons are presented in ways that allow the child to absorb the knowledge effortlessly as part of his/her natural development. Every child has one on one lessons and interactions with others throughout the day. The preschool classroom has a full range of materials, including exercises in practical life, the sensorial apparatus, language exercises, mathematics exercises, and work in cultural areas including geography, science, art, music, and Spanish.
Practical Life: Materials that provide the child an opportunity to practice everyday activities such as pouring, scooping, twisting, snapping, zipping, buttoning, etc., while developing concentration, independence, and coordination.
Sensorial: Refines the use of the senses, training the child to differentiate gradations of color, size, texture, shape, etc.
Math: Concrete materials representing all types of quantities, which the child can manipulate and demonstrate to himself the basic operations of arithmetic.
Language: Materials begin with phonetic sounds of letters while allowing the child to progress at his/her own speed to word construction and eventually to writing and reading.
Art, Geography, Music, & Science: Materials allow the child to expand his range of interests and develop creativity and self-expression.
Social Graces: Blessing/prayer; thank you; no, thank you; yes, ma’am; no, ma’am; kindness towards others; sharing/taking turns; patience; etc.
Resources: Preschool students attend weekly resources classes: library, physical education, and music. All students participate in an annual chapel program and May Day.
Preschool Curriculum Guide
Language and Literacy
- Identify and name the colors of the rainbow in English, Spanish, German, and Chinese
- Name the days of the week, months of the year on sight and from memory
- Know the alphabet song and phonetic sounds
- Trace first and last name
- Listen and follow directions independently and in group situations
- Write name independently
- Read own name and names of friends
- Create a book with handwritten works
- Match like objects to more complex matching works
- Cut works, properly handling scissors, cutting straight lines to more complicated cutting works
- Determine sequence from simple to more complex
- Identify fruits and vegetables
- Access bookshelf with age-appropriate books
- Informative texts about animals, flowers, insects, plants, butterflies, birds, etc.
- Fictional, entertaining storybooks
Mathematics
- Count days of the week and months of the year in English and Spanish
- Identify basic shapes—circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, and diamond
- Identify geometric shapes—sphere, cube, triangle-based pyramids, cylinder, oval, ellipse, rectangle, prism, cone
- Count 0-12 with a good understanding of quantifying and numerical order
- Complete a puzzle of 10 or more pieces
- Demonstrate understanding of numerical works that move from concrete to abstract
- Demonstrate understanding of quantity
- Identify tangrams
- Identify binomial cubes
- Complete simple addition and subtraction
Social Studies
- Recite the pledge of allegiance
- Recognize air, water, and land on the globe
- Identify the seven continents on the globe and map
- Demonstrate understanding of the multicultural globe
Science
- Understand the difference in magnetic/nonmagnetic
- Use a magnifying glass with objects that are constantly changing
- Conduct color mixing work
- Use scrubbing/polishing works
- Use good hygiene—washing hands, etc.
- Demonstrate understanding of float/sink
- Demonstrate knowledge of our environment—classroom, school, playground, etc.
- Take care of the environment
- Listen to instructions in horticulture
- Plant flowers and vegetables in the garden
- Demonstrate knowledge of plant/animal, living/nonliving things
- Participate in growing and releasing of butterflies
- Build and fly kites
Creative Arts
- Participate in color mixing
- String beads, etc.
- Learn to sequence objects
- Listen and follow directions for craft/art projects
Social Skills
- Demonstrate grace and courtesy skills during snack, meeting, work time, playtime, and potty time (nose-blowing, sneezing, and coughing)
- Demonstrate understanding of concepts of sharing
- Engage in age-appropriate verbal interaction with peers and teachers
Gross Motor Skills
- Perform appropriate actions with outdoor/playground equipment
- Walk, run, gallop, skip
- Jump, hop on one foot
- Catch and throw a ball
- Swing independently
Fine Motor Skills
- Use a pencil
- Cut with scissors
- Color within the lines
- Manipulate small items in play
- Complete puzzles
- Play simple board games
- Play computer-based games
Performance Skills
- Learn dialogue, songs, and dances for the chapel program
- Learn songs and choreography for the May Day performance
- Learn simple poems and rhymes for performing in class
- Make oral presentations in class about hobbies, interests, and activities (show and tell)
Resource Classes
- Music
- Library
- Physical Education
- Garden
