Kindergarten Math Curriculum

“Mathematics is used to understand and interpret our world. In the global economy of the 21st century, those who can understand and apply mathematics have more opportunities to achieve success in higher education, the world of work and life.”
Office of Curriculum and Instructional Program
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)


MCPS encourages parents to monitor their child’s progress to ensure they are consistently challenged with their math curriculum. Once a student demonstrates proficiency in the applicable course’s content, they are encourage to progress to the next level. For example, our second grade son “skipped” Math 2 and began his school year with Math 3. At the end of first grade, an assessment was performed to determine if he had mastered the skills of Math 2.

The goal is to keep children engaged and challenged throughout the school year as well as attend all necessary math courses by 12th grade. The acceleration occurs in kindergarten through eigth grade. Ultimately, students are encouraged to take algebra 1 by eighth grade. Therefore, the early years are important in a child’s mathematic success. Let’s begin by looking at the kindergarten mathematics curriculum, which is structured in instructional units:

Unit 1: Patterns and Classifications

Use of directional and positional words (ability to describe the location of an object)
Sort objects and state sorting rule
Organize data using bar graphs and pictographs
Identify, describe, extend and create patterns

Unit 2: Exploring numbers

Count to the number 31
Recognize and create sets using more, less or equal amounts of an object
Identify odd and even number of objects
Using positional language of an object – first through fifth
Model the numbers 1 through 10 using objects

Unit 3: Measuring and Geometry

Sequence events
Measure – length and weight
Measure length using nonstandard units (e.g. paper clip)
Identify 2- and 3-dimensional shapes (e.g. triangle, pyramid)

Unit 4: Combining and Separating

Estimate quantities < 20
Add and remove objects from a set and explain results
Identify and know the value of penny, nickel and dime
Determine the value of a set of coins up to nineteen cents (different combinations made by using pennies, nickels and a dime)

Source: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org

Columbus Day with Streptococcal? Influenza?

Certainly not one of my usual topics



Since yesterday was Columbus Day, my husband had the day off. We had spectacular plans of which none came to fruition. Thankfully, back in 1492 when Christopher Columbus set sail with Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria he experienced a different outcome!

Our Columbus Day started out very lovely as we spent time in our children’s school attending their open house. We left with smiles on our faces anticipating an afternoon together. Less than ten minutes later my cell phone rang and were heading back to school to get our son. The school nurse just notified us that he had a fever.

He had a cough before school but we thought it was the remnants of a cold. Both a fever and cough are symptoms of the swine flu and of course, the seasonal flu, common cold and probably a dozen other ailments. So what normal, sane mother wouldn’t go from fever and coughing to swine flu?

My son has asthma. Thoughts of recent headline news flashed in my mind: 75 children die of swine flu. Naturally, I contacted our pediatrician and told the nurse I thought he had swine flu. Given his medical condition, they needed to see him immediately. The first thing they did was swab his throat to check for the streptococcal bacteria. Sure enough, he had strep throat! Both my husband and I were relieved. When our vivacious daughter came home from school, we decided to take some precautionary measures and head back to the doctor’s office to have her tested. Sure enough, her results were positive; she too had the streptococcal bacteria. On a positive note, my husband and I did test negative for strep throat.

So if you’re a parent reading this blog. My first advice is to remain calm (unlike me) and obtain information about influenza.

H1N1 and the Seasonal Flu

Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory disease. Scientists predict this flu season will cause more people to get sick than previous seasons. It is important to note that most people who contract H1N1 or the seasonal flu have had mild illness and no need for medical attention. They recover within two weeks. However, certain individuals can experience severe illness.

The following people are at high risk for flu complications:

Children < 5 years old (risk is highest in children < 2)
Adults > 65 year s old
Pregnant women
Individuals with a medical condition (e.g. asthma, diabetes, heart disease)

Symptoms of flu include high fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, runny or stuffy nose, and body aches. Sometimes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can occur - this is more likely to occur with children than adults.

It is believed that the spread of the viruses occurs from person to person through infected individuals coughing or sneezing. People may become infected by touching something with the viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Once a person has contracted influenza, they may infect others as soon as the day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming ill.

Since the spread occurs from sneezing, coughing or unclean hands, we can take some precautionary measures to prevent the spread of germs. Parents should set a good example and encourage your child to do the following things:

Cover coughs and sneezes. If possible use a tissue and discard it immediately. Most times, our children do not have a tissue handy so we taught them to cough into their sleeve (not hands).

Wash hands with soap and water. We told our children to sing the ABC or Happy Birthday song two times. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.

Wear a surgical mask to protect others. This seems a little over the top but we did it, at our doctor’s request, when we went for our office visit to prevent the spread to other children.

Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth. If they have an itch, we told our children use the inside of their sleeve.

One must always state the obvious, stay away from sick people.

Antiviral drugs can treat influenza. They need to be prescribed by a doctor and work best when started within two days of contracting the virus. Children can receive these drugs. However, these drugs are reserved for those individuals who are severely ill or at a high risk. An infected individual should get plenty of rest and fluids.

Consult your doctor immediately if the following occurs in children:

Fast or troubled breathing
Bluish skin
Not consuming enough liquids
Extreme fatigue
Intense irritability (e.g. child does not want to be held)
Improvement followed by return fever and horrible cough
Fever coupled with a rash

Consult your doctor immediately if the following occurs in adults:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Chest or abdomen pain or pressure
Sudden dizziness and/or confusion
Severe vomiting

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people to stay home for a minimum of 24 hours after the last fever. It is important to note the fever must be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.

Source: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov

Elementary School’s Open House

Our school thoughtfully selected Columbus Day as their open house; many government agencies are closed today. Since, we live in the suburbs of Washington D.C., many parents are able to attend open house including my husband and myself. We enjoyed watching both of our children interact with their teachers and fellow students; it was an extremely pleasant experience. They were definitely several humorous moments as we observed the students.

Of course, I surveyed the classroom and noticed in my son’s classroom the wall words, which are also sight words. Since my son is in second grade, the expectation is much higher; he must read, spell and write these words correctly.

The ten sight words noted below are also in Er-u-di-tion. My son is a fluent reader as a result, he knows all of the sight word cards. However, many of the sight words included in our game do not follow typical phonics or spelling rules. Children must memorize how to spell these words. When we play Er-u-di-tion, we read the word and definition to my son and he must spell the word correctly to earn his bonus roll.

Second Grade Wall Words - Ten Sight Words

are	because	could	friend	have
said	school	their	there	what

Kindergarten Curriculum Night: Reading/Language Arts

My previous post elaborated on our kindergarten reading/ language arts curriculum at a high level. Last week I attended a very informative meeting that discussed both the kindergarten curriculum for reading/language arts and math for the first and second semesters. This post is dedicated to the reading/language arts section. The kindergarten teachers provided strategies to use at home to assist a child in reaching her full potential.

Writer’s Workshop.

This is an ongoing risk free developmental process. Teachers do not correct this work and students are encouraged to select their own topics based on personal experiences. My daughter has brought home several pictures; the one to the right is a favorite. They reiterated that each child develops differently. Some children can write the letters of the alphabet and some are learning the letters. Encourage your child to draw pictures and when appropriate have them label the picture or write a sentence. The teachers emphasized that the focus is on the ability to tell a story; to become an author which begins with getting an idea on paper.

Reading Block.

This consists of both whole group reading lessons and literacy centers. The reading lessons will address story elements, genres and text features. The literary centers encompass reading, writing, listening and speaking. Since each student comes to school with a diverse knowledge of literacy, assessments were performed. The test results assisted is forming appropriate reading groups.

Early emergent readers (level 1-3).

Concepts about print are explained (e.g. we read left to right, top to bottom with a return sweep). In addition, conceptually a student needs to recognize each word has a meaning. Parents can assist in this area by reading every day; they recommend 20 minutes a day. In addition, parents should work with their child so that they know both the letters of the alphabet and their basic phonic sounds. In addition, we were given 25 sight words. The teachers want students to be able to read and write these sight words because decoding a sight word or stopping and sounding out each word typically results in a loss of comprehension. Knowing these most common words allows a child to focus on identifying the nouns or verbs in the sentence. They can also rely on picture support to assist them in decoding words.

25 Kindergarten Sight Words

a

am

and

at

can

come

go

here

I

in

is

it

like

look

me

my

on

said

see

the

this

to

we

you

up

Upper Emergent Readers (level 4-9).

These students are starting to read. They will learn punctuation and the components of a story (e.g. main character). As they progress to a fluent reader, they will no longer use their finger. They will learn reading strategies (e.g. predicting what will happen next). The teachers concluded this section by stating, read to your child every day!

Positional words.

While this section was discussed in the math curriculum, I incorporated it in this section because some of these words are sight words. Our teachers wanted us to work with our children using the following positional words:

under

above

between

behind

in front

top

middle

bottom

after

before

In addition to reading to your child, we recommend playing Er-u-di-tion to reinforce many of the above concepts (e.g. basic phonic sounds, sight words, positional word recognition)

Kindergarten Reading / Language Arts Curriculum

Our school district’s reading/language arts program consists of a balanced literacy program encompassing phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Students are encouraged to be at advanced reading levels by the end of kindergarten and strive to be independent readers by the end of second grade. In addition, this curriculum encompasses writing and listening instruction.

The following kindergarten curriculum for reading/ language arts concentrates on the fundamental skills necessary for reading and writing.

Reading

Oral Language Development

Learns language concepts (e.g. opposites, use of pronouns and directional words).
Speaks to inform or relate experiences.
Expands word choices to communicate effectively.

Phonemic Awareness

Identifies and generates rhyming words.
Identifies beginning, ending and medial sounds in spoken words.
Blends sounds together to make words.

Phonics

Recognizes and identifies all upper and lower-case letters.
Matches consonant and short vowel sounds to appropriate letters.
Uses word patterns (e.g. –at, -op, -in) to read unknown words.

Fluency

Reads beginner level text accurately and with expression.

Vocabulary

Reads simple high-frequency sight words.
Recognizes environmental print (e.g. stop sign, up and down arrows)

Comprehension

Learns concepts about print.

• Tracks words left to right, top to bottom, with return sweep
  (Return sweep is when the printing continues from the
  end of one line to the beginning of the next line).
• Identifies parts of a book.
• Coordinates one-to-one matching of spoken words to printed words.

Learns reading strategies used before, during and after reading text.

• Makes connections to what he or she knows and what he or she reads.
• Makes predictions based on background knowledge.
• Responds to reading through discussion or retellings.

Writing

Composition

Contributes to group writing experiences.
Uses drawings, letters, or words to express ideas.
Makes a list to plan ideas.
Writes independently.
Writes simple sentences.
Spells high-frequency words correctly.

Handwriting

Size, shape, slant and spacing

Listening

Listening and speaking skills and strategies

Actively listens and responds to books read aloud.
Retells information heard from stories and spoken presentations.
Follows two or three-step directions.
Uses social conventions when appropriate (e.g. please, thank you, excuse me).

Source: A Parent’s Guide to Kindergarten Curriculum 2009-2010
Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville, MD

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