PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM
At First Assembly Preschool, our primary curriculum for many years has been the A-Beka Curriculum. We find this curriculum to be fulfilling spiritually, academically and socially.
The A-Beka curriculum has been devised by professional Christian teachers and administrators. Thousands of Christian schools around the world successfully use the A-Beka curriculum.
With the A-Beka Curriculum we use the phonetic approach to introducing children to beginning reading. Using alphabet flashcards, children learn letter recognition and sounds. As they learn individual letter sounds they also learn to blend the sounds together and form simple words such as bat, fell, sit, hot, and tub. The children learn to recognize vowels (both long and short) and consonants.
The A-Beka Curriculum provides a writing tablet for each child. In a pressure free atmosphere, our preschoolers are provided with a formal writing lesson each day. As a new letter is introduced in the phonics lesson, children are shown the correct way to form that letter at writing time. The A-Beka Program teaches that all letters live in a house. They live upstairs, downstairs or in the basement. Children are shown the correct way to hold a pencil, which in itself is a valuable lesson. Please bear in mind that every effort put forth by every child is genuinely praised. No two children are developmentally in the exact same place and their writing will reflect their differences.
The A-Beka Curriculum includes number concept flashcards 1-20. Each card has the number on one side and the corresponding number of objects pictured on the opposite side. Each card is bright and colorfully illustrated. As each number is introduced emphasis is placed on number recognition and counting. Children also enjoy counting and are given the opportunity to learn to count all the way to 100! Towards the end of the year, the children learn addition. Boardgames are used to help the children have fun learning. They can help make a clown face or put bees in a beehive.
The children are encouraged to use the musical instruments found in each classroom. They are engaged in singing everyday. The children learn children's praise songs and enjoy playing in a marching band. The instruments can be used during play center time or they can be teacher- directed. Teachers show the children how to stay with the beat of the music, how to play fast and slow and keep the rhythm. The teachers and children have access to a music library of cassettes and C.D.'s.
Exercise is another part of music time. Teachers teach the children about good healthy habits. Such as: exercise, eating good foods and rest. The children have an opportunity everyday to move and work out to music.
Every Friday the classes gather together for fun and fellowship. This is called "Chapel Day". The teachers act out the topic of the week or Bible story of the week. The children will enjoy visits from all of our puppet friends. Various activities, songs and finger plays are planned by the teachers and experienced in a group setting.
Bible time is the most important half-hour of our school day. It is the first subject taught each day after morning snack. The children are introduced to a scripture memory verse for each letter of the alphabet. A new memory verse starts on Monday of each week and is reviewed daily every day. By the end of the week the children have committed that verse to memory. By the end of the school year, your child will have an understanding of twenty-six verses of God's Word. The other component of your child's daily Bible time is the Bible story. Just as the scriptures, a new story is read on Mondays, during the week, the story is read and re-read, acted out by the children, told by flannel board stories, puppets and finger plays. The Lord's prayer is included every day in our Bible time and is memorized by the children. Bible time also includes: The Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic song, Bible songs and prayer time. Bible concepts are reinforced in all aspects of learning and play throughout the school year.
Circle time is a time when all children gather at the carpet for a fun and special time of learning. There are several circle times each day. Activities that take place during circle time are Bible time, Story time, topic of the week, skills development (where children learn such skills as opposites, sizes, and comparisons, as well as manners, health practices, sequencing, etc.), alphabet and numbers review also take place at circle time. These are all teacher directed activities.
Your children learn life's most valuable lessons through play. With this understanding, we have supplemented your child's curriculum with hands-on materials which the children manipulate themselves. With the teacher's supervision, children are learning concepts such as patterning (what comes next), matching, shapes, sizes, spatial relationships, lacing and tying, weighing and measuring, estimation, counting, number words, beginning and ending, sounds, more and less, comparisons, and much, much more. The materials which the children are using to learn these concepts are bright, colorful, and age-appropriate. Remember, it's okay if children think they're playing as long as we know they're learning.
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Geoboards - children are given a board and several rubber bands. They may create their own designs or follow instructions to make a designated design. This develops an awareness of spatial relationships.
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Attribute blocks - Children learn to distinguish between shapes and color recognition. These blocks allow children freedom to create. They consist of 4 or 5 basic shapes and sizes. Children can use these shapes to form houses, cars, boats, people, animals, etc. There are attribute cards available for children to copy patterns. This activity helps to develop eye/hand coordination.
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Attribute beads - Children enjoy sewing and lacing. This math center allows children to lace geometric shapes such as the cylinder, sphere, cube, cone, etc. onto a string in various patterns. This activity is done using attribute beads activity cards. This develops sequencing skills.
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Balancing scales - Using two types of objects in the classroom, (i.e. pegs and pencils), put 5 pencils on one side of the scales; ask children "How many pegs do I need on the other side of the scale to weigh the same as the pencils?" Let each child estimate. Then see how close they come. Children can also use liquids (such as water). There are countless activities for weighing and measuring using the balancing scales.
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Number/object center - Place rings on the table, place a number card beside each ring. Children identify the number on the card, count out that many objects, and place them inside the appropriate ring - or place a certain number of objects in the rings, children count the objects, then choose the correct numeral to match the objects.
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Math blocks - The wooden math blocks feature numbers 1-9. They have dots and numerals on one side, corresponding objects on the other. Children count the objects, determining how many, then turn the block around to check. The blocks are sequentially sized. Children will gather that three is more than one because they will be able to see that the block with three objects is taller than the block with one object. Children do not automatically understand which numbers are smaller or larger than other numbers. The math blocks will foster in the child an understanding of numerical concepts seriation, comparing, counting, sequence, and number recognition.
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Numbered pegboards/pegs - Provides opportunities for counting, matching numbers with appropriate objects and development of manual dexterity.
Learning centers have no more than two children in them at a time. Several learning centers will be going on at one time in the classroom. As the children master one center, then they will rotate around the room to the other centers. Learning centers are given in the morning hours during lesson time. This is a teacher-directed activity.
Activity centers are set up daily around the classroom. The children can choose a center to play in during designated "play time." The centers are rotated periodically.
The main six centers are described below:
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ART - The children have an opportunity to play in the art center for free art daily. Free art paper, magazines, paint, scissors, crayons, and paint are offered in the art center. A teacher-directed art activity is provided every day. This activity will relate to the topic of the week. The teachers encourage the children to be creative using the various supplies given.
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BLOCKS - The block center is complete with wooden blocks, large Lego's, and connecting blocks. In the block center, the children can build and construct buildings. A car mat is provided where the children can build a town for the cars to drive through. People and animals are also in the block center.
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SCIENCE - The science center holds such items as: magnifying glasses, rocks, shells and balancing scales. The science center is set up daily for your child to explore. The four-year-old classes also do group science experiments and activities.
For example: sink/float, observation of food farms, plants and seeds, nature walks, graphs (hair & eye color charts), shadows, sea life, weather, water absorption, and liquid & solids.
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DRAMATIC PLAY - The dramatic play center is a place for imagination. The children enjoy dressing up and role playing in this center. The children are taught how to set the table and take care of a family. The children have access to hats, shoes, jewelry, multi-cultural costumes, play money and telephones. The teachers spend time in this center teaching the children table manners.
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BOOK CENTER - The book center is a quiet place to rest and enjoy a good book. The book center has a flannel board with felt objects where the children can create their own stories. Puppets are also in the book center. Each child is asked to bring photographs of their families at the beginning of the year. The children make a photo album that is accessible at all times to comfort any fears.
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TRAIN CENTER - The four-year-old classes have Thomas the tank engine sets. The teachers help the children create their own tracks. The Thomas the tank characters are familiar to the children. They use the different trains (Gordon, Bertie the Bus, Harold Helicopter, James) to imagine different situations. The teachers encourage problem-solving skills. For example: The bridge has fallen, do you see another way to get to the train depot?
SAND & WATER
Sand and water play are offered every week, including floating small objects such as boats and fish. Children also enjoy sifting and measuring sand (rice).
SORTING ITEMS
Items are given for sorting by size, color and type. Children are instructed to sort fruit, clothing, teddy bears, and objects that are alive (people) and not alive (table).
MATCHING
Our teachers have various matching centers. The children are asked to match the capital letter to the lower case letter. Also, the children learn to match numbers to objects.
Fine Motor:
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Sewing/Lacing |
Small blocks |
Writing |
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Puzzles Coloring |
Drawing Pegs |
Manipulatives (legos, etc) |
Gross Motor:
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Skipping |
Running |
Heel-to-Toe walk |
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Jumping |
Exercising |
Throwing |
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Hopping |
Climbing |
Catching |
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Balancing |
Walking |
Hopscotch |
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Parachute |
Balance Beam |
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