KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM
St. Thomas
Aquinas
School Curriculum
reflects the requirements outlined by
the Diocese of Manchester,
NH
“Our goal is to
develop the whole child by providing challenging activities for
mind, body, and spirit.”
English/Language Arts
Language
Spoken Language
Use agreed upon rules for discussion.
Use active listening skills.
Contribute facts or impressions to class discussions.
Written Language
Explore the alphabet letters (upper and lower case) and sounds they make.
Begin to use phonetic spelling.
Reading
Identify beginning, middle and ending sounds and blends.
Introduce vowels.
Introduce sequencing.
Identify basic facts and ideas in a story.
Introduce and explore the difference between fantasy, and reality, fiction and non-fiction, story and poetry.
Draw pictures and relate stories.
Use picture clues to gain meaning.
Participate in reciting poems and songs and performing small group plays.
Math
Number Sense and Operation
Count objects with one-to-one correspondence from zero to twenty.
Match quantities and numerals 0-15.
Develop a vocabulary for making comparisons.
Read and write numbers to 50.
Introduce addition and subtraction facts.
Patterns, Relations, and Algebra
Sort objects by similarities and differences.
Identify, describe, and extend a variety of simple patterns.
Practice counting by 10’s.
Geometry
Identify and compare basic shapes.
Develop a vocabulary to describe the position of objects.
Measurement
Use non-standard measurement tools to approximate length.
Telling Time
Identify hours and minutes
Religion
The Religion Curriculum focuses on the theme of God as Loving Creator. The Kindergarten children will:
Attend Liturgical Celebrations.
Be lead to discover creation as a gift.
Explore creation as an expression of God’s love.
Discover Jesus as the greatest gift of creation.
Learn various prayers.
Social Studies
Geography
Describe what a map is and what a globe is.
Use location words such as up, down, near and far.
Identify own street address, state, country, telephone number and birthdate.
Language
Use words such as time, before, after, yesterday, month, year, hour, and minutes.
Retell important facts from a story and tell what happens next.
Retell stories about people who have shown honesty, courage, and responsibility.
Explain how characters in stories find ways to be fair and solve problems.
History
Identify the American flag and the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Identify and describe selected U.S. holidays such as Thanksgiving, Civil Rights Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day
Identify and describe family and community members who promote welfare and safety.
Science
Earth and Space Science
Recognize that water, rocks, soil, and living organisms are found on the Earth’s surface.
Life Science
Differentiate between living and non-living things and group them by characteristics they share.
Identify seasonal changes in the environment.
Physical Science
Sort objects by observable properties such as size, shape, color, weight, and texture.
Art
The Art Curriculum includes the following:
Developing fine motor skills.
Developing observational and analytical skills.
Learning about cultures and history through artwork.
Encouraging the individual expression of the students.
Art skills are also integrated into the regular classroom curriculum.
Music
The Music Curriculum focuses on the following:
Students will sing a varied repertoire of music alone and with others.
Students will demonstrate ability in the music skills of melody, harmony, form, expressive qualities and rhythm.
Students will gain an understanding of basic music vocabulary such as echo, beat, loud/soft, high/low, fast/slow, tempo, steady beat, etc.
Physical Education
The Physical Education Curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the students. Through a variety of activities, the children will grow physically, cognitively, and socially. Every child will be given the opportunity to experience success and the joy of movement as they
Develop body awareness, spatial awareness, and motor coordination.
Improve fitness and muscular strength.
Understand vocabulary and concepts related to movement.
Use critical thinking to solve problems and create new ways to move.
Develop listening skills.
Learn cooperation.
Improve self image and increase self-esteem.