Core Academic Subject
Developmental Kindergarten
There has been a rapid shift from play-centered Kindergartens to academic-centered classrooms. It is our goal in Developmental Kindergarten to create a stimulating environment both socially and academically that bridges the gap. We strive to create authentic learning experiences that allow children to develop both independently and in groups. It is a year to foster social skills and expand upon their innate enthusiasm for learning. Whether your child learns to read before, during or after Developmental Kindergarten, try to remember that the timing is the least important aspect. What is important is that your child engages in activities that are meaningful and relevant to his or her level. Areas of focus in language arts development include: concepts of print, phonemic awareness, introduction to decoding & word recognition, vocabulary & concept development, comprehension, writing, and listening & speaking. In meeting the needs of students on an individual basis, Curtis hopes to foster a love for reading, writing and learning in general. The mathematics program seeks a balance between three main components. The first is an understanding of basic computational and procedural skills, which all students should learn to use routinely and automatically. The second is conceptual understanding. Students need to know when to apply skills and why they are being applied. Lastly, students are introduced to mathematical problem solving. In Developmental Kindergarten, the primary emphasis of the social studies curriculum is on developing respect for self and others and working together as learners and active participants in the classroom. Differences and similarities of people are explored, and the idea that every individual has something valuable to offer is emphasized. Age-appropriate community service activities are organized.
Kindergarten
Our Kindergarten is a child-centered program where curriculum is structured to take advantage of a child's natural abilities, interests and enthusiasm for learning. At this level, children are still learning to handle daily school routines such as moving between classrooms and adjusting to different teachers for special subjects. Classroom skills such as sharing, taking turns, accepting responsibility for belongings and knowing when to speak and listen are integrated into daily activities. The goal over the course of the year is to encourage children to become more independent, confident and sensitive to others. Curtis strives to help children learn to recognize and value their own unique abilities, personalities, family backgrounds and learning styles as well as those of their classmates. The Kindergarten language arts curriculum forms the foundation for students to become strategic readers. Reading readiness skills are interlaced within every activity. At this age, children show a natural interest in books, storytelling, role-playing, poems, riddles and songs. We use a balanced literacy approach that emphasizes decoding skills and comprehension skills within the context of authentic reading experiences. Areas of focus in literacy include: concepts of print, phonemic awareness, decoding & word recognition, vocabulary & concept development, comprehension & literary analysis, the writing process, handwriting and listening & speaking. Comprehension skills are mostly developed through discussion, which helps students recognize characters, themes, sequences and details in a story. The social studies curriculum is organized around six topics: history, culture, geography, government, economics and research. Students in Kindergarten focus on the concept of community as exemplified in their family, their school and their neighborhoods. An emphasis is placed on developing the skill of cooperation and kindness while teaching the basic rules and laws of a democracy. Students begin to understand the concept of the past and "long ago and far away" through their study of holidays, famous people and their own ancestry. As they become aware of the various backgrounds represented by students in the classroom, they learn to appreciate cultural differences and similarities.
First Grade
First Grade is a time of uninhibited wonder, enthusiasm for learning and breathtaking, rapid growth. The social, emotional and intellectual identities that children construct for themselves during this period go a long way toward determining the subsequent trajectories of their lives. Learning to read is one of the most important skills that a student develops during their early academic years. The skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are essential tools for everyday learning. When students develop greater competence in reading and writing, their motivation to achieve increases. In our language arts curriculum, we use authentic reading experiences within a balanced literacy framework to meet the individual needs of students. Our goal is to provide effective methods and strategies for each student, to promote mastery of fundamental decoding skills, fluency, and to establish a foundation for deeper levels of comprehension. First grade students develop their writing skills within the context of Writers Workshop, where students create individual pieces of writing, in a variety of genres. Individual students confer with a teacher, on each stage of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing). Students practice proper sentence structure and the fundamentals of good grammar, including capitalization and punctuation. At this stage, students begin to spell more conventionally, but invented spelling is still evident. Our word study curriculum focuses on understanding and applying spelling patterns. Our Everyday Math curriculum supports the idea that children gain important insights about mathematics by building on one another's discoveries; one idea leads to another or to refinements of one's own conclusions. Discussion promotes good listening habits and a receptive attitude to the ideas of others. Talking about mathematics is an important part of thinking about mathematics. The fundamentals of our First Grade mathematics curriculum include: number sense, algebra & basic functions, measurement, geometry, mathematical reasoning, statistics, data analysis and probability. In the First Grade social studies curriculum, students begin to understand the connections between the past, present and future. Children learn to appreciate cultural differences and similarities through a well established "classroom society," where students experience democratic government and civic responsibility. Thematic units are drawn from the history and geography of Los Angeles, California and the United States. Units integrate language arts, music and art. Map skills are emphasized and local museums and the rich ethnic communities of Los Angeles are used as resources.
Second Grade
Second Grade is a year in which students become increasingly independent in a variety of ways. Their self-esteem grows by being responsible for their own assignments and materials, and by organizing and completing their own projects. They become more independent readers as they develop mature literacy skills and the tools to explore varied genres of literature. Second Graders also apply sophisticated word study techniques, and develop "authorship." Students also become more independent thinkers as they constantly relate mathematical principals to the world. The overall goal of the language arts program is to develop confident and independent readers and writers who take pride in their abilities and experience joy in sharing their accomplishments with each other and the larger school community. The language arts program includes reading, writing, listening and speaking. Additionally, we stress the importance of a balanced program determined by each student's individual skill level. Fluency and comprehension are at the core of reading development. Best reading practices are taught and implemented in environments that support, enhance and reinforce those practices, as well as nurture students' natural abilities and learning styles. Students meet regularly in guided reading groups to practice strategies to improve decoding, fluency and comprehension. Our writing program emphasizes a free flow of student ideas without the anxiety of making spelling errors. Students are encouraged to sound out words and write them, just as they would sound them out to read. Student work goes through the writing process: planning, drafting, revision, editing and publishing. During the revision stage, students are expected to spell grade level words correctly. Students confer with their teachers often, and at all stages of the writing process. As confidence builds, the Six Traits of good writing (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions) are introduced for students to learn how to deepen their own writing practices. The Writing Workshop provides further opportunity for a literature rich environment, as the published works of our own students are used as Read Alouds to demonstrate good writing and authorship. The goal in Second Grade mathematics is to develop fluency in basic computation and an understanding of grade level mathematical concepts. Students are taught to be mathematical problem solvers who can readily recognize basic problems and find solutions. Students communicate, reason and make connections between mathematical ideas and their lives. They measure quantities with appropriate units. They classify and see relationships among shapes by paying attention to the elements that compose them. They collect and analyze data and verify answers. Fundamental skills are taught and supplemented, while students expand upon these skills and relate them to practical use. By the end of Second Grade, students have been taught to understand place value and number relationships through more complex addition and subtraction problems, including regrouping with carrying and borrowing. Within our social studies curriculum, Second Graders explore the lives of people who have made significant differences in the world. Students learn the stories of their ancestors and of extraordinary figures from history. Students develop an understanding and appreciation of similarities and differences, the interrelationship of people, and the connections between long ago and present times. The Festival of the Harvest, Hero Day, special guests and field trips enhance their studies.
