. Hainerberg  Kindergarten This is our year to experiment, explore and try new things! Our children are learning for life A Kindergarten Child A Kindergarten Classroom Suggestions on Helping Your Child Thoughts from Robert Fulghum Reading/ Language Arts Math Science Social Studies Reading/Language Arts    Students become emergent readers and writers, increase their active and passive vocabularies, experience a wide range of literature, respond to information seen and heard, present information orally, and begin to use the conventions of English. Math The kindergarten standards and expectancies include counting; joining and separating objects to develop a concept of number, recognizing and describing simple patterns; and recognizing shapes and sizes of figures and objects.  Students sort and classify sets of objects by attributes, count and compare numbers to ten, recognize and name various shapes, measure and compare objects, and use one-to-one correspondence to count groups of objects.  The kindergarten standards are conceptually oriented and actively involve children in doing mathematics and acquiring skills in the ways that make sense to them. Science  (to top) The kindergarten standards stress the use of basic science skills to explore common materials, objects, and living things.  Emphasis is placed on using the senses to gather information.  Students are expected to develop skills in posing simple questions, measuring, sorting, classifying, and communicating information about the natural world.  The science skills are an important focus as students learn about life processes and properties of familiar materials such as magnets and water.  Through phenomena including shadows, patterns of weather, and day and night students are introduced to the concept of change. Social Studies (to top) The standards for the students in pre-kindergarten through second grade include the basic concepts of the indiviual, family and neighborhood.  Instruction centers on the similar and different ways that individuals and groups address human needs and concerns.  Students learn vocabulary associated with time such as past, present, future, and long ago.  Students use maps and globes to identify and locate some places and geographic features.  They learn the concepts of self-control, fairness, and leadership.  Citizenship education emphasizes following rules and respecting the rights of people.  Students build time lines, indentify the purpose of government, and use economic concepts.  They also explore ways that language, art, music, and other culutrual elements lead to global understanding. 1/18/04