Westfield Friends

Pre-Kindergarten

In Pre-K our goal is to promote positive attitudes towards school, encourage responsibility and independence, and start children on a path towards a happy and successful time at WFS. We believe that children learn best through play, and so our entire curriculum is taught with this in mind. In the Pre-K class, teachers act as guides to our students, providing multiple opportunities for growth in social skills and in self-confidence, helping the children to make the right choices.

From the first day our Pre-K children enter the school, they are able to enjoy a full and rich curriculum. As well as the core subject areas outlined below, the Pre-K class enjoys unique lessons with the computer studies, Spanish, French and music teachers. Physical education and art are undertaken within our class. At this age, we believe creative arts are especially important and so art projects are included in the daily schedule, and the children get morning outdoor play (weather permitting), as well as stretch and exercise sessions in the afternoon.

The teachers focus strongly on literacy- speaking, listening, reading and writing - establishing a foundation for success for the rest of their school experience. These four components of our literacy program are connected and supported in every topic studied. The teachers’ work through multiple topic areas that our students are naturally interested in to enhance these skills, including colors and shapes; animals and plant growth; owls, bats, spiders and pumpkins.

Pre-K also enjoys a buddy system with sixth grade. About once a month the two classes undertake numerous activities together, such as play sessions, lunch, reading and crafts, . This is a great experience for the Pre-K students as they all make friends that they will keep as they move into “big school”.

Field trips are linked to the curriculum and include harvest apple picking and pumpkin picking when we are studying plant growth and Johnny Appleseed; a trip to the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia; and on alternative years, trips to the Philadelphia Zoo, the Camden Aquarium, or the Insectarium.

Even at this early age, we believe it is important that our children understand the importance of community involvement, and so the class participates in two service projects for the full year:
1) Co-ordinating the school-wide collection of soft drink tabs for Ronald McDonald House.
2) Collecting fruits and vegetables for a local family in need - helping the children to understand that there are others less fortunate than themselves.

By the end of our Pre-K year, our greatest happiness comes from seeing just how much the children have achieved; they are more independent, responsible, better at caring for others and engaged in the process of learning. A highlight of the year comes with the Pre-K Art Show, when the whole school comes to visit our room to see the incredible work that the children have developed after studying various major artists during the year.

Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Overview:

Reading/Language Arts

  • Listening - sequencing, following directions and enjoying books.
  • Verbal communication - verbalizing thoughts, telling stories, and speaking in a group.
  • Focus on rhyming and initial consonant sounds.
  • Learn the letter of the week - art, stories, and games related to this.
  • Creation of student books.
  • Usage of mini-books reinforcing letters and sounds.
  • Sharing of stories.
  • Basic writing of names and classmates’ names.
  • Creation of books.

Mathematics

  • Number recognition, understanding of value and printing - 1 to 15.
  • Counting on.
  • Understanding classifying, sorting and grouping of numbers.
  • Counting up to 20.
  • Copying and completing patterns.
  • Measuring and simple addition.

Science

  • Natural environment - growing processes; the development of pumpkins and apples, bats, owls and spiders.
  • The five senses - explored with a hands-on approach.
  • Insects - classification, types, habitats and habits
  • Animals - Body coverings; similarities and difference; life cycles of frogs & toads; ladybugs and worms.

Social Studies

  • Artists - we study major groups of artists during the school year:
    • 1st Quarter - Matisse, Van Gogh
    • 2nd Quarter - Seurat, Picasso, Mondrian
    • 3rd Quarter - O'Keefe, Cassat, Klee
    • 4th Quarter - Monet, Pollock, Hopper