Kindergarten

Your child will learn about the alphabet and its role in reading. They will practice rhyming, matching words with beginning sounds, and blending sounds into words to prepare to read and spell correctly.  Your child will begin to experiment with writing and will be encouraged to use a combination of drawing,  storytelling, and writing letters to share information, ideas and feelings. 

Examples of Your Child’s Work at School:

• Name upper- and lower-case letters, match those letters with their sounds, and write them.

• Retell stories and talk about stories read to your child by using details from the text.

•  Use a combination of drawing, speaking, and writing to describe an event that includes the student’s reaction to what happened.

• State an opinion or preference about a topic or book in writing . For example, “My favorite book is...." 

• Take part in classroom conversations and follow rules for discussions including listening to others and taking turns speaking.

• Learn to recognize, spell and properly use short grammatical words that hold language together such as: a, the, to, of, from, I, is, and are.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• Read every day with your child.

• Ask your child to tell you about their favorite parts of the story.

• Encourage your child to tell you about their day at school.

•  Keep paper, markers, or crayons around the house for your child to write letters or words or to draw a picture about their day, then ask your child to describe what's happening the picture to you

•  Sing interactive songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and make silly rhymes together.

During math, students are learning to count objects, add and subtract small numbers, and use addition and subtraction to solve word problems.

Examples of Your Child’s Work at School:

• Use toys or objects to act out addition and subtraction problems, or draw pictures or diagrams to help solve them.

•  Practice adding and subtracting numbers up to 10, and solving word problems with addition and subtraction.

•  Get faster at adding and subtracting numbers up to 5, like knowing that 3 + 1 equals 4.

• Recognize shapes no matter how they're turned or how big they are, like knowing a square is still a square even if it's turned like a diamond.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

•  Play a game called “write the next number.”  You write a number, and your child writes the next number.

•  Challenge your child by asking questions that require counting up to 31 things. For example, ask, “How many books do you have about animals?”

• Ask your child questions that require comparing numbers. “Who is wearing more bracelets, you or your sister?” Your child might count or compare to find the answer.

Kindergarten science is all about exploring and discovering new things! students use their senses to observe, ask questions, and learn about the world. They also develop models and conduct investigations. They'll learn to identify patterns and begin to understand cause-and-effect relationships as they explore their surroundings.

Examples of Your Child’s Work at School:

• Ask questions and find answers about nature. For example, looking at the weather to see patterns in it, like when it's sunny or rainy.

• Check out plants and animals, figuring out what they need to live including how they change their surroundings to survive,

• Experiments may include seeing what happens when you push or pull something harder.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• While you're doing everyday things or playing, encourage your child to ask questions, notice what's happening around them, and and look for any patterns.

•  Let your child play with different toys and objects that are safe, and see what happens when they push or pull them.

• Watch the weather where you live. Talk about what you notice, like if it's sunny or rainy, and make a plan for what to do if there's severe weather.

• If you have a family pet or plants, let your child help take care of them. They can learn what the pet or plant needs to stay healthy, just like they need food and water.

• When you're outside, like on walks or at parks or zoos, look at nature together. Talk about what animals and plants need to survive, and compare it to what your child needs. It's a fun way to explore and learn about the world around you!

In kindergarten, students will learn more about themselves, their school, city and state. They will have opportunities to compare how life in the past is different from life today with respect to their own experiences. It's all about learning to work together and make their community better!

Examples of Your Child’s Work at School:

•  Work together to make rules for their class that are fair and show leadership and responsibility. Learn about being good citizens in a democracy.
• Talk about how life is different now compared to how it was in the past. Learn about changes over time.
• Use maps, globes, and pictures to figure out how to get to different places.
• Learn that everyone is unique and has different qualities, but can also share similarities.
• Discuss problems in their classroom that affect everyone and try to find solutions together.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• Look at old family photos and tell stories about how things were in the past compared to now.

• Talk about the rules your family follows and why they're important.

•  Visit other neighborhoods and places and notice what makes them similar or different from where you live.

• Talk about the different ways you can go and routes you can take to specific places, like school or the grocery store.

• Visit museums and other places in your community that show what life was like in the past. Compare it to how life is today.

• Explore the parks and cool natural features in Iowa together. It's a great way to learn about the land around you!

What Are 21st Century Skills?
21st-century skills are essential knowledge, life abilities, career aptitudes, habits, and traits crucial for student success in the modern world. WDMCS creates age-appropriate learning opportunities to grow these skills in all students.

Kindergarten students will learn how to use technology. They will begin to develop good study habits. Plus, they'll practice working collaboratively with their classmates. It's all about learning and growing!

Examples of Your Child’s Work at School:

• They might learn about good and bad health and safety habits, like washing hands or wearing a helmet when biking.

• They could talk about their rights and responsibilities as students in their classroom, like listening to the teacher and being kind to others.

• They might use computers or tablets to show their ideas for class projects, like making a slideshow or video.

• They'll learn how to follow steps to do harder and harder things, like solving a math problem or writing a story.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• Read books together that teach about important skills for the 21st century, like the "Jobs People Do" series by DK Publishing.
• Encourage your child to pick activities they enjoy to stay active and have fun, like playing sports or going for a bike ride.
• Teach your child how to use technology in good ways to find games, activities, and information that are safe and fun.