Academic Objectives

Beginning Preschool (usually ages 3-4)

• Fine Motor Practice: cutting, pasting, coloring, holding a pencil correctly, using fingers to manipulate small objects (cubes, beads, etc.)
• Literacy: tracing and visually identifying letters by sound (phonemic awareness) and sight (phonics), reading and writing (with help) first name, and vocabulary 
• Math: counting concepts using fingers and orally to 10+, shapes, patterns, understanding of number symbols matching quantities
• Science and Technology: basic functioning of technology with age-appropriate applications and devices, scientific process introduction of equipment (microscope, goggles, etc.) and processes (material use, group work, etc.), and vocabulary
• Arts and Crafts: vocabulary and use of art styles, tools, and mediums (paint, brushes, portraits, etc.) and development of artistic skills and fine-motor control
• Music/Song/Theater/Movement: Introduction to musical instruments, singing as a group, theater in the form of plays or puppet shows, and dance or movement
• Social Skills: sharing work/play space, adult and peer interactions, manners, resource needs (tissue for nose, bathroom use), team play, rules, and routines

Preschool / Pre-K (usually ages 4-5)

• Fine Motor Practice: cutting preformed lines, pasting small items, coloring within the lines, holding a pencil correctly to write letters, using fingers to manipulate small objects (cubes, beads, etc.) onto specific areas
• Literacy: tracing, writing, orally, and visually identifying letters by sound (phonemic awareness) and sight (phonics), reading and writing (with help) first name and basic sight words, develop vocabulary with proper pronunciation
• Math: counting concepts visually and orally to 30+, shape ID and creation, pattern ID and creation, quantity discernment, and intro to counting by groups (2s and 5s)
• Science and Technology: self-regulated of technology with age-appropriate applications and devices, scientific exploration of subjects with use and process of equipment (microscope, goggles, etc.), participating in group work, and understanding processes (set-up, test, clean-up), and vocabulary
• Arts and Crafts: extended vocabulary and use of art styles, tools, and mediums (paint, brushes, portraits, etc.) and development of artistic skills and fine-motor control
• Music/Song/Theater/Movement: Use of musical instruments, singing as a group for a performance, theater in the form of active role play, and dance / movement
• Social Skills: sharing work/play space, adult and peer interactions, manners, resource needs (tissue for nose, bathroom use), team play, rules, and routines

TK: Transitional Kindergarten (usually ages 5-6)

• Fine Motor Practice: cutting preformed lines, pasting small items, coloring within the lines, holding a pencil correctly to write letters, using fingers to manipulate small objects (cubes, beads, etc.) onto specific areas
• Literacy: tracing, writing, orally, and visually identifying letters by sound (phonemic awareness) and sight (phonics), reading and writing (with help) first name and basic sight words, develop vocabulary with proper pronunciation
• Math: counting concepts visually and orally to 30+, counting by groups (2s,5s, and 10s), 2D and 3D shape ID and 2D shape creation, patterns with multiple variables, quantity discernment, and basic addition and subtraction (1 through 9), use of classroom math tools like geometric shapes, manipulates, and worksheets 
• Science and Technology: self-regulated of technology with age-appropriate applications and devices, use and process of equipment (microscope, goggles, etc.) for specific scientific goals (e.g. making slime), participating in group work and showing individual work, and responsible use of time for set-up/work/clean-up, and development of scientific vocabulary and ideas
• Arts and Crafts: attention to detail, thoroughness, and skill with art creations, tools, and mediums, development of personal style and preferences
• Music/Song/Theater/Movement: Coordinated, skillful use of musical instruments, singing within a group for a performance, public speaking (voice projection) for theater and active role play, and movement / dance styles to match rhythm
• Social Skills: sharing work/play space, adult and peer conflict resolution and manners, resource needs (tissue for nose, bathroom use), emotional self-regulation, team play rules, class routines, group and independent work,  academic resource use (pencil sharpener, recycling bin), classroom behavior, playground interactions

Teaching Methodologies

In addition to the Adaptive Mastery approach mentioned above, lesson planning is based on a model that I have termed as the F.I.V.E.S., which is Fun, Interactive, Varied, Engaging, and Simplified.  The combination of these elements is when the learning “magic” occurs.  For example, Sesame Street, an outstanding educational T.V. program, has a reoccurring part of the program to learn letters that employs this model:  “What’s on me that starts with [a letter]?”  This two to three minute part of the program is FUN–if the letter is ‘T’, then the child viewing is looking at the person to search out items that begin with ‘T” (often silly items, like a toy truck or a giant tie), INTERACTIVE–the narrator invites the child to trace the letter T in the air along with them, VARIED–instead of the “What’s on me?” game every day, sometimes the letter game will be to rhyme or do a scavenger hunt of items beginning with the letter; there would also be mention of the letter of the day at certain times in the rest of the programing to reenforce the lesson, ENGAGING–the narrator “talks” with the child and invites participation rather than lectures or teaches or encourages the child to practice in his/her own life, SIMPLIFIED–the items or words are familiar enough that the child understands the lessons rather than trying to simultaneously learn new vocabulary (e.g. for the scavenger hunt for things beginning with the letter T, there would be a truck rather than a trombone).

There is another page covering the Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, California Common Core, Nature-based Learning, and other pedagogies in depth (click on link), so I will only mention on this page that all of these teaching methods have a strong overlap that encourages child participation through empowerment and personal interest.  How we incorporate that is by getting to know each child and customizing lessons to each one’s learning styles and interests.  This is also important because we also have mixed ages and learning levels.

Let’s look at an example of how we teach for an entire day!

April (Life Cycles)

Monday of Week 1 – Topic is ‘Eggs and Nests’

CIRCLE TIME (9am): We transition from an hour of either Montessori work, free play, or an optional viewing of Sesame Street with a signal by our “transition chimes”.  Together, we sing our Circle Time song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”  as we take our places in the front room reserved (mainly) for our structured lessons.

I let the children know about the little hummingbird in the backyard that likes to perch on the fruit tree to rest.  I ask them if they have ever seen a hummingbird.  For those who have, I ask them to describe what it looks like to me or to friend next to them.  Then I take out a picture or figurine that shows its actual size.  I let them know that hummingbirds have their “babies” by laying eggs and ask the children how big they think a hummingbird’s egg is.  After the children share and see what one looks like, I ask them if they would like to also see a giant egg!  (An inevitable ‘yes!’ follows) I show them as ostrich egg and we briefly talk about using clues to match eggs to the right birds as they get to view the other eggs I have and guess which types of birds they belong to.  We have our Number and Letter-of-the-Day on our chalkboard (children take turns choosing them), so I take this opportunity to ask them if the number of the day is the same as the number of eggs I have out (counting then occurs).

Next we have story time, and this month is one of our chapter book months, so we start reading E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.  I ask the children if they see the Letter-of-the-Day in the title or author’s name of the book before we start the story.  We read for about 10 minutes and then have a short discussion/feedback from the group about what they thought about what we’ve read so far (i.e. encouraging empathy development and social awareness).

We finish Circle Time by updating our calendar, with a brief mention of the agenda/projects for the day.  Then it is time to transition: we end every Circle Time by checking and recording the weather outside, which is our segue into Outside Free Play and Nature-based Learning.

NATURE-BASED LEARNING (NBL) (9:25am): 

If it is still a chilly spring morning, we put on our jackets and head outside to check the weather and record our findings.  On the first Monday of each week, I introduce a new set of NBL materials relative to the monthly topic and weekly subtopic (which is eggs and animal homes for this week).  This week’s NBL materials will be creature construction materials for homes: butterflies, spiders, birds, and rabbits (did you know that half of the rabbit population in the world resides in North America?!).  Children will tend the garden for the butterflies, can dig a rabbit burrow in the yard, weave silky yarn for a spider web from a stick frame, and use twigs and feathers to make a bird’s nest–all available throughout the week.  The rest of this period is free outside play.

STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math) / Literacy period (9:50am):

Our transition into the STEM period always begins with one of our “Question of the Day Cards” that one of the children choose and we all take turns answering or talking about it.  I segue into our learning question, which will be about matching items and a brief Q&A on what matching is (questions may vary per children based on learning level).

Because our theme for the day is ‘Eggs and Nests’, we have chosen to read Dr. Seuss’s Are You My Mother? story, which talks about a baby bird emerging from its egg and looking for its mother.  The lesson plan objective is to teach children how to match items that “belong” together.  So during the story I interact with the children as we talk about using clues (deduct logic/reasoning) to figure out how to match items together (cows don’t lay eggs, so the cow could not be the bird’s mother.  After the story, children are either given a set of figures or a worksheet with items to match together. I determine which to use based on learning style and learning objectives of each child; I also take into account their preference.   Also, I adapt the lesson to maturation level:  If I have a three-year-old, I will give them a matching worksheet to match baby animals to parent animals that is easier than the one I give a six-year-old that instructs them to circle all things that are living.  Then, the children share their worksheet with a partner to show their work.  The above activities are a very effective STEM lesson because they incorporate literacy and comprehension, logic (deductive reasoning), fine motor skills as they either draw lines/circle specific areas or use manipulates, learn about “matching”, learn subject matter (baby/parent animals and the difference between living and nonliving), and practice communicating ideas with a partner!  This is also an auditory, visual, and tactile lesson.

Arts and Crafts / Literacy period (11:10am):

After morning snack and a long recess, the children start their Arts and Crafts / Literacy period with a transition activity: We sing the alphabet sound song.  Children are called on (this is when we practice classroom behavior like patience, raising hands to speak, and participation) to point to the proper letter for the words bird, nest, and egg.  I give them each a paper that has an outlined drawing of a bird, nest, and egg and the three words on it.  We ask if the number of the day matches the number of letters for any of the words.  Next, we work together (I am also doing this as a demonstration) to draw a line from the word to the matching item.  Once we have done that, it is time to decorate!

There are art materials to decorate the picture of the bird, nest, and egg: colorful craft feathers, toothpicks (for twigs), and paints/crayons/markers for the egg.  If they want to match the egg color to the bird’s coloring they can (this is what I demonstrate on my paper), but I let them have creative freedom on this.  The lesson objective is to match their learning concepts to applied creativity.  They have seen real nests, practiced building animal homes during NBL, and read about it and worked on it during STEM, so this is a creative way to reenforce the concepts and let them know create with the knowledge they have gained (this is the top level within Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning). When the transition chimes ring, we all work together to clean up are area and prepare to go outside for Sports / Recess 101 and Free Play.

Sports/Recess 101 and Free Play (11:35am):

Every day we rotate through a list of sports or recess games.  Today’s game is soccer, so we have goal nets set up and divide into teams (the sport is taught throughout the year) for a quick game of soccer.  The sports/recess 101 structured play is during the first 10 minutes of outside play every day.  The activity is chosen by us Mon-Thursday, and then voted on by the children on Fridays.  After this activity, they have free play outdoors and then come back inside for more free play while lunch is being made.  All of the children are invited to help prepare, cook, and serve lunch.  We eat together and clean up together.

Music and Theater (12:30pm):

We transition into this period with our Emotion Cards, a set of cards with pictures of children’s face and body language acting out a certain emotion.  A child choses one card a day and we all take turns talking about that emotion and the different ways people may express it.  This is about 3-5 minutes.

Every Monday, this period is reserved for a new piano or music theory lesson.  The lesson curricula are based on Faber music books for performance, practice, and music theory in collaboration with professional music instruction from the [TBA] School of Music in San Jose.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the children will practice what they learn on Mondays for 7-10 minutes after the Emotion Card activity.  The rest of the period has daily rotations between dance/movement, theater/performance, and singing.

Professional instruction and music/theory/performance books are provided at no additional cost to your child–it is included in your tuition.  Instruction is taught both at the group and individual level to accommodate different levels of learning.  Also, if you wish, you can purchase a separate set of practice and music books to keep at home for evening and weekend practice.  *We are working on a keyboard loan program for student who do not have a piano or keyboard at home.

An annual music recital is done during our Holiday Performance in December, when your child’s extended family is invited to attend.

Closing Gratitude Circle (12:55):

We close out our structured activities for the day by forming a circle and passing around a little chime to hold as each person take a turn saying something they are grateful for and striking the chime before passing it to the next person.

1pm pick up for part-time children or nap preparation for full-time children:

For children enrolled in the part-time program, doors will “open” at 1pm for pick-up.  We respectfully and kindly ask that you do not come in before this time and talk quietly outside because it will otherwise distract all of the children from their Music and Theater activities or the very important Closing Gratitude Circle. If you need an early pick-up for the day, we ask you call first so we can arrange for it to be during a break/recess time.

During the time any part-time parents come in to chat with me, look at their child’s work, and prepare to leave for the day, the full-time children are setting up their cots and blankets for nap time.  We teach the children how to do this independently, but the older ones still love to help out the younger ones.

Afternoon Story and Nap time (1:15pm):

Because it is one of our chapter book months, we will continue continue to read Charlotte’s Web only if all enrolled children are full-time, otherwise we will choose a different story to read so no one misses out.

Curtains are then closed, calm and low instrumental music put on, and children are tucked into their cots with their nap buddies (special stuffed just for nap time–they can be brought from home or selected from here).  We use crib sheets to put over the cots and the children have their own blanket and pillow.  Sheets, blankets, and pillow cases are used by the same child each week and are laundered here once a week (unscented and dye free detergent is used – the ECOs brand from Costco).  Please see the Play Areas, Toys, and Relaxation page for more information on nap time.

Afternoon Snack, Nature-based Learning, and Free Play (3pm):

Curtains are opened and children are free to wake up on their own.  Snack is offered and they can have free play indoors or do NBL activities on the patio (relaxation room and patio allow us to see all children by sight and sound) until everyone is awake, then we all can go outside to play.  Children can also bring their snack outside to eat if they like.

Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia programs (plus Reading Buddies every Wednesday) (3:45pm):

All Montessori materials and lessons are approved by the American Montessori Society, so the children have a wide variety of work and time that would be the same as in any Montessori school.  The difference here at Avalon is that we are also offering Waldorf and Reggio Emilia materials and lessons as well because not all children learn best with one way or one set of materials (see more here about our teaching philosophy).  Children may be working with puzzles, practicing threading beads, painting, working with geometric shapes, building with blocks/Legos/LincolnLogs/Play-Doh/MagnaTiles, putting together a train track, putting on a puppet show, or pretend play of a restaurant or grocery store.  With Reggio Emilia, it is learner directed with guidance and facilitation of lessons by me.  If a child expresses interest in birds, I would suggest activities that could promote more learning in that area (this is a very basic description of that program, you can read more HERE), for example, I could offer them a pair of binoculars to look for birds or guide them to a children’s book about birds or show them our collection of feathers).  This is a sample day for a Monday, but on Wednesdays, we would have our one-on-one Reading Buddies time during this period as well.

End of Day pick-up (5:30pm):

Parents typically pick up their children between 5pm and 5:30pm–allowing time for their child to show them any displayed work they’ve done, to look through their child’s work folder for take-home flyers and finished work, or to chat with me about their child’s day.  You can read about the Daily Observations and Assessments that are in your child’s folder HERE; these are completed during nap/relaxation time and updated in the afternoon so they are completed by 5pm (for full-time children).  (Part-time children have the same observations and assessments that are in their folder by 1pm.)  Big hugs are given along with a “see you tomorrow!”