http://www.lizajackson.org/KGradeScopeandSequence0809.pdf So I started the year out using the above scope and sequence for kindergarten... well, i pulled it out today and was going through it checking off all that we've accomplished... while we've accomplished more than half the list, i'm wondering if this specific scope and sequence is a little extensive for such young children... anyone else have an opinion?
Actually, I think it's pretty good for kindergarten. However, please keep in mind that these are good AS A GUIDE. You are not tied down to it, just because someone else is doing it. For example, it talked about magnets. It wouldn't mess things up to do astronomy instead, or doing China instead of Japan, or England instead of Kenya (especially if there is a family down the road from another company, or a friend is adopting a child from Russian, or you have a missionary friend in Bolivia). But I do like what they have for math/language/writing.
I actually thought it looked pretty good also. Would I use it as written, nope, but I would pull from it what I found important and create a checklist of things to make sure I have covered with my kiddo.
thanks for the opinions... i just am trying to get an idea of the goals we should be aiming for at the end of this year
I think that is a good list, I would also find some other lists like the worldbook one and I also like the Home Learning Year by Year book and also the Core Knowledge Sequence. I like to take all the different lists and come up with my own from them. Remember homeschooling is completely individual, if you do not get to something or you do things in a different order, it's not a big deal. This isn't a race, it isn't one size fits all and well.. if we all wanted to fit into a mold we would have sent our kids to public school.. right?
I think it looks good, but you have to taylor it to YOUR child. It's good GOALS, but don't fret if your child doesn't meet them all. I also believe that for Kindy - all that can be taught without having to drill it into them! All that stuff can be learned through play and through reading to them, and through life.
I do not think the list is too intense. I do believe the way they are taught can make all the difference in the world. There are a lot of things on the list that can be taught through play and other activities. Daily living will help to teach much of what is on the list.
That all seems right. In fact many schools are teaching letters in K and I'm surprised. I don't believe that children should be reading in kindergarten if they aren't ready, but I do believe they should have some letter recognition and be able to do the majority of these things on this list (I only skimmed through the requirements for the core subjects on the link). It doesn't take much to teach little ones these things! In fact, for a while I *thought* I had not taught my son anything, I *thought* he was having a hard time grasping things. Well, I was severely mistaken, he was doing double digit addition before he started K, as well as reading and writing simple words. ALL my DH and I did was sing the ABC's, pointed and spelled things like.. "Happy Birthday" banners at a birthday party, etc. We added M&M's or whatever. When he asked, we answered. I picked up workbooks for him...for fun! The first few he scribbled in, then he began writing legible letters! And so on and so forth. One moment I get the impression kids should know a bunch before K and the next moment I'm reading about how K teaches all these things. I think it differs between schools, districts, areas, etc which can give people like me a fear that my child isn't going to learn enough. With that said, I haven't forced any of it, and follow his lead, if he wants to learn more...
Going Against the Flow... (As Usual for Me) I hate to be the dissenter, but I do think it is a little intense. I don't think children under six need formal schooling. I think they need LOTS of play time, LOTS of time out of doors exploring their world and LOTS of stories, songs and games. I believe our society pushes young children too hard too fast and the result is older children and adults who have lost their wonder at the world, their natural desire to learn, and who view education as drudgery rather than as an exciting opportunity know more. We as homeschoolers have swallowed the idea that our children must continue lock-step with the public school system, in spite of the fact that the public school system is failing miserably, because we can't envision any other way. That's all we know. I believe the most important aspect of homeschooling is the ability to tailor our child's education to each individual child. If your 4 yo is chomping at the bit and begging to learn to read - fine, teach him to read, but if your 5 yo is dreading "school time" and you have to chase him down and drag him in from building skyscrapers with legos or chasing imaginary bad guys across the vast expanse of the back yard, or just laying on the grass watching the clouds float by... let him alone to play, to imagine, to learn... because that is what he is doing! Just because it doesn't fit the public school model doesn't mean it isn't a vital part of his education. I'm new to the board and can't post links yet, but a search for Ambleside Online or Charlotte Mason Homeschool or even Better Late than Early will turn up more on delaying formal education... Of course, this is all just my opinion and your milage may vary. :angel: Have a Wonderful Day!!! Amy :~D
Amy, I agree that children don't need formal learning before six, etc. But the things on that list are things that the average preschooler will pick up on their own THROUGH the games, stories, songs, etc. that you listed. My children could count to 13 before they were two. I didn't TEACH them to do it, but we DID count the thirteen steps that go upstairs each time we climbed them. I didn't TEACH my kids letters, but I did give them my shopping list. "OK! Mommy has the apples. That's an A word. Let's cross it off...." I didn't teach one-to-one correspondance, but they helped set the table at age two..."Here's a spoon for Daddy's plate, here's a spoon for Mommy's plate, here's a spoon for big brother's plate...." I don't believe in pushing, but neither do I believe in holding back a kid that is ready. My youngest wanted to know if, when he turned three, he'd be able to read. (We had been talking about how 3yo's no longe wear diapers, and wore Big Boy Underpants.) I explained that, before he could read, he needed to know his letters. Did he want to learn his letters? YES!!! So for about two weeks, we worked on letters, and then he sort of lost interest, so we quit until he was ready to "learn" again.
I agree with you completely! The learning can and should take place naturally through games and everyday life. My objection is more to the wording... {{{Kindergarten Skills: First Semester These skills have been targeted for mastery during the first half of the school year. Children will develop these skills at different rates, but the goal is for our kindergartners to master these skills before the winter break. Language Arts · Letters (in this order): Mm, Aa, Ss, Dd, Tt, Ii, Nn, Pp, Gg, Oo, Cc, Kk, Uu, Bb, Ff, Ee, Ll, Hh, Rr, Jj, Vv, Yy, Ww, Qu/qu, Zz, Xx, · Spelling: Letter sounds, short vowel sounds, threeletter words · Writing: Separate words using spaces. Use mostly phonemic spelling. Use phrases or sentences to write about a given topic. · Writing first name · Reading: o Phonemic awareness: Counting syllables in a word, number of words in a sentence, number of sounds in a word, and rhyming o Letter sound identification o Oral comprehension: Answering questions about a story that is read aloud to the child o Skill development at a speed appropriate to the child’s ability Mathematics First quarter · Spatial relationships (Over, under, beside, etc.) · Sort by color, shape, size, or kind · Identify what does not belong · Count up to 10 objects · Identify numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 · Write numbers to 10 · Concepts of more and less · Onetoone correspondence to identify equal sets Second quarter · Identify numbers 620 · Concepts of before and after on a number line · Show ½ and ¼ · Use a symbol to represent a missing number · Identify shapes: Circle, square, rectangle, triangle. Identify similarities and differences of four 2D shapes. · Identify 3D objects: Cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones. Identify those shapes in the real world. Identify similarities and differences of 3D shapes. · Recognize symmetry and make symmetrical figures · Classify length of objects as shorter or longer than a foot · Determining if a number is larger or smaller than another number, to 20 · Estimation: Which set of objects has more or less}}} I just picture parents thinking, "Oh NO! It's January and my 5 yo still doesn't understand Symmetry!!! We've got to get to work on that NOW or he'll be <dramatic lowering of voice> BEHIND!" I guess I am just naturally disinclined to try to fit myself or my children into someone else's timeframe. Hope that clarifies a bit. Amy :~D
Amy, I agree with you completely. If you are giving your child time to play (not just watch tv), read with him and to him, play games, etc, your child will learn what he is ready to learn. Provide the opportunity and children will soak up information. Don't feel behind if you are not on that schedule - in all truth, I bet quite a few of the children subjected to that schedule are behind - just because the teacher presented it at the predetermined time doesn't mean the child learned it. As I said, provide the opportunities and your child will learn. And don't start sweating yet, you've only just begun.
BEHIND!!! OH, NO!!! Lol! If you stick around here, you will here us constantly asking those that are concerned about "falling behind" the question, "Behind WHOM?" We patiently explain that those are arbitrary standards, and part of hs'ing is allowing a child to go at HIS speed, without having to compare him to his peers.
I beg to differ, it says on there that it's a "goal" in the description. I don't think it's a problem for the school to have set goals, I'm happy to see they acknowledge that not ALL children will know these things by winter break. Also, in most situations a child WILL know these things if they are put into school. I also agree kids learn through play and just daily activities! I am however very cautious about children to getting a later start. I know of homeschool families that have used the "he/she isn't ready" as an excuse. I KNOW that doesn't account for all, in fact, that accounts for very few, but it does happen.
hi to all, my first post here! Just found this board. Some of it is more first grade, IMO, but a lot of it we have covered in the K curriculum that I'm using. Most of it is pretty easily learned. I think it's more reasonable to think that a child would master those things by mid first grade. Some things will stick better than others. It can be presented to them but I wouldnt expect them to remember it for a while. I think some of those things would be difficult for some children. I agree with the poster that said if you have to drag your kid from outside to do his schoolwork then don't make him do it. My son is five and loves to be outdoors. We do school about two hours per day, but some days, I just skip even that. Like today. He was outside almost all day. Yesterday we worked about 1.5 hours and then he went outside for the rest of the day. It wouldn't have done me much good to force him to do school, not at his age...
Welcome, Momtoamiracle! I sure hope you post about how you came by your name; I'm curious! If I had my "druthers", I'd have a house out in the country. And I'd teach my ds12 by giving him a math and language lesson every day, and then let him "run wild" outside, doing whatever he wanted. He'd learn so much better like that than he does sitting down to book-work! But I live in the suburbs, and I'm not organized to be an unschooler, and he's middle school age, which means you've got to be a bit more diligent about "everything" being covered....
I think some of the words like the parts about geometric basics, that could have been said shapes, lol, but it is written to sound intense we used to do that at the preschools I worked at, they wanted the lesson plans to sound technical and so we made it sound "grown up" but did things like "finger plays" which would be considered acting and singing, worked on our Fine Motors, meant we were playing legos or playdough ,
