Kindergarten 2 Curriculum and Programmes at
Primus International Kindergarten Singapore
The curriculum for our 5 turning 6 year olds is based on the National Curriculum (UK) and embraces the Learning Goals within the Singapore curriculum, Nurturing Early Learners (NEL). The Curriculum is further enhanced by international curricula. The children learn through purposeful play combined with focused first steps in learning to read and beginning to write in both English and Chinese and in developing numeracy skills.
The Primus Schoolhouse Kindergarten Singapore curriculum is arranged around Seven Spheres of Learning:
| Core | Foundation |
| Language Arts English | Personal Empowerment (Citizenship) |
| Language Arts Chinese | Healthy Bodies (Physical Education) |
| Thinking Mathematically | Creativity and Culture (Art, Design, Music, Movement) |
| Inquiring Minds (Science) (Geography, History, Technology, Computing) | |
Inquiring Minds and Creativity and Culture provide the breadth of curricula whilst teaching staff maintain a balanced academic focus on Maths and Language Arts both in English and Chinese. Our private kindergarten school follows Singapore Maths curriculum ensuring a smooth transition between each phase of a child’s education. A wide range of curricular activities are designed to enable each child to achieve the goals and objectives appropriate to his or her individual stage of development. The Unique Child reaches out to relate to people and things through the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which move through all spheres of learning. These are,
- Playing and Exploring
- Active Learning
- Creating and Thinking Critically
Children develop at their own rates, and in their own ways. The learning as outlined briefly below and overleaf is for Kindergarten 2. The age/stage bands and curricula overlap because learning is not fixed to age but suggests a typical range of development. Staff assess where each individual child is within their developmental stage and facilitate learning experiences appropriate to them.
Language Arts English/Chinese
| Writing | Reading |
| • Show confidence and a positive attitude to writing • Write about a range of topics that are personally significant • Writes using complete sentences • Writes short fiction and poetry with guidance • Demonstrates an understanding of a recount, a narrative, poetry, a simple report and the use of a journal • Writes a variety of non-fiction pieces with guidance • Show a beginning knowledge of, and a willingness to use the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, conferencing and publishing) • Write simple, sequenced stories with a central idea, beginning, middle and an end • Begins to edit adding description, details and interesting language • Use simple and compound sentences • Use capital letters, full stops and question marks • Use phonetic spelling when writing and begin to use some common spelling patterns (English) • Accurately spell some or most of the common exception words (English) • Write legible upper and lower case letters or Chinese characters in a consistent style • Shares writing with others • Listens and responds to others writing • Identifies own writing strategies and goals |
• Enjoy reading and being read to • Recognize all letter names and sounds that they make in different contexts or Chinese characters taught • Read common exception words • Read aloud books accurately, fluently and with understanding, showing a regard for expression and punctuation • Read silently with a degree of independence. Developing stamina • Participate in paired, group or class reading activities • Identify story elements, comparing and contrasting stories • Use a variety of reading strategies (e.g. picture cues, directionality, phonics, context prediction, sight vocabulary, punctuation, syntax, re-reading and reading on). • Begins to set own reading goals • Read and retell familiar books independently with accuracy and confidence. • Understand and respond to the ideas and feelings in various reading materials • Recognise and talk about a range of different text forms (letters, lists, recipes, stories, poems and plays) • Start to develop personal preferences in reading • Identifies text features (author, illustrator, blurb title page, contents page, page numbers, index etc) • Knows the difference between fiction and non-fiction • Knows how to use a dictionary • Uses knowledge of word structure in English (prefixes, suffixes, chunks) |
| Spelling (English only) | |
| Words containing 40+ phonemes taught, Common exception words, Days of the week, names of alphabet letters and alternative spellings of same sound, Prefixes and suffixes (adding –s or –es, using prefix –un, using -ing, -ed, -er -nd –est, applying spelling rules, writing from simple dictation |
|
Personal Empowerment
| Developing Confidence and Responsibility | Citizenship |
| • To be able to manage some feelings in a positive and effective way • To begin to recognise the effect of their behaviour on other people • to recognise what they like and dislike, what is fair and unfair, and what is right and wrong • to share their opinions on things that matter to them and explain their views • To recognise, name and deal with their feelings in a positive way • To think about themselves, learn from their experiences and recognise what they are good at • To be able to set simple goals • To take part in discussions with one other person and the whole class |
• To take part in a simple debate about topical issues to recognise choices they can make, and recognise the difference between right and wrong • To agree and follow rules for their group and classroom, and understand how rules help them • To realise that people and other living things have needs, and that they have responsibilities to meet them • that they belong to various groups and communities, such as family and school • To be able to identify and respect differences and similarities between people |
Healthy Bodies
| Physical | Healthy Living |
| • To master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and co-ordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities • To participate in team games |
• Know how to make simple choices that improve their health and wellbeing • To maintain personal hygiene • Know rules for, and ways of, keeping safe, including basic road safety, and about people who can help them to stay safe • To be able to make simple choices about some aspects of their health and well-being |
Thinking Mathematically
| Whole Numbers | |
| • Count, read, and write whole numbers to 20. • Compare numbers within 20. • Use place-value models to represent numbers to 100. • Count, read, and write whole numbers to 20. • Count and identify 1 more than or 1 less than a number within 30. • Understand number order and know that larger numbers describe sets with more objects in them than smaller numbers. • Describe and extend regular number patterns within 100, including counting by 2’s and 20’s. • Count and identify 1 more than, 1 less than, 10 more than, 10 less than a number within 100. |
Read, write in words, standard, and expanded notation, and identify place values of digits for numbers within 100. Compare numbers within 100 and use the symbols Make reasonable estimates when comparing numbers and sets of objects within 100. Use place-value models to represent numbers to 100 |
| Addition and Subtraction of Whole Numbers | Mental Math Strategies |
| Understand number bonds and part-whole concept Understand the meaning of addition (missing whole, putting together, counting on, and simple addition stories). Understand the meaning of subtraction (missing part, taking away, counting back, and simple subtraction stories). Add/Subtract numbers within 20. Use inverse relationship between addition and subtraction. Learn addition and subtraction facts within 20. |
Use the commutative and associative properties to perform mental calculations and check results. Add 1-digit numbers involving renaming (e.g. 7 + 5) by making a ten. Subtract 1-digit numbers involving renaming (e.g. 14 – 8) by subtracting from a ten |
| Algebra | Money |
| Solve problems involving numeric equations or inequalities. Select appropriate operational symbol to make an expression true. Use boxes and other symbols to stand for unknown numbers in expressions and equations. |
Identify and know the value of coins and use the cent symbol. Identify and know the value of bills and use the dollar symbol. Count combinations of coins. Count combinations of bills. |
| Time | Fractions |
| Relate time to events Tell time to the half-hour (analog clock face). |
Recognize and name halves and fourths. |
Creativity and Culture
| Music and Movement | Art |
| • Respond to contrasts in music • Explore and make choices about sequences of sounds • Singing in harmony using partner songs • Improvising rhythmic and melodic patterns • Playing percussion instruments with appropriate technique • Playing simple multi-part instrumental arrangements • Labeling musical form • Identifying musical styles and composers from around the world • To perform dances using simple movement patterns |
• To use a range of materials creatively to design and make products • To use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination • To develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space • Know about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work. |
Inquiring Minds
| Science | Humanities |
| • Observe and be aware of the world they live in
• Carry out simple investigations to find out why things happen and how things work • Gather information from a variety of sources to find out why things happen and how things work • Make simple recordings of observations and findings • Talk about their observations and findings Possible scientific inquiry, investigation and knowledge: • Learn about the basic conditions needed for living things to survive, grow and reproduce • Learn/Know that different locations support different living things • Learn/Know the names of the main external body parts of humans and animals • Learn/Know the names and characteristics of a range of animals • Learn/Know about the importance of exercise and healthy eating • Learn/Know about the senses • Learn/Know the names of the parts of plants • Learn/Know that seeds grow into plants and plants need water and light to grow • Learn/Know the names, properties and uses of a range of materials • Learn/Know a range of forces including pushes and pulls can move objects • Learn/Know that power is obtained from different resources • Learn/Know that darkness is the absence of light • Learn/Know that light and sound can travel and come from a variety of sources |
History
• Be curious about past events, people and cultural stories from the past • Be able to ask and answer questions about the past • Be able to talk about events that have happened in the past • Be able to use vocabulary associated with the past • Be able to order events and objects into a sequence • Be able to identify similarities and differences between their own lives and those of people who • have lived in the past • Be able to find out about the past from a variety of sources • Be able to communicate their historical knowledge and understanding in a variety • of ways • Begin to understand that events and people’s actions have causes and effects Geography • Know that the world extends beyond their own locality • Know about similarities and differences between different localities e.g. climate, daily lives • Know that people effect the environment they live in • Begin to use basic geographical vocabulary • Be able to make maps and plans of real and imaginary places, using pictures and symbols • Be able to use resources to find simple geographical information • Be able to express opinions on features of an environment • Be able to communicate their geographical knowledge and understanding in a • variety of ways Technology • Children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools • Children select and use technology for particular purposes • Begin to be able to use ICT to present information • Be able to access familiar applications independently • Be able to plan and give instructions to make things happen • Be able to talk about what they have done |