Bright Beginnings Curriculum
What Will My Child Learn At Bright Beginnings?
The curriculum for Bright Beginnings at SHCC was developed from a set of standards issued by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. These standards include Physical Development, Language, Math, Social Emotional Development, and Science. We have worked cooperatively with the administration at Esther Elementary to model our academic goals and objectives after their preschool curriculum. Bright Beginnings students will enter Kindergarten at Esther with the tools needed to be successful.
Our curriculum also includes a standard on Spiritual Developement. This standard was developed by the Bright Beginnings at SHCC staff, based on the book Teaching on Target by Dr. Robert Choun and Jane Wilson Choun.
Below you will find a description of each standard. Each description includes Goals, Objectives and Examples that will be used to teach each standard.
Goals | Objectives | Examples |
1. Uses gross motor skills with purpose and coordination. | a. Moves from one point to another. | Jump; gallop, balance/hop on one foot; throws, kicks, and catches a ball; rides wheeled toy with pedals |
2. Uses fine motor skills with purpose and control. | a. Performs fine motor tasks. | Squeezes glue bottle; works with playdough; buttons; zips; snaps; strings beads; sorts small objects; uses scissors; holds pencil; blows bubbles; imitates facial expressions |
3. Responds to sensory input to function in the environment. | a. Exhibits sensory awareness. | Uses the five senses to identify objects; names body parts |
4. Practices healthy behaviors. | a. Shows independence in personal hygiene. | Washes and dries hands; joins in indoor and outdoor games; climbs ladder |
5. Practices safe behaviors. | a. Listens to and follows emergency directions. | Uses seatbelt, crosses street with an adult; stays away from dangerous objects/substances; knows how and when to call 911 |
Language
Goals | Objectives | Examples |
1. Applies early reading skills. | a. Shows interest in reading and books. | Enjoys books; holds book upright and turns pages correctly; makes predictions; identifies some letters; recognizes name; knows letters make words; retells stories; recognizes stories have beginning, middle and end |
2. Attends to sounds in language. | a. Repeats rhymes, songs, poems, and finger plays | Knows nursery rhymes; claps syllables; plays rhyming games; knows differences between sounds; knows beginning sounds |
3. Uses writing as a means of communication. | a. Experiments with writing tools and materials. | Uses a variety of writing implements; attempts to write for a variety of purposes; copies letters from environment |
4. Listens attentively for different purposes. | a. Follows simple directions. | Responds to stories verbally and with body gestures; |
5. Communicates ideas, feelings, questions, or to solve problems. | a. Communicates in home language and is understood by others. | Makes up rhymes or songs; tells make believe stories; asks questions; shows empathy; uses descriptive language; experiments with and acquires new vocabulary |
6. Represents feelings and ideas in a variety of ways. | a. Represents feelings and ideas through pretend play. | Participates in pretend play with others; creates music and songs; builds with blocks |
Math
Goals | Objectives | Examples |
1. Uses language to represent number of objects. | a. Compares number of objects. | More, less, greater, fewer, same; meaningful counting; counts backwards; uses simple addition and subtraction; recognizes whole and half |
2. Explores shapes in the environment. | Recognizes shapes in surroundings. | Circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, diamond |
3. Uses number to show quantity. | a. Shows interest in counting and quantity. | Counts objects; counts 1-10 or beyond |
4. Solves problems using numbers. | a. Names how many there are in a group up to five objects without counting. | Rolls dice and tells how many without counting; counts five or more blocks saying the number with each block; guesses how many cups it will take to fill a bucket |
5. Uses numerical representations. | a. Uses drawings to represent number. | Can keep score during a game; selects numbers on phone, calculator, computer, or books/signs; identify positions of objects; write how old he/she is; knows telephone number; correctly counts spaces on game board |
6. Investigates positions and locations. | a. Takes objects apart and puts them together. | Builds with blocks; completes puzzles; tell positions of objects; describes how to get to a location using landmarks |
7. Recognizes relationships in the environment. | a. Matches, sorts, and regroups objects according to one or more characteristics. | Sorts objects into categories; sorts from smallest to largest; arranges objects based on size |
8. Uses patterns in the environment. | a. Recognizes patterns. | Identifies and imitates patterns |
9. Makes comparisons. | a. Compares objects using measurable features | Knows opposites; puts objects in longer and shorter order; understands time of day; describe sequence of daily schedule; tells events of stories in order |
10. Explores measurements. | a. Explores ways to measure. | Uses simple forms of measurements; knows appropriate tools for measurement |
11. Collects, organizes, and uses information. | a. Asks questions to gather information. | Asks questions; explains how objects were sorted; gathers information from charts |
Social Emotional Development
Goals | Objectives | Examples |
1. Exhibits self-awareness. | a. Shows respect for self. | Stands up for self; uses self-help skills (like washing hand); makes choices based on likes and dislikes; knows first and last names, parents’ names, and address |
2. Develops self-control. | a. Follows simple rules. | Follows rules in different settings |
3. Develops personal responsibility. | a. Cares for personal and group possessions. | Helps clean up after activities |
4. Builds relationships and works cooperatively with others. | a. Respects the rights of others. | Treats others with respect |
Social Emotional Development (continued)
5. Participates, shows confidence, and takes initiative in solving problems. | a. Initiates interactions with others. | Plays and talks with others; shares ideas; problem solves |
Science
Goals | Objectives | Examples |
1. Represent observations in a variety of ways about physical, life, and earth/space science. | a. Represents observations through pretend play. | Pretends to prepare/cook food; sings action songs; intentionally mixes paint to make different colors; asks questions about how things work |
2. Explore properties and/or characteristics of physical, life, and earth/space science. | a. Shows interest in plant and animal changes. | Describes life cycle of different plants and animals; describes natural world using five senses |
3. Solve problems involving or related to physical, life, and earth/space science. | a. Identifies problems involving physical properties of objects and materials. | Moves ramp to make toy car go a different direction; throw ball at a target; conducts sink or float experiment; learns about magnets |
Spiritual Development
Goals | Objectives | Examples |
1. Recognizes and develops a relationship with God. | a. Believes God is love. | Memorizes Bible verses; praises God through singing; telling Bible stories; pointing out things in nature that God made |
2. Recognizes and develops a relationship with Jesus. | a. Believes Jesus is the Son of God. | Explain the real meaning of Christmas and Easter; sings songs about Jesus; memorizes Bible verses |
Spiritual Development (continued)
3. Exhibits knowledge of the Bible. | a. Explains that the Bible is the true word of God. | Tells stories from the Bible; uses motions, songs and finger plays to tell others about the Bible; displays knowledge of the differences between good choices/bad choices; shows respect to others; shares and takes turns while playing with peers |
4. Communicates with God through prayer. | a. Distinguishes between prayers and wishes. | Prays to God at mealtime, bedtime, and spontaneously throughout the day; talks to God about problems and concerns |