top of page

Our Curriculum

WNS utilizes a play-based curriculum. Recently updated and re-energized in the fall of 2021, our curriculum integrates language arts, math, science, and social-emotional learning into child-centered projects, activities and play. We also plan special enrichment classes throughout the year, such as gymnastics, agriculture, yoga, dance, and music.

 

Our Teaching Strategies: 

  • Facilitate social/emotional and academic learning through a play-based learning approach

  • Focus on themes/topics with a lot of repetition and child-guided discovery

  • Praise students for effort and skill/concept application

  • Communicate learning with parents to encourage crossover into home life and real-life experiences.

 

Social/Emotional Learning

Students will...

  1. Recognize, identify, and discuss emotions and feelings.

  2. Acquire problem-solving skills.

  3. Explore and discuss how to be helpful and kind.

  4. Build age-appropriate skills for independence.

  5. Gain strategies for asking for help.

  6. Begin to understand how their choices and behaviors affect themselves and others.

  7. Learn self-regulation strategies.

  8. Build stamina for sitting and listening.

  9. Practice using words for sharing, joining play, taking turns, and personal space.

 

Literacy - Language Development

Students will...

  1. Practice taking turns talking.

  2. Practice listening to others. 

  3. Practice asking questions. 

  4. Practice following one and two-step directions.

  5. Share experiences and interests.

  6. Be encouraged to elaborate with describing words and details. 

  7. Learn to use appropriate vocabulary, tone, and voice-levels for various settings.

 

Literacy - Reading Skills

Students will...

  1. Listen to read alouds and engage in related discussion.

  2. Gain print/text feature awareness (such as how to hold a book, read right to left, titles).

  3. Identify letters:

    1. in their name (3 year olds), with exposure to the alphabet.

    2. A-Z (4 year olds), uppercase.

  4. Develop phonemic awareness (understand that letters make sounds). 

  5. Identify and produce rhymes (4 year olds).

  6. Develop vocabulary through themes and content areas. 

 

Literacy - Emergent Writing 

Students will...

  1. Discover that we write to communicate. 

  2. Draw pictures to represent ideas and experiences and to tell stories.

  3. Practice letter formation:

    1. in their names (3 year olds), with exposure to other letters of the alphabet.

    2. A-Z (4 year olds), uppercase.

  4. Write their names:

    1. with support (3 year olds)

    2. independently (4 year olds)

 

Mathematics

Students will...

  1. Count 1-10 (3 year olds) or 1-20 (4 year olds)

  2. Identify numbers 1-10 (4 year olds)

  3. Apply number sense to the world around them; learn to see numbers and quantities in real-world settings. 

  4. Gain an understanding of and use vocabulary for more/less, whole/half, size, comparison, length (long/short), weight (heavy/light), and directions. 

  5. Sort by attributes 

  6. Recognize and create patterns.

  7. Identify and create shapes:

    1. circle (3 year olds).

    2. circle, triangle, square, rectangle (4 year olds).

  8. Develop a basic/foundational understanding of estimation.

  9. Develop a sense of time as it relates to their daily routine.

  10. Learn calendar basics (learn days of the week, exposure to months and format)

 

Science

Students will...

  1. Observe, explore, predict/experiment.

  2. Discuss findings and record observations with drawings.

  3. Explore natural materials (water, rocks, soil, living organisms) and compare living and non-living things.

  4. Notice and discuss weather and seasons.

  5. Learn about natural resources, such as the sun and water.

  6. Develop an awareness of caring for the earth.

  7. Observe plants and learn about animal/insect life cycles. 

  8. Observe properties of liquids and solids (float, sink, melt). 

 

Sensory

Students will...

  1. Explore and manipulate various materials. 

  2. Discover and explore with all five senses.

 

Social Studies

Students will...

  1. Discuss and carry-out classroom expectations and responsibilities.

  2. Share about their family and learn about family diversity.

  3. Discuss friendship and valuable personality traits (kindness, fairness, honesty, citizenship/responsibility).

  4. Learn about the roles of community helpers that keep us safe.

  5. Explore through dramatized and pretend play. 

  6. Learn about various holidays and traditions and how to respect and value differences.

 

Health/Safety

Students will...

  1. Learn/identify basic body parts.

  2. Develop body awareness and coordination (movement activities, balance).

  3. Develop large motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

  4. Strengthen fine motor skills, including proper pencil grip.

  5. Discuss and practice strategies to be safe (strangers, playground, etc.) and healthy (food, sleep, teeth, eyes, hand-washing).

 

Arts

Students will...

  1. Experience music (listening, singing, instruments).

  2. Engage in movement/dance activities.

  3. Develop audience skills.

  4. Participate in dramatic play, including puppets.

  5. Explore a variety of materials and media for creating art.

bottom of page