Kindergarten

Language Arts

The Spalding Writing Road to Reading phonics program is the cornerstone of our curriculum. Kindergarten students master all 70 phonograms in both written and oral practice. The understanding of phonograms lays the foundation to spelling and reading. Our students expand their vocabulary by making good oral sentences.  Spelling tests begin in the second quarter, and the skill of sentence dictation is added  in the fourth quarter. The Spalding Method also includes clear instruction for handwriting.

Reading

Reid Traditional Schools’ Valley Academy kindergarten students can read within the first 90 days of school! By the third quarter, students read weekly books in class, with a home reading program required in the fourth quarter. They begin learning to distinguish fact from fiction, as well as to identify character, setting, plot, problems, and resolutions. An appreciation of literature and poetry is also imparted. Kindergarteners memorize and recite short selections of poetry. Two examples of these poems are “Treasures” by R. L. Stevenson and “Wind” by Christina Rossetti.

Math

Reid Traditional Schools’ Valley Academy uses the Saxon math curriculum plus supplemental activities. Math begins with supportive manipulatives and moves on to concepts and skills with sufficient practice and understanding.  Students can count and write to 100 by ones, twos, fives, and tens.  Students become familiar with the addition and subtraction combinations to 10 and the concepts of halves and symmetry. They are introduced to basic geometry, measuring time, length, and weight. Kindergarteners practice patterning, ordinals, and become accustomed to story problems for mental math.

All this is achieved through repetitive practice and kind corrections in a nurturing, gentle environment.

Our kindergarten teachers tell their students, “With my help, you can do this.” And our students believe them.