Primary
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Why do parents and students choose young 5s, kindergarten and first grade at New Morning School?
Child Centered, Individualized Education
Welcome to our Primary classroom at New Morning School. Grounded in research, our curriculum and teaching methods stay up-to-date with best practices to fit the needs of all children and the various ways in which they learn. We believe students deserve a program designed to meet their needs in academic, social and emotional areas and we keep our class sizes small allowing for individualized attention.
To meet the personalized needs of each child, teachers work individually with students in small groups at their own level of attention span, maturity and social skills. Because of the multi-age classroom, students are able to fit in where they are socially and academically, and teachers are able to group children for learning activities based on ability, not grade level. This provides a foundational love of learning through hands-on exploration and early feelings of success.
Age
Young 5s, Kindergarten and First Grade
Class Size
Up to 16 Children with one full day teacher, one half day teacher and parent aides.
Classes
Monday - Friday
School hours
8:30am - 3:15pm
Extended hours from 7am to 6pm
Specials and Choice in the Primary Classroom
Art Classes
Students meet with the art teacher once a week to explore a variety of fine arts projects.
Physical Education
Students attend gym class twice a week to improve cardiovascular health and develop large motor skills.
Science
Experiments and hands-on activities support group discussion, making science fun, challenging and interesting. Students participate in regular discovery activities that involve hands-on scientific investigation.
Music
Circle time features music activities, musical instruments, songs, musical stories and finger plays. Students also have music class taught by a specialist teacher.
Project Work
New Morning School’s afternoon kindergarten class is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. This innovative approach builds on the interests of each student and helps learners make connections between prior knowledge and new understanding.
In the afternoon, planning is based on daily open-ended, self-selected activities alongside a question posed by each student. Children state their questions and spend the remainder of the school week(s) using real-life problem-solving, peer interaction, and creative and critical thinking skills. When a child is ready, he/she presents to the class. Answers to the questions are represented by the daily work in art, science, math, and writing that children have undertaken.
Museum Studies
Each winter, a student museum is developed with children choosing individual subjects of interest. Students are given the opportunity to research topics of their choice and share their findings in creative displays and multi-media presentations. Cross curricular skills are developed as students read, write, graph, measure, draw and make models. These in-depth studies and displays are shared with families and the community on Museum day.
The teachers work with each child so that he/she experiences success with beginning academic skills. A student will not be pushed into academic areas, but will remain challenged by appropriate tasks.
The teacher determines the developmental level of each child by assessing academic skills, attention span and developmental needs. A skills checklist, called a rubric, is used to record and guide a child’s progress.
Once their skill level is determined; a child’s program is developed. A student’s day is composed of a mixture of activities planned by the teacher and chosen by the pupil.
Each day, in conference with a teacher, students plan activities they wish to pursue. With guidance from their teacher, each child develops a well-rounded program. Using a graphic plan, the child chooses individual tasks and joins group activities, learning to make choices and follow through. The day ends by checking in with their teacher to reflect.
In the Primary classroom we continue to work on the executive skills of self control and emotional control. We also work with children on flexibility or the ability to adapt to changing conditions by revising plans or changing strategies.
Math skills are introduced using many manipulatives. Counting, matching, sorting, and addition and subtraction with concrete objects reinforce the child’s understanding of math concepts.
Beginning writing starts with a language experience approach. Students dictate stories for their journals, discuss letter names and sounds, and practice fine motor skills by copying or tracing the words. Visual, auditory and fine motor skills are developed through this process.
Phonics skills are practiced daily in small groups, based on ability. Students are able to progress at a fast pace if that is right for the child. Every day there is a quiet reading time after lunch where children practice reading to themselves and to an adult.
Primary Program Highlights
