Social Studies and Enterprise Education - … Studies and Enterprise Education Social Studies and Enterprise Education is designed to promote the socialization and personal development

EARLY BEGINNINGS - KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM GUIDE 67

SocialStudiesandEnterpriseEducation

Early Beginnings!

68 EARLY BEGINNINGS - KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM GUIDE


Social Studiesand EnterpriseEducation

Social Studies and Enterprise Education is designed to promote the

socialization and personal development of the kindergarten child. It

presents the young child with the concept of self in the context of the

home, school, neighbourhood and community. Examples of social

relationships are taken from the child's personal experiences, and from

the local situation. The kindergarten child, in concrete or direct

learning experiences, can begin to gain an understanding and

appreciation of the importance of social interaction, and refinement of

personal development.

Specific CurriculumOutcomes

The following specific curriculum outcomes for Social Studies and

Enterprise Education are intended to be used when planning learning

experiences which enhance the child’s growth and develop an

understanding of past, present, and future.

It is expected that the child will

• work with others and complete tasks for which they are responsible

demonstrate self awareness (e.g., represent self in drawings,

journals, orally)

• demonstrate personal growth in self confidence and motivation

- apply previous knowledge to new situations

- express own point of view

- respond positively to encouragement

- set personal goals (e.g., read 5 books, draw 3 pictures)

• show awareness of the need for compassion, empathy, honesty, and

respect in dealing with others

• demonstrate compassion, empathy, honesty, and respect in dealing

with others

• demonstrate respect for personal and societal rights and

responsibilities

- show an awareness of the need for rules

- show respect for members of a diverse cultural group

• accept responsibility for his/her behaviour

• demonstrate responsible behaviour in caring for the classroom and

the school environment

• demonstrate the ability to persevere and solve problems

- recognize when a problem exists

- ask for help when necessary

- identify alternate solutions

- recognize the consequences of each alternate

- make a decision by selecting the best alternative

• practise effective communication skills

- express thoughts, feelings, and opinions in appropriate ways

- listen attentively to other points of view

- respond appropriately in a variety of social situations


• participate cooperatively in social groups

• locate and acquire information through

- electronic sources

- print sources

- pictorial sources

- real-life interactions

• organize information through a variety of concrete representations

• evaluate whether information is fiction or nonfiction

• understand that real objects can be represented by symbols (e.g., as

on a map)

• develop space awareness

• develop temporal awareness by working on the concept of last

week, last month, next month, next year

• demonstrate an understanding of different occupations including

small business ownership

• demonstrate an awareness that irresponsible, abusive, and

exploitive behaviours are intolerable

• understand that family roles and societal expectations influence

behaviours

- become aware of school and social rules

• recognize that members of a family satisfy one another’s needs

• recognize that members of a family have different roles

• recognize that when budgeting, family necessities must be

accommodated before decisions can be made about nonessentials

• recognize that family and school members are important to the

local community


HealthEducation

Early Beginnings!



Health A comprehensive school health program is intricately linked to the total

development of the child. The kindergarten health program supports

the intellectual, social, emotional, physical, spiritual and moral

development, and promotes the development of good health practices.

The experiences provided in a comprehensive health program at the

kindergarten level, are geared to the developmental needs, and the wide

range of individual needs and interests of the children in a class. The

health program connects the daily needs, interests, and experiences of

the kindergarten child to healthy practices.

At the kindergarten level a comprehensive school health program

should influence in a positive way, knowledge, attitudes and

behaviours. Through the involvement of the home, school and

community the health program should relate to every aspect of a child’s

life.


The following specific curriculum outcomes are intended to be used as

a guide when planning for learning experiences which will enhance the

attitudes, growth and development of young children.


• understand that each person is special

• understand that as he/she grows some things change and some do

not (e.g., height, age, gender, skin colour, birthday)

• demonstrate respect for the health of self, others, and the

environment

• know some community helpers (e.g., teachers, parents, police,

school patrols)

• identify and apply safety rules in a variety of everyday situations

(e.g., telephone for help, follow traffic signals, follow safety rules

for Halloween)

• know the symbols for poisonous and flammable

• recognize personal needs (e.g., brushing teeth, washing hands

before eating, combing hair)

• understand that healthy foods give the body energy and help it

grow

• understand that the teeth and tongue help us to make certain

sounds and to speak clearly

• know that the body has many parts (e.g., arms, legs, hands, feet,

head, ears, eyes, nose, neck)

• understand that the senses are used to give us information about

the world around us (e.g., eyes to see, nose to smell, ears to hear,

tongue to taste, skin to touch)

• understand that each person experiences a variety of feelings (e.g.,

happiness, sadness, fear)


• understand that some touches make us feel upset and confused

(e.g., hitting, rough wrestling, too much tickling)

• understand that we are all members of a family

• understand that friends share and play together


PhysicalEducation

Early Beginnings!



PhysicalEducation

Note: For further elaboration on the

Physical Education Curriculum, refer

to Adjusting the Focus: A

Curriculum Framework for Physical

Education.

Physical Education at the kindergarten level places emphasis on

movement and the whole child. Process skills are emphasized where

children develop movement strategies to react to various situations,

solve problems, and make decisions.

Taken as a whole, and developed on a continuum throughout the

school system, the outcomes of the physical education program

encourage learners to develop physically, cognitively, socially,

emotionally and spiritually, in, about, and through movement

(Adjusting the Focus: A Curriculum Framework for Physical

Education, 1996).

Education about movement is concerned with learning concepts, rules

and procedures ranging from simple spontaneous movements to

complex structured movements. At the kindergarten level the theme of

movement might involve a project with references to pastimes and

games. This may be conducted within a physical education unit or

integrated with other subjects. Movement concepts such as running,

jumping, throwing, catching, turning and twisting might be

introduced, observed and practised. Education about movement is

confined to the transmission and transaction of movement knowledge.

Education through movement is concerned with the affective

contribution of movement as a means to an end. Here movement is

used to achieve outcomes related to moral values and conduct, aesthetic

understanding and appreciation, social interaction and socialization, or

the use of leisure time that may be outside of any physical activity.

Education in movement is concerned with the qualities that are

inherent in movement itself. It is concerned with knowing how to

move and engaging in physical activities while education in movement

emphasizes the learner as mover, it relates to and draws upon the about

and through dimensions at different times in varying degrees according

to the situation and setting. It is here, in movement when all three

meet, that education as transformation can take place in physical

education.

Viewed within these three dimensions, physical education includes the

entire physical activity experience that embraces an “Active Living”

philosophy.




a guide when planning for experiences in physical education for

kindergarten children.


• participate in creative movement activities (e.g., select and extend

personal movement to express a feeling or idea)

• participate with enthusiasm in movement and share movement

experiences with others

• recognize and accept that there are individual differences in

performances (e.g., diverse physical abilities)

• demonstrate spatial awareness as it relates to movement (e.g., be

able to find own private space to work in, move at varying speeds

without bumping into others, share space with one or more

partners and move in different directions and ways)

• develop large and small muscle control and coordination

• perform various locomotor and non-locomotor movements

necessary for active living (e.g., jump, hop, leap, slide, kick a ball,

toss, clap, bend, stretch, catch, button, lace)

• be able to stop and start on signal

• develop an awareness that games have rules

• demonstrate basic safe practices and fair play when engaging in

physical activity


Art

Early Beginnings!



Art

“Young children have a natural

inclination to express personal feelings

and ideas, to explore and to create.”

Participation in visual art provides the young child with experiences

that stimulate creative and intuitive thought while developing aesthetic

judgement, ethical conduct, self-discipline, group planning strategies,

cooperation, a sense of personal worth, problem solving, and critical

thinking.

Young children have a natural inclination to express personal feelings

and ideas, to explore and to create. They strive to make sense of their

world by organizing information and input. When they become

familiar with and master new concepts, they are free to use these in

various ways. Creativity has to be nurtured and the process of creating

becomes as important as the product for the kindergarten child.

During the creative process the child can experiment, enjoy the sensory

experience, communicate, work out fears and relive experiences.

Art, for the kindergarten child, is a process of visual expression and

creation. It can result in a drawing, a painting, a print or three-

dimensional products such as sculptures and collages.

Children move from a scribbling stage, where they experiment with

marks on a page to a preschematic stage where the child has a subject

in mind when beginning to create. Some kindergarten children reach

the schematic stage where their imagery becomes more

representational. The transition to pictorialism begins, according to

Rhoda Kellogg (1969), between the ages of four and five. She advises

teachers to refrain from judging children's art and from providing

instruction on how to draw specific objects. It is preferable to

encourage artmaking using a variety of media and have children discuss

their intentions in creating visual imagery and art objects.

Most early childhood educators advise against using colouring books

and photocopied pictures with four- and five-year-old children because

they inhibit creative expression, are not developmentally appropriate,

and serve as poor aesthetic models.



The following specific curriculum outcomes are intended to give

direction for experiences in art, for kindergarten children.


• develop basic skills of interaction, cooperation and collaboration

through group activities in making art images.

• demonstrate a willingness to display images as part of a group

display

• compare artworks for similarities and differences

• recognize the importance of the art of other cultures and

demonstrate respect for that work

• state verbally a reaction to an art work created by another person

and explain the reaction

• develop visual awareness through describing, matching, aligning

and simple classification

• make choices among different media as part of the decision-making

process in creating art (e.g., draw, model, paint, construct)

• choose art images that have personal meaning and tell why

• use visual media as a means to express ideas, feelings, concepts

• draw upon personal experiences and acquired knowledge when

creating imagery

• demonstrate a willingness to develop and create visual imagery for

specific purposes (e.g., birthday card, Christmas)

• discuss intentions in creating an art work

• demonstrate a willingness to use simple art making tools

• develop safe practice skills in the use of art making tools and

materials

• identify a variety of visual art forms (e.g., photograph, drawing,

painting, sculpture)

• demonstrate pride in creating a final product

• identify the elements of design in the natural environment

• recognize that the elements of art and design can be used to convey

meaning.

• name, explore and use the elements of design in making art (e.g.,

lines, colours, textures, shapes, forms)

• describe the elements of design at work in an art object (line,

shape, colour, space, texture)

• use visual imagery as a means of recording personal experiences and

events

• develop basic competencies in art skills and techniques (e.g., use

brushes to create patterns and imagery)


Music

Early Beginnings!



Music Young children have a spontaneous affinity for music. They often use

it to communicate. Music in a kindergarten program promotes

appreciation and enjoyment of music in all its forms. Appropriate

music activities for kindergarten children include: listening to music,

singing, playing instruments and moving to music.


“Young children have a spontaneous

affinity for music. They often use it to

communicate.”

The following specific curriculum outcomes are intended to give

direction for experiences in music for kindergarten children.


• recognize the musical traditions of his/her own culture (e.g.,

seasonal songs, songs which validate our culture - fishing, logging)

• enjoy participation in singing, listening, moving, playing, and

speaking activities

• express his/her feelings and/or thoughts about music

• distinguish between beat and rhythm

• express beat and rhythm with the body and with percussion and

basic classroom instruments (e.g., keep beat using simple

percussion instruments and movements)

• explore personal vocal sounds using speaking and singing voice

(e.g., use high/low sounds, imitation sounds, imagery sounds)

• discover and develop the singing voice

• perform simple songs, rhythm chants, and finger plays

• develop awareness of the expressive controls in music:

faster/slower, higher/lower, louder/softer

• represent music through simple notation (e.g., high/low placement

on staff, beats, simple rhythm patterns, rests)

• develop an awareness of mood in music

• respond to music through careful, attentive listening

• recognize similarities and differences in music

• recognize available rhythmic and melodic instruments by sight and

sound



TechnologyEducation

Early Beginnings!



TechnologyEducation

The Nature ofTechnology andTechnologyEducation

“Technology , often thought of as

things, or products, such as cars and

computers is more appropriately

defined as the means by which people

meet their needs and wants.”

Technology , often thought of as things, or products, is more

appropriately defined as the means by which people meet their needs

and wants. It is comprised mainly of processes and strategies. Over

time these strategies have been organized and are referred to as the

technological problem solving model. One category of these strategies

is design which is widely used to develop products for personal and

commercial use. It is used in the publishing, graphics and other

communications industries.

Technological products have been part of human culture since

prehistoric times. Historically, the technological tools and processes

were generally understood by people in a society. However,

technological tools, products, and strategies have become more

sophisticated and dependent on knowledge of advanced scientific

concepts and processes . This has tended to present more challenges for

society in terms of how the tools and products work, how to use them,

and their effects on people, society and the environment.

The K-XII technology education program is described in the

Department of Education document A Curriculum Framework for

Technology Education: Living in a Technological Society. The program

is concerned with six major issues, written as General Curriculum

Outcomes in the framework. These issues are

• Nature of Technology which addresses the fundamental principles

of technological tools, processes, and products, the role of

technology and how people employ it to adapt to their

environment.

• Technological Problem Solving which addresses the processes and

procedures of using resources to create solutions to human needs

and wants. It is based mainly on design methods.

• Technological Impact which is concerned with the consequence of

technological activity on people, society and the environment. It

addresses technology as a powerful change agent.

• Technological Literacy which addresses the language and

terminology of technology used to describe technological concepts,

ideas, tools, products, resources and processes.

• Lifelong Learning which is concerned with the tools, skills, and

strategies that students employ to become more effective learners

through the use of technology.

• Technological Communications which provides a focus on the role

and practical use of computers in other areas of technology such as


making products or moving products and people from one location

to another.

The technology education program employs five concept organizers.

Specific curriculum outcomes are identified for each organizer.

Communications

The basic communications principles of encoding-decoding, storing-

retrieving, and sending-receiving, are employed when we read and

write, use the telephone or obey traffic signs. They are also essential

concepts in understanding how to use a computer effectively.

Control

The basic control principles of switching, sensing, and regulating are

employed when we turn lights on and off, set the thermostat, adjust the

curtains to control sunlight, water and weed plants, program the

settings on a microwave oven, and select a particular wash cycle on the

dish washer.

Production

The basic production principles of combining, forming, separating, and

finishing are employed whenever any physical object is made. This

includes, for example, making food, clothes, consumer products such as

pens and cars, dishes, paper airplanes, paper mache objects, and big

books.

Energy and Power

The basic energy and power principles of conservation, conversion, and

transmission are employed in many modern devices including

household appliances, radios, CD players, cars and toys. These

concepts may be beyond the level of the students. However, they will

be familiar with things that operate on the basis of these principles.

Biotechnology

The basic biotechnology principles of propagating, growing, adapting,

treating, maintaining, harvesting, and converting are employed to

create products in agriculture and aquaculture.


The following specific curriculum outcomes for technology education

are intended to be used to give direction for experiences in technology

education for kindergarten children.

Communications It is expected that the child will:

• Follow instructions to create products. (e.g., By following verbal

instructions make a puppet, a big book, a structure with blocks, a

plasticine object.)

• Communicate ideas for making a product. (e.g., Draw or paint a

picture to describe how to do something; describe their actions in


words; describe something by assembling a picture with geometric

paper shapes. )

• Identify different ways to communicate by using technology.

S (e.g., Discuss how to talk to someone in another place;

describe ways to share a picture or a story with people in

another country; using magazine and book pictures discuss

tools and devices used to communicate with others.)

Control • Identify common devices used in the home and school to switch

things on and off or to regulate processes.

• (e.g., Examine and discuss actual devices and pictures of

devices such as light switches, thermostats, door closers, door

lock, toilet lever, phone buttons, computer keyboard and

mouse. Discuss how they are used to make something

happen.)

• Operate familiar devices to switch or regulate things.

• (e.g., Use the phone, lock and unlock the door, use a

flashlight, turn the water on and off and set the volume,

change channels on the tv, with appropriate software use a

computer mouse to draw a picture.)

• Identify things that are used to turn on and off or change the

settings on something. (e.g., Find examples or pictures of buttons,

switches, levers, knobs, locks, dials, handles.)

• Make a manual device to turn something on or off.

• (e.g., Make a Plasticine plug to block a hole in the bottom of

a plastic jug in order to stop water from running out.)

• Control (turn on/off and regulate) a device or system.

• (e.g., Turn on a computer, start a program, perform the

operations that the program allows, stop the program and turn

the computer off; turn on the lights.)

Production Solve problems involving technology by using various tools, materials

and processes. (e.g., Make things from materials such as paper,

plasticine, wood or cloth by using tools such as pencils, scissors, rulers

and sandpaper. Use processes such as cutting with scissors (separating),

joining with glue or staples (combining), shaping clay or plasticine

(forming), and smoothing wood with sandpaper (finishing) to create

the objects.

• Compare the properties and uses of familiar materials.

• (e.g., Examine wood, metal, cloth, plastics, and other materials

and discuss concepts such as: hard-soft, smooth-rough, bends-

doesn’t bend, occurs in nature - is human-made. Make a graph

of the results.)

• Identify common tools. (e.g., Make a collection of common

everyday tools in the home and school. This could be a display of

actual objects as well as pictures from books and magazines.

Examples include: kitchen utensils, knives, hammers, saws, sewing


machines. Discuss what they are, what they are used for, and how

to be safe around them.)

Energy and Power Identify products that use batteries, gasoline, electricity or wind to

enable them do things. (e.g., Make a collection of objects or pictures

that use batteries, fuel, electricity or wind power. Discuss things such

as what the object is for; what would happen if the battery died, the

fuel was used, or the wind stopped blowing.)

• Demonstrate understanding of how things move.

• (e.g., Using a favorite moving toy, demonstrate how it moves

by using it and describing what is happening; sort toys by their

energy sources such as: wind-up, battery operated, do not use

energy sources.)

• Make a product that uses air, batteries or some other kind of

energy to move. (e.g., Make a boat made from a styrofoam tray.

Give it a paper sail. Blow on the sail to make it move. Discuss the

relationship between how hard you blow and how far or fast it

moves.)

Biotechnology • Discuss ways that plants are started, grown, harvested, and

converted into useful products. (e.g., Make a display of pictures

of different kinds of plants. Include trees, food plants, and

decorative plants. Discuss the kind of plants that might be used to

make products like clothes, food, houses, and toys.)

• Create a useful biotechnology product. (e.g., Plant seeds

(propagating) for things like bean sprouts or peas. Care for the

plants by watering and nurturing their growth (maintaining).

Harvest the crop. If suitable, cook and eat the food (conversion).

• Discuss how things we make and do, affect the air and land around

us. (e.g., Discuss things like: farmers plow the soil and

sometimes rain washes it away; cars burn gasoline and the exhaust

can be smelly and affect the quality of the air.)


ReligiousEducation

Early Beginnings!



ReligiousEducation

The Kindergarten Religious Education program focuses on what it

means to belong and feel welcomed in the family and community. It

also fosters an appreciation and respect for creation through exposure

to topics such as special seasons and celebrations, experiences of loss

and mourning, selected Bible stories, religious symbols, and the

uniqueness of their own bodies, children develop an awareness that

they are children of God.

Since there may be various religious beliefs represented in any

classroom, kindergarten teachers are encouraged to be inclusive of other

faiths, to help children appreciate differences in beliefs, and to ensure

that any information given about other faiths is accurate. Needless to

say any methodology used must be pedagogically and developmentally

sound.

Teachers are strongly encouraged to avail of community resources for

materials to support these goals. Adherents of the various faith

communities, if available, can be sources of information, stories and

symbols. Suitable materials may be available in school resource centres,

public libraries or on the Internet. The teacher is a key resource with

regard to modeling an accepting, loving and tolerant attitude. It is left

to the discretion of the teacher to judge the quality and appropriateness

of all materials used in helping children explore other belief systems.

Please refer to the primary Religious Education (Grades K-3) Guide

(1998) for further information on teaching strategies, assessment

activities and suggested resources.


a guide when planning for experiences in physical education for

kindergarten children.


Note: The Religious Education

Curriculum Framework - Draft

(1999) contains further elaborations

on religious education in the context of

the K-12 program


• appreciate that celebrating special religious days is important in all

religions

• appreciate that celebrating special days is important for children as

members of their families, schools and communities

• appreciate the meaning of Christmas, Lent and Easter in the

religious context

• recognize symbols of Christianity such as the cross and manger

scene, and appreciate that other selected religions also have symbols

• recognize loving and caring as key principles of Christianity and

other selected religions

• be familiar with selected Bible stories and appreciate that other

selected religions also have stories

• respect the Bible and other sacred writings

• recognize a special day for rest, recreation and worship


See Appendix F for further details on

teaching and assessment strategies for

kindergarten religious education

• realize that for Christians, Jesus is the model for living, and

appreciate that other living belief systems also have persons who are

models for living

• know that prayer can be a way of giving thanks (wherever

appropriate in the program)

• recognize the importance of belonging to a welcoming group

• appreciate and celebrate that they belong to a family

• recognize that they are children of God

• appreciate the uniqueness of their bodies

• be aware of their feelings and appropriate ways to express them

• be aware of their own talents and abilities

• realize the importance of their senses in exploring the world

• be aware of appropriate ways to express their likes and dislikes

• be aware that they have basic needs that must be satisfied

• appreciate God’s world with awe and wonder.

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Social Studies and Enterprise Education - … Studies and Enterprise Education Social Studies and Enterprise Education is designed to promote the socialization and personal development