List of 10 items.

• Emergent Literacy

  The pre-kindergarten program exposes students to many pre-reading skills. Using engaging and multi-sensory strategies, teachers lead students in learning letter sounds and names. The children enjoy using this knowledge to associate words with particular sounds and letters. Through songs, pictures, body motions, and read-alouds, the students learn to explore books independently and with their classmates. Working one-on-one, teachers assess students' pre-reading skills and select activities that will help them grow as a reader. This exploration helps children develop their phonemic awareness and love of books.

• Emergent Numeracy

  Pre-kindergarten students build their number sense by comparing amounts of items and learning the corresponding numbers for those groups. By using both small and large manipulatives such as blocks, marbles, pebbles, and cubes, the students compare differing amounts and use descriptive words for them such as ‘greater’, ‘less’, and ‘equal.’ The curriculum emphasizes conceptual knowledge in addition to rote numeracy; students develop a knowledge of math concepts by using numbers to understand their world. Using formative assessments, teachers work with students individually and in small groups to support their growth in order to foster a love of math.

• SOCIAL STUDIES

  The social studies curriculum in pre-kindergarten focuses on learning how to be responsible members of the classroom community. The students learn to respect their teachers and classmates. The children also engage in discussions about what makes them special and unique and what attributes they share in common with their classmates. The teachers emphasize the importance of community through Norwood's Value of the Month Program, field trips, interactive lessons, and projects.

• SCIENCE

  Pre-kindergartners approach science class by immersing themselves in the scientific process. Children investigate units such as physics, bubbles, and the environment in order to develop skills fundamental to scientific inquiry. In physics, students learn how to observe data in order to make conclusions about falling objects and gravity. Children will also work in the school garden, observing plant growth during their unit on the environment. Throughout the process, students learn through hands-on instruction that is both engaging and active.

• SPANISH

  Young children have a natural gift for learning languages so our pre-kindergartners are exposed to Spanish language and culture a several times a week. The children explore the language in a story-based approach through movement, songs and skits. They build vocabulary as they repeatedly hear clear and accurate Spanish, helping them learn proper language patterns. Every day, they practice conversational Spanish by completing classroom routines in Spanish, and they are encouraged to use the language beyond the classroom. Topics include, but are not limited to, greetings, numbers, colors, animals, family members, emotions, parts of the body, and parts of a house.

• ART

  In the Lower School, the art curriculum enables students to gain confidence, knowledge, experience, and appreciation for a wide variety of art ideas and materials. Throughout their experiences in art class, students are introduced to a sequential program which emphasizes process, while exposing them to the elements of art. Media covered include drawing, painting, ceramics, collage, sculpture, and printmaking. As students develop as artists, teachers emphasize the development of personal expression, imagination, curiosity, and careful observation. Students apply these concepts and techniques while making connections, solving problems, and developing both self-confidence and a personal artistic voice.

• MUSIC

  The music program in pre-kindergarten consists of singing daily routines, using rhythmic instruments and learning songs in anticipation of a special sing-a-long taking place in the spring. The pre-kindergarten teachers instill a joyful sense of music and music-making in every child. Their goal is give each child a fun and developmentally appropriate experience in music to nurture a lifelong love music. Pre-kindergartners are natural musicians and relish the chance to sing, perform, and use instruments in the classroom and do this every day!

• PHYSICAL EDUCATION

  In the Lower School, students are introduced to basic loco-motor skills and activities that develop hand-eye and hand-foot coordination, spatial awareness, teamwork, and sportsmanship. In addition, teachers process these experiences with students individually and in groups, asking questions like, “Can a self-win also be a team win?” and “What does it mean to be a good sport?” Lower school students learn the mental and physical foundations that will help them succeed throughout their time at Norwood School and beyond.

• LIBRARY & TECHNOLOGY

  Pre-kindergartners explore Norwood’s library through carefully selected books brought to their classroom by Norwood’s librarians, who work with each student to learn their individual interests and help them select "just-right" books. Our pre-K students are introduced to technology through the use of codable robots, which teach computational thinking without the use of screens.

• LIFE SKILLS

  As part of our commitment to the whole child, Norwood School’s Life Skills Program introduces students to age-appropriate information about personal and community health and well-being that will help them lead happy and healthy lives and make positive contributions to their community from early childhood through adolescence and beyond. Some of the topics for lower school students include friendships, self-esteem, being inclusive, bullying, conflict resolution, peer pressure, responding to teasing. At all ages, the program establishes skills and strategies for lifelong well-being and promotes caring for the well-being of others. Throughout the program, teachers emphasize the important role students’ own family members play in guiding goal-setting, problem-solving and decision-making.