What is YOUR Kindergartener learning?

[mchames]

My DD6 is in kindergarten in a public school in Atlanta. It is a full day program, late bell rings at 8am and dismissal is at 3pm. Kindergartners have PE, Art and Music once a week and Spanish every day.

The morning starts with the kids writing and drawing pictures in their journals on an assigned topic, except on Fridays which is "free choice" and they can choose any topic they want. They do "small group centers" twice a day, including reading groups and computer time. They are doing a separate language arts program called "Open Court" and also have math, science or health, geography or history daily.

Last month they celebrated 100 days of school and by that point they were counting to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's. Each child had to make a themed poster with 100 items on it for their project.

This month they are studying famous presidents (Lincoln and Washington mostly) and famous African Americans for black history month. To go along with the presidents, they are also studing money. Counting values, how many pennies in a dollar, how many nickels, etc.

She has homework Monday thru Thursday nights and brings home "readers" twice a week. Homework is usually a work sheet, reviewing sight words, reading a book or doing a project. They also have a math enrichment program, in which an optional math sheet gets sent home every other week.

They have learned about 35 sight words and Lauren has started reading and sounding out words. At a conference a couple of weeks ago I was amazed to find out that she is reading on a beginning of first grade level... and she is in the MIDDLE of her class! They are writing in complete sentences using phonetic spelling.

This is not the kindergarten I remember. Many of the things she is doing now I don't think I did until first or second grade. They are also expected to be EXTREMELY independent. It is a very large elementary school (almost 800 kids) lunchtime is mixed grades, so the kindergartners have to hold their own in most situations.

Just reading about her day makes me tired. LOL. She really does enjoy school though and can't wait to go most days.

Mary

 

[Kimickey]

DD is Kindergarten and DH and I have this conversation all of the time. We don't nearly remember all the thing DD is doing. DD has learned how to read on a 2nd grade level. They do math (fractions, time, money(not just coins), graphing, single & double digit addition and subtraction, math problem solving, counting by 5's, 10's 20's). Reading ( at a minimum she has 30 words to learn per week) Punctuations, sentence structure, reading comprehension, vowels, constantants and bible verse memory. Amani has to read every night. She also has music, art, PE, computer lab, & chapel. For Black history month she had to do a report, display invention and give an oral presentation on Benjamin Banneker. I never did this much stuff when I was in grade school. I guess that is why I may not be as bright now.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

These poor kids. All of this pressure is a direct result of Bush's stupid NCLB act.
DS is in K for a half day. He has been learning letters with sounds, patterns, etc. My mom is working with him in the mornings in a book I bought called "Teach your child to read in 100 lessons" each day for the last month, although she doesn't do the writing part because he writes in school. He can count past 100 all ways and knew shapes coming into K. He has gym 2x a week, art and music once and library once.
They write letters and some words but no sentences, etc. I would hope he could handle it, but he is more verbal than physical--his writing is wobbly and he can't tie his shoes yet, although some of the vocabulary words he uses are amazing for his age.
My district had an option for full day K, but they CHARGE for it--same cost as a 1/2 day of tuition--$3000! I live in the (supposedly) best school district in the area and I pay a boatload of taxes so we did not take that option, although 15% of the kindergarteners did. They get some fancy computer software work half of the day.
I wouldn't worry about the kids getting smarter than the parents. I only had 1/2 day and didn't learn to read until 1st grade and ended up 9th in my class at graduation. And we will always have more common sense!
Robin M.

 

[lisajl]

My son is learning the same things that the OP's child is learning.
The bad thing is, they hardly ever have time for recess.

Out of the five days, he may have one day that he has gone out.

I believe they are cramming too much stuff in a short amount of time.
We have a levy coming up, and there are a lot of angry parents out here. I doubt it passes. The only thing the teacher was concerned about is we may have to go to All day alternate day kindergarten.
I told her my oldest child was in that a long time ago, and she did fine. She will be graduating high school this year, and going on to college. No damage done.

I am sure there are a lot of you that don't agree with me.
That is fine.

If you could see my fourth graders homework, your head would spin. Most of the stuff they are throwing at him, is stuff I did not get until I was in the 7th or 8th grade.

Lisa

 

[goodstarr]

DD-7 attended full day Kdg at a school that I knew had a challenging program. I do believe that many times schools (and parents) can overdo it with academics for children. On the other hand, I think that people underestimate how much a child can learn, if only they were introduced to it. In DD's Kdg, they were reading by the time they graduated, as well as doing simple math problems. It is fairly simple to introduce "put 2 apples together with 2 apples and how many do you have now?" to a 5/6 year old. I can't help remembering how I felt once I got to magnet academic high school. I was surrounded by the most intelligent students in the city and felt that my early education didn't prepare me to perform like they did. I always felt like I was playing "catch up". Hearing what the other students had been doing in their middle schools made me wish that my school had challenged us more. I'm not talking about learning Japanese in 1st grade or anything, but doing a little extra can certainly prepare a child for bigger and better things. (OK, I'll take the flames-it is kind of cold in NJ)

 

[lisajl]

(OK, I'll take the flames-it is kind of cold in NJ)

That made me

Good one....kinda cold here in Ohio too!!

 

[Ratpack]

As my DH said, I am a teacher and a parent for the first time this year. It has been a great year being on both sides of the desk. Although I teach 4th grade- I am very aware of what the children are expected to do in all elementary grades. My DD has had the motivation for learning since birth. She loves to read- and hardly ever does she come to me with a book, that we don't stop everything to read it together. We constantly play games in the car on the way to and from school that relate to what she is or has learned in school. She amazes me with all that she has picked up on just the fun we are having-NO DRILL AND PRACTICE!
Yes, the NCLB act is in full force. As a teacher, I feel that all creativity has been stiffled and that I teach to a test. I loved teaching when I could see the light come on in their heads and watching them enjoy goin to centers (even in fourth grade) to explore and problem solve on their own. It is more difficult to do that when every child MUST be on grade level at the end of the year. Well, IF they don't come to me on grade level- THEN I am expecting to move in double time to make them progress 1-3 years of learning. Impossible!! There are many variables that hinder from me doing so, but the one thing is that children are not learning the basic skills in the lower grades. In turn, makes the K-2 teachers have to work harder to do the same thing that I am doing. Not to sound too negative, but I don't think that we are encouraging children (as parents and teachers) to use or learn common sense. In most cases, students who do "use their noodle" can problem solve and cooperate much better than those that just learn the pages of a book. So, parents....1) allow them to be children-don't stress them out over knowing everything in the first year-it will come-in that child's own time 2) Create games for learning. It doesn't take any money to play "what rhymes with...?" and other guessing games.
3) Children do NOT spell love- L.O.V.E. they spell it T.I.M.E. Take a few minutes a day to discuss what they are learning or having trouble with. 4) Don't put all the blame on the teachers. We are only doing what the "suits" are making us do and we are dealing with only what we are dealt. Truly, we are not in this for the money- we honestly care about each child in our room. But all that said-we can not make miracles happen all by ourselves.

Thanks for letting me share my feelings on this...I need this today!

 

[Pinnie]

Ratpack,

I am so on your page. I am a teacher and it is a whole different ballgame right now.

Whoever wrote NCLB never took into account early childhood and how children learn. What were they thinking???

pin

 

[zurgswife]

Whoever wrote NCLB never took into account early childhood and how children learn. What were they thinking???

Luckily the first time I ever heard about NCLB was on these boards....my kids school don't deal with this as they are a private church school....

My kindergartener goes half a day....has PE, Music and religion in her curriculm along with the basics of learning....ABC, counting to 100, tieing shoes....she doesn't write in journals or have ANY homework ..... she has show and tell, centers (with no computers)...and I'm positive she will be as competitive if not more so then those in the Public School system when she attends College...and she got to be a kid.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I was amazed at the things my DD has to learn in K. I also feel bad because some of the kids did not attend any type of preschool and are SEVERLY behind. One child does not know colors, abc, or # where as DD now reads on a 1st grade level.
I am not going to pretend I did anything great. I picked a good preschool as I had to work full time.

I have a friend who "brags" that she is a stay at home mom and her daughter never went to preschool, but this girl has never been in a large group and I am afraid she will not adapt to the "fast paced" K class next year!! She also does not have many skills...she watches tv all day!!

 

[nuke]

Mchames, your Kindergartener's curriculum sounds exactly like mine. They are reading books with their sight words in them, math, the 100 days celebration etc. The teachers must be using the same formats.

My son has finally learned to tie his shoes this past weekend. He is so proud of himself.

 

[MosMom]

I was a stay at home mom but worked with my daughter on skills often. She was in a preschool program but there was plenty of play involved as I believe children learn best through play. She went knowing her colors, shapes, numbers, alphabet, sounds, etc. She is middle of the road in her class. I do not regret not sending her full time to a preschool as I feel it is important to be a kid. I also had no idea she would be expected to fully read by the end of Kindergarten.

My college aged cousin didn't read until the end of 1st grade. She was valedictorian of her high standard private school and is acing classes in college I can't even pronounce. My point is, I don't think that your academic future is based on whether or not you can read well by the end of Kindergarten. I think it is rather silly and I think the pressure will only hurt kids.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

That was really my point..they need to learn be it in preschool or at home..My post was really " How can you not teach your child basic things" I mean..to send a child to school and she can't tell you what a letter is..that is sad.

The sad fact with schools being the way they are now, a child can't just be a child. They will get held back ( and yes, they DO fail kindergardeners ) and maybe not because they are not smart, but that no one TAUGHT them!

 

[Lewski709]

I am amazed that my friend told me today her 6yr old had to write a 5 sentence book report.

This is advanced IMO and she has mentioned "other" things I believe are out of the spectrum for K.

I believe they should know colors, shapes, letters and to count before getting there and K should expand on those.

IMO, pressure to learn more quickly and grow up faster. Times are changing. This isn't the DB and I am NOT going there.

 

[nuke]

I was amazed at how few basics a lot of the children in my son's class had at the beginning of the year.

The homework for the first month was writing their name and letters because some kids couldn't recognize their own name in print or the letters of the alphabet.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Originally posted by nuke
The homework for the first month was writing their name and letters because some kids couldn't recognize their own name in print or the letters of the alphabet.

We seem to have similar Kindergarden teachings, along with McHammes...my daughter's homework pack each week has a sheet that they practice writing their name...a booklet to read, some activites. This week is money...I was FLOORED when my DD knew that Jefferson was on the nickel and Roosevelt was on the dime..I am not even sure I knew that!!!

 

[nuke]

Disneydmbnut- I am also amazed at what he can do. He brought home a math worksheet with addition and subtraction and had them all correct. We play games at home and in the car with math and it's so nice to know that he is able to apply the skills that we have taught him along with what he is learning in school
.
They are also doing the money thing right now. It's so great how quick they pick things up.

 

[FINFAN]

Zurgswife....can you head the NCLB program? Because afterall, their CHILDHOOD is what is being left behind!!!!!
I wish we all had the great approach your school takes.

Pam

 

[cinlee3]

My DD is in 1/2 day kindergarten and what she is learning sounds very similar to what your daughter is learning Bridgett.

We had our first parent/teacher conference two weeks into the school year and the teacher was already bringing up D1 (developmental 1st grade). My daughter had not been to preschool but did now shapes, colors, most of her letters and she is very social.

My oldest is 18 and let me tell you things have changed alot. He was in a private full day kindergarten and he was reading at 4th grade level by the time he was in 1st grade. The difference is they are trying to cram all this into 3 hours a day. The schools are under so much pressure to have these kids passing state tests and they definitely want them reading by the time they leave kindergarten. We also have reading programs, they bring home guided reading, math homework, projects etc.

My daughter is getting mostly 3's (highest) and a few 2's on her report card yet the teacher's comments say she is immature for her grade and her handwriting needs improvement. Hello - she is in kindergarten and besides that she is left-handed and they also teach Denalean (sp) writing which is hard for a lefty to begin with. They don't even waste time on shoe tieing - that has to be done at home.