Little Dragons

Listening & Speaking

Being a part of a classroom group, interacting with one’s peers as well as attentive adults, allows students to sharpen their speaking and listening skills. Everyday classroom routines and activities such as circle time and singing specifically challenge students to:

• Express ideas
• Listen attentively
• Appropriately participate in class discussions
• Formulate thoughts and meaningfully contribute to class discussion

Reading Readiness

There is dedicated time, multiple times per day, where the following skills are fostered and reinforced through active lessons, group story times, and one-on-one instruction:

• Beginning to recognize letters
• Identify rhyming words
• Retell parts of a story (beginning, middle, and end)
• Establish purpose for reading: make predictions, connect important ideas, and link previous experiences
• Identify parts of a book: cover, author, and illustrator

Science

Students are naturally curious. Capturing their natural desire for exploration, we teach them how to be gentle observers of nature and how things work. Building upon topics that are of interest to the children, we introduce the scientific method—making a hypothesis, doing research, conducting an experiment, and analyzing results—all in ways that are age and stage appropriate. Topics vary from year to year but may include:

• Five Senses
• Seasons
• Energy
• Weather
• Magnetism
• Plants and Animals
• Human Body

Writing Readiness

Writing readiness is embedded within the curriculum and occurs not only when the children are engaged with paper-pencil tasks but through creative projects, use of the sensory tables, and other materials. Among other skills, they develop the ability to:

• Identify first name
• Starting to write first name with a prompt
• Controls writing utensils
• Uses a variety of manipulatives to develop fine motor skills
• Beginning to identify hand preference

Math Readiness

Creatively using everyday objects and the world around them, the students explore shapes and patterns, count, classify, and arrange items in various ways. Through these activities, they begin to:

• Recognize numbers to 10
• Compare objects by number and size
• Understand simple patterns
• Understand spatial relations (up/down, above/below)
• Identify basic geometric shapes

Personal Skills

Gaining independence and caring for oneself are explicit goals of the Little Dragons and K-Prep programs. Children gain a sense of responsibility for themselves and their belongings. With assistance from their teachers, they develop the ability to:

• Demonstrate appropriate control of one’s body
• Execute and apply verbal directions to complete classroom activities
• Engage appropriately in lessons and activities
• Transition appropriately between tasks
• Respectfully manage classroom supplies
• Put materials and personal items away with teacher instruction
• Regulate emotions in an appropriate manner
• Show respect for one’s peers
• Chooses suitable behaviors in interactions with peers
• Perform basic self-care skills
• Pack up belongings and put on coat independently

Social Studies

In Little Dragons and K-Prep, the classroom community itself is part of the social studies experience. Meeting new friends, navigating the classroom, and learning daily routines are all a part of learning outside of one’s home.

Beginning with the world children know, we explore places such as home and school, and then expand into neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries using maps and globes. The children learn about community helpers and the ways in which all people contribute in a community. The goal is to create enthusiasm for the diversity in the world through the exploration of artifacts, books, music, and holidays.