Program Overview for Grades K/1
Aurora School's interdisciplinary curriculum and teaching strategies challenge students to explore and experiment through active application of academic and social skills. The goal is for students to master a wide range of skills, have the confidence to use them, and the entrepreneurial spirit to apply them creatively in an increasingly complex world.
Science
The Science Program focuses on developing students' understanding of scientific content and scientific process. Children are natural scientists who are always inquiring, investigating, formulating and reformulating how the world works. In the K/1 classroom, students cover the following curriculum in their two years together:
- Trees, and leaves and environmental stewardship
- Wood and paper and awareness of natural resources
- Insects and their life cycle
- Rock mixtures, where they are found and their uses
- The human body, its five senses, basic connected anatomy and physiology
- Animals and their habitats, need for food, shelter, space, their adaptations and behaviors
Social Studies
Social Studies is the study of human interaction and the importance of political, social and geographical variables on human history and societal evolution. In the K/1 classroom, students focus on the themes of friendship, family and community on a yearly basis.
Students cover the following topics on a two-year cycle:
- Peace and Social Justice
- Jazz
- Cultural Studies
Mathematics
The Aurora Mathematics Program encompasses a wide variety of constructivist-based activities that emphasize strong development of mathematical reasoning, problem solving and communications skills in addition to computational strategies. Students gain valuable experience in all of the mathematical strands as outlined by the California standards, including Number and Operations, Measurement and Geometry, Algebra and Functions. In the K/1 Math Program students learn to:
- Understand one's and ten's as part of the place value system
- Count, read and write numbers to 100, count by 2's, 5's and 10's
- Gain proficiency with addition and subtraction facts to 20
- Describe and analyze data from simple graphs
- Use standard and non-standard measurement to find length, weight, and volume of objects
- Understand units of time and tell time to the nearest half hour
- Identify, describe and compare regular polygons
- Describe and extend simple patterns
- Articulate strategies and solutions to problems with the use of words, pictures and/or numbers
Reading/Literature Study
Reading is a key literacy tool. The Reading Program at Aurora offers a balance of meaning based opportunities and teacher directed lessons in which specific decoding and comprehension strategies are taught in context. Teachers at Aurora cull from a broad range of resources and experts to teach reading and literature. The K/1 Program helps children develop a love of story and books, as well as acquire key language and literary skills. The concepts and skills taught meet and exceed the California standards:
- Reading Comprehension
- Phonemic Awareness
- Concepts of Print
- Decoding, Letter and Word Recognition
- Vocabulary
Writing
Writing is one of our most important tools for communicating and is incorporated into all areas of the curriculum, including math, science and art. At Aurora, writing is taught through a process approach in a workshop setting where students brainstorm, draft, conference, edit, revise, publish and celebrate their writing. In the K/1 classroom, the topics include:
- Writing
- use lists and webs as brainstorming techniques
- use descriptive language and adjectives
- write uninterrupted for 15 minutes
- write to explain strategies, describe events and observations and invent stories and poems
- Word Study (Spelling)
- Spell three- and four-letter short vowel words
- Understand and use silent e words in spelling
- Use various resources and strategies to spell words, including: class word wall and lists, environmental print, context and word family knowledge
- Penmanship
- Print legibly and space letters, words and sentences
- Use upper and lower-case letters
Field Trips
In the K/1 classes, students spend a lot of time in the field, experiencing their education in the real world environment:
- Oakland Museum
- Berkeley Marina
- Cal Performances
- Oakland Zoo and its Educational Center
- Muir Woods
- Science Discovery Museum
- Lawrence Hall of Science
- Ferry ride to San Francisco
- Pier 39 Aquarium
- Marin Mammal Center
- Holy Names High School Play
- De Young Museum
- Peace March in neighborhood and Holy Names HS