Kindergarten reading takes on many different forms. Children may enjoy listening to stories, looking at pictures, and approximating reading. Others are building on their phonetic awareness by sounding out simple words and recognizing sight words, or even reading independently. Common to everyone is an enthusiasm for books and a love for stories. During read-alouds, students work on listening comprehension, summarizing, retelling, and recalling facts, characters, and plot.

First grade is a time when many students “unlock” the secrets of reading. Students spend time during Reading Workshop reading books at their “just right” level. These may be phonics books, early readers, or chapter books. Students learn strategies to figure out unfamiliar words on their own, and practice summarizing and retelling to ensure comprehension. First grade students also use the Lexia Core 5 Reading program at their own level and pace, practicing skills in phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency.

Using a balance of whole-language learning and phonics instruction, we strive to meet all children where they are developmentally and to continue to nurture their love of books, knowing that the reading process is different for each child.

The kindergarten/first grade classroom at Birches School creates many and varied opportunities for children to learn and grow in their writing, from weekly journals to imaginative stories. Writing begins with scribbling, drawing, and storytelling. Children learn the concepts of sequence, character and narrative. Simultaneously, they are also beginning to learn proper letter formation and phonics rules using the Handwriting Without Tears program. Writing then evolves to inventive or temporary spelling, copying words with correct spelling, and dictating more complex stories. Along the way, we encourage children to take risks, find their voices, and share their writing with their peers. We aim to build confidence and to create independent writers.

Math in the kindergarten/first grade classroom is integrated throughout the curriculum. Children practice measurement through cooking, real-world problem solving and hands-on learning. Students create surveys to gain information while learning graphing skills and are constantly counting, adding, subtracting, comparing and contrasting to problem solve during day to day activities. Using a combination of games, lessons, and integrated activities, Birches students are exposed to a variety of math concepts upon which to build and deepen their understanding.

In kindergarten and first grade, the focus of math is on establishing number sense, mathematical thinking and creative problem solving. We help students develop a solid understanding of the building blocks while learning to think flexibly, creatively, and logically. We focus on number relationships and how to solve problems by manipulating numbers and identifying patterns. Students use a variety of manipulatives as well as written and mental strategies. More importantly, they learn to be creative and flexible in determining which strategy will work best, understanding that there are multiple ways to arrive at the same answer.

Since students enter kindergarten with different experiences, we strive to teach math in a way that challenges all learners regardless of grade or math ability. Sometimes we separate by grade, other times by ability, and other times work as a whole group or with mixed partners.

Children are naturally curious and strive to understand the world around them. At Birches School, we tap into that curiosity and explore the natural world around campus. We spend a great deal of time each week in the woods of Lincoln, observing changes throughout the seasons. It is not uncommon for students to discover a snake, a chipmunk hole, or a mossy stone.

Forest Fridays have become a favorite time of the week for our kindergarten and first grade students. Regardless of the weather, the class spends the entire morning outside in the woods, exploring, observing, collaborating, and playing. Students become natural engineers as they build forts, fairy houses, seesaws and balance beams. During this time they also draw and write in their nature journals, learning how to observe their surroundings and record their findings.

By spending extended time out in nature, children develop a comfort with the natural world and are able to notice even small changes in the environment. They become comfortable navigating their way over rocks, around trees and through streams. They learn to identify different types of birds, insects and plants, and most importantly, become stewards of the land.

In K-1, we hope to cultivate student inquiry through hands-on investigations and cultivate curiosity by encouraging questions…and not always having the answers right away. Each week students write both a “noticing” and a “wondering” in their nature journals. We strive to strike the balance between encouraging students to feel and act like real scientists while embracing how much science and engineering occurs organically in their play and outdoor explorations.

Much of our time in the K-1 classroom focuses on establishing a respectful, caring classroom community. We spend time practicing active listening and eye contact, looking at situations from different perspectives, fostering kindness and discussing what it means to be a good friend and classmate. Through the relationships that children create with each other, with the larger school community, and between home and school, children gain a better sense of themselves. We aim to help our students recognize their own strengths as well as strengths their classmates have to offer. We encourage them to develop self-reliance, become responsible for their own time, materials and belongings while at the same time recognizing when and how to ask for help. As a group, we strive to develop a safe, supportive environment where it is okay to take risks and where mistakes are celebrated.

Play is an important part of the kindergarten/ first grade curriculum. We believe in the power and importance of play in the development of the whole child. Through our extensive time outdoors, especially our time in the woods, children learn to collaborate, share ideas, and develop flexibility. They learn to assess risk, help each other and challenge themselves physically. With longer blocks of unstructured time in the woods, children delve deeper into their play and with the help of teachers, learn to navigate conflicts and build strong relationships with their peers.

Students engage in three to four thematic units each year. In 2021-22 we studied Seeds, Bears, Storytelling Around the World, and the Water Cycle.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are woven into our lessons in our K/1 community. Our Storytelling Unit from 2021-2022 is an example of how our students learn about people, cultures and practices beyond their lived experience. Students spent two weeks “visiting” each continent, reading stories and folktales, learning about the countries and aspects of the culture. They studied various art styles from different countries such as Kente cloth from Ghana, and were able to create projects that honored the artistic traditions they studied. We invited parents to come speak with students about their home countries. Students also learned about flags of the world and their symbolism and stories. The class created a flag quilt to proudly display at school.