Posted on: Thursday, August 19, 2004
Targets set for kindergarten
| • | Things you can do to help your child learn |
| • | What your kindergartner is expected to learn |
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer
If it seems your child is learning more than you were at the same age, you're probably right.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser Maggie Akiu, a mother of four, often has to turn to her husband or 15-year-old daughter to help her fifth-grade son with his homework. "It just seems so more advanced than when I was in school," she said.
While teachers sometimes fear that certain skills are introduced too early, slowing down isn't an option.
"They're going to have to pass the test," said Pauoa Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jessie Kojiro, referring to the standardized tests that help determine whether a school is improving at an adequate rate to avoid sanctions.
Although grade-level standards are often posted on school bulletin boards and available on the Internet, many parents still don't know exactly what their children are expected to learn on a year-to-year basis, making it hard to help their children keep up.
Akiu said she keeps abreast of what all four of her children are doing in school, but even reading all the handouts, attending parents workshops and helping her kids with their homework doesn't give her a clear idea of what the standards are and what kinds of things her children will be tested on.
She said she would like it "if someone would get something together to let us know what's expected."
For the next several weeks, The Advertiser will try to do just that, offering the Department of Education's expectations for each grade level.
In addition, teachers from public schools across the state will offer advice on how parents can help their children at home.
With the federal No Child Left Behind Act putting pressure on schools to improve student performance, many skills are being introduced earlier than they used to be. These days, kindergarteners have homework, first-graders are working with fractions and second-graders are beginning to learn multiplication and division.
Bernie Briones gives an orientation to parents of kindergarten students at Pauoa Elementary School.
| Things you can do to help your child learn
Learning shouldn't stop as soon as your child leaves the classroom. Pauoa kindergarten teachers Brenda Fong, Jessie Kojiro and Ceri Aoyama offer the following ideas for things you can do to enhance your child's kindergarten experience. Introduce your child to environmental print, like signs and labels, at grocery stores and on the road. Talk with and read to your child, even if it's not in English. Take your child to the library to check out books. Limit television, or at least monitor the programs your child watches. Ask your child to identify patterns, such as the rhythmic patterns in nursery rhymes. Look for opportunities to count: the number of times your child can jump, the number of scoops of rice going into the pot. Let your child help you cook or bake for a class party, which helps with math skills and also offers an opportunity for your child to feel proud. Give your child a chore to do, to help teach responsibility. Be patient even if it seems like it might be easier to do it yourself. Expose your child to different environments and situations. Give your child a designated place and time for homework. Monitor the homework, but don't help so much that you end up doing it yourself. Help your child master the alphabet and counting. Things you can do to make sure your child is on track Communicate with the teacher as soon as you suspect there might be a problem. Also let the teacher know if something happens at home that might affect your child's behavior. Promptly read all communication from teachers. |
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| What your kindergartner is expected to learn
Here's a brief description of what your kindergarten child is being taught and is expected to know by the end of the year. The goals are intended to help assure that your child is at the appropriate development level and that public schools are working toward meeting Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards. Language Arts • Understands the idea of print and the sounds of the English language • Develops ways to recognize words, such as sounding them out or using environmental clues (like using the golden arches to help read a McDonald's sign) • Understands texts that are read aloud by someone else or on their own • Puts thoughts on paper in some form and explains these thoughts • Speaks clearly and expressively and understands that conversation is both give and take. Mathematics • Uses whole numbers up to 10 • Identifies and describes objects, time and money • Describes and sorts shapes • Shows and describes simple patterns • Poses and answers simple questions • Identifies events as likely or unlikely, fair or unfair Social Studies • Shows interest and curiosity about the world, people, culture and places • Knows concept of past and present • Demonstrates positive behaviors and makes appropriate choices • Solves problems as a member of the classroom Science • Asks questions about living and nonliving things in the world around them • Describes physical properties of objects such as shape and texture • Describes properties of moving objects such as direction and speed Physical Education • Learns basic body control while moving in a variety of settings, such as bending, pushing and pulling • Applies basic concepts while participating in fundamental activities • Becomes aware of strength, endurance and flexibility • Begins to learn ways to increase health-related fitness Career and Life Skills • Learns that objects are made by nature or humans • Uses and describes simple tools (scissors, crayons, etc.) • Identifies different workers in the school and community • Explains what they are learning in school and how it helps them World Languages • Uses gestures and follows simple directions to show understanding of everyday courtesies and routine expressions • Introduces self and imitates words commonly used in class • Sings simple songs from various cultures Health • Tells and draws people and places in the community that provide assistance with health-related issues, such as family, teachers, doctors and police • Identifies potentially dangerous situations and behaviors such as not using a seat belt or crossing a street • Begins to develop strategies such as asking for help to resolve conflicts and disputes Fine Arts • Experiments with art materials and technology • Explores ways to make sounds with voice and other instruments • Explores ways to create scenes and shapes • Explores ways to move body parts Source: State Department of Education |
