Glory Kindergarten Curriculum
At Glory Kindergarten, we adopt a thematic approach to learning, complemented by the “Jolly Phonics” programme from the UK and the “Up Down All Around” programme from Australia. All these, together with purposeful play, build towards developing our children in the six learning areas outlined under MOE’s Curriculum Framework, i.e. Aesthetics & Creative Expression; Discovery of the World; Language & Literacy; Motor Skills Development; Numeracy; Social & Emotional Development.
Thematic Learning
Our themes for the whole year are organised by terms, with each theme lasting for ten weeks (one term) and aims at organising and enhancing children’s knowledge on the subject. The various themes are as follows:
- Term 1 (第一学期) : Myself (我)
- Term 2 (第二学期) : Nature (大自然)
- Term 3 (第三学期) : Animals (动物)
- Term 4 (第四学期) : Community (社区)
Language & Literacy
Our daily lessons are conducted in both English and Chinese, and include the use of a variety of language activities, i.e. rhymes, songs, stories, show & tell, etc. For English language learning, we use a comprehensive phonics programme, i.e. “Jolly Phonics”. This programme is developed by Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham – primary and elementary teachers at the Woods Loke Primary School in Lowestoft, England. Jolly Phonics lays a strong foundation for the development of children’s reading and writing, and introduces each of the letter sounds in an enjoyable and multisensory way. In addition, we have incorporated weekly English and Chinese Speech & Drama into our curriculum hours.
Numeracy
We support our children’s development of early mathematical concepts and skills through the use of an activity-based and integrated approach to learning mathematics, i.e. “Up Down All Around” programme. This programme is developed by Australian educationalists, Dr Calvin Irons and Mrs Rosemary Irons. Dr Irons, who has been involved in mathematics education since 1967, specializes in Mathematics for Primary Schools while Mrs Irons specializes in Early Mathematics for pre-schools. This mathematics programme was among the selected few, chosen by the National Science Foundation in the United States as a research based curriculum programme. A major focus of the program is number sense, which is an integral part of all lessons on number and operations; other topics include sorting, comparing and ordering, shapes and patterns, measurement, etc. Through this programme, children acquire mathematical concepts through a “concrete-pictorial-symbolic” approach, thus preparing them for mathematics learning in the subsequent primary school years.
Aesthetics and Creative Expression
Art activities and musical expressions are integrated into the curriculum, through thematic crafts, songs, rhymes etc. In addition, we also have a trained music teacher who conducts music lessons for the children where they learn rhythm, tempo and pitch through a specially designed music program. Our children also have the opportunity to showcase their talents in singing and dancing as they put up class performances for our annual N1/N2 concert and K1/K2 concerts.
Motor Skills Development
As children participate in outdoor (eg. outdoor play, playground time) and indoor activities (eg. craft work, classroom manipulatives), they developed their gross and fine motor skills. In addition, we have Berry Fun Gym.
Social and Emotional Development
We believe that each child is special, unique and is a gift from God. They learn good moral values through our weekly assembly and Bible stories that inspires them to be forgiving, respectful, obedient, honest, kind and good.
Discovery of the World
Through our daily activities, children are provided with opportunities to explore and interact with their environment, they make discoveries and gain respect, appreciation and a sense of wonder for the world around them. Field trips, celebrations (egs. Chinese New Year celebration, National Day celebration, Racial Harmony Day) and gardening activities (in our kindergarten’s mini-garden) are parts of our children’s experiences in the kindergarten program.
Computer-Aided Education
Other than the above-mentioned six learning areas, we have also incorporated computer lessons into our curriculum for the K1 and K2 classes. Our weekly computer lessons are conducted by EdnoLand.