CURRICULUM
The Ann Street School utilizes the Creative Curriculum for Preschool. Its 38 objectives are divided into ten areas of development and learning:
social/emotional development,
physical development,
cognitive development,
language development,
literacy,
mathematics,
science and technology,
social studies,
the arts,
English language acquisition.
The content children learn using the Creative Curriculum aligns with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. The Early Learning Standards are used as a resource for classroom planning and documentation of children’s learning.
The Creative Curriculum uses eleven interest areas to promote development and learning: blocks, dramatic play, toys and games, art, library, discovery, sand and water, music and movement, cooking, computers, and outdoors. Interest areas offer opportunities for teachers to teach content as children explore materials.
CHILD OBSERVATIONS AND ASSESSMENTS
The teachers will use observations and anecdotal notes to complete the Ages & Stages Questionnaire for your child’s initial assessment and continue to use Teaching Strategies GOLD to evaluate your child development and learning at 3 checkpoints during the year: fall, winter, and spring. Results of observations are used for curriculum, individual child planning, and referral to community resources.
The Ages & Stages Questionnaire is a tool that will aid teachers in determining the strengths and needs of their students in order to plan their programs more efficiently and to be able to provide more individualized instruction. In addition to the teacher completing the questionnaire, we will ask you, the parent, to also complete the questionnaire and return it to your child’s teacher so the results can be discussed at the “Getting to Know You” meeting in the fall.
The Teaching Strategies GOLD is an observation based assessment system. Teaching Strategies GOLD measures the knowledge, skills and behaviors that are most important for school success, focusing on 38 objectives and indicators. Teaching Strategies GOLD is intended to help teachers monitor what children know and can do and assist teachers in planning learning experiences throughout the year.
FIELD TRIPS
To supplement the curriculum, we may include field trips as part of the learning unit. Permission slips will be sent home prior to every trip. Parents may always exclude their child from any trip for any reason. Parents may be asked to assist as chaperones, but as a rule, parents and siblings do not participate.
The Ann Street School 