Kindergarten

Comprehensive Montessori Education Program (Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Arabic, French, Quran, Islamic Studies, Ptayer/Salat)

Curriculum Overview

At Maple Root Academy, our curriculum is designed to foster holistic development in students through various interconnected areas of learning. Below is an outline of the key subjects and their focus areas for Kindergarten:

Language Arts encompasses reading, writing, spelling, listening, and speaking. At the Kindergarten level, students are encouraged to communicate clearly through development in these five areas. We employ an Immersion Approach to teaching writing, leveraging the natural connection between reading and writing in the English language.

Reading:

• Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Identify and articulate the common sounds of most letters, associating them with written letters.
• Produce and recognize pairs of rhyming words.
• Use knowledge of letter sounds to decode single-syllable words.
• Read high-frequency words by sight.
• Track print while listening to familiar texts or re-reading their own writing.
• Read simple texts with familiar letter-sound correspondences and high-frequency words.
• Retell or reenact stories in their own words, sequencing events correctly.
• Develop independent reading skills by mid-year.

Our mathematics curriculum allows students to build understanding through practical experiences, focusing on essential arithmetic skills and number sense.

• Engage in routines to enhance estimation and problem-solving abilities.
• Encounter important concepts repeatedly with variations for substantial practice.
• Recognize multiple approaches to tasks, using appropriate tools and strategies.
• Introduction to addition and subtraction, as well as patterns.

The science curriculum offers balanced, hands-on experiences across four key areas: Life, Earth, Physical, and Health. Kindergarten topics include:

• Life: Seeds to Plants
• Earth: Ecology (Save the Earth, Seasons)
• Physical: Water Explorations, Magnetism
• Health: Marvelous Me, Senses
• Planetarium: Introduction to Sky Motion

In Kindergarten, students begin to explore their world and develop awareness through various units, including:

• School
• Decision-Making
• Families and Responsibilities
• Respect for Cultural Customs & Symbols
• Communities
• Map Symbols

Students are immersed in the Arabic language, learning:

• Arabic alphabets, words, and sentences
• Reading and writing practices
• Ayat from the Qur'an and short stories in Arabic

In French classes, students learn:

• Letters, pronunciation, vocabulary, and storytelling
• The basics of reading

• Students begin memorizing short Surahs from Juzz ‘Amma once they have learned the basics.
• They also read Quranic stories from Juzz ‘Amma and may complete memorization depending on their ability.

Kindergarten students learn the fundamentals of Islam through:

• Hadeeths
• Duas
• Islamic occasions and manners
• Quranic stories

• Students start learning about daily prayers gradually in the first semester.
• They begin performing Dhuhr Salah at the start of the second semester, participating with older students to understand:
  • Prayer respect and expectations
  • Sayings, Duas, Sajdah, and Ruku