Curriculum > Early Childhood

Sewickley Academy is committed to preparing young people

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For a Lifetime of Discovery and Learning

The Early Childhood program appreciates children as natural learners who constantly question and explore what they see and experience in their environment. The program is Reggio Emilia inspired and employs an inquiry-based approach that leverages children’s natural learning processes through play, conversation, and positive relationships.

Pre-Kindergarten

List of 5 items.

Exploration

Teachers create an environment that provides just the right amount of support through a balance of direct instruction and organic play in order for each child to reach their individual learning goals. Every day children learn to exercise the mental process of observing, questioning, exploring, and reflecting as they investigate the world around them. Indoor and outdoor play, both student-guided and teacher-guided, provides an opportunity for children to explore concepts, expand their physical and intellectual skills, and practice social interactions. Structured experiences such as circle time and read-alouds introduce children to age-appropriate self regulation and group skills. Guided investigations allow children to make discoveries about the natural and physical world as they conduct observations, pose questions, and pursue areas of personal interest with the teacher as a facilitator.
Literacy

The Pre-K literacy program encourages receptive and expressive language skills through listening, speaking, reading, and handwriting activities, and is informed by the Science of Reading. Rich literature exposes children to story structure, vocabulary, and lyrical language every day. Classroom read-alouds provide “windows and mirrors” in which students are exposed to diverse characters unlike themselves as well as characters that reflect themselves and their families.

Students develop and reinforce phonemic awareness in order to support emerging reading and writing skills. Games, songs, chants, and activities develop pre-reading skills like rhyming, syllabification, and sound substitution. Students learn alphabet letters and their corresponding sounds. Pre-reading skills and phonemic awareness are taught through the Heggerty curriculum and monitored using FastBridge assessments.

Handwriting is taught through the Learning Without Tears program. Correct uppercase letter formation, pencil grip, pressure, and control are emphasized. Children learn how to form letters by first making them with wooden pieces, then practicing using various materials such as play dough, sticks, sand, and other items found in or around the classroom, before writing the letters with paper and pencil.

Children are encouraged to find their voice as storytellers from the very beginning, through a combination of dramatic play, oral language, drawings, and early writing efforts. They learn that they can use drawing and early writing to record observations, share stories, and communicate ideas. Even before they are ready to attempt text, they become enthusiastic storytellers and confident “writers.”
Math

The Pre-K math program fosters the development of mathematical thinking by providing a wide range of materials and engaging students in real-world problem-solving opportunities. Mathematical concepts are embedded in everyday play. Teachers work with individual children, as well as small groups, to address individual needs and different learning styles. Students explore concepts such as counting, one-to-one correspondence, sorting, grouping, addition, and subtraction through free play and guided investigation with manipulatives. Students who are ready for more advanced concepts may have the opportunity to engage in extension activities with the Lower School Learning Specialist. Children learn to see math in the world around them and to recognize when they are using math in their everyday activities.
Partnership with Fern Hollow Nature Center

Sewickley Academy’s idyllic surroundings lead to many child-directed research studies and wonderings. From the flow of water through the sand, to the erosion along the ravine, questions percolate through the discussions that arise as part of our daily outdoor education. To further extend the strong connection to nature that is part of the Reggio Emilia approach, our Early Childhood program has partnered with the environmental educators at Fern Hollow Nature Center to explore local green spaces and focus on local plants, animals, and ecosystems. In addition to learning about science and the environment during their biweekly visits to Fern Hollow, the children practice important skills such as curiosity, imagination, innovation, perseverance, self-direction, planning, and teamwork. Interactions with natural environments and their inhabitants also encourage children to experiment with the perspective of others, supporting their growing social consciousness.
Specialist Classes

Pre-K students participate in classes taught by the Lower School specialist teachers. Specials include studio art, music, library, dance, Spanish, and physical education. The computer science teacher collaborates with the Early Childhood teachers to provide programming and robotics experiences within the classroom.

The specialist teachers and other members of the Sewickley Academy community also support particular investigations happening in the classroom. For instance, the school carpenter may work with the students to design and build a new shelf for the classroom; the groundskeeper may come teach the students about a vine that has caught their attention in the ravine; or the Spanish teachers may join the students to conduct a Morning Meeting in Spanish. Having Pre-K–12 students all on one campus also allows for cross-age buddy programs and partnerships with older students.

Kindergarten

List of 6 items.

Exploration

Teachers create an environment which supports learning and growth through creative, exploratory play and investigation. Building elaborate structures, engaging in imaginative drama, and exploring a wide variety of materials all contribute to the development of strong social and academic skills. Guided investigations allow children to make discoveries about the natural and physical world as they conduct observations, pose questions, and pursue areas of personal interest with the teacher as a facilitator. Even in free play and exploration, children are encouraged to be reflective and deliberate learners. With teacher modeling, they formulate questions, postulate answers, and plan the steps they will take towards a goal. They learn to document their creations and accomplishments in sketches, text, and photographs, which in turn leads to further reflection about their own process and learning. Teachers both plan provocations and follow children’s interests as they nurture their curiosity and efficacy as self-directed learners.
Literacy

The Kindergarten literacy program encompasses reading, writing, listening, speaking, and handwriting and is informed by the Science of Reading. Kindergarten students are constantly immersed in language and literacy. They practice pre-reading and early reading skills through the Heggerty phonemic awareness curriculum and the Sadlier Phonics Into Reading program. These programs teach children the phonemic awareness and phonics skills necessary to decode (read) and encode (write) words. Identifying letter names and sounds, discriminating between beginning, middle and ending sounds in words, segmenting and blending sounds, and recognizing a core group of sight words are some of the skills taught. The teachers work with individuals and small groups to meet the students where they are and build on their current knowledge. FastBridge assessments are used to monitor student progress and identify students in need of additional support.

Literacy skills are embedded in everyday activities and reinforced through a structure called The Daily 5. The Daily 5 is a classroom literacy routine that teaches independence and gives children the skills needed to create a lifetime love of reading and writing. It consists of five tasks that are done every day. The five tasks are Read to self, Word work, Work on writing, Listen to reading, and Read to someone. During Daily 5 time, teachers work individually with students and in small groups, providing direct instruction, supportive practice, guided reading experience, and essential feedback.

Read-alouds make up an important part of every day. Rich literature exposes children to story structure, vocabulary, and lyrical language, while nonfiction books are regularly relied on to inform investigations. Classroom read-alouds provide “windows and mirrors” in which students are exposed to diverse characters unlike themselves as well as characters that reflect themselves and their families.

Handwriting is taught through the Handwriting Without Tears program. Correct upper and lowercase letter formation, pencil grip, pressure, and control are emphasized. Children learn how to form letters first by making them with wooden pieces, then by practicing on chalkboards, and finally, by writing the letters, words, and sentences within the correct lines on paper.

Children are encouraged to find their voice as storytellers through a combination of dramatic play, oral language, drawing, and writing. They learn that they can use writing to record observations, share stories, and communicate ideas. The children use their knowledge of words and sounds to approximate spelling, empowering them to be prolific writers and communicators of ideas even before they have mastered traditional spelling. They are motivated to write for authentic purposes such as drafting project plans, documenting projects and experiences, captioning pictures, writing letters, making signs, and authoring their own books.
Math

The Kindergarten math program, Bridges in Mathematics, fosters the development of mathematical thinking and sets the foundation for mathematical learning throughout the Lower School. Bridges Number Corner, a skill-building program that revolves around the classroom calendar, provides continual exposure to broad mathematical concepts that will be explicitly taught in future lessons. The kindergarten Number Corner routines emphasize two critical areas: representing and comparing whole numbers and describing shapes and space. Lessons employ a hands-on approach to learning and use materials that allow children to use observation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Kindergarten students are encouraged to identify mathematical concepts in the world around them and to recognize themselves as mathematicians. Additional kindergarten math topics include number concepts, sorting, classifying, patterns, graphs, addition and subtraction, and problem-solving through modeling. Students who are ready for more advanced concepts may have the opportunity to engage in extension activities with the Lower School Learning Specialist.
Science

The Kindergarten science program emphasizes observation and inquiry. Children learn to observe, question, explore, and reflect as a means to discover science concepts. They look for the “big ideas” of science, such as cycles, change, and patterns, in many different facets of the world around them. They develop skills and knowledge through everyday interactions with the indoor and outdoor surroundings, including daily nature exploration in the Early Childhood Greenway, the wooded ravine, the Secret Garden, and other spaces on campus. The science program capitalizes on students’ specific interests and the questions that they pose. Inquiry lessons might grow from students’ explorations of ramps, wheels, light and shadows, balance, or the night sky. Students are also exposed to scientific experiments which lead to discussions about hypotheses, how to record data, and the attributes of a scientist.
Partnership with Fern Hollow Nature Center

Sewickley Academy’s idyllic surroundings lead to many child-directed research studies and wonderings. From the flow of water through the sand, to the erosion along the ravine, questions percolate through the discussions that arise as part of our daily outdoor education. To further extend the strong connection to nature that is part of the Reggio Emilia approach, our Early Childhood program has partnered with the environmental educators at Fern Hollow Nature Center to explore local green spaces and focus on local plants, animals, and ecosystems. In addition to learning about science and the environment during their biweekly visits to Fern Hollow, the children practice important skills such as curiosity, imagination, innovation, perseverance, self-direction, planning, and teamwork. Interactions with natural environments and their inhabitants also encourage children to experiment with the perspective of others, supporting their growing social consciousness.
Specialist Classes

Kindergarten students participate in classes taught by the Lower School specialist teachers. Specials include studio art, music, library, dance, Spanish, and physical education. The computer science teacher collaborates with the Early Childhood teachers to provide programming and robotics experiences within the classroom.

The specialist teachers and other members of the Sewickley Academy community also support particular investigations happening in the classroom. For instance, the school carpenter may work with the students to design and build a new shelf for the classroom; the groundskeeper may come teach the students about a vine that has caught their attention in the ravine; or the Spanish teachers may join the students to conduct a Morning Meeting in Spanish. Having Pre-K–12 students all on one campus also allows for cross-age buddy programs and partnerships with older students.