The three year old classrooms are designed to introduce children to the wonder of learning.  Children will start to explore the world around them through art, language, science, technology, and math.  Each room will have 1 adult for every 10 children.

Early Childhood Learning Center
Curriculum 3 - Years to PreKindergarten
Religion
Children will begin to…..

• Understand the Bible is the holy book that talks about God and creation
• Understand the Bible as a the book which contains the stories of God's creation and Jesus' life
• Understand that Jesus came to live on earth because He wanted to share God's love with us
• Understand that Jesus is God and man, Son of God and Son of Mary
• Repeat the Sign of the Cross
• Become familiar with and show reverence for the names of the three Divine Persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit
• Understand the definition of a Sacrament
• Recognize that Baptism is a sacrament
• Understand that Jesus loves us always and forgives us
• Experience Mass where we worship and thank God
• Associate the parish priest with the Mass and be able to identify what he does within the Church
• Recite grade level Mass responses
• Identify the altar, chalice, tabernacle, and crucifix
• Understand that prayer is talking to God
• Listen to and participate in prayers and recognize that prayer is important
• Spend time with God in prayer
• Recognize that we pray at home, school, and church
• Understand that God created me, others and all I see because he loves us
• Understand that Sunday is an important day to be with God and go to Church
• Understand that Jesus grew up in a loving family
• Understand Mary as part of the Holy Family

• Apply early reading skills: interests in books and reading, book handling skills, pretend to read easy or predictable books, comprehend and respond to text, develop sense of the story
• Use concepts of print: recognize environmental print and symbols, letter recognition of uppercase and some lowercase, and recognize that print represents spoken words
• Use phonological awareness: learning rhymes, simple songs, poems, finger plays, participate in word games, and discriminate sounds in words
• With guidance and discussion, develop an understanding of how a text can influence the reader's moral character
• Use scribbles, shapes, pictures, and letter-like forms to write
• Experiment with writing tools and materials
• Tell others about marks and intended meaning of drawing or writing
• Use a variety of resources to facilitate writing
• Convert speech to writing
• Copy horizontal and vertical lines
• Copy the shapes: circle and cross
• Copy letters from their name (upper or lower)
• Attempt to color within the lines
• Draw/write with increasing control (watch for dexterity, precision & control, coordination, grasp of instrument)
• Develop pencil grasp
• Increase strength and dexterity for upper extremities
• Use small manipulatives with increasing strength and dexterity
• "Develop scissor skills”:

1. place scissors on fingers and hold it
2. open and close scissors
3. snip materials
4. hold paper for cutting
5. cut a 1 1/2"" wide paper in two
6. cut a 5-inch wide paper in two                                                                                                           

• Thread beads onto string
• Draw a person with some body parts
• Be able to paint, paste, glue, and play with play dough and clay
• Be able to assemble simple age-appropriate puzzles
• Be able to build a tower with 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 blocks
• Be able to manipulate small pieces: zippers, buttons, and snaps
• Respect and respond to teacher authority  (respects and responds to others in appropriate manner)
• Participate in activities without guided direction  (participate in small and large group activities)
• Use materials properly 
• Seek only one's fair share of teacher attention (develop friendships with peers in class)
• Learn not to disturb others while they work (Gain understanding and is respectful of personal space and group spaces)
• React to disappointment appropriately (express feelings and disappointments appropriately)
• Maintain interest in activity with distractions present
• Finish work that was started
• Have a “can do” attitude
• Stays focused in a small group setting
• Share feelings of pride  (express feeling appropriately in varied situations)
• Respond well to enthusiasm
• Help clean up after activities
• Make good use of time
• Follow directions
• Represent feelings and ideas through a variety of ways: pretend play, movement, music, art, and construction
• Listen for different purposes: to others, to sounds in environment, complex sentences, following directions, to stories and books responsively, and engage in conversations with others
• Use language to communicate: through body language, verbally or gestures in home language, and initiate conversations with children and adults
• Develop and expand expressive and receptive language: to acquire vocabulary, to be understood by others, and use complete sentences of varying lengths

• Show interest in counting and quantity
• Participate in experiences that involve counting
• Develop an increasing ability to rote count in sequence to 10
• Count up to 8 objects with understanding
• Combine and name how many
• Separate and name how many
• Use language to compare number (i.e. more/less, greater/fewer, equal to)
• Name how many there are in a group (up to eight objects)
• Use one-to-one correspondence when counting objects
• Use one-to-one correspondence to compare the size of a group of objects
• Trace numerals 1-10
• Combine and separate groups and name how many
• Use drawings to represent number
• Explore, compare, and describe objects using measurable features
• Order three or more objects according to length or size differences
• Take apart, create, and build
• Use actions and words to indicate position, location, movement, and orientation
• Investigate and talk about the characteristics of shapes
• Identify and trace shapes and symbols (line, x, circle, square, triangle)
• Verbally name the days of the week by rote and by cueing from a calendar or song

• Explore physical properties of objects and materials using senses and simple tools
• Investigate properties of objects and materials through questions and experiments
• Solve problems involving physical properties of objects and materials
• Represent observations of the physical world in a variety of ways: pretend play, music and movement, art and construction, and conversation

• Explores characteristics of living things through senses
• Investigate characteristics of living things through questions and collecting information
• Solve problems related to living things
• Represent observations about living things in a variety of ways: pretend play, music and movement, art and construction, and conversation

• Explore properties of earth and sky using senses and simple tools
• Investigate properties of earth and sky through questions and experiments
• Solve problems involving earth and sky
• Represent observations about earth and sky in a variety of ways: pretend play, music and movement, art and construction, and conversation

• Identify reasons for rules in the home/school/classroom
• Articulate questions about the classroom and school communities
• Retell and explain personal history
• Describe fair ways for groups to make decisions
• Articulate ways to peacefully resolve conflicts
• Demonstrate fairness when sharing classroom and playground equipment
• Name family members, including grandparents, and their roles and responsibilities
• Show interest in community and culture
• Compare and contrast different customs and cultures
• Compare and contrast different viewpoints of classmates
• Name community workers, their jobs, and tools of their trade
• Identify our country's flag and its characteristics (colors, stars, stripes)
• Recite the Pledge of Allegiance as a class
• Identify the difference between wants and needs
• Identify the physical differences between a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter
• Articulate that money can be exchanged for goods and services
• Name the state and country in which one lives
• Describe the contributions of people associated with holidays
• Use words to show time order such as before, now, later

• Investigate and manipulate mechanical devices
• Successfully operate mechanical devices and use them to advance learning
• Proper keyboarding skills
• Introduce concept of coding as it relates to computer skills

• Show visual interest and engagement in surroundings
• Show an interest in mark making and creative art
• Explore and experiment with a range of media through sensory exploration and using whole body
• Use a range of materials and media to draw and create pictures or three-dimensional objects
• Use creative art to express thoughts, feelings, experiences, or knowledge

• Explore and experience a variety of music
• Explore favorite musical ideas (such as movements, vocalizations, or instrumental accompaniments)
• Explore and demonstrate awareness of musical contrasts
• Explore music's expressive qualities (such as voice quality, dynamics, and tempo)
• Practice and demonstrate what they like about their own performances
• Perform music with expression
• Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life

• Demonstrate gross motor skills with purpose
• Demonstrate fine motor skills with purpose
• Respond to sensory input to function in the environment  (i.e. body awareness, spatial awareness)
• Practice healthy behaviors
• Practice safe behaviors
• Follow classroom rules and procedures

• Children will be introduced to the Spanish language starting at age 2
• Children will learn English to Spanish translations for numbers, colors, directions, body parts etc.
• Children will learn Spanish through song, dance, repetition