All About JK (age 4)
In Junior Kindergarten, students are working on their Kindergarten Readiness skills. The JK teacher is Mrs. Hoffman and her teacher assistant is Mrs. Brown. Students will learn skills from a variety of different subjects such as Language Arts, Math, Science, Expressive Arts, Physical Education, Spiritual Development, and Social/Emotional Development.
What are some examples of what JK does in each subject?
Language Arts:
(Pre-Reading) – Recognizing and spelling first name, recognizing all uppercase and lower case letters, and recognizing story elements: beginning, middle, end, characters, setting, conflict, plot.
(Pre-writing) – Tracing and copying letter forms, using proper pencil grip, and writing first name in uppercase letters.
(Language development) – Listening to stories, participating in group discussions, and identifying rhyming words.
Math:
- Counting to 30
- Understanding the calendar
- Using manipulatives to add and subtract
Science:
- Understanding animal behavior, environments, life cycles, and categorization
- Combining different elements to produce a new substance
- Observing and reporting weather patterns
Expressive Arts:
- Learning new and traditional songs
- Musical and spatial awareness developed through dance and movement
- Mixing colors to produce new colors
- Using scissors appropriately and effectively
Physical Education:
- Engaging in active play using gross and fine motor skills
- Following rules and cooperating in groups activities
- Developing and practicing coordination
Spiritual Development
- Participating in prayers and worship songs
- Building an understanding of a relationship with God
- Participating in weekly chapel services
Social/Emotional Development
- Playing, sharing, and negotiating with peers
- Practicing respect towards others and self
- Helping with routine jobs
JK students have 7th grade chapel buddies! Chapel buddies come to the JK classroom to play throughout the school year. They also sit together during chapel when a Grace class is leading the service.
JK Class Schedule:
8:00: Free Choice
9:00: Music or alphabet time and science
9:30: Morning meeting and religion
10:00: Library and snack
10:30: Book time, health & safety, and literacy through music
11:00: Recess
11:30: Dismissal
JK students have the option to stay for the afternoon program (11:30 – school dismissal). 3 and 4-year-olds combine in the Junior Kindergarten classroom for lunch, naptime, and other scheduled activities.
The JK class participates in field trips such as the author book reading at Concordia University and watching The Nutcracker at Dominican University. This 22-23 school year they participated in the school Walkathon, Early Childhood Halloween Parade, Early Childhood Christmas Pageant, and they received a visit over Christmas from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Mrs. Hoffman and Mrs. Brown supervise the afternoon program as well. They shower their students with so much love that when their students move on to SK, they often stop by the JK classroom to say “hi!”. Learning in JK is hands on and play based. If you would like more information about Junior Kindergarten, please send an email to agarcia@graceriverforest.org to be connected with our Director of Enrollment and Marketing.
