CURRICULUM
The Beginner’s Bible Curriculum
The Beginner’s Bible Curriculum gives our students the opportunity to play games, do interactive art projects,
watch videos, hear stories, and more. They will wiggle, giggle, get messy, and get involved in the greatest story ever
told: the story of a great God who loves the whole world.
told: the story of a great God who loves the whole world.
The Beginner’s Bible Curriculum is made of several parts:
1 | COME TOGETHER
Introduce + Give Context for the Lesson
Each lesson begins with gathering your students together. During this time, the teacher will pique the child’s interest in the subject matter for the day through a fun, interactive discussion or activity.
Each lesson begins with gathering your students together. During this time, the teacher will pique the child’s interest in the subject matter for the day through a fun, interactive discussion or activity.
2 | HEAR THE STORY
Teach the Lesson
In this section of the lesson, the students will hear the Bible story — either through a video or through it being read aloud
Teach the Lesson
In this section of the lesson, the students will hear the Bible story — either through a video or through it being read aloud
3 | EXPLORE MORE
Reinforce + Extend the Lesson
Explore More includes options for several different activities to extend and reinforce the teaching time.
Reinforce + Extend the Lesson
Explore More includes options for several different activities to extend and reinforce the teaching time.
The Home Connection
This curriculum includes a Family Page for each lesson. These pages give families information on the lesson content, enabling them to engage their children in honest conversations about God.
Each Family Page offers interactive ideas for time at home. For example, the Table Talk questions can be adapted for each age level and used to explore the Bible story at the dinner table, in the car, at bedtime, or at other times when the family is together.
The Living the Faith activity — a game, art project, or other activity — engages the entire family around the Bible story. Th e Extra Mile activity can be used to extend the week’s Bible story even further. As a leader, be sure to encourage families to use these activities as much as they can. These pages are tools that encourage families to grow together in faith, even if for only a few minutes each week.
The Creative Curriculum
Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos helps our teachers to foster nurturing daily routines and meaningful experiences that meet children’s strengths, interests, and needs. With the support of the curriculum, teachers focus on developing children’s curiosity, support them to feel secure, and create a language-rich environment full of warm, loving, and meaningful interactions. This is what helps build the foundation for children’s future success. The curriculum focuses on daily experiences, offering guidance on engaging children in imitating and pretending, playing with toys, enjoying books and stories, creating with art, and much more. Our teachers are intentional about the daily experiences they provide, and they individualize for each child as they respond to the changing interests, abilities, and needs of the children.
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool, a comprehensive, research-based curriculum, features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical-thinking skills. We’ve chosen this curriculum because it focuses on the skills and knowledge that are most important for helping children to be successful. Throughout the year, The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool supports teachers planning of learning experiences that are just right for each child, so that he or she can make progress at his or her own pace. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is based on 38 objectives for development and learning that focus on all the areas that are most important for school success: social – emotional, cognitive, math, literacy, physical, language, social studies, science and technology, and the arts.
These objectives are built into every activity that happens in the classroom, which means that all day long, teachers are helping each child build skills and knowledge in these important areas.
In The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool, learning happens through studies. Studies, which span several weeks, are in-depth, project-based investigations of topics that are part of your child’s everyday life. They feature topics like trees, buildings, clothes, and balls. In a study, children raise questions about the topic and find answers by exploring, experimenting, and investigating in a hands-on way—through activities that take place in the classroom and outdoors. Through studies, your child will learn important math, literacy, science, and other skills.
The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool also has support, built into every experience, for children who are English-language learners and children who have special needs. This helps to ensure that every child can participate in classroom activities and be successful. There are also many opportunities for families to become involved in what’s happening in the classroom. Teachers share throughout the year about the different ways you can be part of these learning experiences. We encourage families to participate whenever possible and help to build the important connection between home and school.
Starfall
In addition to Creative Curriculum, our Pre-K program also uses Starfall.
Starfall’s Pre-K Curriculum is…
Integrated — Young children learn best when they can make connections across many disciplines. Therefore, early literacy, math, social studies, science, social-emotional development, creative arts, physical movement, health, and technology are integrated throughout the curriculum.
Standards-Based — The Starfall curriculum establishes clear and developmentally appropriate goals for children’s learning based on multiple state, district, and federal programs.
Standards-Based — The Starfall curriculum establishes clear and developmentally appropriate goals for children’s learning based on multiple state, district, and federal programs.
Systematic, Spiraled, and Scaffolded — Children retain new information when it connects with previous knowledge and experiences. New information is presented in a logical and linear fashion. Thereafter children move from simple concepts to advanced understanding through a continuum where skills and concepts are reviewed, revisited, and expanded.
Focused on Early Literacy — Children with large vocabularies who exhibit phonological and phonemic awareness skills are more likely to become literate. Starfall Pre-K develops these skills and applies them to phonics, concepts of print, comprehension, and writing, laying the foundation for long-term achievement.
Focused on Math — The Starfall Pre-K curriculum integrates and emphasizes math skills and concepts. Direct instruction, center exploration, games, and activities provide a practical approach to applied math children encounter in everyday life.
A Balance of Instruction and Exploration — The Starfall teacher facilitates learning. Direct instruction provides a framework to ensure that children receive target skills, concepts, and strategies. Learning Center and Exploration times provide children time and opportunity to explore and experiment with what they have learned.
Focused on Early Literacy — Children with large vocabularies who exhibit phonological and phonemic awareness skills are more likely to become literate. Starfall Pre-K develops these skills and applies them to phonics, concepts of print, comprehension, and writing, laying the foundation for long-term achievement.
Focused on Math — The Starfall Pre-K curriculum integrates and emphasizes math skills and concepts. Direct instruction, center exploration, games, and activities provide a practical approach to applied math children encounter in everyday life.
A Balance of Instruction and Exploration — The Starfall teacher facilitates learning. Direct instruction provides a framework to ensure that children receive target skills, concepts, and strategies. Learning Center and Exploration times provide children time and opportunity to explore and experiment with what they have learned.
