Nursery - Goals and Objectives
	The Nursery children are observed and evaluated in many areas. Each of these areas comes under the heading of one or more of the Five Selves. The Five Selves are: Intellectual, Social, Emotional, Physical and Creative. They are simply a means of making sure that we are looking at the whole child. It is important to note that children are individuals and that no child is expected to reach all of the following goals but will be worked with in each of them. Each child is encouraged to move at his or her own pace, and the expectations for each child will be different. Intellectual develop each child's natural curiosity; increase the desire and willingness to experiment with ideas and activities develop good problem-solving strategies (generate ideas, gather information, experiment and draw conclusions) increase attention span and improve focus, concentration and attending ability facilitate the retention and application of factual information at appropriate levels exhibit enthusiasm about learning new things share what has been learned become a confident speaker by sharing knowledge and improving verbal ability increase understanding of cause and effect relationships learn to follow a series of directions Language Arts develop sequencing skills and order increase letter recognition improve listening skills (attention to stories and books, following directions) improve communication ability, in language increase vocabulary, understanding and interest develop auditory discrimination (noises, rhyming words, poetry, songs, etc.) improve story comprehension and ability to ask questions encourage an appreciation for good literature and authors learn about authors and illustrators appreciate the same story written by different authors dictate stories and listen to other peoples' stories (author's chair) improve their ability to question realize what they dictate can be written, read back and has meaning Mathematics understand simple sequencing sort by various attributes (color, size, shape etc.) count from approximately one to thirty, i.e... during snack, giving out cups, counting the days on the calendar, etc. understand simple patterning learn one-to-one correspondence for numbers one through five understand relative concepts (time, size, space) identify and compare attributes of objects (including color, shape and size) learn to play the "What's my Rule?" game - children learn different attributes classify and sort develop concepts of quantity (more/less, many/few) learn about measurement (cooking, height, objects in the room) Science stimulate curiosity understand the five senses learning to make predictions develop interest in a careful study of the things around them develop the skills of observation, experimentation and drawing conclusions through hands-on experience understand changes in the environment (weather, season, day, night) classify in their environment (living and non-living, sink and float, etc.) through observation and experience understand the process of change (cooking, seasons, etc.) study animals and classroom pets and how they change Social Studies learn about family life learn about the community around us understand ourselves and our roles at home and at school be aware of people and places outside our immediate environment exposure to holidays and customs appreciate the similarities and differences between people and places experience field trips Art develop left-to-right directionality develop an appreciation for the creative process rather than an emphasis on the product encounter aesthetic experiences experience different artistic media learn to interpret their world with a non-verbal tool experience conceptual development (mixing and changing colors, discrimination of colors, shapes and textures) practice fine motor control develop use of various brushes, scissors and other artistic media encourage the creative expression of ideas and feelings learn to paint with unusual things in order to view art in a different way Music learn songs improve verbal ability, descriptive language and rhyme develop rhythm develop an appreciation for all forms of music follow directions while working in a group develop coordination and improve large and small muscle control Social establish positive relationships with peers and with adults grow from solitary and parallel play to paired and cooperative play become a participant/contributor in both small and large group situations move from egocentrism to an increased understanding of another's feelings and opinions acquire and display positive social behaviors: kindness, patience, caring, consideration, sharing, taking turns, cooperating, manners learn to take both leadership and follower roles learn to accept and respect similarities and differences in others learn to solve conflicts verbally rather than physically, by using their words learn some self-control and patience when it comes to dealing with others learn to adapt behavior to a variety of social situations learn to follow classroom rules learn to express needs, feelings and ideas with teachers and peers learn to function as part of a group: listening, sharing and taking responsibility learn to work on group projects and play group games develop sensitivity towards others, respect for their feelings and tolerance of others develop an understanding of the varying groups (and environments) of which we are a part: the family (home), the class (school), the community (neighborhood) develop an understanding of and an appreciation for the uniqueness of each individual (his/her likes and dislikes, interests, talents, needs, his/her family) Emotional develop feelings of confidence and competence develop a positive self-image develop a sense of security within one's self ability to make mistakes and a willingness to try new things develop positive attitudes about school and learning learn to appropriately express both positive and negative emotions develop independence of thought and action: successfully separating from parent/caregiver making good choices becoming self-motivated, taking initiative self-direction selecting appropriate and varied activities and materials without adult intervention solving one's own problems defending personal rights develop self-control learning to be patient and wait for others (taking turns) accepting and following the classroom limits orderly behavior at group time (listening to others) learn to cope with change in daily routines and during classroom transitions lifestyle changes (new baby, new children coming into the class, moving, divorce) develop a sense of responsibility for one's actions for proper care of materials and belongings for effective use of one's time