Developmental Picture of the Child
As they leave the dreamy mood of Early Childhood, students in Grade One begin to awaken to the world around them, experiencing it still as a unity, but ready to learn in a new way. They are developing independent and pictorial thinking, eager to bring focused concentration to learning.
How the Curriculum Meets the Grade One Student
The curriculum provides rich imaginative pictures and activities, which lay the groundwork for future critical and conceptual thinking. Each new concept is presented artistically through movement activities and stories, drawings, drama, music, or poetry, thus engaging children with varied learning styles (ranging from those who benefit from a multi-sensory approach to children who are already coming with academic skills). The curriculum is also built on daily routines that provide form, structure, rhythm, and a sense of security: the calendar and its festivals; the monthly change of main lesson blocks; balance in the lessons between quiet focus and active movement; the day rhythm of main lessons, subject lessons, snack and lunch periods, and time outdoors.
Importance of Movement
Every day includes a variety of movement activities as our movements facilitate greater cognitive function; our entire brain structure is intimately connected to and grown by the movement mechanisms within our body. The healthy functioning of the senses, particularly the sense of self-movement (or proprioception), sense of life (or well-being), and balance (or vestibular). is paramount to learning. When one of these is not fully functioning or developing, learning cannot take place to its highest capacity.
