Central Idea: Systems allow us to live and work together.
Kindergarten
Central Idea: Systems allow us to live and work together.
When students enter kindergarten, they often have many new rules and procedures to learn. Morganton Day School (MDS) kinders spent the last few weeks learning not just how to follow rules, but diving into better understanding the concepts of systems and how they allow us to function within many social scenarios.
Systems are everywhere - our roads, our school, our homes, even our alphabet, each one containing different rules that allow them to function. What happens when the letters in your name aren’t in the correct order? What would happen if nobody ever cleaned their dishes or washed their laundry? What happens when you run a stop sign? What should you do when you sneeze on your hands? How should you greet a queen? All of these questions and many more can be answered by the rules we have adapted through various systems.
MDS kindergarteners are taking a hands-on approach to answer these questions! As a class, they have individual jobs in the classroom, chosen chores to help with at home, and take the initiative to care for our school by accepting responsibility for trash patrol at lunch.
Kindergarten students used the systems in our community to seek out a secret location using signs and clues to reach their destination. They discovered that following the directions worked and enthusiastically arrived at Adventure Bound Books! Next, the students took a drive on their bikes and scooters using their own road system- complete with rules, regulations, and their own driver's license. (Don’t run the stop sign or you might lose your driving privileges).
The class also had a visit from several community helpers to learn how firefighters and police officers rely on systems to ensure the daily functions and proper safety within our community. Finally, the unit concluded with a fancy manners party where students learned the expectations and manners in certain settings. The concepts of function and causation have helped our smallest learners to make connections such as, “Is money a system?”
Systems are important, and after this unit, our kindergarteners can confidently tell you why.
Treesie Cape,
Curriculum Coordinator
