Teacher:
Hanan Masri Assistant teacher: Stephan Friedman Hawk 
Kindergarteners are naturally inquisitive, possess a wonderful sense of humor, and are full of love and hope for the world around them. Interestingly, when I first came to teaching, I saw myself as a high school educator and dreamed of the sophisticated conversations I would have with my students. However, when I began my internship with Teach For America, I was assigned to a Kindergarten classroom and immediately fell in love with the age group. I eventually discovered that Kindergarten children possess their own sophistication—a certain depth and fearlessness of thinking. They respond to everything with a "why" and are quick to probe for the answers that matter to them. The first day of school is all about building community. For example, we sing lots of songs with the children's names in them. We take a tour of the school and visit in particular all of the other adults who will be here to help them throughout their years here. One year, we baked cookies, and after our first class tour of the school grounds, we returned to find them "missing," along with a cryptic little note. Out we went to explore the school in more depth, and as we visited each adult we asked, "Did you see our cookies?" When we returned to our class at last, not only did we find our cookies, but many of the adults we had visited were there as well, ready to join us in a first day of school welcome party. I also spend time helping the children develop ownership of the classroom and of our learning materials. I guide them to take out games and building materials they can use without adult input, and then circle the classroom providing guidance and support for children to work in an engaged and respectful way. They soon learn through experience and modeling how to take good care of themselves, our materials, and each other. This is important, because most of our learning takes place through the creative and discovery-oriented use of complex materials in a cooperative setting. My goals for the children in the kindergarten year are to build their self-confidence and the foundation of their academic skills. I want them to come out of kindergarten feeling like readers, writers, mathematicians, activists and scientists. I want them to begin to be critical thinkers and become comfortable taking risks to try new things and speak their minds. Discussing and investigating matters of social justice are important components of our curriculum as well. In addition to celebrating the diversity of cultures in our own classroom, we delve into the lives of some of our favorite historical and local sheroes and heroes. We aim to create a community where composting, reducing waste, recycling and conserving water and energy are practiced. Through literature, role playing, and class meetings, children also explore the importance of peaceful conflict resolution and the intricacies of their friendships. Finally, I want to empower the children to feel that they can be agents of change in the world.
Language Arts:
In an atmosphere rich with activities that build on the love of reading that kindergartners already have, our youngest students experience and explore the joys of books and words throughout the year. Reading and writing skills and strategies develop through letter recognition, sound-letter correspondence, sight words, word families and a variety of literary genres, including non-fiction, folktales, letters and poetry. Beginning in September with a unit focusing on Our Names,; students are exposed to letter sounds, and children's literature about names. They tell stories about their own names and learn about their classmates' names. Every SPIRIT has a Writer's Notebook that becomes a magical place to explore expression through drawing and writing.
Social Studies:
Kindergarten students learn about the world around them as they explore the importance of friendships, peaceful conflict resolution and world cultures. Theme-based units reinforce these concepts and include developmentally appropriate art, drama and writing projects. Frequent read-alouds provide touchstone texts for kindergarten social studies explorations.
Mathematics:
In kindergarten, students gain confidence in their ability to understand mathematical concepts through a program that explores math in the world around them. Sequencing, patterns, weight and length measurements, estimation, number-object correspondence, concepts of more and less, and concrete addition of numbers to 20 and beyond are skills introduced and reinforced throughout the kindergarten year. Mathematical tools such as the rekenrek, a calculating frame developed in Holland, support and stretch students' natural mathematical development.
Science:
In kindergarten, students begin to understand the scientific process. Through drawing, writing and conversation, they record observations and discoveries. They use scientist tools such as magnifying classes, microscopes, balances and rulers to observe the human body, plants and animals. Science units of study on weather, bees, and penguins are integrated into the curriculum. Science center activities provide additional opportunities for scientific discovery.
Service Learning:
Spirit students partner with kindergarten students at Washington School, a neighborhood public school. They regularly visit the North Berkeley Senior Center, a local assisted-living home. The Spirits also partner with their fifth grade buddies for various activities.
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