CKLA Knowledge Topics
CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) presents fiction and non-fiction topics to kindergarten students with Read Alouds, which beautifully weave together language arts with science and social studies. In the classroom, we are able to extend our CKLA with hands on science or social studies. We also introduce the following science and social studies outside of our CKLA topics: Classroom Community and School Supplies, Magnets, Healthy Bodies, Holidays Around the World, Maps and Globes, and the Continents.
CKLA Domain 1: Nursery Rhymes and Fables
Your student will be reading some popular nursery rhymes. Listening to nursery rhymes and then saying them will help your student develop an awareness of language that will enable them to become a better reader and writer. Your student will listen to and discuss many nursery rhymes, including: • “Rain, Rain, Go Away” • “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” • “Jack Be Nimble” • “Little Jack Horner” • “Jack and Jill” • “Little Miss Muffet” • “This Little Pig Went to Market” • “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” • “Star Light, Star Bright” • “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” • “Hickory, Dickory, Dock” • “Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling” • “Little Bo Peep” • “Little Boy Blue” • “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” • “Humpty Dumpty”
CKLA Domain 2: The Five Senses
Your student will be learning about the five senses. Over the course of the domain, your student will learn about each of the five senses and the respective body parts. They will also learn about Helen Keller and Ray Charles, two people who overcame disabilities. Ray Charles was a world-renowned musician in spite of the fact that he was blind. Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind, nonetheless learned how to communicate both by talking and through sign language, as well as how to read and write.
CKLA Domain 3: Stories
Your student will be learning about classic stories including:
Your student will also learn the terms setting, plot, and character and will use them to talk about the stories they will hear.
CKLA Domain 4: Plants
Your student will be learning about plants, plant parts and pollination. In addition, your student will learn that plants are living things and that there are many different kinds of plants. Also included in the plants domain is information about germination, the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees, interesting plants, plants and people, and George Washington Carver.
CKLA Domain 5: Farms
Are you familiar with the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”? If not, your student will be able to teach it to you! The focus for the first several days will be farm animals, specifically cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep. Your student will learn farm animal names and the sounds these animals make. They will learn that farm animals need food, water, and space to live and grow, and will learn why farmers raise animals. Your student will understand that farmers work very hard to provide food for us.
CKLA Domain 6: Native Americans
Your student will be learning about different Native American tribes and the ways they lived long ago. They will learn that there were many, many tribes in many different regions of the country. The focus of this domain will be upon three tribes: the Lakota Sioux, the Wampanoag, and the Lenape. The Lakota Sioux settled in the Great Plains region of the United States, while both the Wampanoag and the Lenape lived in the Eastern Woodlands region. These tribes have been chosen to provide a clear comparison of daily life among Native Americans, including: • how they lived • what they wore and ate • what their homes were like
CKLA Domain 7: Kings and Queens
Your child will be listening to read-alouds about kings and queens at school. Some of the read-alouds are nonfiction and provide information about the lives of royalty and their court. Some are stories or rhymes written about kings and queens and the lessons they learn.
CKLA Domain 8: Seasons and Weather
Your child will be learning about seasons and weather. Each day s/he will hear a read-aloud that is often set in the form of a letter from a fictional fifth grader named Annie. In her letters, Annie discusses the different seasons and some of the characteristics of those seasons, as well as holidays and other activities that often occur during particular seasons. The letters from Annie will discuss thunderstorms and safety tips. Your child will also learn about meteorologists and weather forecasting.
CKLA Domain 9: Columbus and the Pilgrims
Your child will be learning about Christopher Columbus. Each day s/he will be listening to a read-aloud that captures the excitement and danger of his voyage to America, beginning in 1492. Columbus died believing he had reached the Indies in Asia. Your child will learn about Columbus’s mistakes as well as his accomplishments.
Your child will also learn about the Separatists/Pilgrims at school. Each day, s/he will be listening to a read-aloud that captures the excitement and danger of the Separatists’ experiences in England and their voyage to America on the Mayflower. The Pilgrims fled England because they were being forced to attend the Church of England. Your child will soon learn about the Pilgrims’ interactions with Squanto and the rest of the Wampanoag tribe in America.
CKLA Domain 10: Colonial Towns and Townspeople
We will discuss how in colonial times, most of the things needed for survival were made at home. We will also talk about how farmers could visit towns to get some of the things they needed more easily. Your child is going to be learning about a variety of tradespeople who worked in larger colonial towns, including millers, bakers, spinners, weavers, dressmakers, tailors, hatters, and cobblers. Your child will also be comparing the work of colonial tradespeople to the work of tradespeople today.
CKLA Domain 11: Taking Care of Earth
Your child will be learning about how to take care of the earth. Each day s/he will be listening to a read-aloud that shows the beauty of Earth and explains why we all have a responsibility to keep Earth beautiful and clean. S/he will also learn about the three words reduce, reuse, recycle, and different ways that s/he can help keep Earth a safe place to live.
CKLA Domain 12: American Presidents and Symbols
Your child will be learning about U.S. presidents at school. S/he will learn about the president’s job, the significance of the city of Washington, D.C., and the importance of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Your child will also learn about another Founding Father of our country, Thomas Jefferson, as well as other important presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Barack Obama.