Monday is the first day of class for the San Diego Unified School District. This year brings a new curriculum for the district\u2019s preschool program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis really helps us provide the same type of high quality instruction across every single preschool classroom in our district,\u201d said Santos Gonzalez, the district\u2019s director of early learning.<\/p>\n
Teachers at all 34 preschool sites will use the Creative Curriculum to help kids develop early literacy skills through subjects they encounter every day.<\/p>\n
For example, the Creative Curriculum has a unit on the grocery store.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grocery store has so much for children to learn in terms of language,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n
Reading books aloud about grocery shopping can help build vocabulary and encourage storytelling.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez holds up a toy orange juice container, milk bottle and tuna can. Students might pretend to be at a grocery store, she said, with one student working at the store and another shopping for food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole time they’re talking, they’re developing those skills,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cThey’re imitating characters that they saw in their books, and they’re using those vocabulary words that the teachers have taught them.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, preschool lessons will cover weather, blocks, the human body and restaurants.<\/p>\n
San Diego Unified also offers dual language immersion at some of its preschools. They\u2019ll teach the same curriculum in both English and Spanish.<\/p>\n