Ms. Katie Kurzendoerfer

I am so excited to teach Kindergarten at Villa Madonna Academy. I am a graduate of Villa and so am very excited to return to teach!

Our program consists of interactive learning opportunities where the students are encouraged to get involved with the curriculum in fun and hands-on ways! We meet our students needs to support their learning and promote higher-level thinking skills. Our students participate in a variety of small group and large group activities in a positive learning environment where they feel comfortable to work with others to build a classroom community. With two certified teachers, our students are able to get a one-on-one learning experience on a daily basis. 

Whole Group Reading

As a class, we learn fiction comprehension skills like character, setting, sequencing, etc. We also learn nonfiction comprehension skills such as  cause/effect, compare/contrast, classify/categorize, etc. We do this through class discussion and group activities with a different text each week.

Guided Reading

During this time, the class splits into three differentiated groups based on ability level. In each group, we read a different leveled reader based on the reading level of the group. We also play games that focus on phonological awareness skills such as rhyming, syllables, onset/rimes, etc.

Whole Group Math

During whole group discussion, we focus on math skills such as addition, subtraction, graphing, measurement, etc. Students participate in hands-on and group activities to develop each of these math skills. This allows for communication between students and to help each other to grow.

Math Rotations

The class is divided into three groups based on their math abilities. We have a game station, a worksheet station, two teacher stations, and an iPad station. While two groups are working with a teacher, the other two groups may be working on a hands-on game, worksheet, or iPad app to help reinforce the skill we are working on.

Science and Social Studies

Each week our class focuses on a different science or social studies unit. Throughout the week, the students read books, participate in activities, take virtual field trips, and make crafts that help them learn about each unit. These multiple approaches to the content meet the different learning styles of our students. Some of the units we study are Life Cycle of a Pumpkin, Christmas Around the World, Dr. Seuss, Weather Patterns, etc.

Handwriting

Our approach to handwriting combines phonics and letter formation. We focus on a letter each week and build upon the learned letter sounds to blend words when reading. Students have handwriting homework twice a week in their Handwriting Workbooks to reinforce the capital and lowercase letter formations.

Religion

Students are immersed in a Catholic-based school and attend Mass each week. We also have Religion class twice a week where students learn about God's love and how to pray; Hail Mary, Our Father, etc.

Throughout the year, each student completes one hour of service outside of school. This helps reinforce the Benedictine value of service.

Centers

Each week, students participate in centers. These centers allow them to explore what we are learning in each content area on their own. Centers such as Math, Science/Social Studies, Writing, Listening, and Technology help to reinforce the skills we are focusing on.