Curriculum | Lower School | St. Anne's Episcopal | Denver

IN THIS SECTION

Preschool Overview

At St. Anne’s, our preschool curriculum is thoughtfully designed to lay a strong educational foundation for our youngest learners. We provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where children engage in age-appropriate activities that support their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.

Our program emphasizes:

  • Play-based learning
  • Exploration of foundational concepts such as letters, numbers, and shapes
  • Development of fine and gross motor skills
  • Social skill building, including sharing, cooperation, and communication

To enrich the learning experience, preschoolers also participate in specialized classes including:

  • Spanish
  • Music
  • Science
  • Library
  • Physical Education
  • Religion
  • Outdoor Education

Grounded in values of empathy, inclusivity, and respect for individuality, the St. Anne’s preschool curriculum offers a dynamic and comprehensive educational journey for young scholars.

Writing

Preschool writing focuses on introducing students to the alphabet and the idea that print carries meaning. Throughout the year, preschoolers are introduced to letters and sounds. Students are taught proper letter formation and how to write their names.

Preschoolers learn how to:

  • Draw a picture to show their thinking
  • Begin to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to represent words/ideas
Emergent Reading

Preschool emergent reading focuses on introducing students to stories and helping them identify what is happening in a story.

Students learn to:

  • Look through pictures in books to answer questions and retell events
  • Understand that English is read from left to right
Word Study 
Preschoolers are introduced to the letters of the alphabet through the Really Great Reading curriculum. They are introduced to the upper- and lowercase letters and their sounds, the letters in their name, and phonemic awareness skills. 
Math

Throughout the year, preschoolers are introduced to a variety of math concepts.

Students learn to:

  • Count with one-to-one correspondence to 10
  • Rote count to 10
  • Identify numbers up to 5
  • Understand and create simple patterns
  • Sort objects into categories
  • Recognize two-dimensional shapes and their attributes
  • Compare and contrast objects
  • Use key math vocabulary to describe their thinking
Science 
Preschool science focuses on developing children’s natural curiosity about the world around them, enhances their problem-solving skills, and encourages them to explore and discover new things.
Social Studies

Preschool social studies focuses on the student’s sense of self, family, and friendship in their everyday lives.

Students learn to:

  • Identify and celebrate similarities and differences
  • Build a strong classroom community
  • Practice kindness, inclusivity, and the understanding that everyone is welcome
  • Develop self-regulation and interpersonal skills through daily interactions
  • Identify emotions in themselves and others
  • Become thoughtful problem solvers
Music 
The preschool music curriculum is designed to develop and strengthen a child’s ability to sing, dance, and play rhythm instruments with their classmates. Skills taught during each class include steady beat, matching pitch vocally, and moving and responding to music. 
Spanish 
The preschool Spanish program engages students in play-based and exploratory activities that promote language acquisition through hands-on experiences, music, movement, stories, and art. 
PE 
The preschool and pre-K PE program focuses on movement concepts and skills, understanding basic health-related and skill-related components of fitness, and how they relate to personal fitness, demonstrating respect, and the ability to follow directions. 
Library 
Our early education library curriculum involves fostering a love for books, storytelling, and early literacy skills. Activities, story times, and books are tailored based on students’ interests, development, and feedback. The librarian collaborates with teachers and provides library materials for units of study to ensure a holistic approach to early literacy development. 
Religion (Preschool–Kindergarten)

Introduction to the Bible, Church Calendar, Chapel, and World Religions

In the first three years at St. Anne’s, students begin to develop awareness of the Bible as a special book that contains important stories about God, people, character, miracles, and mystery. Relying on Godly Play, storytelling, and exposure to imagery, objects, and sacred spaces, young learners visit and revisit major narratives and characters of the Hebrew Bible. In the seasons of Christmas and Easter, students learn the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his ministry. We respectfully use other celebrations in world religions as an entry point into learning about them. All faiths are approached with reverence, and while we often turn to mindfulness and prayer to learn the rhythms of gratitude and care, no one way of practice is elevated above others and always remains invitational.
Outdoor Education
Preschool students begin their SAES outdoor education journey through seasonally appropriate exploration of the outdoor classroom and their larger surroundings. Students observe changes in their environment, learn how to be safe outdoors, practice caring for their environment, and find comfort and confidence in outdoor exploration alongside their peers. Outdoor education at this age centers on inquiry-based exploration and student safety in the outdoors. Students participate in outdoor education on a semi-monthly basis.