Teachers of Kindergartners Adapt to Full Days

Expanding Their Time in Class, Youngsters Are Moving Beyond the Basics

Los Angeles

Holding up stiff cardboard figures, Miriam Kupalian runs her kindergartners through a quick review of shapes, such as the hexagon and the trapezoid. The children, seated at their desks, raise their hands and try to be called on when their teacher asks if anyone can think of a shape with no sides.

“Circle,” comes back a reply.

Then she asks individual pupils here in her class at Cheremoya Elementary School to think of patterns using...