Course Catalog for Elementary School
English Language Arts – Grade 1
Curriculum Overview:
First grade is an exciting and important transitional year in the life of a student. On entering first grade, students continue to build on the basic social and academic skills they learned in kindergarten. As the year progresses, they begin to see themselves as individual students, with certain academic strengths and challenges.
Students work to foster skills and values which will serve them their entire lives: a love for learning,
an openness to new experiences, a sense of confidence and independence, and a respect for others.
Children are taught the critical thinking skills that lead to self-discovery and community dialogue.
The first grade curriculum is constructed to meet the wide range of needs, knowledge, and experiences of first grade learners.
The children are given opportunities to enhance and strengthen their skills by working in different groupings: individually, with partners, and in small and whole groups activities.
Mathematics – Grade 1
Course Description:
The goal of the first grade mathematics program is to help children feel confident and positive about math, and to help them continue to build strong number sense. Through meaningful activities in which they solve problems, reason about their mathematical thinking, and communicate their ideas in written and oral form, children make connections between mathematical concepts and real-life experiences. Students engage in high-interest activities while building their confidence and strengthening their skills. Manipulatives are used for hands-on activities.
Social Studies – Grade 1
Course Overview:
The overall goal of our social studies curriculum is for students to understand their role as a member of many different communities. Learning about their rights and responsibilities as community members in all of these groups is intended to encourage reflective and global thinking. This begins with training in the first week of school, outlining the structures and expectations for life in the classroom and on the school yard.
Beyond the classroom, first graders will explore the following essential questions: What is a community? How does a community thrive? What is culture? How does culture make a community special? This exploration will begin in our classroom and slowly move outward until we reach various communities and cultures from around the world. We foster an appreciation of cultural diversity and global community by studying various customs, art, food, music, history, traditions, and lifestyles. The use of various art mediums, authentic artifacts, literature, field trips, and guest speakers support children’s exploration of the concept of community. We aim for depth over breadth in our social studies work.
Science – Grade 1
Course Description:
SCIENCE: The first grade science program is a year of science process skills, earth science, ecosystem and physical science. The curriculum is aligned with the state's science framework.
Emphasis is on making the connections and seeing the relationships between concepts and ideas.
The interdisciplinary thematic teaching approach helps students investigate high interest problems that show students how scientific principles are applied.
Scientific thinking processes are stressed and staff strives to help students develop critical thinking skills with problem solving, decision-making, and research and inquiry. As students move through the program, they tackle more sophisticated thinking processes using experimental manipulative and other laboratory oriented projects that are related to current scientific issues.
Computer technology is used as a tool to support student projects.
The science curriculum is differentiated and accelerated though a variety of practices. Although most teaching is done in a heterogeneous environment, GATE instruction is individualized based on the skills and abilities presented by each child.
ENGLISH Language Arts – Grade 2
Curriculum Overview
The focus in second grade is the continued development of students’ skills, competence, and self-assurance as learners. In language arts, the students learn to be more fluent readers. With greater vocabulary skills and comprehension, students advance to reading independently both for learning and for pleasure, pursuing their own interests.
They also develop fluency in writing, so they have the ability to express their ideas clearly and creatively. Mathematics furthers students’ ability to order and interpret the world. Looking for patterns, making generalizations, logic and reasoning, and problem solving are emphasized, as is mastery of number concept, time, place value, various units of measure, basic geometry, and methods of computation.
Throughout the day students will work individually, with partners, and in small groups to encourage cooperative learning and individual responsibility.
Mathematics – Grade 2
Course Overview:
The foundation for math in second grade is "My Math" which blends direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration.
Through robust visual models students learn to make the necessary connections between computations and abstract concepts. Throughout the year, students work on the following: operations and algebraic thinking; addition and subtraction strategies; measurement and data; geometry; time; two and three digit addition; multiples; measurement; fractions and multi-digit computation; and place value to one thousand.
Science – Grade 2
Course Description:
SCIENCE: The second grade science program is a year of science process skills, earth science, ecosystem and physical science.
The curriculum is aligned with the state's science framework.
Emphasis is on making the connections and seeing the relationships between concepts and ideas.
The interdisciplinary thematic teaching approach helps students investigate high interest problems that show students how scientific principles are applied.
Scientific thinking processes are stressed and staff strives to help students develop critical thinking skills with problem solving, decision-making, and research and inquiry.
As students move through the program, they tackle more sophisticated thinking processes using experimental manipulative and other laboratory oriented projects that are related to current scientific issues. Computer technology is used as a tool to support student projects. The science curriculum is differentiated and accelerated though a variety of practices.
Although most teaching is done in a heterogeneous environment, GATE instruction is individualized based on the skills and abilities presented by each child.
Social Studies – Grade 2
Course overview:
The goal of social studies is to help students make connections between their own lives and the world around them, and to deepen their understanding of the differences and similarities between past and present. Students will continue to develop their understanding of their roles and responsibilities as members of their family, school, neighborhood, and state.
Our social studies program in second grade focuses on these topics and concepts; Arab countries, surface of earth, changes through time,health and safety, living together and the world around us.
English Language Arts – Grade 3
Curriculum Overview
We strive to create an environment where students feel accepted and respected.
Community-building activities are emphasized at the beginning of the year and are incorporated into various lessons throughout the year to promote each student’s sense of significance and belonging in the classroom. Students are encouraged to show kindness and respect for each other and to take care of our learning environment.
In reading, the students work together as a whole class, as well as in small groups and individually, to complete assignments and enrich each other’s reading experiences. In math, the emphasis is on fostering deep conceptual understanding of essential mathematical ideas, strategies, and models.
The third grade curriculum allows for a varied and differentiated learning experience as students engage in hands-on exploration, and independent skill practice.
Mathematics – Grade 3
Course overview:
A primary goal of our program is for students to foster deep conceptual understanding of essential mathematical ideas, strategies, and models.
With increasing sophistication, third graders explore the big ideas in multiplication and division including the distributive, associative, and commutative properties. Other topics of study cover number sense (including place value, and addition and subtraction to four digits), equivalency, geometry (including plane and solid figures, congruence and symmetry, perimeter, and area), measurement (including length and area, and telling time), graphing (collecting, organizing, and displaying data), and fractions.
The math curriculum promotes reasoning, problem-solving strategies, and creative and logical thinking.
Students explore concepts by solving word problems and engaging in critical thinking tasks. They learn mathematical tools and use them strategically. Students develop the ability to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Social Studies – Grade 3
Course Overview:
The relationship between the land and its inhabitants and how each affects the other is a focal point in third grade social studies.
Students develop an awareness of place, and human and environmental interaction. Third graders will gain understanding of location and direction, and they will identify land features using legends and keys. We focus on building appreciation for the rich complexity of a society’s culture and how the parts of a culture interrelate.
Students use artifacts to infer things about the lives of people in the past.
A variety of resources including literature selections, atlases, articles, and field trips are presented. Areas of study include communities and geography, countries geography, physical geography and urban, suburban and rural communities.
Science – Grade 3
Course Description:
SCIENCE: The third grade science program is a year of science process skills, earth science, ecosystem, physical science and science fair.
The curriculum is aligned with the state's science framework.
Emphasis is on making the connections and seeing the relationships between concepts and ideas.
The interdisciplinary thematic teaching approach helps students investigate high interest problems that show students how scientific principles are applied.
Scientific thinking processes are stressed and staff strives to help students develop critical thinking skills with problem solving, decision-making, and research and inquiry.
As students move through the program, they tackle more sophisticated thinking processes using experimental manipulative and other laboratory oriented projects that are related to current scientific issues. Computer technology is used as a tool to support student projects.
The science curriculum is differentiated and accelerated though a variety of practices.
Although most teaching is done in a heterogeneous environment, GATE instruction is individualized based on the skills and abilities presented by each child.
English Language Arts – Grade 4
Curriculum Overview
In fourth grade, students become more confident about their ideas and are increasingly able to contribute to discussions in a way that builds on others’ contributions.
They learn to be objective about their work so that they can critique it themselves and accept suggestions from teachers and peers positively.
They begin to reflect on their own learning and advocate for their needs, both in school and at home. They begin to practice important long-term planning skills.
They are now able to take their conflict resolution skills to a higher level as they begin to understand the roots of conflict, and to respect the needs and views of others.
In fourth grade students transition from learning to read, to reading to learn.
They consult references for information, but also evaluate and critique their usefulness.
They use a greater variety of resources and begin to research independently. Students begin to analyze historical motivation and use critical judgment about the needs and contexts of other cultures and times.
Fourth graders generate more complex ideas for their own creative and expository writing, select and narrow their topics, and then develop them with related and interesting details.
Mathematics – Grade 4
Course overview:
Through context-based investigations, students develop mathematical reasoning, number sense, and problem-solving strategies.
Students use words, symbols, and models to represent their mathematical thinking.
They build upon their skills as they explore place value, measurement and data,geometry, properties of operations, algebraic reasoning, and, later in the year, fractions and decimals.
They solidify their multiplication concepts and computational skills and develop an understanding of division.
We use a variety of resources to serve the diverse needs of our students.
Each unit begins with a pre-assessment, which we use to differentiate instruction.
Social Studies – Grade 4
Course Overview:
The topics we have are the mother load of the fourth grade curriculum.
We begin with a study of geology and geography, and focus on how the land has shaped the people throughout history. Coasts, mountains, valleys, and deserts will come to life as the students create real life maps.
Students research various types of topics. In Human geography, students study their environment and how it changes along with their personal responsibilities in caring for it.
They will also be studying the roles and responsibilities as citizens in this world and what impact they can make as individuals .
Students will be sharing information about new places and cultures while they learn about saving money, the basics of economy and world business.
We emphasize developing study skills, such as: finding and using evidence to support ideas; researching with multiple resources of various kinds; introducing a topic in topic sentences and introductory paragraphs; developing report topics with facts and concrete details.
Science – Grade 4
Course Description:
SCIENCE: The fourth grade science program is a year of science process skills, earth science, ecosystem, physical science and science fair.
The curriculum is aligned with the state's science framework.
Emphasis is on making the connections and seeing the relationships between concepts and ideas.
The interdisciplinary thematic teaching approach helps students investigate high interest problems that show students how scientific principles are applied.
Scientific thinking processes are stressed and staff strives to help students develop critical thinking skills with problem solving, decision-making, and research and inquiry.
As students move through the program, they tackle more sophisticated thinking processes using experimental manipulative and other laboratory oriented projects that are related to current scientific issues.
Computer technology is used as a tool to support student projects.
The science curriculum is differentiated and accelerated though a variety of practices.
Although most teaching is done in a heterogeneous environment, GATE instruction is individualized based on the skills and abilities presented by each child.
English Language Arts – Grade 5
Curriculum Overview
Fifth grade is an important year for young learners.
They are ready to engage with more difficult material and can take on more and more of the responsibility for their own learning, but are still pre-adolescents who need support and care to ensure their best work.
We model lifelong learning and challenge students with difficult material, keep in mind the various learning styles present in the classroom, and help students to exercise their natural curiosity.
This is best achieved when students learn in a carefully and thoughtfully constructed environment that supports students’ physical and emotional safety and encourages them to stretch and grow.
Social Studies – Grade 5
Course Overview:
We want our students to be good historical thinkers, and to have an appreciation for some of the great stories and intriguing people in our history.
We learn research, reading, and writing skills specific to history, and we use historical fiction and primary source documents in order to dig deeper into specific topics and gain a sense of historical empathy.
Throughout the year students will learn about early civilizations and colonization from farmers to pastorial societies.
Students will be introduced to Mesopotaimia and the Ancient Egyptian Civilization.
Mathematics – Grade 5
Course Overview:
Fluency with multiplication, division, and fractions are at the core of fifth grade math.
Students begin the year with an exploration of the volume of rectangular prisms and its relationship to multiplication and division.
Later, students delve more deeply into fractions, decimals, long division and percents, exploring ratios and rates as well.
We explore concepts in geometry such as area and perimeter of triangles. Algebraic thinking is emphasized throughout all of the units.
Building on the ideals of a math workshop, units may take students through a sequence of investigations, mini-lessons, games, and forums.
Throughout the program, the math curriculum promotes reasoning, the development of problem- solving strategies, and creative and logical thinking.
Students explore concepts by solving word problems and engaging in complex critical thinking tasks individually, in small groups, and as a whole class.
Science – Grade 5
Course Description:
SCIENCE: The fifth grade science program is a year of science process skills, life science space science, ecosystem, physical science and science fair.
The curriculum is aligned with the state's science framework.
Emphasis is on making the connections and seeing the relationships between concepts and ideas.
The interdisciplinary thematic teaching approach helps students investigate high interest problems that show students how scientific principles are applied.
Scientific thinking processes are stressed and staff strives to help students develop critical thinking skills with problem solving, decision-making, and research and inquiry.
As students move through the program, they tackle more sophisticated thinking processes using experimental manipulative and other laboratory oriented projects that are related to current scientific issues.
Computer technology is used as a tool to support student projects.
The science curriculum is differentiated and accelerated though a variety of practices.
Although most teaching is done in a heterogeneous environment, GATE instruction is individualized based on the skills and abilities presented by each child.