Reading

Enduring Understanding

Students will understand that literacy is a gateway to knowledge of self, others, the world and opportunity.

Goals

  • Uses strategies to solve unknown words
  • Reads sight words automatically
  • Monitors and self-corrects reading
  • Reads with fluency
  • Incorporates story elements in oral retelling of text
  • Reads and responds with understanding through discussion and in writing 

Focus Areas & Objectives

Building Good Habits

  • Knows and follows the procedures of the workshop, maintains interest and focus and develops understanding of what makes a book “just-right”

Decoding Strategies

  • Uses decoding strategies to read with accuracy and monitor comprehension

Building Reading Muscles

  • Applies strategies and skills to develop reading fluency and comprehend text

Thinking about Books

  • Makes connections, asks questions, predicts and attends to punctuation to enhance comprehension

Non-Fiction Study

  • Uses text features to locate information and gather new ideas

Author Study

  • Identifies patterns to predict and draw conclusions about plots and topics

Character Study

  • Notices important details to understand character traits

Fiction Study

  • Uses elements of the genre to deepen comprehension

Making Plans for a Reading Life

  • Reflects on favorite books, authors and skills that good readers use
  • Sets goals for independent reading
Writing

Enduring Understanding

Students will recognize that writing is a vehicle for enjoyment, self-expression and social interaction.

Goals

  • Generates ideas
  • Stays on the topic
  • Sequences ideas to organize writing
  • Uses support and elaboration
  • Revises work to clearly convey thoughts
  • Edits written work using appropriate grade level conventions, e.g.: spacing, capitalization, end marks and spelling

Focus Areas & Objectives 

Writers Build Good Habits

  • Knows and follows the procedures of the workshop, maintains interest and focus
  • Uses the writer’s workshop to generate topics and write independently with pictures and words

Exploring Small Moments

  • Uses details to write about one event

Writing for Readers

  • Understands and uses writing conventions to help their readers understand and enjoy text

Revision

  • Identifies and uses revision strategies to improve writing

Non-Fiction

  • Reviews and applies craft strategies to craft a “How To” text

Authors as Mentors

  • Studies a particular author’s craft and uses it as a model to guide the writing of a story

Poetry

  • Uses structure of the genre and specific word choice to write a collection of poems

Realistic Fiction

  • Uses strategies from the genre to write a story with attention to characters, a sequence of events and precise word choice

Independent Writing

  • Chooses a topic and genre of interest to make plans for independent writing projects
Mathematics

Enduring Understanding

Students will recognize that an understanding of mathematical principles and processes will enable them to analyze and solve problems systematically and efficiently.

Goals

  • Uses mental and written strategies to compute with accuracy and efficiency
  • Communicates mathematical thinking through written and oral language
  • Displays, analyzes, compares and interprets information to solve problems

Focus Areas & Objectives

Algebraic Reasoning

  • Sorts and classifies objects using a variety of attributes
  • Describes patterns, identifies the repeat in a pattern, and then uses numbers to record each repetition
  • Investigates the idea of balance between two sides of a number sentence

Numerical & Proportional Reasoning

  • Counts in a variety of ways to 100
  • Investigates the link between addition and subtraction
  • Solves addition problems to 18
  • Estimates objects in a set using 0, 10 and 100 as benchmarks

Geometry & Measurement

  • Compares and contrasts 2-D and 3-D shapes
  • Reads time to the hour and half hour
  • Estimates and compares length, weight and capacity

Working with Data

  • Constructs tally charts and simple graphs to organize data
  • Draws conclusions from data
Science

Enduring Understanding

Students will appreciate that through knowledge of science concepts and the use of observation, questioning and analysis, they will achieve an understanding and appreciation of the world and their role as innovators and stewards of the Earth.

Goals

  • Demonstrates an understanding of vocabulary and concepts
  • Observes, predicts and draws reasonable conclusions
  • Participates in activities and class discussions                      

Focus Areas & Objectives 

Forces & Motion

  • Describes the apparent movement of the sun across the sky and the changes in the length and direction of shadows during the day

Structure & Function

  • Describes the different ways that animals, including humans, obtain water and food
  • Describes the different structures plants have for obtaining water and sunlight
  • Describes the changes in organisms, such as frogs and butterflies, as they undergo metamorphosis

Science & Technology in Society

  • Estimates, measures and compares the sizes and weights of different objects and organisms using standard and nonstandard measuring tools
Social Studies

Enduring Understanding

Students will appreciate that by understanding others and the world around them, they will be prepared to enjoy the rights and assume the responsibilities as citizens of a global society.

Goals

  • Demonstrates an understanding of vocabulary and concepts
  • Participates in activities and class discussions 

Focus Areas & Objectives

Content Knowledge

  • Explains the significance of historical figures
  • Compares and contrasts personal and peer experiences to the lives and experiences of people in different generations
  • Uses maps and globes and related symbols to locate physical features
  • Explains the difference between manmade and natural geographic features
  • Observes weather changes and examines how these affect people’s lives
  • Describes where extended family members live
  • Explains how rules and laws help to establish order and ensure school safety
  • Works collaboratively to develop and justify classroom rules
  • Explains the need for laws and services
  • Gives examples of an individual’s responsibility as a citizen in the school
  • Analyzes how individual actions affect others
  • Identifies basic needs and wants through personal examples
  • Describes the elements found in a community

History/Social Studies Literacy Skills

  • Gathers information from non-fiction text
  • Interprets information from pictures, graphs and charts
  • Identifies basic map symbols

Application

  • Develops an awareness of different points of view
  • Participates in discussions and asks questions about social studies topics
Visual Arts

Enduring Understanding

Students will demonstrate an understanding of and appreciation for the importance of art as a means for enjoyment and self expression.

Goals

  • Demonstrates an understanding of basic art concepts and techniques
  • Uses art media and tools in a safe, responsible manner

Focus Areas & Objectives

Media

  • Differentiates between a variety of media, techniques and processes
  • Uses different media, techniques and processes to communicate ideas, feelings, experiences and stories

Elements & Principles

  • Uses the elements of art and principles of design to communicate ideas

Content

  • Selects and uses subject matter, symbols and ideas to communicate meaning

History & Culture

  • Recognizes that the visual arts have a history and a variety of cultural purposes and meanings

Connections

  • Demonstrates an understanding of how the visual arts are used in the world
Music

Enduring Understanding

Students will understand that music is an avenue for social interaction, self-expression and enjoyment.

Goals

  • Creates music appropriate for grade level
  • Performs music appropriate for grade level
  • Responds to music appropriate for grade level
  • Notates music appropriate for grade level 

Focus Areas & Objectives

Vocal & Instrumental

  • Sings independently, on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction and posture and maintains a steady tempo
  • Sings in groups, blending vocal timbres, matching dynamic levels and responds to the cues of a conductor
  • Performs independent instrumental parts while other students sing or play contrasting parts

Improvisation & Composition

  • Improvises simple rhythmic and melodic ostinato accompaniments

Reading & Notation

  • Uses a system to read simple pitch notation in the treble clef in major keys
  • Uses standard symbols to notate meter, rhythm, pitch and dynamics in simple patterns presented by the teacher

Responding to Music

  • Responds through purposeful movement to selected prominent musical characteristics or to specific music events while listening to music
Information Literacy

Enduring Understanding

Students will develop an appreciation of technological resources and the printed word as sources of information.

Goal

  • Employs strategies to locate and evaluate information

Focus Area & Objectives

Skills

  • Defines information needs
  • Identifies a course of action to conduct research and solve problems
  • Locates and evaluates information form a variety of sources
Physical Education

Enduring Understanding

Students will recognize the importance of physical activity as a means to provide opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and social interaction.

Goals

  • Applies movement correctly
  • Negotiates space with objects and others
  • Demonstrates appropriate fitness levels

Focus Areas & Objectives

Physical Activity

  • Demonstrates developmentally mature form in the locomotor, nonlocomotor and selected manipulative skills to participate in appropriate play and fitness activities
  • Acquires basic skills for participation in activities and games

Human Movement

  • Recognizes and applies concepts of body space and movement concepts in developing movement sequences and game strategies

Fitness

  • Participates in fitness related activities necessary for a healthy lifestyle

Responsible Behavior & Respect for Differences

  • Follows classroom rules, activity-specific rules, safety practices, procedures, etiquette and good sportsmanship in the physical activity setting
  • Works cooperatively and productively with partners or in small groups

Benefits of Physical Activity

  • Understands that practicing activities increases skill competence
Health

Enduring Understanding

Students will develop an awareness of healthy choices and the positive impact of these choices on their health and well-being.

Goal

  • Demonstrates a knowledge of the factors that constitute positive choices in health, nutrition, disease prevention and decision making

Focus Areas & Objectives

Health & Nutrition

  • Discusses what makes foods nutritious based on U.S. dietary guidelines
  • Engages in daily physical activity

Injury & Disease Prevention

  • Knows and demonstrates ways to stay safe
  • Identifies resources in the home, school and community to get help if needed
  • Identifies ways to stay well

Human Growth & Development

  • Demonstrates ways of communicating care, concern and consideration for oneself and others in a respectful manner

Healthy Choices

  • Discusses and promotes healthy lifestyle choices