Reading

Enduring Understanding

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

Goals

  • Demonstrates comprehension and extends thinking through discussion
  • Demonstrates comprehension and extends thinking through written responses

Focus Areas & Objectives

Building Good Habits

  • Visualizes the story elements and attends to sensory details to enhance comprehension and develop insight into theme and message
  • Uses context clues to deepen an understanding of story characters

Character Study

  • Analyzes characters and their role in the story

Author Study

  • Understands how social, cultural and historical contexts reveal the author’s perspective

Non-Fiction Study

  • Connects the key points to infer main idea and summarize text

Refining Comprehension Strategies

  • Integrates comprehension strategies to answer questions and respond to text

Mystery Study

  • Uncovers the elements of the genre and the details that impact tone and mood

Book Clubs Discuss Big Ideas

  • Notices recurring themes and issues found in text to respond, evaluate, infer and draw conclusions about social issues and interactions  

Making Plan for a Reading Life

  • Reflects on the skills and strategies that have supported comprehension and sets goals for independent reading
Writing

Enduring Understanding

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

Goals

  • Writes and speaks with organization and fluency
  • Uses support and elaboration
  • Revises work to accurately convey thoughts and ideas
  • Edits written work using appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling and grammar

Focus Areas & Objectives

Writers Build Good Habits

Uses the writer’s notebook to refine the personal narrative

Personal Essay

Uses specific details and strategies to convey explicit themes, messages and feelings

Literary Essay

Studies and uses voice to develop and convey opinions

Revision

Identifies and uses revision strategies to strengthen and improve writing

Polishing Expository Text

Integrates craft strategies and skills to fashion a fluent and focused essay

Poetry

Studies and uses craft techniques unique to the genre to write a collection of two voice poems

Persuasive Essay

Uncovers the significant aspects of the genre to write a persuasive essay

Independent Writing Projects

Chooses a topic and genre of interest and applies strategies and skills to generate a compelling work

Math

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

  • Represents and compares whole numbers (to a billion) and decimals (to thousandths) in expanded notation
  • Factors composite numbers and expresses them as a product of primes using exponents
  • Applyies the order of operations and algebraic properties

Numerical & Proportional Reasoning

  • Creates tables of values and scatter plots from mathematical relationships and equations and vice versa to solve problems
  • Writes expressions, formulas, equations or inequalities using symbols or variables to denote a pattern or represent a contextual situation
  • Determines equivalent fraction, decimal, and percentage representations and choose among these forms to solve problems
  • Estimates and finds percentages of a number in context using benchmarks and number patterns and ratios to 100
  • Expresses probabilities as fractions, ratios, decimals and percentages
  • Adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides by fractions in context
  • Solves practical problems involving rates, ratios, percentages and proportionality
  • Uses ratios to convert between customary units of length, mass, capacity and time
  • Estimates solutions to problems and justify the reasonableness of estimates
  • Represents and compares whole numbers (to a billion) and decimals (to thousandths) in expanded notation
  • Develops, describes and uses strategies for solving, simplifying and estimating multiplication and division problems involving large numbers, decimals and powers of 10
  • Solves practical problems involving rates, ratios, percentages and proportionality
  • Writes and solves multistep problems in context involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, money and simple percentages

Geometry & Measurement

  • Selects and uses appropriate strategies, tools and units to estimate and solve measurement problems involving length, perimeter, area, volume, capacity, mass and weight
  • Uses ratios to convert between customary units of length, mass, capacity and time

Working with Data

  • Designs and conducts probability experiments to test predictions about outcomes and fairness
  • Expresses probabilities as fractions, ratios, decimals and percentages
  • Selects, creates and uses appropriate graphical representations of data including, circle graphs, scatter plots, histograms, and stem and leaf plots
Science

Mrs. Costolnick's Science Site

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 concepts and vocabulary
  • Uses research skills to collect and interpret information
  • Communicates information in a variety of ways

Focus Areas & Objectives

Content Knowledge

  • Identifies examples of interactions between the United States and other countries
  • Compares and contrasts cultural contributions of past and present civilizations
  • Identifies examples where cultural differences have contributed to conflict among civilizations or nations
  • Explains the distribution of physical features across the Earth’s surface using appropriate maps
  • Analyzes and illustrates how the environment affects a nation/civilization’s economic and social development
  • Compares and contrasts different forms of governance in the past and present
  • Compares and contrasts the availability and distribution of resources across world regions and the impact of resources on groups and individuals

History/Social Studies Literacy Skills

  • Gathers information from charts, graphs and maps using labels and symbols
  • Understands and explains historical content using maps
  • Organizes information in outlines and graphic organizers
  • Responds orally to opposing points of view and cites appropriate evidence
  • Presents social studies topics using visual forms of evidence

Application

  • Identifies and evaluates the significance of any on factor influencing a contemporary event
  • Identifies a current issue or event and participates in helping to address the issue
Spanish

Enduring Understanding

Through the study of world language and culture, students will appreciate the richness inherent in a diverse world and will develop a greater awareness of their native language and culture.

Goals

  • Understands and responds to simple questions and commands n the target language
  • Recognizes and produces theme vocabulary in the target language

Focus Areas & Objectives

Communication

  • Exchanges information with peers (both face-to-face and in writing) about events in their everyday lives and memorable experiences

Cultures

  • Observes, identifies and discusses patterns of behavior or interaction that are typical of their peer group in the target culture

Connections

  • Uses new information and perspectives gained though world language study to expand their personal knowledge

Comparisons

  • Understands how idiomatic expressions affect communication and reflect culture
  • Investigates cultural traditions and celebrations that exist in both the target and home cultures

Communities

  • Discusses their families, school experiences, free-time activities and current events in the target language in written or oral form
Visual Arts

Enduring Understanding

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

Goals

  • Demonstrates an understanding of basic art vocabulary and concepts
  • Effectively uses art media and techniques

Focus Areas & Objectives

Media

  • Selects media, techniques and processes to communicate ideas, reflect on their choices and analyze what makes them effective
  • Uses different media, techniques and processes (two-dimensional and three-dimensional, including media/technology) to communicate ideas, feelings, experiences stories

Elements & Principles

  • Selects and uses the elements of art and principles of design to improve communication of their ideas

Content

  • Considers and compares the sources for subject matter, symbols and ideas in their own and others’ work

History & Culture

  • Knows and compares the characteristics, purposes and significance of works of art representing various cultures, historical periods and artists

Connections

  • Compares the characteristics of works in the visual art forms that share similar subject matter, themes, purposes, historical periods or cultural context

Analysis

  • Describes and analyzes visual characteristics of works of art using visual art terminology
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 Area & Objectives

Vocal & Instrumental

  • Sings accurately and with good breath control throughout singing ranges, alone and in small and large ensembles
  • Performs music representing diverse genres and cultures, with expression appropriate for the work being performed

Improvisation & Composition

  • Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniment, each in consistent style, meter and tonality    
  • Composes short pieces within specified guidelines, demonstrating how the elements of music are used

Reading & Notation

  • Reads whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, and alla breve meter signatures
  • Identifies and defines standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation and expression and interprets them correctly

Responding to Music

  • Describes specific music events in a given aural example using appropriate terminology
  • Compares, in several world cultures, the functions music serves, roles of musicians and conditions under which music is typically performed
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 Area & Objectives

Vocal & Instrumental

  • Sings accurately and with good breath control throughout singing ranges, alone and in small and large ensembles
  • Performs music representing diverse genres and cultures, with expression appropriate for the work being performed

Improvisation & Composition

  • Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniment, each in consistent style, meter and tonality    
  • Composes short pieces within specified guidelines, demonstrating how the elements of music are used

Reading & Notation

  • Reads whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, and alla breve meter signatures
  • Identifies and defines standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation and expression and interprets them correctly

Responding to Music

  • Describes specific music events in a given aural example using appropriate terminology
  • Compares, in several world cultures, the functions music serves, roles of musicians and conditions under which music is typically performed
Information Literacy

Enduring Understanding

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

Goals

  • Employs strategies to locate and evaluate information
  • Uses electronic resources to produce, store, retrieve and share a variety of documents
  • Demonstrates the ability to communicate with others via electronic media
  • Demonstrates an understanding of ethical and safety issues

Focus Areas & Objectives

Skills

  • Defines information needs
  • Identifies a course of action to conduct research and solve problems
  • Locates and evaluates information from a variety of sources
  • Social, Ethical and Human Issues
  • Understands ethical and safety issues involving the use of technology

Technology Tools

  • Locates, produces, stores, retrieves and shares a variety of documents
  • Communicates with others via electronic resources
  • Performs basic troubleshooting procedures when technical problems arise
Physical Education

Enduring Understanding

Students will recognize the importance of physical activity in providing opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and social interaction.

Goals

  • Demonstrates motor skills for sports and activities
  • Demonstrates appropriate fitness levels

Focus Areas & Objectives

Physical Activity

  • Demonstrates increasing competence in more advanced specialized skills
  • Adapts and combines skills for increasingly complex situations
  • Participates in modified versions of a variety of movement forms

Human Movement

  • Identifies and applies principles of practice and conditioning which enhance movement performance

Fitness

  • Assess physiological indicators of exercise during and after physical activity
  • Develops personal goals and strategies for the improvement of selected fitness components necessary for a healthy lifestyle
  • Meets and /or shows improvement in all components of the health-related fitness standards as defined by the Connecticut Health-Related Fitness Assessment

Responsible Behavior & Respect for Differences

  • Recognizes the role of sport and games in modern culture
  • Demonstrates behaviors that are supportive and inclusive when meeting the individual needs of peers in physical activity settings

Benefits of Physical Activity

  • Recognizes that meeting challenges in physical activities leads to self-actualization and opportunity for social interaction
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 the elements that compromise a nutritious daily diet
  • Develops a plan for appropriate daily physical activity

Injury & Disease Prevention

  • Discusses behaviors that minimize personal risks and injuries
  • Identifies the causes, symptoms and prevention methods of communicable and non-communicable diseases

Human Growth & Development

  • Demonstrates ways of communicating care, concern and consideration for oneself and others in a respectful manner
  • Identifies and explains how the media may influence behaviors and decisions

Healthy Choices

  • Identifies strategies and skills to remain free of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and other potentially negative behaviors
  • Examines the influence of peers, culture and media