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Philosophy |
| Kindergarten
& Grade 1 |
| Grades 2 & 3 |
| Grades 4 & 5 |
| Summer Program |
| Afterschool |
Grades 2 & 3 |
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| Language Arts | Second & Third Grade Objectives (Language Arts) | Mathematics | Second Grade Objectives (Mathematics) | Third Grade Objectives (Mathematics) | Science | Second & Third Grade Objectives (Science) | Social Studies | Second & Third Grade Objectives (Social Studies) | Anti-Bias | Second & Third Grade Objectives (Anti-Bias) | ||||
Language Arts |
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Language arts generate enthusiasm for self-expression. Language is viewed as a complex process that includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Through the use of language, children can extend their abilities as critical and creative thinkers, essential skills for academic achievement and interpersonal relationships. As children share stories, poems, and original pieces of work, and engage in debate, idea sharing, and other forms of group discussion, they come to view themselves as competent readers, authors, and communicators. The goal of the language arts program is to progressively and sequentially build upon students’ foundations in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students are supported and challenged within their zone of literacy development as they gain an understanding of phonological processing, phonics, grammar, context, and content. Children learn to use language in all its varied forms and gain an understanding of the importance and pleasure that all kinds of expression can provide. Overall, students are given a multitude of experiences that increase their confidence as readers, writers, and communicators. Students are involved in numerous reading and writing activities throughout the day. Some of these activities are connected to ongoing classroom themes, and others are designed to help develop proficiency in specific skill areas. Writing workshop periods, journaling, small reading groups, and language arts stations in Workboard are times during the day that support the children's continued literacy growth. Literacy is also integrated into many aspects of the school day including meetings, art, science, math, and social studies. Students engage in and respond to literature through whole class picture and chapter books, poetry studies, individual and buddy reading, and reading groups. During reading groups the children explore a wide variety of literature through direct instruction via books that are appropriate for the age and skill level of the reader. Vocabulary development is enhanced during these times through book chats, word analysis, contextual investigation, and, in the upper grades, specific vocabulary assignments. In conjunction with the classroom program, weekly library visits and extensive collections of classroom texts extend the students' opportunities for diversifying their literature experiences. The writing program includes both direct instruction and daily writing times with an emphasis on writing as a process. Students learn to edit their own writing, conference with peers and teachers, and publish their work. Using their foundational knowledge, students expand their abilities as authors and develop greater insight into the stories shared in both fiction and non-fiction texts. In grades 3-5, students work on more focused writing assignments that include, but are not limited to, persuasive, descriptive, and informational essays. Teachers in Kindergarten through Grade 3 use the Wisnia-Kapp Reading Program to provide direct, explicit instruction in phonological awareness, sound/symbol retrieval, segmentation skills, and syllable pattern types that support reading and writing development. Students transition from invented spelling to emergent spelling to conventional spelling as they enhance reading fluency, the recognition of sight words, word patterns, and phonetic rules. Spelling skills are reinforced in mini lessons, games, story editing, writing assignments, and reading groups. Zaner-Bloser manuscript and cursive handwriting is taught and reinforced with the understanding that ease, skill, and confidence in this area promote written communication. Children also have the opportunity to publish written work on classroom computers and Alphasmarts, using technological tools as modes of communication. Listening and speaking skills also play a major role in the language arts program. As children communicate with each other, they work towards a greater awareness of themselves and the effect and impact their words and tone can have on those around them. Ways to communicate and listen effectively are explored through group work, dramatizations, and class meetings. Above all, through the language arts program, we hope to instill in every child a love for reading, writing, and communicating, the foundations to accomplish these successfully, and an understanding of how vital they are in everyday life. |
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Second and Third Grade Objectives: Language Arts |
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Reading
Writing
Grammar and Usage
Spelling
Speaking/Listening
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Learning Looks Like This |
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During their "Workboard Time," the students work in various groupings around the room busily attending to literacy activities. At a small table, three students are playing Boggle. Adding to the game's challenge, the students have been asked to focus on locating words containing consonant blends. One student finds the word "fright" and describes to her teammates that the word rhymes with "bright" but has a different beginning blend. She happily records the word on her list. Two students in the "Book Nook" are reading poetry about the weather on this very rainy day. As they browse through the basket of poems, they put sticky-notes on two that they would like to read to the group during their morning meeting. Quietly tucked away at a corner table a boy, using one of the classroom AlphaSmarts, types the final draft of a story about a hike he enjoyed over the weekend. He pays careful attention to the words he circled while editing and checks the spelling against words recorded in his personal dictionary. At another table, a teacher works with four students and, using a graphic organizer, they map out a story they heard at the listening center. Students choose adjectives to describe the main character and give examples to support their thoughts. Across the room, a student looks over her "Workboard Contract," checks off what she has just accomplished, and decides what she should tackle next. |
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Mathematics |
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Mathematics is taught as a way of making sense of the world rather than as a series of formulas and rules to be memorized. The students are encouraged to construct meaning and apply concepts to a range of real life problems. In this way, they come to value mathematics as a meaningful and practical subject that has many applications in their everyday world. The goal of the mathematics curriculum is to supply each student with the skills and confidence needed to develop mathematical thinking and to apply mathematical concepts in increasingly complex ways. Students work individually, in small groups, and as a whole group to explore a variety of mathematical relationships and connections. Using the Everyday Math series, as well as activities and problem-solving exercises developed for specific topics and individual needs, emphasis is placed on both the conceptual and practical aspects of math. This curriculum and added learning challenges are based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, which focus on creating mathematically literate students who apply strategies in problem solving, communicate their ideas to others, gain influence and accuracy in their work, and enjoy mathematics. Students are repeatedly exposed to, and asked to explore, six conceptual mathematics strands- Numeration; Operations and Computation; Patterns, Function, and Algebra; Geometry; Measurement; Reference Frames; Data and Chance- throughout every grade level. Each unit is built around several investigations that offer a variety of problem contexts for students to explore. Daily investigations focus on a patterned presentation of mathematical concepts that work together to coordinate learning experiences, connect them to everyday life, and fully engage students in the explorations. These mathematical inquiries are structured around sets of related problems, the use of mathematical relationships to build a solid knowledge base, games designed to involve students' thinking about particular mathematics, opportunities to collect and represent data, and wrap-up projects that give students chances to implement and extend the unit's ideas. Students are challenged to work in-depth on problems using mathematical tools, manipulatives, conversations with peers, and their own understanding to actively solve a variety of problems. Time is allowed for the children to think about the problems and to model, draw, write and talk about their ideas. Students discover materials and resources available to them and use these resources both inside and outside of school. At the end of the day, it is our hope that the students will use their knowledge in real-life situations and hence, view math as an exciting and integral part of their everyday lives. |
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Second Grade Objectives: Mathematics |
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Numeration
Operations and Computation
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Geometry
Measurement and Reference Frames
Data and Chance
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Third Grade Objectives: Mathematics |
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Numeration
Operations and Computation
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
Geometry
Measurement and Reference Frames
Data and Chance
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Learning Looks Like This |
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As a final activity of a unit on money, one of the math groups visits a "virtual" restaurant in the classroom so they can practice the skills they have just learned, including identifying the value of coins and bills. The students are excited for the chance to place their orders and pay their checks. Sitting in small groups at tables, each student has a menu, a one-dollar bill, one dollar in coins, and a receipt for recording purchases. As the students place their orders, the food server, who looks surprisingly like one of their teachers, reminds the customers to keep track of their total order. The "virtual" restaurant, like all restaurants, expects its customers to not overspend and have enough money to pay their bill! After eating some tasty items from the menu, each student is presented with a bill and must calculate the coins needed to pay for the food. The whole math group comes together at the end; the students share their strategies for choosing which coins to use and how they made sure they had enough money after ordering. |
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Science |
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Science is the natural process of exploring, questioning, predicting, and making discoveries. It is through this process that the students strive to make sense out of the world around them, and in doing so gain a deeper understanding of, and respect for, their world. Through active participation blended with time for thoughtful observation and reflection, children begin to view science as a way of thinking and questioning, not simply a way of gathering information. The goal of the science program is to help students acquire scientific skills through a balanced approach. Teachers prepare focused, guided investigations as well as provide time for open-ended exploration. Students are regularly engaged in activities that require them to work collaboratively, think independently, experiment, and problem-solve. In developmentally-appropriate ways, children are challenged to think scientifically, formulate hypotheses, collect and organize data, and draw conclusions. Teachers use the Insights curriculum and the Carolina Biological Supply in conjunction with the National Science Resource Center and the Science and Technology Concepts curriculum, as well as supplementary materials and explorations. Within the curriculum, children work on three areas of scientific inquiry: physical, life and earth. Specific science units are taught over a two-year looping cycle. In the kindergarten and first grade years, students focus on the Five Senses, Habitats, Weather, Organisms, Balls and Ramps, and Butterflies. Students in their second and third grade years study Rocks and Minerals, Sound, Lifting Heavy Things, and Liquids. During the fourth and fifth grade years scientific study centers around Land and Water, Changes of State, Motion and Design, and Animal Studies. In an effort to encourage deeper understanding of what students are learning, teachers often integrate science into other curriculum areas. By keeping science journals, creating observational drawings, and participating in spontaneous investigations, students develop an understanding that science not only bridges many curriculum areas, but that it also is relevant to their lives. |
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Second & Third Grade Objectives: Science |
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Rocks and Minerals
Sound
Lifting Heavy Things
Liquids
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Learning Looks Like This |
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Students are working in pairs spread out around the classroom. Each pair has an egg carton with a different mineral placed in each of the twelve sections. Some students are using a magnifying glass to look closely at Feldspar, noticing the different colors found in two samples of the same mineral. As his partner observes, another student uses a dropper to wet a mineral to see if it has a smell. Another pair carefully dons gloves before picking up galena to get a close up look in order to describe its texture. Others are quietly reflecting as they write in their science journals, comparing and contrasting the minerals they are studying. At the end of their observation session, the students join together and share some of their findings. They add questions to the chart entitled "What We Want to Know about Minerals" and add more information to "What We Have Learned about Minerals." The teacher distributes copies of information sheets about sulfur, which the students then take turns reading aloud, stopping occasionally to add comments or ask questions. |
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Social Studies |
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Social studies is seen as a process in which students learn to understand themselves, their families, their neighborhoods, communities, and the greater world, both in current and historical perspective, while appreciating the interconnectedness between each. It is a way to investigate past, present, and future human relationships. It allows us to explore, and subsequently face, the responsibilities we have to each other and the world. The goal of the social studies curriculum is to develop an understanding of the social, economic, and political institutions that foster our current day way of life. Students learn about the past and present from a variety of perspectives: anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. The social studies curriculum builds upon itself year by year, in a spiraling manner, meant to reinforce core skills, while also increasing prior knowledge as it repeatedly looks deeper into history and culture. In the kindergarten and first grade years students study families, Boston neighborhoods and cultural groups, the Arlington community, civil rights, and the idea of being a strong person. Students in their second and third grade years explore Colonial American history, the Revolutionary period, and Civil Rights in the United States and the world. During the fourth and fifth grade years the students' study turns to Ancient Cultures and Immigration and Exploration. Mapping skills are connected to all themes and play an important role in furthering the students' understanding. Because the content of social history is always changing current events are also used to help students relate the past to the present, recognize change, and hypothesize about the future. It is our hope that the students will learn positive attitudes and the fundamental values of our society as they investigate the meanings of justice, human dignity, equal opportunity, and pluralism. It is our belief that this learning leads to a better understanding of the similarities and differences among diverse cultural, ethnic, religious, and racial groups in the world. |
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Second & Third Grade Objectives: Social Studies |
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Boston Settlement and Early History
Civil Rights Movements
Indigenous Cultures
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Learning Looks Like This |
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Multiple pairs of children are sprawled on the floor sifting through book pages and pieces of paper. A timeline of the Civil Rights Movement is spread out in the center of the room. Every once in a while, a child walks over and adds an important person or event to the ever-growing list. Small discussions around placement of information on the line lead to conversations about dates, changes, and periods of time. Students record data pertaining to their research topic on outlined sheets. The words who, what, where, when and why are highlighted on the top of each page. Conversations about Rosa Parks and Birmingham overlap with questions about Selma and the geography of the southern United States. Each pair of students has created a project map to help organize the essay, project, and class sharing. Periodically, a partner group stands up to practice the presentation. Other groups rummage through art bins looking for items to complete their visual props. Upon completion, all of the essays will be compiled into a Civil Rights Encyclopedia that will be added to the school library's reference section. |
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Anti-Bias |
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Children are aware of and affected by human differences from an early age, and our community is based on respecting and appreciating the similarities and differences found within our school and neighborhoods and throughout the world. The strong emphasis on anti-bias education promotes a sense of belonging for all students and builds a sense of connection between people. The goal of the anti-bias program is to challenge the impact of bias on the students’ social and intellectual development by helping them acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for respectfully living in a diverse community. Each year the anti-bias curriculum expands on the learning done in the earlier grades, as well as revisits topics of understanding to provide a spiraling learning experience for the students. The curriculum builds upon itself, encouraging the students to move along a continuum from knowledge to understanding to tolerance to acceptance to respect and inclusion. Throughout all of their learning, the students are encouraged to develop and actively participate in lessons to end the cycle of bias. The anti-bias curriculum focuses on, but is not limited to, eight major areas of bias. These include racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, classism, ageism, religious intolerance and size acceptance. Through direct, pro-active instruction, as well as using everyday events within the classroom and the larger world, the curriculum is integrated into all aspects of the students' school experience. Above all, we are working to instill in the students a respect for themselves, their classmates, and their community, while providing each child with strategies for actively improving the social conditions of all of those around them. Top |
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Second & Third Grade Objectives: Anti-Bias |
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Learning Looks Like This |
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Students are working in small, cooperative groups at four different tables. Their challenge is to create a structure or home that would keep them warm and dry using only the materials available at their table. They begin to notice that the four tables have varied resources available to them. One table has newspaper and glue. The next has paper, glue, and cloth. The third table holds popsicle sticks, cardboard, paper, and tape. The fourth table has aluminum foil, paper, glue, tape, sticks, and cloth. The students are busy beginning the task at hand. They experience a range of reactions: from feelings of frustration with their comparative lack of materials to feelings of confusion around not being able to share the materials they have with those who have less. The groups work to create functional structures, despite their frustration. As they finish, students share their ideas with each other. Teachers pose questions to help students think about what it feels like to experience inequity in resources. |
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