Academic Programs

READING 

Our program incorporates whole language and strong phonics instruction to ensure that students develop a firm reading foundation. We use Houghton Mifflin Into Reading curriculum for sight words and comprehension and Word Wires to build a solid phonics foundation, teaching students to know how their mouth forms sounds as they learn letter sounds. We also use the Daily 5 literacy program in which students work independently in five areas: read to self, read to someone, word work, work on writing, and listen to reading.

• Comprehending setting and main characters in a story

• Making predictions

• Recalling beginning, middle, and end

• Mastering all letters, sounds, vowel and consonant blends

MATH

The Dimensions Singapore Math curriculum enables students to learn math concepts through meaningful lessons and hands-on tasks. Students are taught concepts to gain a solid foundation in mathematics. We also incorporate the workshop model for differentiated instruction. 

• Number sense
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Patterns
• Graphing
• Money
• Time and Calendar

SCIENCE

We use the Mystery Science curriculum to engage students in exciting hands-on science activities such as making shelters for an animal stuffy, growing plants, and learning to take care of animals. We also use the Engineering is Elementary program from the Boston Museum of Science to practice the engineering design cycle to build ramps, bridges, and “rollercoasters” in the process. Students practice using tools to make measurements and record data. We also incorporate field trips to give students real world experience with what we have learned in class. 

• Weather 

• Effects of Sunlight  

• Environmental Impact 

• Living Things 

• Forces 

• Engineering Design Process 

MATH

We use Dimensions Singapore Math for whole group and small group instruction. Students use IXL and explore with math games as a math enrichment tool.

• Numbers 0 to 10
• Number Bonds
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Position
• Numbers to 20
• Shapes
• Length
• Weight
• Capacity
• Comparing Numbers
• Graphs
• Numbers to 40
• Multiplication
• Division
• Halves and Fourths
• Time
• Numbers to 100
• Money

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students gain hands-on experience through each TCI (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute) Social Studies Alive! My School and Family unit. They work cooperatively to solve problems and gain a real-world perspective.

• The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
• Life Today and Long Ago 
• Cultural Literacy: One Nation, Many People 

SCIENCE

Students observe plant and animal adaptations. Students experiment with different materials that create light and sound waves. Students learn about the various components of the Earth, Solar System and other celestial objects.

• Plants and Animal Superpowers
• The Spinning Sky
• Light and Sounds
• Engineering

LANGUAGE ARTS

Reading

Daily 5, CAFÉ strategies, Into Reading curiculum, and Accelerated Reader are used to structure the reading block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. With guidance, students self- select reading materials at their independent reading level. Whole group, small group, and individualized instruction are used to support them in progressing to the next level. Houghton Mifflin reading curriculum, Into Reading, is used to expose students to a variety of texts, genres, comprehension strategies, and decoding skills.

Writers’ Workshop:

Students focus on the three types of writing: 1) to inform 2) to persuade 3) to entertain. Through the use of writing journals, the Lucy Calkins writing curriculum, and the use of the writing process, students will become stronger writers. Students are guided to effectively communicate their ideas and express themselves through the various steps of writing including drafting, editing, revising, and publishing

Spelling, Vocabulary Development and Handwriting

The linguistic-based Wired for Reading and Word Wires program helps structure our spelling and vocabulary curricula and provide differentiated instruction that allows students to practice, strengthen, internalize these skills. Handwriting Without Tears curriculum is used for handwriting mastery. 

• Recognize problem and solution relationships in text
• Use inference skills to decipher information in context
• Interpret information from fiction and nonfiction sources
• Strengthen and build fluency
• Plan, write, and revise personal narratives, informational writing, and persuasive writing
• Strengthen phonetic skills and spelling strategies 
• Develop speaking and listening skills

SCIENCE

Scientific understanding is integrated with engineering using the Mystery Science and Engineering is Elementary curriculum. Video lessons are integrated with hands-on kits to make observations, construct explanations, and design solutions. 

• Hands-on science kits teach physical, life and earth sciences through inquiry. 
• Content is enhanced through field trips and journals. 
• Earth Science: The work of Water (Mystery Science)
• A Sticky Situation: Earth Materials Engineering Kit (EiE)
• Physical Science: Materials Magic (Mystery Science)
• Life Science: Plant and Animal Adventures (Mystery Science)
• Thinking Inside the Box: Designing Plant Packages (EiE)

• Engineering Design Process - Invention Convention 

LANGUAGE ARTS

Writers’ Workshop & Writable
Students self-select writing topics in addition to teacher-directed prompts. Students are taught the writing process using partner editors and teacher direction. They are supported by a balance of whole group, small group, and one-to-one instruction that allows individual students to become a more competent writer.

Readers’ Workshop & Into Reading
Daily 5 is used for leveled reading development. Accelerated Reader is used for monitoring the student’s reading level and goals. Into Reading and Thinking Maps are utilized for whole group reading and reading strategy lessons.

Handwriting
Cursive Handwriting is introduced through the ‘Handwriting Without Tears’ series.

Problem Based Learning

Students are posed with a problem where they will need to work collaboratively to combine Language Arts skills and concepts taught in class in combination with 21st-century skills to come up with a solution. 

Read literary and informational texts closely and analytically to comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts:

• Key Details
• Central Ideas
• Word Meanings
• Reasoning & Evidence
• Analysis Within or Across Texts
• Text Structures & Features
• Language Use 

Produce effective writing for a range of purposes and audiences:

• Write and revise brief/full narrative and informational texts
• Write and revise one or more paragraph opinion pieces
• Accurately use language and vocabulary in writing
• Edit appropriate grammar usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
• Learn proper cursive handwriting techniques and write in cursive fluently

Employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences:

• Followed agreed-upon rules for discussion
• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
• Speak in complete sentences to provide detail or clarification
• Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker 
• Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems
• Report on a topic or text, tell a story or recount an experience

LANGUAGE ARTS

• Reading comprehension and fluency
• Vocabulary
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Writing
• Independent reading
• Non-fiction and current events
• Cursive handwriting
• Classroom presentations of book and research projects

Students follow a modified Daily 5 model to do the following:

• Read to self – Supported by the online Accelerated Reader (AR) program
• Read with others– AR and Into Reading
• Word work – Into Reading, supplemented by Wired for Reading
• Work on writing – Into Reading, supplemented by Units of Study
• Work with teacher – Students work 1:1 or in small flexible groups with the teacher to work on targeted reading and writing skills using Into Reading

Accelerated Reader
Students are guided in selecting appropriately-leveled books for independent reading. After completing a book, students take a short comprehension quiz on the computer and earn points based on the number of correct answers.

Reader’s Workshop - Our new research- and standards-based curriculum, Into Reading, integrates reading, writing, spelling and grammar. Students work with the teacher in whole class, one-to-one and in small flexible groups to strengthen reading fluency as well as to work on understanding story elements and reading for enjoyment across various genres using authentic literature. The program allows for differentiated instruction to support and challenge diverse learners. Scholastic News magazines are used as a supplement to incorporate additional nonfiction articles and current events.

Writer’s Workshop - The writing program is paired with the Into Reading curriculum. Students write from assigned and self-selected topics. They engage in the writing process, including a rough draft, revising and editing, and publishing. Feedback is provided by other students and one-on-one instruction from the teacher. Specific skills are taught through direct instruction and applied to independent writing. Units of Studies concepts are used to supplement the program.

Handwriting - Students learn and practice cursive handwriting using the Handwriting Without Tears program.

SCIENCE

• Engineering Design Process
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Sound Waves
• Changes to the Earth’s Surface
• Structures and Functions of Plants and Animals
• Information Processing

Engineering is Elementary is a hands-on investigations curriculum that teaches the Engineering Design Process.

Students perform a variety of hands-on investigations that allow them to experience phenomena

Mystery Science is a program with engaging content well-suited for remote learners

Content is enhanced with visits by subject-matter experts and multi-media projects.

NGSS-based instruction: Authentic activities aligned to content standards and application-based assessments

LANGUAGE ARTS

Reading Skills

• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text, including figurative language
• Read grade-level texts with purpose and understanding
• Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding
• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences
• Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem
• Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events drawing on specific details in the text
• Describe how a narrator’s point of view influences how events are described
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

Writing Skills

• Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
• Write informative texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly
• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting. Use technology and the internet to produce and publish writing

Speaking and Listening Skills

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles
• Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others
• Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats including visually and orally
• Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence
• Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and descriptive details. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations

Curriculum

• The Into Reading curriculum provides students with a wide variety of reading experiences in different genres. Students develop reading skills through assignments and written responses, during classroom discussions, and while working in cooperative learning groups.
• Accelerated Reader enables students to test their comprehension using short quizzes based on books they have read independently. Teachers use AR information to assess students’ comprehension and guide them to choose appropriate level books.
• Scholastic News provides students an opportunity to develop higher level thinking and analysis skills while learning about global current events.
• Waggle, a digital component of the Into Reading curriculum, provides students with skills-based activities and games to make learning grammar skills more engaging.
• Can-do Cursive provides students with guided practice in cursive writing.

Book projects and presentations give students the chance to practice and develop their communication skills.

SCIENCE

Students learn investigation and inquiry skills, science methods, and the engineering design process. Students perform a variety of hands-on investigations that complement content. Content is enhanced with field trips and projects. Students use the Engineering is Elementary curriculum from Boston’s Museum of Science to design, test, and improve solutions to engineering problems. Students use a Science Journal throughout the year to set up investigations, record data, and answer comprehension questions.

• Science Methods and Measurement
• Engineering and Problem Solving
• The Solar System and the Universe
• STEM project: Aerospace: Designing Parachutes
• Energy and Ecosystems
• Natural Resources
• STEM project: Ecosystems: Cleaning an Oil Spill
• Structure and Properties of Matter
• Chemical Reactions
• STEM project: Ocean: Designing Submarines