Introduction to the Elementary School’s Curriculum At A Glance At ACS Athens Elementary School, students build the necessary skillsets for the years ahead. The elementary curriculum is based on interdisciplinary methods and materials supported and guided by the U.S. State Board of Education. At the heart of the interdisciplinary method is literacy, which is woven throughout all subject areas, such as in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, including conceptual connections to Mathematics.
Language Arts - The Language Arts curriculum is guided by American Education Reaches Out (AERO) English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, including standards and performance indicators, as the basis for our instruction. The language arts program in the Elementary School is taught through a balanced literacy approach that integrates reading, writing, language, listening and speaking. The foundation for these literacy skills is language and an understanding of how language works. A variety of programs and resources are in implementation to support this curriculum framework. In addition, our growing classroom libraries, Elementary School Library, as well as, a variety of online reading programs support our balanced approach to literacy instruction. Mathematics - The curriculum structure is provided by the AERO Standards. Students learn the importance of both conceptual understanding and procedural methods through a variety of materials and programs. AERO explains that “most problems that students will encounter in the real world are multi-step or process problems. For example, ACS Athens’ unique Dogs in Learning Program, provides students with ample real-life problem-solving opportunities to apply recently learned mathematical strategies. Science - The Science curriculum is guided by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Every NGSS standard has three dimensions: disciplinary core ideas (content), scientific and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. The aim of the Elementary School Science Program is for the students to be scientifically literate and to be knowledgeable about the important concepts and theories of the three main branches of scientific study: earth, life and physical sciences. Social Studies - The Social Studies curriculum is designed to help children ask fundamental questions about the world in which they live. Recurring themes—such as culture, community and citizenship—unite the subject studied at all levels. Activities and discussions help students understand where they live and the world around them, including studying the traditions of various nationalities.
Kindergarten Language Arts Curriculum at a Glance Reading At this level the reading process is used to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts.
Writing At this level the skills and strategies of the writing process incorporate aspects and conventions of writing.
At this level students learn strategies to listen and speak for different purposes.
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to: • Use basic elements of phonetic analysis to decode unknownwords,including:lettersofthealphabet, common letter/sound relationships to decode unknown words, and beginning consonants • Develop reading comprehension strategies, including: meaning clues, using pictures, making predictions, and self to text connections • Use reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of familiar literary passages and texts, including nursery rhymes, predictable books, signs, non-‐fiction • Understand level-‐appropriate sight words and vocabulary • Use self-‐correction strategies and asks for help with reading • Know elements of the story, including: setting, main characters, main events, sequence, and problems
Speaking & Listening
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Use the skills and strategies of the writing process to: Draw pictures to generate ideas Incorporate illustrations to match print Add details to pictures Demonstrate ability to do simple editing Demonstrate some proper use of conventions including, writing from left to right and top to bottom, use of letter-‐sound relationships and short vowel patterns to spell words, and capitalizationof firstandlastnamesandfirstword of sentence • Form letters in print using upper and lowercase letters, proper spacing
Students will be able to: • • • • •
Make contributions in class and group discussions Initiate conversations Connectexperienceswiththoseofothers Make contributions in class discussions Reciteand respond to familiar stories, poems, and rhymes with patterns • Know and use a variety of descriptive words
Beginning 2020-2021 Academic Year
Kindergarten Language Arts Curriculum at a Glance Reading At this level the reading process is used to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts.
Writing At this level the skills and strategies of the writing process incorporate aspects and conventions of writing.
Students will be able to: Reading: Foundational Skills
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organization and basic features of print Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes) Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding Reading: Literature With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text Recognize common types of texts (e.g. storybooks, poems) With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the
Speaking &Listening At this level students learn strategies to listen and speak for different purposes.
Students will be able to: • Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and
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writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...) Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them)
Language At this level the four domains of English are implemented with a basic command of conventions and grammar.
Students will be able to: • Participate in collaborative
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conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail Speak audibly and express
Students will be able to: • Demonstrate command of
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the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts
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story in which they appear (e.g. what moment • With guidance and support from adults, recall in a story an illustration depicts) information from experiences or gather With prompting and support, compare and information from provided sources to answer a contrast the adventures and experiences of question characters in familiar stories Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding Reading: Informational Text With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts) With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g. in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures) Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding
thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly
Kindergarten Math Curriculum at a Glance Process PROBLEM SOLVING
REASONING AND PROOF
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
• Identify questions • Draw to be logical answered conclusio when ns about solving a math problem problems • Identify • Discuss what is the steps known and used to unknown in solve a a problem math and problem recognize • Justify when and information explain is missing the solutions • Choose from a using variety of physical problemmodels solving strategies such as drawing pictures, manipulatin g objects, using numbers,
Content
COMMUNICATION CONNECTIONS AND REPRESENTATION Students will be ableto: • Use inquiry techniques to solve mathematical problems • Use physical materials, models, pictures, or writing to represent and communicate mathematical ideas • Identify and translate key words and phrases that imply mathematical operations • Explain what they did to solve a problem
Students will be able to: • Apply math thinking and modeling to solve problems that arise in other disciplines , such as rhythm in music and motion in science • Identify math used in everyday life
COUNTING AND CARDINALITY Students will be able to: • When counting objects, say the number names in order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object • Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted. • Understand that each successive number name refers to quantity that is one larger • Count to answer “how many?” • Identify whether one group of objects is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group • Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals
NUMBERS AND OPERATIONS In BASE TEN Students will be able to:
MEASUREMENT AND DATA Students will be able to:
• Describe • Make or measurable break apart attributes of numbers objects, such from 11 to as length or 19 into ten weight ones and • Compare two some more objects with a ones. Use common objects or measurable drawings, attribute to and record see which each with object has an “more equation of”/“less of” (e.g., 18 = the attribute. 10+ 8) For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter • Organize objects into categories; count the numbers of objects in each
OPERATIONS AND ALGEBRAIC THINKING
GEOMETRY
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
• Represent addition and subtraction in many ways • Solve addition and subtraction word problems within 10 • Break apart numbers into pairs in more than one way (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3, 5 = 4 + 1, and 5 = 5+ 0) • Find the number that makes 10 when added to a given number (e.g. If you have 6, what number is needed to make 10?) • Fluently add and subtract within 5
• Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and tell positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to • Correctly name shapes regardless of their size or orientation • Identify shapes as two-‐ dimensional (lying in a plane, “flat”) or three-‐ dimensional (“solid”) • Compare two-‐ and three-‐ dimensional shapes describing their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices/“corners”) • Model shapes in the world by building and drawing shapes • Put together simple shapes to form larger shapes
or acting out the situation
category
Kindergarten Science Curriculum at a Glance Students in kindergarten engage in interdisciplinary thematic units of study in both science and social studies. The focus of these units is on building understanding and vocabulary in the content area, and understanding the relationships and connections to everyday life and the world around us. Forces and Interactions: Pushes and Pulls (Physical Science)
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants and Their Environment (Life Science)
Weather and Climate (Earth Science)
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
• Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object • Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull
• Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive • Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs • Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live • Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment
• Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time • Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather • Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface • Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area
Kindergarten Social Studies at a Glance Students in kindergarten engage in Interdisciplinary thematic units of study in both science and social studies. The focus of these units is on building understanding and vocabulary in the content area, and understanding the relationships and connections to everyday life and the world around us. Classroom Citizenship Throughout the school year, the following outcomes are supported: • Explain why rules are needed. • Create and follow classroom rules
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fairness and resolves conflict maintaining class community decisions • Practice citizenship skills including courtesy, honesty and fairness in working with others • Discuss the consequences of violating rules • Recognize and give examples how one person may want to use another’s object and that this requires asking permission and sharing
All About Me
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
• Demonstrate the importance of fair play, good sportsmanship, respect for rights and opinions of others and the idea of treating others the way you want to be treated • Discuss the attributes and actions of a good citizen with emphasis on: respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness, compassion and self-‐ control • Identify ways that individuals inthe family, school and community are unique and ways that they are the same • Recite home address
• Use blocks to build representations of neighborhoods • Show and demonstrate the tools used in different jobs to get the job done – i.e. stethoscope, hammer, fire hose, helmet… • Discuss and identify how transportation has changed over time • Research how the physical environment may dictate the use of local resources for shelter and transportation • Identify components of a neighborhood – families, homes, stores, parks, schools, hospitals, transportation, roads… • Distinguish between a map and a globe as ways to show places people live • Distinguish between land and water on maps and globes • Describe the immediate surroundings of home: streets, buildings, fields, woods, plazas, lakes, seas • Give examples of food, clothing and shelter and how they change in different environments
• Identify authority figures in
• Explain how a class rule promotes • Contribute to making and
Community Helpers
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the community at large Recognize the role of authority figures in providing for the safety and security of individuals Connect character traits with specific leadership roles Identify the community members who help fulfill basic needs and how each of these jobs help provide certain goods and services Give examples of ownership of different items
Neighborhoods
Kindergarten Specialist Classes Curriculum at a Glance Art Students in grades K-5 develop competencies in demonstrating knowledge and understanding of forms, styles, ideas, and functions of art and applying skills, techniques, media, and processes to create and present art. They also use the language of art to critique, assess, analyze, and communicate and make connections between art and other disciplines, personal experience, world history, and cultures. • • • •
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Students will be able to: Identify and explore the elements of art, including line, shape and form, color, value, and texture Understand that art can convey ideas and serve different functions Use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories Use a variety of materials and media and demonstrate an understanding of how to produce various visual effects
Music
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Students will be able to: Begin to identify low and high pitch, loud and soft dynamics, and fast and slow tempo Begin to develop the ability to follow/match tempo Sing from memory and variety of songs Begin to develop the ability to match dynamic levels Respond to cues from conductor, Maintain a steady tempo with the help of musical accompaniment Follow call and response Begin to control how sounds can be made louder, quieter, faster, and slower Identify different ways sounds can be made Begin to develop an understanding of timbre Recognize and use changes in timbre, tempo, and dynamics, Use untuned percussion instruments Begin to develop an understanding of rhythms Respond physically to music Use actions whilst singing Choose and order sounds to achieve
Physical Education
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Students will be able to: Perform loco-‐motor and non/loco-‐motor moves to verbal and non/verbal cues Move, stop and start on signal, change direction, level, speed and pathway Maintain balance in a variety of positions Skip Roll a ball underhand Throw a ball overhand and underhand Catch a bounced ball Kick a stationary bal Keep balloons in the air using different body parts Mirror movement of a leader or partner Move on, over, under and around equipment in a variety of ways Transfer weight by rocking and rolling on curved body surfaces Perform movements in flight: hop, jump and leap Jump over a self/ turned rope or a rope turned by others Move with self/ control, avoiding collisions. Identify body parts State rules for safe use of equipment Use correct terms to describe equipment Demonstrate knowledge of movement vocabulary (i.e. roll, dodge)
Technology
Foreign Language
At this level, students Students will be develop competencies able to: in Mouse and Keyboard • Be exposed to preuse, Graphics, Word ‐writing and preprocessing, Content ‐reading skills in area reinforcement Greek (reading and writing), • Comprehend and Simulations. common expressions and Students will be able structures used in to: everyday situations as • Use a mouse to click and spoken by double click teachers and • Access programs native speakers • Use directional prompts accustomed to for beginner coding skills dealing with • Use simple drawing language learners tools • Participate in • Use simple text tools limited oral • Use programs for exchanges on reinforcement of familiar topics to subject area content in develop science, and reading proficiency in the target language
• Use their senses to make observations about works of art. Describe what they see in a work of art • Classify artworks into general categories, such as painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture, pottery, textiles, architecture, photography and film • Use basic art concepts and vocabulary when making observations about art • Identify the elements of art in the work • Describe similarities and differences in works • Use basic art concepts and vocabulary when communicating ideas and feelings about work • Present personal responses to subject matter, materials, techniques and use of design elements in artworks • Using vocabulary learned in class, critique their own work • Identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines • Recognize that all cultures produce art and can identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places • Create art based on personal observation and experience
an effect/image • Compose and perform simple effects /rhythms • Read graphic notation, • Recognize rhythmic patterns • Talk about music (dynamics, tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, etc.) within an aural example and/or a class performance, using some music vocabulary • Use brainstormed criteria and appropriate terminology to evaluate the quality of a composition or performance
• Understand the meaning of the term “best effort” • Participate in a variety of loco-‐motor and non/loco-‐motor activities during recess • Identify activities that are active and inactive • Explore self and general space in a variety of ways • Perform basic loco-‐motor skills without tiring quickly • Participate in vigorous physical activity in physical education class • Travel on, over, under apparatus with increasing control • Work independently and safely in self and shared space • Stop on the signal and keep equipment still • Demonstrate cooperation with a partner • Enjoy participating in physical activity • Try new movement tasks (i.e., log roll) • Continue to participate when not successful on the first try • Identify physical activities that they consider to be fun