MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020

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MARIN PRIMARY & MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE 2019-2020


TABLE OF CONTENTS Math………………………………………………………………………………….Page 2 Science……………………………………………………………………………...Page 21 Humanities: Middle School………………………………………………….…….Page 43 Language Arts: Primary School…………………………………………………...Page 57 Social Studies: Primary School…………………………………………………...Page 68 Social-emotional Learning and Community Service…………………………...Page 76 Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship…………………………..Page 88 Spanish…………………………………………………………………………….Page 96 Projects Lab……………………………………………………………………….Page 111 Art…………………………………………………………………………………..Page 116 Music……………………………………………………………………………….Page 122 Drama……………………………………………………………………………...Page 136 Physical Education………………………………………………………………..Page 141 Preschool…………………………………………………………………………..Page 151

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MATH OVERVIEW At MP&MS, we believe that mathematics is a creative, multi-dimensional subject that explores patterns in many forms. Students thrive in environments where they can link their numerical fluency to visual models and real-life applications. The critical thinking and conceptual understanding needed to make these connections requires an environment where students know that their questions are encouraged, their mistakes are expected, inspected, and respected, and that the process of solving a problem is as valuable as the solution. Working independently and in small groups, students discover mathematical relationships and solidify their knowledge through practice and application. Primary School Math Overview The primary school mathematics program emphasizes problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Students are actively engaged in skill- and concept-building exercises and activities in individual, small group, and whole-class lessons at every grade level. The program focuses on hands-on and real-world experiences, integrating our outdoor education center, projects lab, and other classes in lessons and projects to deepen understanding of mathematical concepts and support the development of higher-level thinking skills. ​Teachers provide authentic examples that foster thinking with mathematical models, persistent problem solving, and the use of explanation, argumentation and justification to ensure the development of a positive growth-mindset. Teachers use the ​Bridges in Mathematics​ program as well as a variety of other resources to develop a ​deep understanding of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and the ability to solve complex and novel problems. ​All grade levels, junior kindergarten through fourth grade, address developmentally appropriate benchmarks using the following strands: number sense, operations and computation, data analysis, measurement, geometry, probability and algebra. Math specialists from the Learning Resource Center bring additional support and enrichment for students, working with small groups and individuals to make sure students are engaged at the appropriate level in mathematics. Junior Kindergarten Math Curriculum Junior kindergarten students participate in hands-on, interactive learning experiences using concrete materials. They work individually and collaboratively on math activities MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 2


and projects, enriching their curiosity and developing an understanding of numbers and insight into patterns of mathematics. Specific math activities include sequencing, counting, sorting, shape identification, number recognition and problem solving. In cooking and Projects Lab, children extend their understanding of math as they learn about measurement, taking turns, collaboration, and perseverance. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Identify and write numbers to ten ● Count by ones to twenty ● Count with one-to-one correspondence to ten ● Identify numbers greater than or less than ten ● Sequence numerals to ten ● Skip count by tens Data Analysis: ● Discuss and interpret data in simple bar graphs Measurement: ● Compare objects by size Geometry: ● Sort concrete objects by one attribute ● Identify one dimensional shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle); ● Sort objects in two to four groups Probability: ● Predict an outcome in a game using different spinners or dice Algebra ● Create and identify AB patterns Kindergarten Math Curriculum Kindergarten students develop number sense and operational skills through multiple, diverse experiences with concrete materials in a setting that fosters academic and MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 3


social-emotional growth. Many mathematics activities are woven into other curricular areas, and are significant to students because they are relevant to their daily lives and experiences. Some of these areas include morning meeting, Projects Lab, and technology projects. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Count with one-to-one correspondence to twenty (number-name and number-object) ● Understand the concept of zero ● Count by ones to one hundred ● Count by twos to twenty ● Identify numbers to one hundred ● Write numbers ● Count by fives and tens to one hundred ● Identify numbers greater than or less than, to one hundred ● Count tally marks to one hundred (in groups of fives and ones) ● Identify ordinal numbers to five Operations and Computation: ● Create addition number stories with objects or pictures to ten ● Create subtraction number stories with objects or pictures to five ● Identify the symbols +, - , and = Data Analysis: ● Interpret simple bar and picture graphs Measurement: ● Compare lengths of objects using longer, shorter, and same as ● Measure accurately to the inch ● Identify and names and value of penny, nickel, dime, and quarter ● Identify time to the hour; identify morning, afternoon, evening, today, tomorrow, and yesterday ● Identify tools to measure time MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 4


Geometry: ● Identify size, shape, color, and thickness of attribute blocks ● Identify basic two-dimensional shapes (square, circle, triangle, oval, rectangle) First Grade Math Curriculum The first grade math program provides opportunities for students to deepen number sense and comfort with expressing mathematical thinking. Students engage interactively with various math materials to build computational skills and an understanding of place value. Money, time, measurement skills are cultivated. Students make sense of problems and persevere in solving them as they begin to reason abstractly and quantitatively. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Count by twos to one hundred ● Count by fives and tens to two hundred and more ● Sequence and compare one, two, and three-digit numbers using the symbols < > and = ● Name the place and value of each digit up to four-digit numbers ● Read and write two- and three-digit numbers Operations and Computation: ● Add one digit numbers using strategy of choice ● Demonstrate the ability to count on when adding ● Demonstrate automaticity of addition facts for +zero, +one, doubles, and sums that equal ten ● Create and solve simple addition and subtraction stories to twenty+ and write the corresponding number model (equation) using the symbols +, -, and = Data Analysis: ● Interpret simple bar graphs and charts Fractions, Decimals and Percents:

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Measurement: ● Identify time to the hour, half hour, and quarter hour on an analog clock ● Identify and name the value of penny, nickel, dime, and quarter ● Add combinations of coins to $1.00 ● Measure accurately to the nearest half inch and centimeter ● Name and sequence months of the year and days of the week Geometry: ● Identify basic polygons (trapezoid, rhombus, and hexagon) Probability: ● Determine more, less, and equally likely outcomes Algebra: ● Create, continue, and identify ABCD patterns Second Grade Math Curriculum In second grade, students grow attuned to their own individual approaches to problem solving and learn to articulate their thought process. Teachers strive to cultivate critical thinking, communication, perseverance, patience, organization, and time management along with the skills taught. Diverse resources are utilized, including the ​Bridges in Mathematics​ curriculum to help students develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. The second grade program emphasizes that there are many paths to the right answer, while steeping children in the fundamental mechanics of mathematics. We celebrate curiosity, collaboration, and self-advocacy. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Apply the base-ten numeration system (ones, tens, hundreds) ● Recognize, name, and represent numbers to 1,000 ● Count by twos, threes, fours, fives, tens ● Order and compare whole numbers to 1,000 using >, <, = Operations and Computation ● Apply basic addition and subtraction facts ● Determine the sum or difference of two whole numbers up to three digits MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 6


● Determine the sum or difference of two numbers mentally ● Add and subtract with regrouping ● Relate repeated addition, and skip counting to arrays as a foundation for multiplication ● Connect the strategy equal sharing to the concept of division ● Determine how to set up and solve problems ● Use math tools to model problems ● Justify the process used in solving math problems ● Check the validity of math reasoning Data Analysis: ● Collect, record, and interpret classroom-relevant data Fractions, Decimals and Percents: ● Understand that fractions refer to parts of a set or whole ● Recognize and create sets representing half, quarter, eighth, and thirds using manipulatives Measurement: ● Develop linear measurement skills ● Measure using U.S. customary and metric units ● Develop estimation skills with measurements ● Develop skills in partitioning and transitivity ● Determine temperature using a thermometer (U.S. customary and metric) ● Estimate quantities and measurements Geometry: ● Identify and discuss the attributes of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes ● Create sets of objects based on their attributes ● Recognize and create symmetry Probability: ● Explore the concepts of probability MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 7


Algebra: ● Model, represent, and interpret number relationships to create and solve problems Third Grade Mathematics Curriculum A large focus in third grade math is helping students develop confidence, perseverance, and resilience when tackling mathematical activities and problems. Students are asked to problem solve using a variety of strategies and encouraged to share their thoughts with their peers. The mantra in third grade is, “everyone is required to make mistakes”. We celebrate the fact that each person’s brain processes information in a unique way, and students learn to advocate for themselves as individual learners. These skills are taught through a range of hands-on activities that highlight both individual and collaborative work. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Round two, three, and four digit numbers to the nearest hundred ● Read, write, and compare numbers beyond five digits (ten thousands) 
extend, describe, and create grade level appropriate numeric patterns Operations and Computation: ● Calculate multi-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping ● Identify the concept of multiplication as repeated addition ● Build arrays of multiplication to twelve x twelve ● Demonstrate automaticity of multiplication facts to twelve ● Recognize multiplication and division as inverse operations ● Identify the concept of division as repeated subtraction ● Demonstrate ability to divide facts with divisors zero, two, five, and ten ● Identify the symbols of division and multiplication Data Analysis: ● Identify, interpret, and create bar, line, and picture graphs ● Make predictions of trends using information from graphs Fractions: ● Recognize fractions as part of a whole ● Name and order fractions up to 1/16 ● Recognize equivalent fractions MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 8


Measurement: ● Determine appropriate units of measure in customary and metric systems ● Estimate mass, liquid volume, and length ● Find equivalencies in measurement ● Measure perimeter and area of two-dimensional squares and rectangles using standard and nonstandard units ● Identify time to the minute on an analog clock ● Add and subtract using time to the minute ● Demonstrate ability to make change up to $100.00 Geometry: ● Identify intersecting, parallel, and perpendicular lines ● Identify right, acute, and obtuse angles and their relationship to 90 degrees Probability: ● Predict probable outcomes of math games and activities ● Develop strategies based on observed outcomes Algebra: ● Communicate ideas and strategies for grade level appropriate problem-solving Fourth Grade Math Curriculum Fourth grade students approach math in a manner that is rigorous, coherent, and engaging. The program is accessible to all learners and utilizes multiple resources, including learning resource program specialists, to meet the needs of individual learners. A strong focus is placed on developing students’ deep understanding of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve complex and novel problems. Math instruction in the classroom includes direct instruction, investigations, and collaboration, tapping students’ curiosity through open explorations using real life situations. Conceptual and critical thinking skills are targeted as students present and explain their solutions, the thinking behind them, and explore alternative methods and strategies for solving rigorous and often multi-step problems. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Read, write, and compare numbers beyond nine digits (billions) ● Name place value in decimals to the thousandths MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 9


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Compare and sequence to the thousands Round numbers to the nearest thousand Compare negative and positive integers Identify negative and positive numbers on a number line

Operations and Computation: ● Use parentheses correctly in number sentences ● Add, subtract, and estimate with decimals to the thousands ● Demonstrate ability to use different strategies to solve multi-digit multiplication equations ● Perform steps of long division using a single digit divisor ● Use multiplication to check for accuracy in division ● Add and subtract fractions with common denominators ● Identify and demonstrate ability to find common denominators when adding and subtracting fractions Data Analysis: ● Interpret information from a table or graph (bar, line, circle) ● Organize and display data using a graph ● Find median, maximum, minimum, and mode Fractions, Decimals, and Percents: ● Compare fractions with like denominators ● Identify equivalent fractions ● Convert improper fractions to mixed numeral form and reverse ● Convert fractions to decimals and reverse Measurement: ● Measure to the nearest millimeter (metric) and nearest 1/8 inch (customary) ● Calculate the perimeter of two-dimensional shapes ● Calculate the area of a polygon drawn on a grid Geometry: ● Label, plot, and read coordinate grids ● Measure acute, obtuse, and right angles using a protractor ● Name points, line segments, lines, and rays MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 10


● Form angles and polygons by name ● Measure the diameter and radius of a circle Probability: ● Compare fractions to compare probability Algebra: ● Solve for “x” in basic, one-step equations using addition and subtraction and check accuracy using substitution ● Recognize and solve basic, one-step equations using addition and subtraction ● Identify a constant and variable in basic equations

MIddle School Math Overview The middle school math program includes reinforcement and extension of basic skills in fifth and sixth grades, often integrated into real-world experiences and across disciplines, to build a solid foundation for more complex mathematics in seventh grade pre-algebra and eighth grade algebra, and to prepare students for higher level mathematics in high school. All grades use a range of resources to support the variety of levels and learning styles in the middle school years. The fifth grade program is based on ​Bridges in Mathematics building on the primary school program. Collaborative work focused on critical thinking, coupled with small group and individualized attention, reinforce learning and encourage open discussions and experimentation. Sixth grade utilizes the ​Big Ideas Math​ program to help students gain the complex knowledge, skills, and strategies essential to understanding twenty-first century mathematics and problem solving, and to nurture the curiosity, initiative, patience, perseverance, and resilience necessary for development of successful critical thinking skills. Seventh grade pre-algebra includes special emphasis on number sense, data analysis, measurement, geometry and algebraic thinking. The ​Holt Pre-Algebra​ text provides the foundation, with other lessons drawn from supplemental resources to support collaborative projects that reinforce concepts and lead to greater in-depth understanding of the material. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 11


Eighth grade algebra extends students’ learning and helps prepare for the transition to high school using McDougal Littell’s ​Algebra - Structure and Method​ as a foundation. The course ​builds on concepts introduced in pre-algebra, particularly linear equations, and extends those through the use of tables and graphs. Students are exposed to and explore the concepts of quadratics, systems of equations, formulas, and polynomials. They develop multiple strategies for analyzing situations algebraically. The middle school math team meets throughout the school year to ensure the alignment of curricular goals, and to discuss students, both as grade-level groups and as individual learners. Resources from the Learning Resources Program are used to support curricular development and addressing individual and small group needs for support and/or challenge in mathematics. Our goal is to meet students where they are and to build on their knowledge by being cognizant of each students zone of proximal development. Fifth Grade Math Curriculum Building on their work in primary school, the fifth-grade math program utilizes the Bridges in Mathematics​ program to investigate math in the real world. The curriculum develops students’ deep understanding of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve complex problems. Instruction is rigorous, engaging, and accessible to all learners through blended direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration. Collaboration and critical thinking are integrated through a combination of whole-group, small-group, and independent problem-centered activities. Students are challenged in a safe learning environment to ask questions for clarity, learn from mistakes, self-advocate, and develop resilience and perseverance through both failure and success. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Identify numbers to the billions places ● Identify numbers to the ten-thousands place ● Identify prime and composite numbers ● Determine the least common multiple and greatest common factor MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 12


● Apply rounding rules for whole numbers and decimal numbers ● Identify powers of ten to the ten-millions place and thousands place ● Identify rules for exponents Operations and Computation: ● Demonstrate automaticity of multiplication and division facts ● Demonstrate mental math skills with the four operations ● Multiply large numbers (beyond hundred thousands place) by three-digit multipliers ● Perform steps of long division using two-digit, whole number divisors ● Represent quotient and remainder as a whole number or fraction ● Apply divisibility rules ● Divide whole numbers with more than four digits by two-digit divisors ● Perform steps of long division using a two-digit decimal divisor ● Add and subtract decimals to hundred thousandths place ● Divide double-digit whole numbers and decimal divisors ● Model, add, and subtract decimals ● Estimate sums and differences greater than one hundred ● Estimate products and quotients accurately ● Apply strategies when multiplying and dividing by powers of ten Data Analysis: ● Identify range, mean, median, and mode ● Interpret and construct graphs (bar, circle, line) ● Interpret and analyze data (line plots, stem and leaf plots, cumulative frequency tables, and histograms) ● Choose appropriate scale and interval Fractions, Decimals and Percent: ● Relate and name equivalence of fractions, decimals, and percent ● Add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers with like/unlike denominators ● Compare and order fractions and mixed numbers with like/unlike denominators ● Reduce fractions to simplest form ● Add and subtract decimals to hundred thousandths place ● Divide double-digit whole numbers and decimal divisors ● Model, add, and subtract decimals MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 13


Measurement ● Calculate perimeter and area of right triangles and parallelograms ● Estimate conversions (temperature, capacity, and length) within and between customary or metric systems ● Accurately weigh using balance and spring scale ● Accurately measure capacity in customary and metric units ● Identify equivalent measurements Geometry: ● Identify congruent, similar, and symmetric figures ● Identify points, lines, rays, line segments, and angles ● Identify acute or obtuse angles ● Measure angles of polygons with accuracy ● Calculate the missing angle measurement in triangles and quadrilaterals with accuracy ● Determine the perimeter of basic polygons with all sides labeled ● Compare areas of shapes ● Apply appropriate formula for finding circumference, perimeter, surface area, and volume with accuracy ● Represent the volume of rectangular prisms composed of unit cubes, using multiplication expressions or equations ● Complete simple conversions of customary units of capacity, length, and weight ● Represents data in tables or charts ● Identify appropriate graph to represent data ● Represent data in a bar graph, circle graph, or line graph with accuracy ● Plot ordered pairs on a coordinate plane accurately Probability: ● Identify a simple event given the likelihood of the event as more likely, less likely, neither likely nor unlikely, impossible, or certain ● Make predictions based on theoretical probabilities of simple events Algebra: ● Use algebraic reasoning to solve complex multiplication problems ● Evaluate numerical expressions involving multiple operations with whole numbers and parentheses

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● Solve for “x” in basic, one-step equations using the four operations, and checks accuracy using substitution and mental math Sixth Grade Math Curriculum The sixth-grade math program leverages the ​Big Ideas Math​ curriculum to build on the strategies developed through the ​Bridges in Mathematics p ​ rogram in primary school and fifth grade. The program is designed to help students gain the complex knowledge, skills, and strategies essential to understanding twenty first century mathematics and problem solving, and to nurture the curiosity, initiative, patience, perseverance, and resilience necessary for development of successful critical thinking skills. The development of abstract thinking, which begins at different times for individual students, is important for ensuring that students can understand and successfully solve increasing complex problems. Skills and competencies developed in unison with the curriculum include: organization of materials, time management, collaboration and communication, connectedness to the material, and the ability to self-advocate. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Write, compare, and order decimals ● Write decimals as a percent and a percent as a decimal number ● Convert between, compare, and order fractions and mixed numbers ● Identify and write integers, opposites, and absolute values ● Perform combinations of operations with integers ● Possess a working understanding and usage of basic math facts Operations and Computation: ● Evaluate expressions using exponents ● Evaluate expressions using the order of operations ● Write sums, differences, products and quotients of decimals ● Write ratios, rates, unit rates, and proportions ● Write and apply prime factorization in exponent form ● Write and apply the greatest common factors and least common multiple Fractions, Decimals, Percents ● Write fractions in equivalent and simplest form MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 15


● Represent and use equivalent representations for fractions: decimals, including terminating and repeating; and percent ● Write products and quotients of fractions and mixed numbers ● Write equivalent forms of percent, decimals, and fractions ● Solve real-life percent problems involving tips, discounts, sales tax, and simple interest Data Analysis: ● Identify types of samples, identify bias, and draw conclusions ● Interpret frequency tables and line plots ● Make and analyze graphs ● Make circle graphs using percents Measurement: ● Convert customary and metric measures of length, weight, and capacity ● Estimate, measure and calculate perimeter ● Find the circumference of a circle ● Estimate and write the area of polygons ● Estimate and write the area of a circle Geometry: ● Identify, classify, and draw points, rays, lines, and planes ● Identify, classify, draw and measure angles ● Identify, classify, and draw triangles, quadrilaterals, and other two-dimensional figures ● Identify and measure parts of a circle Algebra: ● Write and evaluate numerical and simple algebraic expressions ● Solve addition and subtraction equations ● Solve multiplication and division equations ● Solve multi-step equations Seventh Grade Math Curriculum Seventh grade students study pre-algebra. The content is reinforced within the context of projects that connect the mathematics they are studying to the real world, and/or to MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 16


content they are studying in other subjects. For example, when seventh graders are working on percentages, they take on the role of a financial advisor and make a budget for a particular client and the resources at their clients’ disposal based on percentages. When they study the Middle Ages in social studies, the students must apply what they have learned in mathematics about proportion in order to build scale models of the various kinds of medieval castles. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Evaluate the powers of ten ● Translate scientific notation into standard notation, and translate standard notation into scientific notation ● Estimate the square roots of numbers ● Simplify fractions ● Convert decimals to percents and percents to decimals, fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions, decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals ● Find the percent of a number, and find a number (part or whole) if the percentage in known ● Convert numbers standard form into scientific notation ● Convert numbers from scientific notation to standard notation Operations and Computation: ● Determine the absolute value of an integer or expression ● Evaluate expressions containing integers ● Write, evaluate exponents, and simplify expressions with exponents ● Multiply and divide exponents with the same base, and write them as one power ● Evaluate negative exponents ● Complete operations with rational numbers (fractions and decimals). ● Find both the negative and positive square roots of a number. ● Evaluate expressions with square roots Data Analysis: ● Interpret and construct stem-and-leaf plots ● Determine the measures of central tendency for a set of numbers MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 17


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Determine the measures of variability for a set of numbers. Interpret and construct a box-and-whisker plot Interpret data represented by a bar graph or histogram Interpret data represented by a line graph Construct a bar graph, histogram, or line graph to display data Interpret and construct scatter plots for data sets Identify correlations in data

Measurement: ● Identify rates and unit rates ● Find the unit rate for any rate ● Find the appropriate factor for each conversion ● Convert between units by using conversion factors ● Use a protractor to measure angles ● Use proportions to find unknown scales or lengths ● Use scales and/or scale drawings to heights ● Analyze and classify scale factors ● Determine scale factor ● Find an unknown dimension given a scale factor ● Make a scale drawing and/or model Geometry: ● Identify, classify, and draw points, lines, line segments, rays, and planes ● Draw, classify, and identify acute, right, obtuse, straight angles, vertical, supplementary, and complementary angles ● Identify and draw transversals ● Use the relationship in a transversal to find missing angle measures and/or the values of a variable ● Use the relationship between angles; vertical, complementary, supplementary to find missing angle measures or to solve for the value of a variable ● Identify and classify triangles by the length of their sides, and their interior angles ● Identify and classify polygons up to a ten-sided figure (decagon) ● Calculate the sum of the interior angles of any polygon ● Find the measure of each angle in a regular polygon, for any regular polygon ● Identify Pythagorean triples MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 18


● Use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for the missing side in any right triangle ● Calculate the perimeter and area of the following figures: squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangles, and trapezoids ● Find the circumference and area of any circle ● Calculate the volume of rectangular prisms, cones, pyramids, cylinders, and spheres ● Calculate the surface area of rectangular prisms, cylinders, and spheres Algebra: ● Translate words into algebraic expressions ● Evaluate expressions when the value of a variable is given ● Solve one-step equations with addition/subtraction and multiplication/division ● Solve one-step inequalities with addition/subtraction and multiplication/division ● Solve two-step equations and inequalities ● Solve equations and inequalities with fractional coefficients ● Identify like terms ● Simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms ● Solve linear equations by combining like terms ● Solve equations with variables on both sides ● Solve multistep equations with variables on both sides ● Determine whether an ordered pair is a solution to an equation in two variables ● Create a table of ordered pair solutions ● Graph ordered pairs on the Cartesian coordinate plane. ● Identify a linear equation ● Graph a linear equation Eighth Grade Math Curriculum Eighth grade mathematics is designed to give students a solid foundation in algebra. Students will continue to build upon ideas that were introduced in pre-algebra, particularly linear equations, and extend those ideas through the use of tables and graphs. Through these tools, students will be exposed to quadratics, systems of equations, formulas, and polynomials. The students will explore these concepts, and develop multiple strategies for analyzing each situation algebraically. Each year the class is divided into either two or three small groups depending on the profile of the MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 19


class as a whole and learning styles of the individual students. Grouping is also used so the pacing of each section is appropriate for the students. Goals and Objectives Number Sense: ● Demonstrate understanding of the rules for addition and subtraction ● Use number properties to simplify expressions ● Add and subtract real numbers using rules for addition and subtraction ● Multiply real numbers ● Simplify expressions containing reciprocals ● Write and simplify expressions involving exponents ● Factor integers and find the greatest common factor (GCF) of integers ● Convert negative exponents into positive exponents ● Identify rational and irrational numbers Operations and Computation: ● Divide real numbers and simplify expressions involving quotients ● Divide polynomials by monomials and find monomial factors of polynomials ● Multiply and divide algebraic fractions and state product or quotient in simplest form ● Simplify numerical expressions and evaluating algebraic expressions ● Simplify expressions with and without grouping symbols ● Divide polynomials by polynomials ● Add and subtract polynomials ● Multiply monomials and polynomials ● Multiply polynomials by other polynomials ● Simplify expressions with square roots ● Multiply, add, and subtract with radicals Data Analysis: ● Estimate the equation of a line of best fit to make and test conjectures ● Interpret the slope and y-intercept of a line through data ● Predict y-values for the given x-values when appropriate using a line fitted to bivariate numerical data MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 20


Geometry: ● Graph ordered pairs and linear equations ● Solve a system of two linear equations graphically ● Graph a quadratic equation Algebra: ● Find solution sets of equations over a given domain ● Use opposites and absolute values ● Use the distributive property to simplify expressions ● Solve equations using addition and subtraction ● Solve equations using multiplication and division ● Solve equations with multiple transformations ● Solve equations with variables on both sides ● Simplify quotients of monomials and find the GCF of several monomials ● Simplify algebraic fractions and state restrictions on the v​ariable ● Find the least common denominator of algebraic fractions ● Convert algebraic fractions into equivalent fractions with a common denominator ● Write mixed expressions as algebraic fractions in simplest form ● Solve problems involving ratios and write ratios in simplest forms ● Solve problems involving proportions ● Solve equations with fractional coefficients ● Solve problems involving percents ● Solve equations in two variables over a given domain ● Graph ordered pairs and linear equations ● Find the slope of a line from two points ● Convert equations into slope-intercept form ● Determine the equation of a line from slope and one point or from two points ● Solve real world problems involving a constant rate of change ● Solve equations in terms of a specified variable ● Solve systems of two linear equations algebraically ● Identify the range of a function over a specified domain ● Use the zero product property to solve quadratics

SCIENCE OVERVIEW Science at MP&MS grows out of observation of the world around us. At every level, students observe patterns and develop theories to interpret how one action generates a MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 21


reaction, which is sometimes quite complex. Within each unit, students are encouraged to ask questions and develop their own theories as they learn concepts and facts about each topic. By approaching each topic within science as a system, students recognize the ripple effects of one small change on a greater network. It is through these connections that students become passionate scientists themselves and recognize the importance of protecting our Earth and its inhabitants in the face of a changing climate. Junior Kindergarten Science Curriculum In junior kindergarten, children explore the five senses through interactive, investigative experiences; from growing seed to plant, to sink and float activities to cooking and understanding that matter changes depending on certain factors. We learn about different habitats, ending the unit with creating a snail habitat that the children observe, wonder about and document. They collaborate to care for the snails and in doing so, our goal is to create empathy for all living things big or small. In our human body study we are learning about essential organs and their purpose through demonstrations and songs, talking about how to be healthy, and spending time cooking healthy foods. In the Outdoor Education Center students observe plant growth, learn about different life cycles, and discover how worms are integral to composting and helping our planet. Goals and Objectives Scientific Investigation: ● Develop a curiosity and wonder ● Classify insects and animals Earth Science: ● Observe patterns of change with seasons; day to day and month to month ● Predict weather based on observations ● Identify weather words Life Science: ● Examine plant growth ● Identify the cycle of seeds: structures, dispersal, germination ● Observe worm anatomy ● Observe the life cycle of a ladybug ● Building and observing a snail habitat MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 22


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Discover and name the human body parts Discover how to take care of our body Analyze the food pyramid Explore cooking and learn about measurement Identify what lives in the ocean Investigate and describe the five senses

Physical Science: ● Observe objects that float and sink ● Discover force, through the effects of push, pull and gravity ● Participate in chemistry experiments ● Use different tools to measure ● Build individual boats from wood Kindergarten Science Curriculum In kindergarten, teachers seek to support the development of observational and inquiry skills through exposure to the natural world. The children explore states of matter through experiments and observations of matter in nature that demonstrate matter’s constancy and adaptability. They explore magnetism, forms of energy (heat, light, and sound), the solar system, the life cycles of organisms, and engage in many other smaller integrated explorations. Goals and Objectives Earth Science: ● Explain the four seasons, and why they change ● Identify the layers of the earth (crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core), its atmosphere, and the impact of humans on the earth ● Describe how gravity affects the orbits of planets and moons ● Compare fossils, rocks and crystals ● Identify the oceans, waterways, the water cycle, and the ways in which humans affect the oceans ● Analyze our solar system and the planets that orbit the sun ● Explain jet propulsion with a focus on force ● Discuss and act out the phases of the moon ● Discuss the uses of man made satellites ● Explore magnetism MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 23


Physical Science: ● Explore matter and its basic properties ○ Identify the states of matter ○ Observe and explore the states of matter in nature ● Explore magnetism, force, and motion ● Explore the size of push or pull effects on the speed of objects ● Engage in experiments that demonstrate actions and reactions between substances Life Science: ● Grow plants from seeds ● Emphasize the word/process of germination ● Explain photosynthesis ● Investigate nutrition, hygiene, and health ● Explain the life cycle of a butterfly ● Discuss dinosaurs, reptiles ● Identify and discuss insects and garden life ● Explain sea life and identify ocean habitats ● Explore plant and animal adaptations First Grade Science Curriculum First grade students explore the world around them through the science curriculum with the overarching lens of the interdependency among all systems. This applies to the collaboration among humans and extends to ecological literacy. Students identify as ethical scientists and engage in the requisite critical thinking, curiosity, moral queries, and communication. They engage in investigations and activities that require students to wonder, observe, predict, and hypothesize while demonstrating resilience and collaboration. A main focus of the science curriculum is the study of vertebrates. This culminates with individual multidisciplinary research projects. Goals and Objectives Earth Science: Water: Cycles and Patterns ● Describe and draw the water cycle ● Describe why the ocean is salty ● Predict what happens when salt water evaporates MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 24


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Identify sources and forms of water on Earth Describe how sand is formed Identify landforms in the ocean Introduce concept of plate tectonics Identify bodies of water on maps

Physical Science: STEAM Design (science, technology, engineering, art, math) ● Design and build structurally sound towers using a variety of materials ● Design and describe habitats for specifically named populations ● Reproduce simple physical structures using only verbal instructions or visual cues ● Brainstorm and produce physical solutions to various fairytale based problems ● Predict and record results ● Collaborate with peers to design and implement building challenges ● Predict movement of rotocopters and paddleboats based design and location ● Compare how sound waves travel through water, solid objects and air. Life Science: Plant Life ● Describe photosynthesis and represent the concept using drawings ● Name the parts of a plant (leaf, stem, roots, flower, seed) ● Classify leaves according to various attributes (toothed edged, smooth edged, lobed) ● Name what plants need to survive (sun, soil, water, air, space) ● Design and document apple decomposition investigation with conclusion ● Observe and draw selected tree in the Outdoor Education Center during four seasons Life Science: Five Senses ● Describe the effect of light on pupil of eye ● Observe and compare fingerprints ● Identify objects using sense of touch ● Create a scent container ● Distinguish source of sound effects Life Science: Animal Habitats MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 25


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Contrast a food chain and a food web Name the components of a habitat (food, water, air, shelter, space) Describe sample causes and effects of habitat destruction Explore the biodiversity of the coral reef

Life Science: Vertebrates ● Describe the difference between carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores ● Name the five classes of vertebrates and describe specific characteristics of each ● Research a chosen vertebrate and describe its body, habitat, food, and interesting facts ● Identify animals’ adaptations used for defense, protection, and eating Second Grade Science Curriculum Second grade science is an introduction to ecological literacy, or the understanding that all life is related and interdependent and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Through their experiences, students learn that humanity has a responsibility to respect and protect the balance of Earth’s systems. By facilitating collaboration and communication skills and drawing on the natural curiosity of the students, we investigate and explore these science concepts together. Second grade begins with the study of atoms and molecules and moves into the study of rocks and minerals. The students also study many different ecosystems, including rainforests and marine systems. Field trips explore the ecology of Marin County and other destinations to provide clear, real world opportunities to explore and observe. We work to develop inspiration, curiosity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. Goals and Objectives Earth Science: Rock Unit ● Identify commonly occurring rocks ● Utilize the rock cycle in describing rock specimens ● Recognize fossils and aspects of evolution Life Science: Ecosystem Unit ● Identify, investigate, and explore ecosystems and food webs MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 26


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Study watershed systems Investigate rainforest biodiversity Research rainforest organisms Explore marine ecology focusing on tidal systems

Physical Science: Matter Unit ● Understand states and properties of matter ● Recognize atoms and molecules as building blocks ● Explore properties of sound with various musical instruments Third Grade Science Curriculum Third grade science is based on investigation using various resources and real life experiences in the classroom, the Outdoor Education Center, the Projects Lab, and on field trips. The program includes projects that are deeply integrated with third grade social studies, music, drama, and projects lab (Miwok study, African animal research, Mayan study and solar system exploration). The David Heath Outdoor Education Center, our school garden, allows students to learn from the multi-ecosystems flourishing there, to see the interconnectedness and impact all living and nonliving things have on each other. The garden also teaches problem solving and patience, as students plant, tend to, and wait for plants to grow, working as a team to create success. Assisted by our Projects Lab teacher, students integrate their curiosity with creativity as they collaborate to build a solar oven. They use critical thinking skills to predict the efficacy of their invention, analyze what worked and why, and apply that information to planning how they would make the next solar oven based on their investigation. Students learn that the three categories of science we study, physical science, Earth science, and life science, overlap and interconnect. Goals and Objectives

Earth Science: Earth and Moon ● Explain the axis of the earth, its tilt, and its effect on Earth’s seasons ● Describe seasonal patterns of sun, moon, and stars, sunrise and sunset MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 27


● Define climate ● Name natural weather hazards and ways to r​educe their impact on humans ● Illustrate the ratio between land and water on the Earth ● List four sources of freshwater and two sources of salt water ● Identify the four phases of the moon and duration of the lunar cycle ● Explain a solar and lunar eclipse Earth Science: Solar System ● Define rotation, revolution, solar system, comet, asteroid and star ● Identify the length of time for the Earth to rotate once and to revolve around the sun ● Explain how the rotation of the Earth creates night and day ● List the planets in order from the sun and describe their elements ● Define and illustrate a constellation ● Distinguish between a refracting and reflecting telescope ● Describe the advantage of a space telescope to a telescope on Earth Physical Science: Matter ● List physical properties of matter and record objects’ physical properties ● Define matter ● Name four senses used for observing matter ● Illustrate the physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases ● Name the basic building blocks of matter: atoms ● Define linked atoms as molecules ● Demonstrate physically and draw the density and movement of molecules in solids, liquids, and gases ● Describe the process of turning the state of solid into liquid, as melting ● Describe the process of turning the state of liquid into gas, as evaporation ● Measure and compare objects based on mass and volume Physical Science: Chemical and Physical Change ● Distinguish between mixtures and solutions ● Demonstrate physical changes with an object ● Distinguish between physical changes and chemical changes MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 28


Life Science: How Plants Grow ● Define chlorophyll and its role in plant life ● Draw and label the basic parts of a plant ● Identify the three parts of a seed ● Define the word germinate Life Science: Animals ● Name the three basic needs of animals ● Give examples of traits that animals might inherit from their parents ● Define endangered, threatened and extinct ● Identify one animal from each category of endangered, threatened, or extinct ● Explain how animals can become endangered ● Classify animals based on similar traits Life Science: Ecosystems ● Recite attributes of a salt-water ecosystem, desert ecosystem, and forest ecosystem ● Code an animal moving in a self-created habitat that includes shelter, a food and water source, two populations ● Define the words environment and community ● Distinguish between an ecosystem and a habitat ● Identify two ways that ecosystems can change Fourth Grade Science Curriculum The fourth grade students’ study of science becomes part of a lifelong exploration of the world around us. Students are encouraged to conduct experiments and investigations based on their own questions, and those of classmates that arise throughout the year. This emergent curriculum encourages them to build on their natural curiosities and affinities as scientists and learners. Working closely with partners, and learning how to organize the collaboration of a larger group, exercises their social and academic skills as they reach to understand more and work together toward solutions to problems. No matter the area of science, the skills of observation are key. Classroom demonstrations and activities point toward the close observation of size, shape, color, and texture to identify and determine evidence of change, adaptation, and differentiation. Assumptions are addressed as they come up through discussion and experimentation. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 29


Goals and Objectives Scientific Process and Inquiry ● Form original research questions and hypotheses ● Follow a set of written instructions for a scientific investigation ● Collect, organize, and report data ● Analyze and interpret data ● Distinguish between results and conclusions ● Construct and interpret graphs ● Practice synthesizing information and drawing conclusions Life Science ● Use magnifying lenses to identify soil composition and understand soil/plant connections ● Recall stages of photosynthesis ● Understand plants as a source of energy for all living things ● Identify plant nutrients and their importance ● Describe the process of decomposition as seen in school garden ● Follow food chains and webs ● Experience and research various California ecosystems and their interdependence ● Recognize adaptations and behaviors of living things as methods of survival ● Become more aware of the patterns and cycles of nature; cause and effect Earth Science ● Diagram and label the layers of the earth ● Identify and investigate the evidence of plate tectonics and land features ● Connect to our natural resources both locally and globally ● Investigate some ecosystems and watershed areas of San Francisco Bay ● Participate in discussions about space exploration Physical Science ● Describe the eight different forms of energy ● Experiment with how one form can convert into other forms MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 30


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Observe, question, and discuss the concept of the conservation of energy Relate light and color to the structure of the eye Experiment with force, motion, and simple machines Explore the properties of water Design and build simple circuits with an understanding of conductors, insulators, and resistors ● Relate light and color to the structure of the eye

Middle School Science Overview Fifth through eighth grade science centers on developing the observation, communication (verbal and written), classification, inferrencing, measuring, and predicting skills necessary to make the exploration of the sciences meaningful for middle school students. Fifth grade begins with a broad overview of topics in each of the core areas: Earth, physical, and life sciences. Using the classroom as the main area for exploration, fifth graders integrate the other core curricular areas (math, language arts, humanities) in their study of weather and cloud formations, human body systems, geological formations, and more. Fifth grade science is interactive and integrated. The sixth through eighth grade lab-based science program uses the ​Next Generation Science Standards​ as the foundation, and emphasizes asking questions; developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; using mathematics; constructing explanations; engaging in argument from evidence, and evaluating and communicating information. Sixth grade’s focus is on Earth system science, including earth science from earthquakes to climate change. Seventh grade dives deep into life sciences, exploring the biological realms on our planet. Eighth grade’s primary area of study is physical science, including physics and chemistry. The students work in collaborative groups applying learned lab skills to investigative procedures. Seventh and eighth grade students keep extensive and well-organized notebooks that support the learning process. Fifth Grade Science Curriculum The fifth grade science curriculum covers topics in Earth, physical, and life science. Our framework is based on a variety of resources and allows flexibility to integrate current MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 31


science events and related concepts. A major focus in fifth grade is learning about “disposability consciousness” and developing ecological literacy. Using resources sustainably, caring for the Earth, reducing our carbon footprint, and developing empathy are important themes woven into daily classroom life and the curriculum. Students participate in science projects and experiments that require critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. They discuss, observe, read, research, write, and engage in activities that spark curiosity and develop inferential reasoning. Learning takes place in and beyond the classroom, with hands-on activities, projects, and simulations that bring the experiential curriculum to life, whether in the classroom, the school garden or along a nearby shoreline. Field trips bring depth and breadth to the program, and the expertise of outside naturalists adds value to single day trips and overnight excursions to Point Reyes and Yosemite. Science is integrated into core academic subject areas, connecting reading, writing, math, and social studies. Goals and Objectives Earth Science: Oceanography ● Identify the major oceans, global surface currents, and five major gyres ● Determine ocean depths (feet, meter, fathoms) and bathymetric features ● Determine ocean salinity and temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius ● Examine quality of ocean water and health of marine mammals ● Evaluate and measure the effects of plastic in the gyres ● Explain the cycle of tides and interpret tide charts ● Identify wave anatomy; explain how waves form, travel (fetch), and affect coastal shores Weather, Weather Forecasting, and Climate Change ● Describe how uneven heating of the Earth affects weather ● Read and interpret weather instruments and models ● Analyze local weather conditions and decode data ● Identify and classify clouds ● Discover and interpret folklore and weather forecasting ● Examine climate change trends and severe weather patterns MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 32


Sustainability ● Develop knowledge of the interconnections and interdependency of ecological, social, and economic systems. ● Develop and apply the knowledge, perspective, skills, and habits of mind necessary to make personal and collective decisions and take actions that promote sustainability. ● Engage in inquiry and systems thinking and use information gained through learning experiences in, about, and for the environment to understand the structure, components, and processes of natural and human-built environments. Physical Science: Elements of the Periodic Table ● Identify the three states of matter: gas, liquid, solid ● Identify and describe common elements and compounds ● Examine properties of metals, alloys, and metalloids ● Organize and group elements on the periodic table by their physical properties ● Analyze and measure the elements in the human body, ocean, and atmosphere ● Examine chemical properties and acids and bases Life Science: Structures of Living Things ● Examine how vascular plants transport materials ● Explain the function of vascular tissue, xylem, and phloem ● Examine leaf structures ● Classify common angiosperms and gymnosperms ● Examine flower structure and reproduction ● Identify the different parts of a flower ● Identify and compare plant and animal cell structure and functions ● Examine human structure and reproduction (Life Skills Program includes focus on puberty and specific changes the body goes through during adolescence) ● Compare human and plant reproduction ● Identify major human body systems ● Name the major bones of the skeletal system MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 33


Innovation and Design Thinking, STEAM Science Fair ● Identify tools scientists use to make qualitative and quantitative observations ● Identify specific skills, needs, and traits to be an inventor ● Analyze the engineering process: identify a problem, build background research, make a plan and build a prototype, test and collect data, improve and redesign, and draw conclusions and communicate ● Compare how the design process is similar/different to the scientific method. Examine how the design process causes technology to develop Sixth Grade Science Curriculum The sixth grade science program cultivates students’ “ecological-literacy” as they explore the scientific perception that Earth is an interconnected whole. Marin County ecosystems, laboratories, and mind-mapping connections foster critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills. Earth systems science develops a student’s sense of curiosity, empathy and self-advocacy as they navigate their “learning-edge” of comfort and competence. Projects and labs encourage students to lead with their passion and practice personal responsibility and integrity in teamwork. Students sharpen the skills in observation, evidence-based argumentation and scientifically literate citizenship as through the formation of minerals to climate change dynamics. The sixth grade program is guided by the ​Next Generation Science Standards​ and practices, which focus on the skills employed by scientists around the world: Asking questions; developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; using mathematics; constructing explanations; engaging in argument from evidence, and evaluating and communicating information. Lab activities and practices complement a deep dive into curricula that is designed to prepare our students for success in their high school science courses, and to go out into the world as scientifically literate citizens. Goals and Objectives Earth Systems Science: Planet Earth ● Explain and demonstrate the concept of wholeness by mind-webbing and storytelling ● Explain and give examples of how the “Earth is whole” MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 34


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Give examples of how a system is different from its parts Give examples of how a part of a system can be described as a system Give examples of how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts Describe how a system functions as a whole Describe the three main systems of the Earth Describe/demonstrate how earth is a closed system in relationship to matter Describe/demonstrate how earth is an open system in relationship to energy Explain how the functioning of our planet relies on input from the sun Describe and give two examples of earth’s life organization in networked systems

Introduction to Earth Science ● List major branches of Earth science ● Describe careers associated with different branches of Earth science ● Explain the scientific method and how it is used by scientists ● Apply the scientific method to an Earth science investigation ● Identify the importance of communicating the results of a scientific investigation ● Describe how scientific investigations lead to a new investigation ● Demonstrate how models are used in science ● Compare mathematical models with physical models ● Explain the importance of the International Systems of Units ● Determine appropriate units to use for particular measurements ● Explain how a naturalist uses all areas of Earth science ● Identify lab safety symbols and determine their meaning Models, Maps, and Reality ● Describe directions on a globe ● Explain how a magnetic compass can be used to find directions on Earth ● Distinguish between true north and magnetic north ● Compare a map with a globe ● Describe the three types of map projections ● Describe recent technological advances that have helped the science of mapmaking ● Describe how contour lines show elevation and landforms on a contour map ● Demonstrate ability to create a mind map following the successful elements of mind-webbing MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 35


● Describe a simple system as a mind-web The Restless Earth and Matter Cycles: Plate Tectonics ● Identify and describe the layers of the Earth by what they are made of ● Identify and describe the layers of the Earth by their physical properties ● Explain how scientists know about the structure of Earth’s interior ● Describe Wegener’s theory of continental drift, and explain why it was not first accepted Understanding Earthquakes ● Identify different types of earthquakes ● Describe how earthquakes travel through the Earth ● Explain how earthquakes are detected ● Describe how the strength of an earthquake is measured ● Explain earthquake hazard ● List ways to safeguard buildings against earthquakes ● Outline earthquake safety procedures ● Describe how seismic studies reveal Earth’s interior Volcanoes ● Distinguish between non-explosive and explosive volcanic eruptions ● Explain how the composition of magma determines the type of volcanic eruption ● classify the main types of lava and volcanic debris ● Compare the different types of volcanoes ● Describe the formation and movement of magma ● Explain the relationship between volcanoes and plate tectonics ● Summarize the methods scientists use to predict volcanic eruptions Matter Cycles ● Describe how earthquakes, volcanoes and geysers indicate the high temperature and pressure that exist in Earth’s interior ● Describe how Earth has dry land because the processes of mountain creation equals erosion ● Describe how the Earth is about 72% covered in water ● List the main reservoirs of the water on Earth’s surface MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 36


● Give several examples of the connection between life through location and time by the water cycle ● Describe how the atmosphere is the most sensitive and changeable of Earth’s material spheres ● Model the Earth’s carbon cycle and describe the various time scales ● Describe why scientists believe that the carbon cycle is currently not in balance ● Describe how the carbon cycle affects climate ● List several behaviors and actions that have a positive effect on the carbon cycle The Earth’s Resources: Minerals of the Earth’s Crust ● Explain the four characteristics of a mineral ● Classify minerals using common mineral identification techniques ● Describe what makes a mineral crystal a gem ● Describe the environments in which minerals are formed ● Compare and contrast the different types of mining Rocks: Mineral Mixtures ● Describe two ways rocks were used by early humans, and two ways they are used today ● Describe how each rock type changes into another as it moves through the rock cycle ● List two characteristics of rock that are used to help classify rocks ● Explain how the cooling rate of magma affects the properties of igneous rocks ● Identify common igneous rock formations ● Describe how the two types of sedimentary rock form ● Explain how sedimentary rocks record Earth’s history ● Describe two ways a rock can undergo metamorphism ● Explain the changes in mineral composition of rocks as they undergo metamorphism Energy Resources ● Determine how humans use natural resources ● Contrast renewable resources with non renewable resources ● Explain how humans can conserve natural resources ● Classify the different forms of fossil fuels MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 37


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Determine how fossil fuels form Identify where fossil fuels are found in the United States Explain how fossil fuels are obtained Identify problems with fossil fuels and describe alternatives to the use of fossil fuel ● List advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy sources ● Describe how energy and peace are interrelated Ecology and the Web of Life - Thinking Globally ● Describe why scientists believe life on Earth cannot be destroyed ● List how changes on a planetary scale to the condition of Earth can affect humans ● Compare how species extinction over the history of the Earth differs from the current extinction rate Act Locally ● List several ways our daily world is unsafe with regards to air, water and food ● List several ways our daily world is improving the quality of air, water, and food ● List the three R’s and give several local examples ● Describe why local ecosystems are so vital to sustainable progress and development ● List several ways of increasing energy reduction ● List several ways of increasing energy efficiency ● List several ways to make a positive impact on Earth ● Describe how small actions can make a large environmental impact ● List several ways that what you have learned can inform your actions ● List several hopeful ideas from ​Dr. Art’s Guide to Planet Earth Seventh Grade Science Curriculum The primary focus in seventh grade is Life Science, guided by the common thread of how structure relates to function in living things. Students have every class in our state-of-the-art science lab, where they have hands-on, multi-sensory access to science in action. From learning how to use microscopes to explore cells and using de-shelled eggs to model diffusion and osmosis, to dissecting sheep hearts and testing their blood types, students dive deeply into complex topics every day. Our process work is guided MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 38


by the ​Next Generation Science Standards​ practices, which focus on the skills employed by scientists around the world: Asking questions; developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; using mathematics; constructing explanations; engaging in argument from evidence, and evaluating and communicating information. These lab activities and practices complement a deep dive into curricula designed to inspire students to learn more about the world around them, and set them on a road to success in their future biological studies. They come away not only with critical skills, but with a deep understanding of the commonality in structure and function between all living things, and a sense of what makes their own presence on Earth so remarkable. Goals and Objectives Scientific Process ● Practice making careful observations and inferences based on those observations ● Use the metric system to measure length, mass, and volume ● Carry out lab procedures using all appropriate tools ● Develop and maintain an organized lab notebook ● Create models to deepen understanding of content Cells: The Basic Units of Life ● Identify the parts of a cell and describe their function ● Explain the difference between prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells ● Explain the relationship between the structure and function of each part of the cell ● Diagram the levels of organization in living things ● Use a compound light microscope to view different types of cells The Cell in Action ● Analyze how surface area to volume ratio affects cell nutrition ● Compare and contrast the processes of diffusion, osmosis, and active transport ● Predict the effect of osmosis on cells in different types of solutions ● Identify the reactants, products, and conditions necessary for photosynthesis ● Compare and contrast cellular respiration and fermentation MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 39


● Diagram the process of mitosis and describe how it results in two identical cells Heredity ● Describe the experiments of Gregor Mendel ● Explain the difference between dominant and recessive traits ● Make connections between how genes and alleles are related to genotype and phenotype ● Use Punnett squares to predict inheritance patterns ● Calculate the probability of possible genotypes in offspring given parent genotypes ● Explain the difference between mitosis and meiosis ● Compare and contrast the processes of mitosis and meiosis ● Describe how the process of meiosis contributes to biological diversity ● Identify how chromosomes determine biological sex Genes and DNA ● Describe the basic structure of a DNA molecule, and how this structure relates to its function in terms of self-replication and protein production ● Diagram how DNA molecules can be copied. ● Explain the relationship between DNA, genes, and proteins ● Outline the basic steps in protein synthesis ● Identify three types of mutations and provide an example of a gene mutation ● Explore ways in which our understanding of DNA is affects our modern world Human Body Systems ● Identify the organs of the digestive system and discuss their function in keeping the body nourished and healthy ● Identify the organs of the respiratory system, and how this system relates to the process of cellular respiration ● Identify the parts of the cardiovascular system and describe how the heart, lungs, and blood vessels work together to provide needed nutrients to every cell in the body. ● Explore the importance of surface area as it relates to body system efficiency ● Make connections between structure and function in each body system MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 40


Eighth Grade Science Curriculum Physical Science is the eighth grade focus, with the first half of the year devoted to chemistry, and the second half to physics. Throughout the year, students explore what the physical world around us is made of, and how objects interact with each other. Students have every class in our state-of-the-art science lab, where they have hands-on, multi-sensory access to science in action. Through an inquiry-based approach, students explore scientific phenomena, tackle common misconceptions, and hone their observation skills in order to make sense of the physical world. Our process work is guided by the NGSS science practices, which focus on the skills employed by scientists around the world: Asking questions; developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; using mathematics; constructing explanations; engaging in argument from evidence, and evaluating and communicating information. These lab activities and practices complement a deep dive into curricula that is designed to prepare our students for success in their high school science courses, and to go out into the world as scientifically literate citizens. Goals and Objectives The Nature of Science ● Practice making and recording careful observations, and formulating inferences based on those observations ● Use the metric system and appropriate lab tools to measure length, mass, and volume ● Make conversions between units of the metric system ● Identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables in an experiment ● Explain how to set up a controlled experiment ● Maintain an organized interactive science notebook throughout the year Properties and States of Matter ● Distinguish between physical properties and chemical properties of matter ● Calculate the density of an object, and use a known density to calculate mass or volume MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 41


● Distinguish between physical changes and chemical changes and explain what is happening on a molecular level ● Classify matter as a mixture or pure substance, element or compound ● Describe how the state of matter is related to its average kinetic energy ● Diagram how particles are arranged in solids, liquids, and gases ● Define all changes of state, and describe what is happening to the particles as matter changes state ● Use the gas laws to predict what will happen to the volume of a gas given a change in pressure or temperature ● Use understanding of physical properties and changes to design a procedure to separate a mixture of substances Atomic Structure ● Compare and contrast different theoretical models of the atom that have existed and explain how the model of the atom evolved over time ● Identify the charge, mass and location of each subatomic particle ● Compare how isotopes of an element are similar and different from each other ● Identify basic features of the periodic table (groups, periods, major divisions) ● Use properties and clues about an element to identify it on the periodic table ● Use the periodic table to identify the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in any given atom Chemical Bonds and Reactions ● Use the periodic table to determine the number of valence electrons of any main group element ● Explain why an atom might gain, lose or share electrons ● Identify how many electrons an atom might gain or lose, and what kind of ion it will form ● Describe how an ionic bond is formed ● Determine the formula for any ionic compound given its name and represent it with the appropriate chemical symbols ● Describe how a covalent bond is formed ● Compare and contrast covalent and ionic compounds Forces and Motion MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 42


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Describe how unbalanced forces cause changes in motion Determine net force when more than one force is acting on an object Calculate speed and acceleration, and differentiate between speed and velocity Identify the factors that affect the force of friction on an object Identify the two factors that affect the force of gravity on an abject Explain the effect of gravity and air resistance on falling objects Describe the motion of objects in orbit and projectiles Use Newton’s first law of motion to describe the effects of forces on objects at rest and in motion Analyze the relationships among force, mass, and acceleration Describe Newton’s third law of motion and give examples of force pairs Predict how objects will move after a collision Calculate the momentum of moving objects

Energy and Work ● Define energy, and describe how it relates to work ● Define and give examples of the different kinds of energy ● Discuss how energy is converted from gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy when an object falls or goes down a ramp ● Identify the factors that affect the gravitational potential energy of an object ● Identify the factors that affect the kinetic energy of an object ● Describe how potential energy is converted into kinetic energy and vice-versa ● Outline the energy transformations taking place in everyday situations ● Design a machine to perform an everyday task

HUMANITIES OVERVIEW: MIDDLE SCHOOL The MP&MS middle school humanities program allows fifth through eighth grade students to combine the traditional disciplines of social studies (history) and English in an integrated fashion. Beginning in fifth grade, students apply skills across disciplines, such as developed critical thinking skills to topics such as economics, philosophy, religion, government and more. Applying skills and knowledge in an integrated fashion

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reinforces learning, and helps students to further their inquiry skills by learning effective research, reading and writing skills. The humanities team meets together to ensure the alignment of concepts and skill development through the middle school. Fifth grade, just moving into middle school, uses United States history from the Native Amercan cultures through colonialism as their platform for exploration. Sixth graders study ancient history, diving deep into Egypt’s social structure and learning about the foundations of political structures and religious beliefs. Class novels continue to be tied heavily into the core curriculum. Seventh grade ventures out into modern cultures, identifying current world challenges, understood through a historical context. Their Global Citizenship Project allows students to apply and develop further a diversity of research, reading, writing and presentation skills. Eighth grade returns to United States history as the main focus, with attention paid to the essential question, ‘​What does it mean to be an American?’. S ​ tudents apply the skills from their four years in middle school humanities as they prepare to move on to high school, and end the year researching and representing important figures in American history, creating a presentation that is shared with the rest of middle school Fifth Grade Humanities Curriculum Fifth grade students focus on humanities themes and essential questions related to freedom, independence, and power through the study of United States history, literature, geography, and current events. The curriculum is designed to be both a window for students, allowing them to look at the varied experiences of others, and a mirror, encouraging them to look reflectively at their own journeys. Students learn to recognize and analyze multiple perspectives as well as develop arguments while considering historical and personal context. Students practice these skills while also learning new skills as readers and writers through their reading, writing, discussions and presentations. Small-group literature circles reinforce collaboration and encourage independent reading, and teacher read-alouds give students the opportunity to experience written text in a variety of formats. The fifth grade writing program uses the writers’ workshop approach and ​6+1 Traits of Writing ​to develop students’ ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. These traits are applied to both creative and expository writing. Public speaking is developed through current-events presentations MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 44


as well as other opportunities for students to share their knowledge in creative ways. Students are challenged throughout the program to think critically and make connections among topics across the curriculum. Goals and Objectives: Language Arts Reading: ● Read narrative and expository text aloud fluently and accurately with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression ● Identify plot, setting, characters, and theme ● Utilize prediction skills ● Make connections between the novel or text and real life experiences ● Extrapolate main idea or conflict and how it is resolved ● Distinguish between fact and opinion in written text ● Identify and analyze the characteristics of different genres, including historical fiction, nonfiction, biography, poetry, and short stories ● Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and support these with textual evidence and prior knowledge Writing: ● Utilize the steps of the writing process ● Construct a paragraph using topic and specific focus, clear and unique supporting details, and a conclusion ● Write poetry using descriptive vocabulary, similes, metaphors, and personification ● Write a monthly practiced dictation with minimal mistakes ● Write a proper personal letter ● Cite research information correctly for research papers ● Create a persuasive essay with an established topic, clear examples and a concluding paragraph that summarizes student’s opinion ● Summarize a current event in a paragraph including who, what, when, where, how, and why ● Write a personal narrative ● Demonstrate mastery of basic keyboard skills ● Read cursive handwriting MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 45


Grammar: ● Identify nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, personal pronouns, and prepositions in sentences ● Apply punctuation appropriately: periods, question marks, exclamation marks, quotation marks, and basic comma rules ● Construct different types of sentences (declarative, interrogative, explanatory, and imperative) and integrate various sentence types in writing Vocabulary: ● Use context clues to derive understanding of an unfamiliar word ● Apply words studied through the ​Wordly Wise​ program effectively Listening and Speaking: ● Give clear current event and other subject presentations ● Listen and take notes on various class presentations Goals and Objectives: Social Studies Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Recognize changes that occured in United States history over time ● Read, develop, and interpret timelines ● Describe factors that influence locations of human populations and human migration ● Recognize the African American journey from slavery to Black Lives Matter People, Place, and Environment: ● Recognize key parts of the world map ● Identify important physical features on maps of the United States ● Identify important exploration routes to the Americas using latitude and longitude ● Apply knowledge of latitude and longitude to locate places around the world ● Define regions by their human and physical characteristics ● Explore cultures that make up America’s past (American Indians, Age of Exploration, Colonialism) ● Analyze the impact of European exploration and colonization on the indigenous people of America MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 46


Individual Development and Identity: ● Summarize, interpret, and discuss current event articles Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Participate in the morning government ritual of daily schedule, recognition of individual accomplishments, and inspiration through various pledges and speeches (Advice from a Tree, Preamble to the Constitution, Earth Pledge, I Have a Dream speech, etc.) ● Write and podcast an interview with an ancient explorer including evidence of travels and historical impact ● Respond in writing by taking on the various viewpoints of individuals impacted by the Civil Rights Movement ● Explore the main characteristics of a chosen country and present an overview to the school in connection with International Day Science, Technology, and Society: ● Create an informational podcasts interviewing ancient explorers Global Connections: ● Develop an informative multifaceted group tableau on one African American issue; explain the different perspectives on the issue ● Describe challenges and opportunities with cultural diversity Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Revisit the essential question, “What is Freedom?” through all social studies units ● Examine and compare the three branches of American government ● Participate in activities and community service projects that focus on community issues and help kids learn about civic participation Sixth Grade Humanities Curriculum In sixth grade students explore various facets of identity, drawing on our similarities to see the opportunity in our diversity. By explicitly teaching and reteaching the fundamentals of inclusion within the middle school social and curriculum context, students practice the challenges which face our future world. As students unpack those challenges, they use various tools such as writing workshop where the students create a community of writers and develop communication skills as they navigate feedback MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 47


from each other and teachers. The sixth grade Greek and Latin roots vocabulary program sharpens the perseverance tool as students develop more consistent study habits. Collaborative skills are explicitly taught and students demonstrate critical thinking through literature analysis, emphasizing character analysis and empathy, and deciphering non-fiction text. Because the social studies and language arts program are integrated, the students are continually applying a common theme whether they are critically questioning pronouns, deconstructing ancient Egypt’s social structure, analyzing quotes from a class novel, or investigating our school’s unspoken rules and designing a plan for change. Goals and Objectives: Language Arts Reading: ● Demonstrate understanding of comprehension strategies including connections, visualizations, questions, and predictions ● Understand the different elements of fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, poetry, scripts, short stories, and news articles ● Summarize text without personal opinion ● Determine a theme or central idea ● Explore the meaning and impact of literary devices ● Identify author bias or influence ● Cite textual evidence to support analysis, inferences and evaluation ● Compare and contrast texts of similar themes and topics ● Demonstrate reading fluency with appropriate speed, expression and volume Writing: ● Apply the six traits of writing: ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, voice, and conventions ● Write an argument to support a claim with clear reasons and relevant evidence ● Write analysis of textual evidence including context ● Write informative paragraphs and an essay to examine a topic and convey ideas through relevant content ● Write narratives demonstrating effective sequencing and relevant details ● Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources ● Recognize credible sources MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 48


● Cite primary sources and secondary sources Grammar and Punctuation: ● Properly use end punctuation, basic comma rules, apostrophes, capitalization, and dialogue ● Identify parts of speech ● Identify sentence components Vocabulary: ● Determine if unfamiliar vocabulary can be defined by context ● Utilize new vocabulary in speech and writing ● Identify basic Greek and Latin root words, prefixes and suffixes Listening and Speaking: ● Give and accept constructive criticism ● Dialogue effectively with a variety of partners or groups and on a variety of topics ● Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks ● Present ideas logically including main ideas and details with adequate eye contact, volume and clear pronunciation Goals and Objectives: Social Studies Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Read, interpret, and create timelines ● Draw connections between the contributions of the Middle East’s cultural groups of the past and present ● Explain why Islam is an important influence on the study of our ancient world and modern day culture ● Compare modern day culture with other ancient cultural groups studied People, Place, and Environment: ● Decide when to use specific geographic tools (map, globe, GIS, satellite image, graph) to solve a geographic problem ● Identify important human and physical features on maps of Asia, the Middle East and the West Coast of the United States ● List the possible push and pull factors for major immigrant groups to the United States, including those from China and Mexico ● Chart patterns of migration and diffusion across major cities MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 49


● Analyze patterns of distance and accessibility between major cities Individual Development and Identity: ● Develop language to accurately describe the various dimensions of gender including body, gender expression, and gender identity ● Develop positive social identities based on their membership in multiple groups in society ● Recognize stereotypes and relate to people as individuals rather than representatives of groups ● Explain how the way groups of people have been treated in the past and the way they are treated today, shapes their group identity Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Rewrite an ancient Egyptian myth in comic book format to appeal to a specific audience ● Respond in writing to an historical injustice from the point of view of an individual impacted by the injustice, including evidence of event ● Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early forms of democracy and back to dictatorships in ancient Greece and modern countries Science, Technology, and Society: ● Describe hunter-gatherer groups, including the development of tools and the use of fire ● Classify technological advances in ancient artifacts of the Stone Age and Bronze Age ● Identify the ways in which geographers present and explore the world Global Connections: ● Restate and demonstrate the push and pull forces of immigration Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Give examples for the key differences between Athenian, or direct democracy, and representative democracy Seventh Grade Humanities Curriculum The seventh grade humanities curriculum is focused around the essential question, “What does it mean to be an ​active, informed and responsible global citizen?” Students are provided an environment where they learn to value diversity and cross-cultural MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 50


understanding by working individually and collaboratively to address the challenges of living in an interconnected world.​ Students participate in lessons that bring awareness to their roles as global citizens with an emphasis on twenty-first century skills through current events and media literacy. This includes lessons around inequalities within and between societies, basic human rights, diversity, different views of economics and social developments, the causes and effects of conflict, causes of poverty, ethical consumerism, and the relationship between conflict and peace. Goals and Objectives: Language Arts Reading: ● Read and comprehend literature proficiently, including nonfiction works and fiction, with scaffolding as needed ● Summarize nonfiction text, identifying main ideas and supporting details ● Conduct research using multiple resources ● Identify the development of an author’s argument, point of view, or perspective in text ● Identify events that advance the plot and how each event explains past, present, or foreshadows future action ● Determine characterization as depicted by a character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions ● Identify idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes in prose and poetry ● Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history Writing: ● Create documents using word-processing skills and publishing programs ● Revise writing to improve organization, word choice, and mechanics ● Use strategies of note-taking, outlining, and summarizing to impose structure on composition drafts ● Use a variety of sentence structures in writing: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences ● Demonstrate use of a strong beginning, middle, and end when writing, with clear and effective transitions ● Craft text from various points of view MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 51


● Adapt writing to target a specific audience ● Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content ● Support statements and claims with anecdotes, descriptions, facts and statistics, and specific examples ● Properly cite primary and secondary sources Grammar: ● Identify all parts of speech and structure of sentences ● Demonstrate the mechanics of writing (e.g., quotation marks, commas) and appropriate English usage (e.g., pronoun reference) Vocabulary: ● Use a variety of vocabulary resources to define unfamiliar words including context Listening and Speaking: ● Use speaking techniques for effective presentations, including voice modulation, inflection, tempo, enunciation, and eye contact ● Deliver narrative presentations: establish a context, standard plot line with a beginning, conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement, and point of view ● Deliver oral summaries of articles and books: include the main ideas of the event or article and the most significant details; use the student’s own words, except for material quoted from sources ● Analyze the effect on the viewer of images, text, and sound in electronic journalism; identify the techniques used to achieve the effects in each instance studied ● Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress, meet goals, and define roles as needed Goals and Objectives: Social Studies Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Describe the causes and effects of the vast expansion and ultimate disintegration of the Roman Empire MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 52


● Map the spread of bubonic plague from Central Asia to the Middle East, and Europe and describe its impact on global population People, Place, and Environment: ● identify ways in which archaeologists and historians uncover the past ● Conduct research on the causes and effects of the expansion and demise of the Roman Empire ● Explain the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of Islam in the Middle Ages ● Explain the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of Medieval Europe ● Use historical maps to identify changes over time Individual Development and Identity: ● Create a personal coat of arms on which color and imagery reflect personal and/or family values Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Examine places and regions and the connections among them ● Describe the importance of the Catholic church as a political, intellectual, and aesthetic institution Science, Technology, and Society: ● identify ways in which archaeologists and historians uncover the past ● Use geographic tools to gather data and make geographic inferences and predictions Global Connections: ● Describe the growing economic interaction among civilizations in terms of the exchange of ideas, beliefs, technologies, and commodities. ● Examine the allocation of scarce resources in societies through analysis of individual choice, market interaction, and public policy ● Explain how and why ecosystems differ as a consequence of differences in latitude, elevation, and human activities ● Identify ecosystems of a continent and explain why some provide greater opportunities for humans to use than do other ecosystems and how that might change with technology ● Restate and demonstrate the push and pull forces of immigration MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 53


● Identify and explain the factors that contribute to conflict and cooperation between and among cultural groups ● Conduct research on the cause and effect of a world problem with emphasis on how teenagers might have an impact on the solution ● Engage in activities intended to contribute to solving a national or international problem studied ● Create a video to present historical and present day information on a world issue which will help or inform others Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Demonstrate respect for others in discussions and classroom debates, respectfully disagreeing with other points of view ● Participate in negotiations and compromise to resolution differences and conflict in group projects Eighth Grade Humanities Curriculum Eighth grade humanities intertwines language arts and social studies within its focus on the founding years of the United States. Students examine overarching questions, including: “What does it mean to be an American? How does an individual’s identity and society influence the policies and laws of the United States?” They also look at the influence of race, class and gender on society as they study the issues and events that lead up to the founding of the nation, the Declaration of Independence, and the framing of the Constitution. They trace the development of politics, society, culture, and the economy and ask, “Who benefits from and who is left out of the American Dream?” Students have healthy discussions about power: who has it and who does not. The curriculum helps students create a better sense of their own identity and develop empathy for perspectives other than their own. They develop a stronger understanding of their civic duty and responsibilities in today’s world to help create a more equitable vision. The program is committed to fostering critical thinking, collaboration, curiosity, and the research and media literacy skills necessary to be ready for high school and the twenty-first century. Students sharpen their formal writing and research skills as they engage in projects and learning activities in eighth grade. In addition, they expand their vocabulary through analysis a variety of literature, including novels, non-fiction plays, and poetry, as well as a separate vocabulary program. Overall, the program fosters strong oral and written MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 54


communication, creativity, and connections between the readings, self, and the larger world. Goals and Objectives Language Arts Reading: ● Demonstrate understanding of a text through classroom discussion, written responses, and group projects ● Compare and contrast the arguments and perspectives of two or more texts ● Cite textual evidence that supports an argument or thesis ● Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, and events ● Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development ● Identify figurative and connotative meanings of specific words in a text ● Examine a character’s identity for the purposes of understanding how the decisions they make influence plot development ● Analyze how modern works of fiction draw on themes of traditional stories and texts ● Evaluate the argument and claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and specific Writing: ● Establish and apply a formal writing style and tone ● Compose written arguments with clear reasons and relevant evidence ● Gather relevant information from print and media sources, assess the credibility of each source, paraphrase the data without plagiarism ● Write a research paper using MLA format ● Demonstrate an awareness of purpose and audience ● Demonstrate proficiency in writing narrative, compare/contrast, persuasive, expository, and research papers ● Develop creative writing through poetry and other forms ● Apply research skills through projects, papers, and presentations Grammar: ● Apply correct language mechanics MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 55


● Identify and use parts of speech correctly in context ● Use complex sentences with clarity of purpose ● Apply proper punctuation and capitalization Vocabulary: ● Demonstrate mastery of word lists from weekly vocabulary words ● Identifies selected vocabulary from literary pieces in literature Listening and Speaking: ● Engage effectively in collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing one’s own clearly ● Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas ● Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented ● Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluate the motives behind its presentation ● Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation ● Integrate multimedia and visual displays in presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest ● Listen to others with sensitivity and respect Goals and Objectives: Social Studies Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Investigate the question of, “What does it mean to be an American” from the age of exploration through all content areas ● Analyze the “Universe of Obligations,” or the values and beliefs of each time period, as shown in primary and secondary sources People, Place, and Environment:

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● Examine the westward expansion of the United States to identify who gained from this movement and who was pushed out of their lands or prohibited from opportunities Individual Development and Identity: ● Evaluate, for each time period of the early United States, the dominant culture’s universe of obligations, and how people of privilege shaped the governing state as well as national politics and culture Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Analyze Howard Zinn’s ​A Young People’s History of the United States,​ to examine voices left out of the narrative including women, people of color, and the poor ● Compare Zinn’s historical description to the core textbook, ​History Alive - The United States Through Modern Times​ and identify similarities and differences Science, Technology, and Society: Global Connections: ● Explore events and connect them to the problems seen in U.S history over time Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Investigate the Bill of Rights and how our representative democracy works checks and balances

LANGUAGE ARTS: PRIMARY SCHOOL Junior Kindergarten Language Arts Curriculum In junior kindergarten, children are exposed to a variety of engaging and interactive literacy experiences. Through the use of books, music, technology, and dance, students learn traditions, customs, and their interconnectedness to the rest of the world. Songs, games, letter/word work, and read-alouds foster beginning phonemic awareness and a love of reading. Students are introduced to a developmentally-based handwriting program, ​Handwriting Without Tears,​ that continues through the second grade. The MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 57


writers workshop format engages the junior kindergarten students in foundational experiences in writing, beginning with phonemic spelling, labeling, and learning about the writing process by telling stories about their lives. Goals and Objectives Reading: ● Engage actively during story time ● Connect books to personal experiences ● Select books for independent reading ● Recite poems, songs, and chants with others in chorus and alone ● Demonstrate understanding of concepts of print ● Compare and contrast books and authors Writing: ● Demonstrate awareness that writing conveys meaning ● Participate in writing workshop ● Label pictures in writing ● Write words independently Handwriting: ● Demonstrate correct pencil grip ● Form capital letters and writes numerals one to ten ● Follow top-to-bottom and left-to-right directionality ● Develop fine motor skills Listening and Speaking: ● Listen respectfully when others are speaking ● Raise a hand to take a turn ● Answer and ask questions in group discussions ● Give pertinent information during share time Kindergarten Language Arts Curriculum Kindergarten students begin the school year building community through discussion of culturally relevant material. As they begin to develop their voices through written and verbal discussion, this builds classroom community and their identities as readers and writers. Through multiple methods of teaching reading and writing, including phonetic word work, sight word games, and beginning reading activities, students build on their MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 58


foundation of reading and spelling skills. Teachers model strategies for reading fluency and comprehension across the curriculum. Read-alouds with literature rich with diverse cultures and viewpoints across genres, give students opportunities to develop critical thinking, problem solving, and self-advocacy skills. They think about and discuss the literature experienced in class and build interpersonal skills through collaboration with others in small and whole group discussions. Writing workshop is an important part of kindergarten, and children become more confident in drafting stories. Beginning conventions of punctuation are taught, and students begin to learn about the editing and revising process. The ​Words Their Way ​program provides support for both reading and writing as children learn more about word families, vowels, and spelling patterns, and the developmentally based ​Handwriting Without Tears ​supports early handwriting skills. Students also participate in reading workshop, where they spend time engaged independently, with a partner, or with a teacher in individualized activities designed to support and challenge early readers based on their individual paths to literacy. Though some students are reading at the end of the year, the teachers recognize that children progress at different rates through the early reading process. We support all students to build their language confidence and provide opportunities for them to read and write at their level each day. Goals and Objectives Reading: ● Identify uppercase and lowercase letters and their corresponding sounds ● Demonstrate understanding of sound-symbol correspondence ● Identify basic concepts in print (text from left to right, top to bottom; concept of word; identify front and back cover, author, illustrator) ● Recognize twenty sight words or more ● Apply decoding strategies to reading ● Read books at individual independent level ● Read books at individual instructional level Writing: ● Write legibly with appropriate spacing between letters and words ● Begin to apply spelling strategies to one syllable words ● Demonstrate an understanding of sentence structure MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 59


● Use capitalization with proper names and beginning sentences and begin to explore and use basic punctuation Handwriting: ● Write capital letters legibly ● Begin to write lowercase letters correctly Listening and Speaking: ● Listen and respond to oral communication ● Listen attentively and raise a hand to speak ● Answer questions in response to literature ● Listen and respond to others in class discussions, staying on topic ● Deliver brief recitations and oral presentations about personal experiences or interests, and orally share information from assignments First Grade Language Arts Curriculum The first grade language arts program focuses on developing creative and critical thinkers who are able to thoughtfully and meaningfully interact with the written and spoken word. Developing a solid competence, affinity for, and connection to reading and writing is foundational to the first grade language arts program. Through literature study and analysis, students explore the world and their interconnectedness, responsibilities, and rewards within that world. Participating in small and large reading and writing groups, students develop the skills necessary to effectively articulate opinions, debate concepts, create, and edit narratives. Goals and Objectives Reading: ● Use reading strategies such as context clues, sight word recognition, or phonetic cues to derive meaning from the text ● Recognize letter/sound relationships including short vowels, digraphs, and blends ● Read with appropriate expression and increasing fluency ● Draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies to enhance understanding MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 60


● Read a variety of texts with increasing independence, fluency, accuracy, and understanding ● Become familiar with a range of literary genres and the work of specific authors Writing: ● Produce pieces of writing independently using complete sentences, some capitals, and periods ● Write stories showing some understanding of beginning story structure, utilizing openings, characters, and events ● Progress through the emergent skills of the writing process (e.g. prewriting, drafting, revising, editing) ● Capitalize proper nouns and beginning of sentences ● Spell simple, monosyllabic high-frequency words that follow common patterns correctly Handwriting: ● Print legibly and space letters, words, and sentences appropriately ● Form letters correctly and efficiently ● Use upper and lower case letters appropriately Grammar: ● Define an antonym and synonym ● Begin to recognize nouns, verbs, and adjectives ● Identify proper nouns within a sentence Vocabulary: ● Demonstrate a thematic use of vocabulary in discussion Listening and Speaking: ● Listen attentively and wait turn to speak ● Listen and respond appropriately to oral communication ● Speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas ● Use descriptive words when speaking about people, places, things, and events ● Ask questions for clarification and understanding Second Grade Language Arts Curriculum In second grade, students continue to strengthen reading and writing skills through independent, partner, and small group experiences. They explore their passions and answer their curiosity through self-chosen reading and writing projects. In literature MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 61


circles, students take on varying leadership roles, listen and communicate effectively, and develop critical thinking skills. Persevering through the stages of the writing process is critical to their growth as writers. Through this, they become self-aware and are able to monitor their own progress. Students develop stronger organization skills, become more efficient managers of their time, and self-advocate when needed. Goals and Objectives Reading: ● Add expression and intonation when reading to enhance the meaning of a story or poem ● Compare and contrast plots and characters in different stories ● Relate plots and characters in literature to real life experiences ● Ask thoughtful questions and makes meaningful comments during literature discussions ● Identify and use a variety of decoding strategies ● Apply a variety of comprehension strategies (e.g., generating essential questions, visualizing, making predictions, comparing information from several sources) Writing: ● Recognize and use various genre forms; use these elements in original stories ● Spell grade level words correctly ● Write informative/explanatory texts to introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section ● Write narratives that recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure ● Revise and edit stories through teacher-student conferences and peer review Handwriting: ● Print with automatic legibility and correct word and letter spacing Grammar: ● Capitalize the beginning of sentences and proper nouns ● Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives ● Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 62


● Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs Vocabulary: ● Determine the meaning of a new word when a known prefix is added to a known word ● Determine the meaning of a new word when a known suffix is added to a known word ● Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root ● Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words Listening and Speaking: ● Listen respectfully and responsively to others’ observations and points of view ● Build on others’ contributions in conversations by linking comments to their remarks ● Ask thoughtful questions and make astute contributions ● Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about topics under discussion ● Follow oral and written directions with three or more steps ● Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences ● Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read-aloud or information presented orally ● Create audio recordings of stories Third Grade Language Arts Curriculum In third grade, literature groups enable students to engage in the lives of other characters, building empathy and understanding of the world in which they live. Follow-up discussion groups develop critical thinking skills and communication skills as students learn to listen, express and analyze text that they’ve read. The third grade writing program encourages creativity while students utilize pre-planning, organization, and time management. Students are encouraged to advocate for themselves when help is needed, and to persevere when the writing process becomes difficult. Presenting before the class is practiced on small and large scales. Mastery of material, be it a MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 63


“sharing item” or a research report encourages confidence and leadership in their area of interest. Goals and Objectives Reading: ● Use strategies to decode unfamiliar words ● Use context clues to find word meaning ● Read with fluidity and expression, observing punctuation ● Choose books to read that are of different genres, at their independent reading level ● Read grade-level literature and texts ● Discuss thoughts and questions derived from literature ● Relate reading to own knowledge and experiences ● Recognize different genres such as biographies, myths, fantasy, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry Writing: ● Write stories with various topics ● Demonstrate a variety of introductions to stories ● Include expressive language and details in writing ● Use appropriate grammar and mechanics ● Complete assignments in the allotted time ● Edit writing for capitalization, punctuation, syntax, and correct spelling of grade-level words Handwriting: ● Form printed letters correctly, legibly with proper spacing and placement ● Write cursive letters correctly Grammar: ● Identify nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs within a sentence ● Correctly capitalize beginning of sentences and proper nouns ● Locate guide-words in a dictionary, and part of speech ● Divide words into prefix, root, and suffix ● Define an antonym, synonym, and homophone ● Give examples of idioms and similes MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 64


● Distinguish between fact and opinion Vocabulary: ● Define weekly vocabulary word ● Use Wordly Wise vocabulary words correctly on Vocabulary City website ● Demonstrate how to use a thesaurus Listening and Speaking: ● Listen to and follow directions ● Deliver a brief oral presentation using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation ● Comment appropriately and correlate to current subject ● Participate in discussions ● Wait turn to speak ● Listen to others speaking Fourth Grade Language Arts Curriculum Fourth graders experience the art of communicating through language in an environment designed to extend their skills in preparation for the transition to middle school, ready to be contributing and collaborative members of the larger community. In language arts, the program focus is on literacy and executive functioning skills as communication with an understanding of the world around us. Reading deeply becomes thinking deeply as students are asked to read reflectively and look for meaning that brings clarity to the bigger picture. Basic skills are consistently practiced and assignments are modified to meet individual needs. Students read to strengthen their idea of self and to learn their authentic interests. Reading instructs writing, “What do I see here that might work for me in my writing?” with a sense of purpose. Students write to inform; they write what matters. As participants in the classroom learning environment, students engage with the goals of autonomy, productive collaboration, and creative interaction at the levels of practice, extension, and remediation. Goals and Objectives Reading: ● Read thoughtfully, interpreting and connecting new information to prior knowledge and experience ● Engage in an inner dialogue with text

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● Read grade-level text with increasing fluency and ability to reflect on, express, and apply information in a variety of ways ● Raise interpretive questions about what is read ● Respond to essential questions about text ● Predict the meaning of new words using etymological and context clues ● Demonstrate comprehension in conversation and written responses ● Develop effective strategies when reading for different purposes ● Make inferences and predictions based on evidence ● Compare and contrast characters, settings, and plot ● Recognize point of view ● Show awareness of an author’s viewpoint and intent ● Discriminate between reality and fantasy, fact and opinion, fiction and nonfiction ● Identify and retell sequence of events in stories ● Use glossary, table of contents, and index as a time efficient method of locating information ● Use grammatical clues to increase understanding of text and author’s intent ● Investigate the credibility of websites Writing: ● Recognize the purpose of writing ● Develop stories and essays that inspire, inform, persuade, or entertain an audience ● Write using complete sentences, topic sentences, and concluding sentences ● Combine short, related sentences ● Use specific details to support ideas or facts ● Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures ● Include an introduction and closing thoughts to a topic ● Show correct usage of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and other writing mechanics to enhance the reader’s experience ● Use the stages of the writing process for expressive, factual and creative writing projects ● Use descriptive language to enhance and elaborate ideas ● Effectively use multiple forms of writing to communicate ideas ● Practice spelling for most frequently used words and spelling patterns ● Investigate newspaper content, organization, and writing style ● Practice writing formal and informal emails MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 66


● Continue to develop a personal style and voice using the written word ● Engage in narrative writing - short story, poem, personal essay Handwriting: ● Work to form letters correctly, using print and cursive ● Write with correct spacing between words ● Ensure all letters sit on the line and size of uppercase and lowercase letters is consistent ● Practice typing skills a minimum of 3 times a week for 15-20 minutes Grammar: ● Identify basic parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and prefix and suffix) ● Become aware of word origins and derivations ● Develop an ear for subject and verb agreement ● Develop familiarity with transition words and use a variety of them when writing ● Understand and use simile, metaphor, and personification ● Select synonyms/antonyms and idioms to use in expressive writing ● Find base words to determine meaning of unknown words Listening and Speaking: ● Show respect for different points of view and opinions ● Engage in class discussions in all subject areas ● Participate in collaborative presentations ● Prepare a current event presentation for the class every other week ● Tell stories from the first-person and third-person perspective ● Contribute relevant responses during academic discussions, problem-solving exercises, and peer discussions ● Take notes and dictation ● Follow a series of directions and sequence of directions Vocabulary: ● Demonstrate a beginning understanding of figurative language ● Practice using new vocabulary when explaining ideas in both speaking and writing

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SOCIAL STUDIES: PRIMARY SCHOOL In Primary School, our social studies curriculum serves to facilitate the growth of students, using Piaget’s child development theory, from preoperational to concrete developmental stages. In the preoperational stage, students think of things symbolically and can be rather egocentric. When they move toward the concrete stage, they tend to think more logically. Their ability to conserve, classify, order, and evaluate increases. This ripe time allows us to use our curriculum to give students hands-on opportunities to explore and move from individual identity development through to a more global and expansive perspective. Our goal is to have students leave the primary division with a strong sense of self, an appreciation of others and the social constructs around them, and an impetus to take responsibility in their own communities. Junior Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum Goals and Objectives People, Place, and Environment ● Demonstrate and express ways to care for the earth; reduce, reuse, recycle ● Navigate school campus with confidence ● Recognize a map Individual Development and Identity ● Recognize the importance of sharing and maintaining positive relationships ● Practice being leaders and followers ● Accept responsibilities ● Respect others’ rights and property ● Develop individual problem solving skills ● Seek help when needed ● Verbalize feelings ● Recognize one’s own personal space ● Respect the personal space of others Individuals, Groups, and Institutions ● Work together in different groups settings ● Demonstrate turn taking skills MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 68


● Identify differences among people ● Identify, compare, and explain the importance of family customs and traditions Global Connections ● Name home city and country ● Begin to learn that there are other places in the world ● Share knowledge of customs and culture of a studied country Civic Ideals and Practices ● Model “Be A SPARK” expectations ● Understand and model student-developed class agreements Kindergarten Social Studies Curriculum Goals and Objectives People, Place, and Environment: ● Learn basic street signs ● Explore their neighborhood and the people who work in the school and town community ● Explore other countries and the continents using maps ● Investigate local waterways and bodies of water ● Demonstrate and express ways to be global citizens who care for the earth (i.e., reduce, re-use, recycle) Individual Development and Identity: ● Express feelings and discuss ways to resolve conflicts and to develop friendships ● Identify the roles in the Four Square model: target, ally, bystander, and a person that tries on unkind behavior ● Identify stereotypes and why they can be harmful ● Practice self-regulation skills through daily mindfulness and yoga ● Learn the importance of good health, nutrition and hygiene ● Demonstrate the importance of being unique, and explore how we are all different and yet the same ● Investigate and share family heritage and traditions through projects and discussion

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Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Demonstrate working together by sharing, taking turns, and treating others with respect ● Build a sense of self by assuming individual and group responsibility ● Learn the importance of appropriate manners ● Make connections between the Four Square Model and its application to the classroom community to build equity and inclusion ● Learn about family structure: What makes a family? Global Connections: ● Develop an understanding of diverse cultures ● Study and celebrate traditions, customs and holidays throughout the year ● Investigate world cultures with a focus on the science linking skin color and geography Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Model “ Be A SPARK” expectations ● Understand and model student-developed class agreements First Grade Grade Social Studies Curriculum Goals and Objectives People, Place, and Environment: ● Demonstrate and express ways to reduce, reuse, rot, repurpose and recycle ● Name renewable and nonrenewable resources ● Describe habitat destruction ● Name and identify the seven continents ● Compare information from various maps ● Name two landmarks, animals and plants associated with each continent ● Identify water, land, polar regions and equator on maps and a globe Individual Development and Identity: ● Identify various emotions in self, in stories, and in role playing situations ● Portray various emotions with facial expressions and body language ● Utilize various techniques for self regulation including "cool down" and to "check in" ● Express feelings and suggestions to resolve conflicts and to develop friendships MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 70


● Name group identities ● Express pride in self without offending others ● Identify the roles in the Four Square Model: target, ally, bystander and person who tries on unkind behavior ● Demonstrate ally behavior ● Identify gender stereotypes and why they are harmful ● Define and give examples of respect, fairness, self regulation, flexibility, cooperation, honesty, perseverance, citizenship and compassion Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Recognize and describe various family structures, traditions, customs, and values ● Express appreciation for different ways to be a family and different ways families do things ● Recognize symbols and icons of the United States ● Identify the significance of national holidays ● Identify contributions of historical national leaders ● Explore civil rights struggles including racial discrimination, suffrage, and workers rights Global Connections: ● Describe the common needs of all humans ● Describe the unique environmental and cultural attributes of specific country (TBA each year) Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Model “ Be A SPARK” expectations ● Understand and model student-developed class agreements Second Grade Social Studies Curriculum Goals and Objectives Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Examine and celebrate holidays and celebrations, their history and purposes People, Place, and Environment: ● Evaluate human impact on environment ● Define population, carrying capacity, natural resources, and other related terms MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 71


● Demonstrate and express ways to reduce personal footprint on the environment ● Create and label a map of classroom and school community ● Utilize maps (physical and digital) to locate home, school, and neighborhood landmarks ● Research an Asian country ● Search for pictures and maps of the country ● Locate the country on a world map ● Identify the population, currency, language(s) spoken, and area Individual Development and Identity: ● Ask and evaluate the question: Who am I? ● Evaluate strengths and challenges as a person, learner, community member ● Set long term and short term goals for self ● Reflect and evaluate self-progress in both social and academic areas ● Identify similarities and differences between self and peoples of other cultures ● Explore and share family traditions and culture ● Compare and contrast self with children from other countries Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Examine different religions of the world and their influence on a country's cultural traditions Global Connections: ● Interact and reflect on traditional tales, legends, etc. from different cultures ● Participate in a reciprocal cultural exchange with sister school, Colegio Williams School, in Cuernavaca, Mexico Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Identify how a community governs itself ● Model “Be A SPARK” expectations ● Understand and model student-developed class agreements Third Grade Social Studies Curriculum Goals and Objectives Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Compare and contrast Mayan culture long ago and in the present MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 72


● Examine Marin history through the Miwok lens People, Place, and Environment: ● Give examples of how the physical geography including climate influenced the way the Miwok adapted to their environment ● Describe the Miwok through food, customs, clothing, religious beliefs, shelter, art, celebrations and oral traditions ● Locate the countries in the Yucatan Peninsula and Central America on a map and discuss how the geography of the region influenced the lives of the ancient Maya ● Describe the diversity of countries, peoples and geography on the continent of Africa ● Describe the differences between topographical, political, and physical maps ● Compare and contrast the values of various African cultures to one’s own values ● Describe the Maya through food, customs, clothing, religious beliefs, shelter, art, and oral traditions ● Participate in an African Extravaganza through performing an African folktale, traditional African dance, or vignettes about aspects of East African culture, playing African music and use PowerPoint to present African animal research ● Describe the diversity of countries, people, and geography on the continent of Africa Individual Development and Identity: ● Identify the nine multiple intelligences of Howard Gardner ● Identify which of the multiple intelligences are their personal strengths and apply that knowledge to the everyday learning process ● Identify Paul Eckman’s six human emotions and apply them to themselves ● Compare and contrast the values of the Miwok people to one's own values ● Compare and contrast the Miwok values to the Mayan values ● Compare and contrast the values of the Maya to their own values ● Compare and contrast the values of various African cultures to their own values Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Discuss school, family, and personal values ● Determine how to balance the needs of individuals and the group ● Explore spiritual beliefs of early Miwok people and ancient Mayan civilization and their influence on cultural traditions Science, Technology, and Society MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 73


● Describe the Miwok through their food, customs, clothing, religious beliefs, shelter, art, celebrations, and oral traditions ● Describe the Maya through their food, customs, clothing, religious beliefs, shelter, art, and oral traditions Global Connections: ● Participate in an African Extravaganza through performing an African folktale, traditional African dance, or vignettes about aspects of East African culture, playing African music and digital presentation of African animal research Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Model “Be A SPARK” expectations ● Understand and model student-developed class agreements Fourth Grade Social Studies Curriculum Goals and Objectives Time, Continuity, and Change: ● Develop an understanding of the importance of studying history and the relationships between past, present and future ● Read, interpret, and develop timelines ● Recognize and appreciate the contributions of California’s cultural groups of the past and present ● Recognize Latino language and culture as an important influence in our state ● Compare modern day culture with that of other cultural groups studied ● Analyze the effects of supply and demand during the California Gold Rush People, Place, and Environment: ● Recognize and appreciate the unique geography and history of California ● Read, interpret, and create maps of different types and scale ● Recognize landforms and identify the agricultural and natural resources in our state ● Review and discuss the first Californians native tribes that lived here for thousands of years and their interaction with the environment ● Track the European explorers and their effects on the native people and the land ● Study the rancho period and the effect it had on the land of California ● Evaluate the impact of the pioneers that immigrated and emigrated to California MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 74


● Study and evaluate the effect the gold rush had on the people and the land, including the vast changes this brought to California socially, politically and environmentally ● Demonstrate and care for the natural world and environment through stewardship of the school composting program Individual Development and Identity: ● Reflect and evaluate self in social and academic areas ● Evaluate strengths and challenges as a learner and community member ● Set goals for self ● Develop a respect for human rights ● Recognize point of view and develop personal opinions ● Identify similarities and differences between self and peoples of other countries ● Interview and reflect on family traditions ● Learn to recognize and manage emotions Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: ● Research the California missions and the intent of the mission system set up in CA ● Examine the beliefs and traditions of the first Californians ● Interview and reflect on family traditions Science, Technology, and Society ● Study various ecosystems and how the land has affected California history; evaluate how the state’s increasing population is affecting our natural resources ● Utilize various apps for California history lessons and assignments ● Use the iPad effectively as a learning tool; create a digital book of the story of California history from the lessons taught all year Global Connections: ● Deliver current event presentations, including a written and oral presentation on current and past cultural and social issues ● Study a different country each year in depth (country to be determined by teachers) ● Identify Spanish vocabulary and names of places, as well as the Spanish and Mexican customs that influence our state ● Maintain a reciprocal cultural exchange with sister school, Colegio Williams School, in Cuernavaca, Mexico MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 75


Civic Ideals and Practices: ● Model “Be A SPARK” expectations ● Understand and model student-developed class agreements

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND COMMUNITY SERVICE At MP&MS, we incorporate social and emotional learning in multiple ways. In the primary school, lessons informed by the ​Responsive Classroom​ program and the Institute for Social and Emotional Learning are integrated at each grade level. In middle school, both SEL and executive functioning lessons are structured during the advisory program time, and we also look to community service to build related skills. Developmentally appropriate community service projects are built into classrooms from preschool through eighth grade as students learn to care for each other, their community, and the wider world. Service learning projects for families include environmental projects through Marin County Parks, and work at the SF Marin Food Bank.

Social-Emotional Learning in the Primary School Goals and Objectives ● Self-awareness: “I understand who I am, and how my feelings about myself and others influence my actions. I know my academic, social and emotional strengths and opportunities for growth. I know when I need help and how to get help. I appreciate my uniqueness and what I have to contribute”.

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○ Awareness of Emotions – Children recognize and describe their feelings accurately and as they occur, allowing for a fuller understanding of themselves. ○ Awareness of Traits – Children recognize their own abilities and qualities, allowing access to self-confidence and creativity. ○ Awareness of Supports – Children recognize the need for supports and sources of support. ○ Awareness of Responsibilities – Children are aware of their age-appropriate responsibilities and tasks. ● Self-management: "I know I need to manage strong feelings and I have tools to help me. I set academic, social and emotional goals and I strive to achieve them. I bounce back from disappointment. I express my feelings and act in appropriate ways." ○ Managing Emotions – Children are aware of the need for managing strong emotions, such as anger. ○ Tools for Regulation of Emotions – Children are aware of the need to use tools to regulate emotions, they know what those tools are, and they are capable of applying them when needed. ○ Resilience/Grit – (1) Children are able to effortfully control their emotions to delay gratification, (2) they demonstrate an awareness or knowledge that keeping at a challenging task “pays off” and/or (3) they show an awareness of and/or the ability to plan in order to meet a short or long term goal. ○ Gratitude – Children are aware of the need to nurture gratitude and appreciation. ● Social Awareness: "I am aware of and respect the thoughts, feelings, and points of view of all kinds of people inside and out of my school. I care about people that are like me and different from me inside and out of my classroom. I want to know more about X ." ○ Sensitivity – Children are able to perceive or sense others’ perspectives and needs. ○ Empathy – Children sense and feel the same feelings as others are having, and use that understanding to guide their actions. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 77


○ Compassion – Children care that others don’t suffer and have a desire to act kindly and help others when they do. ● Relationship Skills: "I speak and listen with respect. I can work and play with people like me and people different from me. I use my tools to handle conflict in positive ways. My tools help me build healthy and rewarding relationships so that I can focus on and progress academically." ○ Listening – Children are aware and/or apply listening in an active and reflective way. ○ Expression – Children recognize the need and are able to express themselves and their needs clearly, calmly and firmly as needed, with tone that is considerate of others’ feelings. ○ Humor – Children recognize the benefit of and utilize humor or playfulness as a means of enriching their interactions with others. ○ Support – Children are able to reach out and ask for help and support. ○ Conflict Resolution – Children recognize the need to de-escalate conflict, are aware of the tools they can use to do so, and are able to apply those tools when needed. ○ Collaboration – Children are aware of the need to offer encouragement, espouse an attitude of inclusivity, and an acceptance of diverse points of view to support cooperation and team building. ● Decision-making: “I use what I know about myself and others to make good choices. I think about the impact of my decisions on myself, my learning, my community and the world. I am able to make responsible choices that support my learning and academics.” ○ Responsible Decision-making – Children recognize the need and are able to make respectful, responsible decisions based on evaluating the academic, social and emotional needs and perspectives of themselves and others. ○ Acceptance – Children recognize the benefit and are able to let go of mistakes or disappointments, and when needed forgive, to achieve a sense of freedom and move forward. ○ Leadership – Children recognize the value of and are able to initiate or direct. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 78


Topics addressed at age appropriate levels include: mind/body focusing, listening, inclusion, bullying, conflict resolution, qualities of friendship, respect, standing and speaking up for self and others. SEL in Primary School JK SEL Curriculum Self-Awareness and Self Management ● To be able to identify and name what one is feeling. ● To manage feelings, use techniques to calm down (belly breathing, calm-down breath). Social-Awareness and Relationship Skills ● Listen and follow directions. ● Identify and name feelings in others. ● Work cooperatively or parallel play. ● Listen to others’ ideas respectfully. Decision-Making ● Learn how to make “good choices” for self in group setting (ie. where to sit in circle so in order to focus; which group to join for choice time in order to focus and follow seating guidelines). Activities: ● Emotion Vocabulary:​ Understand and identify a variety of feelings using photos and words. Identify feelings in one’s own body and in others. Develop a Vocabulary List for Feelings beyond sad, glad, and mad using books such as ​Today I Feel Silly,​ ​The Color of Feelings, a ​ nd ​How Are You Peeling​? to spark interest and discussion. ● Big/Little Problem scale​ (appropriate reactions): Demonstrate ability to recognize big vs little problems and match with appropriate reactions. ● Photos of People’s Faces/Feelings​: Students match pictures of feelings to names. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 79


● Appreciations​: Articulate and express appreciation of others by specifying something appreciated about another student. Understand the importance of recognizing strengths in other people. ● Kimochis: K ​ imochi characters represent specific feelings and personalities. They “live” in the JK classroom to give children the opportunity to identify and articulate how they are feeling by identifying with the characters. Kindergarten SEL Curriculum Self-Awareness and Self-Management ● Identify and name feelings. ● Identify feelings and physical sensations in one’s own body, physical sensations . ● Manage feelings and self regulate using breathing techniques. ● Focus using “mindful body” (look at speaker, listen with ears, keep body calm and quiet). ● Negotiate relationships in class and at recess. ● Use breathing and cooling off strategies. Social Awareness and Relationship skills ● Understand and use the Four Square Model (adapted from Monique Marshall at Wildwood school). ● Identify the four behaviors/roles which we “try on”: ALLY, BYSTANDER, UNKIND BEHAVIOR, and TARGET (which is not a choice). ● Explore conflict, model these behaviors using the dolls and role plays, encourage ALLY role taking and offer problem solving language that normalizes uncomfortable situations. Decision-Making ● Practice being “inclusive” (buddy bench, invite others to play). ● Make “good choices” about where to sit in order to focus. Activities ● Emotion Relay:​ Notice body language and feelings through an “Emotion Relay” where pairs of students are asked to “walk” in the manner of two different feelings-one feeling portrayed in one direction; the other feeling on the return. Classmates observe and try to guess the body language. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 80


● Bean Bag Freeze​: Students need to move around the room, keeping bean bag balanced on head and help other students freeze/unfreeze (focus is on helping others/needing help from others). ● Developing Vocabulary to talk about Emotions:​ Explore feeling words through photos, drawings, word play. Teachers read a variety of stories to illustrate emotions. Children then act out emotions. ● Daily Mindfulness:​ get into “mindful body” in order to focus and listen. ● I-Messages​: Appropriately express self via: I feel…..when….because….. ● Belly Breathing: S ​ tudents practice breathing techniques to calm and focus body and mind. First Grade SEL Curriculum Self-Awareness and Self-Management ● Identify feelings in self. ● Describe aspects of one’s identity. ● Identify physical sensations in the body related to different feelings. ● Understand Zones of Self-Regulation, identify what zone self is in at a given time. ● Use tools to de-escalate and move into cooler Zones.

Social Awareness and Relationship skills ● Identify appropriate zone (red, yellow, green, blue) for self and others, depending on mood. ● Recognize nonverbal cues body language and facial expressions to identify which zone someone is in. ● Identify inclusion/exclusion. Practice inclusion tools. ● Identify the four behaviors/roles of the Four Square Model which we “try on”: ALLY, BYSTANDER, UNKIND BEHAVIOR, and TARGET (which is not a choice). ● Identify and model expected behaviors that demonstrate respect, self regulation, flexibility, cooperation, fairness, perseverance, citizenship, compassion, and honesty . Decision-Making ● Demonstrate ability to “branch out” in friendships. ● Walk away/remove oneself from a triggering event. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 81


● Take action to eliminate distractions or impediments to learning. ● Act as an ally when mean or unkind behavior is witnessed. ● Offer advice to peers who are struggling with unresolved issues. Activities ● I-Message/Statement review​, using eye contact, firm tone of voice, strong body stance. ● Guided Relaxation and Breathing /Mindfulness​: Identify tension in body, manage tension with belly breathing, practice using imagination to focus the mind and calm the body. ​I​ntroduce the importance of knowing how to calm oneself down and promote peaceful feelings inside oneself. Read a guided relaxation to students from ​Spinning Inward b ​ y Shambala Press after they have been instructed to progressively relax their bodies through tension and relaxation from head to feet. Help them focus on free and easy breathing. ● Zones of Regulation​: Students match colors to emotions on the “zone scale”. Students read stories and identify which “zone” the character is in. ● Cool-Off Strategies:​ Practice techniques to calm down and cool off. Use techniques to move into thinking brain when emotions are overwhelming and to move through zones. ● Boundaries​: Identify your personal boundary bubble. Demonstrate ability to set a boundary with others. Recognize and acknowledge other people’s boundaries. ● “Rock Brain/Flexible Thinking​”: techniques to be a “flexible thinker” in order to work with others. Rock brain gets “stuck”. Use tools to move into “flexible” thinking. ● Check-Ins​: Ability to identify how self feels, and share with the group on scale of 1-10. Second Grade SEL Curriculum Self Awareness and Self-Management ● Understand identity. ● Recognize choices in how to respond to situations. ● Understand thinking/emotional brain. ● Use cool off strategies. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 82


Social Awareness and Relationship skills ● Recognize feelings in others. ● Set personal boundaries. ● Respect others’ boundaries. ● Identify qualities of good friendship. ● Use I-Message to communicate with others. Decision-Making ● Apply Big/Little Problem Scale. ● Describe ways to promote the safety of themselves and others. ● Implement stop, think, and act strategies in solving problems. Activities ● Mindfulness: C ​ lass starts with focusing, breathing and setting an intention. ● Inside/Outside Feelings​: Invite students to use lines, shapes, and color to draw two abstract representations of an “Inside” and “Outside” Feeling, based on a challenging “first” experience they have had. Brainstorm a list of student experiences such as attending the first day of school, riding a bicycle, going to a haunted house, having a sleepover at someone else’s home, etc. from which students will base their responses. ● Put Ups/Put Downs:​ Explain “put ups” and “put downs”/teasing. Use books like Chrysanthemum ​where there is an obvious theme of name-calling, teasing around differences, etc. Create “warm fuzzy” symbols to represent put-ups and encouragement. Value the power of positive and direct communication. ● I-Message​: Introduce the I-Message formula. Role-play situations using the formula: I feel______________ when _____________and I wish/hope/need_______________. ● Win-Win Solution​: Introduce the concept of “win-win solutions” in which both parties get what they want through taking turns, combining ideas, and other creative approaches. Have students identify and plot situations from real life that are win-win; win-lose; and lose-lose oriented on a large piece of paper. An example from some second graders: “You want to build an airport and I want to build a farm – let’s build a flying farmhouse.” ● Escalating Staircase:​ Introduce the graphic organizer of the “Escalating Staircase”. Plot examples of actions, (things we do) thoughts, (things we think) MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 83


feelings, (ways we feel) and words (what we say) that either add to the increase of conflict (escalation) or help create understanding and resolution (de-escalation). Use everyday common situations such as: someone accidentally knocks over your wooden block structure; a friend forgets to meet you on the sport court at recess, your sister sits in the front seat of the car again, but it’s not her turn, etc. ● Personal Boundaries​: Introduce the need for personal boundary and the idea that we can draw on the traffic light of responses – Red (stop), green(go, yellow(uncertain). How do you keep your personal boundaries? How do you know what others need? When is an action OK, cautionary, or definitely a STOP! Third Grade SEL Curriculum Self Awareness and Self management ● Identify when body is distracted, calm, focused. ● Identify Inside/Outside feelings. ● Use body breaks for self-regulation during academic time. ● Identify ways to calm self. ● Demonstrate constructive ways to deal with upsetting emotions. ● Use self-monitoring strategies (self-talk) to regulate emotions. Social Awareness and Relationship Skills ● Role Plays to demonstrate conflict resolution skills. ● Identify similarities and differences between self and others. ● Demonstrate an ability to present their own perspective (I-messages). Decision-Making Skills ● Demonstrate understanding of how behavior, voice, body language affects others. ● Show skills in handling pressure situations (e.g., calm down, walk away, seek help or mediation). Activities ● Feelings Journaling/Drawing:​ Ask students to do simple writing to describe each of the feelings and then share their drawings with the whole group. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 84


● Recipe for Friendship​: Individually and as a class, students brainstorm “ingredients” to put into the friendship recipe. Purpose is to focus on qualities we seek in friendship. ● Review of I-Message, Escalation and De-Escalation​: Each student writes an example of an I-statement showing its use in expressing a negative emotion as well as positive emotions. Example: “I feel frustrated when you keep pulling off my hat and I want you to stop.” “I feel happy when you read to me at night and I hope you will do it more often.” ● Mirror Drawing​: Pair students up and have them do a cooperative drawing exercise where a large piece of paper has the beginning lines of a drawing on it. Students are asked to communicate non-verbally while actually creating a drawing that has an identifiable object or scene. The drawing meets the challenge not as a series of isolated sketches; rather, discuss with students the challenge and value of really trusting their creative process and their non-verbal communication skills to create something together that can be easily recognized. ● Body Breaks:​ tools for calming body, getting wiggles out in order to improve focus Fourth Grade SEL Curriculum Self-Awareness and Self-Management ● Understand identity of self in various contexts (self, family, school, society). ● Identify feelings and triggers to in self. ● Use tools to manage triggers when identified. ● Identify inner gremlins negative self talk and use coping tools. Social Awareness and Relationship skills ● Identify one’s own sensitivities and those of others (what is “crossing the line” in terms of joking). ● Differentiate between “playful joking” and disrespect or bullying. ● Use conflict resolution tools. ● Demonstrate Assertive voice, Use I Message and “Ask for what I need.” ● Develop group problem solving skills. Decision-Making ● Demonstrate standing up for others, standing up against bullying. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 85


● Demonstrate inclusive social behavior. ● Demonstrate empathy towards others. Activities ● Conflict Management Role Plays​: Students plot a real-life situation that could become an escalated event. Point out how using blame, threat, name-calling, physicality create escalation and how using I-statements, sense of humor, win-win solutions, and kindness help to de-escalate an event. ● Cooperative Games/Problem solving activities​: students need to solve a problem/ achieve an experiential goal as a group by using all of the resources given. They must identify and use individual strengths to work as a team. ● Pair Building or Drawing:​ Underline the importance of patience, encouragement, and specificity of language when communicating. Have students sit back to back. One student creates a pattern block design and then gives directions to the partner on how to build it while seated back to back. Reverse roles. ● No Joke Zone​: Students identify what is “not ok” for other people to joke about with them. Everyone voices their personal boundary. Focus is on respecting other people’s boundaries vs teasing. ● Passive, Assertive, Aggressive Voice Role Plays:​ Role plays for students to practice using their assertive voice, eye contact and stay grounded. ● Gremlins: ​Students write about their negative self talk. They draw their “gremlin” and then create positive self talk to combat their inner gremlin. Students identify when the gremlin is strongest (before exams, during social interactions etc). Social-Emotional Learning in the Middle School: Through Advisory Advisory is a dedicated, intentional time and place for students to meet in small grade-level groups with adult mentors. Each student is assigned one advisor for the full school year. Advisory provides a structured way to support students to achieve academic goals, improve executive functioning, nurture social and emotional growth and well-being, and build a positive community. The advisory program was created to maintain and strengthen a culture where students feel seen, known, cared for and supported in middle school. The purpose is to grow a sense of belonging for each student and a sense of community for all by nurturing collaboration, trust, and respect for individuals. Our goal is to have students feel MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 86


connected to their advisory group, to care about others in the group, and to see the advisor as a helpful adult whom they can trust and approach with questions. It is a place to provide social and emotional coaching and guidance, serving as a safety net for both anticipating and responding to challenges. It is also a place to develop executive functioning and provide academic guidance, as well as respond to current events. Advisors are the primary liaison between MP&MS and each student's family, and act as advocates for their advisees. As much as possible, advisors keep abreast of all aspects of their advisees’ school life, and support each to meet academic, social, and emotional goals. Each grade-level advisor is responsible for overseeing a group of twelve to fourteen advisees every school day for two thirty-minute sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each advisory group is encouraged to shape a unique advisory identity. In reflection of the various developmental levels in the middle school, each grade has its own theme. Fifth grade begins with “Moving In” as the students settle into being middle schoolers. Sixth grade turns to introspection with “Looking In” as they work to develop the executive functioning and learning skills they’ll need to be independent moving forward. Seventh grade looks to the world around them as they search for their place within social groups and societal groups in “Looking Out.” Finally, eighth grade culminates with “Moving Out” as students journey through the high school process and reflect on the growth they have made at MP&MS. Community Service in the Middle School MP&MS strongly recommend each student complete ten hours of service in their own time. For some students, this means serving food at a soup kitchen or volunteering at the Food Bank. For others, they might do their service through selecting a community service elective or volunteering during lunch time in a preschool classroom. Upon completion, students fill out a form that not only enables tracking of hours but encourages reflection on their experience. There are also service expectations built into the school day. Each grade level takes on a school need. The fifth graders collect the recycling containers in each classroom weekly and deposit those items into the large bins for pick up by the Marin Sanitary Service. The sixth grade prepares and delivers daily healthy snack options for the rest MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 87


of the middle school. Next, the seventh grade gathers the Marin Sanitary Service bins from the whole campus and takes them out to their pick up spot on the edge of campus. Finally, eighth graders take on leadership roles throughout the year such as facilitating Friday morning middle school assemblies or being tour guides and traffic directors on Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day. Finally, middle schoolers come together as a whole to do service projects throughout the year. Some are extensive, like a full day’s participation in California’s Coastal Cleanup, and some are simpler like gathering pieces of trash found on campus during a Friday morning middle school assembly. These serve as platforms to keep the conversation going, as we strive to help students understand that small choices like correctly disposing of the articles in their school lunches can make a big difference when compounded.

TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA LITERACY, AND DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP CURRICULUM OVERVIEW At Marin Primary and Middle School we strive to integrate students’ learning in the areas of technology, media literacy, and digital citizenship thoughtfully, deliberately, and in a balanced manner. Technology is a tool our students and teachers use to enhance their learning, just as a pencil, paintbrush, book, or calculator is a tool. We show our students how to be responsible citizens in the digital world. We prepare our students to learn twenty-first century skills. We promote mindfulness, safety, and self-control around technology use. The Technology Innovation and Integration Specialist and the Library Media Specialist work with teachers to effectively leverage technology in classrooms, to develop projects that are integrated with curriculum to support teaching and learning, and to help teachers and students understand and appreciate the importance of media literacy and digital citizenship as we prepare students to thrive in a constantly evolving technological landscape.

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We use the International Society for Technology in Education’s ​standards for students to inform our work and ensure that our program is balanced and effective in all grades. Resources from ​Common Sense Media​ a ​ nd ​PBS Learning Media​ ​provide the framework for the digital citizenship and media literacy program led by the library media specialist in fourth through eighth grades. The goal of this program is to empower students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world. Both ​Common Sense Media a ​ nd ​PBS Learning Media​ provide a cross curricular framework that addresses online privacy, reputation, self-image, relationships, copyright, cyberbullying, safety, and information literacy. Our overall goal is for our students to be: ● Empowered Learners (​leverage technology to choose, achieve, and demonstrate competency in learning goals​) ● Digital Citizens (​safe, legal, ethical​) ● Knowledge Constructors (​curate resources​) ● Innovative Designers (​new, useful, or imaginative solutions)​ ● Computational Thinkers (​understand and solve problems) ● Creative Communicators (​express themselves with purpose)​ ● Global Collaborators (​work effectively in teams, broaden perspectives, enrich learning)​ Primary School Overview Primary school students use age-appropriate technologies to acquire digital literacy and to design, practice, conduct research, showcase, and publish content, to improve their skills and creativity, and to support learning across the curriculum. Each junior kindergarten to third grade class has a laptop, projector, speakers, and a half-class bank of iPads to facilitate learning. In addition, a one-to-one iPad program begins in fourth grade. The program is designed to introduce students more directly to the use of the iPad as a learning tool. For examples of student projects and work by grade level, click ​here​. In addition to working with teachers to ensure the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)ISTE standards are being met in each classroom through their daily teaching, the Technology Innovation and Integration Specialist and Library Media MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 89


Specialist also design projects integrated with the classroom curriculum with a guiding question for each year. Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum The guiding question for the youngest primary school learners is ​What is technology? As materials are introduced, students are asked what they notice, what the material can do (and not do), and how it can be used. For example, toy robots (Ozobots) help students understand the blending of physical and digital worlds and introduce beginning coding concepts to the students. They explore as they learn how to make the Ozobot go, stop, speed up, slow down, and more, using markers and paper in conjunction with the robots. This activity also teaches the skills necessary to be collaborative and kind digital citizens as they share ways to code with multiple Ozobots on one piece of paper. Students also use various iPad apps for skill building. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ● ●

Understand what technology means Learn how technology is used Understand how technology can be used to create Work together as collaborators Learn beginning coding concepts such as sequential thinking and logical concepts ● Meet the ISTE standards referenced above First Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum In first grade, the guiding question is ​What makes technology work?​ Students take a look behind the screen to see how technology is made and have a chance to build their own technology project. They are introduced to basic circuitry, learn how to light up an LED with a coin cell battery, and build a circuit with a switch to turn on and off a vibration motor. Students are asked to “make something that does something” and design a robot to solve a problem, then build it using a cardboard box and found materials. First grade students also use iPads for targeted math instruction, to expand their library of decodable text, to look up information for their animal research project, and to share their work with their families. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 90


Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Understand what makes technology work Learn basics of circuitry and electronics Design and build a robot to solve a problem Meet all the ISTE standards referenced above

Second Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum The guiding question for second grade is ​How can you make technology do work for you?​ Students are introduced to block coding with robot coding challenges using Dash and Dot. Students design physical add-ons for the robots and code programs to get them to help with tasks such as trash collection. Students start to learn digital media design and use the laser cutter to create book covers for stories they write. There is also a focus on collaboration and problem solving with both digital and physical group puzzle solving games from BreakoutEDU. Students use their iPads for research and to create presentations with words, pictures, and voice. They create a digital book and practice reading each page aloud to practice fluency and share it with a younger class. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ● ●

Learn block coding to manipulate a physical robot Use sequential thinking in coding to solve multi-step problems Learn digital media design for laser cut book covers Problem solve and collaborate with digital tools to solve puzzles Meet all the ISTE standards referenced above

Third Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum In third grade, the guiding question is ​How can you automate and sequence technology?​ Students use code to create a habitat for an animal they are studying. They use loops to show their animal traveling from a shelter to a water source to a food source and back again. They learn if/then concepts to show their animal eating or being eaten. Students sequence multiple lines of code with several variables as they learn to code a Sphero robot to complete a maze, and learn to develop, test, and refine their code through the process. They create and share presentations of their learning after MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 91


studying African animals. They use their iPads for math and grammar skills practice with feedback, and visit teacher curated websites to research social studies topics. The students also participate in digital citizenship lessons on evaluating media and its effect on individuals. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Use block coding to create an interactive two-dimensional habitat Learn how to use loops and conditions in coding Sequence multiple lines of code with several variables Learn processes for testing, refining, and simplifying code Create and share digital presentation to demonstrate learning Learn to safely navigate curated websites for research Evaluate media and its effect on individuals Meet all the ISTE standards referenced above

Fourth Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum The fourth grade program includes an introduction to digital media and how to stay safe and accountable online. Beginning with topics related to balancing media with time away from devices, the focus shifts to understanding online privacy and safety. Students learn how to be kind and communicate effectively online, as well as how to be an “upstander”. The second semester focuses on understanding who owns information and images and an introduction to plagiarism. Students also learn proper email etiquette, practice basic coding skills and create simple games with Scratch, and create book trailers with iMovie. Fourth grade students also use the library as a resource for written work and research. They learn to curate resources in both book form and online and use that knowledge to write news articles and biographies and to create science projects. Goals and Objectives ● Recognize and respond appropriately to potentially unsafe situations while using digital devices ● Identify and evaluate appropriate online resources MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 92


● Demonstrate discrimination and respect when borrowing or sharing digital content ● Recognize the healthy and unhealthy aspects of media usage and how to balance these*Demonstrate understanding of the importance of kind and ethical online behavior Middle School Overview Each middle school student is assigned an iPad (fifth and sixth grades) or laptop (seventh and eighth grades). The students take ownership of their devices and use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, and create original work. Digital literacy instruction is an important part of the program as students learn the importance of responsible use of information and technology. The technology innovation and integration specialist works directly with teachers and students to push-in technology support in the middle school and complete projects in classrooms. To see examples of projects by grade level and ISTE standard, click ​here​. Middle School students also participate in an explicit digital citizenship and media literacy program led by the middle school media literacy specialist, based on resources from ​Common Sense Media a ​ nd ​PBS Learning Media. ​ The program empowers students to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in our digital world, incorporating the topics of online privacy, reputation, self-image, relationships, copyright, cyberbullying, safety, and information literacy. The overall goal for our middle school students is to prepare them to be empowered learners, effective and kind digital citizens, knowledge constructors, computational thinkers, creative communicators, and global collaborators. Fifth Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum Fifth grade digital citizenship lessons build on earlier foundations as students review and extend their understanding of media balance, internet safety, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. They learn more about the concept of their digital footprint, including its permanence and the ways media and advertising companies may use this information to entice users. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 93


Developing effective research skills is also an important part of the fifth grade program. Students identify website resources and learn effective search strategies, often through activities integrated with classroom units on early explorers and the modern civil rights era. They learn to properly cite a research paper using MLA format and style, and review the rules around proper email etiquette when crafting a formal email. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Recognize healthy and unhealthy media choices and ways to find balance Identify and evaluate online resources for content, quality, and credibility Understand the distinctions between copyright, plagiarism, and fair use Use research skills effectively when writing a research paper or doing science research ● Demonstrate knowledge of MLA citations in a research paper ● Demonstrate understanding of the benefits and risks of presenting themselves through different personas, including the effects on their sense of self and their reputation. Sixth Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum The sixth grade program builds on the foundation of earlier years, beginning with a focus on the ubiquitous, 24/7 nature and challenges presented by social media. Students learn about vulnerabilities involved in chatting online and how to avoid phishing schemes. Through classroom discussions and curricular resources, role-playing and use of real life examples, they develop positive strategies to de-escalate digital drama and to develop healthy online relationships. In conjunction with the advisory program, they also learn about the importance of sleep and the challenges of the overuse of devices. The second half of the sixth grade year focuses on identifying and evaluating appropriate online resources. The students are now at the stage where they predict before researching what type of information is ideal or appropriate; they are asked to complete specific tasks around information retrieval. Copyright and fair use laws are reinforced, and lessons in MLA citation continue. Goals and Objectives MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 94


● Demonstrate the ability to discern the difference between appropriate or useful online sources and those that are not useful ● Understand the pros and cons of 24/7 access to social media and seek to establish a healthy balance ● Demonstrate the ability to de-escalate uncomfortable situations when using social media ● Give examples of paraphrasing versus copying to demonstrate understanding of plagiarism ● Demonstrate understanding of how to find and rewrite information in their own words and voice ● Use the iPads to successfully create video and media projects incorporating green screens and iMovie Seventh Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum The seventh grade program includes a significant focus on students’ learning about brain science and current research. They engage in activities designed to help them learn about risk taking and look at the areas of the brain that are active when engaged in online games or social media use. They also learn to make better online choices by looking at the ways internet companies manipulate and drive users towards certain behaviors for profit. As their awareness grows, they learn to identify the potential traps of social media websites and the implications of sharing their identity online. They also spend time learning to create plot graphs and pie charts on their laptops to support their humanities, science and math courses. Goals and Objectives ● Identify the potential risks of excessive use of social media, the potential impact on the brain, and healthier choices ● Recognize the ways in which companies manipulate users and learn to make safe choices based on this knowledge ● Demonstrate a commitment to be an ally and stand up to online bullying ● Create their own work from sound research

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Eighth Grade Technology, Media Literacy, and Digital Citizenship Curriculum The eighth grader program focuses on helping students understand their responsibility for content they post online. The idea of digital footprints is reinforced as they examine their own digital footprint and also reflect on the ways their posts may affect others. Discussions often focus on real life situations involving online mistakes and the impact of these mistakes later in life. Hate speech is also an important topic with discussions. about current situations as well as connections with their American history studies and focus on the civil rights era and other examples of hate and exclusion in our country. Students learn about the importance of the First Amendment and freedom of speech and how these relate to hate speech. They analyze breaking news alerts to identify clues or false and incomplete information and the consequences of reacting before considering sources of breaking news. The last quarter of the year is spent learning how to use parenthetical citations in their research work and how to create a works-cited page using the format from the MLA Style Manual. Goals and Objectives ● Recognize their responsibility toward themselves and others when posting online ● Demonstrate understanding of the life and impact of their digital footprint ● Understand the importance of thinking before acting in response to breaking news stories ● Develop confidence and skills necessary to respond when they encounter hate speech ● Properly use parenthetical citations and craft a works cited page using MLA formatting for literature or research purposes

SPANISH CURRICULUM OVERVIEW Our Spanish program is centered on the belief that helping our students to build a solid communication in another language fosters the skills and values to broadly understand and appreciate cultural differences, and enhance cross-cultural communication. In the MP&MS Spanish program, the goal is for students to become comfortable applying the language for basic conversation and communication purposes while steadily building an MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 96


understanding of the basic grammar for reading and writing skills. These skills are regularly reinforced through various hands-on classroom activities and textbooks for older students. Our penpal and teachers’ exchange program with Colegio Williams, our sister school in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has created deep connections between our schools and enriched the program for our students. The MP&MS Spanish program is led by teachers who are Spanish native speakers who bring not only language fluency, but also a deep knowledge of their culture to share with students.​ ​In addition to developing speaking, reading, and writing skills, students learn about the history, geography, music, art, traditions, and culture of the Spanish-speaking world through personal stories shared by their teachers, classmates and their families, and other adults at school. Their experiences in the Spanish program provide important preparation not only for future language study, but also for their participation as members of the global community of the future. Preschool Spanish Curriculum Beginning in preschool, Marin Primary & Middle School students study Spanish in classes led by teachers who are native speakers of the language. The program begins with a focus on oral communication through everyday expression to familiarize students with sounds, intonation, and pronunciation of the Spanish language. The preschool students enjoy and become eager to learn a new language in the environment their Spanish teachers create for them. These early years are known to language teachers as “the silent period” in which language patterns and sounds are absorbed by the children. Active and engaging activities are designed to allow students to hear and absorb the language. As they become more familiar with the environment and their Spanish teacher, they begin to communicate in the new language. The students learn basic vocabulary through songs, visuals, games, hands-on materials, and TPR (Total Physical Response). Goals and Objectives ● Listen to and act out a song ● Reproduce sounds and words in Spanish ● Demonstrate active listening skills MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 97


● Develop an early awareness and understanding of different cultures and people, and the richness of the many ways of being human Primary School Spanish Curriculum The goal for all primary school students is to develop and acquire communicative competence in the Spanish language and enhance global education through cultural awareness activities that focus on the gradual development of these skills. Primary school students develop skills in auditory discrimination (listening), comprehension (understanding), production (speaking), and communication (the ability to use language meaningfully in new situations, including writing). Arts and crafts, role-playing, music, visuals, hands-on materials, and technology are used as teaching tools. The Santillana curriculum is used beginning in kindergarten and continuing through sixth grade. The students’ progress is evaluated through periodic formal and informal assessments targeting the four main skill areas. In addition to developing Spanish language skills, students learn about the history, geography, music, art, traditions, and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, often through personal stories shared by their teachers, their classmates (and their families), and other adults at school. Their experiences in the Spanish program provide important preparation not only for future language study, but also for their participation as members of the global community of the future. The school’s long time relationship with Colegio Williams de Cuernavaca, including penpal relationships and teacher exchange visits, enhances and adds greater depth to the program. Junior Kindergarten Spanish Curriculum At the junior kindergarten level, the students enjoy and develop an eagerness to learn a new language in an environment created by their teachers to engender curiosity. They participate in active and engaging activities to experience the curriculum, concentrating on basic vocabulary. They learn through songs, visuals, hands-on materials, TPR (Total Physical Response) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and storytelling). The Junior Kindergarten grade class meets for thirty minutes, four times in a ten day cycle. Goals and Objectives ● Listen to and act out a song MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 98


● ● ● ● ●

Reproduce sounds and words in the target language Understand and respond to classroom commands Develop and use listening skills Sing out loud Respond to questions about self and others

Kindergarten Spanish Curriculum The kindergarten Spanish program is designed to captivate students’ curiosity about language, take advantage of young learners’ auditory abilities, and lay the groundwork for foreign language acquisition. Since students at this young age learn faster and more easily by verbalizing and dramatizing, the second language is introduced through activities that include role-playing, games, drama and singing. Pre-reading and writing skills are also introduced in Spanish. The kindergarten class is divided into two groups that meet for thirty minute periods, four times in a ten day cycle. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Listen to and act out a song ● Reproduce sounds and words in the target language ● Understand and respond to developmentally appropriate classroom commands ● Understand and demonstrate active listening skills Speaking: ● Respond to commonly used commands ● Sing out loud ● Respond to questions about self and others Reading: ● Read and retell words in sequence ● Attempt to read and recognize single words Writing: ● Trace words MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 99


● Copy single words First Grade Spanish Curriculum In first grade, the Spanish program continues to promote enjoyment and awareness of the Spanish language and appreciation of new cultures. Building on students’ natural curiosity, the program balances independent and collaborative group activities to explore the traditions, daily life, and geography of Honduras, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Spain to engender respect for the world beyond. Each year builds on the work of the year before, making communication with their classmates fun and exciting. Understanding that different students will respond to different approaches, the program uses technology, interactive games, arts and crafts, and role-playing as tools for learning. TPR (Total Physical Response) is also used to help students internalize the mechanics of the language. The first grade class is divided into two groups that meet for thirty minute periods, four times in a ten day cycle. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Develop and use listening skills ● Understand and apply developmentally appropriate directions and commands Speaking: ● Respond to oral questions about self and classmates ● Ask and respond to simple questions Reading: ● Recognize and read commonly used words ● Read and retell words in sequence Writing: ● Sequence sentences to create a story ● Copy words and sentences ● Transcribe dictation MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 100


Second Grade Spanish Curriculum Communication is key in second grade language acquisition. The Spanish classroom is rich in interactions (adult-child, child-child, small groups) which encourage both listening and speaking. Students are expected to ask and answer questions in full sentences. They also expand their writing and reading skills, which are also enhanced through our pen-pal program with Colegio Williams in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Building on students’ natural curiosity, independent and collaborative groups explore the traditions, daily life, and geography of Mexico, Nicaragua, Chile, and Costa Rica. Technology, interactive games, arts and crafts and role-playing are used as tools to address individual learning styles. TPR (Total Physical Response) is also used to help students internalize the mechanics of the language. The second grade class is divided into two groups that meet for thirty minute periods, four times in a ten day cycle. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Use greetings appropriately ● Carry out everyday directions and commands ● Identify and interpret verbally pictures in a context ● Recognize and describe story patterns verbally and in writing Speaking: ● Respond to oral questions about self and classmates ● Ask and respond to most familiar conversational questions Reading: ● Read and retell full sentences ● Recognize and apply simple written instructions Writing: ● Create simple sentences ● Copy words and sentences ● Compose correspondence in Spanish for penpals, building on the partnership with Collegio Williams students MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 101


● Transcribe dictation

Third Grade Spanish Curriculum In third grade, students acquire linguistic and cultural components in an environment where taking risks and making mistakes are recognized as part of the process of learning a second language. The curriculum is geared toward situational reinforcement by focusing on the vocabulary and structures generated by situations relevant to third graders, and by aspects of culture such as music and traditional games. Building on student’s natural curiosity, independent and collaborative groups explore the traditions, daily life, and geography of Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, and Ecuador. Physical response activities are used from the beginning and serve to check student’s comprehension. Reading and writing become a larger part of the curriculum, although the main focus continues to be verbal communication. Students also expand their writing and reading skills and continue their penpal relationships with students from Colegio Williams in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The third grade class is divided into two groups that meet for thirty minute periods, four times in a ten day cycle. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Identify story patterns ● Explain and illustrate questions based on listening activities ● Build upon already acquired vocabulary ● React and respond to commonly used commands ● Respond physically to storytelling Speaking ● Respond to oral questions about self and classmates ● Ask and respond to questions ● Produce Spanish vowels and syllables sounds for reading readiness ● Produce appropriate sounds and intonation patterns for statements and questions

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Reading: ● Recognize sounds, letters, and accents specific to Spanish ● Practice and use the new words of each lesson ● Sound out new vocabulary with the appropriate stress and intonation ● Retell and discuss short stories and paragraphs Writing: ● Write full sentences following the correct structure ● Compose correspondence in Spanish for pen-pals ● Transcribe dictation Fourth Grade Spanish Curriculum The overall goal of the fourth-grade program is to develop communicative competence of students in the Spanish language by means of cultural awareness activities that focus on the gradual development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The fourth grade meets six times in a ten day cycle. The class is divided into two groups that meet for forty-five minutes a period. The program fosters a positive attitude towards language learning, provides a solid foundation for basic communication skills, and responds to the needs of students with four classroom elements: content, process, product and learning environment. Language learning becomes a cultural adventure through explicit presentation and integration of communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities. Building on student’s natural curiosity, independent and collaborative groups explore the traditions, daily life, and geography of Peru, Argentina, Honduras, and Colombia. The fourth grade class is actively involved in the exchange program with Colegio Williams in Cuernavaca, Mexico, hosting a team of teachers from Mexico while also continuing to write to pen-pals and learn about their peers in Mexico via technology. The teachers’ visit results in a culminating program that is presented to the entire school community. Goals and Objectives MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 103


Listening Comprehension: ● Understand and utilize gender and number agreement ● Explain and illustrate questions based on listening activities ● React and respond to commonly used commands, and instructions ● Dramatize and/or reproduce dialogs individually or in small groups Speaking: ● Conduct dialogs with classmates ● Express their feelings ● Ask and answer questions ● Respond to most routine statements, questions, and commands Reading: ● Identify the main idea and sequence of events in a storyline ● Read paragraphs aloud with understandable pronunciation and intonation Writing: ● Recognize nouns, adjectives, and verbs ● Use the acquired “key question words” properly(qué, quién, cuándo, etc.) ● Construct a short paragraph respecting grammar structure ● Compose correspondence in Spanish for pen-pals Middle School Spanish Curriculum Overview The Spanish program in the middle school focuses on communication, building on the foundation of the students’ earlier learning experiences. Students focus on consistent speaking, listening, and language comprehension and study grammar and vocabulary. The program’s approach, based on working in small groups so the students can practice newly acquired skills together, maximizes the students’ communication skills. Spanish classes meet six or seven times in a ten-day cycle and focus on consistent speaking, listening, and language comprehension as the study of grammar and vocabulary increases in depth and complexity. Themes and vocabulary are based on and connect with school and family life.

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Fifth Grade Spanish Curriculum The fifth-grade curriculum revolves around a series of thematic units that can be considered bridges which the students cross to reach aspects of the Hispanic culture and content areas. Each unit focuses on a Spanish-speaking country. Building on the students’ natural curiosity, independent and collaborative groups explore the traditions, daily life, and geography of Nicaragua, Paraguay, Mexico, and Costa Rica. In fifth grade, students find themselves learning about high-interest topics in greater depth. The inductive approach is used to present and reinforce grammar and language practice. With this approach students hear, see, and read specific examples of grammar. The students learn the skills and use the Spanish language more frequently. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Discriminate sounds in meaningful contexts ● Distinguish intonation patterns ● Understand and respond to basic instructions in Spanish ● Summarize key concepts from a text or video Speaking: ● Respond to routine statements, questions, and commands ● Employ appropriate stress and intonation patterns in oral communication ● Use words, idiomatic expressions, phrases, and sentences as they apply to common, real-life situations ● Use conversational skills during a field trip to a local Spanish speaking restaurant Reading: ● Decode most common expressions learned orally ● Read non-technical passages on familiar themes ● Pronounce correctly sound segments, stress patterns, and intonation patterns ● Use cognates as tools for reading comprehension Writing: ● Use basic constructions and vocabulary to communicate essential information related to common, real-life situations MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 105


● Write familiar materials and simple dictation within the norms of Spanish orthography ● Develop outside the classroom experience through the penpal and teacher exchange program giving students opportunities of global education Major Projects: ● Día de los Muertos celebration (activities vary every year) ● Written communication with penpals at Colegio Williams School, Mexico ● Videos: students conduct interviews with each other to practice their conversational skills. They also make videos of songs related to the grammar they are studying. ● Research information about interesting facts of the Spanish-speaking countries that culminate in a poster or digital presentation by the students. Community Integration: ● Día de los Muertos altar project ● Written and video communication with pen-pals in Mexico ● Lunch at a local restaurant using the Spanish language Sixth Grade Spanish Curriculum The primary goal of sixth grade Spanish is to develop oral proficiency in the Spanish language, as well as reading and writing. Spanish is taught in the context of the Spanish-speaking world with readings and discussions of those various cultures. Class work involves communicative activities, dialogues, music, and paired/group practice. Students also explore the geography and culture of Spanish-speaking countries. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Introduce themselves and others ● Greet people appropriately ● Listen and comprehend short conversations Speaking: ● Respond to questions in Spanish MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 106


● Talk and describe situations according to the chapter themes ● Employ the appropriate word order in a sentence while speaking Reading: ● Understand and respond to questions about simple written texts ● Use appropriate intonation while reading aloud ● Summarize key concepts from a text or story Writing: ● Write complete compositions that show understanding of basic grammar (conjugation of verbs in the present tense, likes, dislikes, prepositions, time, location and common vocabulary used in ordinary situations in the Spanish speaking world). Major Projects: ● Oral presentations from specific topics based on chapters studied ● Hands-on projects: create booklets applying learned grammar, posters describing their family, a plan of their house naming rooms and things around the house, etc. ● Use of iPads to improve language skills: students conduct interviews, create songs, and practice conversational skills, and practice on educational apps such as Quizlet and Kahoot.it ● Research reports about interesting facts of the Spanish-speaking countries Community Integration: ● Día de los Muertos: leading the younger classes in the creation of the altar and different projects related to this celebration. ● They communicate with their pen pals via letter or videos. Seventh Grade Spanish Curriculum Seventh grade Spanish is a continuing course for middle school students who have completed the sixth-grade program. Students continue to practice listening, speaking, reading and writing, using the skills introduced in sixth grade. Basic structures and vocabulary are reviewed, and new material is introduced. Students learn to express MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 107


themselves more completely in the present tense. Students continue to explore the geography and cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Listen and comprehend dialogue and short stories ● Identify cognates while listening ● Identify the appropriate syntax Speaking: ● Engage in conversations ● Respond to questions in Spanish according to different contexts ● Carry on simple interactions in commercial settings (buying something, asking where something is, ordering food at a restaurant, etc.) ● Describe familiar people, places and things using appropriate adjectives ● Engage in communication with peers and teacher in the target language Reading: ● Understand simple written texts ● Understand ideas and cultural aspects connected to the Spanish language ● Identify the punctuation marks and read accordingly Writing: ● Write longer sentences and compositions using present tense of -ar, -er, and -ir ending verbs ● Learn the proper conjugations of irregular verbs, stem-changing verbs, and the present progressive. Major Projects: ● Oral presentations from specific chapter based topics. ● Hands on projects: Día de los Muertos altar, family tree, tener expressions booklets, etc. ● Create a song using the affirmative commands for irregular verbs ● Reenactment of a Spanish commercial. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 108


● Research information and presentation about a Hispanic person who has changed the world in a positive manner as part of the Hispanic Heritage month celebration. Community Integration: ● Día de los Muertos celebration—altar display all around the school ● Cultural points: semester long project that involves using Spanish outside of the classroom. Students can eat at a Hispanic restaurant, watch a movie or show in Spanish, prepare a Hispanic dish and bring to class, etc. Eighth Grade Spanish Curriculum Eighth grade Spanish is a continuing course for middle school students who have completed the seventh grade program. Students continue to practice listening, speaking, reading and writing, using the skills introduced in seventh grade. Basic structures and vocabulary are reviewed, and new material is introduced. Students will learn to express themselves more completely in the present and past tenses. Students continue to explore geography and cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. Goals and Objectives Listening Comprehension: ● Understand the plot of a clearly structured narrative ● Listen and comprehend longer dialogues, stories, and current events Speaking: ● Describe events in simple sentences and report what happened when and where ● Engage in extended conversations due to the use of conjunctions, prepositions, and varied interrogative words ● Carry on more detailed interactions in commercial settings in the past tense (buying something, asking where something is, ordering food at a restaurant, etc. ● Describe future activities using the ir + a + infinitivo structure ● Students communicate with peers and teacher in the target language Reading: MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 109


● Read texts and find important facts and information, especially online newspapers from the Hispanic world to prepare for their current event presentations ● Understand written texts with different contexts ● Understand ideas and cultural aspects connected to the Spanish language ● Identify punctuation marks and read accordingly Writing: ● Write about events and real or fictional experiences in depth ● Write longer compositions using the present and past tenses of both regular and irregular verbs, transitional words, direct and indirect object pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, etc. Major Projects: ● Interview a native Spanish speaker ● Weekly current event presentations of a specific Hispanic country ● Cultural points: In depth written reviews of their interaction with the Hispanic cultures outside of class. Students integrate words and phrases in Spanish ● Oral presentations of different chapter-based topics ● Final student interviews using all the grammar structures learned in middle school Spanish. Students answer questions about their school life and pastimes. ● Cuadernitos: Students receive a composition notebook at the beginning of the year so they can showcase all the Spanish vocabulary they have learned at MP&MS by creating a page for each theme. Students take these notebooks to high school as an extra resource ● Create, direct, and film the ending to one of the vignettes presented in the movie “La Ciudad” ● Second semester presentation of a Hispanic country: geographic location, flag, president, three famous people, three points of interest, music, food, and exchange rate Community Integration: ● Cultural points: year long project that involves using Spanish outside of the classroom. Students can eat at a Hispanic restaurant, watch a movie or show in MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 110


Spanish, interview a native Spanish speaker, prepare a Hispanic dish and bring to class, visit a Hispanic country, etc.

PROJECTS LAB OVERVIEW The Projects Lab is a place where students are fully supported as they imagine, design, and create tangible objects from their ideas. We strive to instill confidence in creating and problem solving. As the students gain agency with their ability to choose and use tools, they also gain greater freedom, confidence, and choices when being creative. Our program is based on the understanding that hands-on building and seeing a practical application of concepts reinforces classroom studies in math, the sciences, and other curricular areas. Students learn to accept and work through failures, both small and large, as they understand that the design process is cyclical, not linear. They learn that they are part of the human design chain that has shaped the world we live in, that they can effect change in themselves by realising their motivations, and that they can effect change for the greater good of the planet through creative thinking and empathy. Primary School Overview Primary school students spend an hour per week in the Projects Lab, though the room is open to students at lunch recess and a weekly session in the After School Program is also available. Junior kindergarten through second grade students are led through a variety of projects as they gain skills and confidence with the tools, which will lead to creative choice and freedom. In third and fourth grades, the program is self-directed as students build projects of their own design. Junior Kindergarten Projects Lab Curriculum Junior kindergarteners have a gentle introduction to the Projects Lab with weekly visits. As they build small projects, using many of the same tools as middle school students, the focus is on safety, developing fine motor skills and the joy and pride of making something yourself. Students are introduced to measuring, the concept of delayed gratification and seeing fine details. Goals and Objectives MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 111


● Identify basic tools ● Demonstrate understanding of safety in tool use ● Measure to ½ inch Kindergarten Projects Lab Curriculum Kindergarteners keep busy in the Projects Lab, moving from one project to the next as they gain confidence with a variety of hand tools. They learn to follow a basic building sequence from an idea, to making plans with measurements, choosing the right tools, building and finally decoration. When possible, the projects connect with classroom curriculum. For example, the space shuttle project coincides with the kindergarten unit about our planetary system, and leads to discussions of life without gravity and basic aerodynamics. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Use mindfulness techniques to visualize goals Demonstrate the “I can do it myself” attitude Demonstrate further development of fine motor skills Connect imagination with tangible objects

First Grade Projects Lab Curriculum The Projects Lab program in first grade consists of two units: a woodworking project and a series of challenges that develop an understanding of simple machines. The paddle boat build asks students to recognize that even simple systems have many interworking parts while developing the patience to work on a long project. While working with simple machines, students discover the mechanical advantage of using tools. They tinker with gears, pulleys, inclined planes, and elbow and scissor joints – the basic movements of robotics. Goals and Objectives ● Discern right angles, parallel lines, complex shapes, and the need for precision ● Create handmade challenges that illustrate physical forces ● Create the story for what is being built that turns a project into a personal journey MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 112


● Remove the mystery of motion to reach inspiration to build their own machines Second Grade Projects Lab Curriculum Second graders spend the first two thirds of the year building fully functional box guitars. The guitar is a complex system of parts which must be crafted with precision to make a good sounding instrument. Students gain an understanding of the physics of audio vibrations as they build and learn to play their personalized guitars. In the last part of the year, students build small projects of their own design–drawing plans with measurements, and using all the tools they’ve learned about over the year. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Measure to ⅛” Estimate and use alternate measurement systems Understand the need for precision in musical instruments Play simple songs on the guitar

Third Grade Projects Lab Curriculum For third graders, Projects Lab is self-directed. Students choose projects based on their passions and motivations that will inspire and keep them engaged. Each class begins with a varied discussion about practical building, including understanding tool techniques, application of mathematics, and planning. This year also integrates social and emotional learning topics such as working through social distractions, being in effective partnerships, and gaining patience. Classroom science and math lessons are reinforced with hands-on learning about subdividing whole numbers or building solar ovens while talking about energy systems. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Design and build a project independently Demonstrate understanding that failures, small or big, are part of reaching a goal Build fortitude and develop a discerning eye for quality Reduce waste when working; preserve resources while making efficient use of time MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 113


Fourth Grade Projects Lab Curriculum Fourth grade students take on more complex and varied projects as the Projects Lab program greatly expands. The shop program is reinforced by regular, in-classroom lessons focused on components of design that ask students to understand that they are part of the human decision making process that has shaped our world. Students are asked to be active, positive forces for change, rather than passive consumers. Lessons focus on collaborative problem solving using empathy, three-dimensional drawing, tessellations, pattern recognition, and much more. Students continue to build projects of their own design, and are also asked to contribute to a larger communal project to benefit our school community. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Understanding the many roles of a designer Understanding a person’s active or inactive roll in the planning of our planet Using collaboration to generate ideas Building focus during unstructured creative time

Middle School Projects Lab Overview The middle school Projects Lab is designed to keep students engaged with building by challenging them to create for others as they expand their skills. Fifth and sixth graders continue to spend an hour a week in the Projects Lab, though their projects are closely integrated with classroom studies – math, science and more. Though seventh and eighth graders do not have regularly scheduled classes, the room is available to them for assistance with assigned projects, and open during lunch recess for free building. During the elective period, we take a deep dive into the possibilities of using the laser cutter and learning vector based drawing software. Fifth Grade Projects Lab Curriculum The fifth grade year in Projects Lab begins with a unit devoted to creating art exclusively from plastic garbage. This project is tightly integrated with science class lessons about how plastics impact our environment and the difficulty of cleaning the ocean of plastic waste, specifically the Pacific trash gyres.

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The remainder of the school year is devoted to the design thinking arc, a positive way to solve problems. This Stanford-created program centers around building empathy and understanding while developing communication skills, such as how to have a conversation, conduct an interview, and share constructive criticism. Students work collaboratively through all the steps of the iterative design cycle, from idea generation and prototyping, while documenting the process for failure assessment and a presentation. In the final phases, the students build, personalize, and present their projects to their “end user,” hopefully making some part of their world a better place. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Collaborate with peers Give back to the community Build communication skills Understand the design cycle

Sixth Grade Projects Lab Curriculum The culmination of the Projects Lab experience is the creation of a mountain dulcimer in sixth grade. The dulcimer is a wholly American folk instrument, and challenges the students on many levels as it touches on so many disciplines – math, music, art, history, and building. Students create the dulcimer from scratch. They find the precise measurements for the fret locations while applying a practical application of sixth grade level math, including long division and decimal to fraction conversion. The dulcimer further integrates across the curriculum with discussions of Appalachian culture, music lessons at school and under the redwoods in Mendocino, and use of the art room to personalize their instruments. Within the Projects Lab, our novice luthiers use specialized tools, make precise measurements to 1/32 of an inch, and gain an understanding of how an incredibly complex system comes together to make a singular beauty. Goals and Objectives ● Apply knowledge of long division and decimal to fraction conversion ● Measure precisely to 1/32 of an inch MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 115


● Understand that many parts are needed to make a complex system function ● Participate in community building through music

ART CURRICULUM OVERVIEW Creative Minds Are Open MP&MS strives to create an art studio environment in which students feel comfortable, safe, and free to explore a wide range of media and subject matter. Through projects that encourage experimentation and problem-solving, students develop a sense of themselves as artists and create art based on their personal experiences as well as imagination. “Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only make.” – Sister Corita Kent Primary School Art Overview In the primary school visual art program, basic skills are introduced, developed, and built upon through hands-on engagement and exploration with art materials. Students investigate ​subject matter that expresses their own life experiences and interests. Aesthetic perception, art history, and cultural awareness are taught as an integral part of the lessons.The sequence of lessons is varied each year in order to maintain interest, and to allow for spiraling curriculum in which skills and concepts are explored in greater depth through the years. Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Art Curriculum Junior kindergarten and kindergarten art classes focus on multi-sensory experiences as students develop associations between what they see and sensations of touch, motion and sound. Through their experiences in the art room, they develop a sense of themselves as artists and create art based on their personal experiences as well as imagination. Basic art skills are introduced through activities that encourage experimentation and growth in abilities. Kindergarten students learn to think about artworks as the outcome of a process that involves many decisions by the artist. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 116


Goals and Objectives ● Name visual elements such as colors, textures and shapes ● Identify art in their home, school, and community ● Demonstrate basic skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture ● Discuss features of artwork such as the subject matter, design qualities, and overall mood or feeling First Grade Art Curriculum First grade students create art based on imagination, personal interpretations of nature, familiar places, and activities with family or friends. Perceptual skills and a vocabulary for art are developed through collaborative role-playing, physical movement, visual searches, and game-like activities. The process of looking at art is presented as an enjoyable and integral part of learning about art. The students see and discuss styles and types of artwork from varied cultures and periods. They learn about places to see art in their community, where artists work, and the kinds of art they create. Goals and Objectives ● Identify visual elements such as lines, colors, shapes, textures, and their sensory qualities ● Demonstrate basic skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Plan their use of visual elements to create original artworks ● Describe the subject matter, visual elements, and mood in their own artwork and the artwork of others ● Express their opinions about art and respond thoughtfully to others’ opinions Second Grade Art Curriculum In second grade, students continue to create art based on imagination and personal interpretations of varied themes related to their environment, activities, and events. Students will also ​learn about individual artists, styles, and genres and ​create art inspired by the work of well known artists. Second grade students develop perceptual MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 117


skills and a meaningful art vocabulary, with an emphasis on imagination, sensory awareness, and visual recall. Goals and Objectives ● Make intentional choices of lines, colors, and other visual elements ● Articulate technical issues prior to and during their work progress ● Visualize the outcome of their work and determine its,effectiveness as a means of expression ● Build upon their skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Compare and contrast the subject matter and visual elements in artworks ● Integrate information from other aspects of their education into their artwork Third Grade Art Curriculum In third grade, students continue to create art based on imagination, recall, and observation. They learn to portray details, depict action, use different vantage points, and plan their use of visual qualities to express an idea, feeling, or non-verbal message. Art activities develop flexibility and problem-solving skills in two- and three-dimensional media. Students study the functions, cultural origin, and relative age of selected artworks, along with methods and reasons for creating art. Positive attitudes about the process of looking at art are reinforced and extended. Goals and Objectives ● Describe visual qualities such as lines, colors, shapes, textures, and patterns in artworks as well as in the natural environment ● Articulate technical issues prior to and during their work progress ● Build upon their skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Use art terms to describe, analyze, and interpret visual qualities of artworks ● Cite specific features in an artwork to explain their judgment ● Integrate information from other aspects of their education into their artwork

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Fourth Grade Art Curriculum Fourth grade students create more complex works of art and give greater attention to their expressive intentions. Inventive uses of media are emphasized to build fourth graders’ skills and flexibility in creating expressive two- and three-dimensional art. Students learn that thoughtful judgments about art are related to qualities in the work and how they can be interpreted. Goals and Objectives ● Use design concepts for specific purposes, such as color to express mood, and repetition to create visual rhythms ● Develop ideas for art based on varied sources ● Perceive implied paths of movement and interactions of colors and shapes ● Build upon their skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Interpret the expressive meanings in artworks and cite specific features within the artwork to explain their judgment ● Integrate information from other aspects of their education into their artwork Middle School Art Overview The middle school visual art program centers around the student as a developing artist. With a continued emphasis on studio production, students are encouraged to explore traditional and contemporary art making techniques in two and three-dimensional media. Students are challenged and supported to think critically, to problem solve, and communicate effectively. Fifth grade art classes are scheduled weekly throughout the year. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students participate in an arts carousel, splitting their time equally over the course of the year into trimesters of art, drama, and music. Fifth Grade Art Curriculum In fifth grade students continue to create art that expresses what they see, know, feel and imagine. They make sketches to develop ideas and to try out design concepts. Skills in using media are developed by problem-solving and planned experiments. Multi-step techniques are introduced in two- and three-dimensional media. Students learn to apply and refine perceptual skills developed in earlier grades. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 119


Goals and Objectives ● Analyze complex visual relationships such as how light affects our perception of colors, textures, and forms, and how we perceive space and distance ● Develop ideas for art based on varied sources ● Refine and extend ideas for visual expression ● Build upon their skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Integrate information from other aspects of their education into their artwork ● Interpret, reflect upon, and evaluate the characteristics, purposes, and merits of their work and the work of others. ● Interpret the expressive meanings in artworks and cite specific features within the artwork to explain their judgment of it Sixth Grade Art Curriculum In sixth grade art, students explore a variety of media as they continue to build their skills in drawing, painting, graphics, and sculpture. Theory is introduced to further elaborate upon ideas about color, perspective, and design. ​Sketching and related techniques are used to generate ideas for artwork. The students learn to incorporate principles of design such as balance, unity, and variety to create two and three-dimensional artwork. Looking at art continues to be an integral part of learning about art. Goals and Objectives ● Solve visual arts problems with originality, flexibility, and imagination ● Analyze interactions among qualities of color, line, shape, and other visual elements ● Identify underlying structures such as proportions, visual rhythms, and types of balance ● Develop ideas for art based on varied sources ● Build upon skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Integrate information from other aspects of their education into their artwork MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 120


● Interpret the expressive meanings in artworks and cite specific features within the artwork to explain their judgment Seventh Grade Art Curriculum In seventh grade students create more complex works of art. Sketching and related techniques are employed to generate ideas for artwork. The principles of design, such as balance, unity, and variety are incorporated into their artwork. Students expand their knowledge of styles and eras of art and the accomplishments of individual artists. Goals and Objectives ● Solve visual arts problems with originality, flexibility, and imagination ● Analyze interactions among qualities of color, line, shape, and other visual elements ● Identify underlying structures such as proportions, visual rhythms, and types of balance ● Develop ideas for art based on varied sources ● Refine and extend ideas for visual expression ● Build upon skills in using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and sculpture ● Integrate information from other aspects of their education into their artwork ● Interpret the expressive meanings in artworks and cite specific features within the artwork to explain their judgment ● Reflect upon, and evaluate the characteristics, purposes, and merits of their work and the work of others. Eighth Grade Art Curriculum In eighth grade, students are encouraged to draw on and continue the building of skills and concepts developed throughout the previous years of art instruction at the school. The work is particularly focused on recognizing how visual art is employed as a powerful form of communication, as well as personal expression. A primary objective is to allow each student to determine how to convey a clear message to others primarily through visual representation. Goals and Objectives MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 121


● Follow instructions and work within an established perimeter to find individual creative solutions to artistic challenges ● Use a step-by-step process to develop a visual statement whose meaning is clearly representative of the original language from which it came ● Build a strong image by carefully considering the use of color, composition, light, shadow, and contrast ● Communicate an idea for a diverse audience through considered visual representation ● Evaluate and critique the artwork of others - both peers and better-known artists in a constructive manner ● Create a finished piece with an eye towards the possibility of exhibition to a larger audience ● Exercise the ability to work with “mistakes” in art as potential opportunities

MUSIC OVERVIEW The MP&MS music program is based on the internationally recognized Orff-Schulwerk approach to teaching music and movement that includes all the elements of music, movement and dance pedagogy, and drama. Based on the philosophy developed by the German composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman, the program recognizes that the child's way of knowing is playful, exploratory, tactile. and inquisitive. The curriculum places an emphasis on composing and improvising that celebrates these musical tendencies, while also building the foundation for future development and thorough understanding. There are many doors through which a child can enter the musical world, and this approach provides opportunities for aural, visual, and kinesthetic learners to feel successful. We nurture the whole musician, encouraging students to hear, feel, understand, and physically express musical concepts. This contributes to children’s ability to synthesize the intellect, senses, emotions, and body in ways that have important implications in their total educational experience. The social dimensions of the group learning experience also allow for students to understand themselves in relation to others. The interactive experiences develop empathy, cooperation and team-building. Frequent performance opportunities in assemblies, informal gatherings, and presentations for parents are also integral to our program. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 122


Primary School Music Overview The music curriculum in primary school begins with the premise that all children have access to, and comprehension of ‘musicality’. The music classroom setting is an unpressured platform to become comfortable with social expectations and group participation during their entry into primary school. The Orff Schulwerk approach uses all of their innate abilities to conceptualize music, theory, and improvisation. The program includes playful experiences and musical activities and games bursting with rich language, patterned math, colorful history, scientific observation, physical challenge, visual design, and rhythmic dance. Second, third, and fourth grade students quickly develop skills and understanding in the basic elements of music through experiences in body percussion, speech, singing, movement, folk dance, games, drama, and the playing of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments. Ensemble music is featured, students learn complete orchestrations and musical pieces in many different genres of music while also mastering fundamental music theory and notation. Music classes often integrate themes and curricular units or elaborate and extend areas of study presented by homeroom teachers. Often, performances and music shares incorporate what the class studies during the year. Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Music Curriculum Our program is designed to help students develop skills that enable them to learn through group instruction, as the Orff Schulwerk program depends on group cooperation and interpersonal skills. Subsequent goals include introducing and building a foundation of skills, techniques and awareness that will become familiar as they continue to be used to expand students’ knowledge and comprehension over the coming years in the music program. By innately engaging in playing games, young children are learning! By following what they do naturally, we find meaningful ways to build their musical understanding. We quickly engage them and activate learning processes on many levels. The nurturing of the whole musician to hear, feel, understand and physically express music contributes to the ability to synthesize the intellect, senses, emotions, and physical body and has important implications to each child’s total educational experience. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 123


Students explore and interpret the most fundamental elements of music, beginning with the development of a solid sense of internalization of the beat or pulse. Next, students are introduced to the basic rhythmic patterns that become the building blocks in their work through speech, chants and rhymes. Young students are very fluid and familiar with speech as a medium, and this is their access point to rhythm. Speech is rhythm, and very quickly students can understand the replacing of certain words or patterns to rhythmic note values. Dances and lessons are introduced using specific pitch patterns in simple melodic songs to develop awareness of two to three specific sequences of notes, always in the same scale degrees, so students develop a complete understanding and mastery of them. Goals and Objectives ● Imitate using movement, instruments and vocal sounds ● Perform delayed or echo imitation using the voice, body percussion, instruments, and movement ● Explore techniques of playing untuned instruments ● Imitate basic rhythmic patterns using body percussion, movement, speech and instruments ● React and respond accurately to various tempos ‘fast’, ‘slow’, ‘faster’, ‘slower’ ● Identify changing tempos ● Respond appropriately to different meters (e.g. march or walk to 2/4, 4/4, 6/8; swing to ¾, gallop to 6/8 etc.) ● Discover and perform the beat on body percussion, on tuned and untuned instruments, or with speech, to accompany a chant or song ● Identify the silent beat, or rest ● Imitate patterns containing beats and rests ● Explore vocal qualities as ‘speaking’, ‘shouting’, ‘whispering’, and ‘singing’ ● Explore pitch and recognize as ‘high’ or ‘low’ ● Sing on pitch ● Sing melodies containing three or more pitches ● Develop a repertoire of songs, games, concepts, and language from which understanding can be drawn in the first and second grades MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 124


First Grade Music Curriculum The first grade music program provides the transition from experiential to the concrete, naming the elements and reinforcing formats of class introduced in earlier grades through chants, rhymes, singing, movement, games, and exploring instruments. Experiences in rhythm, melody, and harmony are carefully sequenced to provide step-by-step development in both proficiency and comprehension. Students begin to read, write, and express basic notation, sing specific pitches, compose and improvise on their own, and also begin to work extensively on xylophones. Structures to evoke expressive movement are introduced and continued throughout the primary school program. Many introductory and basic skills are part of the first grade program. Students not only begin to master personal technique and understanding, but also apply these to an ensemble setting, using collaboration and connectedness with the material and within the format to develop more sophisticated skills. Ideas and concepts are carefully sequenced and adequate time is spent on each area of focus, reflecting our understanding that students achieve mastery through their own unique learning styles. Teachers carefully observe students and encourage them to progress at their own level, providing support or facilitating challenges as needed. A deliberate introduction of movement and dance occurs side by side with other music activities, designed so students further discover their physical and creative accomplishments. A child who can internalize the beat and feel rhythms on, around, and inside their body becomes a musician who can transfer that innate understanding to an instrument. Movement is the natural hand-in-hand accompaniment to learning, understanding and ‘feeling’ music. The first grade year provides a springboard into the basic rudiments of the next seven years of study. Goals and Objectives ● Internalize beat/pulse in various tempos using kinetic, aural, and visual devices ● Read and write, recognize and express these rhythmic duration values (quarter note, eighth notes, quarter rest) ● Maintain two or more rhythmic textures in ensemble situations ● Explore simple rhythmic improvisation MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 125


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Match pitch one-to-one; sing in-tune in a group Sight-sing/sight-read pitches sol, mi, and la on music staff Improvise on xylophones in pentatonic scale (do, re, mi, sol, la) Play and understand drone bass accompaniment (do-sol) Extend mastery of basic locomotor and non-locomotor movement Learn basic folk dance steps and vocabulary Participate in scattered-mixers, circle and line dances Demonstrate basic technique in a variety of unpitched percussion Demonstrate basic mallet technique for barred instruments Identify repeat symbols Comprehend/analyze ostinatos

Second Grade Music Curriculum In second grade, the students are solidifying their sense of beat and pitch and are ready for more sophisticated orchestrations, including adding layers of musical texture. They begin to create more developed music forms and add accompaniment on instruments while dancing. These more complicated pieces challenge students with theory and technique. Nursery rhymes and children's poetry continue to provide text for improvisation and ensemble pieces. Games are played with greater precision and expertise and more opportunities are given for children to play, sing, and dance without the teacher's participation. After reinforcing basic skills, the next developmental leap is forwarding these skills while also providing experiences in improvisation and composition. The students enjoy creating, executing, and sharing their individual ideas and music in small group activities that encourage creative and spontaneous performance and allow for tangible and satisfying learning. Second grade students become more expressive, and take risks with their own learning. Group dynamic and interpersonal skills continue to be a predominant aspect of the Orff Schulwerk creative and interactive work; every member of the class will spend time one on one and in small groups with every other class member. The students are also solidifying their sense of beat and pitch and are ready for more sophisticated orchestrations, including adding layers of musical texture. They begin to create more developed music forms and add accompaniment on instruments while dancing. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 126


Movement and dance continue to be important aspects of the music program as more abstract thinking and studies in movement are introduced to accompany in a parallel pedagogy and develop alongside the ensemble. Students interpret music and musicians interpret movement. Each is integral to developing sophisticated and high level understanding of phrasing, dynamics. mete, and particular scales. The chorus experience is introduced in second grade. Chorus is a unique opportunity for each student to work with two full classes of the primary school community. The students respond to working as a member of a large group and enjoy the dynamic range of activities, repertoire and media. Goals and Objectives ● Continue to internalize beat ● Recognize, express, read, and write these additional duration values: (the tie, dotted figures, whole rest, half rest) ● Recognize and express 2/4 and 4/4 meter ● Continue rhythmic improvisation ● Perform full pentatonic scale–singing, playing, improvising, reading ● Demonstrate the pentatonic modes–beginning on la and re ● Perform the drone bass accompaniment to la and re modes ● Move drone bass ● Review basic locomotor and nonlocomotor movements ● Continue creative and expressive movement ● Move with props: scarves, sticks, ribbons, etc. ● Review first grade dances ● Demonstrate more complex steps, such as grapevine ● Review techniques for pitched and unpitched percussion ● Play cross-mallet melody on barred instruments Third Grade Music Curriculum Third grade represents a developmental milestone in the primary school music program. The preceding years of music study create the impressive skills and understanding the third grader exhibits. While the spontaneity and creative freshness of young children is MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 127


still present in third grade, it is now coupled with a greater capacity for intellectual understanding and a more developed physical capability to express musical ideas. Much more attention is paid to technique and skill in the Orff Schulwerk program this year. Students engage in pieces and exercises that are designed to focus on proper execution and precision. Throughout the year, students enjoy opportunities to demonstrate and perform music with increased literacy and skills. They learn complete forms, pieces, and arrangements on the instruments. They continue to explore and become immersed in music theory and greatly advance their studies of notation and reading music. They also begin to sight read while playing the recorder, a tool for learning advanced theory and technique. A significant event in the third graders’ musical development is the annual African Extravaganza, which celebrates the music and culture of Africa and integrates study in the classroom with that in music, art, and drama classes. The students study musical pieces, dances, and children’s games from Africa, with a focus on syncopation and rhythmic sophistication that requires a significant jump in skill level and technique. Students spend time working with rhythms and body music to gain a firm grasp and understanding of these complicated and intricate musical elements. Third graders also become more experienced participants in their chorus experience. Vocal repertoire is significantly increased, harmony is introduced, and counter-puntal exercises continue to be reinforced. Transformative development occurs during the third grade year, and many students at this age discover a lifelong passion and internal drive for music. Goals and Objectives ● Continue development of beat competency in a variety of musical styles and in a variety of tempos ● Recognize, express, read, and write these duration values (and syncopation) dotted half note, dotted quarter and eighth notes, sixteenth notes, ties across the bar line ● Recognize and express 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 meter ● Understand and express complementary rhythms ● Perform within an ensemble with multiple rhythmic textures ● Continue rhythmic improvisation ● Review pentatonic in all modes MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 128


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Transpose pentatonic to keys of F and G Improvise and/or compose pentatonic melodies Solidify melodic reading through recorder study Sing simple canon and two-part songs Review all drones Continue expressive movement, with and without props Choreograph small group pieces Practice all dances and learn more difficult versions of earlier dances Learn polka step Remember and perform dances independent of teacher Review techniques for pitched and unpitched percussion Create small group pieces and orchestrations Begin soprano recorder study; learn following notes in order: high C, A, G, E,

Fourth Grade Music Curriculum The fourth grade music experience is increasingly expansive in all elements and media in our program. Developmentally, fourth graders express musical ideas and creativity at a level ideal for the Orff Schulwerk program. They demonstrate their abilities and skills already mastered, along with a willingness to explore and deepen their self-understanding. Students typically embrace the opportunity to stretch their musical curiosity through improvisation and to take risks and lead in solo work. They use their previous years of study to create and work with abstract ideas and perform entire pieces. Some of the best ensemble music is possible at this age, as the fourth graders’ skills are more highly-developed, while their group focus and willingness to express themselves has not yet crossed the line into adolescence. Many have sufficient music reading ability and group dynamic (ensemble) skills to be able to perform sophisticated music. They participate with enthusiasm in their weekly chorus sessions, where they learn repertoire, vocal technique, and theory. The fourth graders’ skills and learning behaviors have matured to support more independent work, and they enjoy spending longer periods of time on a single task as well as working with others. The fourth graders’ dexterity and ability to perform at various tempos and styles allows the introduction and exploration of an extremely rich MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 129


repertoire. Entire performance pieces are created and strands are completed in order for the students to state concepts, abstract ideas and emotions. The fourth grade year truly represents the crux of the holistic learning approach of the Orff Schulwerk pedagogy. Goals and Objectives ● Demonstrate beat competency in a variety of tempos and styles ● Review all meters, add 6/8 ● Read, write and express all basic duration values and adding (full division of the beat between quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes in any combination, and dotted or not) ● Continue development of rhythmic independence in ensemble with multiple rhythmic textures ● Continue development of rhythmic improvisation ● Review pentatonic scale in various key centers ● Move from pentatonic into hexatonic scale (adding fa) ● Explore paraphony (parallel melodic lines in thirds and sixths) ● Begin exploration of diatonic modes (aolian, dorian, etc.) ● Explore part-singing and canon ● Sing in paraphony (parallel thirds or sixths) ● Improvise in all scales and modes introduced: vocal, recorder, barred instruments ● Demonstrate drones accompanying modes ● Explore I-V chords ● Demonstrate fluency in expressive movement, with and without props ● Participate in individual and small group choreography ● Review all dances at higher level of complexity and choreography ● Introduce partner dances ● Continue development of independence in group dancing ● Continue recorder proficiency in both reading and improvising ● Demonstrate increasingly challenging mallet work on xylophones Middle School Music Overview The middle school grades continue the Orff-Schulwerk music program used throughout MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 130


the school. Orff-Schulwerk is an internationally recognized method of music and movement education that includes all the elements of music, drama and movement. Based on the philosophy developed by the German composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman, the program recognizes that the child's way of knowing is playful, exploratory, tactile and inquisitive. The emphasis on both imitation and improvisation celebrates these musical tendencies, while also building the foundation for future musical development. The approach recognizes the many doors through which a child can enter the musical world and provides opportunities for aural, visual and kinesthetic learners to feel successful in music through a multidimensional experience. The middle school program builds on skills introduced in earlier grades, including steady beat awareness in ensemble, concept of harmonic progression, and improvisation with rhythmic variety, melodic expression on the xylophone, and the concept of using breath to express melody and rhythm on a wind instrument. Ensemble playing is featured at this level, and folk dance, movement, song, speech, and body percussion remain an integral part of the program. Students learn to collaborate and communicate with other musicians in diverse musical settings, to demonstrate perseverance and resilience when faced with a challenge and empathy when accepting different skill levels within the ensemble. The students’ creativity is nurtured through improvisation and different modalities of musical expression. They have opportunities to develop leadership by directing ensemble, demonstrating skill achievement, and exhibiting patience and self-control during rehearsal. Fifth grade music classes are schedule weekly throughout the year. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students participate in an arts carousel, splitting their time equally over the course of the year into trimesters of art, drama and music. Fifth Grade Music Curriculum Fifth grade students meet for music classes twice each week, with one session focused on general music and the second in a choral setting. The general music program focuses on ensemble playing and improvisation and composition using the broad range of xylophones.

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Wind instrument study begins in the later part of the fifth grade year, furthering the student’s complete experience of musical expression. The choral setting provides the opportunity for larger, community-based interaction in the form of singing and folk dancing. Goals and Objectives Rhythm ● perform a steady beat in jazz, pop/rock and Latin styles at different tempos and meters including 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 ● read and write note durations including whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes ● compose and improvise rhythmically in a multi-textured setting Melody ● perform, read, and write notes in a pentatonic and hexatonic scale ● compose and improvise in major and minor pentatonic modes ● sing in canon form Harmony ● perform a drone in major and minor pentatonic modes. ● perform, identify, and analyze I and V chords Dance and Movement ● create and perform small group choreography ● perform partner dances Sixth Grade Music Curriculum The sixth grade music program continues the pedagogy and approach of the Orff-Schulwerk program. Sixth grade students participate in music as a core class for a full trimester. Students attend seven classes each ten-day cycle. Here they focus on ensemble playing and improvisation and composition using the broad range of xylophones, extending the skills developed in earlier grades. Wind instrument study continues through sixth grade furthering the individual’s complete experience of musical expression as part of everyday learning. Students also meet once a week in a choral MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 132


setting that provides the opportunity for larger community based interaction in the form of singing and folk dancing. Goals and Objectives Rhythm ● perform a steady beat in jazz, pop/rock and Latin styles at different tempos and meters including 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, and 12/8 ● read and write note durations including whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes, dotted rhythms and simple syncopations ● compose and improvise rhythmically in a multi-textured setting Melody ● perform, read and write notes in pentatonic, hexatonic, and diatonic scales ● compose and improvise in major and minor pentatonic modes ● sing in canon form Harmony ● perform a drone in major and minor pentatonic modes ● perform, identify and analyze I, IV, and V chords Dance and Movement ● create and perform small group choreography ● perform partner dances Rhythm ● read and write note durations including whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes ● compose and improvise rhythmically in a multi-textured setting Melody ● perform, read and write notes in a pentatonic and hexatonic scale. ● compose and improvise in major and minor pentatonic modes. ● sing in canon form. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 133


Harmony ● perform a drone in major and minor pentatonic modes. ● perform, identify and analyze I and V chords Dance/Movement ● create and perform small group choreography ● perform partner dances Seventh Grade Music Curriculum The seventh grade music program continues with the Orff-Schulwerk approach to instruction. Seventh grade students participate in music as a core class for a full trimester. Students attend seven classes each ten-day cycle where they focus on ensemble playing and improvisation and composition. As students enter seventh grade, they are encouraged to dedicate their time in music class to continue learning to play an instrument of choice. Instrument choices range from voice to wind, string and percussion instruments. Instruments are provided by MP&MS or students may bring their personal instruments to school. MP&MS music teachers encourage students to combine their personal passions around music to complete the experience of musical expression as part of everyday learning. Goals and Objectives Rhythm ● perform a steady beat in jazz, pop/rock and Latin styles at different tempos and meters including 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 12/8 and mixed meter. ● read and write note durations including whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes, dotted rhythms, tied rhythms, and syncopations. ● compose and improvise rhythmically in a multi-textured setting. Melody ● perform, read, and write notes in pentatonic, hexatonic, and diatonic scales. ● compose and improvise in major and minor pentatonic, Dorian and Phrygian modes. ● sing in canon form. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 134


Harmony ● perform a drone in major, minor, Dorian and Phrygian modes. ● perform, identify, and analyze I, II, III, IV, V and VI chords ● perform and identify 12 bar blues and rhythm changes ● perform a “walking bass line” Dance and Movement ● create and perform small group choreography ● perform partner dances and more sophisticated folk forms including mixers ● perform swing dance basic steps with partner Eighth Grade Music Overview The eighth grade music program continues and extends the Orff-Schulwerk approach to instruction. Sixth grade students participate in music as a core class for a full trimester. Students attend seven classes each ten-day cycle where they focus on ensemble playing and improvisation and composition. As students enter eighth grade they are encouraged to dedicate their time in music class to learning to play an instrument of choice. Instrument choices range from voice to wind, string and percussion instruments. Instruments are provided by MP&MS or students may bring their personal instruments to school. MP&MS music teachers encourage students to combine their personal passions around music to complete the experience of musical expression as part of everyday learning. Goals and Objectives Rhythm ● perform a steady beat in jazz, pop/rock and Latin styles at different tempos and meters including 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 12/8 and mixed meter. ● read and write note durations including whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth notes, dotted rhythms, tied rhythms, and syncopations. ● compose and improvise rhythmically in a multi-textured setting Melody ● perform, read, and write notes in pentatonic, hexatonic, diatonic and chromatic scales MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 135


● compose and improvise in major and minor pentatonic, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian modes ● sing in canon form ● sing harmonies in parallel thirds and sixths Harmony ● perform a drone in major, minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian modes ● perform, identify, and analyze I, II, III, IV, V, and VI chords ● perform and identify 12 bar blues, rhythm changes, 32 bar progressions Dance and Movement ● create and perform small group choreography ● perform partner dances and more sophisticated folk forms including mixers ● perform swing dance basic steps with partner

DRAMA CURRICULUM OVERVIEW Collaborative by nature, drama develops social and cultural awareness, and fosters the ability to see group projects to completion. Communal enterprise cultivates self-esteem, confidence, and discipline, and nurtures trust and communication skills. Students learn to work together; to trust and rely on their peers; to build stories together; to create imaginary environments; to solve staging challenges; to observe and perceive behavior; to express feelings. Primary School Drama Program Overview The drama curriculum for primary school trains and encourages the child to create and communicate with others. By employing the platform of storytelling students gain confidence in their individual agency and interactional ability. Junior Kindergarten through First Grade: “Storytelling” Make-believe, or pretending, nurtures imagination and creativity and frees a child to explore their interests and desires. Focusing on another person develops mental, MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 136


kinesthetic, and emotional intelligence, teaches empathy, and leads to skill in collaboration. In the early primary years, students become acquainted with the craft of storytelling. Junior Kindergarten Goals and Objectives ● Distinguish their role of performer from their role of observer ● Repeat simple sequences of action ● Demonstrate rudimentary physical and vocal mimicry Kindergarten Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ● ●

Explore the enactment and staging of stories Discern difference between being performer and observer Cultivate the skill of observation through practice of mimicry Willingly take direction Perform sequential actions with teacher narration

First Grade Goals and Objectives ● Further develop the skill of mimikry, which puts the individual’s focus on the other person ● Willingly take direction ● Collectively stage and rehearse age appropriate literature with teacher assistance ● Perform for an audience without teacher aid ● Acquire a beginning comprehension of story structure Second through Fourth Grade: “Creating & Performing Original Stories” The ability to craft a story is a powerful communication skill valued in many walks of life; from the classroom, to the board room; the national political stage, to the local espresso cafe; the financial advisor, the lawyer, the realtor, the doctor, et al; a good story persuades, cautions, reassures, inspires, and, most importantly, holds attention. Stories can bring data and facts to life, build group morale, and teach valuable lessons. A good storyteller is self-assured, appealing and leaves a lasting impression. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 137


Second Grade Goals and Objectives ● Create original stories and transform into performances, in groups with classmates ● Collaborate with peers ● Find narrative and staging solutions Third Grade Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Create original stories and transform into performances with classmates Collaborate with peers Find narrative and staging solutions in collaboration with classmates Develop acting skills from improvisation games ○ Gain comfort expressing responses to scene partners ○ Put focus on others ● Employ character traits, needs, and intentions in story creation Fourth Grade Goals and Objectives ● Groups of students will: ○ Generate original stories ○ Collaborate with peers ○ Find narrative and staging solutions ● Individual students will: ○ Develop acting skills from improvisation games ○ Gain comfort expressing responses to scene partners ○ Put focus on others ○ Practice character emotional adjustment ● Employ character traits, needs, and intentions in story creation ● Demonstrate skills in observation, perception, and understanding of character through the study of physical and behavioral character expression

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Middle School Drama Program Overview Our students spend their middle school years in drama learning to be their authentic selves. They graduate as poised and confident young adults. Fifth through Sixth Grade: “Realistic Acting” The craft of acting is something every student can learn. When a student uses their imagination to look through the eyes of an imagined character, or someone other than themself, their ability to empathize is strengthened, and they also gain a fresh perspective on themselves. Analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of dramatic material nourishes problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Fifth grade drama classes are scheduled weekly throughout the year. Sixth grade students participate in an arts carousel, splitting their time equally over the course of the year into trimesters of art, drama and music. Fifth Grade Goals and Objectives ● Demonstrate acting skills from improvisation games ○ Gain comfort expressing responses to scene partners ○ Put focus on others ○ Practice character emotional adjustment ● Employ character traits, needs, and intentions ● Through the study of physical and behavioral character expression, exhibit skills in observation, perception, and understanding of character ● Demonstrate understanding of the Acting concepts of “character intention,” “emotional adjustment,” and “active listening” Sixth Grade Goals and Objectives ● Demonstrate knowledge gained from overview of the history of Western theatre, from ancient Greece through the 20th century. ● With a partner, learn and complete a three-step process for scene study ○ Score the text to clarify authorʼs intentions for the audience ○ Glean character objectives from script analysis, and understand a characterʼs intention at every moment MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 139


○ Create a backstory, or “inner life” for a character (persons, places and events mentioned in the text, but not present in the scene.) ○ Perform chosen scenes without scripts ·demonstrating command of character Seventh through Eighth Grade: “Elocution, Rhetoric, & Self-Expression ” Clear and expressive language spoken with distinct pronunciation and articulation is a powerful skill in all walks of life. A relaxed, aligned body with command of gesture; a critical mind able to assess both sides of a debate without bias; optimal use of voice and diction: such command empowers and emboldens an individual for our increasingly interconnected world. Seventh and eighth grade students participate in an arts carousel, splitting their time equally over the course of the year into trimesters of art, drama and music. Seventh Grade Goals and Objectives ● Demonstrate development of the physical mechanics of voice production and diction ● Explore the precepts of Critical Thinking ● Engage in team debates ● Write and deliver a persuasive speech ● Orally interpret an historically famous speech ● Orally interpret from a work of fiction Eighth Grade The stories we choose to tell our families, our friends, colleagues, even strangers, reveal much about each of us. Sometimes these stories are about ourselves, and quite often they are not about ourselves. The best of these stories get told over and over, and they grow and change, getting richer in texture and color. Inspired by MOTH Storytelling. Eighth Grade Goals and Objectives

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● Prompted by single words, for example “boundaries,” “schooled,” “dirt,” ect., really just about anything, tell true stories from their personal experience ● Select a tale that resonates with them, and speaks of them, and practice it over and over without writing it down or memorizing ● Present their story as a final project

PHYSICAL EDUCATION OVERVIEW Physical education classes are scheduled four times a week for junior kindergarten through eighth grade. The curriculum focuses primarily on cardiovascular fitness, gross motor development, and age appropriate activities and sports. Students are encouraged to focus their energy and enthusiasm on personal improvement, or reaching their personal best. The PE department understands the importance of the mind-body connection and includes mindfulness practice and social-emotional learning opportunities in every lesson. In addition to physical education classes in which each grade participates, MP&MS offers after-school flag football, basketball, cross country, and track and field as part of the MP&MS After School Program. Students develop skills, practice, and participate in games and competitions with other Marin County schools. The mission of the athletic program is to provide students with the opportunity to experience team sports and physical activity that cultivate personal growth, self confidence, and healthy living habits. We foster a positive and safe environment where all ability levels are supported and welcomed to participate! Physical Education Primary School Overview The primary school physical education program offers a wide variety of age appropriate exercises that strengthen the brain-body connection and refine the physical skills needed for academic success. Students work to strengthen core and postural muscles, improve bilateral integration, develop body awareness, improve tracking skills, and solidify hand, foot, and eye dominance.

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Exercises that build cardiovascular fitness levels are practiced through a mix of running laps, locomotor skills, and tagging games. Each thirty minute class is planned to make sure children are moving and active for the maximum amount of time. Our goal is for all students to adopt a life-long love of physical activity and health-enhancing behaviors while also making sure students have the physical skills they need to be successful in the classroom. Junior Kindergarten Physical Education Curriculum Junior kindergarten students are introduced to a variety of physical skills, movements and activities in a small group setting that aim to improve cardiovascular fitness, core strength, and kinesthetic awareness. The program promotes social and emotional learning for the students as they practice being kind and fair to others and giving one’s personal best effort through small group activities and cooperative games. These concepts are reinforced and integrated through a partnership with the classroom teachers and core curriculum. Goals and Objectives ● Perform simple exercises to strengthen the body, improve muscle tone, and support good posture ● Demonstrate body awareness ● Master locomotor skills including skipping, sliding, and grapevine ● Improve hand-eye coordination, crossing the midline of the body, and bilaterality through ball skills, tracking activities, and locomotor skills ● Develop rhythm and timing primarily through jump-rope, dribbling a basketball, and agility ladder footwork ● Learn and practice exercises that improve proprioception ● Demonstrate the ability to balance on one foot for ten to fifteen seconds ● Complete short one to two minute running exercises without stopping ● Demonstrate understanding of the concept of “personal best effort” ● Learn the rules of various activities and games Kindergarten Physical Education Curriculum Kindergarten students are introduced to a variety of physical skills, movements, and MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 142


activities in a small group setting that aim to improve cardiovascular fitness, core strength, and kinesthetic awareness. Each thirty minute class is planned to make sure the students are moving and active for the maximum amount of time. Individual times are recorded for distance runs throughout the year so students can track their improvement and work to achieve their personal best. All students participate in the spring lap-a-thon and work to reach a specific group goal. The program promotes social and emotional learning, an understanding of good sportsmanship, and giving one’s personal best effort through small group activities and games. These concepts are reinforced and integrated through a partnership with the classroom teachers and core curriculum. Goals and Objectives ● Practice simple exercises that strengthen the body, improve muscle tone, and support good posture ● Demonstrate body awareness ● Master various locomotor skills including skipping, sliding, and grapevine ● Demonstrate hand-eye coordination and bilaterality through ball skills, tracking activities, and locomotor activities ● Develop rhythm and timing primarily through jump-rope, dribbling a basketball, and agility ladder footwork ● Learn and practice exercises that improve proprioception ● Demonstrate the ability to balance on one foot for ten to fifteen seconds ● Complete short one to two minute running exercises without stopping ● Demonstrate the understanding of the concept of “personal best effort” ● Learn the rules and purpose of various activities and games ● Demonstrate good sportsmanship First Grade Physical Education Curriculum First grade students continue to practice a variety of physical skills, movements, and activities that aim to improve cardiovascular fitness, strength and kinesthetic awareness. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 143


Students are moving and active for the maximum amount of time during their thirty minute classes. Individual times are recorded for distance runs throughout the year so students can track their improvement and work to achieve their personal best. All students participate in the spring lap-a-thon and work to reach a specific group goal. The first grade physical education program promotes social and emotional learning, an understanding of sportsmanship, and giving one’s personal best effort through small group activities and cooperative games. These concepts are reinforced and integrated through a partnership with the classroom teachers and core curriculum. Goals and Objectives ● Perform beginner and intermediate level exercises that strengthen the body, improve muscle tone, and support good posture ● Demonstrate body awareness ● Master various locomotor skills including skipping, sliding, and grapevine ● Demonstrate growing hand-eye coordination, crossing the midline of the body, and bilaterality through ball skills, tracking activities, and locomotor skills ● Develop rhythm and timing primarily through jump-rope, dribbling a basketball, and agility ladder footwork ● Learn and practice exercises that improve proprioception ● Demonstrate the ability to balance on one foot for ten to fifteen seconds ● Complete a half mile run ● Understand the concept of “personal best effort” ● Learn the rules and purpose of various activities and games ● Demonstrate good sportsmanship Second Grade Physical Education Curriculum Second grade students practice a variety of physical skills and movements that aim to develop and improve core strength and posture, kinesthetic awareness, and cardiovascular fitness. Each thirty to forty-five minute class is planned to make sure children are moving and active for the maximum amount of time. Students record their Individual times for distance runs throughout the year so they can track their improvement and work to MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 144


achieve their personal best. All students participate in the spring lap-a-thon and work to reach a specific group goal. Students in the second grade are gently introduced to different team sports including playground hockey, flag football, soccer, basketball and ultimate frisbee. “World Cup Soccer” is an ongoing weekly activity that combines playing soccer with geography and trivia. Cross country and track and field are introduced as well. All of these concepts are reinforced and integrated through a partnership with the classroom teachers and core curriculum. Goals and Objectives ● Strengthen their bodies, improve muscle tone, and support good posture through specific exercises ● Practice and master locomotor skills including skipping, sliding, and grapevine ● Improve hand-eye coordination, crossing the midline of the body, and bilaterality through ball skills, tracking activities, and locomotor skills ● Develop rhythm and timing ● Learn and practice exercises that improve balance ● Complete a mile run ● Understand and demonstrate the concept of “personal best effort” ● Learn the rules and purpose of various activities and games ● Demonstrate good sportsmanship during activities and games ● Demonstrate the ability to cooperate with a partner Third Grade Physical Education Curriculum Third grade students practice a variety of physical skills and movements to develop and improve core strength and posture, kinesthetic awareness, and cardiovascular fitness. Each thirty to forty-five minute class is planned to make sure children are moving and active for the maximum amount of time. Students engage in regular exercises that build cardiovascular fitness levels through a mix of running laps, locomotor skills, and tagging games. Individual times are recorded for distance runs throughout the year so students can track their improvement and work to achieve their personal best. All students participate in the spring lap-a-thon and work to reach a specific group goal. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 145


Students in the third grade continue to learn different team sports including hockey, football, soccer, basketball and ultimate frisbee. “World Cup Soccer” is a weekly activity that combines playing soccer with geography and trivia. Cross country and track and field are also introduced. All of these concepts are reinforced and integrated through a partnership with the classroom teachers and core curriculum. Goals and Objectives ● Learn more complex exercises that strengthen the body, improve muscle tone, and support good posture ● Master locomotor skills including skipping, sliding and grapevine ● Improve hand-eye coordination, the ability to cross the midline of the body, and bilaterality through ball skills, tracking activities, and locomotor skills ● Develop rhythm and timing ● Learn and practice exercises that improve balance ● Complete a mile run ● Understand and demonstrate the concept of “personal best effort” ● Learn the rules and regulations of different sports ● Demonstrate good sportsmanship during activities and games ● Demonstrate the ability to cooperate with a partner and on a team Fourth Grade Physical Education Curriculum The fourth grade curriculum is designed to help students’ transition from the primary school physical education program to the middle school program. Students are introduced to a wider range of team sports and begin to train for physical fitness testing. Fourth grade students are introduced to a variety of physical activities in a safe, non-threatening environment. Physical and cardiovascular strength, gross motor coordination, and spatial awareness are built through participation in modified sports games and group activities. The program promotes leadership skills, good sportsmanship, personal best effort, cooperation, and respect for others. These concepts and ideals are reinforced through a partnership with the classroom teachers.

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Team sports are introduced through participation in breakdown skills and activities. Flag football and basketball are the main focus during the fall. In the winter months, students learn the skills, rules, and regulations of playground hockey and volleyball. Track and field, Ultimate Frisbee, and softball are introduced in the spring. In addition to team sports, fourth graders participate in tagging games and cooperative activities throughout the year. Training for physical fitness testing, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility are scheduled and practiced routinely. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Learn the rules and strategies of various activities and sports Demonstrate good sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork skills Participate in the Physical Fitness Challenge Complete multiple mile runs and keep track of personal improvement throughout the school year

Physical Education Middle School Overview The middle school physical education program is based on the understanding that students benefit greatly from time focused on physical exercise, physical fitness, and developing the social and emotional skills through participation in group games and sports. Physical development goals include physical and cardiovascular strength, gross motor coordination, and spatial awareness. The social and emotional focus is on developing good sportspersonship and leadership skills, putting forth one’s best effort, cooperation, and developing respect for others in relation to the wide range of individual abilities. Middle school students meet six out of every ten days for fifty-five minute periods. Most classes begin with stretching activities, followed by a one-half to one mile run to activate blood flow and ​warm up muscles and bodies for physical activity. ​Students participate in competitive and non-competitive games and activities. They learn the basics of traditional sports, including flag football, basketball, playground hockey, volleyball, and softball, and also participate in cooperative games such as Ultimate Frisbee and other non-competitive games.

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Middle school students have a deep appreciation for physical education activities as part of their life at school, and benefit physically, academically, socially and emotionally from participating to the best of their ability. Fifth Grade Physical Education Curriculum Fifth grade physical education focuses on building physical fitness, strength, and motor coordination through participation in group activities, games, and team sports. Students also continue training for physical fitness tests throughout the year. Classes meet three days a week for fifty-five minute periods Students continue to learn and practice a variety of different physical activities in a safe, non-threatening environment. Physical and cardiovascular strength, gross motor coordination, and spatial awareness are built through participation in modified sports games and group activities. The program promotes leadership skills, good sportsmanship, personal best effort, cooperation, and respect for others on a daily basis. These concepts and ideals are reinforced through a partnership with the classroom teachers. Team sports are introduced through participation in breakdown skills and activities. Flag football and basketball are the focus during fall. In the winter months, students learn the skills, rules, and regulations of playground hockey and volleyball. Track and field, Ultimate Frisbee and softball are introduced in the spring. In addition to team sports, the fifth graders participate in tag games and cooperative activities throughout the year. They routinely participate in scheduled training for physical fitness testing, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Learn the rules and strategies of various activities and sports Demonstrate good sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork skills Participate in the Physical Fitness Challenge Complete multiple mile runs and keep track of personal improvement throughout the school year

Sixth Grade Physical Education Curriculum The sixth grade physical education program focuses on building physical fitness, MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 148


strength and motor coordination through participation in group activities, games, and team sports. Students continue to learn and practice a variety of different physical activities in a safe, non-threatening environment. Students also train for physical fitness testing, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility throughout the year. Classes meet seven out of every ten days for fifty-five minute periods. Physical and cardiovascular strength, gross motor coordination, and spatial awareness are built through participation in modified sports games and group activities. The program promotes leadership skills, good sportsmanship, personal best effort, cooperation and respect for others on a daily basis. These concepts and ideals are reinforced through a partnership with the homeroom teachers. Team sports are introduced through participation in breakdown skills and activities. Flag football and basketball are the main focus during fall. In the winter months, students learn the skills, rules and regulations of playground hockey and volleyball. Track and field, Ultimate Frisbee, and softball are introduced in the spring. In addition to team sports, the sixth graders participate in tag games and cooperative activities throughout the year. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Learn the rules and strategies of various activities and sports Demonstrate good sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork skills Participate in the Physical Fitness Challenge Complete multiple mile runs and keep track of personal improvement throughout the school year

Seventh Grade Physical Education Curriculum Seventh grade physical education focuses on building physical fitness, strength and motor coordination through participation in group activities, games and team sports. Students also continue training for the Physical Fitness test throughout the year. Classes meet seven out of every ten days for fifty-five minute periods. Students continue to learn and practice a variety of different physical activities in a safe, non-threatening environment. Physical and cardiovascular strength, gross motor coordination, and spatial awareness are built through participation in modified sports MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 149


games and group activities. The program promotes leadership skills, good sportsmanship, personal best effort, cooperation, and respect for others on a daily basis. These concepts and ideals are reinforced through a partnership with the classroom teachers. Team sports are introduced through participation in breakdown skills and activities. Flag football and basketball are the main focus during the fall. In the winter months, students learn the skills, rules, and regulations of playground hockey and volleyball. Track and field, Ultimate Frisbee and softball are introduced in the springtime. In addition to team sports, the seventh graders participate in many unit based drills and cooperative activities throughout the year. Training for physical fitness testing, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility are scheduled and practiced routinely. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Learn the rules and strategies of various activities and sports Demonstrate good sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork skills Participate in the Physical Fitness Challenge Complete multiple mile runs and keep track of personal improvement throughout the school year

Eighth Grade Physical Education Curriculum Eighth grade physical education focuses on building physical fitness, strength and motor coordination through participation in group activities, games and team sports. Students also continue training and practice for physical fitness testing, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility throughout the year. Classes meet four days a week for forty-five minute periods. Students continue to learn and practice a variety of different physical activities in a safe, non-threatening environment. Physical and cardiovascular strength, gross motor coordination, and spatial awareness are built through participation in modified sports games and group activities. The program promotes leadership skills, good sportsmanship, personal best effort, cooperation, and respect for others on a daily basis. These concepts and ideals are reinforced through a partnership with the classroom teachers. MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 150


Team sports are introduced through participation in breakdown skills and activities. Flag football and basketball are the main focus during the fall. In the winter months, students learn the skills, rules, and regulations of playground hockey and volleyball. Track and field, Ultimate Frisbee and softball are introduced in the spring. In addition to team sports, the eighth graders participate in many unit based drills and cooperative activities throughout the year. Goals and Objectives ● ● ● ●

Learn the rules and strategies of various activities, games, and sports Demonstrate good sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork skills Participate in the Physical Fitness Challenge Complete multiple mile runs and keep track of personal improvement throughout the school year

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM OVERVIEW At Marin Primary & Middle School we believe that the innocence, curiosity, and playful exploration of early childhood are key building blocks of healthy growth and future success. Our preschool teachers treasure childhood and encourage learning in the classroom and beyond, offering a developmental, play-based program where children thrive. Guided by supportive teams of teachers, children build self-confidence, gain independence, and develop critical social skills through their connections with teachers and other children. Our program supports the cognitive and social-emotional growth of young children, guided by the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Marin Primary & Middle School preschool is a developmental, play-based program where children thrive in our nurturing classrooms. Guided by supportive teams of teachers, they explore and discover, learning through play, building self-confidence, gaining independence, and developing critical social skills through their interactions with their teachers and other children. Our program supports the cognitive and MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 151


social-emotional growth of young children, guided by the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Meadow Classroom The Meadow classroom is the first school experience for most children. The program focuses on helping children become comfortable interacting with teachers and engaging as part of a group with classmates at their level. Early in the year, the teachers focus on building routines and relationships and helping the children get to know each other as the class moves forward into a year of learning and growing through play. Many of the children spend a great deal of time observing their new environment before becoming full participants in play. The teachers plan days and activities to support children to learn in their own unique ways, and to develop important critical thinking skills such as problem solving. The children begin to identify and talk about their feelings as they grow together, learning about empathy and developing resilience on a daily basis. While building trusting and secure relationships, the children feel safe and begin to take ownership of their classroom and school, engaging in new learning opportunities as they learn and grow through their year together. Goals and Objectives Social Emotional Learning: ● Explore, express, act out feelings ● Name feelings for which they may not yet have language ● Begin to learn self-regulation Physical/Motor Growth: ● Develop gross motor skills through running and physical play on the playground and in the garden ● Develop balance and coordination by riding bikes, jumping, climbing, crawling, balancing, and ball play ● Develop fine motor skills through drawing, puzzles, sorting small objects, and projects with paint and glue Language and Literacy: MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 152


● Develop an early love of language and learning through storytelling, circle time activities, reading aloud, and experiences with a wide variety of books for independent “reading” ● Sing and memorize rhymes in both Spanish and English ● Find and name items in the natural environment ● Begin to use language to identify feelings and emotions Creativity: ● Explore open ended materials and projects with a focus on process, not product ● Engage in imaginative play, block play, and dancing ● Participate in fine motor and gross motor movement activities Cognitive: ● Develop sequencing skills and sense of time and routine within a predictable daily schedule ● Sort and classify materials ● Learn circle time songs and begin to practice counting ● Recall recent activities through conversation ● Practice problem solving skills through block play and puzzles The Forest Classroom In the Forest classroom, teachers focus on helping children become increasingly comfortable as members of a group, and increase their skills as they socialize regularly with their peers. Two year-olds most often come to us largely focused on their own thoughts and desires, based on their developmental level. The Forest experience includes activities and tools to support the children as they develop growing awareness of and empathy for the children around them. This process involves small steps through the year, and many children spend a great deal of time observing their new, stimulating environment before becoming full participants in play. They learn by engaging in a variety of creative endeavours, where the emphasis is on process and enjoying their experiences with classmates and teachers. Recognizing the innate sense of wonder in all children, the Forest teachers seek to cultivate the curiosity and questioning that further inspires an intense engagement with the world around them. The teachers and children identify and talk about feelings as they grow together, and practice and model problem-solving on a daily basis. The children learn that even when they run into MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 153


difficulties, they are able to bounce back, and this resilience serves them well as they interact with the group. As they build and strengthen trusting and secure relationships through the year, our students take increasing ownership of their school, freeing them up for new opportunities as they move forward. Goals and Objectives Social Emotional Learning: ● Recognizing and validating feelings, while setting limits on behaviour ● Building empathy ● Helping rather than harming as a source of power ● Modeling problem-solving and following sequence of steps to work things out together ● Celebrating individual differences and valuing equity Physical/motor growth: ● Providing regular opportunities to run, jump, climb, and build with blocks and crates. ● Pushing trucks and crates for proprioceptive input. ● Throwing and catching and other ways of stimulating hand-eye coordination. ● Balancing on irregular surfaces such as stumps and inclines. ● A variety of activities to help develop fine motor wrist and hand movement Language/Literacy: ● Communicating the meaningful nature of written symbols. ● Encouraging verbal expression and the value of each child’s voice. ● Instilling in children the value of storytelling, and books in particular. ● Singing and other modalities for learning the rhythm and sound of language. Creativity: ● A focus on enjoying the process of making things, rather than the product. ● “Loose parts” as materials for creation, rather than prescriptive art projects. ● Modeling the many uses and re-uses of materials in our environment. Cognitive: MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 154


● The use of puzzles and other manipulatives to encourage small-scale problem-solving and theory-testing. ● Materials that encourage sorting and pattern recognition ● The repetition of routine, narratives, and tasks to promote the development of multi-step mastery with regard to sequences. ● A variety of sensory experiences to expose children to connections between sensation and perception. The Seashore Classroom In the Seashore classroom, teachers teach their children to reach in a safe and secure learning environment, supporting them in their development and sense of identity. There are ample opportunities for exploration and physical activities, both indoors and outdoors. The teachers lead regular nature walks to help the children get to know their community and learn about surrounding habitats. And they engage in agricultural practices on a small scale in the school garden, learning about the impact of cultivation and learning to be responsible stewards of the earth. Goals and Objectives Social Emotional Learning: ● Begin to identify feelings and emotions ● Develop friendships and social connection ● Engage in self expression ● Begin to develop self-advocacy language and skills ● Develop habits of safety for self and others ● Develop sensory awareness Physical: ● Strengthen gross motor skills through climbing, bike riding, pushing and pulling wagons, swinging, and dance movement ● Practice safety in gross motor activities Language / Literacy ● Cultivate an awareness of literacy through a print-rich classroom environment ● Active participation in visits to the library and story time with school librarian MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 155


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Engage in songs to develop love of language and rhyming Develop letter recognition through multisensory activities Participate in and learn Spanish vocabulary through our Spanish classes Develop phonemic awareness through rhyming activities, storybooks, felt board and puppet Stories

Cognitive: ● Strengthen problem solving skills through activities involving puzzles, sorting, and memory games ● Recognize and use sensory skills through exposure to experiences in nature and classroom materials and activities Creativity ● Develop creativity through activities such as art, dramatic play, open ended projects, felt board stories, playdough, and painting The Jungle Classroom The Jungle classroom​ ​provides a nurturing educational and social environment where each child’s cognitive, emotional and physical development is supported through child-centered play and developmentally appropriate activities. The children are encouraged to explore and experience the world around them in order to instill a genuine and enduring love of learning and a sense of independence, and have opportunities throughout the day to engage in explorations both inside and outside in nature. Through play, literature and discussion, children develop empathy, curiosity, creativity and collaboration skills. Goals and Objectives Social Emotional: ● Follow classroom expectations of “kind hands, kind feet and kind words” ● Learn to use words to solve problems and resolve conflicts ● Build self-help skills such as taking care of personal belongings, advocating for needs Physical: MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 156


● Develop fine motor skills such as cutting with scissors, coloring, exploring with loose parts (legos, stones, beads, beans, nuts & bolts, etc) ● Practice gross motor skills such as running, hopping, riding tricycles, climbing, lifting and balancing ● Develop increasing dexterity in hand-eye coordination Language and Literacy: ● Develop more complex language skills and vocabulary ● Through exposure to literature and activities, develop early literacy skills such as rhyming, comprehension, and prediction Cognitive: ● Develop positive approaches to learning ● Make connections between home and school and sharing these experiences Creativity: ● Create and explore with a variety of materials (natural and man-made) through art projects ● Participate in small group and whole class activities such as cooking that involve role playing, sharing cultural experiences, project brainstorming, and sharing ideas The Barn and Zoo Classroom The Barn and Zoo students in our PreK program are encouraged to collaborate within the classroom as well as the larger school community, helping them to learn to make connections as a key component to a successful life long journey. Making connections means more than just making friends. It is about truly understanding and knowing your strengths and weaknesses; it is about acceptance, inclusion, and empathy; it is about having the ability to be your authentic self and the courage to share that with the world. Childhood is a time for great discovery and exploration. As educators, the Barn and Zoo teachers know the importance of holding space for individual growth and development. We believe that innocence, curiosity, and the playful exploration of early childhood are the building blocks of healthy growth and future success. Barn and Zoo students are encouraged to slow down, take time to reflect, and understand that life is a process MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 157


filled with little joys as well as obstacles to overcome. Each day the teachers guide and support their students as they navigate their world through social interactions, taking risks, and developing perseverance as challenges arise. Goals and Objectives Social Emotional: ● Participate in class meetings ● Enjoy blended time within the two Pre-K classrooms ● Develop self-help skills through self advocating, taking responsibility for belongings and self ● Participate in field trip activities ● Learn from guest speakers ● Practice mindfulness ● Participate in community connections such as buddy class visits and neighborhood Kindness Caroling Physical: ● Gross Motor development ○ Engage in collaborative play with classroom teachers and P.E. specialist ○ Enjoy nature walks ○ Engage in unstructured outdoor play ● Fine Motor development ○ Begin to engage in journaling ○ Develop fine motor skills through activities with art activities involving clay, beading, painting, drawing, cutting Language/Literacy: ● Learn about the school library and library specialist ● Begin to recognize environmental print ● Listen to classroom stories and chapter books ● Participate in music and movement activities with the music specialist and classroom teacher ● Participate in felt board stories/puppetry ● Learn basic sign language MP&MS Curriculum Guide 2019-2020 158


● Develop name recognition (in written form) ● Write (or draw) for meaning through journaling Cognitive: ● Expand problem solving skills through activities such as puzzles, exploration with loose parts, and navigating unpredictability in nature ● Develop a sense of story and self through student led storytelling and dramatic play ● Practice spatial awareness and building skills through block play, working with clay, and creative projects in the classroom and outdoors Creativity and the Arts: ● Engage in dramatic play ● Explore sound and movement ● Observe art and begin to recognize the natural occurrence of patterns in nature

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