Upper Elementary

Language Arts

Core textbooks: Literacy by Design and Great Strides, by Rigby, 2008

Supplemental: Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George, Holes, by Louis Sachar, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis, and one age appropriate novel as determined by student interest.

Curriculum Overview:
The Elementary Language Arts program implements Literacy by Design and Great Strides, by Rigby. The curriculum is a comprehensive reading and writing program that provides direct and explicit instruction to link whole and small group instruction, as well as independent reading and writing. The essential comprehension skills: literal, inferential, and critical thinking are encompassed throughout the curriculum.

Through the use of leveled readers and a variety of high interest expository and narrative texts, students will be exposed to engaging theme based stories, while acquiring comprehension strategies that are based on grade-level standards. Students will further practice comprehension strategies during small group and independent reading.

Language Arts Goals: (as determined through curricular assessments):

• Students enhance their phonemic awareness, through engagement of phoneme blending, isolation, and substitution; syllable awareness, and word rhyming.
• The students will strengthen their auditory, visual, and kinesthetic pathways by using a simultaneous, multi-sensory instruction.
• Students develop grammar skills through daily word study.
• Students identify genres and features of fiction and non-fiction text.
• Students develop their comprehension of text through the use of key strategies:  make connections, infer, synthesize, create images, ask questions, determine importance, monitor understanding, and use fix-up strategies.
• Students foster oral reading fluency through read-aloud and shared-reading activities.
• Students learn to write a paragraph that includes a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence
• Students utilize a six-step writing process to compose narrative and expository essays.
• Students fortify and employ the use of essential comprehension skills:  literal, inferential, and critical thinking.
• Students apply reading and vocabulary comprehension strategies to the completion of four novel study units.
• The students engage in an independent novel study based on an age appropriate novel of their choice.
    

Mathematics 

Core textbook: Mathematics, Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley 

Curriculum Overview:
Upper Elementary implements the Scott Foresman – Addison Wesley Mathematics curriculum.  This program adheres to the California State Content Standards for Mathematics and is evidence-based. Mathematical concepts are revisited and built upon each year and become more challenging as students develop their skills.  The text is a sequential, visual, and comprehensive mathematical program that allows for open-ended questions, inquiry, discovery, and abstract reasoning.  The curriculum emphasizes building a strong foundation for number sense, fractions, decimals, percentages, as well as algebra, measurement, geometry, probability, and mathematical reasoning.

Math Goals: (as determined through curricular assessments):

• Students use manipulatives, puzzles, and technology to facilitate understanding and mastery.
• Students set up and solve addition and subtraction problems with 4-digit whole numbers, including money, using carrying, borrowing, evaluating expressions (e.g., x=7, solve x + 19) and estimation.
• Students demonstrate multiplication and division strategies for basic multiplication and division facts for number up to 12 (e.g., properties of multiplication)
• Students demonstrate an understanding of units of time (e.g., minutes, hour, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millennium) by comparing different units of time, tell time on analog clocks and read calendars.
• Students interpret data by reading and creating graphs (e.g., pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, line plots) graphing ordered pairs, and conducting surveys and charting results.
• Students add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators
• Students set up and solve a variety of word problems.
• Students master place value concepts for whole numbers through the trillions and for decimals through the thousandths.
• Students multiply whole numbers and decimals, evaluate algebraic expressions, and solve equations.
• Students collect data from a survey, represent data on a graph, stem and leaf plot, or circle graph, and analyze data.
• Students identify plane figures, measure angles, and identify the parts of a circle; they will find the circumference of a circle.
• Students find the area and perimeter of parallelograms and triangles.
• Students identify solid figures from different perspectives and be able to find the surface area and volume of rectangular prisms.
• Students add and subtract standard units of measurement, and measure within a fraction of an inch.
• Students write fractions as decimals, mixed numbers, and improper fractions.
• Students add, subtract, and multiply fractions by finding the lowest common denominator and greatest common factor.
• Students understand and apply the concepts of percents and its equivalent form as a ratio, fraction, or a decimal.
• Students find the capacity, weight, and mass of solids using customary and metric units.
• Students obtain the concept of integers, rational numbers, and graphing integer ordered pairs.
• Students solve problems using equal ratios and rates.

Social Studies

Core textbook: History Alive! The Ancient World, by TCI, 2004

Curriculum Overview:
Upper Elementary students will increase their social studies knowledge by studying the rise of ancient civilizations and cultures.  Students begin the year by learning about early humans and the rise of civilization. A variety of civilizations will be examined throughout the year, including:  Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, Ancient China, Ancient Greece and Rome.   A special focus will be placed on geography and map skills to understand the development of the human story.  Students will apply critical thinking skills as they study why civilization developed where and when they did, why they became dominant, and why they declined.

Social Studies Goals:

• Students describe the hunter-gatherers societies, including the development of tool and the use of fire.
• Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Kush.
• Students describe the aspects of the early civilization of Ancient India.
• Students analyze the factors that led to the rise of Ancient Greece.
• Students identify the location of ancient civilizations and cities on a map.

Science

Core Textbook: Science (Harcourt Publishers, 2009)

Curriculum Overview:
Upper Elementary will utilize the Harcourt School Publishers, 2009 Science program. The Science Content Standards, which are within the National Science Education Standards, are presented in the Science curriculum. The students will experience an array of topics and concepts, along with using observation, experiments, and theoretical models.
The Upper Elementary students will acquire concepts of Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science. The Earth Science unit addresses the rock cycle, fossils, changes to Earth's surface, Earth's resources, along with weather and the water cycle, Earth's oceans, the moon and beyond. The Life Science unit covers cells, genetics, and heredity, classification of species, types of plants, and types of animals, ecosystem characteristics (energy and change). The Physical Science unit presents the physical properties of matter, the physical and chemical changes of matter (atoms, elements, and compounds), energy (kinetic and potential), electricity (magnetism, static, and current electricity), sound and light, as well as forces and motion (laws of motion).

Science Goals:

• Students identify Earth’s landforms and what causes landforms to change.
• Students identify the parts of the cell and the differences between plant and animal cells.
• Students describe how plants grow and reproduce.
• Students describe aspects of an ecosystem, specifically how ecosystems change, how people affect ecosystems, how organisms compete and survive in ecosystems.
• Students identify the properties of matter and describe the different types of energy.
• Students describe force and motion, as well as state the laws of motion.
• Students plan, conduct, and communicate results through experimentation.

Physical Education

Core Curriculum: S.P.A.R.K. Curriculum, Teaching Sport Concepts & Skill – A Tactical Games Approach

Curriculum Overview:
In this course, students will receive Physical Education instruction five days a week for 45 to 50 minutes a day. Instruction will be provided in the areas of motor skill development, fitness, sports and social development. Students will be able to demonstrate locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills for performance outcomes and in game situations. Students will know how to assess and improve personal fitness levels by engaging in physical activities specifically related to each component of physical fitness. Students will learn and have the opportunity to experience the differences between personal challenges and competition in both recreational activities and in sports with an emphasis placed upon being personally responsible, cooperative and a team-player. Finally, students will continue to develop cooperation and communication skills to enable completion of a common goal while working with a partner, in small groups or on a team.

P.E. Goals:

• Demonstration of motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform in a variety of physical challenges.
• Demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts and strategies as they apply to learning and performance in games and physical activities.
• Develop and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve performance and overall health.
• Demonstrate knowledge of social concepts and strategies as they apply to learning and performance in physical activities.
  
  
  

Computer Technology

Core Curriculum: Easy Tech from Learning.com

Curriculum Overview:
Upper Elementary students practice keyboarding principles including home row, upper row and lower row through interactive computer based drills and using learning resources such as keyboarding gloves and online lessons. In addition, keyboarding posture and proper hand placement are emphasized.

Computer Technology Goals:

• Students complete lessons that introduce concepts in computer basics, word processing, beginning graphics and computer navigation.
• Creation of a document through keyboarding a personal story into a word processing program, using basic editing and page layout skills.
• Students demonstrate understanding of broad concepts of computer fundamentals, desktop, windows and controls, toolbars and menus, software and network basics.
• Students identify the parts of the keyboard and practice home row, upper row and lower row through interactive computer based drills and using learning resources such as keyboarding gloves and online lessons.
• Students develop their keyboarding skills and focus on accuracy and speed.
• Students use software to create visual maps/graphic organizers.
• Students use software to create text files with images.
• Demonstrate understanding of broad concepts of computer fundamentals, desktop, windows and controls, toolbars and menus, software and network basics.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation by distilling written work into chunked bulleted lists, inserting supporting graphics and applying effective page layout concepts.
• Students understand and demonstrate effective use of copyright law.
• Students follow technology use guidelines and acceptable use policies.
  

Art

Curriculum Overview:
For students to become familiar with different styles of artwork as well as various processes for making two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork, and inclusive of the California State Visual Art Education Content Standards.

Course Goals:

• Demonstrate the ability to distinguish among various media (clay, sculpture, drawing, painting) when looking at works of art.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify the elements of art found in objects in nature, the environment, and works of art; emphasizing line, color, shape, form, and texture.
• Provide experiences in various artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify and describe various subject matter in art, such as landscape, seascape, portrait and still life.
• Demonstrate the ability to describe objects designed by artists such as, furniture, appliances, cars that are used at home and at school.