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LANGUAGE ARTS: Developing communication skills is an integral part of the kindergarten program. As children work in science or math, for example, they hone their skills in observation, listening and speaking. As they work in reading and writing, they learn about sounds of letters and letter combinations. They illustrate stories and reports and begin writing with invented spelling. Reading aloud to the children is a fundamental daily activity in each classroom. The Director of the Lower School and a reading specialist meet regularly with the kindergarten teachers to help develop individual and group language art activities. Teachers make available to the children a wide variety of trade books. Reading Materials: MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum, based on National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, is divided at each grade level into three parts: 1) topics introduced briefly in a concrete mode, usually within the context of another concept or skill; 2) topics worked on for a significant period of time in both concrete and symbolic modes; 3) topics formalized through abstract definition and generalization. Topics within the introductory stage fall within the categories mentioned above. Teachers use a wide variety of concrete materials in their instruction, taking ideas from everyday mathematical occurrences, from the children’s experiences, and from their work in other areas of the curriculum. Resources for kindergarten mathematics include those developed by the University of Chicago, materials from Marilyn Burns, and teacher-produced games and materials. Manipulatives include geoboards, pattern blocks, cuisenaire rods, and unifix cubes. FRENCH: The emphasis on aural training and oral communication makes maximum use of the child’s natural ability to mimic at this age. Nursery rhymes, puppets, songs, stories, and games are used to teach elementary vocabulary such as salutations, colors, parts of the house, family, clothing, shapes, numbers one through ten, and some basic verbs (j’ouvre, je porte, etc.). French is the language of instruction. SCIENCE: The child’s curiosity about animal and plant life, the earth and outer space, change, and motion provides topics for the kindergarten science program. The children explore their interests in the classroom and outdoors, using building materials, water, sand, soil and stone. They cook, build with blocks, plant indoors and out, and explore through dramatic play. They consult books, use flashlights, magnifying glasses, and balances; they make “scientific” tools of found materials. Parents and other members of the community come into our classrooms to demonstrate concepts in their fields of interest and expertise and to help with trips and projects. The children record their observations and conclusions with careful drawings, writings and models. SOCIAL STUDIES: The children’s work in social studies helps them develop an understanding of themselves, the school group, and their community. As they become increasingly aware of their various cultural heritages, they begin to participate in their society and in the world. Family interests, experiences and occupations provide important material for our work at school. Holidays, as well, offer opportunities for studying ways different groups observe significant events in the year. The themes of the social studies curriculum grow out of and are reinforced by our reading, art, cooking, block building, dramatic play and field trips. ART: The children’s art class provides a strong, systematic program of instruction. It focuses on young children’s natural abilities to perceive, create and appreciate the visual arts, while developing a positive attitude and perhaps a lifelong interest in art. The students explore and become familiar with a wide variety of media while developing fine motor skills and learning patience and concentration. Projects are often motivated by the reading of stories or poetry. The children are taught to care for and respect art materials. Art is integrated into all areas of the classroom curriculum. The children draw, paint, and construct, using a variety of materials and integrating their work with language arts, math, science, and social studies. LIBRARY: The overall goal of the library curriculum for every grade level is to make students feel that libraries are wonderful places where they can find literature to feed their imaginations and locate whatever information they seek. To meet these goals the curriculum is separated into information skills (library and research skills) and literature skills, though the two are always very interdependent. During their weekly visit kindergartners learn what a library is, library procedures (browsing, selecting and signing out books), how to care for books, and the parts of a book. Every week we read at least one story, as well as poems and rhymes, with our friend Anansi (a spider puppet). This introduces them to a wide variety of authors and illustrators over the course of the year. During this time the children are also learning to listen carefully, to make predictions, to listen for details, to sequence by retelling stories, and to interpret illustrations. An attempt is often made to choose stories in which the children can participate. Each child chooses one book every week during this library period to take home. Students, as well as their parents, are welcome in the library at any time to read or to find new books to read and enjoy at home. MUSIC: Music in the Lower School is based on the Kodaly Concept, a comprehensive program to train basic musical skill and teach the reading and writing of music. Students should first learn to love music as an experience that enriches their lives. Because the children learn best by doing, and the voice is the most natural instrument, they sing. They sing folk songs and singing games of American as well as foreign cultures, traditional children’s songs, music by masters from all ages, and pieces that practice musical reading and singing skills. In kindergarten the basic elements introduced include steady beat, pitch matching, high and low, soft and loud, fast and slow, and a basic introduction to the music staff, hand signs, and pitch and rhythm names. The atmosphere is warm, lively, and playful. Classroom activities include singing for enjoyment, movement, rhythm, stories, and improvisation to music. PHYSICAL EDUCATION: The three sections of kindergarten come together to the gym where they are split among the three physical education staff members for their various activities. At this level, emphasis is placed on the development of large muscle groups, body awareness, and the concept of following directions. Gymnastics, cooperative games and confidence-building activities are a big part of the students’ program. LANGUAGE ARTS: The program includes oral and written language arts. During morning meetings children talk together about ideas, thoughts, feelings, plans for the day’s work, or about events taking place in and out of school. Developing the ability to listen attentively and to pull ideas together orally is an integral segment of the program. Reading books aloud to the children is also an important daily activity in each classroom. Reading instruction is both individual and small group. The phonetic approach is used with beginning readers, using the Letterland stories to build upon the phonetic patterns that were learned in kindergarten. Upon breaking the phonetic code, the children's texts are selected by both topic and reading level. At this level, the groups focus on comprehension skills and the joy of sharing ideas through reading and discussion and making connections to their own lives. They work on skills such as sequencing, recalling detail, and predicting the plot. All the children have a daily quiet book time, and silent reading is encouraged as they are able. Each team of teachers meets regularly with the Director of the Lower School and the Director of the Learning Support Program to discuss and plan for each child’s reading progress. Children also learn to read through writing and sharing stories based on their interests and personal experiences. Their creative and expository writing is done independently. Children spell words the way they sound. Their editing focuses on basic sentence structure, correct usage of punctuation, upper and lower case letters, and correct spelling of the most frequently used words. Series used may include: MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum, based on National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, is divided at each grade level into three parts: 1) topics introduced briefly in a concrete mode, usually within the context of another concept or skill; 2) topics worked on for a significant period of time in both concrete and symbolic modes; 3) topics formalized through abstract definition and generalization. The core topics to be formalized in Mixed Age Group are: Topics within the introductory stage fall within the categories mentioned above. Resources for Mixed Age Group mathematics include those developed by the University of Chicago, materials from Marilyn Burns, and teacher-produced games and materials. Manipulatives include geoboards, powers of ten blocks, cuisenaire rods, and pattern blocks. SPANISH: The emphasis on aural training and oral communication makes maximum use of the child’s natural ability to mimic at this age. Nursery rhymes, songs, stories, role-playing, art projects and games are used to teach elementary vocabulary such as colors, days of the week, animals, seasons, weather and numbers. Children are encouraged to speak in full sentences, and are exposed to simple grammar (the four ways of saying ‘the,’ for example). Vocabulary is linked to the regular classroom curriculum when possible – for example, in conjunction with the science curriculum, children learn the names of some birds, insects, and fish in Spanish. Spanish is the language of instruction. SCIENCE: Science themes for the MAG include: birds, butterflies, whales and the human body. Each theme is a focus for the integration of math, language arts, social studies, art and drama. Activities are intended to develop the children’s abilities to observe, classify, question, experiment, record, and analyze. Class activities introduce concepts of living versus non-living things and of the interdependence of systems of all kinds, from those within the human body to those existing in the environments of plants and animals. Throughout the MAG years, children use magnifying glasses, binoculars, and microscopes; they also work with magnets, mirrors, yard and meter sticks, non-standard balances, and calculators. SOCIAL STUDIES: The children study their world through a multicultural and multidisciplinary approach. The social studies program usually serves as the basis of our curriculum. This program provides the structure around which writing, art, music, drama, and literature are developed in the classroom. Every day the children’s ever-expanding reading and mathematical skills are integrated into the curriculum. In each two-year cycle we study a variety of topics. In recent years, the MAGs have studied butterflies, Native Americans, whales, birds, the human body, Africa and celebrations around the world. We have also made a short study about an aspect of New Haven. We have incorporated the annual school theme (poetry, colors, etc.) into our curriculum. In each unit the teachers provide many hands-on experiences, opportunities for children to learn from and to teach each other. Individual and group research projects are encouraged. Guest speakers from the parent body and/or the community are frequently brought in to address the children. Trips are also arranged to coincide with the unit of study. All of the curriculum areas are woven into the social studies work so that the children learn to appreciate the various ways that knowledge is acquired. In addition to specific studies, all classes keep abreast of current affairs and discuss their implications at daily class meetings. These meetings also serve as a forum where the social and moral issues confronting children today can be discussed and evaluated. The aim is to have children understand that they have power and with it a responsibility to use that power to serve others. COMPUTER:
• using Kidspiration for grouping, telling African folk tales LIBRARY: The overall goal of the library curriculum for every grade level is to make our students feel that libraries are wonderful places where they can find literature to feed their imaginations and locate whatever information they seek. To meet these goals the curriculum is separated into information skills (library and research skills) and literature skills, though the two are always very interdependent. During their visits the MAG students review what a library is, library procedures (browsing, selecting and signing out books), how to care for books, and the parts of a book which were first introduced the previous year. We also learn how a book is made and begin to understand how the picture books and fiction are arranged in the library as well as the difference between fiction and nonfiction books. Every visit we read at least one story, and also quite often poems and rhymes as well. This introduces the children to a wide variety of authors and illustrators over the course of the year. During this time the children are also learning to listen carefully, to make predictions, to listen for details, to sequence by retelling stories, and to interpret illustrations. They begin to identify the setting, plot and main characters in the stories, and to compare them with stories read earlier. Units are done on such themes as tall tales, fables, tricksters and dragons. Each student chooses two books each visit to take home, as well as one to read in the classroom. Students, as well as their parents, are also welcome to come to read in the library or choose books to take home to read and enjoy at any time. MUSIC: The MAGs continue using the Kodaly Concept, a comprehensive program to train basic musical skill, teach the reading and writing of music, and develop a joy of singing, dancing and playing together. Continued attention is paid to pitch-matching and exploration of more musical elements. We continue to explore melodic elements including the pentatone (do, re, mi, sol, la) and rhythmic elements (ta, ti-ti, ta-ah, and rest) through American folk songs. Other musical concepts are woven into the music classes, such as form, music history, listening, improvisation, rhythmic speech, and dance-like movement. PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Three sections of the MAG come to the gym at the same time and are split among the three physical education staff members for various activities. At this level the children begin to experience activities with different types of equipment, such as scooters, parachutes, mats and hoops. Balls of all sizes are used to aid eye-hand and eye-foot coordination. Modified tee-ball and soccer games are played, as well as games that require listening skills and imagination. Emphasis is placed on the development of big muscle groups, body mechanics and space awareness. A gymnastic unit is taught in the winter term. Competition is kept to a minimum, with emphasis on cooperation, fair play, encouragement, and patience with one’s peers.LANGUAGE ARTS: Literature forms the basis for the language arts program in third grade. The children are read to daily. This exercise serves to foster students’ enjoyment of a variety of literary genres, aids them in choosing books for reading, develops their sensitivity to written expression and helps them generate topics for their writing. Novels and nonfiction books are used for daily oral and silent reading practice, individually, in small groups, and by the entire class. The students share and discuss with each other their book selections and their writing. In reading, students develop fluency, consolidate word recognition and decoding skills, and develop literal comprehension skills. Individualized work in phonics and comprehension and written and oral responses to books read provide reinforcement and skill building in specific areas. Students write daily on topics of their own choosing as well as on assigned topics related to all areas of the curriculum. Students are taught to conference with their peers and teachers, to edit their own work, to share their work with the class, and to respond to the work of others. Students are given formal instruction in the mechanics of writing, including capitalization and punctuation, and formal instruction in spelling and cursive writing. Materials include: MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum, based on National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, is divided at each grade level into three parts: 1) topics introduced briefly in a concrete mode, usually within the context of another concept or skill; 2) topics worked on for a significant period of time in both concrete and symbolic modes; 3) topics formalized through abstract definition and generalization. The core topics to be worked on in third grade are: The core topics to be formalized in third grade are: Topics within the introductory stage fall within the categories mentioned above. Resources for third grade mathematics include those developed by the University of Chicago, books from Dale Seymour, and Hands on Series, Grade 3 (Creative Publications). Manipulatives used include color tiles, centimeter cubes, powers of ten blocks, cuisenaire rods, and pattern blocks. FRENCH: The emphasis is on oral acquisition, aural discrimination, and cultural exposure. Poems, songs, stories, puppets and games are used to teach elementary vocabulary such as weather, months, body parts, the alphabet, animals, many verbs and numbers. Vocabulary reinforces the classroom curriculum where possible – for example, children learn the names of trees and many foods in French. Simple grammar, such as the command form of verbs and negations, are introduced, and children are encouraged to speak in complete sentences. Skits in costume, as well as Mardi Gras and crêpe parties, broaden the children’s appreciation of cultural differences. French is the language of instruction. SCIENCE: In third grade students investigate plant life, earth science, oceans, sound, and gears. These investigations present the students with problems whose solutions require hypothesizing, predicting, experimenting, observing, manipulating variables, handling equipment, recording and graphing data, and communicating with peers. The plant life unit focuses on trees and other plants in our school environment. Through experiments and observations, the students learn about plant structures and their functions, reproduction and seed germination, methods of classification, adaptation of plants to the environment, and conservation. The earth science unit includes the study of the age, origin, and structure of the earth as well as plate theory and the correlation between continental drift and earthquakes and volcanoes. Methods of observation and classification are practiced through a study of rocks. Students perform the basic testing methods for identifying minerals. A hands-on study of the physics of sound enhances the students’ understanding of seismic waves. The oceans unit focuses on the properties of water and the water cycle, ocean structure, ocean plants and animals and their special adaptations, marine environments, and sea exploration. The students perform experiments, dissect fish, raise and observe live aquatic creatures, and travel to Long Island Sound for a field trip. A study of technology is incorporated into the grade's early America unit. Through hands-on activities students explore gears and pulley systems to develop an understanding of the action of water-powered mills. In addition, they build wooden models of mills at the Eli Whitney Museum. SOCIAL STUDIES: Two major units are studied in third grade. At the beginning of the year there is an investigation of life in a New England farming community of the 1830's, using Old Sturbridge Village as the model. The study focuses on how one learns about life in the past through oral histories, journals and diaries, portraits, and other art forms and artifacts. This life is compared and contrasted with that of today. The students interview a relative or friend and write an oral history report based on the interview. They also work on early American crafts, write a diary from the perspective of a person living in the 1830’s and read a work of historical fiction. The students construct models of water-powered mills at the Eli Whitney Museum and spend a day at Old Sturbridge Village. They also visit the Yale Art Gallery to study portraits and furniture. In the spring they study Australia, starting with the geography, climate, landforms and unique flora and fauna. The history and culture of the country are introduced through a study of the lives of the Aborigines and the impact of European settlement on their culture. Maps, readings, videos, myths, and art and artifacts are included in this study. Each student makes a relief map, writes a research report, a myth and a poem about an animal of Australia, and makes a diorama of the animal and its habitat. ART: The third grade art program continues to expose children to a wide variety of art materials and projects while incorporating the mastery of specific skills and disciplines. The year begins with landscape drawing and leaf design in relation to the classroom study of trees. The figure is introduced through paintings and sculptures of scarecrows. The use of a printing press and the art of monotypes focus on their study of volcanoes and water. Each week a sketchbook is used for quiet and reflective drawing; children begin and end the year with a self-portrait in this sketchbook. COMPUTER:
LIBRARY: The overall goal of the library curriculum for every grade level is to make our students feel that libraries are wonderful places where they can find literature to feed their imaginations and locate whatever information they seek. To meet these goals the curriculum is separated into information skills (library and research skills) and literature skills, though the two are always very interdependent. Third graders review and add to the skills learned in the previous three years during their class visits. They add identifying such things as the copyright dates, table of contents and index. They also begin to use the resources of the library to do actual research on a subject related to their class curriculum during which they use encyclopedias and other reference and nonfiction books. As a part of this process they are introduced to the importance of questioning, as well as to the use of keywords to find their information and the process of note taking. They also begin to “booktalk” (recommend favorite books to each other) each time they come to the library, and a list of these books is produced and posted in the library periodically. We continue to read a story during each visit to the library. The majority of these are folk tales and variants from around the world are compared, especially during a long unit on Cinderella stories. Third graders choose three books at a time to take home. They also come to the library frequently to find books to read in the classroom. back to top LANGUAGE ARTS: The emphasis in language arts is on building skills and confidence in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Silent reading and/or oral reading takes place on a daily basis. Reading comprehension exercises emphasize recalling details, getting the main idea, and language appreciation. Students keep personal reading journals on their independent reading books. Daily involvement in the writing process, with both teacher and peer feedback, guides the student toward writing with greater clarity, more specific detail, and an increased awareness of spelling and grammar. Spelling, grammar and vocabulary lessons are incorporated into the overall program. Listening and comprehension skills are strengthened formally during group lessons and the sharing of reading and writing projects. The teacher reads aloud to the students frequently. Novels read in recent years: See below for additional novels that are coordinated with the social studies curriculum. Materials: MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum, based on National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, is divided at each grade level into three parts: 1) topics introduced briefly in a concrete mode, usually within the context of another concept or skill; 2) topics worked on for a significant period of time in both concrete and symbolic modes; 3) topics formalized through abstract definition and generalization. The core topics to be worked on in fourth grade are: The core topics to be formalized in fourth grade are: Topics within the introductory stage fall within the categories mentioned above. Resources for fourth grade mathematics include A Collection of Math Lessons by Marilyn Burns, Strategies of Problem Solving (Dale Seymour), various materials published by Dale Seymour and Creative Publications, and teacher-generated materials. Manipulatives used include tangrams, pentominoes, powers of ten blocks, pattern blocks, fraction bars, and cuisenaire rods. FRENCH OR SPANISH: French: Our program is grounded in oral/aural acquisition, making maximum use of the verbal, mimicking, non-analytical nature of the child at this age. We present the students with vocabulary, structures and situations that are relevant to their personal lives. They are then motivated to use French to play a game, solve a puzzle or participate in Text: Promenades I (Addison-Wesley) Livre, Cahier Spanish: Students are introduced to Spanish this year using the lively “Symtalk” approach. This method is designed to teach everyday life vocabulary that students use to communicate. The use of symbols allows three key principles of short and long term memory to take place: encoding, storage and retrieval. Symbols represent people, pronouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, places, objects, etc. A textbook and workbook are used to supplement and reinforce the work done in class. Movement, rhythm, gestures, and visual aids such as posters, big books, picture cards, and masks combine to offer students a fun, yet effective way to improve their oral and aural skills in Spanish. Topics may include: the alphabet, greetings, simple descriptive adjectives, numbers 1-12, time, family, seasons, commonly used reflexive verbs, body parts, ‘yo’ from of verbs, food and professions. All students participate in the COLT Poster Contest. SCIENCE: The fourth grade science curriculum focuses on teaching basic science skills through a variety of activities aimed at helping the children extend, explore, and discover science. The science program itself is a combination of science that is directly related to the social studies units and a more “hands on” approach that focuses on the process of science, including measurement, observation, prediction, hypothesis testing, and experimentation. The children learn to write up experiments using scientific form and also keep a science journal. Combined social studies and science units include Maps and Mapping, The Peopling of the Earth, Alaska and Its People, and The Maya Civilization. During the mapping unit, science activities include linear measurement, scale drawings, making compasses, magnetism as it relates to directionality, and orienteering activities. The nine planets and their distances from the sun are mapped. Also, a geological time line of the earth is made, leading into the unit on early humans. In this unit, and in the subsequent units on Alaska and the Maya, the geology, the natural history, and the plants and animals of each area are studied, as well as the techniques that archaeologists and anthropologists use in learning about early civilizations. The Voyage of the Mimi II program used in the study of the Maya also includes a variety of scientific expeditions that focus on such things as the time zones, the rotation of the earth, water pressure, and medicinal plants of the rain forest. Other specific units in science include studies of Mixtures and Solutions, Crystals, and Static and Current Electricity. SOCIAL STUDIES: In the fourth grade social studies and science are often integrated. Mapping and geography skills encourage the students to become more aware of the greater world around them. These skills are tied in with each unit of study; students look at and use a variety of maps and produce a number of scale drawings and diagrams. During the course of the year, students also study the geography of North America, including learning the fifty states and capitals, the provinces of Canada, and the countries of Central America. Students learn about art in New Haven. They prepare for the project by practicing skills of observation. They look closely at slides and visit the British Art Center to see those works and to observe also how they are presented. The students study and the practice interviewing techniques. Some interview New Haven artists and make reports to classmates. Students visit local artists and make related art projects of their own. Each child makes a scrapbook that includes both images and text. Three major units of study are undertaken. These are integrated with literature, art, music and other areas of the curriculum. Simple textbooks are introduced, and basic research skills are stressed. Each student completes several individual written projects. The first unit involves the study of Early Humans. This is followed by a study of the state of Alaska, and then a unit on the Maya of Central America. The overall theme here is the “peopling” of our continent. The study of early humans gives a sense of human history and serves as an introduction to the science of archaeology. A trip is taken to the Museum of Natural History as a culmination of this unit. During the study of the state of Alaska, students learn about the geography and history of the state and examine the wildlife and the native cultures. They read and write myths and undertake a variety of art projects based on the art forms of the Northwest Indians and the Eskimos. They also read about and discuss the present day life of the Inuit. The unit on the Maya Texts: Novels: ART: The fourth grade year starts with the construction of an autobiographical personality cube. Other projects include a clay candle house, felt molas, papier-mâché busts, leaf collages and a variety of oil crayon drawings. With each material presented, students are encouraged to fully explore their creative potential through experimentation with techniques, references to art history, and expressions of personal experiences. Self-evaluation, decision making and flexibility are encouraged. Integration of classroom curriculum continues with Northwest coast & Mayan civilization projects. COMPUTER:
DRAMA: Plays are developed around the core subjects, e.g., Maya study. LIBRARY: The overall goal of the library curriculum for every grade level is to make our students feel that libraries are wonderful places where they can find literature to feed their imaginations and locate whatever information they seek. To meet these goals the curriculum is separated into information skills (library and research skills) and literature skills, though the two are always very interdependent. Fourth graders begin to seriously use the online catalog in our library, learning to search by title, author, subject or keyword. They also learn to find books of all kinds in the library by their call numbers and the use of our library map. The idea of “keywords” is a continual topic this year. They begin to understand how to find or come up with keywords to help them find the information they need in the online catalog, an index or table of contents, or on the Internet (which is available on all of the computers in the library). We MUSIC: In fourth grade the students put to use the basic skills learned in the earlier grades to enable them to play the soprano recorder. Using the Kodaly Concept, a comprehensive program to train basic musical skill, teach the reading and writing of music, and develop a joy of singing, dancing and playing together, fourth graders continue a cappella singing, rounds and two part pieces, partner songs and more sophisticated materials. A beginning experience in composition involves the students using their reading, writing, and recorder playing skills to create a piece which is performed by the class. LANGUAGE ARTS: Reading and writing represent the core of the entire fifth grade program and integrate easily with all areas of study. A great deal of time is devoted to helping children experience both the written and spoken word with a sense of adventure, excitement, appreciation, and comfort. Two books are always in motion. One is read aloud daily and leads to extensive discussions of detail, style, and theme. The other is undertaken as a class book. A variety of comprehension activities encourage reading with a purpose, interpretation, and clarity of detail in student responses. Students are involved with writing daily. While some of the process writing of earlier grades is continued, more time is devoted to the refinement of individual style through a variety of approaches that differ in scope, duration, and length. Emphasis is placed on rewriting entire stories to improve fluidity, dialogue, setting and character development, as well as the overall plot. Usually one major writing project is undertaken that involves theme development and illustrations. Students experiment with a number of literary genres, including poetry. In social studies, the students learn how to express their opinions in writing. Most writing is shared in class and discussed. Formal and individualized instruction in mechanics includes use of capitals, complete sentences, and paragraphing. Spelling, vocabulary, and grammar programs complement the English curriculum. Nonfiction Texts, such as: Novels: MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum, based on National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards, is divided at each grade level into three parts: 1) topics introduced briefly in a concrete mode, usually within the context of another concept or skill; 2) topics worked on for a significant period of time in both concrete and symbolic modes; 3) topics formalized through abstract definition and generalization. The core topics to be worked on in fifth grade are: The core topics to be formalized in fifth grade are: Topics within the introductory stage fall within the categories mentioned above. Resources for fifth grade mathematics include Connections (D.C. Heath), materials published by Creative Publications, and teacher-generated activity sheets. Manipulatives used include centimeter cubes, attribute blocks, cuisenaire rods, and fraction bars. FRENCH OR SPANISH: French: Continuing the aural/oral training begun last year, students acquire more vocabulary and grammatical structures as a natural by-product of their desire to communicate in French to play a game, solve a puzzle or participate in an activity with a friend. While the strong emphasis in this program remains oral/aural, there is a written component as well. Activities are supplemented by nursery rhymes, videos, dialogues, puppets and songs. Topics include sports, professions, days of the week, animals, numbers 0-31, adjectives, the verbs 'Avoir' and 'Être', and simple negation. All students participate in the COLT Poster Contest. Text: Promenades II (Addison-Wesley) Livre, Cahier Spanish: Students continue to learn Spanish this year with a lively approach based on music, drama and games. The content of this level revolves around five animals, each with four actions or verbs that distinguish him/her from the others. Posters, big books, picture cards and masks are used to stimulate communicative skills as the linguistic and cultural content of Level I is reinforced. Workbook exercises parallel oral/aural activities. Topics include: expressions with the verb tener, numbers to 100, time, origin and nationality, colors, clothing, rooms of the house, days of the week, the verb gustar (to like), present progressive form of verbs, and immediate future of verbs. All students participate in the COLT Poster Contest. Text: ¡Bravo, Bravo! – Level 2 – Animales (Santillana) Books 1, 2, 3; Workbooks 1, 2, 3 SCIENCE: The fifth grade science program is integrated with the rest of the fifth grade curriculum. During the first part of the year, we concentrate on environmental studies. We start by studying habitats, environments, cycles in nature, and the interconnectedness of species. To make these concepts more concrete, we visit a variety of natural habitats and recreate them as best we can in classroom aquariums and terrariums. Weekly hands-on lessons in observation, experimentation, and manipulation of mini-environments also take place. As the unit advances, the students become involved in an exercise in town planning where they prepare and present alternative land development schemes and their potential environmental impacts to the zoning board of a fictitious town. We end our studies with an overnight trip to Deer Lake in Killington where Nature's Classroom Activities enhance and extend our classroom undertakings. As a tangible and pragmatic application of their environmental awareness, the fifth graders collect recyclables from the entire Foote School each week throughout the year. As our studies of ancient civilizations begin, the science curriculum investigates the principles and uses of simple machines. Students experiment and become familiar with pulleys, inclined planes, and three classes of levers. For an extended period throughout these endeavors, students create their own mechanical devices that incorporate new ideas in practical ways. We continue to focus on variables, experimentation, and scientific method. Students perform weekly experiments where they attempt to isolate and manipulate variables, then record, graph and compare their data. SOCIAL STUDIES: The year begins with an inter-disciplinary study involving English, science, and social studies. Man’s impact on the natural world and his use of resources are examined, as are his attitudes and responsibilities in considering the future of our environment. An overnight trip to Deer Lake in Killingworth provides an opportunity for the students to have a hands-on experience with the material they have been studying. In addition, students coordinate the recycling program for the entire school, gathering from every office and classroom all recyclable products, which are then picked up by a recycling company. A study of ancient Egypt follows, using Sword of Egypt, The Goblet and other sources to focus on an appreciation of the culture, its arts and its industry. A research paper on mummification is the culmination of this unit. The next unit is a study of Ancient Greece, its society and its mythology. Olympic Games, drama, and a banquet end this unit. The year ends with an introduction to the Roman civilization which serves as a “springboard” to a more formal study of the Romans at the beginning of sixth grade. Research work is undertaken in conjunction with projects. In addition, current events, field trips, and spontaneous studies of special interests occur throughout the year. ART: In conjunction with the study of environmental issues in the classroom, a central theme in fifth grade art is the appreciation and perception of forms of beauty in nature and in man made creations. Students closely observe the color and texture of food by creating a realistic colored pencil drawing of fruits and vegetables. Their favorite meals are constructed in clay and served on a highly decorated clay plate. Various Egyptian and Greek art projects are integrated into the classroom curriculum. An extensive study of Japanese Sumi-e painting and Ikebana (flower arranging), as well as a tea ceremony, culminate the year. COMPUTER:
DRAMA: Plays are developed around the core subjects, e.g., The Trojan War. LIBRARY: The overall goal of the library curriculum for every grade level is to make our students feel that libraries are wonderful places where they can find literature to feed their imaginations and locate whatever information they seek. To meet these goals the curriculum is separated into information skills (library and research skills) and literature skills, though the two are always very interdependent. Fifth grade is spent reinforcing and expanding upon the skills introduced in the earlier grades, especially fourth. The students this year become more adept at finding the information they need in all kinds of sources using their questions and their lists of keywords. They begin to learn the steps needed to produce a complete bibliography and the reasons that is important. We spend additional time on using an index and ways to make that process more efficient, on utilizing headings and subheadings, on taking good notes, and on organizing and finally presenting our information. We spend more time on understanding how and why libraries are organized, which also reinforces the idea that all subjects are related to many others. We continue to read stories as often as possible, with the aim of making them familiar with the wonderful new books we are receiving. The students continue to “booktalk” and the librarian booktalks new fiction to them regularly. They also participate in the Nutmeg Award (the Connecticut Children's Book Award), reading from a list of ten books chosen by librarians and voting for their favorite – and then waiting to see if it is the one chosen by all of the voters in grades 4-6 across the state. MUSIC: We continue using the Kodaly Concept, a comprehensive program to train basic musical skill, teach the reading and writing of music, and develop a joy of singing, dancing, and playing together. In fifth grade we add more sophistication to the musical material the children read and perform. The Orff instruments, continued familiarity with all orchestral instruments, and listening experiences, in conjunction with more difficult recorder playing, make up the fifth grade music curriculum. PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Our goal in physical education at this level is to provide strenuous exercise, develop athletic skills and promote team cooperation. The fifth grade can be split in a number of ways among the three staff members. Activities include field hockey, soccer, and football in the fall; basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, and gymnastics in the winter; baseball, softball, track, and badminton in the spring. Other more recently added activities include tinikling (a rhythmic dance with bamboo poles), the physical best program, and Capture the Flag. |
