UPDATED CURRICULUM MAP 8-3-2018

Designing The Team: Task, Ppl, Process

door Ethan Kwan

Brien McMahon Research Cloud

door JP Sommer

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 3

door Saskia Nicolson

The Roaring 20's

door Barry McCann

Curriculum Map 2018

Upper School

The Upper School Woodworking Curriculum Philosophy and Overview

•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students
•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product
•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work
•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities
•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision
•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity
•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques, which should generally precede machine work
•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing
•Foster students finding and working from their passions

•My expectations are simple and clearly communicated: that they work hard (and safely), challenge themselves with their choice of project, care for their tools and their classmates, and attempt to do excellent work every class period.
•Assessment is communicated/shared with the students as necessary, during parent conferences, and through the use of narrative reports.

Upper school woodshop is structured as an open studio. There are no specific assignments or due dates. Students approach me with their own ideas for a project, which we talk through and plan. Then they proceed with the work at their own pace. We tackle material issues, design questions, tool use and construction details as necessary during the progression of the work. Instruction is specific to each project and each student, and is generally one-on-one. My expectations are simple and clearly communicated: that they work hard (and safely), challenge themselves with their choice of project, care for their tools and their classmates, and attempt to do excellent work every class period.

•Work safely with a full variety of hand and power tools as appropriate to my project.
•Build something beautiful and potentially useful.

Can I safely and confidently build a project of my own choosing/design?

The Learning Center

Balance and Wellness

•Throughout the year assess your overall level of wellness and discuss and set goals to maintain wellness.
•Write a letter to a future incoming 9th grader about a time when you overcame a struggle this year. It can be about adding negative numbers, managing your time, learning a new technique in soccer or finding a new friend. Reflect on the times when you failed at first but through persevering your brain created new neural connections, the growth mindset, and you eventually became better at the task.

•Practice using a variety of tools such as exercise, yoga, and quiet thinking
•Identify the characteristics of a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and how those mindsets are reflected throughout your life
•Know how brain research demonstrates your ability to grow your mind
•Understand how self compassion versus self esteem can promote wellness

•The active process of making choices which will promote a healthy and fulfilling life
•That wellness is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being
•That people have different tools to promote their individual wellness

How do you accept and embrace challenges while maintaining a mindful balance to promote wellness in your life?

Collaborative Learning

•Write a team contract
•Write a team peer evaluation and rate your team members' performance
•Write a self evaluation and rate yourself
•Complete four community service projects
•Write a self evaluation for your report card in the fall and spring

•Identify issues that only arise in groups
•Compile a list of behaviors that are required to work successfully in a group
•Show the ability to break a task down into steps or stages, plan a strategy, formulate a timeline, manage time, and execute tasks
•Model and solve situations using conflict resolution skills
•Evaluate yourself and others' strengths and weaknesses working in a group situation
•Reflect on how you can capitalize on your strengths to compensate for weaknesses in future projects
•Design and execute a successful group community service project
•Present your project

•Why is it important to promote the development of a variety of skills, including: collaboration, delegation, communication, voices, and perspective through group projects?
•How can you resolve conflicts in groups?
•What are the different roles that make up a successful group?
•How do you establish ground rules for group/team work?
•What does it mean to work successfully in a group?
•How can you be a more effective group member?

How do we work cooperatively and productively in groups?

Resourcesfulness

•Write a reflection on the differences between an authoritative/reliable research site and a more commercial site, and illustrate when you would use each type
•Perform puzzle challenges with people with similar leadership styles and again with people with varying leadership styles
•Reflect and discuss what you learned from working with the people similar to your learning style and different from your learning style

•Schedule an appointment with a teacher, set up a meeting using the calendar in Outlook, and email using appropriate email etiquette
•Investigate and identify different kinds of a distraction software
•Discuss social media use and its impact on your life
•Use and evaluate advanced search tools and recognize what is a reliable source and why
•Write quality citations in Chicago Style and MLA Style
•Read, discuss, reflect, and decide on attributes that determine your leadership style
•Listen and discuss positive ways to develop as an individual which will eventually be reflected in your college application
•Identify and discuss some pitfalls to avoid in the college application process

•The technology available to you at Catlin Gabel and on the web
•The positive and negative impacts of social media
•The availability and benefits of services, resources, and processes in the library
•How different leadership styles affect group interaction
•What information we need to consider, as freshman, to support the college application process in the future

What programs, services, and expectations will support you at Catlin Gabel in the next four years?

Community Service

•Complete your self-evaluation form and reflect on how and what you have learned from the community service project
•Participate in small group discussions, listen, and record how each of you experienced empathy, empowerment, and personal satisfaction
•Address the benefits and rewards of community service in your year-end presentation
•Write an in-class essay addressing the value of community service and how you would like to move forward in the years ahead

•Communicate effectively with community members when initiating and executing your community service
•Listen with your ears, eyes, instincts, and heart
•Pay attention, physically and mentally, during your community service
•Show flexibility and be prepared to change direction as needed
•Work together towards mutual goals
•Demonstrate acceptance by holding the values and views of others in high regard
•Communicate and share your personal growth and empowerment from your community service project

•How can we make small interpersonal connections that allow us to recognize and identify with the feelings of others in our community service projects?
•How does community service provide physical and mental rewards such as reducing stress and strengthening your immune system through mood changes of joy and optimism?
•How does community service help bring people together and unite people from varying backgrounds to promote diversity and inclusivity?
•How can community service help you discover your hidden talents that may change your view of yourself?

Why is it important to build empathy, understanding, empowerment and personal satisfaction through your contributions to service in the community?

Lifelong Learning

•Complete a study skills checklist
•Complete an executive skills questionnaire - the teen version
•Write a reflection that outlines strategies you will use to overcome challenges and build on strengths
•Demonstrate follow-through using alternative strategies that promote your success

•Investigate and research famous people with different learning styles
•Evaluate, rate, and investigate your study habits, attitudes, and strategies toward time scheduling, concentration, reading, taking exams, writing, listening, and taking notes
•Analyze your executive functioning skills regarding response inhibition, working memory, emotional control, flexibility, sustained attention, task initiation, planning/prioritizing, organization, time management, goal directed persistence, and metacognition
•Evaluate and analyze what works for you and what does not work and determine alternative solutions to help you stay organized and be a productive and successful learner
•Show positive and negative examples of specific executive functioning skills
•Read and reflect the impact of media multitasking and academic performance

•Why should we value differences in ourselves and others?
•What are our learning strengths and challenges?
•How can we improve our executive functioning skills?

How can we become successful learners at Catlin Gabel School and in life?

Honors Spanish: Seminar A

Essential Questions

•How can you tell others about present, past, and future events and experiences?
•How does communication in Spanish change when traveling from Spain to other Hispanic countries?
•How does history affect the cultural attitudes in Spanish-speaking countries?
•How do lifestyles in Spanish-speaking countries differ?
•What are some common threads that link these cultures?
•Why is a knowledge of idiomatic and culturally appropriate expressions essential when communicating with Spanish-speaking people from various areas of the world?
•How do you react to differences in another culture?
•How do we connect with other cultures in a world-wide arena?
•How do the traditions, including the products, and practices of my country compare with those of Spanish-speaking countries?
•What attitudes are universal? Which are affected by cultural traditions?
•How do cultural traditions differ among Spanish-speaking countries?
•How do historical events and personalities affect the attitudes of a people?
•How do the attitudes of a people affect current events and vice versa?
•How can Spanish be an effective tool?
•How can I overcome my perceived weaknesses in Spanish?
•How can I explore and describe cultures, peoples, and communities without stereotyping them?
•How can I express myself with greater proficiency and linguistic accuracy?
•Whose “story” (perspective) is this?
•What should I do when I get stuck (vocabulary, grammar, structure, comprehension…)?
•How does our work relate to my life/how is this work relevant to me?

Enduring Understandings

•Language learning extends beyond the classroom to real-life situations
•The use of foreign language for personal enjoyment, travel, work and enrichment encourages lifelong language learning
•Languages are distinguished by their grammar and structure
•Foreign language skills enhance and can contribute to future job opportunities
•The study of foreign languages reinforces and integrates content from other disciplines
•Similarities and differences exist in the vocabulary, phonetics and structures of world languages.
•Different cultures have different social etiquettes
•Culture influences the art, literature and music of a society
•Countries with a common language share cultural, historical and geographical connections
•The study of cultures promotes an awareness of diverse beliefs and languages in a global context
•Geography directly influences the culture and history of a people
•Cultural traditions influence family structure, rites of passage, dining etiquette, clothing styles and living accommodations
•Language and culture are interdependent
•Personal experiences in Spanish help students make meaning, gain perspective, and create lasting memories

Contemporary female authors

•Engage in spoken interpersonal communication with peers, teachers and community members
•Engage in written interpersonal communication
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio, visual, and audiovisual resources
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and print resources
•Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational communications to peers
•Plan and produce written presentational communications
•Independent journal entries

•Interpret a variety of literary genres
•Write or present persuasively for an audience
•Collaborate to produce writing and effective presentations
•Develop active reading, study, and test-taking strategies
•Develop confident discourse through presentational and interpersonal communication
•Develop analytical thinking and leadership skills through class discussion, listening, and teaching peers

•All texts (literary works, presentations, situations, characters, etc.) are open to interpretation
•A meaningful interpretation should be supported by a tenable argument that evidence and reasoning are the keys to such a claim
•Different points of view should be heard and respected
•People have their bias and subjectivity, their ¨single story¨
•Self-assessment, acceptance of feedback, and criticism are critical to growth and collaboration

•How are identity and gender constructed?
•How do we identify ourselves and share our identity with others?
•How can an author's style construct and reflect identity?
•How can cultural experiences shape, impact, or influence our perception of self? Of the world?
•How can we use and apply feminist theory to deepen our understanding of contemporary female authors?
•How do female authors express interpersonal relationships: friendships and love?
•How do female authors express relationships of power: the individual and society?
•How and why do female authors represent silenced voices?
•How and why do female authors explore/document/analyze a world of migrants?
•What role do female authors play in addressing social issues such as ecology and poverty?
•How does the work of female authors compare to that of male authors?

Communities (local to global)

•Engage in spoken interpersonal communication with peers, teachers, and community members
•Engage in written interpersonal communication
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio, visual, and audiovisual resources
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and print resources
•Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational communications to peers
•Plan and produce written presentational communications
•Independent journal entries

•Interpret a variety of personal stories/testimonials
•Conduct research using varied sources
•Write and present persuasively for an audience
•Collaborate to produce writing and effective presentations
•Develop active reading, study, and test-taking strategies
•Develop confident discourse through presentational and interpersonal communication
•Develop analytical thinking and leadership skills through class discussion, listening, and teaching peers

•The study of world languages expands one’s opportunities
•Cultural norms and values differ from place to place
•There are as many immigrant experiences as there are immigrants
•People move for a variety of reasons: for new economic opportunities, political freedom, personal safety, etc.
•There are many attributes that make communities stronger: levels of education, engagement, social services, safety, diversity, interconnectedness, etc.

•What is community?
•What makes some communities more successful/healthy/vibrant/inclusive than others?
•How do individuals and societies define quality of life?
•What do we value in our school community and in our local community?
•What does learning in the community look like?
•Do we know how to work in the community in a culturally appropriate way?
•What can we learn from oral histories?
•Who are the immigrants in your community?
•Why migrate?
•Is there affordable housing for all in your community?
•How are housing and quality of life related?
•What do we learn from experiential learning in the community that cannot be learned in a book?
•How do local communities compare to other communities across the globe?
•What social issues affect communities?
•What role do local organizations play in supporting our growing Hispanic/Latino community?
•What are some of the challenges of contemporary life?

Español IV: Conversation & Composition

Essential questions

•How can you tell others about present, past, and future events and experiences and about possible experiences in the future?
•How does communication in Spanish change when traveling from Spain to other Hispanic countries?
•How does history affect the cultural attitudes in Spanish-speaking countries?
•How do lifestyles in Spanish-speaking countries differ?
•What are some common threads that link these cultures?
•Why is a knowledge of idiomatic and culturally appropriate expressions essential when communicating with Spanish-speaking people from various areas of the world?
•How do you react to differences in another culture?
•How do we connect with other cultures in a world-wide arena?
•How do the traditions, including the products, and practices of my country compare with those of Spanish speaking countries?
•What attitudes are universal? Which are affected by cultural traditions?
•How do cultural traditions differ among
Spanish-speaking countries?
•How do historical events and personalities affect the attitudes of a people?
•How do the attitudes of a people affect current events and vice versa?

Enduring Understandings

•Language learning extends beyond the classroom to real-life situations
•The use of foreign language for personal enjoyment, travel, work and enrichment encourages life-long language learning
•Languages are distinguished by their grammar and structure
•Foreign language skills enhance and can contribute to future job opportunities
•The study of foreign languages reinforces and integrates content from other disciplines
•Similarities and differences exist in the vocabulary, phonetics and structures of world languages.
•Different cultures have different social etiquettes
•Culture influences the art, literature and music of a society
•Countries with a common language share cultural, historical and geographical connections
•The study of cultures promotes an awareness of diverse beliefs and languages in a global context
•Geography directly influences the culture and history of a people
•Cultural traditions influence family structure, rites of passage, dining etiquette, clothing styles and living accommodations
•Language and culture are interdependent

Societies & Life styles

•Analyze the impact of expressive forms on the culture and on other societies
•Discuss some expressive forms from the fine arts
•Identify differences between daily life practices among the same language cultures
•Explain cultural practices and perspectives
•Use culturally appropriate behaviors to enhance verbal communication, showing some understanding of meaning
•Experience diverse aspects of the target culture-cuisine, sports, theater, dance, art, film, and literature

•Examining social and civic issues helps to expand one’s understanding of the world, its people, and oneself
•Scientific and technological developments affect people’s lives and the environment and transform societies
•Progress is defined by cultural interpretation
•People are affected by environmental, economic, social, cultural, and civic concerns
•Culture is both a unifying and divisive force in human relations
•Technology is constantly changing and requires continuous learning of new skills
•Technology use can have positive or negative impact on both users and those affected by their use
•Aesthetics fosters artistic appreciation, interpretation, imagination, significance, and value
•Experts can and do disagree about the value, power, and source of art
•The artistic process can lead to unforeseen or unpredictable outcomes
•Culture affects self-expression, whether we realize it or not

•What are the responsibilities of the individual/society/superpowers in regard to the health of the environment?
•What are the consequences of being unconcerned with nature’s balance/harmony?
•Is utopia attainable? At what cost would it be worth attaining?
•How would we define a utopian society?
•Has the concept of utopia changed over time and/or across cultures or societies?
•How can we preserve our fundamental values and beliefs in a world that is becoming one technology-linked village? Should we?
•In a world of constant technological change, what skills should we learn?
•What are my responsibilities for using technology? What constitutes misuse and how can it best be prevented?

Love & relationships

•Analyze the connotation in context
•Analyze cultural perspectives through the use of world literature
•Understand how word choice influences audience
•Develop appropriate supports for a topic
•Understand the effective use of transitions, phrases and conventions
•Express a narrative that engages a reader using strong word choice, narrative techniques and effective conclusion.
•Express ideas and contribute to group discussions, while respecting the thoughts of others
•Adapt speech for appropriate discussion

•Relationships develop through written, verbal, and non-verbal communication
•Effective written communication enhances the audience’s understanding
•Word choice and tone negatively and positively impacts relationships
•Communication requires knowing your audience and purpose to participate in a relationship
•Life experience affects your interactions with others
•Willingness to communicate enhances relationships
•Modes of communication have changed over time and this change can impact relationships

•How do perceptions of love change through the ages?
•What do people need to foster in relationships?
•What are the elements of a strong relationship?
•What are the factors that move individuals / communities / nations to great sacrifice and what are the consequences?
•What is the relationship between love and trust or between love and loyalty?
•How can communication alter relationships?
•What causes miscommunication?
•Why is it important to be able to distinguish between authentic and superficial communication?

Politics of power

•Political conflict in the Spanish-speaking world: dictatorships and revolutions
•Current systems of power in Spanish speaking countries and political interventions from other countries
•The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
•Expository essay

•People develop systems to manage conflict and create order
•Societies are impacted by both internal and external factors
•Distinctions between a citizen’s rights, responsibilities, and privileges help to define the requirements and limits of personal freedom
•Conflict resolution can involve aggression, compromise, cooperation, and change
•Citizens can influence government in many ways if they choose to participate
•Protecting the common good may require sacrificing individual rights; maintaining that fragile balance is the collective role of all citizens
•Democratic societies must balance the rights and responsibilities of individuals with the common good
•The Spanish Civil War was a major political, social, and economic event of the 20th century that had a direct effect in a much bigger subsequent world conflict (World War II)

•How can we define power?
•What are the positive and negative aspects of both chaos and order?
•How is power gained, used and justified?
•How are governments created, structured, maintained and changed?
•Why do people fight? Is conflict inevitable? Desirable?
•What are the politics and consequences of war, and how do these vary based on an individual or cultural perspective?
•To what extent does power or the lack of power affect individuals?
•What is oppression and what is the root cause?
•How are prejudice and bias created? How do we overcome them?
•What are the factors that create an imbalance of power within a culture?
•What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
•What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while others choose to participate in it?

Mass media, persuasion & stereotypes

•Analysis, interpretation and creation of journalistic texts of different generic types (articles, interviews, opinion columns, editorial, investigative journalism, cartoons, etc.)
•Analysis, interpretation and creation of advertising print/media texts
•Persuasive communication

•People experience the same media message differently
•Media have embedded values and points of view
•Media choice is affected by personal experience and sense of need
•Information can be acquired from various sources
•The research process requires the use of a variety of resources to ensure validity
•Interpreting and analyzing research results will answer a variety of questions
•Through the use of generalizations, oversimplifications, stereotypes, and other mechanisms, advertisements may have an impact, both purposeful and unintended, on individual identity and social justice that differs from the plain persuasive message they offer
•Anything that is constantly and repeatedly offered to us through mass media will impact who we think we are
•Effective communication relies on the purposeful use of information in a format appropriate to the task and the audience
•Critical examination and evaluation of data is essential to making informed decisions

•How does the media shape our view of the world and ourselves?
•In what ways are media narratives influenced by bias, perspective and objective?
•How can advertising affect my view of people of different gender, sexual orientation or cultural or geographical origin?
•Does advertising need to be aggressive? •Does persuasion require aggression?
•Does labeling and stereotyping influence how we look at and understand the world?
•In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves?
•Does an institution/culture ever have a right to censor its artists?
•How is language used to manipulate us?

Personalities

•Engage in spoken interpersonal communication with peers and teachers
•Engage in written interpersonal communication
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio, visual, and audiovisual resources
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and print resources
•Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational communications to peers
•Plan and produce written presentational communications.

•Descriptive narrative
•Narration in the past
•Suggestions, recommendations, and the indirect style (reported speech)

•An individual’s health at different life stages is dependent on heredity, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices
•People, places, and ideas change over time
•Character is who you are when no one is looking
•Character can be developed and supported through individual and group activities, the influence of positive role models, and involvement in community service
•Current and emerging diagnostic, prevention, and treatment strategies can help people live healthier and longer than ever before
•Developing self esteem, resiliency, tolerance, and coping skills support social and emotional health
•Tolerance, appreciation, and understanding of individual differences are necessary in order to establish healthy relationships
•The study and comparison of people, places, ideas, and events help us make sense of our world
•The identification, recognition, and analysis of multiple points of view help us explain the ideas and actions of individuals and groups
•Connections between events of the past and present help us understand our world

•What turning points determine our individual pathways to adulthood?
•How are people transformed through their relationships with others?
•In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves?
•How do we form and shape our identities?
•What personal qualities have helped you to deal with conflict and change?
•What is happiness and what is its degree of importance in one’s life?
•To what extent does a culture/society/subculture shape an individual’s understanding or concept of happiness?
•What are the elements that build a strong friendship?
•How do friendships change over time?
•What impact does family have during different stages of our lives?
•What can we learn from different generations?
•How is conflict an inevitable part of relationships?
•How do you know if a relationship is healthy or hurtful?
•What personal qualities help or hinder the formation of relationships?
•How are people transformed through their relationships with others?
•What is community and what are the individual’s responsibilities to the community as well as the community’s responsibilities to the individual?

Fiction & reality

•Engage in spoken interpersonal communication with peers and teachers
•Engage in interpersonal communication
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio, visual, and audiovisual resources
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and print resources
•Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational communications to peers
•Plan and produce written presentational communications

•Narrative analysis and interpretation
•Elements of a narrative fiction (written texts or film)
•Elements of a poetic text
•Writing an analytical essay
•Textual analysis to comprehend and interpret a text in the target language

•Reading/viewing is a process that includes: applying a variety of strategies to comprehend, interpreting and evaluate texts; showing evidence of responsible interpretations of texts and examining texts critically
•Interpretations of text involve linking information across parts of a text and determining importance of the information presented
•References from texts provide evidence to support conclusions drawn about the message, the information presented, or the author’s perspective
•Authors make intentional choices that are designed to produce a desired effect on the reader/viewer
•References from texts provide evidence of applying ideas and making connections between text and self, text and other texts, and texts and the real world
•Art both reflects and shapes culture
•Written communication and proper grammar mechanics promote fluency of communication
•Writing is a multi-stage process; writing is a reflective process
•All good literature reveals truths about the human experience that transcends its time
•Conflicts faced by fictional characters are often magnified beyond what is reasonable, but at their core reflect common experiences faced by many readers

•What is reality and how is it constructed?
•Can fiction reveal truth?
•What tools can the individual use to judge the difference, or draw a line between, illusion and reality?
•What is creativity and what is its importance for the individual/culture?
•Why do we read/watch fiction?
•How do literature and film work?
•What makes a novel/film or any work of film/literature great?
•How do we go about analyzing and better understanding the techniques and themes of literature and film?
•For what purposes do different cultures use works of fiction?
•Does a culture/community/institution have the right to censor its artists?
•Does literature reflect culture or shape it?

Español III: Communication B

The World: Spanish-speaking Cultures & Global Relationships

•Communicate and understand events taking place in the future
•Express possibility with the conditional tense
•Study of the perfect tenses
•Study of relative pronouns
•Study of prepositions por & para
•Spanish-speaking cultures of South America

•The study of world languages expands one’s opportunities
•Cultural norms and values differ from place to place
•Societies are impacted by both internal and external factors
•Culture and language evolve; they are bound by people, time, and place
•The study of global cultures expands our perspective
•A second language facilitates the acquisition of information about the world outside our experiences

•How are Spanish-speaking cultures from Spain, North, Central and South America similar and different?
•How has history shaped these cultures?
•How do climate and geography influence these cultures?
•Can defined and specific national identities be found in the 21st century?
•What are the social, political, and ecological challenges of today’s world societies?
•Why migrate?
•What impact does migration and immigration have on communities?
•What is global citizenship?

The Community: Family Life & Living in the City

•Express reality vs. subjectivity: the study of the subjunctive mood
•Use direct, indirect, reflexive, and prepositional pronouns
•Tell others to do something: the study of the imperative mood
•Spanish-speaking cultures of Central America & the Caribbean

•There is diversity in today’s concept of family, its traditions, and its values
•It is possible to identify the factors that influence communities
•The perspectives, practices, and products of individuals define their community
•The community can influence my identity
•Cultural norms and values differ from place to place
•People, places, and ideas change over time

•What are the fundamental characteristics of a family and how have these evolved over time?
•Is the concept of family different in other cultures?
•How do individuals contribute and influence the identity of a community?
•What makes some communities more successful/healthy/vibrant/inclusive than others?
•How does history shape the identity of a nation?
•How can the identity of an individual from a minority coexist with that of the larger community or country?
•How do social, economic, and cultural factors influence a person’s lifestyle?

The individual: Personalities, Relationships and Emotions

•Discuss everyday practices related to our use of technology
•Express preferences
•Critique and describe art
•Discuss lifestyle choices
•Talk about and discuss current events related to technology dilemmas and digital citizenship
•Talk about individual artists
•Talk about artistic expression

•Relationships develop through written, verbal, and nonverbal communication
•Effective written communication enhances the audience’s understanding
•Word choice and tone negatively and positively impact relationships
•Communication requires knowing your audience and their purpose for participating in a relationship
•Life experience and culture affects your interactions with others
•Change of communication modes and the impact on relationships
•Tolerance, appreciation, and understanding of individual differences are necessary in order to establish healthy relationships

•What drives us to live?
•Where do we find inspiration?
•How does language and culture influence our own identity?
•How are different aspects of our identity expressed in diverse situations?
•What are the elements of a strong relationship?
•What is the relationship between love and trust?
•How can communication alter relationships?
•What causes miscommunication?

Español II: Communication A

Essential Questions

•What is the value of knowing a language other than English?
•How do we effectively communicate our needs and thoughts to people who speak a different language?
•Conversely, what tools do we need to understand the message they are expressing to us?
•How do we connect with others in the many roles we play in our daily lives?
•How can we expand and reinforce our knowledge in various academic disciplines by communicating in a language other than English?
•How do history, literature and the arts influence and reflect a society and its culture?
•What impact do geography, culture, and language have on who we are?
•How are language and cultural understanding interdependent?
•How do we add complexity and depth with our communications in the target language?

Enduring Understandings

•The purpose of language study is to communicate so I can understand others and they can understand me.
•The study of a foreign language develops insights into the nature of language and culture. An ability to communicate in another language fosters a better understanding of my own language and culture.
•Effective communication requires knowing how, when and why to say what to whom.
Basic concepts and knowledge in a variety of disciplines can be communicated in a language other than English.
•Students of world languages rely on many strategies to communicate their thoughts, desires, and needs, and to understand the message of others.
•Learning other languages enables an individual to participate in multilingual communities.
•In a modern global society, we are all connected and have to learn how to function and interact effectively with each other.
•The ability to communicate in a language other than English is an indispensable asset in a modern global society.
•Global citizenship requires an ability to communicate in more than one language.
•Globalization has made the world a much smaller place. It affects our identity as a people. We need to recognize and appreciate similarities and differences in people and cultures which are different from our own.
•In a fast-paced, constantly changing global society, we must still maintain our health and well-being and recognize our civil and professional responsibilities and duties in our own communities.
•Proficiency in a foreign language is a vehicle to gaining knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and its culture.
•Custom and tradition vary within a culture, as well as between cultures.
•Language and awareness of culture is best acquired in an immersion setting.
•History, literature and the arts influence and reflect a society and its culture.
•Geography, culture and language impact who we are as a people and influence the way we interact in a global society.
•Language and culture are mutually interdependent. To appreciate the language, one has to appreciate the culture and vice versa. In order to truly know and understand the people of a different culture, one must speak their language.

Technology, art & life styles. Connection with other academic disciplines.

•World language learning offers opportunities to uncover big ideas in and about other disciplines
•Learning another language enables one to access information available only in that language
•Strategies used to acquire a language are transferable to other areas of learning throughout life
•A second language facilitates the acquisition of information about the world outside our experiences
•Relationships develop through written, verbal, and nonverbal communication
•Effective written communication enhances the audience’s understanding
•Word choice and tone negatively and positively impact relationships
•Communication requires knowing your audience and their purpose for participating in a relationship
•Life experience and culture affects your interactions with others
•Change of communication modes and the impact on relationships
•Tolerance, appreciation, and understanding of individual differences are necessary in order to establish healthy relationships

•How does knowledge and understanding of other languages support the ability to understand concepts in other content areas and make connections with other disciplines?
•Why is it important to be able to access primary information?
•Which strategies for learning a world language support learning in other content areas?
•How does learning a second language broaden our knowledge base of world issues?

•Discuss everyday practices related to food •Express preferences
•Review restaurants
•Discuss vacation plans and vacation or leisure activities
•Talk about healthy eating, well-being, and nutrition
•Talk about and discuss local and global celebrations and their cultural significance and relevance
•Talk about evolution of celebrations
•Express agreement and disagreement
•Debate related issues
•Compare/contrast life experiences with those of native speakers from the Spanish-speaking world
•Consider cultural norms related to everyday life activities in countries from the Spanish speaking world

•Knowledge of culture drives meaningful communication
•The perspectives, practices, and products of a people define its culture
•Culture and language are interrelated and influence how people behave
•Culture and language evolve; they are bound by people, time and place
•Relationships develop through written, verbal, and nonverbal communication
•Effective written communication enhances the audience’s understanding
•Word choice and tone negatively and positively impact relationships
•Communication requires knowing your audience and their purpose for participating in a relationship
•Life experience and culture affects your interactions with others
•Change of communication modes and the impact on relationships
•Tolerance, appreciation, and understanding of individual differences are necessary in order to establish healthy relationships

•How does culture influence communication?
•What is culture?
•What is the connection between a people’s perspectives, practices, and products and its language?
•How do language and culture influence and reflect each other?
•Does language reflect the values and attitudes of its people?
•What do proverbs tell us about similarities and differences in attitudes and values?
•How do people, time, and place affect language and culture?
•Students will identify patterns of social behavior and interactions typical of the culture
•Students will identify cultural products such as music, art, sports, games, and entertainment
•Students will identify common beliefs and attitudes within the target culture

•Discuss everyday activities
•Express preferences
•Give and receive directions
•Discuss weekend plans and vacation or leisure activities
•Talk about health, well-being, and nutrition
•Talk about and discuss work
•Talk about future careers
•Interview for a job
•Express agreement and disagreement
•Debate related issues
•Compare/contrast life experiences with those of native speakers from the Spanish-speaking world
•Consider cultural norms related to everyday life activities in countries from the Spanish speaking world

•The learner understands that teenagers in different cultures follow different daily routines
•The learner compares/contrasts school routines/teenage routines in the United States and in Spanish countries
•Students will describe popular sports in Spanish speaking countries
•Learners will compare/contrast the way teenagers dress for different occasions in Spanish speaking countries and in the United States
•Learners will compare/contrast their everyday life experiences with those of native speakers from the Spanish-speaking world
•Learners will consider cultural norms related to everyday life activities in countries from the Spanish- speaking world

•Greet people
•Deliver goodbyes and farewells
•Identify yourself and others in detail
•Talk about experiences with your family and friends
•Describe people, things, and locations
•Describe events in past, present, and future tenses

•The study of world languages expands one’s opportunities
•The learners understand that teenagers in different cultures follow different family traditions
•The learners understand the diversity in today’s family and their traditions and values
•Identify common cultural practice of the specific target culture
•Students will learn why double last names are used by Spanish-speaking countries

•What do I need to learn in order to effectively describe/define/identify myself and others in a language other than my own?
•How is it different to address other people in Spanish than it is in English?
•What are differences and similarities between the concept of family and community in Spanish speaking world?
•How do these ideas relate to my own understanding of self, family, and community?
•How can I compare the value of identity among different cultural communities?

Español I: Foundations

Technology, art & life styles

•Talk about technology and electronics and their impact
•Use specific expressions common to internet and phone conversations
•Talk about different living situations (house, apartment, urban, rural, etc.)
•Give instructions/directions
•Talk about and discuss the environment and express beliefs and opinions about different issues
•Give and receive directions to get to a destination

•World language learning offers opportunities to uncover big ideas in and about other disciplines
•Learning another language enables one to access information available only in that language
•Strategies used to acquire a language are transferable to other areas of learning throughout life
•A second language facilitates the acquisition of information about the world outside our experiences
•Students will transfer and apply information and skills from other subject areas
•Students will synthesize information from resources in the target language to support study in other disciplines
•Students will analyze and evaluate points of view found in information in the target language and compare them with their own perspective

Spanish speaking world: cultural aspects (food, travel, celebrations)

•Engage in spoken interpersonal communication with peers and teachers
•Engage in written interpersonal communication
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio, visual, and audiovisual resources
•Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and print resources
•Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational communications to peers•
•Plan and produce written presentational communications

•Identify patterns of social behavior and interactions typical of the culture
•Identify cultural products such as music, art, sports, games, and entertainment
•Identify common beliefs and attitudes within the target culture

•How does culture influence communication?
•What is culture?
•What is the connection between a people’s perspectives, practices, products and their language?
•How do language and culture influence and reflect each other?
•Does language reflect the values and attitudes of its people?
•What do proverbs tell us about similarities and differences in attitudes and values?
•How do people, time, and place affect language and culture?

Everyday life (hobbies, vacation, school, work, shopping, health)

•Discuss everyday activities
•Express preferences
•Give and receive directions
•Discuss daily chores
•Discuss weekend, vacation, or leisure activities
•Talk about health, well-being and nutrition
•Talk about and discuss work
•Talk about future careers
•Interview for a job
•Express agreement and disagreement

•In what ways does the study of a world language provide advantages or open doors?
•How does knowing another language make a difference in the way we connect with others?
•What do you need to be considered a global citizen?

Identity, family & communities

•Greet people: hellos and farewells
•Identify yourself and others
•Talk about the time of the day
•Talk about your family and friends
•Describe people, things and locations
•Express possession

•The study of world languages expands one’s opportunities
•The learners understand that teenagers in different cultures follow different family traditions
•The learners understand the diversity in today’s family and their traditions and values
•Identify common cultural practices of the specific target culture
•Students will learn why double last names are used by Spanish speaking countries

•What do I need to learn in order to effectively describe/define/identify myself and others in a language other than my own?
•How is it different to address other people in Spanish than it is in English?
•What are differences and similarities between the concept of family and community in Spanish speaking world and in my world?
•How do these ideas relate to my own understanding of self, family, and community?
•How can I compare the value of identity among different cultural communities?

Women's Studies

•Student will set, describe and meet goals of a complex month-long project of their choosing
•Students will work together to undertake training in social justice and gender-based learning and leadership
•Students will develop habits of mind which place gender-based critique at the forefront of their thinking, practicing it in class discussion and in written work

•Students will know that the struggle for gender equality is connected to other liberation struggles in both historical and contemporary contexts
•Students will know the historical outline and details about the movements for liberation in the 1960s and 70s in the United States
•Students will learn both independently and collaboratively
•Students will connect their own social location and social identities to larger structures of power relationships, institutions and movements

•Students will understand that the social construction of gender has both biological and social elements;
•Gender as a social category has traditionally existed within power structures enforcing male dominance.
•This dominance influences all other structures that we interact with on a daily basis, including education, medicine and other sciences, family structure, politics and culture.
•The study of gender is fundamentally an intersectional undertaking, where other facets of identity--including but not limited to race and class--are integral.

•How has gender been socially constructed in different historical periods? In our own period?
•How is the study of gender interdisciplinary and intersectional?
•Foregrounding gender, how can we connect historical movements for liberation to contemporary struggles?
•What are our ideas about how gender equality can be achieved?

Modern Middle East

•Geography Test (multiple times)
•WWI State formation Presentations
•Iran Nuclear Deal Debate
•Israeli Palestinian Position Paper
•Daesh and Syrian/Iraqi Refugee Crisis Position Paper
•Deciphering and distilling challenging reading
•Contemporary News Quick Lessons

•Political, religious and cultural geography of Middle East
•Major faultlines within region (Shi'a/Sunni, ethnic, Gulf States v. non-oil producing states)
•Rudiments of Islam
•Timing and impact of imperialism and decolonization, including the formation and problematic nature of particular state boundaries
•Theories and debates over women's positions in a variety of Middle Eastern nations
•Core history and contemporary issues of Palestinian-Israeli conflict
•Causes and outcomes of the Arab Spring
•Competing viewpoints on effective engagement with Middle Eastern countries
•Impact of oil wealth and changes in oil prices to the region
•Roots and reactions to 9/11, including the U.S. invasion of Iraq
•The Rise of Da'esh and the problematic nature of Syrian/Iraq civil wars
•The Iran Revolution, the Iraq War, and contemporary U.S.-Iranian relations, including the 2015 nuclear agreement.
•Deciphering and distilling challenging reading
•Asking questions which clarify and explore materials
•Making linkages between old and new material to create informed perspective
•Writing cogent, evidence based arguments
•Engaging classmates in thoughtful dialogue on challenging and nuanced topics
•Presenting material to students, both as lecturer and discussion leader
•Debating
•Researching
•Articulating one's ideas in an oral examination

•Islam has certain core values, but a great diversity of interpretations and practices.
•Western colonialism and post-colonial involvements (mainly by the U.S.) have far-reaching implications for the development of the Middle East.
•States require certain elements of legitimacy and force to survive, and some states have far more of one than the other, for a variety of reasons.
•Order and chaos are powerful lenses through which to view societies.
•There is a great diversity within modern Islamist movements, as well as among various extremist groups.
•The Middle East has a great tradition of diversity, but that diversity is greatly threatened in current times.
•Competing narratives of history shape much of how the present is seen.

•How have ancient and colonial structures influenced contemporary Middle Eastern politics and society?
•What explains the rise of religious extremism in the region? Is it a dying ember or a growing force?
•How are religious and ethnic divisions shaping new states and the region as a whole? Are we headed toward a significant reshaping of borders, or will states hold their shapes?
•What forces lead toward revolution, and to what degree do the recent revolutions in the greater Middle East conform to these patterns?

Transitional Justice

The student work will take various forms but will be assessed on three core expectations – the degree to which it reflects understanding of core theories and examples of the class, the degree to which it demonstrates an ability to apply these theories to new material and the degree to which the project is designed to have an impact beyond the classroom.

•Students will know a topic of transitional justice in more depth.
•Students will know the challenges and opportunities of bringing the work in a classroom to the larger community.

•Student understandings will differ, based on project selection.
•Students will understand the ways in which classroom work can be tailored to make a larger impact.

•What are students passionate relevant to the topics of transitional justice?
•How can the topics of this class be applied in a way that can create meaningful change?
•How can work inside of the classroom be geared for an outward facing audience
•How can the format of a project pair well with the content and goals of a project?

Student-Led Classes

Students will be assessed on the structure of their lesson,the quality of their understanding of the content, and the degree to which their peers are able to learn during the course of the class.

•How to select an effective reading assignment
•How to effectively prepare for a class
•Students will know how to lead a productive and meaningful discussion

•The challenges and opportunities for structuring a lesson
•The ways in which teaching can solidify their own knowledge

•What are issues of transitional justice still relevant and apparent today?
•What are meaningful topics for class discussion?
•How can class discussion be structured in a meaningful way – what tools work bestfor encouraging peer engagement and understanding?

Justice: Genocide and International Courts in Rwanda and Bosnia

Students will be assessed through a “patient-assessment”essay in which they will be asked to identify the root causes of conflict, the major symptoms of these causes both during and immediately following the conflict and the ways in which the ICTR, ICTY and an NGO organization dealt with both these symptoms and causes.

•The scope and sequence of the conflicts in Bosnia and Rwanda in the 1990s
•The theories and political processes behind the creation ofthe ICTY and ICTR
•The decisions and criticisms of the ICTY and ICTR

•The role of post-colonial politics,ethnicity and economic inequality in causing conflicts in the Bosnia and Rwanda
•The theories of international governance and collectivesecurity that surround decisions around military intervention
•The potential role of western-based justice procedures foraddressing crimes against humanity and crimes of war
•The potential role of local and NGO organizations inproviding justice and reconciliation in a post-conflict context

•How did forces such as ethnicity, colonization and economic inequality play into the conflicts in the 1990s in Bosnia and Rwanda?
•To what extent did the international community minimize or exacerbate the violence in these conflicts?
•What were the motivations and theory behind the creation of the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda (ICTR and ICTY)?
•To what extent with the ICTY and ICTR provide truth, justice and reconciliation
To what extent did local mechanisms of justice provide truth, justice and reconciliation?
•What is the role of Track III or non-governmental organizations in promoting healing in post-conflict countries?
•To what extent did the formal and informal mechanisms of justice and reconciliation address the problems faced by post-conflict Bosnia and Rwanda?

Truth: Apartheid and Truth Commisions in South Africa

This unit is assessed through an essay in which students will examine the transcripts and other materials surrounding an actual case heard by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Amnesty Committee. They will assess the degree to which the decision was rooted in truth and justice, and to what it extent the decision might facilitate reconciliation.

•The primary characteristics of apartheid government and the tools used to control and oppress the South African population
•The complex socio-economic relationships between black South Africans, Boers and British colonizers
•The structure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, and the political debates around these structural choices
•The outcomes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and debates over the effectiveness of this method of transitional justice

•The racist ideologies and economic motives that created the basis for apartheid;
•The consequences of forced relocation and ghettoization of South African peoples;
•The differing viewpoints over amnesty and accountability in the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission;
•The complex outcomes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the views of various stakeholders on the success or failures of this process of transitional justice.

•What were the roots and history of apartheid government in South Africa?
•What was the nature and history of resistance to apartheid in South Africa? What was the role of both peaceful and violent resistance?
•What were the motivations and goals for the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)?
•Did the TRC achieve its goals? In what ways was it a successful mechanism and in what ways did it fail to deliver truth and justice to South Africa?

Introduction: Justice, Reconciliation and Truth

This unit is not formally assessed but these concepts are core to the work of subsequent units.

•The basic theories of truth, justice, vengeance and forgiveness
•The beginnings of the transitional justice "toolkit" - trials, truth commissions, dialogues, and amnesty

•The complex interactions between truth and justice, and the ways in which these can be competing goals
•The human need for vengeance in the wake of harm and the ways in which vengeance has historically been formalized and limited by governments
•The differing motivations for various forms of truth and justice, particularly when considering individual vs. collective needs

•What do we feel when we are the victims of violence or persecution? What do we want? Justice or truth or something else?
•What does justice mean for an entire people who have been hurt or oppressed?
•Who determines the scope and nature of justice in the wake of violence and oppression?
•What is the difference between revenge and retribution?
•What does it mean to forgive and is forgiveness a reasonable thing to ask of victims?

Roots of Conflict

This topic is part of the student-led class assignment – students will be assessed on their preparation of a class, homework assignment and facilitation of a class discussion.

•Multiple definitions of conflict;
•How to locate conflict on the conflict cycle;
•Sharp’s types of power
•The principled (vs. positional) approach to conflict resolution.

•The roots of conflict and the ways in which resources, power and narratives play into the creation of conflict
•The cycle of conflict
•The nature and types of power and the ways in which power is contextually defined
•The “expanded pie” approach of mediation and negotiation

•What is conflict?
•What are the fundamental narratives of human conflict?
•What are the types of conflict?
•What is power?
•How does alternative dispute resolution approach conflict?

New Media Studies

Economics

Economics of the Future

Students will write a comprehensive final paper that predicts the state of the economy they will graduate into after college using the concepts and models from the course.

This essay will include predictions on overall economic conditions, unemployment and future jobs, inflation, monetary policy, fiscal policy, oil prices, the value of the dollar, healthcare costs, american debt and the deficit

•How to draw and manipulate the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model
•How to find the market price between two currencies using graphs of the FOREX market
•Why comparative advantage is more important that absolute advantage in international economics
•How to apply fiscal and monetary tools as well as measurements of economic health to the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curves

•How does free trade impact developed and developing countries
•How countries determine what to produce based on the concept of comparative advantage
•How appreciated or depreciated currencies impact countries
•The United States' role in the global economy
•How the aggregate demand and supply model helps policy makers make fiscal and monetary policy choices

•What fiscal and monetary policy tools are used to support economic growth?
•What are the challenges and opportunities posed by globalization?
•How has the concept of “comparative advantage” fueled globalization?
•How does the FOREX market work and what has caused the recent appreciation of the dollar?
•Evaluate the government’s responsibility to make investments vs. provide entitlements. How are intergenerational spending differences manifested in the US Budget and is this best for the future?
•What does your economic future look like?

Economics of We

•Students will draw a comprehensive diagram detailing the causes of the Great Recession that incorporates governmental, regulatory, individual and financial actors
•Students take several written assessments that ask students to:
•Calculate measurements of economic health
•Evaluate and apply monetary policy tools

•The formula for GDP and which economic activities are included in this calculation
•How to calculate the unemployment rate using the U3 and U6 measurements
•How to calculate the inflation rate and how unanticipated inflation affects various actors
•How to evaluate debt levels in countries
•How money creates money using the money multiplier
•The four policy tools of the Federal Reserve and the effect of each of these policy tools on the economy
•The role of collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps in the downfall of the housing market
•How the government tries to enact counter-cyclical fiscal policies during the four phases of the business cycle
•The debates for and against quantitative easing

•The uses and limitations of GDP, the unemployment rate, the inflation rate and debts and deficits
•How roles of the credit rating agencies, the financial services industry, the mortgage industry, the government and the economics discipline in the collapse of the housing market
•How speculative bubbles develop in markets
•The extent to which the Dodd-Frank Act protects Americans from the next speculative bubble
•How fiscal and monetary policy tools can address each of the four phases of the business cycle

•What measurements do economists use to determine economic health? What are the limitations of these measurements?
•What caused the Great Recession and have we done enough to prevent another crisis?
•What is the purpose of income inequality and how should we respond to rising income inequality?
•How have financial innovations led to more opportunity and more instability (derivatives,swaps, leverage)?
•How fiscal and monetary policy tools can address each of the four phases of the business cycle
•The arguments between Doves and Hawks at the Federal Reserve

Economics of Me

•Students will participate in a Presidential Candidates Forum where they will share opening statements about their economic vision for the country, ask questions of their opponents and defend their policy proposals from an economic perspective
•Students will take a written assessment where they
•apply the principles of the economic perspective to a complex challenge
•determine market prices based on unique scenarios
•give financial advice based on their understanding of personal finance

•The six principles of the economic perspective
•The short and long term consequences of going to college, entering the workforce and taking on college debt
•How to draw supply and demand curves and derive market prices with and without government intervention
•The financial options available for investments, savings and retirement savings
•The components of an excellent credit score
•How to draw the impacts of the Affordable Care Act on the supply and demand curves for healthcare
•The economic ideologies of the presidential primary candidates for the 2016 race
•How to make a career choice based on the economic perspective

•How the six principles of the economic perspective impact decision making;
•A cost-benefit analysis of the college decision making process
•There is no such thing as a "free lunch;"
•How political and economic ideologies do and do not align
•The investment strategy that is best for them based on their age and risk tolerance
•How to make financial decisions to improve their credit score
•How prices are determined in a capitalist system
•How wages are determined in a capitalist system
•The amoral nature of markets
•The arguments for and against creating a market for healthcare, raising minimum wage and imposing a carbon tax

•How does the economic perspective serve as a lens for solving problems and making choices?
•Why is there, “no such thing as a free lunch?”
•What mechanisms determining pricing and value?
•Compare and contrast economic ideologies, specifically the differences between Hayek and Keynes.
•Which investing strategies have proven most effective?
•What factors should you consider when managing your allocation of assets?
•What decisions will you make about debt and credit and how will these decisions impact your future?
•When do markets work and when do they fail?

Globalization

Environmental Globalization

Cultural Globalization

•Class Participation
•Online, written discussion forum
•An individual or group project, a paper, a film, a podcast, investigating the origins of two pieces of their clothing and how they illuminate global webs of chains and production as well as the ethical and human rights issues that arise from these structures.

Economic Globalization

•The competing definitions of globalization
•The roles of the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization
•The objections to economic

•Globalization is a contested term
•The globalization of economics is complex with both positive and negative impacts for the people involved
•"Solutions" operate on the individual, local, national and global levels

•What are comprehensive definitions for globalization and economic globalization?
•What are the new economic structures that create what we think of as "globalization?"
•What are the debates swirling around economic globalization?
•What new social problems arise from globalization?
•What might be optimal solutions to the debates and problems arising from globalization, for individuals, governments and non-governmental institutions?

U.S. History

The Rise and Fall of American Liberalism

•Class Participation
•Reading Quizzes
•Longer (9-13 page) analytical paper, organized thematically, on the rise and fall of American New Deal liberalism

•The causes and consequences of the Great Depression
•The central changes to Americans' relationship with the federal government during the liberal era
•The origin and structure of both temporary and lasting programs, including Social Security and Medicare
•Liberalism underwent a shift in the 1960s and gave way to "New Right" conservatism
•Discerning complex arguments and theories from published academic work
•Assessing evidence and evaluating sources, especially relating to economics
•Participating effectively in class discussion
•Crafting their own thematically organized paper on liberalism
•Citing their sources in Chicago style

•The Great Depression created new political possibilities and alliances in the US
•Notions of "liberal" and "conservative" are complex and change over time
•Scholars disagree on the complex reasons for the faltering of American liberalism in the 1970s

•What was the context for the New Deal, and what ways did it redefine the scope of government? Do you agree with Roosevelt's remaking of the nation?
•What forces drove the U.S. toward extensive global economic and military engagement during the Cold War, and to what degree were these actions effective and/or morally sound?
•Why did the Civil Rights movement take off
when it did? What led to its successes and failures?
•How did it spawn a multitude of activist movements in the nation? How do we understand the great cultural upheaval of the 1960s, and the subsequent conservative reaction?
•What accounts for the structural changes in the U.S. economy from the pre- and post-1973 eras, and how has this impacted the political landscape?

The Cold War

•Class Participation
•Reading Quizzes
•Longer (5-10 page) paper, in which students research US foreign policy on a single nation, focusing on American goals, policies, and outcomes.

•The consequences of US Cold War foreign policy on a single nation
•The chief historiographical schools of thought on the Cold War
•The central aspects to US Cold War foreign policy and how they changed over time; and
•US foreign policy had both short- and long-term impacts on nations both aligned and unaligned, many of which were unintended
•Discerning complex arguments and theories from published academic work;
•Assessing evidence and evaluating sources
•Participating effectively in class discussion
•Crafting their own research paper on US foreign policy, assess US policy in a foreign country
•Citing their sources in Chicago style

•Participants disagreed and historians disagree about the causes of and culpability for the onset of the Cold War
•The impacts of US foreign policy on other nations was complex and often unforeseen
•Scholars disagree about the relative success of US Cold War foreign policy

•What are the major disagreements among historians regarding culpability for the origin of the Cold War?
•What were the dominant US, Soviet, and Chinese strategies during the Cold War?
•What were the impacts of US foreign policies on the people of aligned and non-aligned nations during the Cold War?
•What were the outcomes of US policy? Was American policy successful?

Modern American Culture

•Class Participation
•Reading Quizzes
•Longer (5-7 page) paper, with a unifying interpretation of American culture in the early 20th century

•The economic consequences of the new industrial order
•The push/pull factors that guide immigration patterns
•That white supremacy was refracted through mass media in ways that deeply shaped American thought
•That individualism began to strain traditions, including those of national heritage, family, and religion
•The scope and some consequences of American expansionism
•Discerning complex arguments and theories from published academic work
•Assessing evidence
•Participating effectively in class discussion
•Crafting their own interpretive theme on the rise of American culture
•rWiting a refined 5-7 page argumentative essay
•Citing their sources in Chicago style

•Economic and social/cultural changes are intrinsically linked in complex manners.
•Urbanization provided the milieu for cultural hybridization and experimentation.
•Consumerism is a fundamental engine of modern capitalism and a critical prism through which people make sense of cultural diversity and personal identity.

•How did mass production transform work, leisure, family life, and notions of individuality?
•How did immigrant cultures adapt to and resist mainstream American culture?
•What forces led to the "New Woman" of the twentieth century, and to what degree did these changes represent changes in the hierarchy?
•How were racial categories central to creating a modern American identity, and how did these categories influence foreign policy?
•In what ways were American politics shaped by the rise of plutocrats and labor strife?

The Coming of the Civil War

Students will respond to multiple reading quizzes and perform an in-class exam on the growing sectional political and social divisions. Students will also create a fictional "dinner party conversation" between approximately fifteen major figures from the era, displaying the major themes of the ante-bellum period.

•The chief causes of the Civil War
•The role territorial expansion and slavery played in the growth of sectionalism
•How the anti-slavery movement grew and the arguments and tactics it used

•That the ante-bellum era was characterized by conflicting views on the growth of the USA and the role of slavery in it
•That the causes of the Civil War can best be understood from a regional perspective
•That the anti-slavery movement employed specific strategies that proved successful over a long period of time

•What impact did slavery have on slaves, masters, and bystanders?
•Why did views about slavery become more divergent and strident in the 19th century?
•How did economic and religious transformations influence these changes?How did gender and immigration influence the debate on slavery?
•Why did compromise become increasingly elusive, eventually collapsing the Jacksonian Party System, and culminating in the Civil War?
•What were the possibilities for transformation in the Civil War and Reconstruction, and why were so many basic injustices left in place (or reinstated) by the 1890s?

Political and Ideological Debates in the Early Republic

Students will respond to multiple reading quizzes and write a brief, four-to-six-page paper, in which each student explains their own political philosophy on a number of topics, such as the government's role in the economy, with the ideas of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson in mind.

•The chief causes of the American Revolution
•Some of the historical debates about why the Revolution occurred
•How federalists and anti-federalists debated the shape of the new government and how these debates took form in the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution
•Discerning complex arguments and theories from published academic work
•Assessing evidence and evaluating sources
•Participating effectively in class discussion
•Crafting their own argumentative essay on political philosophy
•Citing their sources in Chicago style.

•That the era of the Early Republic was defined by opposing ideas and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government
•That debates in the era were often based on more profound philosophical ideas rooted in the Enlightenment and Classical thought
•That current political debates often have their origins in the very debates that characterized the Early Republic

•What were the specific demographic features of British North America and how did they influence the shape and characteristics of the colonies?
•What was republicanism and what was its role in colonial America?
•How did the "protestant ethic" shape colonial society?
•Why did the Framers differ so greatly in their objectives for the United States?
•How did political elites in the Early Republic debate the proper roles of a national government?

The Development of Slavery and Racism in Colonial Virginia

Students will respond to multiple reading quizzes and participate in an in-class evaluation which will measure both their proficiency with the historical material but the complex interaction between racism and slavery.

•The basic outline of early European imperialism in the Americas
•The multiple forms of labor employed in the early British colonies
•The chief stages through which racialized slavery developed in Virginia
•And the chief differences between the southern colonies and those of puritan New England
•Discerning complex arguments and theories from published academic work;
•Assessing evidence and evaluating sources
•Participating effectively in class discussion
•Crafting their own written argument on the development of racism and slavery in Virginia

•That racism is both a socially constructed form of identity and a powerful historical and social force
•That the history of early British North America is one of overlapping impacts from imperialism, racism, and capitalism.

•How did the colonization of British North America relate to other colonial projects of the era, especially that of Spain?
•Why did a race-based form of slavery appear and come to characterize the society in Virginia?
•How did distinctly American forms of racism and slavery develop together in colonial Virginia?

The Modern World

Final Project

Students are assessed on their performance in

•individual research components
•group collaboration through the process
•final presentation before judges and audience

•Effectively collaborate
•Effectively present material to a large audience
•Research a broad topic
•Create an annotated bibliography
•Write with concision and purpose

•Their ability to both work independently and as a member of their group
•The qualities that go into a strong presentation
•The critical components to improvement for their group's presentation topic

•What ideas are the most compelling in terms of improving the material well-being, environment, gender equity, health, and governmental performance of a developing nation?
•What have you learned about yourself in terms of strengths and challenges in group project work?

Decolonization in India and The Congo

Student understanding and knowledge will be assessed through:
•Periodic reading quizzes
•An in-class exam comprised of term identifications, map sequencing and short response questions.

•The rise of political parties in India and the role of Gandhi in developing the Indian Independence movement
•The growing divisions between Muslims and Hindus in India in the wake of WWII
•The nature of partition in India and its immediate consequences
•The course and nature of political rule in India from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi and the role of Sikh separatism in Indian political instability
•The state of democracy and modernization in India today, including knowledge of the rise of corruption and gender discrimination and the impacts of these forces on quality of life
•The rise of Narendra Modi and differing views on the state of democracy, religious tolerance and modernization in India today
•The rise of political organization in the Congo and the forces that led to Congolese independence
•The ways in which decolonization in the Congo was more of a crisis than a triumph
•The course and nature of political rule in the Congo under Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu
•The rise of Mobutu's cult-of-personality and the ways in which US intervention supported his rule
•The role of Rwanda and President Paul Kagame in the fall of Mobutu and rise of •The state of Congolese democracy today under Joseph Kabila

•The development of domestic political resistance and political parties in colonized countries
•The economic, political and social motivations for Western colonizing powers to begin granting independence and self-rule to colonized regions
•The role that Cold War tensions between the USA and USSR played in driving the behavior of decolonizing countries and the advantages and disadvantages of "non-alinged" status
•The ways in which ethnic and religiously based political parties were often able to defeat secular parties
•The challenges of governing multi-ethnic and multi-religious states and the relative advantages and disadvantages of partitioning newly independent states into ethnically or religiously divided regions
•The forces that lead to the rise of corruption, patronage and cult-of-personality government, the role of the USA and USSR in supporting these governments, and the long-term effects of these systems on quality of life
•The nature of democracy in decolonized countries today and the prospect of western democracy thriving in these regions

•In what ways did the major developments of the 19th and early 20th century - industrialization, nationalism colonization and World Wars - continue to shape the course of events in decolonizing regions of the world?
•How do India and the Congo serve as microcosms of trends of decolonization?
What were the major challenges faced by colonized countries as they pursued independence and decolonization?
•How did the tensions between the superpowers of the USA and USSR shape events in India and the Congo?
•How did the problem of governing multiethnic and multi-religious states created by colonial borders evolve under decolonized governments?
•How did corruption, patronage and cult-of-personality government evolve in each country and how does this influence quality of life for citizens?
•Is democratization in the western sense possible and ideal for recently decolonized countries?

WWI, WWII and the Cold War via Iraq and Yugoslavia

•Reading quizzes
•Teaching class
•Contributions to class discussions (virtual and in-person)
•Test
•Longer paper on personal criteria for military intervention in a sovereign country

•The forces and conditions that led to both World Wars
•The appeal of fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany, and communism in the USSR, and the actual conditions in these regimes
•The conditions which led to the spread of communism after World War II, and that which led to its demise
•The ways that both Yugoslavia and Iraq, respectively, were held together in the post-WWII era, and how they imploded
•The international responses to war crimes in Yugoslavia and Iraq
•Their own criteria for intervention in a sovereign nation
•Read complex texts for main arguments and key evidence
•Teach the material for a day
•Engage in productive, reflective class discussions (whether virtual or online)
•Deploy factual command of key elements of 20th century to construct meaning
•Write an effective argument on intervention criteria

•That the dynamism of industrial capitalism and modernity created challenges and insecurities that representative democracy did (and can still) struggle to manage in a satisfactory manner, which leads to...
•The appeal of communism, fascism, and racial nationalism, respectively.
•That national borders, particularly given the friction within and between multi-ethnic states, is a great challenge to world peace
•That the rights of minorities within multi-ethnic have often been precarious, and the 20th century has been punctuated with genocide as well as times of greater tolerance
•That intervention and non-intervention can both have great costs.

•In what ways did the major developments of the 19th century—industrialization, nationalism, and imperialism—continue to shape the course of events in the 20th century?
•What brought the major empires to the breaking point, and how have their respective unraveling influenced world history?
•What forces led to World War I, the Russian Revolution, and World War II? Why were fascism and communism attractive solutions to problems of the modern state?
•How do two crossroads countries—Yugoslavia and Iraq—serve as microcosms of the broader trends in 20th century Europe, particularly regarding governing a multi-ethnic state?
•What forces have accentuated conflict between ethnic/sectarian groups, and what elements have mitigated hostilities?
•How has Western intervention (or the lack thereof) impacted the trajectories of Yugoslavian and Iraqi history,respectively?
•How did the atrocities of World War II help create the U.N. position on Genocide, and how effective has this protocol been in shaping world responses to breaches of this social contract?

Colonialism and Imperialism

Students will demonstrate understandings and knowledge through:
•Periodic reading quizzes
•An in-class essay comparing the characteristics and themes of colonization in the Gambia, the Congo and Japan

•The economic and social reasons for a shift away from the African slave trade and towards "legitimate commerce"
•The course of colonization of the Niumi people (modern day Gambia) by the British and the role of peanut production in creating economy dependency
•The course of colonization of the Congo by King Leopold II and the role of rubber extraction in driving a particularly violent form of colonial administration
•The role of missionaries in colonization of the Congo, and the growth of messianic religions such as "Kimbanguism" as both an embrace of Western Christianity and a form of resistance
•The role of urban life and "total companies" in creating dependency and submissiveness among the Congolese population
•The weaknesses in Tokugawa Japanese society which allowed Matthew Perry to "open" Japanese society
•The reforms carried under the Meiji Restoration and how these allowed Japan to resist Western intervention
•The role of Japanese nationalism under the Meiji government and the ways in which the Japanese nation modernized, westernized and developed a unique identity

•The ways in which the forces previously studied (industrialization and nationalism) incentivized Europeans to shift away from the slave trade and towards colonialism
•The roots of racist ideologies such as Social Darwinism
•The ways in which different raw materials influenced the structure of colonial governments
•The tools used by colonizing powers to create dependency and submission within African and Asian peoples
•The role of religion as both a tool of colonization and a tool of resistance
•The various ways in which colonized peoples resisted colonial rule, and the reasons for the effectiveness of these different tactics
•The impacts of colonialism that persist today

•How did industrialization and nationalism influence Europe’s imperialist impulse?
•Why were Western nations able to dominate so many foreign lands? How did these nations justify their conquests?
•To what extent were colonialism and imperialism the product—or the genesis—of racism?
•How did the different resources extracted from colonial holdings influence the nature of colonial governance?
•How and why did colonized people respond so differently to colonialism/imperialism? What were different methods of resistance and how effective were these methods?
•How did religion influence the colonized and the colonizers?

The Nation

Students choose one of the following research essay topics:
•Compare the French Revolution and the Arab Spring.
•Discuss the current state of the French national identity, reflecting on how the ideals of the French Revolution are faring in a new age of immigration, globalization, and religious diversity.

•The course of the French Revolution, including the events that led to the collapse of the Ancient Regime in France, the rise of a constitutional monarchy, elements which led to the rise of radical republicanism under the Reign of Terror, and the resolution of these events in the form of Napoleon's French empire;
•The ways in which the policies and rule of Napoleon can be seen as both signs of the success and failure of the principles of the French Revolution;
•That nationalism is largely an invention of the modern era, and the tools that are utilized in its pursuit.

•Factors that lead to governmental instability and political mobilization.
•Forces that tend to determine the "spin of the revolutionary wheel," such as conflict between revolutionary idealists and pragmatists, tensions between an educated elite and the masses, and the need to establish order and functionality in a new state.
•The ways in which the nation-state is a marker of the modern world, and how nationalism can be a "created" or "imagined" identity used for political purposes.

•What made the Ancien Regime collapse in France and what emerged out of the revolution?
•How did the French Revolution (and revolutions in general) follow patterns of radicalism and reaction? What forces drove these different phases of the revolution? In what ways was Napoleon a sign of both the successes and failure of the principles of the revolution?
•What is nationalism? What is the nation-state?What are the differences between civic, ethnic and integral nationalism?
•Why did nationalism and the nation-state emerge in France in the late 18th century? How did the leaders of the new France use nationalism as a tool of the revolution?
•Can a much more diverse France recreate French nationalism? If so, will it be civic or ethnic nationalism?
•In what ways does the Arab Spring mirror the French Revolution and what lessons can be learned about the course of revolutions in general?

The Industrial Revolution

Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding through the "Object Project," in which they work with a partner to research the history and impact of an object or idea born of the Industrial Revolution era. The students will produce a short research-based essay on this object and how it relates to the themes of the unit, as well as producing a short video to share with the class.

•The theory of the Malthusian Trap and how the Industrial Revolution allowed societies to produce resources in a way that allowed inflation-adjusted income to grow exponentially in some parts of the world
•While at the same time, many parts of the world have seen stagnant if not dropping real incomes since the Industrial Revolution
•How the Agricultural Revolution and the enclosure of common land changed relationships between laborers and their work, and how enclosure allowed for a growing middle class as well as a large group of unemployed and landless citizens
•How the discovery of fossil fuels fundamentally changed energy use and allowed humans to produce at exponentially higher levels while creating a new, which had costs and benefits
•The core tenets of Marxist theory as a criticism of the conditions of urban industrial life for the working class
•Acemoglu and Robinson's theory of extractive and inclusive institutions as an explanation for why the Industrial Revolution occurred in England and in the textile industry
•How the Industrial Revolution allowed for the emergence of a middle class, and the social and cultural values of the Victorian-era middle class
•The ways in which creative destruction is at work in today's world
•Differing theories on whether the Industrial Revolution improved or harmed quality of life for those who lived through it
•Research and cite internet based sources, and utilize the Upper School Library's book resources
•Improve their writing skills
•Construct an animated movie to present their understanding
•Collaborate with a peer in constructing an effective paper and film

•The creation of new technologies and innovations created great disruption in economic, environmental, cultural and social dimensions of life
•The Industrial Revolution is characterized by mechanization, urbanization and rapidly expanding production
•While the Industrial Revolution allowed for vast improvement in quality of life for some, it came with the destruction of ways of life for many others, and will understand why this was the case

•What was the British Industrial Revolution?
•How did the Industrial Revolution allow for a breaking of the Malthusian Trap and the beginning of the Great Divergence?
•Why did the Industrial Revolution occur in England in the 18th and 19th century and primarily in the textile industry?
•What is creative destruction?
•How do Marxist and capitalist theorists view the Industrial Revolution?
•How did energy usage change as a result of the Industrial Revolution? How did new sources of energy drive the Industrial Revolution?

Quality of Life

Throughout the unit students will demonstrate understanding on short reading quizzes. The final assessment consists of a short analytical essay in which students will choose three major determinants in quality of life (other than material well-being and health) and propose a methodology for assessing these factors across countries. The essay will emphasize use of the course materials to support arguments.

•Engage in quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis of demographic and economic data
•Understand and critique methodologies of social science research
•Know differing scholarly assessments of the relative impact of numerous factors on quality of life, including: religion, wealth, health, family, community and political freedom on quality of life
•Practice constructing objective measurements of subjective factors (i.e. - how to measure quality of community or family)
•Write analytically based on course materials
•Cite sources using Chicago-style footnotes

•That material well-being tends to be a major explanation of differences in quality of life between countries but that the impact of material well-being is complex and can undermine some aspects of quality of life
•That social scientists often must measure subjective concepts through objective means
•The theory that balancing community and individualism or tradition and modernity is important in establishing quality of life

•What is quality of life and how do we measure it?
•How does material well-being affect quality of life?
•Why do some parts of the world consistently rank higher in quality of life than others?

Human Crossroads

World Religions

•Students will co-teach a 30-minute class based on 2-3 primary source experts from sacred texts from one of the five major world religions
•Students will visit a place of worship in Portland and interview one of its spiritual community leaders. Based on this visit, students will compare and contrast their personal experience of this religion with the ideals expressed in the sacred texts
•Students will write an in-class essay that compares and contrasts two of the five major religions across three aspects faith

•Specific, factual information about 8 aspects of the five major world religions, including:
•Power and leadership
•Sects
•Death and the afterlife
•Rituals
•Sacred texts
•Major beliefs
•Morality and punishment
•The divine
•How the Abrahamic faiths are all connected
•Why Buddhism emerged from Hinduism
•How to respectfully engage in a discussion for greater religious understanding
•Various ways to interpret sacred texts

•Why people have faith
•Contested definitions of religion
•the evolution from polytheistic to monotheistic religions
•Similarities and differences between the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
•That geography, institutions, and globalization all impact religious beliefs
•How sacred texts translate into personal faith

•What purpose does religion serve in society?
•In what way are the world’s religions similar and in what way are they different?
•How has each religion dealt with the tension between its sacred texts and modern social values and scientific advancements?
•To what extent do “all rivers flow into the same ocean?”

Racial Justice

Students will create an infographic that introduces the Catlin Gabel community to the PLACE Center, the PLACE Center’s Coalition Partners, systemic racism in Portland and possible solutions for racial equality and justice in Portland

•Theories of social vulnerability, social change, and social justice
•Local and national case studies of racial injustice
•Causes of gentrification and displacement in the Albina neighborhood
•How to present quantitative and qualitative information in visually engaging ways

•Racial and ethnic classification systems emerged from the Enlightenment through pseudo-scientific thinking
•Racial classifications have been replicated and reinforced through institutions and systems of power
•Segregation and cycles of disinvestment have had long term impacts on racial disparities and racial justice in Portland
•Non-profits in Portland are using various strategies to combat systemic racism

•How has race been socially constructed throughout history?
•How do institutions and systems reinforce racial inequalities? In which institutions do we see these racial inequalities emerge?

Economic Inequality

•Students will debate the question, "Should the national minimum wage be raised to $15 an hour?" using their knowledge and understanding of the market for labor, the determinants of supply and demand and the principles of the economic perspective
•Students will develop an economic policy speech for one of the 2016 presidential primary candidates that articulates their candidate's response to rising income inequality in America

•The way in which the principles of the economic perspective apply to their own lives
•The intersection of the supply and demand curves is equal to market price
•The laws of demand and supply and the determinants that shift the demand and supply curves
•The effect of price floors and price ceilings on markets
•Keynesian versus Hayekian perspectives of government involvement in the economy

•The six principles of the economic perspective
•There is no such thing as a "free lunch"
•That geography, institutions, and globalization all impact economic systems and outcomes
•Markets tend to be amoral
•How Adam Smith revolutionized economic thinking
•The causes of rising income inequality in America and possible solutions
•The relationship between political ideology and economic ideology

•How does capitalism maximize human potential?
•What is your economic ideology? How do you weigh equality of outcomes versus equality of opportunity?
•How does income inequality positively and negatively impact our economic system?
•How are prices determined in a capitalist system?
•What should be done about rising income inequality in America?

Sustainable Population Growth

•Students will deliver quick-turnaround oral presentations on the population composition of an assigned country; students analyze population pyramids and argue for the demographic opportunities and challenges facing the country
•Students will debate the One Child Policy in China
•Students will write an analytical essay synthesizing assigned readings and outside sources on Nigeria's opportunities and challenges for achieving sustainable
population growth

•The causes of population growth
•The phases of the demographic transition model
•Patterns in global population distribution and growth rates
•The push and pull factors of international and domestic migration
•Different government approaches to population control and family planning
•Introductory research skills (key words and search engine leading practices)
•How to incorporate outside research into an original argument

•Rapid and low population growth rates carry different economic, social, and political consequences for a country
•Global migration is a key feature of globalization and can bring economic, social, cultural, and political changes to a country
•Population growth and migration challenges overseas can have immediate impacts on the United States

•To what extent should the government be responsible for ensuring sustainable population growth?
•How might a country's geography, institutions, and extent of globalization pose challenges or opportunities for sustainable population growth?
•Why do people move?

Perspectives

•Group oral presentations on sociodemographic measures in an assigned Portland zip code
•A short thesis-driven essay on a current Portland issue and analysis of a map related to the issue

•Basic active reading and annotation skills
•Basic Chicago Style footnote and works cited conventions
•Basic analytical essay structure (with a particular focus on thesis development)
•The names and locations of countries and states in North America and the Caribbean
•The different scholarly perspectives on what makes countries successful or less successful
•How to analyze thematic maps
•How to incorporate quantitative evidence into an argument
•How to prepare and deliver a persuasive oral presentation

•Geography, institutions, and globalization all impact issues on local, national, and international scales
•Environmental determinism, possibilism, and globalization are competing theories for understanding change
•That the study of geography involves examining location, human-environment interactions, regions, place, and migration
•How maps can be distorted or manipulated to convey an argument

•What kinds of questions do geographers ask?
•How can we apply the geographic perspective to contemporary issues?
•How do maps tell a story?
•Just how flat is the world?
•How are geography, institutions, and globalization/technology driving change at the local level in Portland?

Coed Volleyball, Tennis and Badminton

Individual and team competitive games.

•Tactical skills, rules, technical components of each sport, movement concepts, and motor skills
•Social skills that demonstrate awareness of self and others in a game setting.

•You can improve your physical fitness in a variety of sports.
•Many sports have transferable skills.
•Social interaction can make sports more enjoyable.

•Where can we find the things we enjoy doing?
•What physical activities are fun?
•What physical activities have health benefits, personal challenges, and social interaction?
•What kind of sports can we play throughout our lives?

Lifetime Fitness

•Fitness testing at the beginning and end of the school year
•The individual progress a student makes throughout the school year

•Principles of training; frequency, intensity, time, and type
•Fitness components: Agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, speed
•Positive impacts of weight training including strength, endurance, bone strength/density, and decreased risk of injury from ordinary use
•Safe and effective use of weight room equipment
•Health related: Cardio-respiratory endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and body composition.

•An appreciation of of exercise for it's health benefits and personal challenges.
•The ability to identify, explain, and apply principles of fitness.
•The awareness of concepts, principles , and strategies to improve health and performance.

•What can we do to maintain or enhance the performance aspects of physical fitness?
•What can we do to be physically active and why is it important?
•How will physical activity help us now and in the future?
•Why is it important to be physically fit and how can we stay fit?

Performance Fitness/TRX

•Student can demonstrate correct use of weight room equipment.
•The ability to implement personal fitness goals and monitor personal progress.

•Knows the principles of training and goal- setting to achieve personal goals.
•Can effectively use a variety of weight room equipment.

•Different methods of training can be used for desired results.
•Awareness of the training benefits of specialized fitness equipment.

Essential Questions?

•What can we do to enhance health and improve physical fitness?
•What different activities can we do to be physically fit?
•How do we set fitness goals?

Fitness by Design

•The student can create and apply their own program of fitness.

•Can design a personal fitness plan.
•Can use the weight room equipment in a safe and effective manner
•Can identify, explain and apply the principles of fitness and wellness

•Competency in applying the concepts of fitness and health
•Show awareness of application of the principles of fitness

•What components of fitness and health do I value?
•How do I maintain wellness in my life?

Beginning Tennis

•Individual and team competitive games.
•Playing the game: continued skill improvement and enjoyment of the game over time will provide the most authentic assessment

•Tennis rules,etiquette, mechanical components of forehand, backhand, serve, volley, and overhead
•Tactical skills including: shot placement, shot selection, and court positioning

•Repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•You can improve your performance regardless of who your competitor is.
•There are basic and advanced strategies during game play
•Rules and regulations facilitate safe and fair competition
•Self-directed learners analyze performance and make adjustments on the basis of feedback to improve their performance

•What movement skills are necessary for different physical activities and how can we cultivate those skills?
•What is healthy competition?
•How do we interact with others during physical activities?
•Where can we find the things we enjoy doing?

Disc Golf

•Individual and team scoring on different disc golf courses, using a variety of goal/hole placements
•Playing the game: continued skill improvement and enjoyment of the game over time will provide the most authentic assessment

Disc golf course rules,score keeping, proper techniques,correct grips, windup, stance, release, follow through, foot placement, and use of legs

•Repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•You can improve your performance regardless of who your competitor is
•Your mind must know what your body is doing

•How do we interact with others during physical activity?
•What are you trying to accomplish?
•What makes a fair competition ?
•Where can we find the activities we enjoy doing?

Advanced Electives

Science Research

Presenting Results

•Progress on research
•Poster

•Expanding each individual’s ability to write a scientific paper
•Create a poster for a scientific meeting.
•Present at a scientific conference setting Students will present their work in an oral seminar format at the Junior Academy of Science and/or in poster format at the Northwest Science Expo for feedback from scientists)

• Communicate work in a CV, cover letter, research statement, poster, or conference or seminar
•Communicating results is an essential part of the scientific process

•How do scientists communicate their findings?
•How does the peer review process work?

Data Collection and Analysis

•Participation in “Lab Group” Meetings
•Progress on project

•Time management skills
•Interpretation and analysis of data (specific to a project)

•Science is a collaborative process.
•Knowledge base in a specific discipline accumulates over time
•The knowledge base will always include incorrect information. Over time, the scientific process tends to [eventually] correct most errors
•Expected results and actual results may be very different

•How do I budget time for my project?
•How will I pay for my project?
•What are my space needs? My supervision needs? My mentor needs?
•How will I analyze my quantitative and/or qualitative data?

Developing a Research Project

•Progress in defining a question
•Participation in “Lab Group” meetings

•Development of broad-based knowledge acquisition skills
•Safety (for investigators and others involved in the research project)
•Estimating time requirements for a project.
•Mapping of a research project: Gantt charts

•An analytical approach to defining scientific questions is required of scientists.
•Scientists design testable hypotheses. A hypothesis can be unsupported and even disproven by data, but data cannot prove a hypothesis to be true.

•How do scientists identify a good scientific problem?
•Is the project feasible?
•Is the project interesting to me? To others?

•How do we decide if a problem is interesting?

•Once a problem is identified, how does a scientist design and implement a research project?
•How can scientists avoid cognitive failures and bias in research?
•What is the risk in looking for data that supports your hypothesis rather than data that undermines your hypothesis?

Advanced Physics

Special Relativity

•Homework: Answers provided so students can check their own understanding immediately, checked by instructor of completeness and validity
•Tests: Check for individual comprehension and ability to apply knowledge to new situations

•Fundamental Postulates of Relativity
Equations for length contraction, time dilation, mass vs. rest mass, relative velocities
•Connections between space and time

•Length, time and mass are affected by speed
•No object can travel faster than light
The strange predictions of special relativity are borne out by real, fast moving particles

Electricity and Magnetism

•Coulomb’s Law
•Construction of simple circuits
•Analysis of series, parallel, series-parallel circuits of resistors and capacitors
•Analysis and assembly of RC circuits
•Use of symmetry to simplify problems
•Use of Integration to solve problems

•Electricity and Magnetism can be understood with the concept of fields
Static electricity forces involve non-moving charges
•Magnets occur as dipoles
•Symmetry is very useful in analyzing EM situations – potentially complex mathematics becomes simple
•MOVING charges interact with (and create) magnetic fields
•Much of modern technology relies on electromagnetism

•How do charges affect other charges?
•How do magnetic poles interact?
•How do electricity and magnetism interact?
•How is calculus useful in understanding and analyzing electromagnetic situations?

Mechanics

•Lab reports: Written presentation of student understanding and application to actual experiments
•Homework: Answers provided so students can check their own understanding immediately, checked by instructor of completeness and validity
•Tests: Check for individual comprehension and ability to apply knowledge to new situations
•Presentation: Build a working model and discuss Bernoulli application

•Making and interpreting position, velocity, and acceleration graphs
•Use of kinematics equations
•Newton’s 3 laws of motion
•Law of Universal Gravitation
•Draw and use Free Body Diagrams
•Calculation, measurement, and units for momentum and energy (kinetic and potential)
•Archimedes’ Principle
•Bernoulli Equation

•Derivatives and integrals have useful meanings in physics
•Motion can be described precisely and succinctly both graphically and mathematically
•Unbalanced forces cause changes in motion
•Momentum and energy are conserved
•Moving fluids are different from static fluids

•How is calculus relevant and useful in understanding the world?
•How can we describe how things move?
•How do forces effect motion?
•What quantities are conserved?
•How do fluids work?

Advanced Chemistry

Unit 10: Coordination Compounds

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimental methods to study the coordination and organic compounds

•Coordination compounds involve covalent ligands attached to metallic ions
•Organic chemistry involves several distinct classes of carbon-based compounds with predictable properties based on their structure

•What are some more complex chemical structures and how do they behave?
•How can we use common structures to predict behavior of unknown compounds?

Unit 9: Electrochemistry

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimental methods to study electrochemical cells

•Oxidation and reduction reactions can be used to create voltaic cells
•The voltage in an electrochemical cell is determined by the elements involved and by the concentrations of the reacting solutions

How can chemical reaction produce electricity?

Unit 8: Nuclear Chemistry

Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations

•Neutrons and protons determine the stability of a nucleus
•Unstable nuclei decay a few predictable ways
•Nuclei can combine in nuclear fusion
•Decay of nuclei can be triggered by collisions (nuclear fission)
•Nuclear reactions can act as an energy source

•What factors affect the stability of the nucleus of an atom?
•What happens when a nucleus decays?
•What happens in nuclear impacts?

Unit 7: Thermodynamics

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimental methods to study thermodynamic principles

•The entropy of a system affects the outcome of a reaction
•Gibbs Free Energy combines the influences of entropy and enthalpy to determine spontaneity
•Temperature and change in enthalpy also affect the outcome of a reaction

What determines whether a reaction is spontaneous?

Unit 6: Reaction Kinetics

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimental methods to study the factors that affect reaction rate

•Molecules must collide in order for a reaction to occur
•The rate of a chemical reaction can be affected by concentration, temperature, or the presence of a catalyst
•Catalysts increase the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the reaction.
•Catlaysts work in a variety of ways
•Increasing the concentration of a reactant can affect the rate of the reaction in different ways depending on the mechanism of the reaction
•Knowing the rate law for a reaction can help to understand the mechanism of the reaction
•Increasing the temperature of a reaction increases the rate of the reaction by providing more energetic and more frequent collisions

•What factors affect the rate of a chemical reaction?
•What can the rate of a chemical reaction tell us about the mechanism of the reaction?

Unit 5: Other Aqueous Equilibria

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimentation to explore various aqueous equilibria

•Adding compounds with common ions will shift equilibria
•The solubility of a compound is determined by the equilibrium between the solid and dissolved states of the substance

•How do compounds behave in aqueous equilibria?
•What factors affect solubility?
•What effect does equilibrium have on chemical reactions?

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimentation to study properties of acids and bases
•Understand how to use Ka, Kb, and pH
•Design and create a buffer to a target pH

•Acids and bases have unique chemical properties
•Acids and bases can be defined in different ways
•Acids and bases create dynamic equilibria when in aqueous solution
•pH can help describe the position of the equilibrium in a solution
•Buffers maintain solutions at a relatively constant pH
•Buffers can be created by careful combinations of acids, bases, and salts

•How do acids and bases behave?
•What is a buffer?

Unit 3: Compounds and Bonding

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use Lewis dot structures to diagram the structure of molecules
•Analyze molecular structures to predict and show resonance
•Use experimental methods to study intermolecular forces

•Electrons transfer between atoms to create ions
•Ions combine to create ionic crystal lattices
•Electrons are shared between atoms to create covalent bonds
•Molecular structure can be predicted based on several underlying principles
•The structure of electron orbitals changes to create bonding orbitals
•Double and triple bonds involve multiple pairs of electrons being shared between atoms and have a unique structure
•Resonance of electrons can stabilize structures

•How do atoms bond?
•What structures do molecules have?
•How does the structure of a compound inform its behavior?

Unit 2: Atomic Structure

•Electrons within the atom are quantized.
•Electrons have wave properties
•Electrons’ can be described by probability distributions within the atom
•The electronic structure of the atom explains its behavior
•Periodic properties of the elements can be explained by electronic structure and effective nuclear charge

•What is the quantum structure of the atom?
•What is the nature of an electron?

Unit 1: Review

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Understand how to use stoichiometry to analyze problems
•Use experimentation to study the nature of matter

•Previous knowledge can be applied to new problems
•Understand the basic components of the atom
•Understand the basic structure of ionic and covalent compounds

What do you already know that you can apply to this situation?

Advanced Biology

Unit 6: Research Project

•Students will be assessed on the quality of the preliminary research that informs the identification and design of the research project
•Students will be assessed on their effort and progress relative to their proposed project schedule
•Students will be assessed on the communication of their results and conclusions.

•Specific Knowledge and skills will be determined by the nature of the project

•Understand how to identify a scientific problem
•Understand how to form a hypothesis
•Understand how to create an experiment that will test a hypothesis

•How do scientists identify interesting and important problems?
•How do scientists solve problems?

Unit 5: Molecular Techniques

•Class participation
•Lab work: Transformation (Blue/White color selection). GMO testing (via PCR), Alu repeat detection (PV92 on chromosome 16) testing of students, Single Nucleotide Substitution testing (of students) for Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) Sensitivity gene TAS2R38
•Individual presentations on a single gene inherited disorder for which the corresponding genetic lesion has been identified. Students will describe the disorder from soup to nuts, exploring everything from the disorder’s original description, phenotype, and treatment, to the identification of the gene, the nature of the DNA defect and the mechanism by which that defect causes disease. A detailed description of how the gene was identified is central in this presentation.

•Applications of prokaryotic operons (see Unit 4)in cloning systems
•Use of substrate analogs in the laboratory: X-gal, IPTG, ONPG, phenyl-Gal, and others
•DNA Replication
•Polymerase Chain Reaction and an introduction to primer design
•Using DNA and protein sequences to build phylogenetic trees

Nature provides many tools that are used in the laboratory, including not only tools for cutting, splicing, replicating and sequencing, but also for the transfer and expression of these genes.

•When and how are tools adapted or developed to solve problems in science and when are problems in science adapted to the tools available?
•Once isolated (see Unit 1), how do we manipulate DNA? How do we cut, splice, sequence, and modify DNA?
•How are genes introduced into an organism’s genome? How is their expression controlled once they are introduced to a new organism?
•What are the fundamental relationships between DNA replication, inheritance, and evolution?

Unit 4: Gene Expression

•Class participation
•Lab work: Bacterial transformation (pGlo), Acrylamide Protein Gel electrophoresis.
•Individual presentations on cloning systems, including those of historical significance:
•Plasmids (various)
•Cosmids
•Viral vectors (various)
•Yeast Artificial Chromosomes
•Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes
•Mammalian Artificial Chromosomes

Knowlledge and Skills

•Regulation of prokaryotic gene expression: lactose operon, trp operon, L-arabinose operon, phosphotransferase system, and eukaryotic gene expression mechanisms
•An understanding of the role of Promoters,Repressors, Operators, Structural genes, repressor proteins, and other components of an operon
•Positive/Negative and Inducible/Repressible operon control
•Natural plasmids and adaptation and engineering of modern plasmids for use in the laboratory: pBR322/ pBR325, pUC series, Ti plasmids, and others described by students in presentations
•An understanding of how operon controls have been put to use in cloning systems.
•Components of plasmids, including those used in the laboratory: MCS, ori, selectable markers, and components specific to shuttle and expression vectors

•A gene is a region of DNA that encodes a functional RNA or protein product. That product may be a structural protein, enzyme, regulatory protein, structural RNA, or regulatory RNA
•While the Genome Project may be complete our understanding of the relationship between an organism's genome and its phenotype is in its infancy.
•Prokaryotic genomes and the regulation of prokaryotic genes are streamlined compared to the genomes of eukaryotes
•Concepts related to prokaryotic gene expression carry over to eukaryotic gene regulation even if specifics do not

•What is a gene?
•How is the information in a gene translated into a phenotype?
•How does a genome interact with its environment?

Unit 3: Genome Organization and Evolution

•Class participation
•Individual presentations on cytogeneticdisorders (now including molecular cytogenetic disorders)

•Chromosome types: acrocentric, telocentric, metacentric, and submetacentric
•Chromosomes are, for the most part, numbered according to size
•The distribution of genes over chromosomes is uneven
•Chromosome variations exist: Ring chromosomes, Robertsonian fusions chromosomes, Translocations, Reciprocal Translocations, Inversions

•Chromosomes and Linkage Groups are related in important ways
•Chromosomes are a complex of DNA and proteins whereas the DNA most commonly manipulated in the lab has been stripped of proteins
•Chromosomes are highly ordered, dynamic structures

What is a chromosome?

How do prokaryotic and eukaryotic chromosomes differ?

What are the origins of the mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes?

How does human chromosome shape and numbercompare to that of other eukaryotes?

How can we manipulate DNA (first steps)?

Unit 2: Heredity

•Class participation
•Labwork: Mitotic Index calculations. Identification of the stages ofmitosis. Linkage in Sordaria fimicola

•Mendel’s Laws
•Extensions and Exceptions to Mendel’s •Laws: Incomplete dominance, Codominance, Epistasis, Variations in Penetrance and Expressivity, Lethal Alleles and balanced lethallines, Pleiotropy, Phenocopies, Maternal Inheritance/Mitochondrial Inheritance, Heteroplasmy, Chimerism, and Linkage •Linkage groups and genetic maps.

•Mitosis and Meiosis
•Inherited traits come from biological parents
•Variation is a prerequisite for studying inheritance
•A large percentage of genetic disorders are sporadic and are not passed from one generation to the next
•Exceptions to basic Mendelian Inheritance are extremely common

•How can one predict what traits will be passed from one generation to another?
•How are genes and chromosomes important in determining heredity traits?
•How do we distinguish heritable traits from acquired traits?

Unit 1: Molecules and Cells

•Class participation
•Lab work: micropipette skills, molecular tools (centrifugation RCF vs. RPM), acid base titrations, buffer construction and titration of buffered solutions, DNA isolation.
•Individual Presentations on DNA isolation techniques:
•MammalianGenomic DNA(organic extraction)
•MammalianGenomic DNA (quick prep)
•PlantGenomic DNA
•Mitochondrial DNA
•Intact Chromosomes (for karyotyping)
•Intact Chromosomal DNA
•Chloroplast DNA
•Bacterial DNA
•Plasmid DNA quick prep
•Plasmid DNA large scale ultra pure
•Ancient/Rare DNA
•Forensic/Crime scene DNA
•DNA from a single cell
•DNA from sperm
•DNA from fingerprints

•Solution Preparation (Molar, Normal, and %Solutions)
•Acid-Base Chemistry, Titration Curves (mono-, di-, and polypro tic acids
•Buffers and buffered solutions
•Titration Skills
•pH scales and indicators
•Solubility concepts, including alcohol precipitation and salting out of nucleic acids

•Chemical principals apply to living systems,although systems in nature are frequently not in thermodynamic equilibrium
•Biologists require a working knowledge of chemistry and a continual awareness of the chemical basis of biological systems

•Do highly organized living organisms obey the laws of physics in chemistry?
•Can I apply my knowledge of chemistry, physics, and mathematic to the study of inheritance and the science of living organisms?
•What is the concentration of molecules in a typical cell?
•What aspects of homeostatic equilibrium must be duplicated in vitro?
•How does form fit function?

General Electives

Neurobiology

nervous systems take in information from the environment, integrate it, and produce some response

the central nervous system relies on the peripheral nervous system for input and output

information from multiple sensory systems converges in the brain

information from the brain diverges to multiple
motor systems and target organs and glands

the number and strength of synapses in a network changes as learning occurs

neurons communicate with each other to control behaviors

brain structure affects brain function

the brain consists of many parts specialized for specific functions

distinct parts of the brain work together to interpret the environment

electrical signaling is used within a neuron

chemical signaling is used between neurons

glial cells support neuron function

information from multiple sensory systems converges in the brain

sensory systems use specialized cells to collect information about the environment

a neuron’s activity can encode information
about intensity and duration of a stimulus

motor systems control musculature and movement

learning and memory require changes in the structure and function of neurons

How do we sense our environment?

How do we think?

What do our brains need to do?

What produces behavior?

What are the building blocks of our brains?

How do neurons communicate with each other?

How do we learn?

What controls the mind?

How do our choices change our brains?

Anatomy and Physiology

metabolic rate determines the energy needs of organisms across a wide range of size and shape

organisms need methods of exchange with the environment

homeostatic mechanisms control temperature, water balance, energy intake, and waste removal

reproductive processes in plants and animals use similar structures in distinct ways

organisms have diverse forms, but face common challenges

organisms must manage temperature, water balance, energy intake, and waste removal in order to be successful in their environments

animal form and function are correlated at all levels of organization

feedback control loops maintain the internal environment in many animals

energy requirements differ across different animal body sizes, activity patterns, and environments

•How does form fit function?
•How do different organisms solve similar challenges?
•Why is homeostasis important for organisms?
•How is an organism well-adapted for the challenges of its environment?

Pathogens and Parasites

•Class work & homework
•Lab work
•Formative and summative in-class
assessments
•Capstone presentation

•Similarities and differences between viruses, bacteria, plant, and animal cells
•All cells can be infected by viruses
•The mammalian immune system includes
innate and acquired features
•Epidemiologists study patterns of health and disease within large populations

•Bacteria are essential to human health, as well as able to cause disease
•Water is an essential reservoir for many pathogens
•The mammalian immune system is a complex system with many specialized cell types
•Preserving good health is easier than treating disease

•What are the biological entities that cause disease and how do they work?
•How do organisms protect against disease?
•How does disease function within a population?
•How does global inequity contribute to the spread of disease?

Physics E - Electrical Engineering

•How to read a circuit diagram
•How to identify electronics components
•Soldering and circuit assembly
•Circuit debugging

•How semiconductors function
•How charge moves around a circuit under the influence of voltage
•Differences between AC and DC components and circuits
•How transformers work

•How do electronics circuits work?
•How do electronics components function?

Physics D - Modern Physics

•Lab reports: Written presentation of student understanding and application to actual experiments
•Homework: Answers provided so students can check their own understanding immediately, checked by instructor for completeness and validity
•Tests: Check for individual comprehension and ability to apply knowledge to new situations
•Research and report on a recent development in physics – written and oral report.

•Photoelectric Effect
•Special Relativity
•Use of truth tables for logic circuits
•Construction of digital logic gates

•Light consists of photons, which explain the photoelectric effect
•Distance, time, velocity, and mass are relative
•Holes and electrons are useful in understanding semiconductors, diodes and transistors

•How can light remove electrons from metal surfaces?
•What happens when objects move at nearly the speed of light?
•How do semiconductors work?
•What underlies modern electronics?
•How has our understanding of the atom changed over time?
•How does digital logic work?

Physics C - Electricity and Magnetism

•Coulomb’s Law
•Construction of simple circuits
•Analysis of series, parallel, series-parallel circuits of resistors and capacitors
•Analysis and assembly of RC circuits

•Electricity and Magnetism can be understood with the concept of fields
•Static electricity forces involve non-moving charges
•Magnets occur as dipoles
•MOVING charges interact with (and create) magnetic fields
•Much of modern technology relies on electromagnetism

•How do charges affect other charges?
•How do magnetic poles interact?
•How do electricity and magnetism interact?

Physics B - Waves , Sound and Light

•Lab reports: Written presentation of student understanding and application to actual experiments
•Homework: Answers provided so students can check their own understanding immediately, checked by instructor for completeness and validity
•Tests: Check for individual comprehension and ability to apply knowledge to new situations

•Mathematical analysis of wave behavior
•How waves reflect, refract, diffract
•Drawing and analyzing ray diagram

•Wave phenomena occur the same way in water, sound, and light waves
•Ray Diagrams are a useful way to understand mirror and lens behavior
•EMR has both wave and particle nature

•How do waves behave?
•How can wave behaviors be used to understand sound and light?
•How do mirrors and lenses affect waves?
•How does electromagnetic radiation differ from other types of waves?

Physics A - Mechanics

•Motion can be described precisely and succinctly both graphically and mathematically
•Unbalanced forces cause changes in motion
•Momentum and energy are conserved

•How can we describe how things move?
•How do forces affect motion?
•What quantities are conserved?
•What are simple machines and what do they do?

Organic Chemistry

Organic Synthesis

•Three dimensional reasoning
•Logical reasoning
•Analysis of qualitative data
•Laboratory skills

•Organic reactions can be combined in logical ways to create new compounds
•Knowledge of typical reactions can help predict the products in new reactions
•Knowledge of typical reactions can help determine a logical synthesis pathway for a specific molecule

•How can you create a specific organic molecule from simpler raw materials?

Other Functional Groups

•Different functional groups, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, aromatic compounds, amines, and amides behave in different ways based on their atomic structure

•How do other functional groups inform the behavior of molecules?

Alkenes, Alkanes, Alkynes

•Three dimensional reasoning
•Logical reasoning
•Specific reactions and reaction mechanisms
•Analysis of qualitative data
•Laboratory skills

•Bonds are broken and formed during a reaction
•Intermediates may be important in determining the products of a reaction
•Molecular and electronic structure can determine how, or whether, a reaction happens
•Alkenes, alkanes, and alkynes react in predictable ways
•Alkenes, Alkanes, and alkynes can be combined to form polymers

•How does their structure inform how alkanes, alkenes and alkynes behave?
•What are typical reactions of organic compounds?
•What are typical reaction mechanisms of organic compounds?

Organic Structure

•Participation and classwork
•Homework problem solving
•Lab work and written lab analysis
•Tests and Quizzes

•Be able to diagram (using various conventions)the structures of and name a large variety of carbon-based compounds
•Analyze and evaluate organic structures
•Three-dimensional visualization and reasoning
•Identify functional groups
•Know the characteristics of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, halo-alkanes, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, and amides
•Specific compounds can be identified in the lab using characteristic properties such as melting point and boiling point
•Understand electronegativity, hybrid orbitals, sigma and pi bonds and how they relate to organic structure
•Double and triple bonds create electron-rich areas in molecules
•Understand Bronsted-Lowry acids and bases

•Carbon (and a few other elements') atoms can combine in an endless variety of ways
•Organic compounds can be classified and represented in a variety of ways
•Specific substructures are commonly found in organic molecules and give a compound predictable properties
•Resonance is an important stabilizing force in molecular structure

What are the structures of carbon based compounds?

Geology

•Lab reports: Written presentation of student understanding in class activities
•Homework: Students show understanding of chapter concepts, feedback in instructor comments
•Quizzes: Check for individual comprehension and knowledge of geology vocabulary

•Understand distribution of Earth features and hazards
•Identify igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks
•Understand expanse of geologic time
•Read topographic maps

•Plate Tectonics relates many seemingly unrelated Earth features, processes, and timelines
•The Earth is 4.6 billion years old
•Most geologic processes occur very slowly, and require long periods of time
•Past Earth history can be interpreted by studying current Earth features and processes

•Why study geology?
•How does the Earth operate?
•What is the geologic timescale?
•How many kinds of rocks are there?
•What is the rock cycle?
•What are Earth hazards, where do they occur, and why?
•How does plate tectonics tie most Earth phenomena together?

Food Science; The Chemistry and Microbiology of Food

Unit 4

In-class and homework assignments, and ‘Develop a New Food’ project.

•Research the use of additives and how they may be used in foods
•Work collaboratively with others

•Be familiar with additives commonly used in processed foods, and why they are used.
•Understand the protocols required to gain government approval for a new food or food ingredient.

•How can we make foods more valuable?
•What is the future of foods?

Unit 3

•Class Participation, Laboratory reports, in-class and homework assignments.

•Describe the production of selected fermented foods
•Understand the nutritional changes produced in fermented foods, and the importance of sanitation in the production of foods.
•Recognize the connections between the production of fermented foods and the development of human societies.

•Fermentation produces foods with changed characteristics that are more desirable to consumers.
•Microbial contamination can make foods unsafe or unpalatable and thus must be prevented or minimized.

•Why are fermented foods important components of the human diet?
•How can we ensure the safety of foods?

Unit 2

A combination of in-class and homework assignments, research papers, and laboratory reports.

Understand the function, in various food products, of major food groups (water, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids), how these groups interact with each other during food processing, and how they may be modified by that processing.

Foods are complex mixtures in which all components contribute to the final sensory value and function.

How do the different major food components contribute to food function and human health?

Unit 1

Class Participation in discussions and homework assignments.

Explore occupations that are based on food science, and the importance to a society of having people skilled in this discipline.

See how the science relating to foods is an integral part of production of food in the USA.

•What is Food Science?
•What are the relationships between Food Science and Society

Experimental Chemistry

Unit 6: Equilibrium

•The rate of a chemical reaction can be affected by concentration, temperature, or the presence of a catalyst
•Catalysts increase the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the reaction. Catalysts work in a variety of ways
•Equilibrium is achieved when the rate of the forward and reverse reactions are equal
•Be able to create and interpret reaction profile graphs
•Know what activation energy is and how it affects reaction rate and how it is affected by catalysts
•Know how to write and use equilibrium constant expressions to solve problems
•Use Le Chatelier’s principle to predict the effect of a stress on a system in equilibrium.
•Use experimental methods to study the factors that affect reaction rate
•Use experimental methods to study shifts in equilibrium
•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills to a variety of problem solving situations

•Molecules must collide effectively in order for most reactions to occur
•All chemical reactions have a tendency to reach a state of equilibrium
•Chemical equilibrium is dynamic
•Le Chatelier’s principle can help determine how an equilibrium shifts when subject to different types of disturbances

•How can the rate of a chemical reaction be changed?
•What is the nature of equilibrium?
•How does equilibrium help us describe chemical reactions?

Unit 5: Oxidation and Reduction

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimentation to explore electrochemical reactions

•Oxidation and reduction involve the transfer of electrons
•Chemical reactions can involve the transfer of electrons
•The transfer of electrons can create a chemical reaction
•A chemical reaction can create electric voltage

•What are Oxidation and Reduction?
•What are oxidation and reduction reactions and how do you analyze them?

Unit 4: Acids and Bases

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimentation to study properties of acids and bases using titration

•Acids and bases have unique chemical properties
•pH can help describe the relative amount of acid or base in a solution
•Buffers maintain solutions at a relatively constant pH

•What are acids and bases and how do they behave?
•What is a buffer?

Unit 3: Chemical Reactions, Solutions, and Stoichiometry

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Writing and balancing chemical equations
•Use stoichiometry to quantify chemical reactions
•Use molarity in chemical calculations
•Use experimental methods to study the conductive properties of solutions
•User experimental methods to study chemical reactions and stoichiometry

•Chemical reactions can be described by balanced chemical equations
•Chemical reactions can be quantified using stoichiometry
•Different substances have differing solubility in aqueous solutions
•Some compounds dissociate into ions in solution
•The concentration of a solute in solution can be quantified
•Some properties of solutions are determined by the number of particles in solution

•How do you quantify chemicals and chemical reactions?
•What are solutions and how do you work with them?

Unit 2: Compounds and Bonding

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use Lewis dot structures to diagram the structure of molecules
•Use experimental methods to study the intermolecular forces

•Electrons transfer between atoms to create ions
•Ions combine to create ionic crystal lattices
•Electrons are shared between atoms to create covalent bonds
•Molecular structure can be predicted based on several underlying principles
•Double and triple bonds involve multiple pairs of electrons being shared between atoms and have a unique structure

•How do atoms combine and what structures can they make?
•How does the structure of a compound inform its behavior?

UNIT 1: Atomic Structure

•Participation and classwork
•Homework problem solving
•Lab work and written lab analysis
•Tests and Quizzes

•Apply chemical knowledge and mathematical skills for a variety of problem solving situations
•Use experimental methods to study the electronic structure of the atom

•Electrons have wave properties
•Electrons’ can be described by probability distributions within the atom
•The electronic structure of the atom explains its behavior
•Periodic properties of the elements can be explained by electronic structure and effective nuclear charge

How does the structure of an atom inform its behavior?

Evolutionary Biology

Unit 4: Human Evolution

•Homework
•Lab questions and/or lab report
•Research project (juniors only in the Spring)

•Distinguish among hominoids, hominines, hominins, and humans
•Identify physiological characteristics of members of these groups, such as skull characteristics
•Explain how human migration has occurred
•Explore the role that natural selection has played in shaping phenotypic characteristics in humans

•Humans are primates, specifically great apes
•The hominin evolutionary tree includes many ancestors and relatives of modern humans
•Natural selection favored certain adaptations possessed by anatomically modern humans

How did humans arise as a species?

Unit 3: Macroevolution

•Explain the benefits and limitations of various species concepts
•Use cladistics and phylogenetic methods to build evolutionary trees
•Explain how premating and postmating isolating mechanisms can maintain species boundaries
•Explain how life on Earth likely arose and has changed over geologic time, including the Theory of Endosymbiosis

•Species concepts are contentious; there are several ways to define a species
•Speciation can occur sympatrically or allopatrically
•Reproductive isolating mechanisms help maintain species boundaries
•Chemical evolution gave rise to life on Earth
•We can represent evolutionary relationships using cladistics and phylogenetic methods
•Life on Earth evolved from a common ancestor and has branched into many clades as the environment has changed on a geologic time scale
•Extinction is extremely common over a geologic time scale; mass extinctions have driven evolutionary change

•How do we define a species?
•How do new species arise?
•How did life arise?

Unit 2: Microevolution

•Homework
•Test

•Explain how mutations can arise; understand what an allele is
•Perform population biology calculations to determine whether a population has deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium •Explain the ways in which changes in allele frequency can occur in a population

•Mutation provides the raw material on which natural selection can act. Mutations are not goal-directed.
•Changes in allele frequency define evolution on the microevolutionary scale; these changes, over time, lead to macroevolution
•The Hardy-Weinberg principle is a mathematical model that predicts allele frequencies in a hypothetical, non-evolving population
•Violations of the assumptions under the Hardy-Weinberg model can lead to evolution
•Natural selection acts at the level of the phenotype and leads to differences in reproductive success
•Natural selection can lead to evolutionary change in a directional, stabilizing, or disruptive manner
•Kin selection and altruism can be explained through the concept of inclusive fitness

•How can evolution be studied at the level of the population and the gene?

Unit 1: Introduction to Evolutionary Thought

•Nightly homework
•Test or quiz (possibly combined with the Unit 2 test)

•Understand the ideas of authors, including Wallace, who influenced Darwin’s thinking and reasoning
•Explain how Darwin’s observations on the voyage of the Beagle and in his natural history work influenced his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
•Understand the myriad lines of evidence that uphold the Theory of Evolution
•Understand how the word “theory” is used in science
•Explain the work of scientists like the Grants who have observed evolution in “real time”

•Darwin was influenced by previous thinkers
•Evolutionary theories have evolved and continue to evolve
•There are many lines of evidence for evolution
•The word “theory” is used differently by scientists than by much of the general populace
•Natural selection is a “weeding out” process by which individuals who are most fit for the given environment experience increased survival and reproduction

•What is the history of evolutionary thought?
•What is the evidence for evolution?
•How does natural selection work?

Environmental Science

Energy

•Fracking Research Paper
•Laboratory reports
•Homework
•End of unit test

•Understand how fossil fuels (coal, oil, methane) are extracted and used, and what potential environmental problems occur in extraction and use of these fuels including the expanding use of fracking for natural gas extraction
•Know about the alternative, renewable energy sources that are currently in use or potentially able to be used

•Fossil fuels are limited in supply and polluting in extraction and use
•Nuclear energy (fission) does not contribute to the greenhouse effect but is polluting during fuel production and waste disposal
•Renewable energy sources tend to be less polluting but maybe limited in how/where they can be used

•How do we use energy?
•What are our current sources, both commercially available and experimental, for energy?

Air

•Understand atmospheric chemistry with respect to acid rain, photo chemical smog, and the enhanced greenhouse effect.
•Understand the effects of air pollutants on living organisms, and how emissions of pollutants are regulated in the US.

Most pollutants we emit into our atmosphere will remain there indefinitely and can become a problem locally or at a distance from the point of emission.

Is our air safe to breathe?

Water

•Laboratory reports
•Homework
•End of unit test

•Understand the major threats to US supplies of fresh water, and how fresh water is managed by regulatory bodies in the US.
•They will have a general understanding of the status of fresh water worldwide.

•Fresh water is limited in supply in certain areas, potentially leading to conflicts over its distribution and use
•Fresh water reservoirs (surface waters and aquifers) must be protected from pollution and over use in order to maintain water supplies for future generations

•Does the world have enough fresh water to support its people?
•How does the US manage fresh water?

Environmental Justice

Research Paper

Research Skills to find relevant information and assess it for validity and bias.

The distribution of potentially hazardous operations or structures has not been fair, with the majority of them sited close to localities with high numbers of economically-deprived people or racial minorities.

•What factors influence the siting of hazardous or unpleasant facilities?
•What are peoples’ attitudes to protecting the environment?

Ecology

Unit 4: Ecosystem Ecology

•Project
•Homework questions
•Test

•Biomes are characterized by a specific climate and dominant vegetation type
•Nutrients cycle through ecosystems
•Biodiversity is threatened by habitat loss/fragmentation
•Ecosystem management can be employed as a conservation strategy
•Read and analyze secondary and primary scientific literature
•Present research findings

•Climate (especially temperature and precipitation) underpins biome location and characteristic conditions
•Humans have a large impact on global nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon cycles
•Humans negatively impact global biodiversity, but we can utilize conservation biology to mitigate this impact

•Why do biomes occur in the locations that they do?
•What are the large-scale ecological processes that occur in and influence the biosphere?
•What impacts do humans have on global nutrient cycles? On biodiversity?

Unit 3: Community Ecology

•Lab analysis
•Homework questions
•Test

•Species exhibit many types of interactions, including competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism
•Food chains and food webs are used to map energy flow through trophic levels and to indicate feeding behaviors of species
•Trophic cascades show how changes in species abundance at one trophic level can influence energy flow at other trophic levels
•Each organism fills a niche
•Resource partitioning is an evolutionary response to niche competition
•Invasive species can have devastating impacts on communities
•Abiotic and biotic disturbances can cause a community to change through the process of succession
•Collect quality field data and use data to analyze community structure
•Use Excel to program formulas for data analysis and to display findings graphically
•Help develop and execute a management plan for a forest and/or pond community on the Catlin Gabel campus

•A community is a group of interacting species in the same place at the same time
•Community structure can be characterized in terms of species diversity and species composition
•Food webs are useful conceptual models showing energy flow through trophic levels
•The “10% Rule” describes the loss of useful energy from one trophic level to the next and informs our understanding of bioaccumulation and biomagnification
•Communities can change over time due to disturbance, leading to ecological succession

•What are the ways in which groups of species interact in a shared environment?
•How do communities change over time?

Unit 2: Population Ecology

•Lab analysis questions
•Homework questions
•Class discussion
•Test

•We can estimate population size using methods including random sampling and mark-recapture
•Life tables are useful tools for tracking the demography of a cohort and calculating net reproductive rate
•Survivorship curves help to explain whether a species is strongly r-selected or K-selected
•Limiting factors may be biotic or abiotic, and can be density-dependent or density-independent. Limiting factors restrict populations to numbers around their carrying capacity
•Population growth may be exponential, logistic, or cyclical
•Calculating our individual ecological footprint helps us make sense of the impact that human population growth has on other species
•Perform random sampling and mark-recapture studies to estimate population size
•Use Excel to analyze life table data and graph population changes
•Given growth parameters, estimate future population size using the exponential growth equation
•Analyze population growth curves in reference to exponential, logistic, and cyclical growth; estimate carrying capacity on a population graph
•Calculate ecological footprint

•A population is a group of individuals of the same species who live in the same place at the same time and share a gene pool (reproduce with each other)
•Populations tend to grow exponentially given unlimited resources, but are restricted by limiting factors
•Each population has a carrying capacity around which it may fluctuate

•How do biotic and abiotic limiting factors influence the growth dynamics of a population?

Unit 1: Intro to Ecology

•Creation of proper herbarium labels
•Homework questions
•Communication of research findings to class
•Plant identification quizzes
•Demonstration that spreadsheet formulas work to analyze sample data

•The family rank is a useful level for grouping and identifying plants. Species are named with a genus and specific epithet
•Useful characteristics for identifying plants include habit, leaf type, and leaf arrangement
•The major land plant lineages differ in their reproductive structures
•Herbarium specimens allow us to study plant ecology, identification, and distribution
•By collecting data on a forest community of native plants, we can calculate relative density of each species, relative frequency, and relative dominance; these metrics allow us to assign an importance value to each species
•Identify native tree and shrub species on the Catlin Gabel campus
•Write scientific names of plant species and families using proper orthography
•Collect and prepare museum-quality herbarium specimens of gymnosperms and angiosperms
•Read secondary sources reporting on ecological studies
•Collect field data on trees, shrubs, and saplings
•Construct a spreadsheet with formulas that allow analysis of field data

•Ecology is the scientific study of how living things interact with each other and with their environments
•Ecology is not synonymous with environmentalism, though environmentalism can (and should) be influenced by ecology
•Living things are categorized and grouped according to their evolutionary relationships, with many taxon/rank names remaining as relics of Linnaean taxonomy
•The Catlin Gabel campus contains many native plants, and we can identify them using keys and diagnostic characteristics
•We can analyze the structure and composition of a plant community using mathematical formulas

•What is ecology (and what is it not)?
•How do we categorize, name, identify, and make sense of living things?

Astronomy

•The universe started 14.6 billion years ago in the Big Bang and has evolved over time.
•The solar system developed from the solar nebula
•The inner planets are different from the outer planets for a reason
•Pluto is (now) a dwarf planet

•There have been many explanations of the universe over time
•We can discover quite a lot about the universe without ever leaving Earth’s vicinity
•New discoveries are being made all the time
•There’s still more to learn about the universe

•Why study Astronomy?
•How has our understanding of Astronomy changed over the millennia?
•How do we know what we know about the universe?
•What strange and wonderful things exist in the universe?

Core Sequence: Science I and Science II: Biology, Physics, and Chemistry

Science II/Accelerated Science II

Human impact on the biosphere

•Food chains and food webs describe the matter flow within an ecosystem
•Heat is evolved in energy transfer and is the most unusable form of energy
•The 10% rule describes the amount of usable energy transferred from one trophic level to the next
•Energy enters the atmosphere as UV radiation and attempts to leave as IR radiation
•Collecting data: measurement, accuracy and precision
•Analyzing data: dimensional analysis, & significant figures
•manipulating equipment to collect data
•Determining mathematical equations through experimentation and graphical analysis

•Excess greenhouse gases cause climate change
•The ocean is affected by climate change

•What impact do I have on the environment?
•What is the science that explains our changing climate?

Electrical energy and electricity generation

•Static electricity is due to a buildup of charge
•Know the relationship between voltage, current, power, resistance and charge
•Know how to use and interpret the following equations: V=IR, P=IV, P=ET, R=pL/A
•Know how to build circuits and make predictions about devices wired in series and parallel.
•The relationship between electromagnetic induction and electricity generation
•Perform unit conversions to interpret energy bills in a tangible way
•Collecting data: measurement, accuracy and precision
•Analyzing data: dimensional analysis, & significant figures
•manipulating equipment to collect data
•Determining mathematical equations through experimentation and graphical analysis

•Electricity supply in the Portland area comes from a variety of sources.
•Some energy sources are renewable whereas others are not.
•Some energy sources yield greenhouse gasses whereas others do not.
•“Green” energy sources also have environmental impacts.

•What is electrical energy?
•Where does electrical energy come from?
•What are the moral implications of electricity production?

Matter and energy flow in an ecosystem

•Collecting data: measurement, accuracy and precision
•Analyzing data: dimensional analysis, & significant figures
•manipulating equipment to collect data
•Determining mathematical equations through experimentation and graphical analysis
•Know how to use balanced chemical equations to express a chemical reactions

•Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen gas through a series of complex chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes.
•how plants distribute water and nutrients.
understand how colligative properties underlie
•how plants distribute water and nutrients
that the majority of fuels (coal, solar, wind, hydro) are still created by the sun
•Understand the 10% rule
•Understand how the net primary productivity of an ecosystem limits the carrying capacity of an ecosystem
•Understand the carbon cycle, water cycle and the nitrogen cycle. Relate these cycles to the elements present is particular macromolecules
•Understand the Haber process and how it fits into the nitrogen cycle
•humans have used GMO’s to increase food production

•How do plants obtain energy?
•How do energy and matter cycle through the ecosystem?

Matter and energy flow in an organism

•Microscopy review
•Learning to work collaboratively
•Written communication of results and solutions
•critical reading skills - extracting useful information from texts
•manipulating laboratory equipment appropriately to collect data
•Collecting data: measurement, accuracy and precision
•Analyzing data: dimensional analysis, & significant figures
•Determining mathematical equations through experimentation and graphical analysis
•Know how to use balanced chemical equations to express a chemical reactions

•The formation of of complex organized living organisms is consistent with an overall increase in entropy of the universe.
•Living beings decrease entropy but increase the amount of unusable energy
•Cellular respiration breaks down glucose and uses oxygen gas to extract the energy necessary to create ATP from ADP through a series of complex chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes.
•the relationship between food, energy, and ATP
•How the structure of the heart, lungs and digestive system fit their functions
•How the content of blood changes as it moves through circulatory system
•the relationship between the digestive and cardiopulmonary systems to cellular respiration

•How do organisms obtain and use energy?
•How does form fit function?

Motion, Force, Energy

•Lab reports
•Homework
•Class participation
•Quizzes
•Tests

•Collecting data: measurement, accuracy and precision.
•Analyzing data: dimensional analysis & significant figures
Manipulating equipment to collect data
•Determining mathematical equations through experimentation and graphical analysis
•Vector addition
•Written communication of results and solutions

•Difference between mass and weight
•Changes in motion are caused by forces
•Vectors have both magnitude and direction while scalar quantities only have magnitude
•Energy can transfer forms
•Energy is conserved during transfers

•Why do objects move?
•How can we predict an object’s motion?
•How is energy transferred between objects?

Science I/Accelerated Science I

Unit Seven

•Recognize basic patterns of inheritance
•Present and interpret genetic information in a variety of formats, including Punnett squares and pedigree charts
•Understand how mutations may arise, and their possible effects
•Describe how natural selection operates and recognize that we can observe it operating today, for example in the evolution of antibiotic resistance
•Explain the variety of evidence used to support the Theory of Evolution

•We inherit different versions of genes from our parents and these genes determine our characteristics
•Changes in genes may lead to improvements or may cause problems
•Evolution is driven by natural selection

•How are genetic traits inherited and selected for or against?
•How do organisms evolve?

Unit Six

•Understand replication and the importance of a correctly regulated cell cycle
•Understand that genes may be modified after cell division
•Explain how prokaryote and eukaryote cells divide, and the significance of meiosis in generating genetic diversity
•Understand the role of stem cells in generating different cell types and the ethics of using embryonic or adult donor stem cells in research and clinical use
•Recognise that epigenetic processes may have a significant effect on gene expression

•DNA must be accurately copied prior to cell division
•Haploid gametes are produced in the reproductive organs by a special form of cell division while new cells for growth and repair are exact copies of the parent cell
•Stem cells have the ability to develop into any cell type and thus have the potential for use in treating many health problems

Essential Skills

How do new cells arise?

Unit Five

•Understand that enzymes are biological catalysts with a specific 3D shape that dictates their function
•Recognise that environmental factors can change the shape of proteins and affect their function
•Understand the structure of DNA and how it stores information

•The many cellular processes that go on within a cell are catalyzed by enzymes
•Cells make proteins based on their DNA code (the central dogma)
•Changes in DNA can have profound effects on the shape and function of a protein

•How do cells function?
•How is information stored within cells?

Unit Four

•How microscopes enlarge images
•How viruses differ from cells
•The structural and functional differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
how cells regulate transport of substances across their membranes
•The endosymbiotic theory provides evidence as to how eukaryotic cells may have evolved

•Cells can be categorized based on their internal structures
•Cells have evolved from simple to complex

•What are cells?
•How did they evolve?

Unit Three

•Laboratory reports
•Homework assignments
•Quizzes
•Unit test
•Cumulative semester examination

•Understand the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics
•Differentiate between heat and temperature, and the ways in which heat is transferred
•Perform simple calorimetry calculations.
•Understand enthalpy at a basic level, the differences between endothermic and exothermic processes, and the role of activation energy in reactions
•Recognize and balance combustion reactions
•Distinguish between living and nonliving.
•Explain the structure and function in cells of important biological macromolecules
•Briefly explain how cells transform and use energy
• Describe the structure and function of phospholipid bilayers

•Metabolic processes in living things require energy
•Living things, though highly ordered/structured, do not violate the laws of thermodynamics
•Living things are made up of complex macromolecules

What are the necessary molecules for life and how do they arise?

Unit Two

•Know atomic structure and why and how atoms combine
•Understand how periodic trends relate to atomic structure
•Represent atoms and molecules in diagrammatic form, and use these to explain properties such as polarity
•Classify types of reactions and write balanced equations
•Understand intramolecular and intermolecular forces, and how these may explain properties of substances

•The position of an element in the periodic table allows us to make predictions about its behavior
•Elements combine in energetically favorable ways to form compounds

•How do atoms combine?
•How can we make predictions about the behavior of substances?

Unit One

•Laboratory reports
•Homework assignments
•Quizzes
•Unit test

•Understand the evidence used to support the Big Bang Theory, including the work of Hubble
•Use the Inverse Square law to understand calculations involving light intensity and gravitational force
•Know basic atomic structure
•Interpret and graph direct, inverse, direct square and inverse square relationships and use dimensional analysis in calculations based on these relationships

•The Big Bang Theory offers an explanation for the formation of the universe and all that is in it

Essential Question

•Where did the Universe come from, and how do we know?

Palma Seminars

Crime and Punishment (2015-16)

•Common assessments for all students include:
-Prepared and extemporaneous public speaking opportunities centered on contemporary criminal justice issues
-Leading small group discussions on Dostoyevsky and Kafka
-Formal literary analyses, centered on the intersection between Dostoyevsky and murder, and Kafka and innocence/guilt
•In addition, all students are tasked with developing individual assessment plans, highlighting skill categories they hope to develop. Based on these priorities, they propose individual or small group projects at the conclusion of each unit

•The prevailing theories behind the causes of violent crime in the USA, the dramatic gender imbalance among murderers, and the different categories of murderers
•Identify and critique the ways in which America's prison system and incarceration rates are vastly out of step with the rest of the developed world and the reasons for this
•Identify and critique the historical forces behind the militarization of America's police and efforts at police reform over the last two decades
•Develop and articulate compelling, nuanced arguments in support of and in opposition to the death penalty
•The stories behind two prominent criminal justice case studies: Ferguson and OJ Simpson
•The movement for exoneration work and the challenges involved with proving the innocence of convicted individuals in the USA

•To understand the root causes of crime, one must approach the subject from an interdisciplinary perspective, seeking insight from economics, sociology, criminal justice, and numerous other fields
•Literature offers a valuable lens through which to understand social phenomena and develop empathy for individuals and groups that are commonly dehumanized
•America's complex and troubled racial history is inextricably woven into and reflected in this country's criminal justice system
•Public policy strategies intended to promote public safety can often be counter-productive, creating greater instability and uncertainty

•What are the purposes of punishment?
•How can we make our city/state/country safer for all?
•Why do we need law and why do some break the law?
•How is America's history apparent in its criminal justice system today?
•In the wake of a crime, whose needs should be paramount: the victim, the perpetrator, or society?
•Is the wrongful conviction of innocent people an inevitable and acceptable reality of a criminal justice system?

Sports and Human Rights (2015)

•Olympics/Human Rights Project: A partnered project focused on the impact of a single, specific Olympics on the advancement (or decline) of human rights (Requirements: research, synthesis of key findings, visual layout)
•Race/Gender/Sexuality Project: Work individually or in small groups on an interdisciplinary research questions associated with the intersection of sports and race, gender, and/or sexuality. Student projects centered on issues like: why do Jamaican sprinters experience such disproportional success in sprinting, how should professional sports respond to transgender athletes, and should women athletes reject marketing campaigns focused on their physical appeal? (Requirements: research, formal writing, interdisciplinary synthesis)
•Boston 2024 Project: Students worked in small groups to develop a bid proposal for Boston 2024. The primary catch: they needed to craft a proposal that would meet the demands of the IOC, the city, and the populace. (Requirements: economic analysis, critical assessment of Boston's urban layout, presentation techniques)
•Mini-debates on PEDs: Students worked individually on specific questions related to PEDs in sports
•Media Studies: Students worked in small groups to perform a critical analysis of media coverage of a sports issue of their choice. They were required to develop a viable research question, determine a test sample, code their selected sample, and then analyze key findings (Requirements: methodological development, data processing, critical analysis)

•Sociology of sport offers several distinct theories to explain the relevance of sport to society
•Analyze the subtle forms of racialized stereotyping and coded language in sports commentary
•The organization of sports according to the gender binary has resulted in challenges for those who don't fit within the binary
•Recognize how athleticism and heteronormative views of sexuality have long been linked and remain influential in the sports world today
•Develop models for critically assessing whether the public spending required to host mega-events like the Olympics and World Cup delivers a return on investment
•Weigh and reconcile the conflicting needs of the IOC, Boston civic leaders and business magnates, and Boston residents in the Boston 2024 Olympic bid proposal

•Human rights, as defined by the UNDHR, span a wide range of fundamental issues, and include a number of issues relevant to sports including access and employment
•Sports often mirror prominent social concerns, including race relations, problems with the gender binary, drug use/abuse, and public spending
•Public spending for mega-events and stadia is a human rights concern and merits consideration as such
•Media coverage of sports often serves to reinforce the prevailing social narrative

•To what extent does bringing international competitions to problematic states promote the cause of human rights and political freedom?
•Do these events spur economic development that is beneficial to all?
•How can sport serve as a vehicle for social change and justice, and under what circumstances does it reenforce elite interests?
•Sports have long been the playground for elite, white, male interests. Over the last 100 years, though, the playing field has been leveled--and opened up--to some degree. How and why did this happen?
•Over the last 50 years, there has been a huge spike in the public financing of stadia and other sporting facilities, as well as a spike--not coincidentally--in the price of those venues. Is it worth it?
•In the USA, athletes have a tremendous amount of social cachet. With that social platform, they have the ability to spur social change. Why do they use this so rarely?

Measuring Success (2014)

•Moneyball project: Students worked individually or in small groups to develop new tools for measuring success in a different sport of their choice. (Requirements: critical assessment of key factors of success in a sport, analysis of statistical evidence, presentation techniques)
•Amazon.com project: Work individually on short research paper answering the question: Is Amazon.com a successful company? (Requirements: effective use of research materials, explicit definition of business success, nuanced approach to key components of a business, efficient writing)
•Education project: Work in small groups on a client project attached to a CGS teacher and focused on a problem of concern to that teacher. Questions included: how can the math department judge the success of its new curriculum, how can the outdoor education department gauge the success of its engendering of social skills on outdoor trips, and how can the English department assess the success of the peer-review process (Requirements: effective engagement with clients, project-specific research and/or data-gathering, formulation of defensible recommendations)

•Articulate how the Moneyball revolution in baseball exposed the logical and numerical failings of many in the industry and revealed the importance of a foundational understanding of statistics
•Diagnose the tensions in Amazon.com's business model between a forward-looking approach and contemporary constraints, and explain how success in business terms must be defined according to the different constituents affected
•Assess educational reform efforts in three ways: a) find the root causes of the problems, b) isolate and test variables, and c) devote sufficient time to reforms to meaningfully measure their impact
•A sustainable and healthy outlook on personal success requires attention to and appreciation for process, even in the face of negative outcomes

•Measure accurately, operating from a recognition that anything that reduces uncertainty qualifies. They are not always specific, numeric measurements, but rather Bayesian tools
•Recognize that new strategies and ideas are often impeded by fear of failure, whereas conventional strategies that lead to failure are more commonly tolerated
•Distinguish between outcome- and process-oriented views of success, and recognize which has more predictive value
•Seek and whenever possible identify causal factors leading to success in complex, team environments, while also checking assumptions when evaluating these situations
•Determine which definition of success is guiding one's actions: an internally defined definition or an externally imposed one

•What does it mean to be successful?
•How can we measure that success and track improvement over time within a specific field?
•What are the keys to taking a good product and making it great?
•How can a team function most cohesively, ensuring that, through effective collaboration, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts?

•Understanding of Leave no Trace principles
•Employing understandings in choices affecting the environment
•Understanding ways to manage the group
•Understanding my role in the group
•Understanding group dynamics

•Basic ecological functions
•The role of humans on ecological function

•Understand the basics of food preparation
•Be familiar with backcountry travel
•Be able to erect efficient and effective shelters
•Understand risk management principles and be able to apply them
•Understanding ways to manage the group
•Understanding my role in the group
•Understanding group dynamics

•How to stay warm and dry
•How food plays a role in survival
•How to travel in the wilderness
•Risk assessment

•How do I master this skill?
•When will I need to apply this skill?
•How do I manage a social or emotional challenge?
•How does a group work toward a common goal?

•Pre-trip meeting
•Check-ins during the trip
•Post trip personal debrief
•Post trip written evaluation

•Listen effectively
•Take ownership of decisions
•Think critically
•Understanding ways to manage the group
•Understanding my role in the group
•Understanding group dynamics

•Basic group dynamics
•Exercise leadership effectively
•Followership

•How do I manage social or emotional challenge?
•How does a group work toward a common goal?

•Pre-trip meeting
•Check-ins during trip
•Post trip personal debrief
•Post trip written evaluation

•Express emotions and feelings honestly
•Engage in inquiry with peers
•Understanding ways to manage the group
•Understanding my role in the group
•Understanding group dynamics

•How do I manage a social or emotional challenge?
•How does a group work toward a common goal?

•Written reports •Check-ins during activity •In-person meetings

Outdoor skills: Rock climbing, belaying, bouldering

Physical Fitness

•Written reports
•Check-ins during activity
•In-person meetings

•Backpacking
•Hiking
•Organization
•Canoeing
•Understanding group dynamics
•Understanding my role in the group
•Understanding ways to manage the group

•Pre-trip meeting
•Check-ins during trip
•Post trip personal debrief
•Post trip written evaluations

•Understand Leave No Trace principles and ethics
•Be familiar with plant and animal identification

•Natural functioning ecosystems
•Carbon and water cycles
•Plant succession
•The role of disturbance

•How does a group work toward a common goal?
•How do my actions affect the environment?

•Pre-trip meeting
•Check -ins during the trip
•Post trip personal debrief
•Post trip written evaluation

•Shelter
•Appropriate clothing
•Leave no Trace
•Food and cooking
•Cleanliness and personal hygiene
•Packing and organization
•Specific activity knowledge:
•Rock climbing and belaying
•Rafting
•Mountaineering
•Backpacking
•Biking
•Exploration
•Cross country skiing

•Ecological function
•Group Management
•Leadership

•Am I competent in these skills?
•Can I teach these skills?
•Do I understand the purpose and necessity of these skills?

•Pre-trip meetings
•Check-ins during trips
•Post trip personal debriefs
•Post trip written evaluations

Use trigonometric substitution to evaluate indefinite integrals
Use the properties of exponents and logarithms to differentiate and integrate exponential and logarithmic functions
Integrate using the method of partial fraction decomposition
Setup and evaluate definite integrals to find volumes and surface areas of various three-dimensional objects (e.g., the disk, shell, and washer methods)
Setup and evaluate definite integrals to find the volume of a three-dimensional object with a given base and perpendicular cross sections
Apply the Trapezoid Rule and Simpson's Rule to estimate the definite integral of a function on a closed and bounded interval

•My role in the group
•The growth I may achieve through challenge

•How do I manage a physical challenge?
•How do I manage a social or emotional challenge?
•How does a group work toward a common goal?

•Pre-trip meeting
•Check-ins during the trip
•Post trip personal debriefs
•Post trip written evaluations

Understand your role and the role of others

•Helping with chores
•Sharing and fairness
•Altruistically helping others
•Empathy

•How does a group work toward a common goal?
•What is my role in the group?

Electives

Math Scholars Seminar

•Write papers
•Give presentations

Use trigonometry, complex numbers, calculus, probability distributions, counting principles to answer questions relating a variety of real world activities or conjecture and prove unique properties of our number systems

Students will be able to use previously learned mathematical techniques to analyze, conjecture, prove, model and design

•How can mathematics be used to understand patterns or prove relationships?
•How can mathematics be used to model or design situations?

Advanced Precalculus

Precalculus

Statistics

•Presentations
•Online Discussions

•Communicate mathematics in a non-algebraic way
•Read text for meaning
•Identify examples of mathematics used, and misused, in life beyond the classroom

•Data by itself is not sufficient
•Recognizing bias, both in collection of and presentation of data, is as important as understanding the mathematics used to analyze the data

How can knowledge of mathematics be useful in our daily lives?

•Project
•Quizzes
•Test

•Calculate simple probabilities
•Differentiate between dependent and independent events
•Calculate expected value

Some probabilities can be determined solely through analytical means, while others are experimental

•What’s the safest way to travel across the country?
•Why do some consider lotteries a tax on people that don’t know mathematics?

Polar and Parametric Equations and Vectors

•Quizzes
•Test
•Art piece

•Change relationships between rectangular and parametric forms
•Graph parametric equations
•Graph equations on a polar axis and its concentric circles

•A third variable, such as time, may be introduced through using parametric equations therefore providing more information about the relationship
•Conic equations can be written in parametric and polar forms

When is it useful to write relationships in rectangular form and when is it useful use another form such as parametric or polar?

Conic Sections

•Write and use the equations for a conic section from given information
•Change the form of a conic equation using algebraic tools, such completing the square
•Graph conic equations

•A cone can be sliced into difference curves (circle, ellipse, hyperbola, and parabola) that can be represented by functions and relations.
•Conic equations behave just like all other functions when considering transformations and how to solve them
•While many conic equations are not functions, they can still model real world applications

How can conic sections help us understand the world around us?

•Write the terms of a sequence given a rule
•Write rules for given arithmetic and geometric sequences
•Evaluate factorials
•Write and evaluate expressions involving sigma notation
•Calculate partial sums and convergent infinite geometric series

•The domain of a sequence is the set of positive integers, and therefore, the range is only the numbers created by the pattern
•Graphs of sequences are discrete, not continuous
•A situation that accumulates following a pattern can be modeled with a series
•Each term in an arithmetic sequence differs by the preceding term by a constant amount
•Any two consecutive terms in a geometric sequence have the same common ratio
•All arithmetic series diverge, while infinite geometric series will converge if the common ratio is between negative one and positive one

•How can we model growth and accumulation mathematically?
•How can we determine which infinite series diverge and which converge?

•Graphing rational functions
•Identify domain and range of functions
•Find horizontal asymptotes and slant asymptotes

•Many real world applications can be modeled with rational functions
•As opposed to polynomial functions, many rational functions have restrictions on their domain and exhibit asymptotic behavior
•The end behavior of rational functions approaches that of a polynomial function, and it can be found
•A rational function is the quotient of two polynomials, and therefore what is known about polynomials can be applied to our understanding of rational functions
•Rational functions behave just like all other functions when considering transformations and how to solve them

•How many rational functions can dance on the head of a pin?
•Why study rational functions?

•Graph polynomials
•Write a polynomial given information about its roots and possibly another point
•Find real and complex roots of polynomial functions using strategies such as polynomial division, synthetic division, factoring, completing the square, and the quadratic formula

•Any data set could be modeled with a polynomial with a high enough degree, but only some scenarios does the model make sense in the context
•All polynomials can be written in factored form with the same number of factors as the degree of the polynomial
•End behavior of a polynomial is determine solely by its leading term
•Many different polynomials can be written that have the same roots

•What makes polynomial functions the most versatile of all the functions we study in mathematics?
•Why do we call them ‘imaginary’ numbers?

•Rewrite exponential and logarithmic expressions using the definition
•Simplify expressions using properties of exponents and logarithms
•Graph Exponential and Logarithmic functions (with and without transformations)

•Exponential and logarithmic properties can be used to solve equations involving growth and decay
•Exponential and logarithmic functions behave just like all other functions when considering transformations and how to solve them
•’e’ is an irrational number and the base for natural logarithms

•Why do we care about exponential and logarithmic functions?
•How can logarithms help us today, given that we have technology?

Trigonometric Functions

•Quizzes
•Tests (Multiple given to allow for students to demonstrate growth in understanding)
•Project
•Problem Set

•Know the values of sine, cosine, and tangent around the unit circle.
•Graph all six (sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant, and cosecant) trigonometric functions.
•Recognize the relationship between trigonometric functions and their inverses.
•Know basic identities (Pythagorean, cofunctions, sum and difference formulas, and double angle formulas)
•Prove identities

•Many real world applications can be modeled with periodic functions
•Properties of circles and right triangles can be connected by the study of trigonometry
•Trigonometry functions behave just like all other functions when considering transformations and how to solve them

•What are the benefits of understanding periodic functions?
•What is the use of recognizing equivalent trigonometric statements?

Quizzes

Review basic information from previous classes - transformations, equivalence, graphing.

Material learned previously is essential for success with later mathematics courses.

What are the most important skills needed to be successful with Precalculus?

Honors Calculus II

Power Series and Uniform Convergence

•Construct a function’s Taylor Polynomial about a real number a
•Know that a Taylor Polynomial centered about 0 is called the Maclaurin Series
•Determine the intervals on which a Power Series converges uniformly

•Understand the construction of Taylor Polynomials and how/why they can be used to approximate the values of a function
•Understand and derive the three forms (integral, Cauchy, and Lagrange) of the Taylor Remainder
•Understand the differences between uniform and point-wise convergence

•How can we mathematically define what it means for mathematical objects to be “close”?
•How can we use mathematics to model the natural world and social/economic theories?
•How do Cauchy sequences, the Bolzano-Weierstrass Theorem, and the Heine-Borel Theorem co-define the real line?

Infinite Sequences and Series

•Problem set
•In-class assessment

•Use knowledge of limits at infinity to determine the convergence of an infinite sequence
•Know the assumptions of the following series tests and apply them to determine the convergence and divergence of infinite series: Geometric series test, n-th term test, p-series test, alternating series test, comparison test, limit comparison test, integral test, ratio test, root test, and Weierstrass-M test
•Determine whether a convergent series converges absolutely

•Understand the formal epsilon-N definition of a convergent sequence
•Understand how to assess the convergence or divergence of infinite sequences and series
•Understand that a sequence converges if and only if it is Cauchy
•Understand the consequences of the Bolzano-Weierstrass Theorem in R

•How might investigating a proof or basic mathematical idea using multiple approaches help us shed light on the structure of the mathematics?
•Does a given decreasing sequence, series, function, or improper integral converge to a real number or diverge to infinity?

•Problem set
•Analyze a complex physical microcosm and write ordinary and partial differential equations to model the situation and use software (e.g., Stella) to model and find the solutions

•Use various techniques to solve ordinary differential equations (e.g., separable, simple inhibited growth, logistic growth, implicit forms, and hyperbolic forms)
•Use Euler’s method to estimate the solution to an ordinary differential equation
•Use slope fields and isoclines to estimate the solution to an ordinary differential equation
•Use technology to solve ordinary and partial differential equations

•Understand how the First and Second Fundamental Theorems of Calculus can be applied to solve differential equations
•Understand when the solution to a differential equation can be solved analytically and when numeric methods are necessary
•Understand how to visualize the solution to a differential equation by examining its slope field
•Understand the assumptions that lead to a unique solution of a differential equation

•How does a theoretical idea lead to an application?
•Under what condition or conditions does a mathematical solution exist and when is the solution unique?
•How can we model the natural world and social/economic theories using mathematics?

Integration in Elementary Terms

•Understand how the First Fundamental Theorem of Calculus can be used to redefine the exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions to ensure that the basic algebraic equivalences for these functions work for all real numbers (and not just for integers or rational numbers)
•Understand how to extend the theory of integration to solve a variety of accumulation problems
•Understand various techniques of numeric integration

•How does a theoretical idea lead to an application?
•What is the Calculus of this function? That is, what do we know about the continuity, differentiability, and integrability of this function?

The Darboux and Riemann Integrals

•Problem set
•Take-home assessment

•Assess and prove when a function is Darboux integrable
•Use the Second Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to evaluate definite integrals and understand when numerical methods are needed
•Apply the Chain Rule to the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to take the derivative of an area accumulating function
•Find the average value of a function on a closed and bounded interval.
•Find an antiderivative using the technique of Integration by Parts
•Define and evaluate an improper integral
•Define and evaluate the Cauchy Principle Value

•Understand the First and Second Fundamental Theorems of Calculus, their proofs, their connection to area accumulating functions, and how they establish that differentiation and integration are inverse operations
•Understand the role of area accumulating functions in mathematics
•Understand the construction and equivalence of the Darboux and Riemann integrals
•Understand the differences between the value of an improper integral and its Cauchy Principle Value

•How do we treat a mathematical concept using an axiomatic approach?
•How might investigating a proof or basic mathematical idea using multiple approaches help us shed light on the structure of the mathematics?

Significance of the Derivative

•Apply the Extreme Value Theorem and the first and second derivative tests to classify critical values, identify important points, sketch the graphs of various elementary functions, and solve optimization problems
•Apply the method of Lagrange Multipliers to solve multivariable optimization problems
•Apply the Mean Value and Cauchy Mean Value Theorems to solve application problems and prove mathematical assertions
•Apply implicit differentiation to solve related rate problems
•Apply the Inverse Function Theorem to calculate the derivative of an inverse function

•Understand the role of the Intermediate Value, Extreme Value, and Mean Value Theorems in basic applications of differentiation
•Understand the role of inverse functions in mathematics

•How does a theoretical idea lead to an application?
•What is the calculus of this function? That is, what do we know about the continuity, differentiability, and integrability of this function?
•How do we, and when should we, undo a mathematical process?

Three Hard Theorems

•Problem set
•Take-home assessment and in-class written assessment

•Apply the Intermediate Value Theorem to prove the existence of an algebraic solution
•Apply the Mean Value Theorem to solve applied problems and prove mathematical assertions

•Understand the major arguments behind and provide sketches of the proofs of the Intermediate Value, Extreme Value, and Mean Value Theorems
•Understand why we cannot do calculus on the rational numbers

•How does this idea/proof/property hinge on the completeness of the real numbers?
•Why are the hypotheses of this mathematical assertion necessary and what would happen if we tightened or relaxed those hypotheses?

Limits and Continuous Mappings

•Problem set
•Take-home assessment and in-class written assessment.

•Apply various algebraic techniques, limit theorems, and mathematical definitions to evaluate limits
•Evaluate limits with indeterminate forms using L’Hôpital’s Rule
•Assess and classify the continuity of a function at a point or on an interval
•Define a function at a point of discontinuity to make the function continuous
•Apply the limit definition of a derivative

•Understand the epsilon-delta definition of a limit and how to apply various epsilon-delta techniques (e.g., choosing an appropriate delta, choosing delta to be the minimum of two quantities, applying an epsilon divided by 2 argument) to prove the existence of limits for various functions
•Understand how the concept of continuity is linked to the formal epsilon-delta definition of limit

How can we mathematically define what it means for mathematical objects to be “close”?

Preliminaries

•Problem set
•Daily formative assessment

•Apply common mathematical nomenclature and vocabulary in writing about mathematics
•Apply the basic skills of analyzing the elementary functions, basic algebra, and introductory calculus

•Understand the appropriateness of applying various techniques of proof (e.g., direct proof, indirect proof, proof by mathematical induction, proof by cases, proof by trichotomy)
•Understand how the axioms for a complete ordered field define the real numbers
•Distinguish between the first (aleph-null) and second infinity (2^aleph-null)

How can we construct a logical and valid proof for this mathematical assertion?

Honors Calculus I

20% Project

•Presentation

•Research

•Math is a fascinating subject with many topics that the high school curriculum does not discuss
•Math can be used to explore numerous ideas

•What intrigues you about math, or what intrigues you that you can use math to investigate?

Review

•Test
•Abstracts
•Problem set

•Review

•The essential tools of calculus are the limit, the slope, and the area of a rectangle

•What is important to recall versus understand?

Applications of Integration

•Find the volume of revolution using the disk and shell methods
•Find the arc length of a non-linear curve
•Calculate work, moments, centers of mass, centroids, fluid pressure and force.

•Integration provides numerous techniques for understanding and working with physical situations - from lengths (of non-straight lines) and volumes to centroids and pressure

•When is calculus an appropriate tool for modeling the real world?

Differential Equations

•Draw and interpret slope fields
•Use Euler’s Method to find graphical solutions to differential equations
•Use the separation of variables technique to solve differential equations
•Apply the logistic equation

•Since many things in the natural world have rates of change, differential equations are often used to model phenomena

•How can we model the natural world using mathematics?

Logarithmic, Exponential, and Other Transcendental Functions

•Calculating the derivative of
(a) exponential functions
(b) logarithmic functions
(c) inverse trigonometric functions
•Integrating
(a) exponential functions
(b) logarithmic functions
(c) inverse trigonometric functions

•Find the derivative of or integrating a function can work on non algebraic or non trigonometric functions

•Why is the rate of change of the function f(x)=e^x the same as the function itself?

Integration

•Definition of Integration (using limits and sum notation)
•The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
•Integration by Substitution
•Methods of Numerical Integration

•We can find the area under a curve by using rectangles
•Equivalence is a skill that is essential to solving integration problems
•While the FTC says that a function has an antiderivative, what if we can’t analytically solve for it?

•What does the area “under” a curve represent?
•Why is it called “The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus?”

Applications of Differentiation

•Rolle’s Theorem
•Mean Value Theorem
•Using the first and second derivative tests
•Apply derivatives to solve optimization problems.
•Use Newton’s Method to numerically approximate zeros

•The derivative (first and second) can be used to provide information about the behavior of a function
(a) This can help understand the original function or sketch the graph
•The use of the derivative is often essential for solving optimization problems
•Derivatives give new tools (such as Newton’s Method) for evaluating functions

•How does knowing the rate of change of a function provide information about the original function?
•What does a differential really represent?

Differentiation

•Test
•Abstracts
•Labs
•Problem Set

•Know the definition of a derivative
•Use the definition to calculate derivatives and prove rules.
•Derivative rules - know and use to calculate derivatives for any given function
(a) Product Rule
(b) Quotient Rule
(c) Chain Rule
•Articulate what the derivative says about an individual function
•Use implicit differentiation to find the derivative of equations that can’t be explicitly written
•Using related rates to solve application problems

•Given any continuous function it is possible to calculate the rate it is changing at any single point on the function
•Variables can be thought of as either a “constant” or function of another variable

•What is the importance of determining the rate of change of any function?

Limits and Their Properties

•Test
•Abstract
•Labs

•Know the delta-epsilon definition of limits
•Be able to calculate limits for all of the known functions
•Intermediate Value Theorem
•Continuity definition

•The limit of a function as the independent variable approaches a value is what value the function approaches, not necessarily what the function is.
•Continuity of functions implies that the limit of function at a point is the same as the value of the function at the point.

•What does it mean to “approach” a value?
•What is the relationship between continuity and limits?

Preparation for Calculus

•Test

•Algebraic skills review

•Transformations are useful tools for working with any functions
•Being able to discuss mathematics from a numerical, graphical, algebraic, and verbal sense is essential for demonstrating understanding

•What is the basic knowledge need to learn calculus?
•How do you demonstrate your understanding of new material?

Calculus

Volumes of Revolution

Related Rates

Derivative Tools

Optimization

Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

Slope and Curve Analysis

•The definition of a derivative is the limit of the slope of the secant line as the two point become infinitely close.

Rates, Sums, Limits, and Continuity

•Class Discussions
•Quizzes
•Unit Exam
•Ramp Lab

•Approximate the area under the curve using Riemann Sums and sigma notation
•Predict future behavior with limits
•Evaluate limits at holes
•Approximate the velocity of an object at an instant using limits
•Apply algebraic skills, such as factoring and exponent rules, to evaluate limits

•Limits provide information about the behavior of a function at values within the domain and at discontinuities
•A function is continuous at a point if the limit of the function at the point is equal to the function value at that point.

•What methods can be used to approximate the area under a curve? Which methods are easiest? Which methods provide the closest approximations?
•What do limits have to do with continuity?
•How can we approximate velocity at an instant?

Function Review

·Unit Quiz

·Review Topics: piecewise functions,compositions, inverses, even & odd functions, domain & range, and horizontal and vertical asymptotes
·Find average velocity and acceleration

·Study how particular functions change by examining finite differences
·Develop concept of slope and slope function
·Examine both the velocity and distance graph of an object in motion to find average velocity and acceleration

·How are distance, speed/velocity and acceleration related?
·How can we study and describe how functions change?
·What information can we gather to help describe characteristics of functions?

Honors Statistics

Multiple Linear Regression

•Problem set
•Write a research paper utilizing best practices in regression methodology.

•Use technology to run various multiple linear regression models including: Bivariate regression, multiple linear regression with continuous IVs, multiple linear regression with dichotomous dummy variables, multiple linear regression with blocked terms, multiple linear regression with interaction terms, and power polynomials.
•Use the R-squared changed statistic to evaluate the viability of different MLR models.
•Read and interpret studies utilizing correlation methodology.

•Understand how minimizing the sum of squared errors leads to the derivation of the equations for lines and planes of best fit
•Understand how confidence intervals for the coefficient of determination, partial regression slopes, and squared part and semi-partials are calculated
•Understand the myriad contexts in which regression models are used by different disciplines to answer various research questions

•What are the similarities and differences among and between each of the General Linear Models?
•How can statistical evidence be used to enact social change?

The one-way and factorial ANOVA

•Problem set
•Write a research paper utilizing proper APA format and that follows the guidelines of constructing research questions, collecting data, analyzing results, and interpreting the results in light of context

•Use technology to conduct a one-way and Factorial ANOVA.
•Interpret the results of the one-way and factorial ANOVA models, including decomposition of the factorial ANOVA.
•Read and interpret studies utilizing experimental methodology.

•Understand the theory of the one-way and the Factorial ANOVA models.
•Understand how to compute and generate the F-statistic.

•What research questions lend themselves to an experimental design framework?
•How can statistical evidence be used to enact social change?

•Problem set
•Conduct a mini study by formulating research questions, collecting data, analyze the data using appropriate hypothesis tests, and interpret the results.

•Conduct basic hypothesis tests using the p-value, critical value, and (1-alpha)% confidence interval methods.
•Use technology such as statistical software (e.g., SAS, SPSS), calculators, and hand calculations to conduct basic hypothesis tests.
•Interpret the results of a basic hypothesis test in the language of the problem

•Understand the general theory of hypothesis testing. That is, how does a sample statistic’s sampling distributions, the test statistic, the p-value, the relationship between the test statistic and the sampling distribution, and the p-value work together to give one evidence to reject or not reject a null hypothesis?
•Understand when it is appropriate (and not appropriate) to use the following basic hypothesis tests: one-sample z, one-sample t, two-sample independent t, two-sample dependent (matched pairs) t, one-sample proportion, and two-sample proportion test.

•What lends evidence to support or reject a null hypothesis?
•How do we determine whether a finding is statistically significant?

•Problem set
•95% Confidence Interval Lab: Verify the various "rules" or "best practices" that statistics textbooks recommend and examine whether (1-alpha)% confidence intervals are still valid if these recommendations are violated (e.g., sample sizes of at least 30, using the t distribution if the population standard deviation is unknown, using a sample size of 100 if the distribution is heavily skewed)

•Use statistical simulation to generate the sampling distribution of a sample statistic.
•Use statistical simulation to assess the validity of the formula for a (1-alpha)% confidence interval.

•Understand how the sampling distribution of a sample statistic is generated.
•Understand the relationship between a sample statistic and its (1-alpha)% confidence interval.
•Understand and apply the Central Limit Theorem in context.
•Evaluate whether a sample statistic is biased or unbiased.

What does the sample statistic’s sampling distribution tell us about its population parameter and inform how we should use it in research?

•Problem set
•In-class written assessment.

•Compute probabilities under various discrete and continuous probability distribution functions
•Transform a probability distribution.
Evaluate whether or not a population is normally distributed by examining its descriptive statistics and distribution

•Understand the various ways that probability can be used as a tool for doing statistics
•Understand and compute probabilities and percentiles the normal, binomial, Poisson, and Gamma distributions.
•Explain how normal, binomial, Poisson, and Gamma distributed data can be constructed both mathematically and contextually
•Understand the similarities and differences between probability distribution functions and cumulative distribution functions

•What conclusions can be drawn about a set of data or an event if its probability distribution function or cumulative distribution function is known?

•Analyze a data set using data representations and descriptive statistics (e.g., testing data from urban schools) and write a brief research report describing findings and recommendations (e.g., for the school’s principal)

•Use technology to create data representations
•Use technology to obtain descriptive statistics and interpret the descriptives in context

•Understand the appropriateness, strengths, and weaknesses of applying various measures of center and variation to describe a set of data
•Understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of various data representations
•Understand the meaning behind formulas for various measures of central tendency and variation (e.g., the standard deviation)
•Understand the differences between measurement, natural, induced, and sampled variation

•What does the data representation show and what does it hide?
•What does the statistical measure show and what does it hide?
•What is measure?

Statistics 2

The one-way ANOVA

Write research questions that can be answered using ANOVA model, create and conduct a survey that collects data, test hypotheses using the one-way ANOVA, analyze results, and communicate findings in a brief executive summary and an oral presentation to peers and/or members of the community who would find the findings relevant

•Use technology to run a one-way ANOVA and conduct follow-up post-hoc tests.
•Interpret the results of the one-way ANOVA, including precisely stating the conclusions of the post-hoc tests

•Understand how to interpret statistical output from the one-way ANOVA model
•Understand how to interpret the F-statistic and its associated p-value

•When is it appropriate to conduct a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)?
•How do we determine whether something is statistically significant?
•How can statistical evidence be used to enact social change?

Basic Hypothesis Testing

Design a statistical experiment by formulating questions that can be answered using data, addressing what is involved in wisely gathering the data, collecting and organizing the data, displaying the data in graphs and charts, using appropriate hypothesis tests, and making appropriate inferences and conclusions from the analysis

•Conduct basic hypothesis tests by stating the assumptions of the test, calculating the test statistic, calculating the p-value, and stating a conclusion in the language of the problem
•Construct and interpret (1-alpha)% confidence intervals

•Understand the general theory of hypothesis testing. That is, how does a sample statistic’s sampling distribution, the test statistic, the p-value, the relationship between the test statistic and the sampling distribution, and the p-value work together to give one evidence to reject or not reject a null hypothesis?
•Understand when it is appropriate or not appropriate to conduct hypothesis testing

•Is there evidence in the data to support the null hypothesis?
•How do we determine whether a finding is statistically significant?
•How can statistical evidence be used to promote equity and equality?

Sampling Distributions

•Use statistical simulation to assess whether a given sample statistic is biased or unbiased
•Use statistical simulation to test the validity of (1-alpha)% confidence intervals

•Use statistical simulation to generate the sampling distribution of a sample statistic.
Use statistical simulation to assess the validity of the formula for a (1-alpha)% confidence interval
•Use the Central Limit Theorem to describe the mean and standard deviation of the sampling distribution of a sample statistic

•Understand how the sampling distribution of a sample statistic is generated
•Understand the relationship between a sample statistic and its (1-alpha)% confidence interval
•Understand and apply the Central Limit Theorem in context

•What does the sample statistic’s sampling distribution tell us about its population parameter and inform how we should use it in research?
•How confident are we that a sample statistic is equal to the population parameter?
•How does the Central Limit Theorem apply?

Statistics 1

Probability Distributions

Run a statistical experiment to collect data that is suspected to be normally distributed and compare theoretical results with empirical results

•Compute probabilities under the normal distribution
•Predict the result of adding two distributions or multiplying a distribution by a constant
•Evaluate whether or not a population is normally distributed by examining its distribution or its descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, maximum, minimum)

•Understand probabilities and percentiles using the normal distribution
•Understand how an experiment may result in normally distributed data
•Understand the strengths and weaknesses of using the normal distribution to measure and model latent constructs such as happiness and intelligence

What conclusions can be drawn about a set of data or an event if its probability distribution function or cumulative distribution function is known?

Descriptive Statistics

•Analyze a data set using data representations and descriptive statistics (e.g., examining testing data from urban schools) and write a research report describing the findings and recommendations (e.g., for the school’s principal) based on the data analysis

•Use technology to create data representations and interpret in context
•Use technology to obtain basic descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, mode, five number summary) and interpret in context
•Critically analyze statistical evidence in news articles and research literature, and evaluate the evidence on which generalizations are made
•Use appropriate reasoning to synthesize a body of literature

•What does the data representation show and what does it hide?
•What does the statistical measure reveal and hide about the data?
•Which measure of central tendency/variation best describes the data?

Core Courses

Algebra 2

Data Analysis and Statistics

Trigonometric Ratios and Functions

Sequences and Series

Rational Functions

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Rational Exponents and Radical Functions

Polynomial Functions

Quadratic Equations and Complex Numbers

Quadratic Functions

Linear Runctions

•Project
•Homework
•Quizzes

•How is probability useful in everyday life?
•Why can probability be counterintuitive?

•Finding measures of arcs, chords, inscribed angles, central angles, and segments associated with the circle.
•Relationships between angle measurements in a circle (inscribed in a semicircle, central vs inscribed, etc.)
•Relationships between segments in a circle (chords, diameter, radius, secant, tangent)
•Graphing a circle on the coordinate plane.

•Use Pythagorean Theorem (P.T.)
•Know several proofs of P.T.
•Know and use the basic right triangle trigonometric relations: sine, cosine, tangent
•Apply trigonometry to simple applications
•Find an angle given side lengths of a right triangle
•Know the trig values for the angles found in special right triangles

•Use proportional reasoning and similarity to solve for missing side lengths
•Prove two triangles are similar using earlier theorems formulas involving angles and sides

•The perimeters of similar figures have the same ratio as the sides
•The areas of similar figures have the square of their side ratios
•AA, SSS, and SAS can be used to prove two triangles are similar

Proof Video Project and Quiz

•Use the Polygon Interior and Exterior Angle Sum theorems to find missing angle measurements
•Identify quadrilaterals based on their given properties
•Prove the observed properties of quadrilaterals

•Some properties of quadrilaterals come from their definitions and others come from theorems that can be proved by applying our earlier work
•Different types of quadrilaterals have different angle, side, and diagonal properties; those that share a particular defining characteristic also share properties that can be proved from that characteristic

Geogebra exploration project

•Find the perpendicular bisectors of a triangle and the circumcenter with technology and algebraically
•Find the medians of a triangle and the centroid with technology and algebraically
•Find the angle bisectors of a triangle and the incenter with technology
•Find the altitudes of a triangle and the orthocenter with technology and algebraically

•Angle bisectors, perpendicular bisectors and medians all create points of concurrency in triangles
•Each point of concurrency provides a different type of center of a triangle

•Skill test
•Video of proofs using Explain Everything

•Identify congruent angles and sides from given congruence statements
•Solve for missing measurements given two congruent figures

•The corresponding parts of congruent figures are congruent
•Figures can be placed on a coordinate plane to assist in proof process
•Midpoint and distance formulas can used to show segments are congruent

•Creating geometric rules for transforming figures
•Proving congruence and similarity between figures
•Reflections
•Rotations
•Translations
•Glide reflections
•Dilations

•What is meant by “change” with respect to geometric figures?
•What changes a geometric figure?

•Identify lines (parallel and perpendicular), planes, pairs of angles formed by a transversal
•Solve for angle measurements when given parallel lines
•Determine when two lines are parallel based on angle measurements
•Write the equation of a line parallel to or perpendicular to a given line

We can draw conclusions based on certain conditions being met

•What are the relationships between lines and angles that we can rely on?
•How do we use previous knowledge to construct new knowledge?

Quiz and test

•Conditional statements (including converse, inverse, and contrapositive)
•Inductive reasoning
•Deductive reasoning
•Basic proofs

Skills quiz

•Vocabulary: points, lines, planes
•Midpoint and distance formulas
•Perimeter and area formulas

•What are the essential building blocks for geometry?
•Are geometry “facts” discovered or created?

•Find measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) for a given data set
•Measure the dispersion of a data set (range and standard deviation)
•Describe a data set using a box and whisker plot
•Describe the shape of a distribution
•Plot data on a scatterplot
•Find a line of best fit using technology
•Use a two way table to examine frequencies
•Choose appropriate ways to display data

•The way you display data affects how an audience perceives data
•Statistics can be used to gain insight about data

•How can data analysis help make decisions?
•How can data analysis improve understanding of and making sense of data?

•Identify whether a relation is direct or inverse variation graphically, algebraically, or numerically
•Graph direction and inverse variation equations
•Identify characteristics of rational functions (asymptotes, domain, range)
•Graph rational functions-Simplify rational expressions
•Add, subtract, multiply and divide rational expressions
•Polynomial division
•Solve rational equations

What role do rational functions play in our lives?

•Skills and application
•Class differentiated project or activity

•Find domain of square root function
•Graph square root function using a table of values and transformations
•Solve square root equation
•Use Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of the sides of a right triangle
•Use the distance formula to find the distance between two coordinates

•All graphs of square root functions behave the same way
•Square roots affect the domain of the function

How is the Pythagorean Theorem useful?

•Solve a quadratic equation by graphing, by using a square root, or by using the quadratic formula
•Use the discriminant to determine the number of solutions for a quadratic equation
•Solve a system involving a linear and quadratic function algebraically and graphically

•Know different parts of a parabola (vertex, line of symmetry, focus)
•Graph transformations of parabolas (vertical dilation, vertical & horizontal translation)
•Graph parabola from standard form by finding y-intercept, vertex (x=-b/2a), and leading coefficient
•Find minimum/maximum of the function
•Identify whether a function is linear, exponential, or quadratic graphically, algebraically, or numerically

•A function can have a minimum or maximum value
•Different types of functions behave differently, and their graphs have different features

•Definitions of a polynomial and degree
•Add, subtract, and multiply polynomials
•Recognize special multiplying patterns (difference of squares, square of a binomial)
•Solve a polynomial equation from factored form
•Factor quadratics with leading coefficient equal to 1 or not equal to 1
•Factor 4-nomial by grouping
•Factor difference of squares when degree is greater than 2

How do polynomial functions model real-world problems and their solutions?

•Simplify radicals
•Simplify expressions using the properties of exponents (products/quotients of powers, power of powers) for integer exponents
•Multiply and divide using scientific notation
•Write radicals using rational exponents
•Identify an exponential function graphically, algebraically, or numerically and whether the function represent exponential growth or decay
•Evaluate exponential functions
•Graph an exponential function by making a table of values and by using technology
•Describe the domain and range of an exponential function
•Solve an exponential equation where the bases can be written as the same number
•Model exponential growth/decay using the formula y=a(1+/- r)^t
•Calculate compound interest using the formula y=P(1 + r/n)^(nt)
•Recognize when a sequence is geometric
•Write an equation for a geometric sequence using an notation
•Write an equation for a geometric sequence recursively

•Exponential growth/decay is created by a constant multiplier
•All exponential functions behave in the same way
•Exponential functions can be represented in many ways

What purpose do exponential functions serve?

•Determine whether or not a relation is a function graphically, algebraically, and numerically
•Identify the domain and range of a function graphically, algebraically, and numerically
•Identify the independent and dependent variable of a function
•Know whether the domain of a function is discrete or continuous
•Write the equation of a line given a table or graph
•Use function notation to write the equation of a function, evaluate a function
•Graph and evaluate piecewise functions, absolute value functions, step functions
•Determine whether or not a function is linear graphically, algebraically, or numerically
•Recognize when a sequence is arithmetic
•Write an equation for an arithmetic sequence using an notation

•Solve a system of 2 linear equations by graphing, substitution, and elimination
•Recognize if a system has zero, one, or an infinite number of solutions
•Write and graph a system of 2 linear inequalities

•The solution to a linear system is the point(s) the lines share
•A linear system can be used to model a real-life situation with two variables that have two distinct relationships

How can we use linear systems to model real-life situations?

•Skills and application test
•Class-differentiated project or activity

•Translate sentences to linear inequalities
•Graph a linear inequality on a number line
•Use properties of inequality to solve linear inequalities
•Dividing or multiplying by a negative causes the inequality sign to change
•Write and solve linear compound inequalities and graph on a number line
•Graph linear inequalities in two variables

•Linear equations can model real-life situations
•A linear equation is discernable by a constant rate of change
•There is more than one way to represent a linear relationship
•The graph of a equation visualizes all possible solution pairs to an equation and, when in context, is limited by the nature of the variables

•Identify the components of a linear equation
•Use properties of real numbers to simplify algebraic expressions
•Use properties of equality to solve linear equations
•Solve linear absolute value equations
•Solve for a variable in a formula

•Inverse operations (and additive or multiplicative inverses) cancel each other out
•Linear equations can be used to model real world situations
•Absolute value measures the distance between a value and zero on the number line; therefore, absolute value is a non-negative value.
•Length is a linear measurement Length is a one-dimensional spatial measurement
•The relationship between variable measurable values can be expressed through algebraic symbolism

Honors Mandarin

Geography and Climate

•Vocabulary tests
•Make a poster highlighting why certain cities are chosen as the best places to visit
•Class participation
•Class discussion on selected readings
•Teacher-prepared questions on geography
•Written reports on historical sites in China
•Reflective essays on China’s population policies

•Presents the key geographic features and climate in China
•Investigates and creates a report on how land use influences where the Chinese people live and how many live in these areas
•Summarizes the comparison between the climates of China and the U.S.
•Researches population policies and the impacts on China’s economics and family structures
•Researches places to visit in China, discuss the pluses and minuses of visiting each place in terms of location, climate, cultural and historical interest,etc.

•Understand the diversity of China’s geographic regions, life-style of the minorities, and ethnic and linguistic diversity
•Understand China’s landforms and waterways, and climate in major cities
•Understand China’s governing units, population distribution and population policies in the past forty years
•Understand the impact of geography on people’s beliefs, perspectives, and attitudes toward life

•What information and insights can be acquired from studying a country’s geography?
•How do students deepen their understanding of the cultures of their own and other countries through such comparisons?
•How does the experience of visiting a major city contribute to a person’s perspective and appreciation of culture?
•What are the considerations for prioritizing decision-making options?

Social Issues and Current Events

•Vocabulary tests
•Handwritten essays
•Class participation through debates
•Class discussion on selected readings
•Teacher-prepared questions on TV news and interviews
•Oral reports on reading materials

•Identifies and discusses pertinent information when listening to newscasts or reading selections from written news sources
•Expresses personal opinions on Chinese and international topics
•Gives synopses of news reports
•Understands and discusses Internet newspaper articles in Chinese
•Exchanges ideas on the articles' positions
•Implement new vocabulary into discussion

•Understand current Chinese political, social and cultural events
•Understand individual needs in a complicated circumstance
•Understand social issues on health, prejudice, homeless people, building a nice neighborhood
•Understand global issues on global warming and environmental problems

•How do various forms of government affect the lives of citizens?
•What is the impact of society on the life of the individual? and What is the impact of the individual on society?
•How do different political, social, or economic perspectives affect the view,interpretation, and communication of current and historical events?

Family Relationship & Structure

•Vocabulary tests
•Handwritten essays
•Presentations on old and new perspectives of love, marriage and family structure in China
•Class participation through debates
•Oral reports on reading material

•Participates in conversations, provide and obtain information, and exchange opinions in Chinese on the topic of family and marriage
•Presents ideas and opinions in both spoken and written Chinese
•Interprets written and spoken presentations on the topic of love and marriage
•Acquires knowledge of historical aspects of Chinese society through reading and reflecting on the traditional values of love,marriage and family structure in a feudalistic society
•Researches and reads about old values and viewpoints in a traditional Chinese society
•Researches and reads about new values and viewpoints in a modern Chinese society

•Understand the traditional practices of Chinese marriage and perspectives on the Chinese cultural aspects of love and marriage
•Understand the relationship between cultural products associated with Chinese family relationship and structure

•What are the essential types of family structure?
•How does the change of family structure impact personal life?

Education

•Vocabulary tests
•Handwritten essays
•Interview Chinese student or teacher on the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese education and American education
•Class participation through debates
•Oral reports on reading material

•Tells a personal story incorporating description and details
•States personal preference and feelings with explanation
•Researches and summarizes the education systems in China and America through articles, interviews, reach paper, and videos
•Discusses and debates the advantages and disadvantages of the different education systems

•Understand Chinese education system historically and currently
•Understand the advantages ad disadvantages of American school system and Chinese school system

•Why is education important?
•How education impacts personal life in different countries?

Cultural Celebrations

•Vocabulary tests
•Handwritten essays
•Class participation through debates
•Teacher-prepared questions on Chinese festivals
•Oral reports on reading material

•Initiates and maintains conversation of traditional Chinese festivals
•Discusses the meaning of perspectives, products, and practices of the major cultural celebrations
•Summarizes writings about the historical and cultural celebrations
•Compares, contrasts and reports on Chinese cultural traditions and celebrations
•Examines how the cultural celebration is manifested in different cultures, including their own

•Understand Chinese culture, value, and customs through festivals and celebrations
•Understand the role and importance of various social activities within the contemporary Chinese society about cultural celebration and practice

•What information and insights can be acquired from studying another culture?
•How do students deepen their understanding of the cultures of their own and other countries through such comparisons?

Mandarin II

Geography, Climate & Travel

•Oral: presentation of some cities’ weather forecast, calling the travel agency to book an air ticket
•Writing: weather report, travel itinerary, tour brochure
•Comprehension: short stories, audio and video materials related to the topics

•Employs basic terms for weather patterns and phenomena
•Describes simple weather changes
•Compares the weather of two places
•Talks about what you may do in nice or bad weather
•Presents a simple weather forecast
•Talks about vacation plans
•Describe what kind of city Beijing is
•Describes his/her travel itinerary
•Asks for discounts, compares airfares and routes, and books an airplane ticket
•Checks in at the airport
•Wish departing friends a safe journey and remind them to keep in touch
•Greet guests at the airport
•Compliments someone on his/her language ability
•Reminds people to move on to the next event

•Understand in China, the climatic conditions differ drastically from one part of the country to another
•Understand how traveling can impact personal development.
•Understand the discovery of different ways of living will trigger a reflection on the so-called superiority of a culture versus another

•How does traveling build confidence?
•How to develop cultural sensitivity and adapt to globalization?

Entertainment

•Oral: situation role play of organizing a surprise birthday party;presentation on your favorite sport
•Writing: party invitation card; short stories about watching or playing sports games
•Comprehension: short stories, audio and video materials related to the topics

•Asks a friend to go to a party
•Suggests things to take to a get-together
•Offers someone a ride and arranges a time and place to meet
•Thanks people for their gifts
•Talks about the year of his/her birth and Chinese zodiac sign
•Gives a simple description of someone’s facial features
•Names some popular sports
•Talks about his/her exercise habits
•Discusses his/her feelings about various sports
•Makes a simple comparison between how soccer and American football are played

•Understand the appreciation and enjoyment of meaningful entertainment
•Understand the diversity of sports in different countries

•How do you balance your life?
•Why and how do sports play a significant role in your life?

Social Life

•Oral: situation role play of dinning out, seeing doctor, asking directions, and calling about an apartment for rent
•Writing: Chinese menu; a note of asking for leave; an advertisement of rent a house
•Comprehension: short stories, audio and video materials related to the topics

•Introduces self and provides basic personal information
•Greets others in an appropriate way
•Orders Chinese dishes in a Chinese restaurant
•Can tell a waiter/waitress dietary preferences and restrictions
•Able to request a rush order and pay for a meal
•Asks and gives directions
•Identifies locations by using landmarks as references
•Describes whether two places are close together or far away from one another
•States destination and the purpose of going there
•Can describe basic symptoms of a cold and allergy
•Understands and repeats instructions on when and how often to take medications
•Describes current and ideal living quarters
•Names common pieces of furniture
•Comments briefly on why a place is or isn’t good for someone
•Discusses and negotiates rent, utilities, and security deposits

•Understand the relationship and the people we are connected with each other
•Understand the relationship coming in many ways, shapes and forms:family, home, school,community, nation, and world

•How do relationships shape our life?
•How can examining cause and effect help us understand relationships between people, places,ideas, and events?

Mandarin IV

Communicating with information technology

•Oral communication: Video presentation; debate
•Writing: scrip of video; Description of solution
•Visual interpretation: documentary clip; Advertisement

•Students will be able to communicate by using multiple way of technology
•Students will be able to identify how communications is related to technology
•Students will be able to express their opinion on is what way the use of technology has affected our ability and need to socialize

Understand the responsibilities, possibilities and impact on humans and their environment

•What exactly is technology?
•How does technology impact our daily life?

Who belongs?

•Oral communication: Video presentation; debate
•Writing: scrip of video; Description of solution
•Comprehension: interpret a documentary clip and advertisement

•View gender roles as socially constructed ideas
•Demonstrate the ability to question gender roles and social expectations
•Acknowledge that not everyone fits into narrow gender roles

By making judgments about gender equality as embodied in a series of historical facts, students will discover that progress toward gender equality has not always been continuous

•Can everyone’s personalities and attitudes fit within socially constructed gender roles?
•How do we create equality in law and in social situations?

Environmental Changes

•Oral communication: Video presentation; debate
•Writing: scrip of video; Description of solution
•Comprehension: interpret an NGO poster and documentary clip

•Describe some of the features of a clean environment
•Name commonly known green energy sources
•Give examples of practices that are friendly to the environment
•Explain how a city changed affect the environment or possible cause issues in the future
•Provide solutions for the issues discussed
•Give a pro and con debate on how to protect our environment

We are all components of our world and connected to our natural and social environment.

•How can we take the first step toward building a stronger environmental movement?
•How can individuals contribute to solving large-scale environmental problems?

Traditional Celebration

•Oral communication: PPT presentation
•Writing: a short essay- my favorite celebration
•Visual interpretation: Festival video; reading different celebrations in different countries

•Can name the common/essential elements to celebration
•Can name some of the origin of celeb rations
•Can name the main celebrations in the calendar year of a particular community
•Can talk how people celebrate a festival according to their culture
•Can name the traditional Chinese holidays and the dates on which they occur
•Can name the foods associated with traditional holidays
•Can express New Year wishes

•Knowledge and appreciation of another culture leads to recognition of our own identity, and a balanced perspective of the others and ourselves.

•How do traditions bind a community?
•How are celebrations marked in our lives?

Mandarin III

Education & Expectation

•Oral: Speech - describe a dream for the future
•Writing: Essay - why do we need education?
•Comprehension: Interpret an advertisement and video clip about a family story

Knowledge & Skills

•Describe a childhood learning experience
•Indicate agreement or disagreement
•Talk about parents' aspiration for their children
•State whether he/she agrees or disagrees with others' point of view
•Talk about parents' hopes and expectations for their children
•Compares the education system's differences between China and the United States

•School systems are different in different countries and cultures.
•School is not only the place to develop life skills and prepare us for real life world.

•How is education important in our lives?
•How does school prepare us for the real world in the future?

Shelter and Housing – We All Need a Home

•Oral: research poster presentation
•Writing: story of the child; poem
•Comprehension: UNICEF video clip about children's rights

•Describe the room setting
•Interprets the visual text about a house and room
•Can write a poem about what children need for their room in the future
•Compare someone else's lifestyle with their own
•Analyze the information from a UNICEF video clip about children's rights
•Write a short story from different point view
•Deliver a presentation of the poster

In the world, there are many different types of lifestyles and ways in which people create their "home" for their family

•What does home mean to you?
•What makes a good home?

Impact of the Internet On My Life

•Oral: In-class debate - Is it good or not to have technology in our life?
•Writing: Description of daily life with technology
•Comprehension: Interpret an article and image from a magazine; read a short story

•Uses intercultural understanding to interpret communication
•Uses language to gather and communicate information
•Uses a variety of organizers for writing tasks
•Describes how to use the Internet
•Lists reasons that people prefer to use email / text to communicate
•Describes lifestyle changes
•Compares "older" means of communication to "newer"
•Can discuss the positive and/or negative impacts of the internet on his/her life

Technology impacts the way we communicate and brings new advantages and disadvantages

•How does technology today compare with previous generations?
•In what ways has the use of technology affected our ability and need to socialize?

School Life: Relationship

•Oral: Situational role play conversation about problem solving
•Writing: Description of place; a story of your friend; an essay about a dream
•Comprehension: Listen to audio account of daily activities and draw a map based on the audio; reading a diary

•Introduce self and explain how to write Chinese name
•Asks and answers questions about where student was born and grew up
•Can express preferences for living on or off campus and give support details
•Describes the rooms in his/her home and where things are located
•Talks about facilities/amenities in my school
•Gives opinions indirectly and politely in a culturally-aware way
•Asks others' opinions and gives advice
•Names required courses
•Can talk about plans for after high school graduation
•Can state shared similar interests with friends
•Can show my concern, ask if things are okay and investigate further if necessary
•Gives examples of description of the traits that he/she looks for in a partner for a school project
•Can explain the reasons that caused conflict and give a solution to friends

•Relationships and the people we are connected with shape our lives
•Relationships come in many shapes and forms: family, race, business, home, and school

•How do relationships shape our life?
•Is conflict inevitable in relationships?

Mandarin I

Making an Appointment

•Oral: Making an appointment by phone
•Writing: Taking a message; an invitation
•Comprehension: Read text messages and invitations

•Politely ask for a favor
•Set up an appointment on the phone
•Take/leave a message for someone
•Request for a call to be returned
•Interact on the phone appropriately
•Ask about the reason for a phone call

•Communication implies that you have an audience and a purpose
•Oral and written communication require different approaches and considerations

•How and why do we communicate?
•How do we improve our methods of communication?

School Life

•Oral: Presentation on daily routine at school
•Writing: School brochure; a letter
•Comprehension: Reading class schedule Q/A; BBC video clip on education system in China

•Talk about the class schedule
•Describe the daily routine at school
•Write a simple diary entry and a letter in the proper format
•Express modesty regarding language abilities
•Describe the school campus

•Schools are run differently in different countries
•Schools run a diverse range of programs and services which explore questions of fulfillment and how to lead a better life

•What is the best way to get an education?
•How does a school run a diverse range of programs to promote global understanding and respect?

Shopping

•Oral: Situation role play - shopping clothes
•Writing: An article about new clothing store
•Comprehension: Subway/ Bus route map; a explanation of the most / least convenient way to get to a destination

•Count money and determine the proper change
•Name colors
•Describe clothing and size
•Purchase items in clothing shop
•Return or exchange items at a store
•Read a subway map
•Speak about all common means of transportation
•Ask and give the most/least convenient way to get to a destination

Cultural and personal expression is reflected in the way we dress

•Does the way we dress reflect our culture?
•Can we fully express ourselves by the way we dress?

Dates, Hobbies and Sports

•Oral: Conversation Q/A by reading activities schedule
•Writing: Write an email invitation to a friend
•Comprehension: Weekly activity schedule; reading text-Chinese student's school life

•Read the calendar in Chinese
•Tell time and the weather
•Talk about favorite pastimes and ask someone else's
•Make a plan and invite someone to a weekend activity
•Accept or decline an invitation to a weekend activity
•Host your friend who is visiting your house
•Write an invitation card

Not all countries participate in the sports and activities that we, in the U.S., participate in.

•How are humans creative when they are relaxing?
•How do we balance our life?

Me, Family & Community

•Oral: Situation dialogue - get to know your friend and family
•Writing: Create a family book (description)
•Comprehension: Reading an advertisement, video clip - first day at school, audio - description

•Greet others according to Chinese custom
•Address family members appropriately
•Introduce and describe yourself and family members
•Read a simple map and tell the locations
•Ask and give directions

The way we connect to others brings meaning and structure to the relationships that we develop throughout our lives

•Why is it important to connect with others and build relationships?
•What are the benefits of working and living together as a community?
•How do we build a strong community for our next generation?

Senior Year

• Successfully develops and revises a search strategy for a research paper in a Senior English elective.
• Demonstrates success in locating high quality, peer-reviewed materials in a research database.
• Demonstrates strong ability in credentialing authors and discerning authority of authorship.
• Successfully cites sources using accurate templates.
• Exhibits ethical, conscientious choice-making in using shared research materials on reserve, as well as electronically.

• Research tools have specialized purposes and functions.
• Using information ethically is the basis of good thinking and responsible citizenship.
• Peer-reviewed scholarship, blog posts, websites and print materials all play a role in research, but are weighted differently based on the task.
• Citing sources is an appropriate and necessary part of research behavior.

• Knows how to search academic databases for articles on a specified topic
• Can transfer skills in searching one database to using other, unknown databases
• Is able to develop and revise a research strategy on a specified topic
• Shows a growing level of tenacity and engagement in the research process
• Is increasingly effective in analyzing web, print, and database sources for quality, purpose, authority and commercialism
• Demonstrates consistently ethical behavior in using information
• Consistently and accurately gives credit through citing all sources of information

• How does a researcher select appropriate research materials in different disciplines?
• Which elements of research behavior are transferable between disciplines? Which are distinct to a discipline?
• What are the characteristics of peer-reviewed research?
• How do we credential all kinds of sources accurately and effectively?

Junior Year

Assesment

• Successfully develops and revises a search strategy for a literary research project in English 11.
• Demonstrates success in locating high quality, peer-reviewed materials in a research database.
• Demonstrates ability in credentialing authors and discerning authority of authorship.
• Successfully cites sources using accurate templates.
• Exhibits ethical, conscientious choice-making in using shared research materials on reserve, as well as electronically.

• Research tools have specialized purposes and functions.
• Using information ethically is the basis of good thinking and responsible citizenship.
• Citing sources is an appropriate and necessary part of research behavior.

• Knows how to search JSTOR for academic articles on a specified topic
• Is able to develop and revise a research strategy on a specified topic
• Shows tenacity and engagement in the research process
• Is increasingly effective in analyzing web, print, and database sources for quality, purpose, authority and commercialism
• Demonstrates awareness of ethical principles in using information
• Understands the importance of giving credit for sources of information

• What are the components of literary research?
• How do research databases differ from search engines?
• What are the characteristics of peer-reviewed research?

Sophomore Year

• Students effectively utilize reserve readings for meeting course requirements
• Students successfully scrutinize information for currency, authority, reliability and purpose
• Students demonstrate a growing ability to cite sources in MLA and Chicago Style

• There is much more to research than a Google search.
• Using information ethically is the basis of good thinking and responsible citizenship.
• Citing sources is an appropriate and necessary part of research behavior.

• Able to use research materials placed on reserve for a class
• Can search for additional materials using a good search strategy
• Develops an increasing level of skill in finding keywords and phrases to construct an effective search
• Is able to analyze the quality, purpose, authority and commercialism of websites using established criteria
• Demonstrates awareness of ethical principles in using information
• Understands the importance of giving credit for sources of information

• What are the best quality resources to use for academic projects?
• What are the ethics of information use?
• How do we continue to improve our information-seeking skills?
• Why is citing sources an important part of academic writing?

Freshman Year

• Students demonstrate their ability to locate information on a defined topic for a specific audience.
• Students are able to successfully present their search findings for review by the class.
• Students successfully scrutinize information for currency, authority, reliability and purpose.
• Students can articulate basic ethical concepts of information use.

• The library is both a physical location and a set of services available electronically.
• Information is a commodity, and its use requires skills and discernment.
• Using information ethically is the basis of good thinking and responsible citizenship.

• Can locate and has visited the online library guide
• Knows how to search for materials in the library catalog
• Understands how to brainstorm relevant keywords and phrases to build an effective search
• Understands at a basic level the logic of search engines such as Google
• Is able to analyze the quality, purpose, authority and commercialism of websites using established criteria
• Can conduct an effective, efficient Advanced Search in Google
• Demonstrates awareness of ethical principles in using information
• Understands the importance of giving credit for sources of information

• What is available in the library, and how do we access it?
• How do we physically borrow materials?
• What study and research support do the librarians offer?
• What are the ethics of information use?
• How do we build our search skills to a more advanced and academic level?

Health 10

Gender, Sex, Sexuality, & Culture

•Class discussions
•Outreach project
•Health assembly presentation

•Definitions of gender, sex, and sexuality across cultures
•Pressures in our culture
•Ways to learn about one's self
•Resources and support available to youth
•How to be a great ally to others

•Gender, sex, and sexuality are defined by the individual for the individual
•Actively creating inclusive spaces for all identities can make the world safer for everyone
•Communication and protection are essential when exploring one's sexuality with others

•What are gender, sex, and sexuality?
•How does one's culture affect their gender and sexual identity?
•How can I explore my gender, sexuality, and sex in ways that are as safe as possible for myself and others both physically and emotionally?

Mindfulness: Anxiety & Stress Management

•Class discussion & practice

•Class projects

•Upper School assemblies and outreach

•Deep breathing
•Guided relaxation
•Meditation
•Personal tool box

•The physical results of stress and anxiety
•The psychological results of stress and anxiety
•The benefits of stress and anxiety management

*What is anxiety?

*What is stress management?

*How does incorporating mindfulness into my life keep me healthy?

First Aid

•Class discussion and practice
•Health assembly presentation

•Basic body systems: Central Nervous System, Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, Digestive, Skin
•Basic First Aid
•CPR and AED

•By understanding our own bodies we can take better care of them when we are well and when we are sick or injured
•By recognizing problems early we will have better outcomes when sick or injured

•How can I prevent common medical problems?
•When can I treat a problem myself and when do I need to get help?

Alochol & Drugs

•Class discussion

•Class projects

•Student-to-student teaching

•How alcohol affects the developing teenage brain

•How marijuana affects the developing teenage brain

•Addiction to prescription medication

•Refusal skills

•Risk factors & Protective factors

•Signs of alcohol poisoning

•Getting help for self and others

*Understand how family history and genetics can influence one's own addiction

*Understand that teens make decisions differently than adults because their brains are still developing

*Understand the function of dopamine in the brain in relation to addiction

*Understand addiction to gaming and pornography

•What is addiction?

The Brain & Decision Making

•Class discussion
•Design posters and slides
•Upper School-wide discussion
•Health assembly presentation

•Basic parts and functions of the brain
•Basic timeline of brain development from birth to death
•Different heuristics for decision making
•Common traps in decision making

•Our neurobiology dictates a lot of what goes into our decisions
•Teen brains make decisions differently than brains at other ages
•By learning from our decisions and being resilient we can make better decisions

•How do we make decisions?
•Which decisions are we in control of?
•What is a healthy decision?

•Class discussion

•Class projects & case scenarios

•Student-to-student teaching

•Know what tools are used to give a mental health diagnosis

•Know differences in common teen diagnoses

•Know about family history affecting one's mental health

*Will know when something qualifies as a diagnosis

*Will know the difference between mental health and mental illness

*Will know different types of mental health disorders

*Will know symptoms of different mental health disorders

•What is mental health?

•How do I know I am healthy?

Love, Relationships, and Culture

•Create a Upper School-wide survey to understand what people think others want and what others think they want regarding relationships
•Class discussions
•School-wide discussion
•Health assembly presentation

•Understand that one's perception of what "everyone" wants may not align with reality
•Practice talking about what one would like
•Practice listening and understanding what others want
•Listen to the diversity of what others want even within our classroom

•There is political, legal, and cultural historical context that has and continues to shape the ways we define romantic love
•We are each unique and communication is the key to successful relationships

•How do the media, family, and our community impact how we relate to and communicate with others?

Health 9

Nervous System

•Brain structures and functions

•Neuron structure; nerve signaling; neurotransmitters

•Effects of stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens on nervous system

•Addiction pathway

•Brain development; impulse control; risk assessment

•The brain develops and changes over the course of a lifetime
•Stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens impact the nervous system in different ways

•How can I use knowledge of neuroscience to understand how my brain works and develops, and to make informed decisions about drug and alcohol use?

Reproductive System

•Reproductive system anatomy

•Path of sperm to egg; pregnancy

•Reproductive system homology

•Sex chromosomes; intersex and hormonal conditions

•Sex vs. gender vs. gender expression vs. sexuality

•Menstrual cycle

•Contraceptive methods

•Immune system basics; bacterial vs. viral infections; HPV vaccine

•Types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

•STI prevention; safer sex

•Consent

•Knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and the immune system can inform our reproductive health choices
•Biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality fall along continua (not binaries) and may evolve over an individual’s lifetime
•Consent is critical in healthy intimate relationships

•How can I maintain my best reproductive health?

•How do I define myself in terms of biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality?

•How can I make sure that any intimate relationships I have are healthy and respectful?

Digestive System

•Class discussion
•Reflective journal entries

Knowledge

•Digestive system anatomy

•Digestive enzyme functions

•Structures and functions of biological molecules that make up the foods we eat: carbohydrates (monosaccharides, disaccharides, starch, fiber, glycogen), lipids, proteins

•Cellular respiration, the role of glucose in fueling our bodies; metabolism; energy content of biological molecules

•Type 1 vs. Type 2 diabetes; role of insulin

Skills

•Compare and contrast food pyramids and other nutrition recommendation schemes

•Read and analyze a food label and use it to make informed decisions about eating

•Knowledge of physiology and biochemistry can inform our food choices

•“There are no essential foods, only essential nutrients” (Gadsby 2004)

•How can I fuel my body in the healthiest way?

FR V- Literature and Art

Literature and Fine Arts

.Analysis of work of art using advanced art and literature adjectives
.Written assessments on artist biography
.Oral presentation on artist techniques and art movement
.Analysis of a selected work of art: composition, light, subject and themes, colour, form and effects, space and depth.
.Debate about beauty
.Discussion after viewing various works of art
.Written assessment on preferred work of art

Interpersonal:
.Express and defend with and detail personal preferences, feelings, and opinions of beauty related to a work of art
Interpretive viewing:
.Identify concepts of beauty
Interpretive Reading:
.Comprehend, analyse, and compare concepts of beauty in art, poetry, and literature
Presentational Speaking:
.Deliver a presentation on interpretation of beauty and aspects of beauty in a selected work of art
.Cite strong advanced adjectives to support analysis
Presentational writing:
.Write informative texts to examine and convey how beauty is defined in a selected work of French art.
.Compare how beauty is represented in francophone art and literature
.Relate francophone cultural perspectives of self-image and beauty to personal beliefs

.Cultures influence one's concept of beauty.
.The perception of beauty varies among cultures and individuals.
.Knowledge of French language and Francophone cultures including poetry and literature, fine arts and art history contribute to one's understanding of the diversity of other cultures in a global society.
.The values, norms, and perspectives of other cultures foster tolerance, reduce prejudice and minimise stereotyping.
.Literature and art contribute to a broad and multi-faceted picture of the past.

Art and literature reflect the idea of beauty in a culture.

.Why art and literature reflect the idea of beauty in a culture?
.What is beauty?
.How is beauty represented in art and literature?

Francophone and French Texts: Marcel Proust, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, Atiq Rahimi, Tahar Ben Jelloun,

Knowledge an Skills

.Analyze and critique French and Francophone literature
.Identify and analyze a wide range of themes in a novel
.Analyze poems, narrative descriptions, and short novels
.Apply the methods of textual analysis and critical appraisal of literary texts in various genres
.Link evidence to argument
.Undertake literature search using a wide range of authentic documents and electronics sites
.Research and write biographies
.Evaluate the relevance and sufficiency of the literature found
.Reference the literature found accurately.

.All literary texts are open to interpretation.
.Consideration of the cultural and historical context, the context of the author's life, the context of debates within the discipline at that time and the intellectual context of debates today, is essential.
.Critical reading decides to what extent the student is prepared to accept the author's arguments, opinions or conclusions.

.How does French and Francophone literature reflect serious political and social issues in the world today?
.How are the many cultures of the francophone world represented in literature like?
.What can I learn about my own language and culture from studying the literature of the Francophone world?

Guillaume Apollinaire, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Jean Giono

.Biographical research of Guillaume Apollinaire
.Written biography
.Analysis of poem:"Le Pont Mirabeau"
.Research and writing of Quintile poems (Calligrammes)
.Biographical research, reading and presentation of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Nobel prize
.Reading and analysis of an excerpt from "Désert"
.Writing a narrative description from a picture of the désert
.Biographical research and writing of Jean Giono
.Collaborative reading, presentation and summary writing of the novel 'L'Homme qui plantait des arbres"

.Analyze and critique French literature
.Identify and analyze a wide range of themes in a novel
.Analyze poems, narrative descriptions, and short novels
.Apply the methods of textual analysis and critical appraisal of literary texts in various genres
.Link evidence to argument
.Undertake literature search using a wide range of authentic documents and electronics sites
.Research and write biographies
.Evaluate the relevance and sufficiency of the literature found
.Reference the literature found accurately.

.The students expand and consolidate their language skills.
.The students develop analytical thinking of cultural aspects and social issues of the period under discussion.

.Are nature and culture found in French literature?
.How can French poetry be defined?
.What are French poetic devices? How are French poetic devices used to engage readers?
.Why is imagery and symbolism as a poetic/literary device important to the understanding/appreciation of poetry?

Literary Genres: Poetry, Theater, Language and Style, Expression of Circumstances, Heterogeneity of the French text

.Informative reading on French literary genres
.Written quizzes
.Individual presentation
.French composition writing with a solid outline.
.Written assignment of a dialogue from a photography in the French format..Self-assessments

.Develop analytical thinking through reading and class discussion
.Evaluate how the choice of words or expressions affects the work's theme and mood.
.Identify literary forms, styles, and techniques and use various methodologies of critical reading and textual analysis.
.Interpret a variety of literary genres
.Analyse, synthesize and organize research according to an outline.
.Use the French stylistic forms of writing
.Collaborate to research, interpret and produce biographies
.Present to an audience

.Studying French literature make students more articulate writers, speakers, and thinkers.
.Studying French literature allow students to see things from other points of view.
.French and Francophone literature present students with another perspective on culture, race, history and allow them to see the inner workings of the French culture as the written art form.

.What is the value of studying French literary genres?
.What are some important reasons to study literature?
.Will studying literature make me a more articulate french writer, speaker, and thinker?

History: Movements, Middle Age to XX Century Authors

.Research
.Reading historical texts
.Oral Assessment: presentation of selected movement to classmates.
.Questions and answers
.Literary movements quizzes
.French literary composition with outline

Knowledge and Skills

.Recognize the literary movements in history.
.Define the different French literary movements.
.Write or present persuasively for an audience.
.Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of contemporary French and Francophone culture and society through the study of major modern literary works.
.Identify literary forms, styles, and techniques and use various methodologies of critical reading and textual analysis.

.The study of literature in various literary periods and/or movements serve both as a survey of the most important literary, artistic, and intellectual movements and as a sampling of the most brilliant and innovative prose, poetry, and performance.

.What is a literary French movement?
.How do literary works and authors relate to society and history?
.Is an author an artist?
.How are french literary texts impacting my life today?
.What makes a piece of literature a classic?

FR IV- Conversation and Composition

Freedom and Responsibility through the lens of WWII France

•Group research and presentations on the life of Jean-Paul Sartre and on the history of WWII in France
•Written responses to comprehension questions
•Personal reflections on the reading and class discussions
•Teacher observation of class discussions and collaborative work
•In-class essay on the literal and figurative meaning of the text and its application to students’ lives

•Express causation - the use of ‘grâce à’ and ‘à cause de’
•Replace nouns with pronouns - review of stress, direct object, indirect object, ‘y’ and ‘en’, and the placement and order of these pronouns
•Connect sentences using relative pronouns including indefinite pronouns, ‘ce qui’, ‘ce que’ and ‘ce dont’
•Understand the history of France during WWII, the occupation and the resistance
•Research the biography of Jean-Paul Sartre and an reflect on his philosophy
•Use vocabulary related to the war, the occupation and the resistance
•Read independently Les Jeux sont faits by Jean-Paul Sartre

•The life of Jean-Paul Sartre and history of WWII from a French and European perspective
•The northern part of France was occupied by Nazi Germany during WWII, while the southern part was led by a French collaborationist government
•This occupation and division had devastating impacts on France and the French people
•Sartre’s philosophical development was influenced by this history

•What is freedom?
•How are freedom and responsibility related?
•How do we decide when to accept our fate and when to take control of our fate?
•To what extent do humans determine their own lives and to what extent are human lives determined by circumstances beyond their control?
•What happened in France during WWII?
•What is the impact of an occupation on a nation?
•How did this impact the French people, their ideas and their politics?
•What lessons can be learned today from the history of World War II in France?
•To what extent does literature reflect the culture and to what extent does it impact the culture?

Defining our values: Le Petit Prince

•Reading comprehension quizzes on Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Éxupéry
•Written reflections on the themes and essential questions
•Improvisations of scenes from the book
•Writing a missing episode
•In class paragraph-length answers to questions about the literal and figurative meaning of the story

•Use of the subjunctive to express feelings and opinions
•Use of a rich vocabulary to express emotions
•Use of the imperfect and conditional to express how the student would feel or act in a similar situation
•Understand the literal meaning of the text
•Analyse the symbolic meanings in the text
•Evaluate the meaning of the text given the historical and cultural context in which it was written

•Human beings need and seek out relationships
•Relationships develop through written, verbal and nonverbal communication
•Essential truths can be invisible to the eye
•People’s ideas change over time
•The proverbs of a culture reflect that culture’s values

•What is love?
•What is friendship? How does one invite friendship?
•What is important in life?
•What makes each of us unique?
•What does it mean to be a grown-up? Do we want to grow up?
•How do historical and cultural factors influence this text? What is French about this text?

Understanding our World through Francophone Media

•Periodic informal oral presentations on news articles
•Written reflections and self-assessments
•An integrated performance assessment including research on multiple aspects of a current event topic (interpretive communication), a formal oral presentation with written/visual support (presentational communication) and leading a class discussion on the topic (interpersonal communication)

•Conduct a French language internet search
•Discern the best and most trustworthy sources and finding corroborating sources
•Interpret articles and synthesize the information
•Create an effective framework for presentation
•Express hypotheticals through the use of the conditional
•Learn the vocabulary for various current event topics

•National identity and personal experience influence our point of view
•People experience the same media message differently
•Media have embedded values and points of view
•Media choice is affected by personal experience and sense of need
•Information can be acquired from various sources
•The research process requires the use of a variety of resources to ensure validity
•Interpreting and analyzing research results will answer a variety of questions

•What is happening around the world?
•How can I discuss world events in French?
•How does francophone media coverage differ from English language sources?
•How does access to francophone news sources enlarge my world view?
•How should we interpret information we find in the media?
•How do I distinguish trustworthy sources on the internet?

Mystery

•Comprehension and vocabulary quiz
•Teacher observation of class participation and small group work
•Creative, narrative writing of a detective story
•Peer reviews of classmates’ detective stories
•Interpretation of advertising that uses the conventions of mystery fiction

•Read mysteries, whodunits and detective stories by Gilbert Cesbron, Georges Simenon and others
•Write a story using the imperfect, perfect and pluperfect tenses to tell a story
•Learn and apply essential vocabulary for crime fiction
•Identify the essential elements of a detective story, and apply them when creating a story
•Indicate a dialogue through the conventional use of punctuation
•Write a dialogue using the appropriate colloquial register

•Studying the many and varied reasons for which people commit crimes give us insights into the human condition
•Good readers are like detectives in that they look carefully for clues to the author’s meaning
•Good detectives and good readers use inferences to reconstruct the truth from imperfect evidence
•Good crime fiction encourages and inspires active reading
•Crime fiction assuages our desire to see good rewarded and evil punished

•Why do people commit crimes?
•What is the function of crime fiction?
•How does the author hook and hold the reader?
•What narrative structures are effective in creating suspense in crime fiction?
•What makes crime fiction particularly satisfying?

Personalities and Relationships

•Discussions of the reading
•Biographies of the authors
•Peer reviews of written work
•In class debate of a question raised in the text
•In class essay test with comprehension, analysis and application questions
•Periodic quizzes on vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension
•Teacher observation of class participation and collaborative learning
•Literary recitation
•Analytic writing on the use of imagery, sound, and figures of speech

•Use the imperfect, perfect and pluperfect past tenses to construct a past tense narrative
•Comprehend the literary past tense
•Use the conditional mood in hypothetical statements
•Develop reading strategies to enhance comprehension
•Read, discuss, and analyse a short story
•Identify and describe main and secondary characters
•Identify primary and secondary themes
•Interpret a story and support one’s interpretation with textual evidence
•Write an analytic essay with a main idea and supporting textual evidence
•Connect themes to their personal experiences
•Identify criteria for personality disorders, evaluate whether or not literary characters exhibit the criteria and defend their opinions
•Read short stories from the 20th century by André Maurois and Françoise Sagan

•Texts are open to interpretation
•Stories follow a narrative arc
•Stories transmit cultural messages
•An author’s life experience, identity, culture and history all impact the author’s writing and knowledge of them informs our literary interpretation
•Our own life experience, identity, culture and history also influence our interpretation of a text

•What is the function of literature? Do different literary genres fill different functions?
•How do you demonstrate precision in the discussion of chronology?
•How does literature reflect society and how does literature influence culture?
•How does knowledge about an author’s life impact the reading and interpretation of their work?
•How do people relate to one another?
•How do one’s actions impact others?
•What are our responsibilities to others?
•How do we find meaning and happiness in life?
•What motivates people to act as they do?
•What does a good relationship/marriage look like?
•What is the role of trust and honesty in a relationship? When must we tell the truth and when should we hide it?
•How does language and culture affect the way we interact with others?

FR III- Interpretive Communication

Feelings, Emotions

.Reading stories about emotions and feelings..Verbal questions and answers
.Critical thinking and reasoning debate about identifying and defining actual problems.Written collaborative summary of solving problems.Viewing and discussions of two films: "La journée de la jupe" and "La tour de Babel.".Debate to determine the feelings that result from different behaviors.Written summaries of a selected film with argumentation

.Demonstrate how to express emotions in healthy ways
.Demonstrate verbal and non-verbal language to express and receive information. .Demonstrate the ability to determine underlying factors of varying emotions
.Ask questions about emotions found in various texts.
.Write about various expressions of emotions
.Demontrate the relationship between cause and effect
.Demonstrate empathy towards his peers
.Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions to discuss with classmates.
.Contribute to the project-based exploration of alternative solutions.

.All people have emotions
.Students will understand the expression of emotions with others
.They will improve communication, allowing for problem-solving in a healthy way and develop lifelong skills.
.The students understand that different cultures and values determine decision and decision making and help to shape beliefs and actions.

.How does what I do define who I am?
.How is my identity shaped over time?
.When is it difficult to control your emotions?
.What are some different ways a person may express emotions?
.How does your environment affect the way you act?

All Equal, Solidarity, Social Justice, Colonialism, Francophonie

Online and authentic historical material research
Written presentations with questions and answers
Oral presentation to an audience in collaboration with class mates
Interview
Magazine article
Biographies
Maps of Francophone countries
Study, discussions and collaborative summaries of Francophone countries(present relationship with France, climate and cultures)
Collaborative powerpoint to present to other classes

•Research the Francophone countries: African Lake Regions, West and Central Africa, in Europe and Nord America, and in the Indien Ocean
•Discuss Social Justice
•Read and discuss La Négritude written by Aimé Césaire
•Read poems from Léopold Sédar Senghor, a Senegalese poet.
•Explore the perspectives, practices, products, and languages of different francophone cultures
•Discuss the connection of other eras throughout history, linking the past to the present

•Students will be more informed global citizens who understand that world languages reflect rich multidimensional cultures and experiences, as well as the histories, current realities, aspirations, and dreams of the people who speak those languages.
•Students will develop the competence to communicate with whose who are different than themselves, and perhaps even mediate among cultures and languages.
•These competencies have the potential to extend to any situation in which students interact with others of different backgrounds from their own.
•They have long-lasting benefits and are a vital component of a student's skill set that allows them to understand, appreciate, and respect similarities and differences among different cultures.
•Students are encouraged to think critically about social change in other cultures and help them to see things that they might not see in their own cultures.
•Learning another language and about its associated cultural traditions and values foster tolerance, reduce prejudice, and minimize stereotype. It contributes to an appreciation of cultural diversity.
•The French flag truly reflects the humanistic values - liberty, equality, fraternity.

•What does it mean to live better together?
•What is the nature of fairness?
•What is the nature of equity?
•What is solidarity?
•What is the nature of collaboration?
•What is the nature of empathy?
•What is true and how do we know it?
•What is awareness?
•What is a citizen of the world?
•What is truth and how do we know it?
•What is La Francophonie?
•What does it mean to be Francophone? To be Francophile?
•What is social justice? A philosophy, an approach, and actions that embody treating people with fairness, respect, dignity, and generosity?

Desire of Culture, Art, Working in France

.Regular research in French about current affairs and reporting findings to groups
.Project-based assessments in collaboration with classmates
.Reading and questioning quizzes
.Structural analysis of stories
.Written biographies
.Written summaries
.Self-assessments

.Read historical texts
.Research, discuss and share information
.Produce written paragraphs with complex sentences
.Define and compare the educational system in USA and France
.Demonstrate the ability to understand the main idea of various texts and discuss social issues.

.Knowledge of French language and culture opens opportunities to students who will study, work and live in an increasingly global society.
.French universities and "Grandes Écoles" are open to foreigners.
.French is the language of culture, opening your door to art, music, dance, fashion, cuisine and cinema.

.What is culture?
.How does language shape culture?
.How art, language, and culture influence our lives?
.How can the knowledge of French language and culture opens opportunities to study in France?

Memories, Family, Lodging, Ideal City, Other People in the World, Natural Wellness, Environment, Biodiversity

Self-Assessments
Peers Assessments
Performance and Proficiency-based assessments
Projects-Based Assessments
Integrated Performance Assessment (Interpretive- Interpersonal and Presentational Modes)
Daily Differentiated Assessments: Oral and Written

I Have theQuestion, Who Has the Answer?
Student Data Notebooks
Newspaper Headlines Report
Interviews
Text rendering
Whiteboard Splash
Metacognitive table
Book Cover
Audio recording
Story Summary (oral and written)
Oral presentations: speaking skills without notes
Reviews and Interviews

·Give and follow multistep directions
·Derive meaning using oral, visual and contextual clues
·Recognize and explain common idiomatic expressions
·Interpret and imitate culturally appropriate nonverbal communication
·Identify the purpose, main idea, and describe characters, setting and important events in age-appropriate media
·Outline information gathered from nonfiction sources (magazines, newspapers, historical texts)
·Predict the outcome of a story from age-appropriate authentic resources
·Provide a different ending to a story
·Research family history
·Apply the agreements of the past participle reflexive verbs
·Write mysteries, short stories, and dialogs.
·Apply the indicative, subjunctive and conditional verb forms
.Collaborate to research information on the Francophonie geography and History
·Research world population and environmental issues

·Students will access, analyse, and use information in a variety of contexts, disciplines, and authentic materials.
·Students develop the understanding of multiple cultural perspectives and points of view.
·The values, norms, and perspectives of different cultures are reflected in the language used with that culture.

•Are memories important?
•What is my family genealogy?
•What do I remember from my youngest age?
•Exploring Time and Place: Environnement
•What makes a city special? How does where I live influence my lifestyle?
•Why is biodiversity important to life on earth?
•Why is biodiversity disappearing locally, regionally, globally?
•Are the biodiversity efforts comparable in the French-speaking world and the US?
•What individuals can do to sustain the biodiversity of planet Earth?
•What is “La Charte de L 'Environnement de la France?”
•Why do people say: It is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there?

FR II- Interpersonal Communication

Structuring Conversations, Nuancing Opinions

•Regular listening, chatting, reading, writing assessments
•Journal Entry
•Skits (not memorized)
•Summaries (Oral and written)
•Paragraphs
•Poems writing and reciting
•Oral Questioning
•Paraphrasing.
•Online auto-corrective assessments.
•Self-Assessments.
•Peers Assessments.
•Skills assessments (syntax-conjugation-vocabulary development)
•Differentiated Assessments

.Analyse and use information in a variety of contexts
.Develop understanding of multiple cultural perspectives and points of view
.Communicate in sentences with keywords
.write in short paragraphs
.Research and share information found on French websites or read in original press articles
.Nuance opinions
.Express opposition and disagreement
.Make assumptions
.Evoke experiences
.Understand and infer expression of causes and consequences in a story

.Understanding and inferring appropriate expressions enhance and enrich the ability to communicate
.Understanding and respecting the structural patterns of another language enhance comprehension
.Language skills acquisition improve over time in a variety of setting and contexts

.How do we exchange information and knowledge in another language?
.How do we present concepts and ideas?
.To what extent does another language provide connections?
.What can we learn about our own culture from communicating in another language?

Telling, Sharing and Proposing

.Regular listening, chatting, reading, writing assessments
.Journal Entry
.Skits (not memorized)
.One Sentence Summary (Oral and written)
.Summary Frames
.Oral Questioning
.Paraphrasing.
.Online auto-corrective assessments.
.Self-Assessments.Peers Assessments.
.Skills assessments (syntax-conjugation-vocabulary development).
.Differentiated Assessments
.Debates

.Respond to proposal
.Justify choice
.Formulate a request to negotiate
.Interact by phone
.React to an article
.Organize and give fact
.Analyse structural patterns in new language for clear understanding

.Each different language embodies a unique way of negotiating, proposing, formulating a request.
.By understanding the structural patterns of a new language while considering the cultural context, the rules and principles of the language define how to respond to new situations and settings.

.How to exchange information and knowledge?
.How to interpret foreign ideas?
.How and to what extent do we communicate with a person from another country?
.How do we present information, concepts and ideas in another language?

Talking About Feelings and Emotions

.Regular listening, chatting, reading, writing assessments
.Journal Entry
.Skits (not memorized)
.One Sentence Summary (Oral and written)
.Summary Frames
.Oral Questioning
.Paraphrasing.Online auto-corrective assessments.Self-Assessments.Peers Assessments.Skills assessments (syntax-conjugation-vocabulary development) .Differentiated Assessments

.Identify feelings and emotions in a text.
.Recognize gestures and non-verbal expressions
.Relate to personal experience with respect
.Tell personal experience
.Infer feelings in discussion and written work

.Another language is just than words
.Feelings and emotions cannot be translated literally from one language to the other
.Gestures and non-verbal expressions carry meaning and enhance the ability to communicate in a language
.Intonation and sounds carry meaning

Essentials Questions

.How does another language shape emotions and feelings?
.How do we express beliefs and feelings?
.How does another culture influence and reflect how we perceive reality?

Opinions

.Regular listening, chatting, reading, writing assessments
.Journal Entry
.Skits (not memorized)
.One Sentence Summary (Oral and written)
.Summary Frames
.Oral Questioning
.Paraphrasing
.Online auto-corrective assessments
.Self-Assessments
.Peers Assessments
.Skills assessments (syntax-conjugation-vocabulary development)
.Differentiated Assessments

·Express certainty and uncertainty.
·Express approval and indifference.
·Understand short story on the radio.
·Tell personal experience.
·Express and ask for a point of view.
·Express intent to do something.
·Understand conversation between two people.
·Speak in a debate.
·Create dialogues on themes given.
·Justify a choice.
·Express intention to do something.
·Express restriction.
·Explain choice.
·Explain intentions, share and face a situation.
·Present a project.
.Write in simple and complex sentences(Differentiation)
.Apply past, present and future verb tenses
.Produce summaries in journal

·Why learn another language? How will learning another language enhance my life?
·How can I use my existing communication skills to learn a new language?
·How does learning another language help me make connections with others?
·In what ways do languages convey meaning?
·How does language change in different situations?
·How does the structure of language affect the message conveyed?
·What are the connections between my native language and my second (or third) language?
·Where do I start?

.Opinions differ and should be respected
.All non-verbal expressions and gestures are important and sensitive to cultural context
.Talking about feelings and emotions in another language
.Exchanging opinions
.Interpreting ideas and information written and spoken follows different rules and principles in another language
.Exploring diverse cultural perspectives provide insight into one's culture and contributes to one's understanding of the diversity of other cultures in a global society

FR I- Communication and Comprehension

Situation in Time, Shopping, Holidays, Fashion and Society, Music, Songs, Films,

.Regular listening and reading assessments
.Recognizing grammatical words quizzes.
.Recognizing story elements: character, setting, plot, conflict, theme.
.Writing summaries in journal
.Communication and information daily quizzes
.Self-assessment

.Regular reading aloud
.Regular listening
.Viewing of fashion shows in Paris
.Assessments on vocabulary development (various topics)
.Writing with keywords
.Writing simple sentences.
.Using verb forms in present, past and future
.Presenting information
.Responding to questions appropriately
.Finding the main idea of a short text
.Grammatical rules assessments
.Speaking assessments
.Skits

·The French calendar tells the story of French culture respective to vacations, education system calendar, and festivities.
·The French cultivate their free time.

•What makes fashion?
•How the French language enriches fashion and society?
•How does French songs, music and films tell
a story?
•What is the practical vocabulary that is used in French films?

Acting in Space, Directions, New City, Technology, Architecture and Nature, France Overseas, The European Union Government

.Online researching and sharing information assessments (oral and written)
.Reading short stories and press articles.
.Journal summaries
.Skits
.Associative oral games
.Auto-corrective online assessments(differentiation)
.Self-assessments

·Ask for and specify a direction
·Locate information
·Understand indications of direction
·Use maps
·Express obligation or prohibition
·Understand short messages that express the requirement or prohibition
·Understand the description of a place
·Describe a city or region
·Understand assessments instructions
·Gain knowledge of French and European governments
.Listening quizzes
.Write summaries (simple sentence)
.Answer short question from a text
.Understand the gist of a short story
.Speak in familiar words.
.Research websites and authentic French material

.A shared or common activity helps the class community function effectively and productively.
.Technology helps listen to the language regularly outside class.
.Language proficiency can only be achieved over time. the more study and practice in a variety of topics, the more proficient and fluent the students become.

•To what extent is learning another language improve access to information about our world?
•How is learning another language enhance our ability to navigate the global culture?

Emotions, Invitations, Requests, Appointments, Opinions, Animals, Culture: Time and Gifts

.Reading and listening assessments
.Answering short questions
.Skits
.Writting one simple sentence
.Collaborative short summary
.Essential word games (verbs, adjectives, nouns)
.Differentiated writing and speaking assessments

·Ask someone to do something.
·Ask politely.
·Talk about past actions.
·Learn simple syntax.
·Understand a person who requests a service to someone.
·Ask someone to do something.
·Imagine and tell the past from comic situations.
·Offer, accept, reject an invitation.
·Indicate the date.
·Take and fix an appointment.
·Ask for and tell the time.
·Understand an invitation message on an answering machine.
·Invite someone to accept or reject an invitation.
·Understand people who set an appointment by telephone.
·Make an appointment by phone.

·By understanding the structural patterns of a new language, we discover the rules and principles of that language to respond to new or unanticipated cultural situations and settings.
·Words and phrases cannot be translated literally from one language to another.

•What is friendship?
•Why do I feel that way?
•How can one express oneself in a foreign language when not all vocabulary is known?
•Why is listening important when I do not understand the meaning?
•What does it mean to "read"?
•How is he concept of time differ in France?
•How do we understand cultural differences?

Learning a second language, You, Others, Greetings, Family, Food, France and Elsewhere, Europe

.Vocabulary development games
.Reading Comprehension quizzes
.Oral Listening and Questioning
.Associative oral games
.Self-Assessment
.Differentiated Written Individual Quizzes
.Auto-correctives quizzes (computer)
.Skits-Simulation

·Get in touch with someone.
·Present oneself.
·Understand people who greet.
·Contact, introduce, greet, apologize.
·Communicate with one another.
·Understand class guidelines.
·Spell name and surname.
.Ask to appear.
·Present someone.
·Understand essential information in an exchange in the classroom.
·Express tastes.
·Collaborate on projects.
·Understand a person talking to someone else.
·Understand a request left on an answering machine.
·Question by declarative and interrogative intonation

·A second language proficiency can only be achieved over time.
·Secondary language is the medium through which we acquire and share information, ideas, thoughts, beliefs, perspectives, emotions, feelings with all communication sensitive to cultural context.

•Why learn another language?
•How will learning another language enhance my life?
•Why is it important to understand what the class expectations are?
•How can I use my existing communication skills to learn a new language?
•How does learning another language help make connections with others?
•How does what I do define who I am?
•What is a family?
•What are the differences between my native family and a family in France?
•Why and how does food define a culture?

Creative writing

•Writing Workshop participation
•Creative writing final assembly participation
•Written teacher critiques

•Understanding of writing genres
•Preferences about genres
•Critiquing peers meaningfully
•Sharing work within a small group and publicly
•Sharing work through public contests and the school literary magazine
•Editing one's own work

•Creative writing shares expression with other forms of art
•Creative writing expresses something that other forms of art cannot
•Reading, writing, sharing develops aesthetic preferences
•Sharing develops community
•Community aids creativity

•Why does creative writing matter?
•What can creative writing contribute to our lives?
•What does a creative writing practice/process entail?
•Do humans need to make art?

Senior Electives

Courses vary by year, but here are selections of recent courses offered:

Monstrous Transformations

•Some key texts about human transformations
•Recognizing transformations
•Analyzing transformations
•Analyzing, synthesizing, and reflecting on course texts through discussion and writing

•The metaphor of transformation reveals clues to the construction of human identity
•Human identity depends on boundaries created by factors as diverse as culture, religion, science, race, gender, sexuality, and class
•How these boundaries are imagined, maintained, crossed, and transgressed in the transformations dramatized in the class reading
•How their own culture/class/education affects their perceptions of how these boundaries should function
•How their own culture/class/ education affects their perceptions of how literature and art function

•What does it means to be human?
•What does it means to be “civilized?”

Millennium Literature

•Craft tenable oral and written arguments
•Prepare and present effective class teaching sessions
•Place contemporary texts in social and historical context
•Distinguish between modernism, post modernism, and post-post modernism

•Literature written around the turn of the millennium mirrors the race, class, gender and sexual identity of its generation
•Literature of this time is difficult to define in terms of genre
•Themes of power and freedom are reflected in the literature of this generation

•What does the literature written around the turn of the millennium reveal about the "millennial" generation?
•In what ways does this literature push boundaries, just as the people of its generation do?
•How might we define the genre of this literature? Post-modern? Post-post-modern?
•How does humanity’s evolving power and freedom affect our identity and well-being?

Reading & Writing Memoir about Difference

•Semester-long memoir portfolio
•Formal public reading of student work
•Independent reading project
•Midterm and final exams on course texts
planning and teaching of Class

•What defines a memoir, especially as opposed to other (auto-)biographical art?
•How does the memoir genre incorporate elements of other written / artistic genres? •How does it blend or blur genre lines?
•What challenges and opportunities arise for authors of memoir in sharing a non-dominant or less-understood point of view with a broader audience?

•How does the creation of or reading/experience of a memoir help us understand lived experiences?
•How do memoirs shape our understanding of the relationship of art to what it depicts (life, or potentially other art)?

•How does the creation of or reading/experience of a memoir help us understand lived experiences?
•How does creating/reading memoirs aid in processing or surmounting difficult/traumatic experiences?

American Culture of the 1960s

•Analytical and creative essays
•Student teaching
•Midterm and final exams
•Daily discussion and collaboration

•Craft tenable oral and written arguments
•Prepare and present effective class teaching sessions
•Place contemporary texts in social and historical context
•Apply analytical skills and concepts from literary study to texts of popular culture.

•A rich and complex relationship exists between a period's historical and social developments and its culture.
•Culture is a realm of contestation, in which different visions of truth, justice and the good are defined and conflict.
•Key political, social and cultural themes are explored in the texts of both high and popular culture.

•How do the literature, music, and films of the 1960s reflect and contribute to the movements of American politics and culture during the decade?
•How do new understandings of race and gender emerge in the course of the 1960s?
•What new models of political and social change develop in the course of the decade?

Modern American Poetry

•Analytical and creative writing
•Student teaching
•Midterm and final exams
•Daily discussion and collaboration

Students will know:
•Key poets
•Poetry movements
•Their own poetry preferences

Students will be skilled at:
•Recognizing poetic forms
•Recognizing poetic devices
critiquing individual poems, poets, forms, movements
•Analyzing, synthesizing, and reflecting on poems, books of poetry, anthologies, movements of poetry through discussion and writing
•Crafting tenable oral and written arguments
•Conducting effective research and developing a research paper
•Preparing and presenting effective class teaching sessions

•Poetry informs and is informed by culture
•Poetry expresses something that other forms of art cannot
•Reading, comparing, contrasting, arguing, researching, writing develops aesthetic preferences
•Their own culture/class/ education affects their perceptions about how poetry, literature and art function

•What is poetry?
•How does poetry matter?
•To whom does poetry belong?
•What can literature contribute to our lives?
•Do humans need to make art?

Shakespearean Visions

•Analytical and creative essays
•Research paper
•Student teaching
•Midterm and final exams
•Daily discussion and collaboration

•How to understand and analyze Shakespearean language
•How to craft tenable oral and written arguments
•How to conduct effective research and to develop a research paper
•How to prepare and present effective class teaching sessions
•How to place Shakespearean texts in the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean England

•Shakespearean texts were written and performed in a specific historical and cultural context
•Each character's language mirrors his personality, class status, and emotional state
•Tragic drama follows a pattern of order/chaos/order
•Shakespeare's influence on future writers is substantial

•What makes a Shakespearean play Shakespearean?
•How is Shakespeare's influence mirrored in works of the 20th Century?
•How can tragedy teach us about our own lives?

The Southwest

•Essay on American Mythological Archetypes in Southwestern Literature
•Research paper on a chosen topic related to Southwestern culture
•Dramatic/Filmic concept for a course text
•Midterm and final exams on course texts
planning and teaching of class

•How have mythologies of the land and of the Other (person as symbol of difference)shaped and been shaped by the history of the Southwest?
•How have Southwestern storytelling and art responded to conflict in the region? To what extent does art have the power to mitigate conflict, whether psychological or societal?
•How have mestizaje (cultural mixing,tension, and/or fusion), border crossing, and code-switching contributed to the richness and complexity of Southwestern identities?

•How has mythology shaped your point of view on yourself, on others, and/ or on your experience?
•How do you perceive the relationship between the art you admire and other aspects of your life? What role has art played in personal or societal conflicts you have witnessed or experienced?
•Consider the visible and invisible aspects of your identity. What have been the most
important influences on who you have become as a young adult? To what extent do others perceive or fail to perceive the complexity of your identity?
•Think about times you have encountered difference, gone outside your comfort zone, crossed a literal or figurative border, or switched between different cultural norms by necessity. What did you learn from this kind of experience? Has border crossing made you a better/wiser/more compassionate person?

•How does cultural mythology (and its constituent archetypes and stereotypes) affect how we view ourselves and others?
•How can storytelling mitigate or exacerbate cross-cultural relationships in American society?
•How can storytelling help a person grow into or recover a healthy sense of self?

English 11

•Essay tests on each unit require students to analyze individual texts and place them in the larger context of American culture
•A variety of writing assignments (three analytical essays, including one research essay) three narrative essays (including a stylistic parody) develop students’ compositional and analytical skills
•Huckleberry Finn essay (including an annotated bibliography and research paper) provides an introduction to research skills in the Humanities
•Planning and leading Winterim (one-week experiential education unit) provides opportunities for practical application of rhetorical skills
•Intensive focus on student teaching, as students move from two-minute vocabulary presentations to planning and teaching full-length 40-minute class sessions

•How to use close reading to link content and style
•How to compare and contrast different texts
•How to use literary terms to illuminate texts
•How to craft tenable oral and written arguments
•How to conduct effective research and to develop a research paper
•How to prepare and present effective class teaching sessions

•That an understanding of the diversity and complexity of the American experience gives us a deeper understanding of what it means to be an American
•That gender, class, race and sexual preference play significant roles in shaping American identity
•That an understanding of how social, political, and historical developments are mirrored in American culture help us to become more engaged and thoughtful participants in American civil and political life

•What does it mean to be an American?
•How have definitions of America’s meanings and potential changed from the era of American colonization to the present?
•How have these definitions been reflected in the texts of American literature?
•How have distinctions of gender, race, social class, and sexual preference shaped the definitions of America, American literature, and what it means to be an American?
•How can an understanding of America’s cultural and literary development help us to become more thoughtful and active participants in American civil and political life?

English 10

•Recitation of a postcolonial poem
•Persuasive letters (2)
•Personal letters (2)
•Hopes and dreams personal essay
•Analytical essay on a social problem
•Agents of Change film project
•Recitation of the School Chapter
•Close reading essay on a speech from Othello
•Romantic poetry exegesis and presentation •Recitation of the opening lines of Chaucer's "General Prologue"
•Winter's Tale children's story and performance
•Original lyric poem
•Passage identification tests on our core texts

•Critical reading and annotation
•Analytical and creative writing
•Rhetorical study in reading and writing
•Presentation skills and facilitation of class
•Vocabulary acquisition, including literary terminology
•Timed writing in test situations

Romantic Lyric Poetry, Chaucer, Othello & Fugard's "Master Harold"

•the ways that form and function work together in a poem
•the ways in which an artist can subvert genre to comment on societal changes
•how a play can help us understand the causes and consequences of othering (making another person into a symbol of difference)

Postcolonial Texts & The Single Story

•How and why the “single story” persists as a problematic cultural construct
•How and why the “single story” contributes to real-world problems
•How storytelling can explore, expose, satirize, and counteract the “single story”
•That we need more stories to add appropriate complexity to our understanding of a people or a place

Agents of Change Project

•That service is not just about helping others, but can also be catalyst for personal growth and change
•That learning about and experiencing our community from a different perspective and making meaningful personal connections through those experiences is a valuable way to understand and develop relationships with ourselves and others.
•That journaling and narrative writing are ways to reflect on an experience and create meaning
•That the best persuasive writing effectively uses a variety of appeals and inspires action

•How do authors (and how can we) write to effect change?

English 9

•Analytical and Imaginative Papers
•Tests on short stories, The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet
•Weekly quizzes on reading
•Recitations of I Corinthians 13 , Odyssey prologue, Greek myth poem, Shakespeare Sonnet
•Teacher observation of class participation and collaborative work
•Shakespeare Sonnet presentation
•Decentered discourse

•Interpret a variety of literary genres
•Write or present persuasively for an audience
•Collaborate to produce writing and effective presentations
•Internalize the independent and collaborative processes essential to essay writing
•Develop active reading, study, and test-taking strategies
•Develop confident discourse through recitations and presentations
•Develop analytical thinking and leadership skills through class discussion and listening

•All “texts” (literary works, presentations, situations, characters, etc.) are open to interpretation
•A meaningful interpretation involves determining a central idea, asking a central question
•An interpretation should be supportable by a tenable argument that evidence and reasoning are the keys to such a claim
•Different points of view should be heard and respected
•People have their own bias and subjectivity, their “single story”
•Self-assessment, and acceptance of feedback and criticism are critical to growth and collaboration

•What makes a good story?
•How do stories expand our understanding of the world, others, and ourselves?
•How can an author's style construct and reflect identity?
•How can cultural experiences shape, impact, or influence our perception of self? Of the world?
•How can I use others' life experiences to enhance my understanding of myself and the world in which I live?

Computer Science

Computer Science Research

•Students are expected to share their research progress in formal and informal oral presentations to their peers and the instructor over the course of the year
•Students maintain a written record, such as a blog, of their progress through the year

•Varies wildly from one student to another, depending on the subject matter of their project

•How to learn and explore in an intellectual area without the structure of a traditional academic syllabus
•How to communicate technical understandings to peers

•How do we learn?
•How do we discover new knowledge?
•How do we communicate our understandings with others?

Advanced Topics in Computer Science

3D Rendering

•Students write a functional 3D rendering engine (without using an existing 3D library such as OpenGL)

•How to represent 3D shapes as polygon meshes
•How to use matrices to represent transformations of 3D shapes
•How to use Z-buffering to implement hidden surface removal

•How abstractions and math can be used to represent and manipulate 3D objects

•How can a 3D world be rendered on a 3D display?
•How can we make such a rendering efficient enough for realtime animation of 3D objects?

Artificial Intelligence

Students complete one or more of the following projects:
•Use multiple search strategies to solve multiple logic/constraint puzzles, such as the 15 Tile Puzzle
•Use mini-max look ahead search to play simple two-play games (such as Connect 4)
•Implement neural networks with back-propagation learning and experiment on standard data sets
•Implement decision tree induction (similar to ID3) and experiment on standard data sets
•Implement a resolution based theorem prover

•Students learn one or more of the following algorithms:
•Search algorithms including Depth First Search, Breadth First Search, Iterative Deepening Depth First Search, A*, Iterative Deepening A*
•Game-playing algorithms including mini-max search (with alpha-beta pruning)
•Theorem-proving algorithms such as resolution
•Machine-learning algorithms such as neural network back-propagation and decision tree induction (such as ID3)

•How computers can follow algorithms to solve problems that would require intelligence for humans to solve
•A computer's algorithm may be very different from the strategy a human would use

•Can a computer be intelligent?
•How can we make a computer act intelligently?

Digital Logic

•Students build a simple working, programmable CPU using a digital logic simulation tool
•Working in small groups, students build a simple working, programmable CPU using breadboards and low level (CMOS 4000 series) IC chips

•Standard digital logic gates including AND, OR, NOT, XOR, NAND, NOR
•How gates can be used to add binary numbers
•How gates can be used to remember binary data (latches or flip-flops)
•How a basic CPU can be built from gates
•How very elementary machine language programming works
•How to use a breadboard and low level integrated circuit chips

•What a digital logic gate is
•How computers are designed from digital logic gates
•How a machine language is implemented in a CPU

•What is a computer?
•What technology does a computer depend on?
•How could we invent a computer?

Public Key Cryptography

•Students implement the RSA public key cryptosystem and use it to exchange encrypted messages with their teacher and their peers.
•Students implement standard factoring algorithms (trial division, fermat, sometimes Dixon's) and use them to break small RSA keys.

•The mathematical mechanics of the RSA algorithm
•How to deal with very large numbers and use number theory concepts in modern programming langauges

•How math and computer science can be creatively used to solve practical problems

•How can we communicate securely over an insecure channel without sharing a secret in advance?

Advanced Computer Science

Data Structures and Algorithms

•Students implement several standard data structures (array backed lists, linked lists, hash tables, binary search trees) for programming projects
•A limited number of tests evaluate student ability to analyze new algorithms and data structures

•How to implement common data structures including array-backed lists, linked lists, hash tables, and binary search trees
•How to determine the Big-O running time for a given algorithm

•Choosing appropriate data structures and algorithms involves a careful understanding of their use
•Data structures are constrained by computer architecture characteristics
•Big-O analysis is a helpful tool for comparing performance

•How can computers organize data?
•How do we compare alternative data structures and algorithms to each other?
•How can we effectively categorize the performance and scalability of an algorithm?

Java Programming Language

•Students write a series of significant programming projects during the year, each taking 2-4 weeks
•Students also take a limited number of tests

•Ability to design, write, and debug programs in the Java Language
•Ability to create classes and functions to organize a Java program
•Ability to use if, else, for, while, and recursion to control the flow of a program
•Ability to use built-in types (boolean, int, double, String, arrays, etc.) and use classes to construct new types

•How an object-oriented language uses classes and class hierarchies with inheritance to express relationships
•Why precisely specifying the interface between modules of a program is a powerful tool for expressing abstraction

•How do programming languages differ?
•How is computer design reflected in language design?

Introduction to Computer Science

•Students write a series of about 9-10 major programming projects through the year
•Students are also given a smaller number of quizzes and an occasional test for additional assessment

•How to use variables, functions, conditionals, loops, lists, dictionaries, files, and classes in the Python programming language
•How to write programs that produce interactive animated graphics in 2D and in 3D
•How to troubleshoot and debug a computer program
•How to write a readable, documented computer program

•How a computer program is organized and structured
•How data can be organized in a computer program
•How to troubleshoot a computer program

•How do we express instructions for computers?
•What are the features of a computer programming language?
•How do we organize data so it can be used by a computer program?
•How do we solve problems?
•What is the role of abstraction in computer programming?

Performing Arts

Theater

CG Players

Playwriting

•Full completion of a one act play
•Respect of all internal deadlines and execution of the writing process by the required date
•Clear and thoughtful communication with instructor/mentor throughout the playwriting process

•Craft dialogue that tells a story and reveals character
•Create a plot arc appropriate to the scope of your play
•Determine appropriate levels of stage direction
•Be able to step away and give your play to a director
•When to make cuts and how to cut parts you love
•Be able to incorporate voice as a writer

•Theater can be both entertaining and thought provoking
•Playwrights create with a specific audience in mind
•Theater-making is a collaborative process that relies on many people's creative ideas

•What is my role as a playwright in the collaborative act of staging a play?
•How do effective playwrights hook and hold their audience?
•What makes a successful one-act play?
•What can theater tell us about the world?
•How can I use the technical and performance resources at my disposal to inspire an appropriate play for this venue?

Directing

•Successful mounting of one act play for an audience
•Adept coordination of rehearsal schedules and technical needs
•Clear and thoughtful interactions with student performers

•Cast a show, taking into account the needs of the production and the needs of the performers
•Schedule a rehearsal process and manage communication with actors, designers, producers, and supervisors
•Provide concrete blocking and non-prescriptive coaching to peer actors
•Manage the role of peer leadership and facilitate a supportive and productive rehearsal process

•The success of the group relies on individual responsibility
•A good and supportive rehearsal process is as valuable as the final performance
•Theater can be both entertaining and thought provoking
•Outcomes to not need to exactly mirror ideals to reflect success

•What is my role as director in the collaborative act of staging a play?
•How do effective directors interpret the playwright's words and convey meaning to an audience?
•What does it take to have a successful rehearsal process?
•How can I inspire my peers as performers?
•What can theater tell us about the world?
•How can I use the technical and performance resources at my disposal to stage an appropriate play for this venue?

Acting

•Performance for an audience -- show up, reflect adequate and thorough rehearsal, debrief thoughtfully
•Self-evaluation, reflecting on previously set goals and perception of execution
•Student's progress toward self-stated goals
•Use of effective communication throughout a rehearsal process

•Create a character based on information gleaned from the source text
•Use physical and verbal skills to bring a character to life and differentiate it from yourself
•Identify tactics/objectives/given circumstances
•Create strong and clear relationships between characters
•Support and collaborate effectively with the rest of the cast
•Effective memorization techniques, and ability to create and adapt blocking
•Participate in a full rehearsal process with sustained attention, focus and commitment

•The success of the group relies on individual responsibility
•A good and supportive rehearsal process is as valuable as the final performance
•Clear communication is invaluable to the rehearsal process

•How do effective actors hook and hold their audience?
•What inspires effective performance?
•What is my role as an actor in the collaborative act of staging a play?

Musical Theater: Dance Intensive

•Performance for an audience. Show up, reflect adequate and thorough rehearsal, debrief thoughtfully
•Self-evaluation, reflecting on previously set goals and perception of execution
•Student's progress toward self-stated goals
•Use of effective communication throughout a rehearsal process
•Student's ability to view, analyze and reflect on a professional musical performance

•How to research a show: examine historical and social context to better understand the characters and story lines, read source material/historical/stylistic contemporaries
•Identify trends in musical theater history/style and apply them to given content
•How to effectively learn material: music, blocking, choreography
•Effective memorization techniques--necessary for rehearsal/performance
•How to analyze a character: identifying objectives, tactics, goals
•How to rehearse material once it is learned
•Polishing learned skills and adding performance elements, both in class as an ensemble and independently outside of class

•How do effective actors hook and hold their audience?
•What inspires effective performance?
•What can theater tell us about the world?
•How can I improve my performance?
•How can I use music and dance to tell a story?

Improvisation

•Participation in two performances -- one short form set, one semi-improvised play •Display thorough preparation and accountability through the rehearsal process
•Self-evaluation, reflecting on previously set goals and perception of execution
•Student's progress toward self-stated goals
•Clear and timely communication with peers and instructor

•Gain comfort in performance
•Learning and implementing improvisational building blocks (always say yes, make your partner look good, commit to the given circumstance)
•Build fluency with game-based improvisation, practice and exploration
•Devise a story within an ensemble
•Reliably establish character, relationship, objective, location
•Respond in the moment and communicate with clarity

•The success of the group relies on individual responsibility
•A good and supportive rehearsal process is as valuable as the final performance
•Any idea can be the right idea
•Theater can be both entertaining and thought-provoking

•How do I engage imaginatively and flexibly with the ideas of others?
•How can I use my body and voice to most clearly convey story and character?
•What can improvisational theater offer to my daily life?

Scene Study

•Performance for an audience
•Attendance and engagement
•Reflect adequate and thorough rehearsal
•Debrief thoughtfully
•Self-evaluation, reflecting on previously set goals and perception of execution
•Student's progress toward self-stated goals.
•Clear and timely communication with peers and instructor during the rehearsal process of a scene

•Create a character based on information gleaned from the source text
•Build the physical and verbal skills to bring a character to life and differentiate it from yourself
•Identify tactics/objectives/given circumstances
•Create strong and clear relationships between characters
•Support and collaborate effectively with a scene partner
•Effective memorization techniques, and ability to create and adapt blocking

•The success of the group relies on individual responsibility
•A good and supportive rehearsal process is as valuable as the final performance
•The work of a playwright provides a foundation for the actor as an artist
•Theater can be both entertaining and thought provoking

•How do effective actors hook and hold their audience?
•What inspires effective performance?
•What can theater tell us about the world?
•What is my role as an actor in interpreting the words of a playwright?

Musical Theatre - Vocal Intensive

•The ability to defend his/her interpretation or of a song based on research and factual evidence when appropriate
•The progress the students makes from the beginning of the preparation process to the final performance

•Sing in an ensemble -- either with other singers, and/or an accompanying body
•Learn how to research and interpret songs
•Sing in an appropriate style for the musical era and show

•Performing in front of an audience requires a great deal of research and practice
•In depth knowledge of musical theatre is helpful in knowing what is an appropriate song choice/role
•Vocal versatility makes for a more well rounded musical theatre performer, and the ability to manipulate various styles is an essential skill

•How does the following influence my interpretation of a song: time in which it was written, style, context of the of song -- how it fits in the overall show?
•What is the vocal range of not only the song, but the role, and is it appropriate in other aspects like physical appearance and age?

Rock Band

•Generally, students are assessed on their participation in the rehearsal process which should result in cohesive pieces of music

•Listening – chord progressions, form, etc.
•Composing original pieces as well as an understanding of what is aurally pleasing

•Performing music in an ensemble requires consistent practice
•Collaboration with other members of the group is an essential part of the success of the ensemble

•How do I become a productive member of an ensemble?
•What element of music is an individual contributing to the rock band and how does it fit with the group?

Songwriting

•Completion of original songs that meet a specific set of criteria which are pre-assigned based on the style of song

•Have basic knowledge of theory, i.e., chord progressions, song form, etc.
•Communicate the intent of the song to the audience through performance
•Write lyrics

•Creating songs is a profound form of expression
•Song writing involves structure

•What are the elements needed to write a meaningful song?
•What story is the writer conveying?

Independent Advanced Study

•Final musical performance which is an amalgamation of background research and performance technique honed throughout the preparation process

•Prepare adequately to perform in front of an audience
•Become more proficient as a musical artist –- technically, musically, and creatively
•Know about the background of a piece to make interpretive decisions

•Preparation is paramount
•Preparing for a performance goes beyond practicing the music, but is a culmination of practice and research
•Interpretation is based on information gathered during the preparation process

•What is my understanding of the composer’s intent and how do I interpret that based on the music and/or the text?
•What experiences can I draw from my own understanding and life experiences to create music?
•What extra musical information do I need to know about the piece, i.e., history, form, personal circumstances and life events of the composer, purpose of the composition?

Choir

•Visual observation and aural observation of overall sound, and sectional blend
•Attendance and engagement in class

•Sing with good, flexible, vocal technique with regards to breathing, phonation, and style
•Make musical decisions for the purpose of interpretation

•Communicating music involves an understanding that goes beyond musical notation
•Not all music is approached, vocally, in the same manner

•How do I become a productive member of an ensemble?
•What is my understanding of the composer’s intent and how do I interpret that based on the music and the text?
•What experiences can I draw from my own understanding and life experiences to create music?

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Drawing & Printmaking

• Growth trajectory (start to finish)
• Engagement & investment with process and content
• Quality (conceptual and formally) of Finished projects
• Documentation of process & final work
• Trajectory of conceptual and technical understanding
• Degree of risk-taking, challenges, problem solving
• Use of studio time, class meetings, and time management to meet deadlines
• Participation in critiques and as community member

•Gain a working knowledge using value, composing positive-negative space studies, working from direct observation, and employing color.
•Draw with pencil, charcoal, ink, pastel, etc.
•Paint with watercolors and acrylics
•Use wood burners
•Create mixed media pieces (combining more than one process together)
•Manipulate wire
•Create Installation/site-specific works
•Carve linocut blocks to produce relief prints
•Make Books
•Screen print
•Create Monoprints and collagraphs
•Consider and experiment with 2-D/ 3-D variations
•Produce multiples and editions

•Use a material-specific and/or conceptual prompt as a point of departure
•Work independently to conceptualize piece(s) thematically and formally (materials used)
•Explore a variety of materials to convey specific ideas
•Create personally meaningful pieces (as well as consider the viewer's engagement and understanding of your work)
•Explore printmaking and a variety of 2-D art-making processes
•Creating multiples (printmaking)
•Recognize intersection of technical processes and materials

•What can a “drawing” be?
•What can a “print” be?
•What is mixed media?
•Why make multiples?
•How do these processes intersect, compare, and contrast to each other?
•What is the value in producing variations?
•Why is exploring a variety of 2-D materials and processes of value to you as an artist, maker, thinker?

Genres / Adv Film Production

•Critiques
•Growth conference/rubric
Self-Reflection (Blogs)
•Projects:
Dramatic Short
Comedic Short
Multinarratives
Genre-Specific Short (varies year to year)

Photography

•Growth conference
•Process blog
•Flickr: posting/evaluation/comments/likes
•Active participation in feedback giving/receiving
•Change/evolution in work

EQUIPMENT
Camera
•Shooting modes
•File Sizes/resolution
•Bracketing
•Exposure lengths
•1st/2nd curtain flash
•Lens operation/different lenses
•Filters
•Camera maintenance
•Tripod use

Lighting
•Strobe light and remote
•Tungsten lights
•Reflector systems
•Electrical safety

COMPOSITION
•Rule of Thirds
•2/3: 1/3 Rule
•Z pattern
•Z axis

EDITING
•Building layers
•Layer masks
•Adjustment Layers
•Dodge/burn
•Selection
•Opacity
•Brushes
•Transformation

CRITICAL THINKING
•Using technical vocabulary while giving feedback
•Linking feedback to past work examples
•How to ask for feedback
•How to take notes on feedback
plus/delta

EQUIPMENT
•Adjusting camera in different lighting conditions
•The Triangle (F-stop, shutter speed, ISO)
•White balancing
•Key/fill lighting

COMPOSITION
•What are leading lines?
•Z pattern
Z axis
•Foreground/midground/background

EDITING
•What are layers?
•How does cropping an image change the composition, emphasis, message?
•What is a composite image? How do you make one?
•How do you read a histogram? What is the purpose of the histogram?

CRITICAL THINKING
•Methods to offer warm, cool, hard feedback
•How to give feedback based in evidence
•How to receive feedback non-defensively
•How to reflect on feedback

What is the purpose of the photograph?
How can everything in the frame contribute to the piece?
How much editing is enough?
How much editing is too much?
How does feedback help me grow?

People
How do I capture someone's likeness?
How can you document without exploiting?
How do you create persona through photography?

Landscape
How can a photo transport you in time / space?
How can you infuse images with a sense of presence?

2D Design & 3D Engineering

•Growth trajectory (start to finish)
•Engagement and investment with process and content
•Quality (conceptual and formally) of Finished projects
•Documentation of process and final work
•Trajectory of conceptual and technical understanding
•Degree of risk-taking, challenges, problem solving
•Use of studio time, class meetings, and time management to meet deadlines
•Participation in critiques and as community member

•Brainstorm, sketch, prototype ideas
•Create patterns, templates, plans
•Collaborate on projects
•Critique & discuss in-process and finished projects
•Recycle & re-purpose materials
•Build with paper, cardboard, wood, wire, found materials, etc.
•Sketch, draw, paint, etc.
•Document and photograph: "in-process" and final "slide-quality" images
•Write reflections

• Build, assemble, construct 3-D objects utilizing a variety of materials and processes
• Convey ideas and concepts through 2-D images
• Make connections between formal aesthetics, function, and personal meaning
• Identify “Making vs. Creating” as mode of communication to express personally meaningful ideas, design principles, and personal creativity

•How can you connect form with function?
•Why do you prototype?
•Why did you utilize these materials to create your work?
•How do 2-D and 3-D processes compare, connect, and/or contrast from one another?
•How can you best capture your creative process through documentation?
•How can you best represent your finished pieces through documentation?
•How do you wish to engage your audience with your work?
•What is your story as an artist?

Fashion Design

•Growth trajectory (start to finish)
•Engagement and investment with process and content
•Quality (conceptual and formally) of finished projects
•Documentation of process and final work
•Trajectory of conceptual and technical understanding
•Degree of risk-taking, challenges, problem solving
•Use of studio time, class meetings, and time management to meet deadlines
•Participation in critiques and as community member

•Document process and final projects
•Brainstorm, sketch prototype ideas
•Build prototypes
•Create patterns and templates
•Critique & discuss in-process and finished projects
•Screen Print
•Hand sew
•Pin, sew, prepare
•Use sewing machines
•Work with non-traditional materials
•Re-purpose garments, wearables/ found materials
•Build a "Collection" that connects thematically (head to toe: accessory, outwear, top, bottom, footwear)

• Utilize a variety of technical processes and materials to convey ideas and meaning when creating garments, accessories, and wearables
• Connect to and find meaning between works created and the fashion design field
• Take an initial idea, prototype/model it forward, critique the piece(s), see the project through, reflect/ critique the final product
• Possess greater insight into the ideas, fabrication, and processes behind works in the professional field.

•Why would you/ how can you create wearables, garments, accessories, etc?
•How does creating wearables compare, connect, and or contrast other modes of expression?
•What is the story you want to tell through your pieces?
•How do you choose to communicate your vision? Why?
•What is personally meaningful to you about these pieces? Is it clear to your viewer?
•What kind(s) of dialogue do you want to spark/provoke/continue?
•How can you maintain a consistent vision in order to convey the big ideas and your personal aesthetic?
•How can you best capture your creative process through documentation?
•How can you best represent your finished pieces through documentation?

•Critiques
•Growth conference/rubric
•Self-reflection (blogs)
•Projects:
•Noir
•Video poetry
•Music video
•Silent film
•Kindergarten project
•Etc.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Close-up through wide shots
•DSLR camera operation - manual mode
•White balancing
•Lighting operation
•Greenscreen
•Stop motion
•Lens operation
•Shutter speed/aperture
•Rigs (dolly, tripod, etc.)
•Basic sound recording
•Zoom H4N
•Foley

EDITING
•File management
•Keying (footage, text, graphics)
•Transformation
•Opacity
•Transitions
•Titles
•Exporting/Compression

CREATIVITY
•Prompts
•Brainstorming
•Reflection
•Idea-generation (treatment, mood board, storyboard)
•Script writing
•Location scouting

CRITICAL THINKING
•Using technical vocabulary while giving feedback
•Linking feedback to past work examples
•How to ask for feedback
•How to take notes on feedback

CINEMATOGRAPHY
•Framing/angle /movement relation to subject, audience, context
•Rule of 1/3ds
•X/Y/Z axes
•Point of View Filming
•Focal length
•Lighting

EDITING
•Layers (audio/video)
•Sequencing
•Pacing
•Cutting on action/beat
•Continuity

CREATIVITY
•Creativity is not innate
•Creativity can grow
•Creativity results from failure, impasses, and successes

CRITICAL THINKING
•How to write a rubric based on standards and levels of expertise
•How to incorporate technical vocabulary into feedback
•How to speak specifically from the evidence (the work, the artist's intent)
•How to accept feedback graciously and non-defensively
•How to write a process reflection
•How to document process

•Who is the Audience?
•What is original?
•What is my voice, as an artist?
•What inspires me?
•How does feedback help me grow?

Honors Portfolio

•Growth trajectory (start to finish)
•Engagement and investment with process and content
•Quality (conceptually and formally) of finished projects
•Documentation of process and final work
•Trajectory of conceptual and technical understanding
•Degree of risk-taking, challenges, problem solving
•Use of studio time, class meetings, and time management to meet deadlines
•Participation in critiques and as community member

•Build a “Concentration” (group of pieces that connect thematically and via materials and processes)
•Work independently to conceptualize, create, and execute finished pieces for college applications (as supplemental portfolio or as major area of focus)
•Document and photograph “process” and professional “slide-quality” portfolio materials

•Build upon previous experiences and art pieces created in order to create a new body of work
•Engage in processes essential for continued personal growth in order to successfully progress conceptually and formally as a self-sufficient artist
•Professionally share work created (public display/ exhibition, digital portfolio, video, blog, etc)
•Professional accountability for deadlines

•How does one create a “Concentration” (a group of art pieces that connect thematically)?
•If utilizing a variety of different materials and processes to produce a strong body of work, how can you maintain a consistent vision in order to convey the big ideas?
•How can you best capture your creative process through documentation?
•How can you best represent your finished pieces through documentation?
•How do you wish to engage your audience with your work?
•What is your story as an artist?
•How are you prepared to work independently as an artist beyond Upper School?

Graphic Design

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Athletics

The athletics program provides opportunities for student athletes to participate in a broad and diverse array of sports. The athletics program strongly encourages multi-season participation. Students learn to balance their commitments because they are making choices among competing priorities. The athletics program values students’ learning to choose among competing opportunities, establishing priorities, and making commitments to the outcome of their decisions. Curriculum-based commitments supersede athletic commitments. Coaches have the responsibility to communicate clearly their expectations and time commitments so that students are able to make informed choices and decisions The athletics program values competition as an opportunity for students to develop mental discipline, self-control,cooperation, and perseverance through the experiences inherent in victory and defeat. Appropriate competition is a priority of the program. Individual and team success is a by-product of character, commitment, practice, effort, and teamwork. Positive sportsmanship in competition includes fair play and respect for coaches, teammates, opponents, officials, and spectators. At the JV and JV2 level, if a student is healthy, has been attending practice, and displays a positive attitude; he or she will play in contests. At the Varsity level,playing time is not guaranteed. Varsity coaches continually explain to their athletes how they can improve in order to play more. The athletics program values the life lessons learned through teamwork and shared commitments. All athletes have an opportunity to build leadership through the support, attitude, and motivation that each member brings to the team.Leadership has an important corollary—cooperation, the ability to support team goals and objectives above personal goals and objectives. Respect, fair play,cooperation, effort, loyalty, self direction, and perseverance are some of the outcomes of student participation in the athletic program. The athletics program values sport as a vehicle for teaching and learning the attributes of an ethical character, the skills and strategies of sport, and the value of goal-directed teamwork and cooperation. Athletes understand that they are studentsin the athletic setting. From coaches and teammates they learn the values,skills, and strategies that are the underlying purposes for participation in the athletics program. Team captains and other student leaders are intentionally taught the skills they will need to contribute to a cohesive,supportive team focused on shared goals and readiness for competition. Coaches understand that they are teachers and role models. They teach skills so students can grow in their competence and competitiveness over time. They view each practice and game as an opportunity to teach ethical values and conduct within the context of sport. They model this behavior by their conduct towards their athletes, parents, officials, and opponents, on and off the field. Parents understand that they are role models. Parents view each practice and game as an opportunity to model ethical values to their children. They exhibit this behavior by their conduct towards all athletes, coaches, officials, fellow parents, opposing athletes, coaches, and other parents, on and off the playing fields and in the stands.

There are three distinct Upper School athletic seasons

Fall
•Boys and girls soccer
•Co-ed cross-country
•Girls volleyball

Winter
Boys and girls basketball
Co-ed skiing
Co-ed swimming

Spring
•Co-ed track and field
•Boys and girls golf
•Boys and girls tennis
•Co-ed baseball

•Upper School athletics are about a special team experience including everything from the long bus rides to the team cheers
•Team members support each other, whether they are playing or watching from the sideline
•Team tactics emphasize a common purpose, working together, and competing in a sporting manner
•Instruction in techniques and fundamentals helps players gain confidence
•Athletic participation is about obligations that team members have to each other
•Coaches teach and manage
•Players are expected to be positive with teammates and to attend scheduled team events
•It is the students' responsibility to communicate with coaches when they cannot make practices or games
•Athletes are expected to wear the school uniform with pride
•Winning is the wonderful culmination of learning new skills, working hard, giving your most, having fun. and enjoyment of a team experience

•What are the primary objectives of athletics in the Upper School?
•Are Upper School athletics open to all students?
•What are the various team offerings within Upper School athletics?
•What is the measurement of"success" within the context of competitive athletics in the Upper School?
•In what ways are Upper School students encouraged to take part in athletics?
•What does the commitment to athletics look like?

Middle School

The Middle School Woodworking Curriculum Philosophy and Overview
•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students
•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product
•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work
•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities
•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision
•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity
•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques should generally precede machine work
•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing
•Foster students finding and working from their passions

The primary thing I will be looking at when writing your end-of-cycle assessment is your work ethic. Are you making good use of your time in the shop? Are you working hard to improve your skills as a woodworker or are you spending your time chatting with friends, messing around, fooling with tools? Are you paying attention to my brief talks about joinery, finishing, layout, etc? Are you willing to "go the extra mile", do that extra bit of sanding, etc so your project will look/function better?.

•Safe and effective use of hand and power tools, with a special focus on carving tools
•Designing and building a personal project

•More sophisticated woodworking techniques
•Sculptural explorations (carving) in low, medium, high relief in and wood.
•Building on previous tool knowledge, techniques, etc
•Safety, Clamping, Gluing, Lamination

•Students will construct a three-dimensional mural "tile" (theme chosen by the class) from wood
•They will use hand and power tools to create the project
•Students will individually create bandsaw boxes from soft and hardwoods
•They will finish their projects with hand- rubbed oil

•Make a bandsaw box, with a focus on the safe operation of the bandsaw itself and the necessary steps to have their box come together correctly
•Learn to produce a satin/low gloss finish on their box
•Explore various techniques and tools to create an three dimensional "tile" for their class's mural

•Build a rabbeted box
•Sand and finish the box appropriately
•Design and build a small project of student's choosing

•Lay out and cut a rabbet joint, using a combination square, dovetail saw, chisel, and rabbet plane
•Put rabbeting skills to use to build a box

•Are you beginning to grasp how how a quality object is built from wood?
•Are you careful with the tools you use, most importantly so you don't get hurt, but also to help keep the tools in good working condition?
•Do you make good use of materials?
•Do you contribute when cleaning up at the end of class?
•Are you contributing to a productive and safe working environment for your classmates?
•Are you honest and communicative in your self assessment?

•Informal observation of student participation
•Formal written assessments (quizzes, tests, rubrics, criteria) using various number and letter systems
•One-on-one work with student
•Participation in class games, activities
•Responses to routine phrases/questions
•Observation of student engagement
•Student participation in Q and A after presentations
•Assessment of student responses on worksheets
•Analysis of written work on creative projects, journals and worksheets
•Independent use of vocabulary in creation of books and other creative projects
•Independent use of routine phrases and sentences during class participation
•Formal written assessments on key grammar / syntax units
•Regular student self-assessment
•Conversations / skits / oral dialogues / video and audio recordings
•Computer exercises and games
•Written exercises
•We expect students to develop language proficiency at different rates

•Recognize and employ indirect object construction (me gusta, te encanta, nos cansas)
•Recognize and employ present progressive tense construction
•Effectively use a paper or internet dictionary to find and employ vocabulary
•Recognize and employ definite and indefinite articles
•Form of a question in Spanish with correct word order
•Articulate why learning an additional language is highly beneficial for oneself and the rest of the globe
•Recognize, comprehend new vocabulary in meaningful context (CLOZE)
•Use correct pitch and intonation patterns in questions and exclamations
•Accurately employ affirmative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences
•Produce sentences using new vocabulary related to content area
•Reproduce sounds, stress and intonation patterns specific to Spanish
•Give information regarding spatial relationships
•Employ etymological connections between latin-based vocabulary for understanding and retention (la mano, manual)
•Accurately convert noun, article and adjective endings for gender and number
•Recognize and employ conjugations of the most common regular, irregular, stem-changing, spell-changing and reflexive verbs
•Identify and employ the different uses of Ser and Estar
•Use correct verb conjugation for subject pronoun combinations
•Respond spontaneously to questions asked in class
•Use basic structures and familiar vocabulary to communicate in writing

•Regular and irregular verbs in present, preterit and imperfect tenses
•Geographic studies of Spain and South America
•Build upon the content of 7th grade Spanish
•Vocabulary including: Hobbies, jobs and employment, government and immigration as well as advanced terms from seventh grade vocabulary

•How does learning language interrupt cultural bias?
a. Have to define and engage concept of bias
b. Have to engage idea of cultural identity
c. Have to discuss stereotyping
•How does the study of language enhance a sense of global citizenship?
a. Have to define global citizenship
b. Have to discuss ideas like “Where do I fit in the world as a language student in the United States attending Catlin Gabel School?”
c. Have to recognize the challenge facing US citizens living abroad as well as what are the difficulties facing new immigrants to the United States.
•How does a student gain proficiency and confidence in creating in the language, and what implications will this have for high school placement?

•Regular ar, er, ir verb conjugation mastery
•Introduction of radical and reflexive verbs
•Geographic studies of Caribbean and Central America
•Build upon the content of 6th grade Spanish (include link to 6 curriculum map)
•Vocabulary including: Numbers & calendar, school items, weather & common adjectives, town & city, food & drink, the family, common AR, ER & IR verbs, the home & kitchen, an environmental issue, ordinal numbers, clothing, travel, reflexive & irregular verbs.

•How does learning language interrupt cultural bias?
•How does the study of language enhance a sense of global citizenship?
a. Have to define global citizenship
b. Have to discuss ideas like “Where do I fit in the world as a language student in the United States attending Catlin Gabel School?”
•How does a student gain proficiency and confidence in creating in the language?

•Recognize and employ indirect object construction (me gusta, te encanta, nos cansas)
•Recognize and employ present progressive tense construction
•Effectively use a paper or internet dictionary to find and employ vocabulary
•Recognize and employ definite and indefinite articles
•Form of a question in Spanish with correct word order
•Articulate why learning an additional language is highly beneficial for oneself and the rest of the globe
•Recognize, comprehend new vocabulary in meaningful context
•Use correct pitch and intonation patterns in questions and exclamations
•Accurately employ affirmative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences
•Produce sentences using new vocabulary related to content area
•Reproduce sounds, stress and intonation patterns specific to Spanish
•Use femenine and masculine endings
•Give information regarding spatial relationships
•Employ etymological connections between latin-based vocabulary for understanding and retention (la mano, manual)
•Accurately convert noun endings for gender and number
•Recognize and employ conjugations of many regular, irregular, stem-changing and reflexive verbs
•Identify and employ the different uses of Ser and Estar
•Use correct verb conjugation for subject pronoun combinations
•Respond spontaneously to questions asked in class
•Use basic structures and familiar vocabulary to communicate in writing

•Regular ar, er, ir verb conjugation mastery
•Introduction of radical and reflexive verbs
•Geographic studies of Caribbean and Central America
•Build upon the content of 6th grade Spanish (include link to 6 curriculum map)
•Vocabulary including: Numbers & calendar, school items, weather & common adjectives, food & drink, the family, common AR, ER & IR verbs, the home & kitchen, ordinal numbers, clothing, travel, radical, reflexive & irregular verbs

•Why is it important to become a multi-lingual person?
•How do I become multilingual?
•How does learning language act to interrupt biases, prejudice, and assumptions?
•How does the study of Spanish language and culture enhance Global Competencies?
•How do 6th grade Spanish students create meaningful relationships with international peers?
•How is language a window into cultural perceptions of race, ethnicity, religion, equality?
•How does learning Spanish help to understand patterns of human migration and how this might affect us all in the future?
•How does studying Spanish heighten awareness of universal human rights?

Grade 8 (Civics & Society)

The Holocaust and Human Behavior

•Peer Review
•Oral Presentations
•Paragraph and Essay Rubrics
•Nightly assignments
•Long term project about a selected topic
•Group exam based on oral presentations

•Expository writing and critical comment, beginning with paragraphs
•Reading for meaning and understanding
•Journaling, reflection, and creative response about human rights and personal decision making
•Discussion and listening skills
•Using presentation slides to teach classmates

•European competitiveness in the wake of World War I kept Germany unstable through the 1920s
•Targeting and stereotyping are commonly utilized forms of propaganda
•Targeting of particular groups continues in the world today
•Hitler's rise to power was well coordinated by a passionate group of misguided but fully committed followers

•In any society, what characterizes equal treatment for all people?
•What should government’s role and responsibility be in protecting human rights for all?
•By studying human experience, can a person learn to make good personal choices?
•What factors cause good government to go so terribly wrong?

Multicultural America

•Peer Review and feedback
•Oral Presentation on an individualized topic
•Paragraph and Essay Rubrics
•Nightly assignments
•Long term project leading to a class lesson
•Public speaking rubric

•Expository writing and critical content, extending work on paragraphs
•Reading for meaning
•Journaling, reflection, and creative response to Case Studies
•Discussion and listening skills
•Participating fully in Socratic Seminars, role plays, and class discussions

•A more nuanced view of the complexity of demographic groups at the heart of the American story
•How government policies have often favored some demographic groups over others
•How researching well will lead to greater knowledge of the country's lesser represented group

•What stories are traditionally told through the Master Narrative of American history?
•What stories are not traditionally told through the Master Narrative of American history?
•How is it best to tell a more nuanced story of American history?

Foundations: U.S. Civics

•Peer Review
•Oral Presentations
•Paragraph and Essay Rubrics
•Nightly assignments
•One long term project associated with writing and debating a legal controversy

•Expository writing and critical comment, extending work on paragraphs.
•Essay writing in 5-paragraph format
•Reading for meaning. Further development of critical thinking
•Journaling, reflection, and creative response about all topics, including current court cases and current events
•Discussion and listening skills
•Debating skills
•Recitation skills

•Human Rights are universal; guaranteeing rights is an essential role of government
•Original texts (Declaration of Independence and Constitution) guide American society
•Citizens have important roles in governing the United States
•Personal history affects how one reacts to issues and voting in elections
•The Founders' arguments and agreements led to decisions that affect us today
•Limits on power, three branches of government, and citizen rights are core American ideals

•What are the roles and responsibilities United States citizens?
•How are human rights defined and guaranteed in the United States?
•How does reading about human experience inform one's personal choices?
•What are the founding principles of the United States?
•How do citizens choose elected officials?

Grade 7 (World Cultures)

World Cultures continues the study of civilizations begun in sixth grade. Students learn to think critically about historical eras, analyze primary sources for accuracy and bias, define problems, and relate historical events to the modern world.

Students acquire the patterns needed to read actively for both the main idea and increase their vocabulary. Students focus on writing as a process. Students concentrate on the process of developing their essays through such stages as pre-writing, outlining, and first and second drafts. Students extend the depth and detail of their writing and practice writing introductory paragraphs, topic sentences, and strong conclusions. Beginning the year in a large group, they learn the skills necessary to complete projects independently, including planning, time management, outlining, and research. Research involves interviewing, reading for specific information, and using both print and electronic research. In the course of the year, students practice speaking skills including, exchanging ideas; debating, and honoring ideas of others. Units include geography and the human experience with an emphasis on current world geography; Middle Ages in England, China, Middle East, North Africa, and Japan with an emphasis on mapping of culture, impact of religion, and development of political systems; and revolutions in science, Enlightenment, America, France, and agriculture. Spring brings planning a trip to a country in the Eastern Hemisphere with an emphasis on studying the culture of a country through travel. The final unit of study involves the history of Mount St Helens.

Trip Planning

•Create Google Map with layers
•Utilize spreadsheet to develop budget
•Synthesize research into outline

•Global cooperation and trade have benefits and drawbacks
•Human activities and new technology lead to new challenges
•Some people use peaceful means to achieve their goals, others resort to violence
•Good movies engage multiple senses
•Point of view in film making influences the feeling of a story

•How would living abroad change my life story?
•What are the responsibilities of global citizens?
•What is power? Who should have it?

Revolutions!

•Expository and imaginative writing, including paragraphs, essays, historical fiction, and poetry
•Unit Tests including maps, essays to assess knowledge of essential questions, and a variety of question types
•Research projects graded with point system so that students see where work is strongest and where revision is needed

•Draw maps
•Compare information from a variety of historical sources
•Take notes that reflect understanding of the sources
•Evaluate the question, Do the means justify the end?
•Synthesize information into a historical fiction story for children
•Create poetry, combine information gathered into group video
•Write a guest author post to the Class Blog presenting a historical event

•Nations establish colonies for economic reasons such as acquiring resources and trade markets
•Migration and colonization bring about the spread of culture and cultural change
•Religious differences can lead to conflict
•Democratic principles may stem from the protection of individual rights and liberties
•New ideas are developed as scholars build upon the thinkers and ideas of the past
•Laws and societies evolve in response to the problems of their times
•Democracy requires compromise, involvement, and responsibility

•Why do people move?
•What should governments do?
•What is Power? Who should have it?

•Identify reasons why civilizations developed where they did
•Compare information from a variety of historical sources
•Take notes that reflect understanding of the sources
•Evaluate the question, Do the means justify the end?
•Synthesize information into a three minute film

•Sometimes empires do not fall but evolve into new empires that are very different from their predecessors.
•Religious groups that start out united often split into different sects.
•The legacies of ancient empires were preserved by empires that came after them.
•New ideas that transform the world can start in unexpected places
•Several religions are monotheistic, emphasizing belief in one God.
•Respect for trade and learning can help create prosperity and advance culture.
•Trade leads to cultural diffusion.
•Cultures borrow from one another.
•Efforts to dictate religious beliefs often lead to war and persecution.
•Religion may inspire artistic achievement and promote education.
•Trade fosters growth of towns.
•Exposure to new ideas often spurs a period of artistic and cultural creativity.

•What distinguishes one culture from another?
•What is power? Who should have it?
•How should we handle conflict?
•How are religion and culture connected?

Geography & the Human Experience

•Draw maps, discuss different spatial representations of Earth's surface
•Explore reasons behind conflicts arising from boundaries and other political/physical divisions
•Presentations on topics such as invasive species and natural disasters

•Knowledge of the geographic & cultural regions of select areas of the world
•Physical and political environments of Oregon, the United States, and the World

•What are domestic and international issues concerning geography?
•How do culture and experience influence people's perception of places and regions?

Grade 6 (Humanities)

Sixth Grade Humanities focuses on Ancient Civilizations and how social scientists – historians, geographers, archaeologists, and anthropologists – study the past. Students learn to view history from multiple perspectives by asking three main questions throughout the year: Who tells the stories? Who benefits from the stories? Who is missing from the stories? With these questions in mind, students can begin the process of thinking critically by analyzing primary documents and historical events for accuracy and bias. They can also determine in more nuanced ways how the past is reflected in the present.

Since sixth grade is a foundation year for secondary education, study skills and literacy play prominent roles in the curriculum.Time and materials management are addressed throughout the year, mostly in the form of larger, independent projects. Reading is addressed through both fiction and non-fiction text. Students create a “toolkit” of reading strategies by learning to preview, actively read, and use multiple forms of note taking techniques. Vocabulary development plays a prominent role in all areas of literacy, from reading and writing to listening and speaking. Students should leave sixth grade with a lexicon of over 250 new words. Expository writing in Humanities follows the lead of Language Arts writing instruction yet focuses primarily on expository writing and single paragraph structure. Students devote time to creating strong topic sentences, supporting details,and strong conclusions in order to summarize what they read and research. In addition, they learn to both read and write cause/effect, comparison/contrast, and sequential paragraph formats. Learning these techniques will propel them forward as more time is devoted to longer research essays in seventh and eighth grade history courses. Public speaking and rhetoric are also hallmarks of sixth grade humanities. Time is devoted to active listening techniques as well as learning techniques for oratory, in the form of both speeches and debate.

Imaginary Civilization

Assessment will be based on the following:
•Collaboration, imagination, creation of map
•Incorporating understanding of culture and civilization
•Presentation skills
•Geographic terms test
•Expository writing culminating in five paragraph essay

•Vocabulary by which cultures are understood
•How to communicate their cultural norms to others
•Geographic definitions and locations associated with them
•Create maps containing a legend, scale, compass rose and multiple geographic features
•Collaborate, brainstorming, implement
•Present civilization to a group; build alliances based on shared resources and goals
•Write a 5 paragraph essay based on their civilization

•Understand that choices can change the world
•Understand that everyone has choices
•Understand that people need resources in which to live
•Reinforce learning by seeing that all civilizations exist by the following means: govt.,technology, arts, writing, religion, social structure, food supply
•Understand the meaning of culture by creating their own set of beliefs, values, and traditions

•If you could create a new civilization, what would it be like?
•Can equality exist?
•Can we overcome problems of pollution? Waste?
•Is war necessary?
•What are the biggest problems we face as a species?

Ancient Civilizations

•Self-assess and reflect on their effort and success by way of personal blog entries
•Tested on reading comprehension by way of both formative and summative quizzes and tests
•Create multiple partner and group projects to present to class. These projects allow for differentiated instruction that both challenges and supports individual students in their learning. For example, ancient Greek myths retold using iMovie; the RICE festival, multiple art projects.
•Mission Skill Assessment of non-cognitive habits - creativity, collaboration, resilience, ethics, time management are assessed during each unit

•Practice the skill of PRO - Preview, Read and Organize - an expository text
•Display and practice multi note taking and study techniques in preparation for tests
•Create films to display modern understanding of ancient myths
•Learn about presentation techniques by using Powerpoint and Prezi in the most effective and engaging ways
•Learn how to research, using both book and digital text
•Cite and analyze sources
•Collaborate effectively with one or more students at a time
•Use rubrics and checklists to effectively monitor progress and multi-step projects

•Learn how archaeology, geography, and anthropology contribute to the ongoing study of prehistorical records.
•Learn how geography contributes to our understanding of the world.
•Explore the 7 characteristics of civilization: The Arts; Technology; Writing; Stable Food Supply; Social Structure; Government; Religion and find examples of these in both art, artifacts, and stories.
•Identify and study the ancient development of both western and non-western ancient cultures - Egypt, India, China, Greece and Rome.
•Read and analyze ancient texts, such as Greek myths and Gilgamesh to find connections to our modern stories and our lives today.

•How do social scientists study the past?
•What factors contributed to the success or failure of ancient civilizations and why?
•What are the contributions of ancient civilizations to our contemporary world?

Our Place in the World

Humanity and Our Place in the World

•Self-assess and reflect on their effort and success by way of personal blog entries
•Be tested on reading comprehension by way of both formative and summative quizzes and tests
•Write comparison and contrast paragraphs on early human species and read and write multiple journalism articles
•Create a personal and current event timeline of their life so far connecting to other students in the class
•Begin the process of a Globetrekker Passport as they follow Paul Salopek in his journey to follow the path of human migration across the globe. Students will take walking trips of their own and blog about countries of the world
•Mission Skill Assessment of non-cognitive habits - creativity, collaboration, resilience, ethics, time management are assessed during each unit

•Know that timelines are one way to visualize history
•Learn to visually mark time
•Learn about map making techniques and geographic terms
•Learn techniques for reading digital texts, notably Out of Eden Walk
•Practice both reading and writing current event articles
•Learn techniques for interviewing
•Learn that all humans descended from Africa
•Know the scientific terms for early humans
•Know that knowledge about early humans is changing with each new discovery
•Display and practice knowledge for reading a textbook

•Learn that geography plays a prominent role in the development of cultures
•Learn that we can be connected to others through stories and historical events
•Understand identity by identifying personal traits, values and affinities
•Understand their place in the world through historical events and history
•Begin to understand the scale of human existence on the planet
•Understand that our understanding of history is dynamic rather than static

•Who am I?
•Who are you?
•Who and why are we together?
•What makes us human?

Eighth grade science is an introduction to physical science. Topics include volume and mass, mass changes in a closed system, characteristic properties, and solubility. In this laboratory-based class, students further refine their application of the scientific method and improve their ability to observe and record; to make and refine hypotheses; and to design, run, and write up lab-based inquiries. In an eagerly anticipated final project students use the skills, theories, and techniques learned throughout the year to separate “sludge,” a mixture of numerous solids, liquids, and gases. The year ends with the formulation of the atomic theory of matter. Students are expected to be thoroughly engaged in inquiry, curious, respectful and invested in their learning.

The Atom

Students will be given a mixture of substances and they will have to separate and identify the compounds and elements using intensive properties of matter

•Protons, neutrons and electrons make up the basic configurations of all atoms
•The configuration of protons and neutrons determine the configuration of electrons and thus determine the atoms of an element.
•Protons are positively charged and electons are negatively charged
•Most of an atom is empty space
•Although the smallest part of the atom is the nucleus, it is the most dense
•When atoms are arranged in order of increasing atomic mass, patterns arise and repeat

•What is the nature of matter on the atomic and molecular level?
•What predictions can be made by understanding the nature of atoms?
•How different does something have to be in order for it to be considered different?

Separation of Mixtures

•Comprehensive unit test
•Practical laboratory exam in which they must distinguish between a collection of unknown solids and liquids called Sludge
•Cooperative group work in the laboratory
•Periodic quizzes
•Review of lab write-ups

•Mixtures can be separated into component parts called pure substances
•Mixtures and pure substances are different from each other
•Dissolved solids can be separated.
•Differences in density, boiling point, and solubility can be used to separate substances.
•Paper chromatography is used to separate a pigment from a liquid.
•Separate two or more liquids by fractional distillation.
•Explain how fractional distillation is used for industrial uses.
•Separate a mixture of soluble and insoluble solids.
•Separate a mixture of soluble solids.

•There is a rather vague boundary between pure substance and a mixture of pure substances.
•If you cannot separate something using any of the methods we employ, the substance is operationally pure.

Related Misconceptions
You can see all parts of a mixture.

•How can we tell the difference between a pure substance and a mixture?
•How can two liquids in solution be separated from one another?
•How can two dissolved solids be separated from one another?
•What is the nature of matter?
•Can all intensive properties of matter be utilized to separate a mixture of substances?

Solubility

Students will produce lab reports for 5 inquiry based labs. Students will be working in pairs to construct a procedure, collect observations and data, make meaningful calculations and report of the significance of their findings.

To demonstrate complete understanding students will be asked to predict what errors in each lab would cause specific results in the outcomes of their findings. It’s not just about knowing the correct answer, but being able to explain where and things went wrong based on their experience with the skills and content.

Other Evidence
Demonstrate how to read solubility curves, examine experimental errors, calculate solubility, use solubility to differentiate between substances, calculate solubility of different substances at different temperatures

•Solubility is a characteristic property of both the solute and the solvent
Like density solubility changes with temperature
•The dependence on temperature is useful in separating solutes in a solution
•When a substance dissolves in a solvent it distributes itself evenly throughout the column of solvent
•Concentration is a way to expressing the quantity of substance dissolved in a fixed amount of liquid
•When a metal dissolves in a strong acid a gas is produced
•Liquids are soluble in liquids, solids are soluble in liquids and other solids,
•Alloys are mixtures of solids
•Gases are soluble in liquids
•Make solutions of specific concentrations.
•Determine relative concentrations of colorful solutions based on shade
•Compare concentrations of saturated solutions.
•Distinguish between saturated substances by comparing their temperatures.
•Compare different solvents,
collect gases generated by dissolving different metals and carbonates in strong acids.
•Differentiate the gases generated by comparing relative density and flammability,
Determine the solubility of carbon dioxide and ammonia in water

•A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances with each retaining its chemical identity.
•Solubility is an intensive property of matter of both the solute and solvent and is expressed in a complete unit -- grams of solute per 100g of solvent

Related Misconceptions
•When a solid dissolves in water it melts.
•The solid does not disappear, it dissociates into to solvent.
•Water can hold an infinite amount of solute.

•How can we use solubility to distinguish between substances?
•What is the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent?
•How does solubility change with temperature?
•How does the nature of solubility differ between gases and solids?

Characteristic Properties of Matter

•Students will produce lab reports for 5 inquiry based labs.
•Students will be working in pairs to construct a procedure, collect observations and data, make meaningful calculations and report of the significance of their findings.
•To demonstrate complete understanding students will be asked to predict what errors in each lab would cause specific results in the outcomes of their findings.
•It’s not just about knowing the correct answer, but being able to explain where and things went wrong based on their experience with the skills and content.

•Density, boiling point, freezing point are independent of the size and shape of objects.
•Density, boiling point and freezing point are characteristic properties of matter.
•Determine the freezing points of substances such as water, salt water, and TOP and BHT
•Determine the melting points of the same substances.
•Organize and collect data over time.
•Graph data using appropriate scale, units and labels.
•Interpret data on a graph.
•Determine boiling points of substances.
•Distinguish between substances using boiling point.
•Determine density of regular solids, irregular solids.
•Determine density of liquids and gases.
•Use significant figures in division and multiplication calculations.
•Properly use scientific notation.
•Distinguish and identify unknown substances by comparing experimental data with accepted values.

• In daily language we hear statements like “lead is heavier than iron.” Lead is neither heavier or lighter than iron, just as lead is not bigger or smaller than iron.
•Mass, volume and shape are extensive properties.
•Properties that do not depend on the amount of a substance are intensive properties or characteristic.

Related Misconceptions
•All liquids boil at 100 degrees celsius
•All solids freeze at 0 degrees celsius
•Gases do not have a density because they float.

•How do we know when two substances are different?
•What is the difference between an extensive and an intensive property of matter?
•What is the nature of matter?

Mass Changes in Closed Systems

Produce a lab report on the following:
Mass changes when salt dissolves in water, Mass changes when ice melts, Mass changes when copper and sulfur are heated, mass changes when a solid dissolves in water to produce a gas, mass changes when two solutions are mixed to form a solid, and mass changes when popcorn is heated.

•Students will produce lab reports for 5 inquiry based labs.
•Students will be working in pairs to construct a procedure, collect observations and data, make meaningful calculations and report of the significance of their findings.
•To demonstrate complete understanding students will be asked to predict what errors in each lab would cause specific results in the outcomes of their findings. •It’s not just about knowing the correct answer, but being able to explain where and things went wrong based on their experience with the skills and content.

The law of conservation of mass, states that for any system closed to all transfers of matter and energy (both of which have mass), the mass of the system must remain constant over time, as system mass cannot change quantity if it is not added or removed. Hence, the quantity of mass is "conserved" over time. The law implies that mass can neither be created nor destroyed, although it may be rearranged in space, or the entities associated with it may be changed in form, as for example when light or physical work is transformed into particles that contribute the same mass to the system as the light or work had contributed. The law implies (requires) that during any chemical reaction, nuclear reaction, or radioactive decay in an isolated system, the total mass of the reactants or starting materials must be equal to the mass of the products.

•Experimental evidence will lead students to this fundamental law of nature
•Accurately read and use a single pan balance
•Use uncertainty
•Create histograms using class data
•Identify and explain changes in state and matter
•Indirectly measure the mass of a gas
•Analyze class data
•Draw conclusions based on experimental evidence
•Express very large numbers and very small numbers using scientific notation
•Explain fundamental concepts of a Law of Nature

•Mass will not change over time in a closed system.
•Related Misconceptions
•Mass goes down when salt is dissolved in water.
•Mass is lost when copper and sulfur are heated.
•Mass changes with physical and chemical changes.

•What is the nature of matter?
•Does mass change when substances undergo different changes?
•What are the essential attributes of a Law of Nature?
•How certain are you of data collected in the lab?

Volume and Mass

Produce a lab report on the following:
Heating Baking Soda, Measuring volume with the displacement of water, The Sensitivity of a Balance.

Students will be working in pairs to construct a procedure, collect observations and data, make meaningful calculations and report of the significance of their findings.

To demonstrate complete understanding students will be asked to predict what errors in each lab would cause specific results in the outcomes of their findings. It’s not just about knowing the correct answer, but being able to explain where and things went wrong based on their experience with the skills and content.

•Volume and mass are the two different ways in which we measure matter.
•Volume is not best way to compare or measure matter due to its dependence on temperature and pressure.
•Mass is amount of matter contained in an object, Volume is the amount of space an object occupies, both mass and volume involve counting and comparing units of measure.
•Weight is force imposed upon an object by gravity.
•Mass stays constant within normal ranges of temperature and pressure.
•Measuring devices have certain and discrete sensitivities: a measurement must contain a magnitude, units and uncertainty.
•Work in a laboratory.
•Collect gas using liquid displacement.
•Safely operate alcohol burners and micro-burners.
•Read a scale accurately.
•Determine the uncertainty of measuring devices.
•Measure volume of regular and irregular solids
•Measure mass using single pan balance.
•Compare objects using mass, volume.
•Determine best mode of comparing matter.
•Record data in clear organized manner.
•Compare class data.
•Formulate conclusions based on class data.

•Volume and mass are two ways to measure, quantify and compare things.
•Students will learn three methods to measure and precisely report the volume.
•Students will point out the shortcomings of volume as a measure of the quantity matter.
•Students will proceed to mass, which is operationally defines as the property of matter that is measured with a balance.
•Students will learn how to determine the sensitivity of a balance, and learn just how much you can trust a measuring device.

•What is the nature of matter?
•What methods can we employ to measure matter?
•What are the shortcomings of volume as a measure of matter?
•What does mass measure?
•How is mass different from weight?
•What limits do our measuring impose on our certainty of measurements?

In Seventh grade science, we will be delving into what it means to be a scientist and how science provides a unique and powerful way to understand the world. Throughout the year, we will be asking big questions and looking closely at how science connects to our lives. Along the way, we will explore how humans have come to understand their place in the universe, consider how rare and precious life is, and investigate how our choices and actions during this brief moment in geologic time dramatically affect the environment and our fellow living members here on the one and only planet Earth.
The scope and sequence of the year can be thought of as a grand transect* that stretches from deep space to the center of the Earth. The year’s investigations are divided into five units beginning with the Nature and Processes of Science Inquiry. Following this, we will blast off into a unit on Space Science and the frontier-expanding field of computer programming and robotics. From here, we will pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and explore the living surface of our planet through the interconnected fields of Ecology and Environmental Science. Finally, we will wrap up the year by plumbing the depths of our planet to uncover its inner-workings and to figure out what the field of Earth Science has to say about the past and future of the Pacific Northwest. As a grand finale, we will wrap up the year with a four-day trip to Mt. St Helens, a local reminder of the dynamism and resiliency of our one and only planet Earth.
* Transect - a line along which a scientists travels and makes observations during a focused research study.

Earth Science

•Earth Science Unit Guide
•Essential Question Written Responses
•Participation during four-day Mt. St. Helens class trip

•Interpreting seismograms to infer the layers of the Earth
•Predict the occurrence of geologic landforms and events throughout the world based upon understanding of tectonic plates and continental drift.
•Identifying specimens of the three rock types and interpreting their geologic implications.
•Determining mineral composition and inferring eruption characteristics attributed to various forms of igneous rock
•Collecting field observations from Mt. St. Helens to understand the nature of its eruption and recovery following the 1980 blast

•Scientists use seismographs, earthquakes, and the understanding of seismic wave propagation to understand the structure of the Earth
•The interactions and relative motion between the layers of the Earth result in geologic landforms and events on the Earth’s surface
•Geologic process powered by plate tectonics, gravity, and weather drive the rock cycle, which transforms rocks into new rock types, which, on examination, reveals the history and formation conditions of geologic landforms
•The formation and eruption of the volcanoes that form the Pacific Northwest's Cascade Mountain Range is caused by specific regional geology, which we can infer from evidence and observation of our local geology

•How do scientists investigate the depths of the Earth without getting burned
•How does the nature of the Earth’s insides affect what we observe up here on the surface?
•How does the Earth turn old rocks into new and different rocks?
•Why are mountain here in the Northwest always blowing up (at least geologically speaking)?

Ecology and Environmental Science

•Food Web Models
•Field Ecology Research Project
•State of Hyla Woods Blog Post
•Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Lab Report
•EcoMUVE Environmental Science Simulation
•Climate Change Solution Project

•Constructing food webs to represent energy flow and matter cycling within an ecosystem
•Demonstrating the occurrence of photosynthesis and cellular respiration through laboratory experiments in response to changes in environment conditions
•Carrying out ecological field tests effectively and accurately to determine environmental health
•Using data, graphs and background knowledge to construct cause-and-effect arguments for environmental issues
•Working as a collective group to analyze and draw conclusions from their own and their classmates’ data
•Identifying local and global environmental issues, their causes, and potential solutions

•Life can thrive on Earth due to the specific cosmic circumstances of our planet
•Systems are composed of integrated components and connecting processes within a complex whole
•An ecosystem can be characterized by the interaction of biotic and abiotic components
•Food webs can graphically model how energy and matter move through an ecosystem
•Nearly all energy comes from the sun and is converted through the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to provide energy for life functions
•Through an understanding of biotic thresholds and careful assessment of abiotic and biotic components within an ecosystem, scientist can form conclusions about the health of the ecosystem
•Human choices and lifestyles affect the planet in the short and long term. Our creative problem solving is critical in ensuring sustainable land use, as well as the conservation of biodiversity, and natural systems

•What makes Earth “ripe” for life?
•What is a system and how does it work?
•How does matter and energy get around within an ecosystem?
•How can we tell if an ecosystem is healthy?
•How are humans affecting the environment, how does this affect our future, and what can we do about it?

Space Science and Robotics

•Multicultural Astronomy and Space Exploration Posters
•Lego Robotics “Mission Mars Challenge”
•Interplanetary Tourism Project
•“Planetary Patterns Inquiry” Participation and Reflection

•Online scientific research
•Computer programming (Lego Robotics Mindstorms and EV3)
•Searching for patterns within data (using statistical analysis when necessary)
•Scale model construction

•Humans have found order in the cosmos through ancient lenses of mythology and pattern recognition then through modern lenses of scientific inquiry, observation, and technology
•Information processing and computer programming has propelled our investigations and deepening understanding of the universe
•Natural laws (of motion, gravity, and energy transfer) underlie the nature of our solar system and the universe beyond

•How have humans around the world viewed the stars and their place in space from ancient times to the present?
•How do computer programming, robotics, and technology allow us to explore the new frontiers of space?
•How is the universe arranged, and what patterns and forces underlie its order?

The Nature of Science and Experimental Design

•Self-designed lab & lab report
•Group Lab presentation
•Unit Test

•Writing their own scientific questions
•Developing logical inferences based upon their own observations
•Writing If/Then/Because hypotheses appropriately incorporating independent and dependent variables
•Create a data table to organize their data before running an experiment
•Graphing their data using Excel or Google Sheets
•Forming logical conclusions from their results and in response to their question and hypothesis.
•Discussing the significance of their experiment including its limitations, sources of error, overall conclusion
•Discussing the role that habits of mind and process skills play in scientific investigation.

•Science is an evidence-driven form of inquiry relying upon specific habits of mind and process skills
•Science is a community endeavor based on collaboration, peer-review, and respectful debate of ideas and logic.
•Science has both particular powers and limitations in understanding and explaining aspects of the human experience

•What is my role in this scientific community?
•How is science different from other ways of understanding?
•How do scientists think and what do they do?

Sixth grade science focuses on the biology of marine life and the human body. In this life science class students gain experience observing, dissecting, writing and organizing notes, drawing, problem solving, thinking critically, making oral presentations and creating a life-size paper model of their own skeleton and organs.

Our investigation of the human body includes the study of the skeletal, nervous, circulatory, endocrine and digestive systems, as well as the effects of alcohol, tobacco and drugs on mental and physical health. These studies culminate in Surgery Day, when hospital personnel bring authentic surgical equipment and materials to the classroom to give students hands-on practice with various medical and surgical techniques.

Our study of marine life includes a survey of the major kingdoms of life, with a focus on the natural history, distribution and abundance of dominant marine invertebrate and vertebrate animals. This unit culminates with a week of camping on the southern Oregon coast where students explore the labs at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, the fishing docks at Charleston Harbor, and the rocky seashore and the sandy beach of Cape Arago. Students observe marine habitats and biota first-hand to gain appreciation and experience identifying marine algae, plants, invertebrates, birds and mammals in the field.

Human Biology

•Class discussions
•Class and field participation
•Project products
•Written tests
•Oral reports
•Self evaluations
•Lab book organization, notes and drawings

•Define select vocabulary terms,
•Interpret data and diagrams,
•Observe
•Copy notes and drawings
•Infer
•Construct models
•Measure
•Classify
•Predict
•Pose questions
•Draw conclusions
•Compare and contrast
•Relate cause and effect
•Make generalizations
•Make judgements
•Problem solve, think critically

•Science is the process of trying to figure out how the world works by making careful observations and trying to make sense of those observations.
The cells in similar tissues and organs in other animals are similar to those in human beings but differ from cells found in plants.
•Like other animals, humans have body systems for obtaining and deriving energy from food and for defense, reproduction, and the coordination of body functions.
•Lungs take in oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide produced; he urinary system disposes dissolved waste molecules, the skin and lungs aid in the cooling of the body, and the intestinal tract removes solid wastes and incubates myriad beneficial bacteria essential for good health.
•For the body to use food for energy and building materials, the food must be digested into molecules that are absorbed and transported to cells.
Specialized cells and the molecules they produce identify and destroy microbes that get inside the body.
•Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites may infect the human body and interfere with normal body functions.
•Specific kinds of germs cause specific diseases.
•The amount of food energy (calories) a person requires varies with body weight, age, sex, activity level, and natural body efficiency.
•Regular exercise is important to maintain a healthy heart/lung system, good muscle tone, and bone strength.
Alcohol, tobacco and drugs cause changes in the body and therefore upset the body's stable internal environment
•Avoiding toxic substances, such as tobacco, and changing dietary habits increase the chance of living longer.
•Individuals differ greatly in their ability to cope with stressful situations.
To obtain energy from ingested food, oxygen must be supplied to cells and carbon dioxide removed.
•Interactions among the senses, nerves and brain make possible the awareness and learning that enables humans to predict, analyze and respond to changes in their environment.
•The length and quality of human life are influenced by genes and environmental factors, including sanitation, diet, medical care, and personal health behaviors.
•Technologies in food production, sanitation and health care have dramatically changed how people live, work and survive, resulting in rapid increases in the human population.

•What are the organ systems, tissues and cell types in the human body?
•Why is the human body shaped the way it is?
•How are humans related to other animals?
•How is the human body similar to, and different than, other animals?
•What are examples of human disease, illness and addiction?

Diversity of Life

•Class discussions
•Class and field participation
•Project products
•Written tests
•Oral reports
•Self evaluations
•Lab participation, written notes and graphs/drawings

•By the end of the 6th grade, science students should be able to:
•Define select vocabulary terms, interpret data and diagrams, observe, copy notes and drawings, infer, construct models, measure, classify, predict, pose questions, draw conclusions, compare and contrast, relate cause and effect, make generalizations, make judgements, problem solve, think critically,

•All living things are composed of cells, from just one to trillions.
•The way in which cells function is similar in all living organisms.
•Life forms that have chlorophyl are producers.
•Life forms that cannot photosynhesize or chemosynthesize are consumers.
•The majority of plants are autotrophs
Plants use the energy from light to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
•Plants can use the food they make immediately or store it for later use.
Food provides molecules that serve as fuel and building material for all organisms.
•Animals are heterotrophs
•In classifying organisms, scientists consider details of internal and external structures.
•Some kinds of organisms, many of them microscopic, cannot be classified as either plants or animals.
•Body structures vary with life functions
Organs and body structures vary from phylum to phylum
•Animals obtain energy by eating autotrophs or other heterotrophs
•All animals maintain a stable internal environment
•All animals share an evolutionary heritage
•Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and entire species.
•The world contains a wide diversity of physical conditions which create a great variety of environments that organisms can grow and survive in.
•Most species that have lived on earth are now extinct.
•Extinction of species occurs when the environment changes and the individual organisms of that species do not have the traits necessary to survive and reproduce in the changed environment.
•Organisms have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that enable them to reproduce and produce or consume food.
•People control some characteristics of plants and animals they raise by selective breeding and by preserving varieties of seeds (old and new) to use if growing conditions change.
•Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms and entire species
•Given adequate resources and an absence of disease or predators, populations of organisms in ecosystems increase at rapid rates. Finite resources and other factors limit their growth.
•All organisms, both land-based and aquatic, are interconnected by their need for food. This network of interconnections is referred to as a food web.
•At times, environmental conditions are such that plants and marine organisms grow faster than decomposers can recycle them back to the environment. Layers of energy-rich organic material have been gradually turned into great coal beds and oil pools by the pressure of the overlying earth. By burning these fossil fuels, people are passing most of the stored energy back into the environment as heat and releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide.

•What is life, and what do living things have in common?
•How do we categorize living things?
•The largest ecosystem is marine. What are the ocean's major habitats?
•What are examples of the ocean's dominate life forms?
•How does the ocean affect life on land?

Physical Education (PE)

Golf

•Teacher observations on skills, game play situations, and teamwork
•Various situations of game play will show understanding of rules
•Analyze game situations for strengths and things to work on
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Demonstrate the fundamental skills of the golf swing (grip, stance, different types of swings/shots)
•Grip: Interlocking, Hammer, Overlapping
•Swing/Shots: Drive shot, Iron shot, Pitch shot, Chip shot, Putt
•Communicate and show an understanding of rules of the game, including scoring and strategy

•Golf improves eye-hand coordination, focus, relaxation, and technique
•A proper stance and grip while swinging will lead to higher chance of striking the ball
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help me to succeed
•Golf etiquette can be different than other sports

•What are the skills and strategies necessary to successfully participate in a golf match?
•How does my body position, stance and grip impact my success in golf?
•How does participating in golf increase my concentration and overall focus?

Hockey

•Demonstrate the fundamental skills of hockey (stick handling/dribbling, passing, trapping, shooting, face-off, goalie skills)
•Analyze the offensive/defensive strategies and key situations that might occur during a game of hockey
•Demonstrate strategies during game play, including defending and attacking the field
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court/field is laid out, including where players stand and boundaries
•Positions: Goalie, Defenders, Midfield, Strikers
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise

•Hockey can be played indoors or outdoors using a stick and either a plastic ball or a puck
•Hockey improves eye-hand coordination, striking skills, and teamwork
•Attacking and defending the court is equally important
•Moving to play the ball is essential
•A proper stance and grip while passing or shooting will lead to higher chance of striking the ball
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help a team to be successful
•Staying positive with my teammates will bring us more success
•Behaving well is as important as playing well

•How does my fitness level impact my success in hockey?
•What are the skills and strategies necessary to successfully participate in a hockey?
•How does proper spacing and positioning on the court effect play?
•How does my body position, stance and grip impact my success in hockey?
•How do I productively communicate with my teammates to give us greater success?
•How does my attitude and effort impact the game?

Softball

•Demonstrate the fundamental skills of softball (throwing, catching, fielding, pitching, bating, base running)
•Analyze the offensive/defensive strategies and key situations that might occur during a game of softball
•Demonstrate strategies during game play, including defending and attacking the field
•Identify the rules of the game and how a field is laid out, including where players stand and boundaries
•Positions: Pitcher, Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Short Stop, Third Base, and Outfielders
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise

•There are a variety of roles and duties of the positions on the softball field: Pitcher, Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Short Stop, Third Base, and Outfielders
•Moving to play the ball is essential
•A proper stance and grip while batting will lead to higher chance of striking the ball
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help a team to be successful
•Staying positive with my teammates will bring us more success
•Behaving well is as important as playing well

•How does my fitness level impact my success in softball?
•What are the skills and strategies necessary to successfully participate in a softball?
•How does proper spacing and positioning on the court effect play?
•How does my body position, stance and grip impact my success in softball?
•How do I productively communicate with my teammates to give us greater success?
•How does my attitude and effort impact the game?

Weight Training

•Physical Best Challenges recorded throughout the unit and year
•Individual progress
•Development of a personal weight training plan including goal(s) and tracking
•Personal reflections throughout unit

•Demonstrate proper use of weight room equipment
•Demonstrate proper technique while using:
•Weigh room machines
•Bosu balls
•Medicine balls
•Physio balls
•Dumbbells
•Understand difference between fast twitch and slow twitch muscles
•Show a general understanding of the FITT principle
•Understand and demonstrate the importance of safety and proper weight room etiquette

•Weight/strength training is an important component to developing overall fitness
•A variety of methods exist for weight training including free weights, resistance training, circuit training, plyometrics, medicine / swiss / Bosu ball training
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Working with a partner or group can often lead to greater success and commitment

•Why is weight training an essential component of being physically fit?
•How does strength training improve ones overall health?
•What are the benefits of achieving muscular strength and muscular endurance?
•What are the differences between fast and slow twitch muscle fibers?

Track and Field

•Teacher observations on skills during event practice
•Various referee jobs and event participation will show understanding of rules
•Analyze events for strengths and things to work on
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit
•Participation in Invitational Track Meet

Identify the various events:
•Aerobicevents: 800, 1500, 3000
•Anaerobic events: 100, 200, 400, 100 hurdles, 400 relay, 1600 relay
•Muscle strength events: shot-put, discus, javelin, long jump, high jump, triple jump

Demonstrate an understanding of:
•Use of starting blocks
•Lead leg and trail leg in hurdles
•Hop, step, jump in triple jump
•Jumping leg and take off in long jump
•Fosbury flop and scissor kick in high jump
•Float zone and exchange zone in relays
•Step turn throw/rotation throw in discuss
•Glide throw and cross over step in javelin
•Hip rotation and angle of accent in shot put
•Communicate an understanding of event rules

•A variety of fundamental skills are involved in track and field: running, jumping, throwing, and leaping
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Training for an event will lead to greater success and confidence
•Having and using a strategy on event day can help an individual or team to be successful
•Staying positive with my teammates will bring us more success

•What are the various events and rules found in middle school track and field?
•What are the basic physical and technical demands of each event?
•How and why is endurance an essential part of all track and field events?
•What training techniques help develop physical and technical capacities?
•How do you best warm-up and cool-down for each event?

Badminton

•Demonstrate how to strike the birdie with a serve / forehand / backhand / smash / lob shot / drop shot / overhead hit / underhand hit
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries for singles and doubles
•Demonstrate strategies during game play
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•There are a variety of ways to strike the birdie
•Moving to play the birdie is essential
•Multiple ways of attacking and defending the court can be utilized
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help me as an individual or my team to be successful
•Staying positive with my teammates will bring us more success

•How does my fitness level impact my success in badminton?
•What technique are used to make contact with the birdie?
•What role does an athletic stance play in badminton?
•How does my body position and stance impact my success in badminton?
•How do I productively communicate with my teammates to give us greater success?
•How does my attitude and effort impact the game?

Basketball

•Demonstrate how to dribble and shoot a basketball
•Demonstrate how defend both individually and in a zone defense
•Demonstrate strategies during game play, including court spacing and positioning
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•Being able to dribble and shoot will lead to personal / team success and confidence
•Multiple ways of attacking the basket can be utilized
•There are different ways of defending the court: guarding an individual or zone defense
•Spacing players throughout the court and being in the proper position will positively impact my teams play
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement

Handball

•Demonstrate how to throw and catch the handball
•Demonstrate how to move up the court using the 3-steps and 2 dribbles rule
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries
•Demonstrate strategies during game play, including court spacing and positioning
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•Being able to throw and catch will lead to personal / team success and confidence
•Multiple ways of attacking the court can be utilized
•Spacing players throughout the court and being in the proper position will positively impact my teams play
•There are different ways of defending the court: guarding an individual or zone defense
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement

•How does my fitness level impact my success in handball?
•How does proper spacing and positioning on the court effect play?
•How does my body position and stance impact my success in handball?
•How do I productively communicate with my teammates to give us greater success?
•How does my attitude and effort impact the game?

Tennis

•Demonstrate how to strike the tennis ball with a forehand / backhand / volley / serve
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries for singles and doubles
•Demonstrate strategies during game play
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•There are a variety of ways to strike the ball in tennis
•Moving to play the ball is essential
•Multiple ways of attacking and defending the court can be utilized
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help me as an individual or my team to be successful
•Staying positive with my teammates will bring us more success

•How does my fitness level impact my success in tennis?
•What role does an athletic stance play in tennis?
•How does my body position and stance impact my success in tennis?
•What technique are used to make contact with the tennis ball?
•How do I productively communicate with my teammates to give us greater success?
•How does my attitude and effort impact the game?

Soccer

•Demonstrate how to preform in different positions.
•Understand and apply the rules of soccer.
•Dribble the ball with both feet.
•Preform short and long passes with both feet.
•Implement shooting techniques to score a goal.

•Understanding the rules of soccer will help in my and my teams success
•Moving to play the ball is essential
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Physical and verbal communication develops better opportunities to understand the game of soccer for a better way
•The fundamentals of applied skills in practice and game generate good opportunities to work individually and collectively

•How can I best improve the control of the ball in soccer?
•How can I use my body to protect the ball?
•What physical position is best to help me improve my state of reaction and displacement?
•How does my level of fitness impact my ability to play soccer?
•How does physical and verbal communication with my teammates help in soccer?

•Teacher observations on skills, game play situations, and teamwork
•Various referee jobs and game play will show understanding of rules
•Analyze game situations for strengths and things to work on
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Demonstrate how to pass / set / serve a volleyball
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries
•Demonstrate strategies during game play
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•There are a variety of ways to keep the ball "alive"
•Moving to play the ball is essential
•Multiple ways of serving can be utilized to put the ball into play
•Practice, drills and repetition of proper technique leads to improvement
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help a team to be successful
•Staying positive with my teammates will bring us more success

•How does my fitness level impact my success in volleyball?
•What role does an athletic stance play in volleyball?
•How does my body position and stance impact my success in volleyball?
•How do I productively communicate with my teammates to give us greater success?
•How does my attitude and effort impact the game?

Personal Fitness

•Physical Best Challenges recorded throughout the unit and year
•Individual progress
•Personal reflections throughout unit

•Aerobic fitness
•Anaerobic fitness
•Muscle endurance
•Muscle strength
•Flexibility
•Heart rate monitoring and target heart rate

•Fitness is a process, not a product.
•Fit people engage in physical activity on a regular basis.
•The best choices for you fit who you are and what you need/are trying to achieve.

•What does it mean to be physically fit?
•Why is it important to be physically fit?
•How can I stay fit?
•How can you measure your overall fitness?

Outdoor Education

Extended Trips

Leave no trace
Employing understandings in choices affecting the environment

Group living skills
Understanding ways to manage the group
Understanding my role in the group
Understanding group dynamics
Basic ecological function
The role of human impact on ecological function

Food preparation
Travel
Shelter
Minimizing risk

Group living skills
Understanding ways to manage the group
Understanding my role in the group
Understanding group dynamics
How to stay warm and dry
How food plays a role in survival
How to travel in the wilderness
Risk management

How do I master this skill?
When will I need to apply this skill?
How do I manage a social or emotional challenge?
How does a group work toward a common goal?

Listening
Taking ownership of decisions
Thinking critically

Group living skills
Understanding ways to manage the group
Understanding my role in the group
Understanding group dynamics
Basic group dynamics
Leadership
Followership

Pre-trip meeting
Check-ins during trip
Post-trip personal debrief
Post-trip written evaluation

Group living skills
Understanding ways to manage the group
Understanding my role in the group
Understanding group dynamics

After School Programs

Rock climbing

Outdoor Skills
Rock climbing
Belaying
Bouldering

Physical fitness

OLA: Outdoor Leadership and Adventure

Written reports
Check -ins during activity
In-person meetings

Group Skills
Understanding group dynamics
Understanding my role in the group
Understanding ways to manage the group
Outdoor Skills
Environmental Stewardship

Weekend Trips

Environmental stewardship

How does a group work toward a common goal?
How do my actions affect the environment?

Outdoor skills

Shelter
Appropriate clothing
Leave no Trace
Food and cooking
Cleanliness and personal hygeine
Specific activity knowledge
Rock climbing, belaying, anchors, etc.
Rafting
Mountaineering
Backpacking
Biking
Exploration
Cross Country Skiing
Packing and Organization

Ecological function
Group Management
Leadership

Am I competent in these skills?
Can I teach these skills?
Do I understand the purpose and necessity of these skills?

Personal growth, challenge and leadership

My role in the group
The growth I may achieve through the challenge

How do I manage a physical challenge?
How do I manage a social or emotional challenge?
How does a group work toward a common goal?

Group living skills

Pre-trip meeting
Check -ins during trip
Post trip personal debrief
Post trip written evaluation

Understanding your role and the role of others

Working in teams on chores
Sharing and fairness
Altruistically helping others
Empathy

How do I manage a social or emotional challenge?
How does a group work toward a common goal?

Probability

Project

•Calculate simple probabilities and identify sample spaces.
•Identify the difference between independent and dependent events.
•Calculate probabilities of independent and dependent events.
•Calculate probabilities of disjoint and overlapping events.

•Understanding a situation carefully is necessary to understand the probability of something occurring.
•Probability is not dependent on luck.

•How is probability useful in everyday life?
•Why can probability be counter intuitive?

Circumference, Area, and Volume

•Calculate the circumference and arc lengths in a circle.
•Determine areas of circles, sectors, polygons, and surface area of 3-D objects.
•Calculate the volumes of prisms, cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres.

•Length is a measure of how long.
•Area is a measure of how much can be covered.
•Volume is a measure of how much can be filled.

•What can measurements tell us about geometric objects?
•Why do we have so many area and volume formulas? Are they all necessary?

Circles

•Circles describe a locus of points equidistant from a single point, the center.
•The center of the circle is part of the circle.
•Triangles are often used in understanding important theorems about circles.

Why are circles different than polygons?

Right Triangles and Trigonometry

•Use Pythagorean Theorem
•Know several proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem
•Know and use the basic right triangle trig relations: sine, cosine, tangent
•Apply trigonometry to simple applications
•Find an angle given side lengths of a right triangle.
•Know the trig values for the angles found in special right triangles.

Right triangles that have congruent angles all share the same ratios between sides

What makes right triangles so important?

Similarity

•Use proportional reasoning and similarity to solve for missing side lengths.
•Prove two triangles are similar using earlier theorems formulas involving angles and sides.

•The perimeters of similar figures have the same ratio as the sides.
•The areas of similar figures have the square of their side ratios.
•AA, SSS, and SAS can be used to prove two triangles are similar.

•How are similar figures different from congruent figures?
•What affects does dilating a polygon have on its properties?

Quadrilaterals and Other Polygons

•Project
•Quiz

•Use the Polygon Interior and Exterior Angle Sum theorems to findmissing angle measurements
•Identify quadrilaterals based on their given properties
•Prove the observed properties of quadrilaterals

•Some properties of quadrilaterals come from their definitions and others come from theorems that can be proved by applying our earlier work
•Different types of quadrilaterals have different angle, side, and diagonal properties. iii. Those that share a particular defining characteristic also share properties that can be proved from that characteristic.

•What defines a shape?
•Once defined, what properties must be true?

Congruent Triangles

•Identify congruent angles and sides from given congruence statements.
•Solve for missing measurements given two congruent figures.

•The corresponding parts of congruent figures are congruent.
•Figures can be placed on a coordinate plane to assist in proof process.
•Midpoint and Distance formulas can used to show segments are congruent.

What must we know in order to determine if two triangles are congruent?

Relationships within Triangles

Geogebra exploration project
quizzes and test

•Find the perpendicular bisectors of a triangle and the circumcenter with technology and algebraically.
•Find the medians of a triangle and the centroid with technology and algebraically.
•Find the angle bisectors of a triangle and the incenter with technology
•Find the altitudes of a triangle and the orthocenter with technology and algebraically.

•Angle bisectors, perpendicular bisectors and medians all createpoints of concurrency in triangles.
•Each point of concurrency provides a different type of center of a triangle.

•What is the “center” of a triangle?
•Which center of the triangle is appropriate for a given scenario?

Transformations

•Quizzes •Test

•Creating geometric rules for transforming figures.
•Proving congruence and similarity between figures.
•Reflections
•Rotations
•Translations
•Glide Reflections
•Dilations

•Transformations can be used to create congruent and similar figures
•Congruent figures can be mapped onto each other by a series of transformations
•Similar figures can be mapped onto each other by a series of transformations

•What changes a geometric figure?
•What is meant by “change” with respect to geometric figures?

Parallel and Perpendicular

•Identify lines (parallel and perpendicular), planes, pairs of angles formed by a transversal
•Solve for angle measurements when given parallel lines.
•Determine when two lines are parallel based on angle measurements
•Write the equation of a line parallel to or perpendicular to a given line.

Draw conclusions based when certain conditions are met

•What are the relationships between lines and angles that we can count on?
•How do we use previous knowledge to construct new knowledge?

Reasoning and Proofs

•Conditional Statements (including converse, inverse, and contrapositive)
•Inductive reasoning
•Deductive reasoning
•Basic proofs

•Two column, flowchart, and paragraph proofs are all different forms of deductive reasoning
•Deductive and inductive reasoning are both valid, but have different purposes in mathematics

•How do we know a statement in math is true?
•What are the essential assumptions we must make?

Basics of Geometry

•Quizzes
•Test

Vocabulary: points, lines, planes
midpoint and distance formulas
perimeter and area formulas

Students will understand the difference between assumptions we can make and those we cannot

•What are the essential building blocks for geometry?
•Are Geometry “facts” discovered or created?

Algebra 1B

•Simplify radicals
•Simplify expressions using the properties of exponents(Products/Quotients of Powers, Power of Powers) for integer exponents
•Multiply and divide using scientific notation
•Write radicals using rational exponents
•Identify an exponential function graphically, algebraically, or numerically and whether the function represent exponential growth or decay
•Evaluate exponential functions
•Graph an exponential function by making a table of values and by using technology
•Describe the domain and range of an exponential function
•Solve an exponential equation where the bases can be written as the same number
•Model exponential growth/decay using the formula y=a(1+/- r)t
•Calculate compound interest using the formula y=P(1 + r/n)nt
•Recognize when a sequence is geometric
•Write an equation for a geometric sequence using annotation
•Write an equation for a geometric sequence recursively

•Exponential growth/decay is created by a constant multiplier
•All exponential functions behave in the same way
Exponential functions can be represented in many ways

•Solve a quadratic equation by graphing, by using a square root,using the quadratic formula
•Use the discriminant to determine the number of solutions a quadratic equation has
•Solve a system involving a linear and quadratic function algebraically and graphically

•The number of solutions of a quadratic equation can be found by looking at the graph of the function
•There are multiple ways to solve a quadratic equation

•Know different parts of a parabola (vertex, line of symmetry,focus)
•Graph transformations of parabolas (vertical dilation, vertical& horizontal translation)
•Graph parabola from standard form by finding y-intercept, vertex(x=-b/2a), and leading coefficient
•Find minimum/maximum of the function
•Identify whether a function is linear, exponential, or quadratic graphically, algebraically, or numerically

•A function can have a minimum or maximum value
•Different types of functions behave different, and their graphs have different features

•Definition of a polynomial, degree
•Add, subtract, and multiply polynomials
•Recognize special multiplying patterns (difference of squares,square of a binomial)
•Solve a polynomial equation from factored form
•Factor quadratics with leading coefficient equal to 1 or not equalto 1
•Factor 4-nomial by grouping
•Factor difference of squares when degree is greater than 2

•The characteristics of polynomial functions and their representations are useful in solving real-world problems
•Factoring a polynomial equation gives us information about its solutions

•All graphs of square root functions behave the same way
•Square roots affect the domain of the function

•What problems are best modeled using square root functions?
•How is the Pythagorean Theorem useful?

•Identify whether a relation is direct or inverse variation graphically, algebraically, or numerically
•Graph direction and inverse variation equations
•Identify characteristics of rational functions (asymptotes,domain, range)
•Graph rational functions
•Simplify rational expressions
•Add, subtract, multiply and divide rational expressions
•Polynomial division
•Solve rational equations

•RAW DATA TALLY AND COLLATION: Organize collected data into: line plots, tally/frequency tables, spread sheets, stem-leaf plots, or dot plots
•STATISTICAL MEASUREMENTS: measures of central tendency--mean, median, mode, weighted averages; measures of dispersion--range, 5-number summary, interquartile range, range of normal, outliers, standard deviation
•GRAPHING: Bar graphs,Histograms, Circle Graphs, Box-Whisker Plots, scatter plots, line graphs.
•INTERPRETATION: Interpret data given in graphical form
•PREDICTION:trends, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, probabilities based upon data analysis
•BASIC SKILLS: Basic operations with rational numbers, conversion between decimals, fractions, and percent, degree measure of angles, rounding, solving proportions, finding a mean, using a formula, and using a protractor and compass. Students also use a scientific calculator and software (Microsoft Excel) to expedite and enhance data collection, collation, graphic representation, and statistical analysis. .

•Translate sentences to linear inequalities
•Graph a linear inequality on a number line
•Use properties of inequality to solve linear inequalities
•Dividing or multiplying by a negative value causes the inequality sign to change
•Write and solve linear compound inequalities and graph on a number line
•Graph linear absolute value inequalities
•Graph linear inequalities in two variables

Sometimes it is more appropriate to use an inequality rather than an equation

•Inverse operations (and additive or multiplicative inverses) cancel each other out
•Linear equations can be used to model real world situations
•Absolute value measures the distance between a value and zero on the number line; therefore, absolute value is a non-negative value.
•Length is a linear measurement, one-dimensional spatial measurement
•The relationship between variable measurable values can be expressed through algebraic symbolism

•Skills and application test
•Class differentiated project or activity

•Graph a line by plotting points
•Find the slope of a line algebraically and graphically
•Recognize the relationship of the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines
•Identify intercepts of a lines algebraically and graphically
•Graph linear equations given slope-intercept form and standard form
•Write equations of lines in slope-intercept form, point-slope form, and standard form
•Write equations of lines that are parallel or perpendicular
•Know which form (slope-intercept, point-slope, standard) is most appropriate to use in any context

•Linear equations can model real-life situations
•A linear equation is discernible by a constant rate of change
•There is more than one way to represent a linear relationship
•The graph of a equation visualizes all possible solution pairs to an equation and, when in context, is limited by the nature of the variables

•Determine whether or not a relation is a function graphically,algebraically, and numerically
•Identify the domain and range of a function graphically,algebraically, and numerically
•Identify the independent and dependent variable of a function
•Know whether the domain of a function is discrete or continuous
•Write the equation of a line given a table or graph
•Use function notation to write the equation of a function,evaluate a function
•Graph and evaluate piecewise functions, absolute value functions,step functions
•Determine whether or not a function is linear graphically,algebraically, or numerically
•Recognize when a sequence is arithmetic
•Write an equation for an arithmetic sequence using annotation

•Linear functions can be used to describe certain types of patterns
•Some functions have a discrete and/or finite domain
•Not all functions are linear
•There is more than one way to represent a linear relationship
•Functions behave in predictable ways

•Skills and application assessments
•Class differentiated project or activity

•Solve a system of 2 linear equations by graphing, substitution,and elimination
•Recognize if a system has 1, zero, or infinity solutions
•Write and graph a system of 2 linear inequalities

•The solution to a linear system is the point(s) the lines share;this point represents a shared solution
•A linear system can be used to model a real-lifesituation with two variables that have two distinct relationships

Algebra 1

•RAW DATA TALLY AND COLLATION: Organize collected data into: line plots, tally/frequency tables, spread sheets, stem-leaf plots, or dot plots
•STATISTICAL MEASUREMENTS: measures of central tendency--mean, median, mode, weighted averages; measures of dispersion--range, 5-number summary, interquartile range, range of normal, outliers, standard deviation
•GRAPHING:
Bar graphs,Histograms, Circle Graphs, Box-Whisker Plots, scatter plots, line graphs.
•INTERPRETATION: Interpret data given in graphical form
•PREDICTION:
trends, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, probabilities based upon data analysis
•BASIC SKILLS:
Basic operations with rational numbers, conversion between decimals, fractions, and percent, degree measure of angles, rounding, solving proportions, finding a mean, using a formula, and using a protractor and compass. Students also use a scientific calculator and software (Microsoft Excel) to expedite and enhance data collection, collation, graphic representation, and statistical analysis. .

Rational Equations and Functions

·            Identify whether a relation is direct or inverse variationgraphically, algebraically, or numerically
·            Graph direction and inverse variation equations
·            Identify characteristics of rational functions (asymptotes,domain, range)
·            Graph rational functions
·            Simplify rational expressions
·            Add, subtract, multiply and divide rational expressions
·            Polynomial division
·            Solve rational equations

Rational functions have asymptotes

What role can rational functions play in modeling real and theoretical situations?

Square Root Functions and Geometry

·            Find domain of square root function
·            Graph square root function using a table of values and transformations
·            Solve square root equation
·            Use Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of the sides of a right triangle
·            Use the distance formula to find the distance between two coordinates

· All graphs of square root functions behave the same way
· Square roots affect the domain of the function

· What problems are best modeled using square root functions?
· How is the Pythagorean Theorem useful?

Solving Quadratic Equations

·            Solve a quadratic equation by graphing, by using a square root,using the quadratic formula
·            Use the discriminant to determine the number of solutions aquadratic equation has
·            Solve a system involving a linear and quadratic functionalgebraically and graphically

· The number of solutions of a quadratic equation can be found bylooking at the graph of the function
· There are multiple ways to solve a quadratic equation

How do I choose the best method to solve a given equation
?

Graphing Quadratic Functions

·            Know different parts of a parabola (vertex, line of symmetry,focus)
·            Graph transformations of parabolas (vertical dilation, vertical& horizontal translation)
·            Graph parabola from standard form by finding y-intercept, vertex(x=-b/2a), and leading coefficient
·            Find minimum/maximum of the function
·            Identify whether a function is linear, exponential, or quadraticgraphically, algebraically, or numerically

· A function can have a minimum or maximum value
· Different types of functions behave different, and their graphshave different features

How are quadratic functions useful?

Polynomial Equations and Factoring

·            Definition of a polynomial, degree
·            Add, subtract, and multiply polynomials
·            Recognize special multiplying patterns (difference of squares,square of a binomial)
·            Solve a polynomial equation from factored form
·            Factor quadratics with leading coefficient equal to 1 or not equalto 1
·            Factor 4-nomial by grouping
·            Factor difference of squares when degree is greater than 2

· The characteristics of polynomial functions and theirrepresentations are useful in solving real-world problems
· Factoring a polynomial equation gives us information about its solutions

How do polynomial functions model real-world problems and their solutions?

Exponential Equations and Functions

·            Simplify radicals
·            Simplify expressions using the properties of exponents(Products/Quotients of Powers, Power of Powers) for integer exponents
·            Multiply and divide using scientific notation
·            Write radicals using rational exponents
·            Identify an exponential function graphically, algebraically, ornumerically and whether the function represent exponential growth or decay
·            Evaluate exponential functions
·            Graph an exponential function by making a table of values and byusing technology
·            Describe the domain and range of an exponential function
·            Solve an exponential equation where the bases can be written asthe same number
·            Model exponential growth/decay using the formula y=a(1+/- r)t
·            Calculate compound interest using the formula y=P(1 + r/n)nt
·            Recognize when a sequence is geometric
·            Write an equation for a geometric sequence using annotation
·            Write an equation for a geometric sequence recursively

· Exponential growth/decay is created by a constant multiplier
· All exponential functions behave in the same way
Exponential functions canbe represented in many ways

What type of relationships do exponential functions model?

· Skills and application assessments
or
· Class differentiated project or activity

·   Inverse operations (and additive or multiplicative inverses)cancel each other out
·   Linear equations can be used to model real world situations
·   Absolute value measures the distance between a value and zero onthe number line; therefore, absolute value is a non-negative value.
·   Length is a linear measurement, one-dimensional spatial measurement
·   The relationship between variable measureable values can beexpressed through algebraic symbolism

What role do equations play in our lives?

Algebra 1A

Data Analysis and Displays

*Project includes a novel hypothesis, data collection and organization, visual display of graphs, and a one-page numerical analysis and conclusion to accompany the visual display
*Written assessment

HYPOTHESIS: stating an initial hypothesis. Choose the type of data to collect based upon a chosen hypothesis or topic of investigation
*DATA CHOICE and COLLECTION STRATEGIES: numerical/ non-numerical data, absolute and relative measure, degree of accuracy, defining the population, random sampling. Collect data using appropriate measures and being mindful of degree of accuracy and significant figures and note sources of bias in the collection process
*RAW DATA TALLY AND COLLATION: Organize collected data into data line plots, tally/frequency tables, spread sheets, or stem-leaf plots, dot plots
*STATISTICAL MEASUREMENTS: measures of central tendency--mean, median, mode, weighted averages; measures of dispersion--range, 5-number summary, interquartile range, range of normal, outliers.
*GRAPHING:
Bar graphs,Histograms, Circle Graphs, Box-Whisker Plots, scatter plots, line graphs.
*INTERPRETATION: Interpret data given in graphical form
*PREDICTION:
trends, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, probabilities based upon data analysis
*BASIC SKILLS:
Basic operations with rational numbers, conversion between decimals, fractions, and percent, degree measure of angles, rounding, solving proportions, finding a mean, using a formula, and using a protractor and compass. Students also use a scientific calculator and software (Microsoft Excel) to expedite and enhance data collection, collation, graphic representation, and statistical analysis. .

The choice of data collection techniques, organization formats, analytical tools, and graphic representation of data influence the understanding of the populations that data sets represent.

Data can be summarized and analyzed in tables, numerically, and graphically.

Data can inform subsequent actions or decisions.

Linear Functions

·            Determine whether or not a relation is a function graphically,algebraically, and numerically
·            Identify the domain and range of a function graphically,algebraically, and numerically
·            Identify the independent and dependent variable of a function
·            Know whether the domain of a function is discrete or continuous
·            Write the equation of a line given a table or graph
·            Use function notation to write the equation of a function,evaluate a function
·            Graph and evaluate piecewise functions, absolute value functions,step functions
·            Determine whether or not a function is linear graphically,algebraically, or numerically
·            Recognize when a sequence is arithmetic
·            Write an equation for an arithmetic sequence using annotation

·            Linear functions can be used to describe certain types of patterns
·            Some functions have a discrete and/or finite domain
·            Not all functions are linear
·            There is more than one way to represent a linear relationship
·            Functions behave in predictable ways

What role do linear functions play in our lives?

Solving Systems of Linear Equations

·            Solve a system of 2 linear equations by graphing, substitution,and elimination
·            Recognize if a system has 1, zero, or infinity solutions
·            Write and graph a system of 2 linear inequalities

· The solution to a linear system is the point(s) the lines share;this point represents a shared solution
· A linear system can be used to model a real-lifesituation with two variables that have two distinct relationships

How can we use linearsystems to model real-life situations?

Solving Linear Inequalities

· Skills and application test
· Class differentiated project or activity

·            Translate sentences to linear inequalities
·            Graph a linear inequality on a number line
·            Use properties of inequality to solve linear inequalities
·            Dividing or multiplying by a negative value causes the inequality sign to change
·            Write and solve linear compound inequalities and graph on a number line

·            Graph linear absolute value inequalities

·            Graph linear inequalities in two variables

Sometimes it is moreappropriate to use an inequality rather than an equation

When is it appropriate to use a linear inequality?

Graphing and Writing Linear Equations

Skills and application test
Class differentiatedproject or activity

·            Graph a line by plotting points
·            Find the slope of a line algebraically and graphically
·            Recognize the relationship of the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines
·            Identify intercepts of a lines algebraically and graphically
·            Graph linear equations given slope-intercept form and standard form
·            Write equations of lines in slope-intercept form, point-slopeform, and standard form
·            Write equations of lines that are parallel or perpendicular

·            Know which form (slope-intercept, point-slope, standard) is mostappropriate to use in any context

-Linear equations can model real-life situations
-A linearequation is discernable by a constant rate of change
-There is more than one way to represent alinear relationship
-The graph of a equation visualizes all possiblesolution pairs to an equation and, when in context, is limited by the nature of the variables
.

Why is it useful to graph a linear equation?

Solving Linear Equations

-Skills and application test
-Class differentiated project or activity

·            Identify the components of a linear equation
·            Use properties of real numbers to simplify algebraic expressions
·            Use properties of equality to solve linear equations
·            Solve linear absolute value equations in one variable
·            Solve for a variable in a formula

How is algebra different than arithmetic?

What power does algebra give to describe patterns and model relationships?

* group and individual assessment of the basic skills and concepts of algebra as well as projects involving application and algebraic problem-solving
* emphasis on process--using vertical format and logical steps
* assessment of the ability of students to solve algebraically problems from the SAT, AMC 8, and MathCounts

* SIMPLIFY: simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms, using the distributive property, multiplication and division of monomial and polynomial expressions
* EVALUATE: find the value of algebraic expressions using appropriate order of operations and properties of real numbers
* SOLVE: be able to solve linear equations and inequalities using simple one and two step methods, be able to solve more complex linear equations and inequalities using simplification
*FACTOR: recognize common monomial factors
*TRANSLATE: write algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities that describe given data or observed relationships or patterns
*GRAPH: develop data tables from linear equations and then graph the resultant ordered pairs using a Cartesian coordinate system, graph linear equations and inequalities

*VOCABULARY OF ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS
*ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS: Translating from words to symbols, describing patterns symbolically, evaluating expressions, naming the parts of an algebraic expression (coefficient, constant, term, variable, factor, exponent)
* OPERATIONS WITH ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS: combining like terms, multiplying monomials, the distributive property, adding and subtracting polynomial expressions, multiplying polynomial expressions, basic factoring, dividing monomial expressions
*ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS: categorizing (linear, quadratic), using formulae, slope as an expression of the rate of change, slope of a line, solution sets of equations, linear equations
*ALGEBRAIC PROBLEM-SOLVING: equations/inequalities that accurately represent the parameters of a given situation, observed phenomena/relationships
*GRAPHING: solution sets and ordered pairs, data tables from linear equations, Cartesian coordinate system, , describe scenarios that fit a given graph

• Can the patterns or relationships we observe be described using mathematic symbolism?
• How can these mathematical generalizations be used to derive new relationships, be used to evaluate variable values in specific situations, or be used to analyze and then create deeper understanding?
• How can the operations and relations among numbers be characterized symbolically and then built into a theoretical system of study?

•MEASUREMENT: Know the English standard and metric units of and tools for measuring angles, number, location, length, area, volume, capacity, weight/mass, and temperature.
•DIMENSIONS: 0, 1 , 2, and 3 dimensionals.
•CARTESIAN COORDINATE SYSTEM: locating points in a plane.
•IDENTIFY, DESCRIBE, CLASSIFY, AND COMPARE points and 1D-3D structures:
Points, lines, rays, line segments, angles, vertices.
Triangles, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, circles.
Prisms, cylinders, pyramids, cones, spheres.
•FORMULAE: Surface area and volume of prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones.
•SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND RELATIONSHIPS:
Regular polygons
•TRIANGLES: angle measurement, Pythagorean Theorem, similarity, trigonometric ratios (sin, cos, tan), angle of depression and elevation
•CIRCLES: pi, radius, diameter, and circumference relationships, area--using the formulae and deriving the formula by approximation
•STRUCTURAL CONSEQUENCES: hexagons and honeycombs, Fibonacci spiral and the ammonite shell, surface area/volume ratios as a factor influencing shapes found in different environments

By what descriptive and numerical measures can the spatial world be better understood?

•Project includes a novel hypothesis, data collection and organization, visual display of graphs, and a one-page numerical analysis and conclusion to accompany the visual display
•Written assessment

•HYPOTHESIS: stating an initial hypothesis. Choose the type of data to collect based upon a chosen hypothesis or topic of investigation
•DATA CHOICE and COLLECTION STRATEGIES: numerical/ non-numerical data, absolute and relative measure, degree of accuracy, defining the population, random sampling. Collect data using appropriate measures and being mindful of degree of accuracy and significant figures and note sources of bias in the collection process
•RAW DATA TALLY AND COLLATION: Organize collected data into data line plots, tally/frequency tables, spread sheets, or stem-leaf plots, dot plots
•STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION: measures of central tendency--mean, median, mode, weighted averages; measures of spread--range, outliers, 5-number summary, interquartile range, range of normal, outliers.
•GRAPHING:
•Bar graphs,Histograms, Circle Graphs,
•Box-Whisker Plots, scatter plots, line graphs.
•INTERPRETATION: Interpret data given in graphical form
•PREDICTION:trends, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, probabilities based upon data analysis
•BASIC SKILLS: Basic operations with rational numbers, conversion between decimals, fractions, and percent, degree measure of angles, rounding, solving proportions, finding a mean, using a formula, and using a protractor and compass. Students also use a scientific calculator and software (Microsoft Excel) to expedite and enhance data collection, collation, graphic representation, and statistical analysis. .

•The choice of data collection techniques, organization formats, analytical tools, and graphic representation of data influence the understanding of the populations that data sets represent.
•Data can be summarized and analyzed in tables, numerically, and graphically.
•Data can inform subsequent actions or decisions.

What is data, what does it tell us, and how can it be used?

•Covert between fractions, decimals, and percent
•Set up and solve equations involving proportion
•Use concept of part of to solve problems involving percent, fractions, or decimal fractions
•Solve problems involving percent increase and decrease and percent off or mark-ups
•Calculate rate problems related to space travel and other real situations
•Use scale factor to solve problems
•Calculate the probability of single and multiple, dependent and independent events, weighted averages, and permutations and combinations using formulae and calculator functions
•Basic skills: solve a proportion equations, create equivalent fractions, multiply decimal fractions, multiply fractions

•VOCABULARY AND DEFINITIONS
•VENN DIAGRAMS: the basics of set theory
•NUMBER THEORY-REAL NUMBERS AND THEIR SUBSETS: the concept of prime and divisibility, factors and multiples, odd/even numbers, Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, decimal/fractional representation, the real number line, absolute value, negative values, counting numbers, zero, integers, rational and irrational numbers, exponents and roots, zero as an exponent, properties of real numbers
•COMPUTATION WITH REAL NUMBERS: order of operations, grouping symbols: ( ), [ ], { }, | |, ______; computation with negative integers, computation with exponents, the many ways to express multiplication, absolute value, evaluating arithmetic expressions.

•How does our number system facilitate the description and analysis of the world in which we live?
•How can the operations and relations among numbers be characterized symbolically and then built into a theoretical system of study?

6th Grade is a time when all of the basic math skills will be solidified, strengthened and deepened. In tandem with this basic skills development will be an emphasis on creative problem-solving strategies and generalizing patterns to push the growth of each child's abstract thinking and logical reasoning ability. The beginning of algebraic thinking is woven throughout the Curriculum. Big Ideas Math is the textbook that we use in 6th-8th grade as the backbone of our math curriculum. It combines both an inquiry approach and direct instruction. In addition to BIM Math, we supplement with a variety of materials and a variety of approaches since no single method is effective for every child.

Pre-Algebra

Algebra: Expressions and Equations

•Group and individual assessment of the basic skills and concepts of algebra as well as projects involving application and algebraic problem-solving
•Emphasis on process--using vertical format and logical steps
•Assessment of the ability of students to solve algebraically problems from the SAT, AMC 8, and MathCounts

•IMPLIFY: simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms, using the distributive property, multiplication and division of monomial and polynomial expressions
•EVALUATE: find the value of algebraic expressions using appropriate order of operations and properties of real numbers
•SOLVE: be able to solve linear equations and inequalities using simple one and two step methods, be able to solve more complex linear equations and inequalities using simplification
•FACTOR: recognize common monomial factors
•TRANSLATE: write algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities that describe given data or observed relationships or patterns
•GRAPH: develop data tables from linear equations and then graph the resultant ordered pairs using a Cartesian coordinate system, graph linear equations and inequalities

•VOCABULARY OF ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS
•ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS: Translating from words to symbols, describing patterns symbolically, evaluating expressions, naming the parts of an algebraic expression (coefficient, constant, term, variable, factor, exponent)
•OPERATIONS WITH ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS: combining like terms, multiplying monomials, the distributive property, adding and subtracting polynomial expressions, multiplying polynomial expressions, basic factoring, dividing monomial expressions
•ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS: categorizing (linear, quadratic), using formulae, slope as an expression of the rate of change, slope of a line, solution sets of equations, linear equations
•ALGEBRAIC PROBLEM-SOLVING: equations/inequalities that accurately represent the parameters of a given situation, observed phenomena/relationships
•GRAPHING: solution sets and ordered pairs, data tables from linear equations, Cartesian coordinate system, describe scenarios that fit a given graph

Measurement and Geometry

•Poster illustrating the affect of a linear change on area and volume
•Tilings--creation of original tiling designs as well as writing a short paragraph on the geometry used in the art of a chosen culture
•Village Project--design, measure, and create a 3 dimensional structure as a cuminating project.
•Quizzes and tests

•MEASURE: use appropriate tools to directly measure geometric figures, indirectly measure using appropriate formulae
•DESCRIBE: describe using appropriate vocabulary one-, two-, and three-dimensional geometric figures
•DERIVE: through logical steps derive formulae used to calculate the measure of various geometric figures
•GENERALIZE OBSERVED RELATIONSHIPS: observe relationships between various geometric structures and describe these relationships algebraically

•MEASUREMENT: Know the English standard and metric units of and tools for measuring angles, number, location, length, area, volume, capacity, weight/mass, and temperature.
•DIMENSIONS: 0, 1 , 2, and 3 dimensionals.
•CARTESIAN COORDINATE SYSTEM: locating points in a plane and in space.
•IDENTIFY, DESCRIBE, CLASSIFY, AND COMPARE points and 1-3 D structures:
Points, lines, rays, line segments, angles, vertices.
Triangles, quadrilaterals, regular polygons, circles.
Platonic Solids, prisms, cylinders, pyramids, cones, spheres.
•FORMULAE: Surface area and volume of prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones.
•SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND RELATIONSHIPS:
Regular polygons and regular polyhedra.
Relationships between vertices, edges, angles, and faces.
•TRIANGLES: angle measurement, Pythagorean Theorem, similarity, trigonometric ratios (sin, cos, tan), angle of depression and elevation
•CIRCLES: pi, radius, diameter, and circumference relationships, area--using the formulae and deriving the formula
•STRUCTURAL CONSEQUENCES: hexagons, honeycombs

By what descriptive and numerical measures can the spatial world be understood?

Ratio, Rate, Proportion, Percent, and Probability

•Problem solving group activities
•Creation of a game, a scale model, an amusement park ride, and a scale factor enlargement or reduction using a grid or projection
•Unit exam

•Covert between fractions, decimals, and percent
•Set up and solve equations involving proportion
•Use concept of part of to solve problems involving percent, fractions, or decimal fractions
•Solve problems involving percent increase and decrease and percent off or mark-ups
•Calculate rate problems related to space travel and other real situations
•Use scale factor to solve problems
•Calculate the probability of single and multiple, dependent and independent events, weighted averages, and permutations and combinations using formulae and calculator functions
•Basic skills: Solve a proportion equations, create equivalent fractions, multiply decimal fractions, multiply fractions

•MEASUREMENT: direct vs relative measure, units and abbreviations, categories, conversions between units/systems of measure
•RATIO: definition, part to part, part to whole, expressed as a fraction in lowest terms, gear ratios, Golden Ratio
•PROPORTION: set up and solving proportions, scale factor, similar figures
•PERCENT: set up and calculation; conversion between %, fraction, and decimal representation; %change; weighted average
•RATE: set up, dimensional analysis, unit rates, RPM and speed
•RATE OF CHANGE: Positive/Negative, linear, exponential, periodic
•PROBABILITY: single and multiple events, odds, possible outcomes vs favorable outcomes, Fundamental Counting Principle, Multiplication Principle, combinatorics, factorial, sample space, dependent and independent events

•How does the relative measure of data yield new insights?
•How can ratios be used to describe relationships between correlated data?
•How can ratios and rates be used to calculate proportional change and thus predict future outcomes?

Data Collection, Analysis, and Graphing

•Interdisciplinary 6th grade team project looking at the demographics of Catlin Gabel School compared to the Portland Metro area. Project requirements include a hypothesis, data collection and organization, visual display of graphs, and a one-page numerical analysis and conclusion to accompany the visual display
•Written unit exam and quizzes to assess skill development

•RAW DATA TALLY AND COLLATION: Organize collected data into: line plots, tally/frequency tables, spread sheets, stem-leaf plots, or dot plots
•STATISTICAL MEASUREMENTS: Measures of central tendency--mean, median, mode,
•GRAPHING: Bar graphs, Histograms, Circle Graphs, line graphs.
•INTERPRETATION: Interpret data given in graphical form

•HYPOTHESIS: stating an initial hypothesis. Choose the type of data to collect based upon a chosen hypothesis or topic of investigation
•DATA CHOICE and COLLECTION STRATEGIES: numerical/ non-numerical data, absolute and relative measure, degree of accuracy, defining the population, random sampling. Collect data using appropriate measures and being mindful of degree of accuracy and significant figures and note sources of bias in the collection process
•RAW DATA TALLY AND COLLATION: Organize collected data into data line plots, tally/frequency tables, spread sheets, or stem-leaf plots.
•STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION: measures of central tendency--mean, median, mode, weighted averages; measures of spread--range, outliers, 5-number summary, interquartile range, range of normal, outliers.
•GRAPHING:
•Bar Graphs, Histograms, Circle Graphs,
•Box-Whisker Plots, scatter plots, line graphs.
•INTERPRETATION: Interpret data given in graphical form
•PREDICTION: trends, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, probabilities based upon data analysis
•BASIC SKILLS: Basic operations with rational numbers, conversion between decimals, fractions, and percent, degree measure of angles, rounding, solving proportions, finding a mean, using a formula, and using a protractor and compass. Students also use a scientific calculator and software (TinkerPlots and Microsoft Excel) to expedite and enhance data collection, collation, graphic representation, and statistical analysis.

•What is data?
•For what purposes is data collected?
•What knowledge can be summarized and/or derived from data?
•How do the choices of collection techniques, organization formats, analytical tools, and graphic representation of data influence understanding of the populations that data sets represent?
•How does this data inform subsequent actions or decisions?

Number System

Items in this concept area are embedded throughout the course and assessed in part throughout the year.

•Factorization
•Prime factorization
•Use of Venn diagrams to observe the relationship between two numbers in terms of their prime factors, to determine the GCF, to see how other factors are created, and to determine the LCM (least common multiple)
•Placement of numbers onto the number line to gain an appreciation for their relative magnitude.
•Conversion of numbers from one place-value system to another.

•VOCABULARY AND DEFINITIONS
•SET NOTATION AND VENN DIAGRAMS: the basics of set theory
•NUMBER THEORY-REAL NUMBERS AND THEIR SUBSETS: the concept of prime and divisibility, factors and multiples, Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, decimal, base-5, and binary, the real number line, absolute value, negative values, counting numbers, zero, integers, rational and irrational numbers, exponents and roots, zero as an exponent, simple logarithms, properties of real numbers, examination of properties using matrices
•COMPUTATION WITH REAL NUMBERS: order of operations, grouping symbols: ( ), [ ], { }, | |, ______; computation with negative integers, computation with exponents, the many ways to express multiplication, absolute value, evaluating arithmetic expressions, matrix addition and subtraction, scientific notation, exponential growth and decay

•How can the patterns and relationships around us be expressed mathematically?
•How can these mathematical generalizations be used to derive new relationships or be evaluated in specific situations?
•How can the operations and relations among numbers be characterized symbolically and then built into a theoretical system of study?

*Intro to Computer Programming

•Holiday e-card Project - write a program that will animate characters on various backgrounds
•Rubric for assessing SCRATCH programs
•Gender Based Attitude Survey

•Create sprites, costumes, stages and scripts
•Use various types of programming blocks
•Add sounds, photos, images from the internet
•Animate people/objects in a scene
•Use a paint editor

•Statistics on the participation of women in computer science
•Uses of computer programming in today's society
•Types of programming
•Commands/blocks: Controls, Sensing, Operators, •Loops, waits, reporters, variables, sounds, motion, appearance, broadcasts, lists, strings, boolean values
•Elements of the software interface
•Options in the paint editor

•How is computer programming important in today's society?
•How do gender differences impact participation in this field?
•What is the basic structure and concepts of computer programming?
•How are creative thinking, logical reasoning and problem-solving used in computer programming?

*Measurement and the Metric System

•Metric Pre-Test
•Estimetrics Game
•Watermelon Relay Team Test
•Written Test

•Powers of ten and exponent review
•Decimal place value
•Estimating quantities in metric units
•Converting between units within each system
•Use of appropriate measuring tools
[Introduction to negative exponents and scientific notation]

•History of measurement
•Evolution of the English Customary System
•Units of measure in the Customary System
•Design, invention and history of the Metric System
•The difference between Length, Volume, Mass and Weight
•Units of measure in the Metric System and how they were defined
•Metric prefixes and symbols
•Advantages of the metric system

•How and why did systems of measurement first evolve?
•How and why was the metric system invented?
•Why is it important to learn the metric system?
•How is the metric system different from and similar to our system?
•What are the units of measurement in the metric system?

Statistics & Probability

•Written Test
•Casino Project - create a game for the Probability Casino, gather data on the frequency of outcomes using the 5th graders as test subjects. Determine if the theoretical and experimental probabilities are the same (i.e., eliminate the external influences)
•List factors that may affect the experimental probability of a game; write up a conclusion based on their findings
•Interdisciplinary 6th grade team project looking at the demographics of Catlin Gabel School compared to the Portland Metro area. Project requirements include a hypothesis, data collection and organization, visual display of graphs, and a one-page numerical analysis and conclusion to accompany the visual display
•Written unit exam and quizzes to assess skill development

•Calculate mean, median, mode, and range for a set of data in numerical list and graph forms
•Identify population & sample size
•Calculate the percent of a total and create a pie chart representation
•Extract information from a bar, line, or pie graph, and use it to make decisions
•Create misleading bar, line, and picto- graphs
•Distinguish between unbiased and biased surveys
Perform probability experiments, collect and analyze results to determine experimental probability.
•Calculate theoretical probability for a given situation.
•Create systematic lists as a method for counting possibilities

•Definition of: mean, median, mode, range, and outlier; explain how to find each.
•How an outlier may impact the mean.
•When a median or mode might be more accurate or informative than the mean
•The difference between a random and biased sample.
•How a graph can be misleading, and how it could be made honest.
•The impact of sample size on statistics. Design considerations when developing a survey or gathering data
•Define experimental and theoretical probability.

•How is information conveyed through statistics?
•How does the format of the statistic affect the message communicated?
•How can you critically evaluate statistical information?
•How can statistics be used to mislead people
•How do we use probability to help us make decisions in our daily life.
•How can we determine if a game is fair?

Expressions and Equations

Written quizzes and chapter test

•SIMPLIFY: simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms
•EVALUATE: find the value of algebraic expressions using appropriate order of operations and properties of real numbers
•TRANSLATE: write algebraic expressions, equations that describe given data or observed relationships or patterns using variables to stand for multiple cases

•ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS: Translating from words to symbols, describing patterns symbolically, evaluating expressions, naming the parts of an algebraic expression (coefficient, constant, term, variable, factor, exponent)
•OPERATIONS WITH ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS: combining like terms, the distributive property
•ALGEBRAIC PROBLEM-SOLVING: equations that accurately represent the parameters of a given situation

•Can the patterns or relationships we observe be described using mathematical symbolism?
•How can the operations and relations among numbers be characterized symbolically?
•How are variables used to describe a generalized pattern that fits multiple cases?

•Written Test
•Geometry Story: Write a short story that uses geometric shapes and properties symbolically (e.g. •A love letter from a square to a circle)
•Straw Polyhedra Project-create a series of Platonic •Solids out of Straws and find the surface area of the total project
•Design packaging for a new product - find surface area from the 2D shapes that make the sides of the package.

•Find missing angle measurements using complementary/supplementary properties, and 180 in a triangle and a line
•Calculate the degrees in a polygon and find each angle measurement for regular shapes
•Measure and draw angles accurately with a protractor
•Explain the differences between different types of triangles and quadrilaterals; know the properties of each
•Use the correct formulas for finding area of 2D shapes: quadrilaterals, triangles, circles
•Build platonic solids and combine various shapes
•Coordinate Plane and how to plot points

•Definitions for line, segment, ray, angle
(acute, obtuse, right), complementary/supplementary angles, intersecting/parallel lines, regular/irregular polygons, circle, triangles (scalene, isoceles, right), quadrilaterals (parallelograms, rectangles, squares, rhombus, trapezoid), and the relationship between the terms.
•Platonic solids and their relationship to each other
•Euler's Law relating edges and vertices
•Similarity vs. Congruence
•Symbols for geometric terms
•Types & properties of triangles and quadrilaterals
•Formulas for finding area of quadrilaterals, triangles, and circles and how were they derived

•How has geometry inspired artists?
•How is geometry used in product design and graphic arts?
•How are geometric shapes defined and classified by their properties?
•What is a polygon and how many different types are there?
•What are the Platonic Solids and where did they come from?

Ratios & Proportions

Chapter quizzes and tests: Use ratio and percents, convert between fraction/decimal/percent

•Convert between fractions, decimals, and percents
•Make tables of equivalent ratios relating quantities with whole number measurements
•Find missing values in the tables
Plot the pairs of values on the coordinate plane
•Use tables to compare ratios
•Solve unit rate problems including those involving unit pricing and constant speed
•Find a percent of a quantitiy as a rate per 100
•Solve problems involving find the whole, given a part and the percent
•Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units
•Manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities

•Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities with a ratio
•Understand the concept of unit rate a/b
•Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real world problems

•How do fractions relate to percents and ratios.
•How do ratios relate to probability?
•How can ratios be used to describe relationships between correlated data?
•How can ratios and rates be used to calculate proportional change?

The Number System

Basic Skills

•Quizzes
•Tests
•Games

•Knows the algorithms for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions.
•Performs arithmetic operations on fractions and mixed numbers
•Able to reduce fractions, convert to/from mixed numbers to improper fractions, and compare fractions
•Locate the position of fractions on a numbers line
•Reduce before multiplying

•The algorithms for adding. subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals
•Locate their position on a number line Understand decimal place value and naming of decimals
•Understand where our place value system came from and how it evolved
•Order of Operations - PEMDAS

Standardized algorithms were developed in order to perform calculations on whole numbers, fractions and decimals, with efficiency and accuracy

•What are the basic operations for positive rational numbers?
•How are they used in real life?
•Why is Order of Operations necessary?
•Where did our place value system come from and how did it evolve?

Prime Time

•Favorite Number Forever (FNF) Project - choose one number and determine its mathematical properties. Also, research historical events, athletes, elements that share the number
•Written Test
•Locker Problem
•Mystery Numbers
•Product Mazes
•Puzzles, games and story problems

•Calculate Greatest Common Factor (GCF)
•Calculate Least Common Multiple (LCM)
•Use Venn Diagrams to determine GCF and LCM
•Use the rectangle method and rainbow method to factor numbers
•Use trees and upside-down cakes to find prime factorization
•Solve story problems requiring GCF and LCM
•Recognize what type of situation demands the calculation of one of these
•Use exponents in prime factorization

•The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
•Prime numbers vs. Composite Numbers •Square numbers Perfect numbers
•Abundant numbers vs. Deficient Numbers
•How Venn diagrams communicate information
•Proper Factors vs. Factors
•Prime Factorization
•Positive Exponents
•Even vs. Odd Numbers
•Definition of product, multiple, factor, divisor

•In what way are prime numbers the foundation of all arithmetic?
•What are prime numbers and how are they different from composite numbers?
•How can prime numbers be used to help with calculating Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factors?

•Formative: informal classroom observations, quizzes and tests
•Summative: role plays, oral reports and group projects
•Self-reflection and assessment

•Reviews
•Classroom expressions (extensions)
•100 Radicals:their ancient forms, and variants in different characters
•Body Arts and Identity: 12 zodiac animals, translation and interpretations of common American vernacular expressions, common Chinese vernacular expressions, cultural sameness and differences in viewing tattoos
•Dumplings around the world: definition of dumplings, dumplings in Chinese and other cultures,the perspectives of eating dumplings in different cultures; ingredients and cooking procedures
•Body and Health(extension): health care systems in Taiwan and USA, healthcare professionals,parts of the body, Chinese “face reading” to determine one’s well-being and fortune, common Chinese herbs and their health benefits, common Chinese wellness practice, Chinese students’ morning exercise routine and eye exercise routine
•Fads, Friends and Fashions: methods Chinese, Taiwanese, and American teenagers use to stay connected; popular social media websites in China and Taiwan, digital citizenship, predictions
•Chinese holiday celebrations
•Utilizes the learned vocabulary words throughout the course
•Makes connections between the radicals and complex characters
•Interprets authentic news program and news text
•Utilizes vernacular expressions in context
•Designs a mock tattoo, or other artistic creations important to one’s identity; provides rationale for the designs
•Introduces one’s favorite dumpling including its origin, cultural significance, ingredients,taste, and cooking procedures
•Raws an ideal face according to Chinese “face reading” principles; shares one’s wellness practice, and compares it with the common Chinese practice; creates a one-minute wellness routine for busy device users
•Identifies the popular social media websites and their similar US versions; shares ideas and practices about digital citizenship with Taiwanese peers describes hopes and dreams for future;
•Compares and contrasts Chinese traditional holidays with one’s own, and describes the perspectives of cultural products and practices

The world is well connected due to the advances in technology; technology, however, will never replace the value of human interaction gained from traveling abroad or hosting people from the target culture.

•How does one’s cultural knowledge influence his/her language learning?
•How does one with limited proficiency communicate with native speakers?
•How does one solve real-world problems with his/her language learning experiences?
•How does one connect what he/she learns in the classroom setting with the real world?
•How does language/culture learning prepare me in becoming a 21st century world citizen?

•Formative: informal classroom observations, quizzes and tests
•Summative: role plays, oral reports, blog posts and group projects
•Self-reflection and assessment

•Reviews: basic classroom expressions, class subjects, classroom objects, weather and seasons,daily routine, and Chinese numeral applications
•Circumlocution strategies: extensions of classroom expressions
•Fundamental Chinese characters (II): extensions of Fundamental Chinese characters (I)
•My “Big” Family:extended family kinship terms, complexity and rationale behind Chinese family kinship terms, one-child policy in contemporary China and its impact on family structure
•Tea-Drinking Culture: Chinese people’s 7 necessities of life, tools used and steps involved in tea making, colors, herbs and fruits, flavors of tea, varieties of tea in Chinese and other cultures, perspectives of tea-drinking practices in different cultures, ways Chinese people use to entertain guests, proper manner of drinking tea
•Chinese way of eating: fruits and vegetables unique in Chinese culture, food symbolism,medicinal effects of foods, Chinese food counteraction chart, shop at local Asian supermarket
•Taiwanese and Cantonese Breakfast: popular breakfast items including dim sum, flavors and cooking methods, perspectives of YumCha (Cantonese for drinking tea),courtesies of dining at dim sum restaurant
• Chinese Medicine: traditional Chinese medicine practices (Chinese herbs, acupuncture,cupping, dermabrasion), symptoms and signs of illness, health care professionals, sickness/absence note-writing, tour to local Chinese clinic
•Track Meet:event names, asking for directions, clothing options, feeling and emotions
•Chinese Holiday Celebrations
•Identifies the sounds and meanings of 135 fundamental Chinese characters; writes characters from memory; makes connections between fundamental characters and other more complex characters
•Explains the impact of one-child policy on China’s social and economic structures;researches and describes the extended family tree of a person of one’s choice
•Names the 7 necessities of life in Chinese culture; introduces and justifies one’s own 7 necessities of life;
•Describes the tools, ingredients and steps involved in making a pot of one’s favorite tea;presents and accepts tea in a culturally appropriate manner; completes a brochure to promote one’s tea
•Explains the creation of Chinese food symbolism; creates one’s own food symbolism and provides reasons; describes one’s favorite food items and their health benefits; designs the menu for a food dish; makes purchases at a local Asian supermarket; teaches the class how to cook the food dish
•Names the common breakfast items and identifies their flavors and ingredients; explains the perspectives of yumcha; compares yumcha and one’s favorite breakfast; displays culturally appropriate manner while dining in a dim sum restaurant; makes a promo card for one’s favorite dim sum item
•Researches common traditional Chinese medicine practices and belief behind each practice;inquires about peers’ well-being; texts, emails or hand-writes a sickness note in simulated situations
•Describes one’s feeling towards annual Track Meet; exchanges information about clothing options and event participation; gives directions to Chinese speaking visitors

Learning the language the target culture uses is the first step to gain cross-cultural communicative competence, for only through the lenses of the language can one gain a deep understanding of the culture, its people and place.

•How does one’s cultural knowledge influence his/her language learning?
•How does one with limited proficiency communicate with native speakers?
•How does one apply his/her learning beyond the classroom setting and connect with the real world experience?
•How does one solve real-world problems with his/her language learning experiences?
•How does language/culture learning prepare me in becoming a 21st century world citizen?

•Formative: informal classroom observations, dialogues, quizzes, and tests
•Summative: role plays, oral reports, student portfolios and group projects
•Student self-assessment

•Fundamental Chinese characters (I): strokes, stroke order and character forms;
•Mandarin phonetics: initials, finals and intonations
•Daily classroom communication: greetings, farewell, courtesies and expressions related to classroom operations
•My family:kinship terms, age, nationality, birthplace, occupations, colors, parts of body, and descriptive words
•My Chinese classroom: contents of the room, locations, and measure words
•My regular school days: daily routine, class subjects, time and segments of a day, and after-school activities (hobbies)
•My backpack:contents of one’s backpack, stationery items, and measure words;
•My favorite sports/hobbies: weather, seasons, and interrogative (question) words
•Topic of student choice
•Recognizes the meanings and sounds of the characters; writes characters from memory following correct stroke order
•Sounds out words with clear pronunciation and accurate intonation
•Understands daily classroom conversations and utilizes the target expressions to communicate with members of the class
•Introduces family members in detailed information, including the relational terms,nationality, birthplace, age and occupations, and their appearance
•Describes Chinese classroom: its appearance, contents, location and nearby rooms; designs an ideal Chinese classroom
•Describes the schedule of one’s regular school day and exchange information regarding each other’s schedule; creates an ideal class schedule
•Describes one’s backpack, exchange information regarding each other’s backpack; creates an 21st century backpack
•Makes a plan related to one’s favorite sports/one’s hobbies
•Collaborates with classmates, accesses Chinese websites for research

Speaking a foreign language with near-native accuracy is not the goal of learning it; instead, the goal should be for native speakers to feel comfortable while conversing with the language learner.

•How does second language learning enrich one's life and inform a sense of global citizenship?
•Why is culture important in learning a new language?
•In what ways are Mandarin Chinese and English(or my mother tongue) similar or different?

•Informal observation and conversations with students.
•Rubrics in conjunction with classroom teachers

•Determine the information problem to be solved
•Reformulate a complete statement of the task
•Pick out key words embedded in a question
•Ask a good question
•Understand and follow printed and/or oral directions
•Determine what sources are available
•Independently gather resources
•Determine if the source is usable
•Access appropriate information systems, including: online databases, union catalog, electronic multimedia
•Develop alternatives and to seek a variety of materials
•Determine which information is most/least important
•Recognize that information can be gathered from many sources, including investigation, observation, and human resources
•Use appropriate criteria for selecting sources
•Distinguish facts from opinion
•Accurately and completely summarize/ paraphrase the main idea from written and oral sources
•Read, listen, view, and touch carefully to acquire information.
•Organize information in clear, coherent presentations
•Present information in ways appropriate to the task
•Participate effectively in discussions and debates
•Produce personally designed products to communicate content
•Demonstrate a high degree of confidence in the quality of the product produced
•Assess the product for completeness, strengths, and weaknesses
•Develop criteria to determine the effectiveness of the process used to solve the problem
•Provide recommendations to improve results
•Determine the need for further information

•Student will know how to define the information task
•Students will know how to locate and access resources
•Students will know how to employ information seeking strategies
•Students will understand how to effectively use the information they gather
•Students will know how to synthesis the information they gather in the appropriate format
•Students will know how to evaluate the quality of their finished product as well as their own effort

•What is a good book for me?
•What are good ways to do research for various class projects (or my own interests)?
•How can I show that I know how to use a library?

•How do I become a confident and competent selector of materials that are appropriate for me?
•What are the objections people have to materials that cause them to challenge or attempt to ban and item?
•What protects our freedom to read what we choose in America?

•What is a good book for me? •What are good ways to do research for various class projects (or my own interests)? •How can I show that I know how to use a library?

FAME

•How do we conduct group research using the library resources?
•How do I find useful information in the print resources provided by the library?
•How do these resources compare to the digital resources?

Art History/Studio

•Students research periods of art or an artists. They look at the artist's life, artists training, and how the world they lived in influences them.
•Students choose to create a work in the style of their chosen artist. They must use appropriate materials, technology and design elements to realize their work.

•Does art always reflect dominant elements of culture
•How is art represented by other cultures? •Who makes art and why?
•Does life experiences, cultural origins, techniques and materials influence the creation of art?
•How does art reflect what a culture is?
•Do cultures always appreciate what artists say?

Banned Books Week

•1st Amendment protects our Freedom to choose what we want to read.
•Material is challenged every year by people wanting to restrict access that material.
•It is important to develop our own ethics, preferences about what we want to look at but not okay to determine what is okay for others.

How do I become a confident and compitent selector of materials that are appropriate for me?
What are the objections people have to materials that cause them to challenge or attempt to ban and item?
What protects our freedom to read what we choose in America?

quizzes and test

General Skills

•Informal observation and conversations with students. •Rubrics in conjunction with classroom teachers

•Determine the information problem to be solved •Reformulate a complete statement of the task •Pick out key words embedded in a question •Ask a good question •Understand and follow printed and/or oral directions •Determine what sources are available •Independently gather resources •Determine if the source is usable •Access appropriate information systems, including: online databases, union catalog, electronic multimedia •Develop alternatives and to seek a variety of materials •Determine which information is most/least important •Recognize that information can be gathered from many sources, including investigation, observation, and human resources •Use appropriate criteria for selecting sources •Distinguish facts from opinion •Accurately and completely summarize/ paraphrase the main idea from written and oral sources •Read, listen, view, and touch carefully to acquire information. •Organize information in clear, coherent presentations •Present information in ways appropriate to the task •Participate effectively in discussions and debates •Produce personally designed products to communicate content •Demonstrate a high degree of confidence in the quality of the product produced •Assess the product for completeness, strengths, and weaknesses •Develop criteria to determine the effectiveness of the process used to solve the problem •Provide recommendations to improve results •Determine the need for further information

•Student will know how to define the information task •Students will know how to locate and access resources •Students will know how to employ information seeking strategies •Students will understand how to effectively use the information they gather •Students will know how to synthesis the information they gather in the appropriate format •Students will know how to evaluate the quality of their finished product as well as their own effort

•How can the library help me become more comfortable transitioning to the middle school.
•What is a good book for me?
•What are good ways to do research for various class projects (or my own interests)?
•How can I show that I know how to use a library?

Health

Human Sexuality

Tests, quizzes, posters and participation in classroom discussion.

•Students will know what birth control methods are available and how to use them correctly.

•Students will know how to access health care centers nearby.

•Students will learn where condoms are available and how they work when used correctly.

•Students will know how to set boundaries regarding sexual readiness and delay sex if they are not ready.

•Students will learn skills for saying "no" to peers.

*Students will learn how to read verbal, non-verbal, and subtle cues as they relate to consent for fist time sexual touching and consent for intimacy in an on-going relationship.

•Students will understand the complexity of gender identification, gender roles, sexual identity and societal stereotyping.

•Students will build empathy for others, respect others, and learn to keep themselves and others safe.

•Students will understand how STI's are spread and how to prevent pregnancy as well as communicable diseases from spreading.

•Students will understand the natural desires for humans to seek love and affection and how to do so in a healthy manner.

•Students will understand human birth and the fetal development process.

•How do I keep myself safe now and as I mature into adulthood?

•How do I remain healthy?

*How do my feelings and emotions impact my relationships with others?

Mental Health

•Mental Wellness presentations
•Various reflections

Students will be able to:

Describe what a mental illness is
Give examples of how a person can work on their mental health
Identify resources that can help with a mental illness

•Mental wellness impacts a person's overall well being

•How does society treat mental illness?

How can I keep myself mentally well?

Drugs and Alcohol II

•Reflections on what has been learned

•Factors that impact how intoxicated a person will become

•Letter to self on choosing a natural high

•Short and long term effects of drugs on the body and brain

•How drug use effects the brain

•Legal consequences for using illegal drugs

•Students will know and practice refusal skills

•Drugs impact the body physically and psychologically

•Different drugs create different effects

•Tolerance is defined as a person’s diminished response to a drug that is the result of repeated use.

•Dependence refers to a physical condition in which the body has adapted to the presence of a drug.

•Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.

•There are numerous organizations that provide support and assistance

•If I am in an uncomfortable situation there are different ways to get out of it

•What are the various types of drugs?

•What are the effects (short term and long term) of drugs on the body and brain?

•What is tolerance, dependence and addition?

•What are refusal skills I can use to get out of a situation?

•Where can one go to receive assistance with drug related problems?

Sex Education

*Students will create a poster advertising the warning signs of abuse and will take quizzes and a test to show what they learned.

*Students will show understanding of content through class discussions and reflective writing.

•Students will be able to name, label and identify many different forms of abuse with examples to support their knowledge.

*Students will be able to describe how reproduction works.

*Students will learn about why creating a "consent culture" is vital to an emotionally healthy society that holds respect for all.

•Students will know when it is important to seek help and advice from adults regarding sex and personal safety of self and others.

*Students will understand what relationship components bring closeness such as open and honest communication.

*Students will learn that a wide range of feelings and experiences are all a part of normal adolescence.

•Understand how reproduction works and the reproductive organ functions

•Understand how sex is a natural and important part of being human.

•Learn to set boundaries for themselves around safe touch and safe sexual touch.

•Understand the signs and symptoms of abuse: physical, verbal, emotional, sexual and neglect

•Understand the dynamics of unhealthy and abusive relationships

*Understand the difference between harassment and flirting.

•How does my emotional wellness impact my relationships?

*How does my body work and how can I stay healthy and safe?

•What are the essentials of understanding human sexuality and reproduction?

•What is abuse? What are the 4 main types of abuse?

*What is consent and why is it important?

Living Life in the "Blue Zone"

Blue Zones research notes
Research on one of the four chronic diseases
Creation of chronic disease presentation
Sharing out of information to small group of peers
Summary of learning and how it will impact their future

Knowledge:

What blue zones are
4 basic chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, cancer
How chronic disease can occur through the choices that one makes in their lifetime

Skills:

How one can achieve a blue zone life
Creation of an infographic

"Blue Zone" living is a lifestyle choice that one can make consciously
Chronic diseases can be kept at bay w/ thoughtful life choices

How can lifestyle choices affect my quality of life?

Drugs and Alcohol I

•Reflections on what has been learned

•Letter home to parent/guardian sharing what has been learned

•The difference between stimulants and depressants; their definitions, effects and examples

•How all drugs (including prescription drugs) can be abused or misused, leading to harmful effects

•Factors that impact how intoxicated a person will become

•BAC equivalents in different types of alcohol

•Apply information to make smart, safe choices

•A drug is a chemical substance that when taken into the body alters the function of the body

•Drugs (including alcohol) impact the developing teenage brain differently than adults

•I have a choice about whether or not to engage in drugs and alcohol

•What is a drug? What is alcohol?

•Why should I learn about drugs and alcohol as a young teen?

•How do drugs/alcohol affect the developing teenage brain?

•If/when I choose to drink, how can I make healthy choices that keep me safe?

Tobacco Products

Student created presentation about topic
Sharing out of information to a select group of peers
Summary of learning and how it will apply to them in the future

Knowledge:

What dopamine is and why we crave it
The difference between cigarettes, juuling, vaping
How tobacco products can physically, mentally, and socially harm a person

Skills:

Recognizing the types of tobacco products
Strategies for how to best get out of peer pressure situations

Tobacco comes in a variety of forms
Tobacco use can harm the body in a variety of ways
How to make positive choices surrounding tobacco use

How can I make good choices about substances?

Social & Emotional Wellbeing during Puberty

•Students will take an end of unit exam that is open note.

•Through class discussion and work projects, students will be assessed for their overall understanding of the material.

•Students will create posters about discrimination, inclusion and justice for all.

•Students will watch a series of film clips on empathy and identify the emotions different characters might be feeling.

•Students will learn the definitions for Race, Religion, Sexual Identity and gender differences, and disabilities.

•Students will define situations and examples of discrimination at play in the real world.

•Students will learn about puberty and how it changes the brain and the feelings experienced in puberty including physical and emotional changes.

Students will learn how to capture film notes for open note exams.

•Students will understand that feelings and emotions are powerful components in their daily lives including their educational experience.

•Students will understand that empathy is a powerful trait that can be learned and practiced.

•Students will understand that puberty has an impact upon maturing minds, feelings and physical status.

•Students will understand that caring for themselves and others is creating a safe emotional environment for all.

*Students will understand the complexities of inclusivity, discrimination and injustice.

*Students will recognize the importance of the freedom to express faith, sexual differences, practice race and cultural identity preferences and to have access to full support for disabilities.

•How do my feelings impact my behaviors and interactions with others?

•How can I use my resiliency traits to work through challenging moments?

•How does empathy play a role in my behavior toward others and my understanding of myself and others?

•How does mental and emotional health impact us?

•How does puberty impact my social, physical and emotional world?

Bullying/Teasing

•Personal reflections on what has been learned
•Role-play bullying scenarios

•An understanding of various types of bullying/teasing situations and solutions to help prevent bullying/teasing
•Reflecting on my own experience with bullying/teasing will create empathy
•Practicing assertiveness and standing up to bullying is essential in building relationships and community
•Preventing bullying/teasing is the first step
•Reporting bullying/teasing is necessary for the safety of others

•Bullying and teasing is not okay nor part of a positive community
•Cyberbullying is just as harmful as face-to-face teasing
•Picking on someone because of the way they look, dress, speak, or their sexual preferences is not appropriate or tolerated.

•How are my actions or the actions of others affecting how a person feels about him/herself?
•How can one person make a difference when someone is being bullied?
•What does it mean to be a positive community member?
•How does kindness build relationships?
•What role do positive relationships play in building a strong community?

French

•Daily homework
•Quizzes after each unit to assess vocabulary as well as grammar
•Listening comprehension
•Oral presentation - skits, comptines, presentations
•Project following each unit to allow for natural language production

Unit 1
•Professions vocabulary
•Verbs associated with jobs
•Expressions with 'être'
•Questions

Unit 2
•Sentences with two verbs
•Class-generated vocab list of verbs

Unit 3
•30 most commonly used irregular verbs
•Conjugations

Unit 4
•The past tense (le passé composé et l'imparfait)
•Grammar
•Auxiliary verbs 'avoir' and 'être'
•Reflexive verbs
•Negations

Unit 5
•The future
•Regular verbs
•Irregular verbs
•Grammar
•Il faut...

Unit 6
•The conditional
•Regular verbs
•Irregular verbs
•Grammar
•'Si' clauses

Unit 1
•Professions
•Goals

Unit 2
Free time/hobbies

Unit 3
Irregular verbs

Unit 4
The past tense (le passé composé et l'imparfait)

Unit 5
The future

Unit 6
The conditional

•How can I get to know someone from another culture better?
•What kinds of questions should I be able to ask someone to find out more information about them?
•Why learn another language? How will learning another language enhance my life?
•How does learning another language help make connections with others?

Unit 1
•Daily formative assessment during 'l'appel'
•Daily homework check and sharing, correcting
•Family vocabulary quiz
•Family tree project presentation

Unit 2
•Comparison of French and American houses
•House tour presentation
•House vocabulary quiz

Unit 3
•City vocabulary quiz
•Story about what a character will do during their day in the city - where they will go, what they will do, and how they will get there

Unit 4
•Fashion show narration
•Skits
•Shopping video
•Clothing vocabulary quiz

Unit 5
•Restaurant skit
•Cooking show video
•Making a menu for a Portland restaurant, explaining where each ingredient is from, and the benefits of that choice

Unit 6
•Reflexive verb quiz
•Book of my daily routine using adverbs of frequency, as well as complex sentences (who, what, where, when, how, why)

Unit 1 -
•Family vocabulary
•Possessive adjectives
•Descriptive adjectives

Unit 2 -
•House vocabulary
•Chores and activities around the house vocabulary
•The verb 'venir'
•Prepositions
•Relations to locations
•Differences between American and French houses

Unit 3 -
•City vocabulary
•Verb 'aller'
•Modes of transportation
•-IR, -RE verbs
•Near future
•Giving directions

Unit 4 -
•Clothing vocabulary - whether they fit or not
•Inquiry into where clothes come from, and how they are made
•Shopping vocabulary - asking opinion, which item one prefers, how much an item costs

Unit 5 - Food
•Food vocabulary
•Restaurant vocabulary - ordering, asking questions about the menu, food, etc.
•Inquiry into where food comes from - advantages and disadvantages to eating local vs. imported food

Unit 6 -
•Describing your day using time
•Reflexive verbs

Unit 1
Family members

Unit 2
•House
•Chores

Unit 3
City

Unit 4
Clothes

Unit 5
Food

Unit 6
Daily routine

•What do I need to know about a culture in order to communicate appropriately?
•How is my community different than a typical French town?
•What is family?
•Where does my food come from?
•How is my daily life different than that of my pen pal's?
•How can I get to know someone from another culture better?
•What kinds of questions should I be able to ask someone to find out more information about them?
•Why learn another language? How will learning another language enhance my life?
•How does learning another language help make connections with others?

Unit 1
•Informal formative assessment daily throughout all units (l'appel)
•Nursery rhyme recitation
•Spelling bee
•Quiz on expressions with 'avoir'
•Skits
•"C'est Moi" poster describing student in a paragraph in French

Unit 2
•Weather quiz
•Nursery rhyme recitation
•Weather report presentation in partners

Unit 3
•Written summary of book
•Vocabulary quiz
•Reading comprehension quiz

Unit 4
Poster presentation of the things we like and like to do

Unit 5
•'Jouer à' vs. 'faire de' quiz
•Vocabulary quiz

Unit 6
Animal presentation

Final presentation: write a book about the day in the life of a character of the student's choice

Unit 1
•The alphabet, sounds, and accents for better spelling and pronunciation skills
•Formal and informal greetings: what is your name, how are you, where are you from?
•Ask and answer about age using the verb 'avoir'
•Express wants, needs, feelings using expressions with 'avoir'
•Learn to use the verb 'être' to communicate name, nationality
•Count from 0 to 60

Unit 2
•Say the weather in any city in the world
•Give a weather report
•Tell time in both 12 and 24-hour time
•Days of the week vocabulary
•Months of the year vocabulary
•Seasons vocabulary - holidays and traditions
•Birthdays of the class - who is the youngest? Who is the oldest?

Unit 3
•Vocabulary of things in the class
•Classroom commands in the imperative
•Read "Mamie Pétronille et le Ruban Jaune" and complete activities orally and in written form all in French to show understanding

Unit 4
•ER verbs
•Negation - I eat, I don't eat
•Frequency adverbs - never, sometimes, often, all the time, every day
•I like, I don't like...
•Questions - Est-ce que, Qu'est-ce que, Où, Quand, Pourquoi, Qui, Comment...?
•Questions with inversion

Unit 5
•The verb 'faire'
•Sports, hobbies, and activities vocabulary
•'Jouer à', and 'Faire de'

Unit 6
•Animal vocabulary, including anatomy
•Where animals live
•Which animals I like/dislike and why Because
•Negation

Unit 1
•Presentations
•Alphabet and accents
•Expressions with 'avoir'
•Numbers 0 to 60
•Nationality
Unit 2
•Weather
•Time
•Date
Unit 3
•Imperative
•Colors
•Reading comprehension
Unit 4
•What you do
•Likes
•Dislikes
•Negation
•Questions
Unit 5
•Activities
•Hobbies
Unit 6
•Animals
•Habitats
•Anatomy

•Why is it important to learn another language and culture?
•How do I introduce myself to others?
•How do French and American people greet each other differently?
•How can I get to know someone from another culture better?
•What kinds of questions should I be able to ask someone to find out more information about them?
•Why learn another language? How will learning another language enhance my life?
•How can I use my existing communication skills to learn a new language?
•How does learning another language help make connections with others?
•In what ways do languages convey meaning?
•How does language change in different situations?
•How does the structure of language affect the message conveyed?
•How can I learn to listen, speak, read and write in another language?
•What are the connections between my native language and my second (or third) language?
•Where do I start?

English

In English 8, students are encouraged to discover the existing links among literature, history, and humanity. Texts used in this course are provocative, and call upon readers to consider individual and group identity, as well as social exclusion. As students investigate the human condition, they train their mind’s eyes to both notice and communicate the simple aesthetic experiences that create joy and hope, passion, frustration, fear, and intrigue.

English 8 students read, interpret, and write nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. While doing so, they develop a lens for analyzing their own and published writers. As the year progresses, students move from literal comprehension to a deeper understanding and appreciation of literary technique. Reading and writing are inextricably tied, so writing assignments are often in response to, or in emulation of published writers who represent a variety of stylistic devices and voices. Drafting, editing, and revision are central to the curriculum of English 8, and a clearly structured self, peer, and teacher review process (via writing workshop) encourages students to enrich their writing, as well as discover their own writing voice.

Discussion is also central to English 8, as it requires students to reason, to marshal evidence for their arguments, and to defend their ideas orally. It is through discussion that students recognize important issues, develop intellectual interests, and engage in problem solving. Periodically, students have “Philosophy Fridays”, during which they consider controversial topics and learn to debate respectfully. Student ownership of discussion grows progressively from participating in small group discussions to conducting whole class inquiries.

In addition to reading, writing, and discussion, students in English 8 conduct research during a multi-genre project entitled “Curiosity Quest”. Curiosity Quest encourages students to construct knowledge focused on a personal interest. After learning about the taxonomy and validity of questions, students design their own essential question and methodology for research. They then collect, store, and classify data, all while considering their question from multiple perspectives. In addition to honing their critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, students learn academic citation methods and refine their presentation skills to share their findings with the larger community. This project is the culmination of 8th Grade English.

Vocabulary study occurs in two ways in 8th Grade English:
•Contextually, within class novels
•Weekly assignments in Membean, a personalized, differentiated, online vocabulary acquisition program that utilizes multiple learning pathways

•What does it mean to really know a word?
•How can I incorporate new words into my working vocabulary?

Grammar

Grammarpalooza is a student-led unit focused on teaching grammatical concepts. Topics are determined after two written assignments are assessed, and strengths/needs are evaluated. Students are assigned to a topic according to their skill proficiencies.

Dystopian Literature Unit

•Quizzes/tests
•Theme statements
•Summaries
•Work done in cooperative groups to analyze plot (determining themes)
•The creation of and analysis of 2/3 D art to show character dynamics
•Group work to create a poster explaining the relationships among technology, the media, citizens, consumption and government
•Discussion and journal focused on what makes “quality” writing

Knowledge
*the following literary elements: theme; setting; characterdevelopment; irony; plot (exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, fallingaction, resolution); point of view; authorial and cultural bias; authorial suggestions such as irony, humor, satire, figurative language, and parody

*underdeveloped writing/communication is less powerful

*being in a group means assuming leadership and sometimes compromising

*some of the relationships among technology, the media, the government, and citizens.

Skills

*analyzing a novel and identifying literary elements

*identifying the qualities of good writing/communicating

*working effectively in small groups

*identifying social justice roles

*Authors and artists have intended messages for readers
*Effective communication allows people to interact and engage most fully in the world.
*The media is one way corporate America influences citizens.
*We can communicate ideas through the use of the arts.
*Intelligence, wisdom, and “being smart” don't mean the same thing
* In order to protect democracy, bystanders must speak out against injustice.
* Awareness of social justice issues is the first step towards addressing the issues.
*Remembering past events helps lead to action against today’s inequalities.
*It is just to ally oneself with the marginalized as a shoulder-to-shoulder supporter rather than financial benefactor or leader.

*What is the role of language?
*What role does technology play in the acquisition and maintenance of power?
*What does it mean to resist societal influences?
*What is empathy?
*What is intelligence?
*What is education?

Holocaust Literature Unit

•The Book Thief pretest
•Reading The Book Thief, identifying / highlighting /annotating/discussing literary devices
•Creating tenable arguments in discussion and writing
•Cooperatively creating presentations to summarize/interpret plot and discuss writing style
•Taking comprehension quizzes
•Creating theme statements
•Watching The Book Thief film (and taking notes of differences)
•Writing an essay for a writing contest
•Creating artwork in response to literature
•Writing a creative narrative in emulation of Zusak
•Journal responses

•Effective readers use specific strategies to help them better understand texts.
•Everyone is entitled to his/her own interpretation of texts, but the text supports some interpretations more than others.
•Authors create relatable characters so readers can access (authors’) messages.
•We can sometimes gain a sense of history by reading historical fiction.
•Writers sometimes require us to infer to fully understand their texts.
•With a lack of empathy, humans can be destructive.
•Fear can challenge our moral foundation.
•History involves interpretation; our interpretations are influenced by our life experiences and values
•How to annotate and summarize
•Basic history of WWII: Auschwitz, Dachau, Third Reich, BDM, 1936 Olympics, Kristallnacht, Sophie Scholl (and other resisters)
•Definitions and purpose of the following elements of fiction: prologue, epilogue, exposition, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action, resolution, personification, metaphor, simile, irony, synesthesia, flashback, hyperbole, foreshadowing, theme, and symbolism
•How to write a theme statement
•Claim+ evidence + reasoning= tenable argument

•What are effective active reading strategies for me?
•How can the stories of history (and historical fiction) inspire us to be better people?
•In what ways can writers challenge our beliefs?
•What does it mean to resist?
•What drives fear?

Autobiography Unit/The Glass Castle

Transfer Performance Tasks
•Interpreting the plot of the book in discussion and in written form (journal, summaries and on test)
•Understanding plot terms and literary devices (test)
•Explaining the impact of writing style in discussion
•Explaining character relationships in the book in discussion and in written form (journal and on test)
•Explaining and discussing identity and social justice roles in discussion, journal, and on test
•Empathizing with characters from the book to understand societal stereotyping and neglect of Native American people (in discussion and journal)
•Visually “reading”/interpreting illustrations accompanying text (discussion and journal)
•Writing in narrative form with dialogue and blocking (assessed with rubric)
•Constructing summary paragraphs individually and with a partner (journal)
•Interpreting researched articles and explaining the learning from these in a clear and effective presentation with paragraph (Google slide presentation)
•Writing a bibliography with easybib
•Self assessment for unit
•Using a rubric to self assess work and the work of others

Other Evidence
•Identifying/annotating narrative elements and discussing these in class
•Pre-assessment on reading comprehension from independently reading the book over the summer (paragraph summary responses shared on online journal)
•Identifying / highlighting /annotating/discussing narrative elements
•Working in cooperative groups to analyze and summarize plot
•Study guide contributions

•The following literary elements: setting; character development; plot (exposition, inciting incident, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action, resolution); point of view; authorial and cultural bias; authorial suggestions such as humor and satire; theme; some literary devices (hyperbole and simile)
•Four social justice roles: perpetrator, bystander, ally, target (Christiansen)
•The difference between novel and graphic novel
•Some Native American cultural information/history (depending on research results)
•That not all information on the internet is credible
•What a summary includes and doesn’t include
•How to use a google.doc to share information with a group
•That rubrics can be used to self assess products and processes
•Reading for meaning: expressing understanding/interpretations orally, in writing, and with images
•Identifying and using literary terms appropriately during analysis
•Identifying social justice roles in literature
•Discerning what makes a graphic novel different from other genres
•Describing, discussing, and exploring aspects of personal identity through oral discussion, writing, and illustration
•Writing a personal narrative
•Experimenting with specific reading strategies
•Working productively in pairs and small groups
•Summarizing in paragraph form
•Accessing and posting to a shared study guide (google.doc)
•Using databases to conduct independent research
•Discerning reliable web sources for research (ex: .gov, .edu)
•Creating a bibliography using easybib
•Self assessing written work

•An author’s messages (and our own) are biased by our own experiences.
•Identities are created from our experiences with the world, as well as our expectations and the expectations of others.
•Cultural differences are feared, but they bring richness to the human experience.
•Empathy and social justice are related
•There are different purposes for writing
•Summarizing helps us solidify and communicate what we know
•Narratives help people tell stories and this process can help others empathize
•Journals help us find, work with, and expand our ideas
•Using specific reading strategies support a stronger understanding of what we read.
•Illustrations can influence our interpretations
•How we research impacts what we learn
•Self assessment of our work is essential if we are tracking our own development of skills

•What is truth?
•Why do people fear those who are different?
•What is social justice?
•How are identities formed?
•Why do we write?
•What is “good” narrative writing?
•How do I read? What strategies do I employ?

Native American Literature Unit

•Interpreting the plot of the book in discussion and in written form (journal, summaries and on quizzes and test)
•Understanding plot terms and literary devices (quizzes and test)
•Explaining the impact of writing style in discussion
•Explaining character relationships in the book, in discussion and in written form (journal and on quizzes and test)
•Explaining and discussing identity and social justice roles in discussion, journal, on quizzes and on test
•Empathizing with characters from the book to understand societal stereotyping and neglect of Native American people (in discussion and journal)
•Visually “reading”/interpreting illustrations accompanying text (discussion and journal)
•Writing in narrative form with dialogue and blocking (self, peer, and teacher assessed with rubric)
•Constructing summary paragraphs individually and with a partner
•Interpreting researched articles and explaining the learning from these in a clear and effective presentation with a paragraph summary (Google slide presentation)
•Writing a bibliography with easybib
•Self and teacher assessment of presentation (with rubric)

•The following literary terms: setting; character development; plot (exposition, inciting incident, rising action, conflict, climax, falling action, resolution); point of view; authorial and cultural bias; authorial suggestions such as humor and satire; theme; some literary devices (hyperbole and simile)
•The four social justice roles: perpetrator, bystander, ally, target (from the work of Linda Christiansen)
•The difference between novel and graphic novel
•Some Native American cultural information/history (depending on research results)
•That not all information on the internet is credible
•What a summary includes and doesn’t include
•How to use a google.doc to share information with a group
•That rubrics can be used to self assess products and processes
•How to read for meaning
•Expressing understanding/interpretations orally, in writing, and with images
•Identify and use literary terms appropriately during analysis
•Identify social justice roles in literature
•Discern what makes a graphic novel different from other genres
•Describe, discuss, and explore aspects of personal identity through oral discussion, writing, and illustration
•Write a personal narrative
•Experiment with specific reading strategies (to find one that works)
•Work productively in pairs and small groups
•Summarize in paragraph form
•Access and post to a shared study guide (google.doc)
•Use databases to conduct independent research
•Discern better web sources for research (ex: .gov, .edu)
•Create a bibliography using easybib
•Self assess written work
•Read for meaning: expressing understanding/interpretations orally, in writing, and with images
•Identify and use literary terms •Appropriately during analysis
•Identify social justice roles in literature
•Discern what makes a graphic novel •Different from other genres
•Describe, discuss, and explore aspects of personal identity through oral discussion, writing, and illustration
write a personal narrative
•Experiment with specific reading •Strategies (to find one that works)
•Work productively in pairs and small groups
•Summarize in paragraph form
•Access and post to a shared study guide (google.doc)
•Use databases to conduct independent research
•Discern better web sources for research (ex: .gov, .edu)
•Create a bibliography using easybib
•Self assess written work

•An author’s messages (and our own) are biased by our own experiences.
•Identities are created from our experiences with the world, as well as our expectations and the expectations of others.
•Cultural differences are feared, but they bring richness to the human experience.
•Social justice begins with empathizing with another’s experience.
•There are different purposes for writing.
•Summarizing helps us solidify and communicate what we know.
•Narratives help people tell stories and this process can help others empathize.
•Journals help us find, work with, and expand our ideas.
•All stories contain specific features.
•There are different ways of reading.
•Using specific reading strategies support a stronger understanding of what we read.
•Illustrations influence our interpretations.
•How we research impacts what we learn.
•Self assessment of our work is essential if we are tracking our own development of skills.

•What is social justice?
•In what ways can reading and writing inspire action for social justice?
•What does the social and racial hierarchy of power in our society look like and where do we fit into this construct?
•How are identities constructed?
•How do internal and external expectations shape our lives?
•What happens when a person’s identity is in conflict?
•What is a friend?
•How exactly do I read?
•In what ways can I use writing to learn/process ideas?
•What is my responsibility in understanding history?
•How do I assess my own processes and products?

7th grade English is designed to teach and foster the analytical skills necessary for literary analysis. Class readings include novels, poetry, non-fiction, and short stories. All reading selections are chosen with an eye on issues of justice as they relate to our contemporary world. In addition, the Genre Wheel Independent Reading Project provides a vehicle for students to explore a variety of genres, while practicing time management, and experimenting with ways to demonstrate understanding that move well beyond the traditional book report. Students continue to learn and practice multiple reading strategies and to expand their vocabularies within the context of their reading and writing. They continue to learn and identify literary and poetic devices and expand upon their knowledge of grammar and spelling. Seventh grade English uses the writing workshop approach to generate expository, narrative, persuasive, and imaginative writing, and to take students through the writing process, from prewriting to publishing. Throughout the year, students systematically make their way through a review of 21 basic writing rules (conventions) to help them solidify the mechanics of their writing. Independent reading project presentations and poetry recitations provide students with opportunities to practice their public speaking, both formally and informally.

Vocabulary

Essential Questions:

•What does it mean to really know a word?
•How can a word be incorporated into pre-existing mental schemata?

Vocabulary study occurs in two ways in English 7:

1) Contextually, within class novel study

2) Weekly assignments in Membean, a personalized, differentiated, online vocabulary acquisition program that utilizes multiple learning pathways

Conventions

Conventions reviewed in 7th grade:

1. Capitals to start sentences & with proper nouns & important words.
2. Endmarks (.?!)
3.Components of a complete sentence (subject and verb)
4. Commas to join dependent clauses to independent clauses (prepositional and appositive phrases; interrupters)
5. Commas with lists of 3+
6. Commas before coordinating conjunctions when joining independent clauses
7. Colon
8. Semicolon to join two independent clauses
9. Semicolon & comma w/ conjunctive adverb
10. Semicolon to avoid confusion
11. ‘s to show singular possession
12. s’ to show plural possession
13. Apostrophe to show contraction
14. Dialogue – quotation marks around person’s exact words.
15. Dialogue - end marks inside end quote
16. Dialogue - comma following speaker tag before dialogue
17. Dialogue - comma inside end quote b4 speaker tag
18. Dialogue – comma b4 & after dialogue tag that interrupts
19. Dialogue – new paragraph each time speaker changes

Ally Research Project & Creative Non-Fiction

Performance Tasks:

•research & note taking
•writing process: think, plan, draft, revise, self/peer edit; publish
•ne page "Mini-Autobiography"
•multi-page "Mini-Memoir"

Additional Evidence:

•getting "in character" at Ally Tea Party

Students will know...

•the four justice roles are
•how to use dialogue, blocking
•how to develop character and setting
•how to "explode moments" in a story
•how to develop interior monologue
•how to write a narrative opening

Students will understand that...

•good, effective writing opens the door for human reflection and connection
•authors use certain writing tools to effectively engage, inform, and influence readers
•they are capable of inhabiting any and all of the “justice roles” and that they can, and must, sometimes choose to be an ally

•What does a piece of writing need to have and/or do in order to inform, entertain, and create connection with audience?
•How might your writing be both a mirror (a reflection of the reader and human commonalities) and a window (offering insight into understanding others)?
•Why is it important to be an ally?

Independent Reading

•Final Projects chosen from list of "35 Alternatives to a Book Report" and assessed on accuracy and completeness in explaining main characters, setting, plot, and central conflict

•Students will understand that books are identified by genre and will have a sense of the characteristics of each genre.
•Students will practice time management and planning out a long-term project.
•Students will try out several modes of communication via their project choices.

Enduring Understanding

Students will understand that...

•the central components of many stories boil down to main characters, setting, plot, and central conflict, and that these four constants provide a framework for understanding and comparing texts.
•there is value in reading books that are not their “usual” genre choice so that they can more fully enjoy what reading has to offer in their life.

•What do stories from varying genres have in common and how can I use these commonalities to compare and understand texts?
•What reading tools (strategies) help me to identify main ideas of a text, both explicit and implicit?
•How can I effectively demonstrate understanding in avariety of ways?
•How can I select books that are interesting and appropriately challenging for me?

Class Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird (Literary Analysis and Literary Essay)

Parallel Social Justice Unit

The Students will understand that…

•the United States has a long history of cultural and institutional racism
•racism still persists in Oregon and the United States
•allies are needed if racism (and classism, and sexism) are to be ended

The students will know…
•examples of racism spanning from slavery to present day including, but not limited to: civil war, emancipation proclamation, Plessy vs. Ferguson, Brown vs. Board of Education, “separate but equal”, Jim Crow Laws, Emmet Till, Birmingham, March on Washington, The Children’s March, gentrification, red-lining, Portland, Or stats

Assessment/Performance Tasks:

•daily reader roles
•reading quizzes
•literary essay
•Final exam

other evidence:

•participation in class discussions and activities

Students will know…

•how to use reader roles to guide annotating and discussion
•the historical context of classism, racism, and sexism of the post-civil war southern U.S.
•current examples of classism, sexism, and racism that persist today in the U.S.
•how to identify literary devices (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, etc), including symbolism, in a text
•that people inhabit all four “justice roles” in life (perpetrator, target, ally, and bystander) and that we make choices about which of these roles we inhabit in any given moment

Students will be able to…
READING
•read and understand the text (literal, inferential, analysis)
•annotate reader roles in the book
•determine central ideas/themes of a text and analyze their development
•track symbolism in the book
•cite textual evidence to support conclusions
•summarize key ideas and supporting details
•analyze how elements of a story interact (i.e. how setting shapes characters)
•analyze how and why individuals, events, ideas develop and interact in a text
•interpret words and phrases as used in a text (context clues)
•identify and analyze the use of figurative language in a text
•analyze how sections (sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc) of a text relate to each other and the whole
•examine point of view and how it shapes content and style
•connect themes and issues to contemporary, real world situations in a variety of ways.

LITERARY ESSAY
•engage reader with an introductory hook
•develop a thesis
•develop topic with relevant facts, quotes, and/or examples from the text and the world using PEE formula(Point, Evidence, Explanation)
•use appropriate transitions
•provide a concluding statement
•develop and maintain a writer’s voice

Enduring Understanding (The student will understand that…)

READING
•using active reading strategies, such as reader roles & annotating, supports comprehension of a text
•the setting of a text offers opportunities to compare life “then/there" and life "now/here"
•narrator point of view shapes content and style
•historic injustices have lasting effects and are relevant still, today
•without allies, injustice does not end
•literature reflects elements of the “human condition” and understanding these connections enhances understanding of a text
•reader roles (summarizer,vocabulary hound, connector, predictor, questioner, style scout, character expert, superman/wonder woman, theme team, gender defend, what- so what?) offer discrete tools that when used, support understanding and analysis of a text

WRITING
•there is a set structure for effective expository writing (basic 5* paragraph literary essay)
•following the steps of the writing process (think, plan, write, edit, revise, proof, publish) enhances the quality and effectiveness of an essay

•How is historical fiction a reflection of me, and the world in which I live?
•What is the “language” of literary comprehension and analysis? (AKA How can I fill my “toolbox” so that I can participate fully in conversations about what I read?)
•How might an author's work influence and inspire my own thinking and writing?
•How do we discern and interpret the roles of perpetrator, target, ally and bystander in literature? How do these roles relate to our own life experience?
•What writing tools do author’s use to tell their stories?
•Who is telling the story?Who has been silenced?
•What are stereotypes and how do they affect how we see ourselves and how others see us?

Class Novel: Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs (Poetry)

Performance Tasks:

•write drafts of poems in the following styles: iambic pentameter, couplets, trochaic tetrameter, haiku, limerick, pantoum, sestina, villanelle
•write poems that share stylistic components with selected poetry by Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Wordsworth, and Edgar Allan Poe
•pair/share and small group sharing of poem drafts
•select three original poems to take through the writing process and share on the blog
•pretest and posttest of poetic devices, poetry terms, and selected poets
•lead a class through the labeling of poetic devices in an assigned selection of pages in Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs
•perform an original poem orally for an audience

Other Evidence:

•behavior that establishes and demonstrates safe environment for small and large group sharing
•concentrated, effective listening and labeling during “student expert” lessons

Students will know...

•the definition of the following poetic terms: lyrical poetry, free verse poetry, narrative poetry, poetic license, tone, stanza, simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, hyperbole, imagery, rhyme, slant rhyme, repetition, poetic meter, poetic foot, catalectic
•how to identify the afore mentioned poetic terms “in action” in a variety of poems
•a little bit about the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Wordsworth, and Edgar Allan Poe
•how to use voice and body language to support an oral performance

Students will be able to...
•write poems in a variety of poetic forms (couplet, iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter, sestina, villanelle, haiku, limerick, pantoum)
•effectively use a thesaurus
•write poems that include a variety of poetic devices in them
•perform an original poem orally for an audience
•correctly identify poetic devices in poetry
•write poems that incorporate some of the unique qualities of selected poetry by Emily Dickinson, William Wadsworth, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe

Students will understand that:

•poetic devices have a variety of purposes and using the best, most appropriate tool in any given moment will lead to better writing
•there are specific reading strategies that support understanding a poem
•having a trusted writing community supports the growth of the writer/poet and the quality of their work
•there are specific "tools" that support effective public speaking (poetry performance)·
•there are often connections between a poet’s life experience and their poetry. A poet can use their own life experience as material for writing poems

• How can constraints on form encourage creativity and originality?
• What are poetic devices and how are they used to engage readers?
• How can prominent poets and poetry movements inspire and influence us as writers?
• How can we use voice and body language to interpret a poem orally for an audience?
• How and why do some poets ignore or modify conventional English rules for effect?
•What distinguishes poetry from pm prose?

Class Novel: The Schwa Was Here

Assessment/Performance Tasks

•daily reader roles
•reading quizzes
•creative writing assignment
•literary essay assignment

Other evidence
•participation in class discussions
•supportive, respectful participation in read-arounds

Students will know…
•how to use reader roles as a guide for annotating text
•how to use reader roles to guide class discussion
•the basic organizational structure for the literary essay (basic 5* paragraph essay)
•that using the writing process enhances quality and effectiveness of writing
•that giving and receiving peer feedback supports a writer in producing their best work
•that all people inhabit the roles of perpetrator, ally, bystander, and ally at different times in our lives, and that we have the ability to choose our role in any given situation
•that literary devices are important tools for writers

Students will be able to…
•read for meaning:expressing understanding/interpretations orally and in writing
•identify and use literary terms appropriately during analysis
•identify social justice roles in literature (perpetrator, target, ally, bystander)
cite textual evidence tosupport conclusions
•determine central ideas/themes of a text and analyze their development
•summarize key ideas and supporting details
•analyze how and why individuals, events, ideas develop and interact in a text
•interpret words and phrases as used in a text (context clues)
identify and analyze the use of figurative language in a text
•analyze how sections(sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc) of a text relate to each other and the whole
•participate in daily discussions about the book
•identify many of the stylistic tools used by author, Neal Shusterman

CREATIVE WRITING
•understand and emulate Shusterman’s writing style by writing an original creative piece that incorporates many of the stylistic tools Shusterman employs

LITERARY ESSAY
•effectively use a graphic organizer to plan an essay
•engage reader with an introductory hook
•develop a thesis
•develop topic with relevant facts, quotes, and examples from the text and the world
•use the PEE format for body paragraphs: Point, Evidence, Explanation
•provide a concluding statement
•develop and maintain a writer’s voice
•effectively edit and revise their own work and the work of others

The student will understand that…
•using active reading strategies, such as reader roles & margin notes, enhances comprehension and understanding of a text
•authors use a variety of figurative language for effect
•narrator point of view shapes content and style
•reader roles (title tie-in,vocabulary hound, summarizer, connector, predictor, questioner, style scout, character expert, superman/wonder woman) provide a framework for understanding, analyzing, and discussing a text

•How is literature a reflection of me, and the world in which I live?

•What is the “language” of literary comprehension and analysis? (AKA How can I fill my “toolbox” so that I can participate fully in conversations about what I read?)

•How can reading influence and inspire my own thinking and writing?

To Say the Name Is To Begin (Narrative Writing)

Performance Tasks:

•generate six four minute free-writes
•pair/share and small group sharing of free writes
•generate four drafts of a “Name Assignment,” improving & refining w/ each draft. (either narrative or poem, meeting basic length and content requirement)
•contribute to a literary discussion (using RICE entry points)
•offer praise feedback to peers

Other Evidence:
•behavior that establishes and demonstrates safe environment for writer’s group and read-arounds
•concentrated, effective listening during read-arounds
•read/share name assignment with full group
•discussion of tools and techniques in sample docs
•record and post audio file on Blog

Students will know. . .
•four basic tools that can provide entry into a “literary conversation” (RICE)
•that there are a variety of potential entry points/topics when writing narrative work
•the difference between poem and prose
•something about their name and their feelings about their name
•that writing tools can be adopted from other writers and used/emulated in our own work
•two strategies for giving and receiving editing feedback (conventions; praise)

Students will be able to...
•enter into a literary conversation using 4 RICE tools (RICE): I could Relate to… I thought it was Interesting when… I was Confused by… I felt happy/sad/mad (Emotion) when…
•identify topics and tools (TnT) that writers use to examine their name (through highlighting and margin noting; discussion)
•use a variety of topics and tools in their own narrative essay or poem about their name

work productively with peer editors

Offer Praise feedback as a peer editor

Read/share their name piece with the class in Read-Arounds and on blog

Students will understand that:

•there are multiple “entry points” into writing about and that they need not get stuck in the “there’s only one way to do it” trap.
•(TnT - Topics & Tools) Writing tools have a variety of purposes and using the best, most appropriate tool in any given moment will lead to better writing.
•their story shares commonalities and differences with the stories of others
•there are reading strategies that support understanding a text
•having a trusted writing community supports the growth of the writer and the quality of the work
•revision leads to improved writing
•soliciting peer feedback often leads to improved writing
•there are tools that support effective public speaking
•being a listener is an active (not passive) task

•IfI don’t tell my story, then who will?
•Why do people share stories? (Why should I share my story?)

In 6th grade English, students read at least six major texts in various genres of literature, including short story, poetry, essay (descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive), and novel. Most of the major texts are read in the literature circle format, meaning that students choose their own reading materials, set their own reading calendars, engage in small group discussion about their books, and present a group oral book project after finishing the book. All reading selections are chosen with an eye on issues of gender, ethnicity, and cultural diversity as they exist in our contemporary world. While reading, students strengthen literal comprehension of texts as well as an ability to draw inferences from implied meanings. They also analyze how a text is structured and how an author employs story elements. Students do a fair bit journaling on their reading in a Moodle Wiki format on the Inside.Catlin site. As writers, students produce poems, stories, and essays for class, taking all major pieces through the writing workshop process: prewriting, drafting, peer responding, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Students use the laptop writing-lab in class to work on keyboarding and other technology skills, saving their work to the Inside.Catlin Moodle and Google Docs domains. They also have many grammar, spelling, and vocabulary lessons over the course of the year in order to enrich their own writing and make it more sophisticated and polished. At the end of the year, each student produces a personal Heroic Journey Anthology of her 6th grade academic year. Last, an overarching theme of the 6th grade is harvesting, and to this end students are given many opportunities to go outside and work in the organic garden, greenhouse, and apple orchard. The sixth grade team is in charge of two major Catlin Gabel concerns: the apple orchard and the Spring Festival plant sale fundraiser. Sixth grade teachers work together to teach a variety of interdisciplinary lessons on such topics as seed collection, photosynthesis, pollination, the foundations of human civilization, wheat harvesting in Mesopotamia, pizza baking in the garden cob oven, and sweetness in apples. Students grow food for the lunch salad bar in the Barn, and they learn how to compost back into the garden to complete the circle. Throughout these interdisciplinary lessons, students are reading and writing across the curriculum—writing for history lessons and reading for science lessons while in Language Arts.

Totally Joe Unit

•All-girl class provides peer assessment to all-boy class on their videos and vice versa
•High school SAFE group provides assessment to both sex-specific classes on the videos
•Grading writing rubrics will continue to be employed for poems and essays

•Students write a variety of poems and blog entries: Wisdom poem, Compassion poem, Courage Poem, response to journal questions
•Students will write short expository reflective essay on the first days of sixth grade, and the changes from fall to spring
•Students will analyze advertising techniques, bias, audience, and subtext, especially around music and food, as these are marketed differently to young men and young women of different ethnicities
•Students will engage in sex-specific classes in Trust Lifts: groups of all-boys and all-girls support and place their safety into the hands of classmates, relearning what it means to become reliable and vulnerable
•Students will, in sex-specific classes, creeate gender skits filmed for private YouTube channel and viewed by other class, so that boy classes view and respond to girl class videos and vice versa. Boys work in groups to script, block, rehearse, act, and film situations of typical middle school girl problems and outcomes. Girls do likewise for boys. Boys also work in groups to script, block, rehearse, act, and film situations of typical middle school LGBTQ kids’ problems and outcomes. Girls do likewise for boys.
The two classes give one another feedback. The high school SAFE club gives feedback to both classes
•Whole class reads Totally Joe, employing Feminist Literary Theory and Queer Theory reading lenses, analyzing constructions of gender in texts and what heterosexism might exist there

•Sex and gender are not the same
•One’s sex does not inevitably lead to a predictable gender
•Homophobia and sexism share a common root in the fear of and denigration of “the feminine”
•Gender is fluid
•Heterosexual people can be allies in the quest for gay rights and gender justice
•Men are responsible for stopping themselves from hurting women and LGBTQ
•To “be a man” in modern America is often to be homophobic

•How do LGBTQ people complicate gender roles and broaden our conceptions of love and family?
•How are gender roles structured differently for men and women of different ethnicities and socio-economic classes?
•What is the relationship between homophobia and sexism?
•Why haven't we had a female president in the USA?
•How does heterosexism and homophobia dehumanize heterosexual men?
•Why do heterosexual men fear gay men?

(Dis)Abilities & Empathy Literature Circles Unit

•Literature circle reading comprehension quizzes
•Teacher, peer, and self evaluation grading rubrics for oral book project presentations
•Grading rubrics used for essays and poems

•Students will write expository persuasive essay proposals to make Catlin Gabel school more accessible to people with physical and mental disabilities
•Students will learn about Simon Baron Cohen’s Empathy Quotient Analysis from his book The Science of Evil
•Students will do a book-ending final group project focusing on degrees of empathy in their book's protagonists and antagonists
•Students will continue to use Haiku, Blogger, and Google docs as mentioned previously
•Students will learn successful strategies for collaborative group work, enhancing both their own metacognition and their reliability to others
•Students will learn successful speaking strategies for delivering an oral report to the class
•Students will improve both literal and inferential reading comprehension
•Students will learn and analyze the similarities and differences between U.S. liberals and conservatives, especially as those similarities and differences apply to empathy

•There is no perfect brain, just as there is no normal person
•All people have abilities and disabilities
•People shouldn’t be defined by their labels
•Empathy is the cornerstone of both civilization and morality
•Some people have zero degrees of empathy, which is what people mean when they say someone is “evil”

•What is a normal person?
•How is it possible to feel what another person feels?
•Should people who lack empathy be allowed to lead?
•Without empathy, would there be progress and innovation?
•Does empathy save the world from constant, ubiquitous violence?
•Should increased empathy be a major goal of education?
•Is empathy our most human of qualities?

The Wednesday Wars Unit

•K-W-L The Sixties
•Literal comprehension and inferential thinking reading quizzes
•Teacher, peer, and self evaluation grading rubrics for oral book project presentations
•Grading rubrics (teacher, peer, and self evaluation) used for essay and poem

•Students will write expository essays with the following: a clear, compelling thesis; concise accurate topic sentences that make assertions furthering the thesis; examples that illuminate the main points of the topic sentences; explanations of how the examples prove the assertions of the topic sentences; transitions between paragraphs; summative paragraphs tying up main points of the thesis and pointing the reader outside the boundaries of the essay to life outside
•Students will write moving metrical poetry with correct rhyme and meter
•Students will continue to use Haiku, Google docs, and Google calendar as mentioned previously
•Students will learn successful strategies for collaborative group work, enhancing both their own metacognition and their reliability to others
•Students will learn successful speaking strategies for delivering two short oral reports to the class using a presentation tool like Google Slideshow or Prezi
•Students will improve both literal and inferential reading comprehension
•Students will learn plot outlines of several of Shakespeare's plays
•Students will learn form and content of manifestos and declarations throughout history: Declaration of Independence, Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, A Gay Manifesto, Combahee River Collective Statement, A Green New Deal, and The Communist Manifesto
•Students will research and interview people to analyze and make connections between a variety of important events and cultural icons from the 1960s
•Students will refine interview skills

•The 1960s were a pivotal decade in the history of the world, birthing a global empathic awareness
•Without political protest, there can be no justice or equality
•Poverty is a form of violence waged by the wealthy against the vulnerable
•Sexism and homophobia are both rooted in fear and hatred of the feminine
•Middle class U.S. wages have stagnated since the 1970s, and millions who were once middle class have slipped into poverty
•Dissent is healthy

•Is political protest healthy for society?
•Should all children defy their parents?
•Is mercy important?
•Can war bring peace?

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Unit

•K-W-L Institutional Racism
•Literal comprehension and inferential thinking reading quizzes
•Teacher, peer, and self evaluation grading rubrics for oral book project presentations
•Grading rubrics (teacher, peer, and self evaluation) used for essay

•Students will know difference between personal, internalized, and institutional racism
•Students will be able to identify and analyze examples of institutional racism since the founding the USA
•Students will be able to tie contemporary institutional racism (police racial profiling, urban renewal, mass incarceration of African Americans) to slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, convict leasing, lynching, segregation, and the creation of nonwhite urban ghettos by the FHA and the policy of redlining
•Students will research and analyze Black history in Portland, paying special attention to the Albina district
•Students will write expository essays with the following: a clear, compelling thesis; concise accurate topic sentences that make assertions furthering the thesis; examples that illuminate the main points of the topic sentences; explanations of how the examples prove the assertions of the topic sentences; transitions between paragraphs; summative paragraphs tying up main points of the thesis and pointing the reader outside the boundaries of the essay to life outside
•Students will present their findings and recommendations in their expository essays to both PLACE and the Urban League in Portland

•Whites throughout history have acted as Activist Allies with nonwhites and worked together for social and economic justice
•Whites throughout history have attempted to subjugate, enslave, humiliate, and degrade Blacks
•Christianity has both encouraged white supremacy and denounced it throughout history
•Oregon was founded by white supremacist policies, and these policies can still be seen today in the enduring social and economic disparities in our state
•White supremacy and institutional racism are synonymous
•Poverty is racialized in America per capita, though most poor people in America are white
•Multiethnic alliances for social, economic, and environmental justice can and will succeed, and it will not be wealthy, heterosexual, white men who will lead the alliances

•Is personal racism inevitable?
•If there were no whites, would racism disappear from Earth?
•Did free slave labor and white supremacy create contemporary America?
•Can multiethnic alliances for justice succeed?
•Is forgiveness possible?
•How do white people who are not personally racist participate in, perpetuate, and benefit from institutional racism?

Climate Change Unit

Projects & Presentations (Tasks)

•The Lorax BOTG and ConnectionCircles groups present their Connection Circles posters
•Climate Change Mixer Role Play
•Blockadia Roll Play
•Thingamabob Role Play game
•Debate on Responsibilities of Developed Nations (pg. 171 Exploring Global Issues)
•Final Project: Write Problem Solution Essay (500 words max) to one of thefollowing audiences: COP 21 protesters, COP 21 delegates, CGS board of trustees, students’ choice, then videotape and edit Persuasive Essay speech
•Make Poster
•Speech sent and/or delivered to audience
•Skype with other NAIS students around divestment/reinvestment issues

Quizzes

•All About Climate Change Quiz
•Chapter 9 Quiz Climate Change from Exploring Global Issues
•Writing Climate Change Blog Entries
•Final Project
•Write Problem Solution Essay

Informal Observations & Discussions

•K-W-L Climate Change
•The Lorax BOTG and Connection Circles groups present their Connection Circles posters
•Climate Change Discussions in class
•The Work That Reconnects Guided Meditations

Student Self-Assessment

•What Do You Know About ClimateChange? Student Pre-Assessment
•K-W-L Climate Change
•Eleven Climate Change Blog Entries

Students will know . . .
•how to analyze data and graphs
•the science behind global warming
•carbon footprint
•carbon source
•carbon sink
•correlation vs. causation
•greenhouse effect
•photosynthesis
•greenhouse gasses
•the economics behind global warming
•carbon credits
•CO2 Intensity in GDP
•the social impacts of global warming
•CO2 emissions per country
•CO2 emissions per capita
•funders and motivations for climate skeptic organizations and global warming deniers
•the historical record on global warming
•differing responsibilities of developing and developed nations for global warming
•major contributors to human-caused climate change: electricity, transportation
•major responses to human-caused climate change
•that the so-called anthropogenic climate change “debate” is really a well-funded disinformation campaign
•the history of industrialization in the global north and its disproportionate negative impact on the global south
•Kyoto protocols, IPCC reports, and the issues of Climate Summits (Copenhagen, Paris)
•the three stages of Business as Usual, the Great Unraveling, and the Great Turning (Macy)
•that broad multiethnic coalitions are busy and successful in addressing McKibben's "Three Scary Numbers"
•fossil fuel industries are the top money-makers and stock market investments, but green energy industries can replace these in the 21st century
•consumer and investor choices can affect fossil fuel industry practices

Students will be able to. . .
•analyze data and graph information
•analyze data on CO2 emissions of various countries
•use data to consider the question of how to determine responsibility for climate change
•utilize Systems Thinking to analyze economies, societies, and nature
identify and analyze major contributors to human-caused climate change
•identify and analyze major responses to human-caused climate change
•recognize and compare our own cultural stances and biases with those presented by people in Kiribati, Bangladesh, and other cultures in the global south
•empathize with people in the global south and assume their perspectives
•reflect on our own privileged lifestyles in the U.S., our prejudices, and our impact on the world’s climate
•build cultural insight by conducting research on historical events from non-western and non-northern perspectives
•progress beyond their initial raw, uncritical connections to the so-called “climate debate” while reading by making connections to other nonfiction readings, thereby creating critical interpretations
•examine which perspectives or actions are universal and which are unique to a particular cultural group
•write a speech about climate change that both takes responsibility for our impact and proposes a pragmatic plan for mitigating climate change
•videotape and edit a filmed speech with an audience of COP 21 conference delegates, protesters at COP 21 conference, or the CGS board of trustees
•send the videos and present the videos to audiences
•skype with other NAIS students
change their schools’ and NAIS’s investment practices

•Economic systems driven by the profit motive are immoral and unsustainable because they inevitably create both widespread economic inequality as well as ecological crises
•Systems thinking is an accurate way to analyze society, economies, and human impact on environments
•A new vision of the cosmos, utilizing progressive world views such as Integral Ecology or Deep Ecology, is needed to reverse economic inequality, social injustice, and ecological crises
•The flipside of anger is love; the flipside of sadness is thirst for justice
•Humanity is not hopelessly selfish and greedy
•The climate emergency offers humans their best chance to remake their world for social, economic, and environmental justice
•The so-called “debate” about climate change was a well-funded disinformation campaign
•Indifference to anthropogenic climate change could prove fatal
•A minority elite, mostly in the wealthy global north, benefit from the causes of global warming
•Gratitude and hope are revolutionary when confronting climate change, social injustice, and economic inequality

•What are the relationships between society, economy, and environment?
•What dissent is just?
•Are people nature?
•Is humanity hopelessly greedy and selfish?
•How do ecological crises offer hope?
•How are gratitude and hope revolutionary when confronting climate change?

Science Fiction Literature Circles Unit

•Literature circle reading comprehension and inferential thinking quizzes
•Literature circle reading Venn Diagram (group) and PEES Theme paragraphs (individual) projects on their dystopian novel
•Teacher, peer, and self evaluation grading rubrics for oral book project presentations and PEES Theme paragraph writing
•Grading rubrics will be issued for each major writing piece before the drafting stage, and students will read exemplary pieces in that same writing vein from previous year

•Students will analyze what natural resources humans need to survive
•Students will analyze utopian and dystopian stories as distinct types, identifying common themes and plot devices
•Students will compare and contrast the world of their dystopian novel to our world today, noting similarities and differences
•Students will write a Theme PEES paragraphs in reaction to their dystopian novel, answering the question “What is a theme in your science fiction novel?”
•Students will predict what the future of our planet will look like geographically, environmentally, politically, artistically, culturally, and economically
•Students will write essay prose with sensory detail, mature reflection, and correctly punctuated dialogue
•Students will write free verse poetry with creative line breaks, sensory detail, figurative language, and urgent concision of language
•Students will analyze plot (scene construction), point of view, character, theme, setting, and irony in “The Story of an Hour”
•Students will write a four-scene short story that mimics the point of view, plot structure, and ironies in “The Story of an Hour”
•Students will continue to use Haiku, Google docs, and Google calendar as mentioned previously
•Students will learn successful strategies for collaborative group work, enhancing both their own metacognition and their reliability to others
•Students will learn successful speaking strategies for delivering an oral report to the class

•Science fiction dystopian literature provides clear warnings of contemporary environmental, political, economic, and social crises
•Science fiction genre imagines new ways of existing in the world
•Systems thinking is an accurate way to analyze society, economies, and human impact on environments
•Heroes start out in dissent to existing power structures

•How does gratitude subvert a culture of shopping and consumerism?
•When we see the social injustices and the environmental crises in the world, why is honoring our pain important?
•What is the best strategy for adults to protect children’s basic security and safety while also being truthful with them about the state of the world?
•What spiritual problem creates economic, social, and environmental problems?
•How is anger the flipside of a thirst for justice, and sadness the flipside of love for Earth and suffering humanity?
•What kinds of dissent are just, and why?

Fantasy Genre Literature Circles Fall Unit & Heroic Journey Anthology Year-Long Unit

•Timed reading assessments
•Literature circle reading comprehension and inferential thinking quizzes
•Literature circle reading quizzes on heroic journey in book
•Teacher, peer, and self evaluation grading rubrics for oral book project presentations
•Grading rubrics will be issued for each major writing piece before the drafting stage, and students will read exemplary pieces in that same writing vein from previous year
•Spelling quizzes throughout the year assess one hundred commonly misspelled words
•Vocabulary quizzes throughout the year assess acquisition and retention of Greek and Latin roots and stems

•Students will be able to identify their protagonist's heroic journey in their group's fantasy novel
•Students will strengthen literal reading comprehension and inferential thinking as from authorial suggestions, foreshadowing, and metaphor
•Students will strengthen nonfiction reading strategies including pre-reading captions and pictures, bolded and italicized words, graphs, headings, subheadings, summaries, content questions
•Students will margin note fiction and nonfiction
•Students will learn successful strategies for collaborative group work, enhancing both their own metacognition and their reliability to others
•Students will learn successful speaking strategies for delivering an oral report to the class
•Students will use Google and Haiku to write book responses and work collaboratively with peers
•Students will use Google calendar to track homework assignments
•Students will know that heroic journey narratives usually have a dual nature: physical and emotional/spiritual
•Students will be able to use the heroic journey trope to structure a fictional narrative
•Students will be able to use the heroic journey trope to create a reflective personal narrative
•Students will use Google docs to draft, peer respond, and revise their essays and poems
•Students will write essay prose with sensory detail, phrase variety, sentence variety, and correctly punctuated dialogue
•Students will write free verse poetry with creative line breaks, sensory detail, figurative language, and urgent concision of language
•Students will desktop publish their own Heroic Journey Anthologies of 40+ pages, incorporating art, photography, essay, poetry, story, scrapbook covers, dedication, title page, table of contents, chapter heading pages, and an About the Author page
•Students will learn to recognize and react to proofreader marks, so that when they come to a final revision of their more than ten writing pieces from throughout the year, they can utilize their year's worth of lessons and successfully revised their pieces in order to desktop publish their own anthology
•Students will correctly use commas in their own writing
•Students will identify and correct run-on sentences and comma splices in their own writing
•Students will write correctly punctuated dialogue
•Students will correctly write the possessive forms of singular nouns, plural nouns, and pronouns
•Students will write with increased sophistication and polish, utilizing the following brushstrokes: syntactic variation including complex sentences with dependent clauses first; appositive and absolute phrases; participial phrases at the beginning of sentences; correctly punctuated dialogue; sensory detail; and figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole)

•We all go through many heroic journeys in our lives as we grow and learn
•Heroism can be found in collaboration and compromise as often as it can be found in individuality and single-mindedness
•Mercy is more heroic than revenge
•People born into power and privilege can be behave heroically as Activist Allies
•Canonical literature privileges heterosexual white men since they had the money and prestige in the societies that produced that literature

•How can people born into unearned power behave heroically?
•When we read history books and holy books, are we reading nonfiction?
•Are heterosexual white men more heroic than other people?
•Where is heroism more evident: in an individual’s compassion and quiet public service to her community or in her public attainment of fame and fortune?
•Why are heroic journey quest narratives told?
•How can our own lives be viewed in terms of a heroic journey quest narrative?
•What’s more heroic: revenge or mercy?

Arts

Grade 8

MUSIC: Rock n' Roll

•Students will write a self evaluation
•Teacher observation and notes
•Formal written report
•Parent Conferences

•Students shall begin the class learning about early influences on Rock: Jazz, Gospel, Country and the Blues. Students will learn how to play a 12 bar blues pattern using classroom instruments and learn how to accompany it with a rock beat on the drum kit.
•Students will listen to and analyze early Rock artists. Some video will be shown about the Beatles and their rise to fame. •Students will learn to perform and sing Twist and Shout, individuals will sing solos and backing vocals using PA equipment.
•After studying what makes a rock piece, students will bring in their own examples of rock and play them on the stereo for the class.
•Students will (via a vote) select one of the pieces and begin working on performing it.
•Students will learn the basic chord progressions of the selected piece on the keyboard as well as guitar, bass, drums and vocals.
•Students will rehearse the piece and perform it with amps turned to 11 for the performance in front of the Middle School student body.

•Understand the social and historic beginnings of Rock.
•Perform Twist and Shout (or other simple three chord Rock piece) using band equipment in class
•Chose a piece to learn and play at a school assembly

•What are the basic elements of Rock music?
•What were the historical roots of Rock 'n Roll?
•How to create a meaningful Rock experience?

Formative Assessment:
•Blog post for each Design Thinking step

Authentic assessment:
•Audience survey
•Class feedback
•Self-assessment

•Production, distribution, exhibition
•Power of camera angle & placement
•Tripod techniques
•Functions of A-roll & B-roll
•Intellectual property rights
•Identifying and surveying target audience
•Writing a treatment
•Storyboarding
•Video editing
•Creating and sharing web media content
•Reflecting on learning via blog posts
•Small and large group critiquing
•Film festivals how-to

•Film making
•Photography
•Digital Image Editing
•Video Game Design
•3D Printing
•Tabletop Game Design

•What is the Design Thinking process for?
•How can empathy for my audience help define what I design?

•Performance notes
•Self Assessment

•Collaborating and negotiating with a group to create an original "devised" theatrical piece
•Discuss and analyze themes and events and how they affect one personally as well as globally.
•Improvisation
•Writing personal narrative
•Interpreting text for performance (including personal narratives, short stories, poetry, news sources and music lyrics)
•Interpreting a theme through individual and group movement
•Integrating theatrical conventions to interpret a theme, issue and/or event
•Public speaking
•Public performance

Using dramatic exercises, students collaborate creatively to create an original "devised" performance piece that addresses themes, issues and events relevant to their lives. This piece is performed for the middle school community (and sometimes in public performances)
•Buiding Trust and Creating Ensemble
•Theatrical Conventions
•Collecting Source Materials
•Group Exploration and Improvisation
•Script Writing
•Public Performance

•How can we use drama to engage with and explore events and issues relevant in our individual lives and in the life of our community?
•How can we use drama to communicate?
•How can we use theatrical performance to engage our community with an event and/or issue?
•How does trust increase creativity?
•How do we build a supportive, creative ensemble?

•Peer critiques
•Class critiques
•Individual critiques
•Self/assessments
•Teacher narratives
•Student/teacher conferences

•Students will create two works in the style of their artists or period art. They may create work in that is either like an original or just in the style of their chosen artist
•They also create an art work for a cooperative mural that is both a design problem and another opportunity to work in the style of their chosen artist. The last assigned work is a self portrait that is is not representational but reflects elements and values of the students life. Students may do a series or create a self directed course of study.
•Students are encouraged to problem solve and experiment with media to realize their ideas.

Students research periods of art or an artists. They look at the artist's life, artists training, and how the world they lived in influences them. Students choose to create a work in the style of their chosen artist. They must use appropriate materials, technology and design elements to realize their work

•Does art always reflect dominant elements of culture
•How is art represented by other Cultures? •Who makes art and why?
•Does life experiences, cultural origins, techniques and materials influence the creation of art?
•How does art reflect what a culture is?
•Do cultures always appreciate what artists say?

Grade 7

MUSIC: Composing for the Theater

•Student Critique
•Student Evaluation
•Teacher assessment via note taking and observation
•Formal report
•Parent Conference

•Students will read through the play, work with the drama teacher and myself to decide on a musical style appropriate to the production.
•Students will mark their scripts for appropriate places to insert music
•Students will work in pairs or individually to compose appropriate pieces, effects and recorded audio for the production.
•All students will learn about an appropriate style that suits the production. Ex. Swing music and the twelve bar blues for a detective/mystery style of play.
•Students will hear examples of the style on the stereo, be given assignments that will get them comfortable with composing in this style, and compose alotted pieces
Compositions will be completed and put on the server
•All compositions will be put onto the school server and later downloaded to a laptop
During the final week before the performance of the play, music students will join the theater class to add music to the show as well as helping with technical needs such as lighting, set movement, costuming etc.

•Using GarageBand to compose
•Working with the drama class and its production
•Considering appropriate compositional style
•Preparing a musical score to accompany the play
•The performance

•How to compose effective music for theatrical performances
•How to go about understanding style and musical themes
•How do studnets learn to utilize technology to compose music

Media Arts

=Formative Assessment

•Screenings of Rough Cuts

•Reflecting via Posts to their Blog

Authentic Assessment

•Self-Assessment

•Assembly Screenings

•Filmmaking with iPad
•Photography Composition
•Photoshop editing skills
•Photo Printing
•Many Mediums of Filmmaking
•Types of Shots
•Storyboarding
•Production Planning
•Audio/Video Editing
•Intellectual Property Rights
•Considering Audience
•Stop-Motion Animation

•48 Minute Film Project
•Additive Color System
•Subtractive Color System
•RGB+CMYK project
•Aurasma app
•Campus project
•CAC Screen project

•How do I take a good photo?
•What are the additive and subtractive color systems, and how are they different?
•How do I navigate the photographic process from inspiration to exhibition?
•How do I make a movie that serves my community?

•The productions are demonstrations of understanding of the many lessons students have learned over the course of the term.
•Assessments for these productions are collaborative, cooperative, and fundamentally experiential.

•Script analysis and interpretation for general design - What are the play's themes? When is it set? What is the historical context?
•Script analysis and interpretation for individual character development.
Design of costumes, props, set, lights and publicity.
•Creating a 'living' character through vocal, physical and imaginative exploration.
•Memorization of lines and blocking
•Fight Choreography
•Creative collaboration
•Analyze dramatic through-line and its impact on both character development and overall pacing.
•Public Performance

•Students work together to produce a full production of a play including two performances open to the public.
•In addition to acting, each student works as part of a design team to design and create costumes, props, set, lights or publicity.

•How is a play translated from the page to the stage by a collaboration of imaginations?
•How do I, the actor, use and express both my imagination and my intellect to portray an interesting, “living” character?
•How do we use production design elements to help bring a play to life?
•What do I discover about myself personally from rehearsing and performing a play?
•What are the basic protocols and vocabulary terms used in the theatre?
•What makes a performance successful?

Portrait Study

•Students will look at different artists and periods of art (Examples: Rembrandt, Matisse Picasso and Close
•They will work with a variety of drawing media to realize their work

The study of artists and periods of art that illustrate effective portrait studies

•What are the parts of the drawn portrait ? •What media will best serve the student's portrait study?
•How does a self-portrait serve as a developmentally appropriate study?
•Which of the Elements of Design are the most effective to focus on? (Color,Value)

Visual Arts - Portrait Drawing

•Class Critiques
•Individual Critiques
•Peer Critiques
•Self-assessments
•Teacher narratives and Teacher/student conferences

•Students will do two black and white drawings that utilize light source, shading, gray scale, facial symmetry and techniques with graphite.
•Students will do two color drawings that utilize light source, hue, shading, facial symmetry, parallel projection, color mixing with soft pastels, cray pas, and prismacolor pencils.
•Students may use Photoshop to enhance and modify portraits

•Student do a series of drawings.
•Two preparatory studies, one Black and white and one color.
•Students will do a black and white self portrait study.
•The final project is a large color parallel projection
•done in the style of the artist Chuck Close.

•What do portraits of people reveal about different periods in history and about what a cultural values.
•What media will best serve the student's portrait study?
•How does a self-portrait serve as a developmentally appropriate study?
•Which of the Elements of Design are the most effective to focus on?
vHow does altering light source, symmetry or intense hues influence the person being drawn?

Grade 6

Music: Singing, Dancing, Xylophones, World Music & Computers

Rotation 2

•Traditional composition using pencil and paper. Students review treble/bass clef, 1/4,1/8 and 16th notes and the names of the lines and spaces when using the treble clef.
•Students write their own rhythms and take down rhythmic dictations clapped by the teacher
•Students write their own melodies on paper and perform them for the class
•Students perform some of their work into a computer and print a score of their work.

Rotation 1

•Learning four part vocal rounds and adding student choreographed movement to it. Playing accompaniments using classroom xylophones to accompany the dance.
•World Music: Japanese Music. Students learn about traditional Japanese instruments (koto, shakuhachi, shamisen). Perform classroom instrumental version of Japanese traditional song "Sakura". Study the scale and introduce term pentatonic scale. Related activies: students will work in pairs making up ostinato patterns using the pentatonic scale used in Sakura. Students improvise melodies using the same scale. Students write original Haikus and compose a piece with a partner that involves their poetry as well as improvised pentatonic accompaniment on a xylophone, metalophone or glockenspiel.
•Computers: Using GarageBand (music software), students learn the basics of the program and learn about looping. Students are given time to compose their own loop pieces using iMac computers. Additional computer work will involve students taking ideas they have produced on the xylophones using pentatonic scales and compose a trio for three kotos. Two of the parts will be osinato based and the third an improvised melody. All three parts will be played on a piano keyboard and recorded into GarageBand.
•Additional technology: Students will learn to be able to save their work to the school server and also learn how to send their pieces to iTunes and to burn a CD of their compositions.

•Singing in four parts
•Performing on classroom instruments, improvising, writing poetry
•Dance and choreographing original pieces
•Learning to use computers to compose music
•Looping and recording techniques
•Saving and sharing work using the server and burning CD's

•How to integrate traditional musical practices with computer technology.
•How to give students a broad musical experience in a short time.
•How to move from classroom instruments to classroom computers

Drama

•Build and create a supportive ensemble
•Discover confidence to take chances in the group.
•Support and cooperate with classmate.
•Experiment with roles as leader and follower.
•Learn and demonstrate attentive audience behavior.
•Make mistakes with freedom and see them as creative opportunities.
•Collaborate and negotiate with a group to write a script.
•Physical and vocal character work.
•Basic performance techniques including vocal diction and projection, stage presence and characterization.

•Improvisation skills - Students learn about improvisation through a variety of exercises and games
•Basic Script Writing - Students create a comic sketch applying the structure of The Hero’s Journey to the 6th grader’s experience entering the middle school.
•Basic Public Performance - Students perform their episode of "The Sixth Grade Hero's Journey"
•Introduction to Puppetry - Students build basic characters using 'found-object' puppets.
•Introduction to Mask Work - Working with masks, students explore building a physical character.
•Introduction to Clowning - Students create their own clown character and work together to perform classic clown "lazzis" (comedy sketches)

•How can we use drama to engage with and explore important events and issues in our lives?
•How is improvisation relevant to every day life?
•How does teamwork contribute to a successful production?
•What relevant life skills can be learned by doing a production?
•What is comedy?
•How can we bring a comic character to life?

Visual Arts

Students will be introduced to a variety of media and the Elements of Design. These will include drawing, painting, and printmaking

•Elements of Design
•Color
•Line
•Value
•Texture
•Symmetry
•Space
•Shape and Form
•Appropriate use of the Elements

•How do students use the Elements of Design to understand and describe the world?
(Color,Line,Value, Texture,Symmetry,Space Shape and Form)
•What applications will best serve the students?
•How can they demonstrate their understanding?
•What cultures, periods of art and artists will support their experience?

Lower School

An effective literacy program offers a balance of challenge and support while building children’s confidence in their emerging abilities as readers and writers. Our goal is to develop fluent, capable readers who enjoy the process and learn from it, drawing from a diverse array of literature. Our goal is to help students become writers who can express their ideas cogently, clearly, and creatively. We view reading and writing as a developmental process and understand that a child’s progress is seldom even or linear. It is common, for example, that a student’s leap ahead in learning is followed by a consolidating phase or an apparent plateau. We also find that students cannot be easily placed in a single category along the learning continuum. Rather, students often exhibit a range of skills and understandings.

While no two developmental journeys are identical, the following writing continuum describes the basic path to literacy in the Beginning and Lower Schools.

Writer's Workshop
Writer's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in writing. Writer's Workshop focuses on the teaching of writing strategies. The purpose of Writer's Workshop is to foster a love of writing. Students develop an ability to write confidently in many forms for a variety of audiences and purposes. In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of writing, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with groups of kids, and time for students to practice the skills independently.

Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Writing Mini-Lessons
The mini-lesson is where we can make a suggestion to the whole class...raise a concern, explore an issue, model a technique, reinforce a strategy. First our students are engaged in their own important work. Mini lessons are developed from here. A mini-lesson generally lasts 5-10 minutes. We try to choose a teaching point that we feel would benefit many members of the class. Examples of mini lessons might include a content focus such as using descriptive language or writing a powerful lead. When teaching a conventions mini lesson, we might work on capitalization, end marks, or quotation mark usage. Often times, we lead lessons on genre studies integrated with our reading workshop on topics such as biography, poetry, letter writing, or informational text.

Independent Writing
After the mini lesson, students work in their Writer's Notebook to collect entries that may later become published pieces of writing. The total writing time lasts for about 35-40 minutes, but during that time some students may be involved in conferences with the teacher or with their peers. Students choose entries in their notebooks to take into "draft form."

It is these carefully selected pieces of writing that will be taken through the process of editing and revising so that they can be published and shared with others. All entries in the Writer's Notebook do not become published pieces of writing.

Writing Conferences
While students are involved in independent writing, we use this time to confer with our writers. We take notes during conferences to document students' progress and to plan future mini-lessons. During this time we may: listen to students read their entries aloud, help students decide what they want to say, provide feedback, re-teach skills taught during mini lessons, teach necessary new skills, reinforce a writer's strengths, or give writers new ways of thinking.

Peer Conferences
Peer conferencing is an integral part of the writing process. Students meet with writing partners to share ideas and feedback on content. The primary question asked of both the reader and writer in these conferences is, 'Does this piece of writing make sense?' Students work with one another to practice how to give positive and constructive feedback.

Asking questions is an essential skill for both readers and writers and peer conferencing is a perfect venue in which to practice. Feedback received during peer conferencing facilitates the author's revision.

Sharing
At the end of writing workshop everyday, students are brought back together for a 5-10 minute group share and reflection. Sometimes a writer might come to sharing session to ask for help or receive feedback from his or her classmates ("I like my story, but I can't think of a good title.") Students share a piece with a partner in revision or editing a piece. The author might also want to share part of an entry of which he or she is especially proud. The 'Author's Chair' is used when students share their published piece.

Handwriting
Fifth graders review and practice italic handwriting and are expected to write legibly and neatly.

Keyboarding
Fifth graders continue to practice keyboarding (in school and at home) with the goal of 20 words per minute.

Writer's Workshop
Writer's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in writing. Writer's Workshop focuses on the teaching of writing strategies. The purpose of Writer's Workshop is to foster a love of writing. Students develop an ability to write confidently in many forms for a variety of audiences and purposes. In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of writing, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with groups of kids, and time for students to practice the skills independently.

Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Writing Mini-Lessons
The mini-lesson is where we can make a suggestion to the whole class...raise a concern, explore an issue, model a technique, reinforce a strategy. First our students are engaged in their own important work. Mini lessons are developed from here. A mini-lesson generally lasts 5-10 minutes. We try to choose a teaching point that we feel would benefit many members of the class. Examples of mini lessons might include a content focus such as using descriptive language or writing a powerful lead. When teaching a conventions mini lesson, we might work on capitalization, end marks, or quotation mark usage. Often times, we lead lessons on genre studies integrated with our reading workshop on topics such as biography, poetry, letter writing, or informational text.

Independent Writing
After the mini lesson, students work in their Writer's Notebook to collect entries that may later become published pieces of writing. The total writing time lasts for about 35-40 minutes, but during that time some students may be involved in conferences with the teacher or with their peers. Students choose entries in their notebooks to take into "draft form."

It is these carefully selected pieces of writing that will be taken through the process of editing and revising so that they can be published and shared with others. All entries in the Writer's Notebook do not become published pieces of writing.

Writing Conferences
While students are involved in independent writing, we use this time to confer with our writers. We take notes during conferences to document students' progress and to plan future mini-lessons. During this time we may: listen to students read their entries aloud, help students decide what they want to say, provide feedback, re-teach skills taught during mini lessons, teach necessary new skills, reinforce a writer's strengths, or give writers new ways of thinking.

Peer Conferences
Peer conferencing is an integral part of the writing process. Students meet with writing partners to share ideas and feedback on content. The primary question asked of both the reader and writer in these conferences is, 'Does this piece of writing make sense?' Students work with one another to practice how to give positive and constructive feedback.

Asking questions is an essential skill for both readers and writers and peer conferencing is a perfect venue in which to practice. Feedback received during peer conferencing facilitates the author's revision.

Sharing
At the end of writing workshop everyday, students are brought back together for a 5-10 minute group share and reflection. Sometimes a writer might come to sharing session to ask for help or receive feedback from his or her classmates ("I like my story, but I can't think of a good title.") Students share a piece with a partner in revision or editing a piece. The author might also want to share part of an entry of which he or she is especially proud. The 'Author's Chair' is used when students share their published piece.

Handwriting
Fourth graders review and practice italic handwriting and are expected to write legibly and neatly.

Keyboarding
Fourth graders continue to practice keyboarding (in school and at home) with the goal of 20 words per minute.

Writing Mini-Lessons
During writing mini-lessons, teachers highlight a teaching-point regarding writing conventions (punctuation, spelling, capital letters, etc.) or writing craft (writing process, story elements, character development, word choice, etc.). Students are given opportunities to learn from mentor texts, teacher-written texts, or shared-writing texts which model the teaching point.

Shared Writing
Shared writing is a time when students engage in a small, collaborative writing or large group writing experience that is actively guided by the teacher. Shared writing may be focused on any of the mini-lesson topics or related to our curriculum content.

Independent Writing
During independent writing time, children work primarily on thematic assignments, (e.g., poetry, letter writing, paragraphs, expository, creative, etc.). Students apply the skills, strategies and concepts learned in the mini-lesson to their writing projects.

Peer Review
Peer reviews occur throughout the writing process. Students bring pieces of writing that are in process to share with a partner or small group to receive feedback and help with revising their work.

Writing Conferences
As part of the writing process, teachers meet one-on-one with students to discuss their progress. Teachers work closely with students to identify personal goals around writing conventions and writing craft.

Word Study
Students work as a whole-group, small-group, and individually on word structures (e.g., spelling patterns, root words, prefixes, suffixes).

Handwriting
Third graders review and practice basic italic handwriting and are introduced to cursive italic handwriting.

Keyboarding
Third graders begin to learn how to keyboard.

Writer's Workshop
Writer's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in writing. Writer's Workshop promotes authentic and lifelong writerly habits, strategies and tools, along with an enjoyment of the writing process. Writer's Workshop focuses on the teaching of writing strategies within specific genres. Students develop an ability to write confidently and with autonomy in many forms, and for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Writing Mini-Lessons
During mini-lessons, the whole class meets and shares mentor texts written in a specific genre in order to tease out strategies and techniques specific to the genre, and to work through the writing process to produce their own writing.

Through the study of these mentor texts, we are charting the writing techniques that we notice in the mentor author's work. This documentation of our thinking guides our writing study.

Word Study
Students work in a whole-group, small-group, and individually on phonemic awareness (hearing sounds in words), sight words, and patterns within words based on a developmental spelling continuum. Activities are based on ongoing progress monitoring and assessment.

Shared Writing
Shared writing allows us to co-write a single piece as a small group or whole class. It shares the responsibility for the pen between teacher and students alike.

We use this to practice specific writing strategies, revision techniques, and editing skills. This shared responsibility allows us to live the idea that writing is never done, but is an ongoing process of improving one's craft.

Independent Writing
In second grade, we have placed an emphasis on students' ability to generate writing from within themselves and from their own experiences. Students practice developing writing ideas, planning stories, creating drafts, revising, editing, and publishing. As we are encouraging students to concentrate on getting their ideas onto paper, we emphasize the use of “sound-stretching” where students try their best to sound out the spelling of words. Second graders are in the process of learning simple proofreading skills to help them spell unknown words accurately and use capitalization and punctuation correctly. Second graders are able to do specific work on editing such as punctuation, capitalization, spelling, looking at the content of their work and learning how to choose interesting and descriptive words.

Writing Conferences
Throughout the writing process, students meet one-on-one with a teacher multiple times. This practice is meant to hone the writer's initial development of ideas, the writing craft, and the revision and editing processes. Throughout the year we are engaged in publishing the work of student authors following the entire writing process. Conferences in this form are always a final step before publication.

Peer Conferences
Peer conferencing is an integral part of the writing process. Students meet with writing partners to share ideas and feedback on content. The primary question asked of both the reader and writer in these conferences is, 'Does this piece of writing make sense?' Students work with one another to practice how to give positive and constructive feedback.

Asking questions is an essential skill for both readers and writers and peer conferencing is a perfect venue in which to practice. Feedback received during peer conferencing facilitates the author's revision.

Writer's Workshop
Writer's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in writing. Writer's Workshop focuses on the teaching of writing strategies. The purpose of Writer's Workshop is to foster a love of writing. Students develop an ability to write confidently in many forms for a variety of audiences and purposes.

In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of writing, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with groups of kids, and time for students to practice the skills independently.

Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Writing Mini-Lessons
During writing minilessons, teacher's highlight a teaching-point regarding writing conventions (punctuation, spelling, spaces between words, etc.) or writing craft (writing process, story elements, character development, word choice, voice, etc.). They use mentor texts, teacher-written texts, or shared-writing texts to model the teaching point and then give students opportunities to discuss how they can make use of the minilesson within their own writing. Teachers follow-up on writing mini-lessons with "mid-workshop" interruptions in which they highlight student work that exempflies the application of the mini lesson

Word Study
Students work as a whole-group, small-group, and individually on phonemic awareness (hearing sounds in words), sight words, and patterns within words.

Shared Writing
Shared writing is a time when students engage in a small or large group writing experience that is actively guided by the teacher. Shared writing may be focused on any of the mini-lesson topics (please see above).
Independent Writing
During independent writing time, children work on self-selected topics within the given writing unit. For example, during our personal narrative unit one student may be writing a story about her family’s trip to the beach while her neighbor is focusing on a story about his skateboarding adventures. Each day, children apply skills, strategies and concepts learned in the day’s mini-lesson to their independent writing projects, often coaching and drawing upon their writing partners for feedback, assistance and praise.

Writer's Circles
Writer's Circles occur throughout the writing process. At times, a Writer's Circle may be an opportunity for a student to share a polished piece of writing with an audience. At other times, students bring pieces of writing that are in process to share with the writing community for the purpose of soliciting feedback and assistance. Writer's Circles may include the entire class community or they may include a small group of children who are asking for help from or offering help to their fellow writers.

Writing Conferences
Individual writing conferences are a time when students sit one-on-one with teachers to discuss their writing process. Teachers work closely with students to identify personal goals around writing conventions (punctuation, spelling, spaces between words, etc.) and writing craft (writing process, story elements, character development, word choice, voice and application of other concepts learned in mini lessons).

See Writing Continuum above

•Sometimes writes organized fiction and nonfiction
•Develops plots that have a problem and solution
•Can create characters in stories
•Writes poetry using carefully chosen language
•Tries writing different types of sentences
•Tries different types of leads and endings
•Uses description, details, and similes
•Uses different prewriting strategies
•Writes for a variety of purposes and audiences
•Revises for writing traits (ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, voice, and conventions)
•Uses people's suggestions about writing
•Edits accurately for punctuation, spelling, and grammar
•Uses models of good writing in different genres to make own writing better

•Authors have a purpose when they write
•Writers choose different genres to fit their purpose rewriting helps to map out a piece of writing
•Different organizational strategies help to plan
•Different planning strategies are appropriate at different times
•Varied sentence structure adds life to writing
•Paragraphs contain related information and begin with a topic or lead sentence
•Subject-specific vocabulary enriches writing
•Revision adds detail and interest to writing
•Revision helps to clarify writing by helping writers to zero in on the specific subject at hand
•Revision makes writing more powerful by using active nouns, adjectives and verbs
•Proofreading helps readers understand your work
•My voice can impact my reader's experience
•My voice can help persuade a reader to understand my point of view

Genre
•Which genre fits my purpose?

Pre-writing
•Which pre-writing model will help me plan my writing most effectively?

Revising
•How can I improve my writing?
•How can revision help me clarify my writing?

Editing/mechanics
•How can I improve the mechanics of my writing?
•How can I edit my work for clarity?

Models: Reading/Writing connections
•How do literary devices improve my writing

Voice
•How can I express who I am in my writing?

Bridging (age-11)

•Writes about feelings and opinions
•Writes fiction with a clear beginning, middle, and end
•Writes poetry using carefully chosen language
•Writes organized nonfiction
•Sometimes uses paragraphs to organize ideas
•Uses strong verbs, interesting language, and dialogue
•Asks for help and suggestions from others
•Revises writing to make sense
•Makes writing more interesting by adding descriptions and detail
•Uses thesaurus to find new words
•Edits for functions, spelling, and grammar
•publishes writing in polished format
•Spells more words correctly by using how a word looks, spelling rules, and word parts.
•Uses commas and apostrophes correctly
•Sets own writing goals

Genre
•How do I select an appropriate writing genre to fit my purpose?

Pre-writing
•What are the different strategies or models for organizing my writing- which are most appropriate for my purpose?

Revising
•How can I improve my writing?
•How can revision add detail to my writing?
•How can I make my writing more clear and compelling?

Mechanics/editing
•How can I improve the mechanics of my writing?
•How do the mechanics of my writing impact my reader?
•How can I edit my work for clarity?

Models: Reading/Writing connections •How do literary devices improve my writing?
•Voice--How can I express who I am in my writing?

• Writes short stories, nonfiction, and poetry
• Writes with a main idea
• Writes with complete sentences
• Organizes ideas to make sense in fiction and non-fiction writing
• Sometimes finds and uses interesting language
• Uses prewriting to get ideas with help
• Listens to other people's ideas and gives other people suggestions about their writing
• Uses other people suggestions about writing to make it better
• Adds description and details to writing
• Edits for capitalization and punctuation with guidance
• Writes so people can read
• Spells most common words and many other words correctly
• Talks about being a writer and sets goals

•Authors have a purpose when they write
•Writers choose different genres to fit their purpose
•Prewriting helps to map out a piece of writing
•Different organizational strategies help to plan
•Different planning strategies are appropriate at different times
•Varied sentence structure adds life to writing
•Paragraphs contain related information and begin with a topic or lead sentence
•Subject-specific vocabulary enriches writing
•Revision adds detail and interest to writing
•Revision helps to clarify writing by helping writers to zero in on the specific subject at hand
•Revision makes writing more powerful by using active nouns, adjectives and verbs
•Proofreading helps readers understand your work
•My voice can impact my reader's experience
•My voice can help persuade a reader to understand my point of view

Genres
•What are the different writing genres?

Pre-Writing
•What are the different strategies or       models for organizing my writing? -Who is my audience? How can I address and interest my audience?

Revising
•How can I improve my writing?
•How can others help me improve my    writing?
•How can I make my writing more descriptive and engaging?

Mechanics/Editing
•How can I improve the mechanics of my writing?
•How can I edit my work for clarity?

Models: Reading/Writing connections
•How do literary devices improve my      writing?

Voice
•How can I express who I am in my writing?

•Student's writing folder sample
•Classroom observation
•Words their Way spelling inventory
•Utilization of project-specific rubric

•Can write several sentences about a topic
•Writes about what is seen and true
•Picks ideas to write about
•Reads own writing and finds mistakes with help
•Adds more to writing with help
•Always uses spaces between words
•Makes letters neatly and always uses spaces between words
•Writes pieces that can be read by self and others
•Uses own spelling to write independently
•Spells easy words and some common words correctly
•Shares writing with others

•Student's writing folder sample
•Classroom observation
•Words their Way spelling inventory

•How do I think of ideas?
•How do I put words together that make sense?
•How are some words spelled?
•Is there true spelling?

•How are words written?
•How are sentences written?
•Where do I start on the paper?
•How can I make it so people can read what I write?

•Letters represent sounds
•Letters combine to make words
•Print conveys meaning
•Random use of letters and approximations of letters

The Lower School Woodshop Curriculum Philosophy and Overview

•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students.
•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product.
•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work.
•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities.
•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision.
•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity.
•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques should generally precede machine work.
•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing.
•Foster students finding and working from their passions.

• Appropriate and safe use of tools
• Evidence of respect for shop environment
• Participation (listening, asking questions,
challenging oneself)
• Pride in work

•Safe and purposeful use of hand tools and
materials
• Bilateral, gross/fine motor coordination
• Ability to communicate through drawing and
text
• Develop social awareness and skills to work
productively with a variety of people.
• Develop a habit of drawing on inspiration
from new and unexpected places
• Identifying and constructing more advanced
Euclidean (geometric) shapes
• Measuring with standard units and a ease
with basic operations

• Accidents are avoidable
• Each tool is made to do a specific task
• Wood has universal and dynamic properties
- plastic and malleable yet strong and rigid
• Working in collaboration has benefits that
aren’t immediately obvious.
• Finding images and forms to express myself
takes focused attention to my internal
thoughts and feelings.

• How do I keep myself and others safe?
• What do each of these tools do?
• What are the essential characteristics of
wood?
• How do I work in partnerships effectively
and with enjoyment? (Thinking
Interdependently)
• Wonderment and Awe - How do I see and
express my unique perspective?

• Appropriate and safe use of tools
• Evidence of respect for shop environment
• Participation (listening, asking questions,
challenging oneself)
• Pride in work

• Safe and purposeful use of hand tools and
materials
• Bilateral, gross/fine motor coordination
• Ability to communicate through drawing and
text
• Develop coordination and skill with
tools to work with greater and greater
accuracy
• Learn to plan with greater accuracy and
detail
• Identify and construct Basic Euclidean
(geometric) shapes
• Measure with standard units and
develop basic operations
• Experiment with more complex geometric
tools and construction

• Accidents are avoidable
• Each tool is made to do a specific task
• Wood has universal and dynamic properties
- plastic and malleable yet strong and rigid
• Working with care and attention to detail
makes my work better
• To communicate my ideas fully, I need to
express myself with detail.

• How do I keep myself and others safe?
• What do each of these tools do?
• What are the essential characteristics of
wood?
• How do I make my work of high quality?
(Striving for Accuracy)
• How do I make myself understood?
(Communicating with clarity and precision)

• Appropriate and safe use of tools
• Evidence of respect for shop environment
• Participation (listening, asking questions,
challenging oneself)
• Pride in work
• Evidence of taking creative and/or cognitive risks

• Safe and purposeful use of hand tools and
materials
• Bilateral, gross/fine motor coordination
• Ability to communicate through drawing and
text
• Develop habits of open-mindedness.
• Develop a diverse set of skills to accomplish
ones goals.
• Identifying and constructing basic Euclidean
(geometric) shapes
• Measuring with standard units and
developing basic operations

• Accidents are avoidable
• Each tool is made to do a specific task
• Wood has universal and dynamic properties
- plastic and malleable yet strong and rigid
• Having an open-end set is an important part
of developing ones thoughts.
• Being able to think flexibly is an important
characteristic in fostering self growth

• How do I keep myself and others safe?
• What do each of these tools do?
• What are the essential characteristics of
wood?
• Where did my ideas of how to do something
come from?(Thinking Flexibly)
• How can I improve my ideas/plan?
(Continuous Learning)

• Appropriate and safe use of tools
• Evidence of respect for shop environment
• Participation (listening, asking questions,
challenging oneself)
• Pride in work
• Evidence of empathic behavior

• Safe and purposeful use of hand tools and
materials
• Bilateral, gross/fine motor coordination
• Ability to communicate through drawing and
text
• Develop confidence and a habit of self
expression
• Listening with empathy and desire to
understand others
• Identifying and constructing Basic Euclidean
(geometric) shapes
• Measuring with standard units and
developing basic operations

•Accidents are avoidable
•Each tool is made to do a specific task
•Wood has universal and dynamic properties - plastic and malleable yet strong and rigid
•Creativity is an interplay between our feelings and the material world
•In order to be creative, we need to be willing to take risks expressing our feelings
•Pay attention and respect others' ideas.
•Seek to learn from my peers.

•How do I keep myself and others safe?
•What do each of these tools do?
•What are the essential characteristics of wood?
•How do I transform a creative idea to a real wood object? (Imagining, innovation)
•Why is it important to learn with classmates? (Empathy)

•Appropriate and safe use of tools
•Evidence of respect for shop environment
•Participation (listening, asking questions, challenging oneself)
•Pride in work
•Evidence of persistence

•Safe, and purposeful, use of hand tools and materials
•Bilateral, gross/fine motor coordination
•Ability to communicate through drawing and text
•Develop strategies to persist and endure
•Listen and cooperate with the teacher and peers
•Identifying Basic Euclidean (geometric) shapes
•Measuring with non-standard units and emerging basic operations

•Accidents are avoidable
•Each tool is made to do a specific task
•Wood has universal and dynamic properties plastic and malleable yet strong and rigid
•Proper breathing and mental focus allows us to control our body
•To materialize our ideas fully requires
mental and physical endurance
•To materialize our ideas, we need a plan

•How do I keep myself and others safe?
•What do each of these tools do?
•What is wood and what can it do?
•How can I focus and control my body/mind? (Managing Impulsivity)
•How do I follow through to completion? (Perseverance)
•When do I know I'm finished?(Perseverance)

Technology

Our students have access to a wide range of digital technology and infrastructure to provide rich experiences to enhance learning. While the world of technology moves swiftly, we thoughtfully consider how to integrate digital tools that deepen, enhance and support:
•Critical thinking
•Creativity
•Communication
•Connection
•Collaboration

We are inspired by the potential of digital tools and prepare our students to critically use the robust technology we have in the Lower School. It is within the context of curricular work that students learn skills necessary to dig deeper into the potential technology has to offer.

We continually integrate digital work with the physical world and build skills such as:
•Digital and online literacy
•Media literacy
•Online search and research
•Citizenship
•Resilience
•Resourcefulness
•We provide a dedicated set of iPads for each grade. Additionally, 4th and 5th grades have mobile laptop carts in their classrooms.

Technology, Operations & Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, & operations.

•Understand & use technology systems
•Understanding the importance of safety, cost, ease of use and availability in selecting tools and resources for a specific purpose
•Understand file size and storage terminology (Mega, Giga, Terabytes)
•Understand troubleshooting steps and find ways to to get technical answers

Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural & societal issues related to technology, & practice legal & ethical behavior.

•Review of submitted student work against a project rubric

•Create text, photo, and video content to promote an idea
•Email/send these items to the teacher to post on Facebook
•Monitor Facebook page for responses

•Understand the concept of community on the Internet (cyber community)
•Understand what Digital Citizenship is and how to be a model citizen of it,( Identify & discuss appropriate examples of technology use at home, school, community, and the world).
•Understand the impact technology has on home, school, community and the world
•Understand and comply with Acceptable Use Policies (District, products, and organizations)
•Understand financial and consumer awareness and responsibility (Including Internet banking, phishing schemes, etc)
•Understand the impact of creating a positive/appropriate digital footprint (Images, content and personal information)
•Understand legal & security issues surrounding File Sharing Peer to Peer

•How may we use social networks to promote an idea?
•How may we maintain our privacy when using social network software?

Research & Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, & use information.

Assess Excel spreadsheets, graphs, and presentation files against project rubrics

•Add a record to a website database
•View records in a website database
•Download data from a website database to Excel
•Summarize data by counting manually and using the COUNTIF function
•Graph data in Excel and iWork applications
•Use graphs to communicate ideas/support oral presentations

Understand the concepts of intellectual property rights and be able to cite sources appropriately to uphold copyright law.

•How do we analyze data using a computer?
•What is spreadsheet software?
•How may we best communicate useful information using graphs?

Communication & Collaboration

Students use digital media & environments to communicate & work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning & contribute to the learning of others.

Work file assessed against a project rubric

Understand the use of telecommunications (email, messaging, video conferencing, virtual field trips, etc) to communicate with others in support of direct and independent learning and pursue personal interests with anyone in the world.

How may we create a computer animation to explain a concept?

Creativity & Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, & develop innovative products & processes.

•Assess completed work against a project rubric (individual projects)
•Provide formative and summative feedback to students

•Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or processes.
•Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
•Use models & simulations to explore complex systems & issues
•Identify trends & forecast possibilities
•Work with and/or create graphic organizers to illustrate visual representations of ideas.
•Create an original image using design programs and/or websites
•Understand and/or use drop-down menus, toolbars, short-cut menus, formatting palettes, scroll bars, rulers etc.
•Select appropriate applications to use for the tasks at hand
•Work with text (inserting, editing, formatting)
•Work with paragraphs (spacing, tabs, bullets/numbers, outlines)
•Work with documents (saving, printing, spelling & grammar check, navigating, headers/footers, breaks, page numbers, page setup auto functions etc.)
•Insert images, charts, and tables
•Adjust & troubleshoot printing & print settings (portrait, landscape, margins, page set up, etc).
•Create simple documents such as pamphlets, postcards, signs, and certificates.
•Create files than can be universally read regardless of platform
•Work with worksheets and workbooks (create, format and manage)
•Work with cells (inserting, editing, formatting)
•Apply formulas and functions
•Generate charts, graphs and objects
•Use a concept mapping or graphic organizing tool to create a story board.
•Design, develop, publish, and present using interactive online tools
•Create presentations (format, edit and manage)
•Use other multimedia apps (Book Creator, Explain Everything) to create or record multimedia presentations.
•Use painting and drawing tools/apps to create and edit a document.
•Shoot, edit, save, and share a movie (share to online sites).
•Add text, images, video to a student digital portfolio.
•Use photo applications to capture, edit and share images.

Understand and/or use drop-down menus, toolbars, short-cut menus, formatting palettes, scroll bars, rulers etc.

•What do I hope to accomplish in this course?
•What work do I think may be challenging?
•How do I create a printed, multimedia document?
•Why do computers save files in different formats?

Spanish

Assessment 5th Grade
•One-on-one work with student
•Formative Assessment
•Direct observation
•Evidence of the three modes of
communication:interpersonal,
interpretative and presentational
•Participation in class activities and effort

Fall Term:
•Describe activities you did and places you went in summer
•State today’s date, yesterday’s, and tomorrow’s
•Describe weather and seasons
•Answer spontaneous questions about you and varied topics
•Share about who you are in your community orally and in writing
•Use varied greetings and farewells
•Participate and celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month
•Appreciate cultural diversity
•Celebrate your heritage as part of your identity
•Talk about your immediate and extended family
•Express preferences about different topics
•Recognize, comprehend new vocabulary in meaningful context
•Use correct pitch and intonation patterns in questions and exclamations
•Discriminate between affirmative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences

Winter Term:
•Express wants and needs at the doctor office
•Express how you feel at the doctor’s office
•Identify body parts orally and in writing
•Describe people’s appearance, personality traits and what they are wearing
•Express feelings and mood
•Identify sports and activities
•Ask and give directions in city
•Locate objects and items in a room (spatial orientation)
•Describe a dream house/room
•Express preferences about sports, foods, animals, professions, color, clothes, and give a reason why
•Produce sentences using new vocabulary related to content area
•Reproduce sounds, stress and intonation patterns specific to Spanish
•Use feminine and masculine endings
•Use regular and irregular verbs in daily activities and in preferences
•Use personal pronouns in sentences

Spring Term:
•Identify different foods and meals
•Role-play the supermarket using play money
•Role-play the restaurant and use relevant expressions and vocabulary
•Order food in Spanish in a Spanish-speaking restaurant
•Identify different currencies from the Spanish-speaking countries
•Compare foods and meals in USA and the Spanish-speaking countries
•Identify professions and activities and places where people work
•Expressing preferences about careers or professions
•Comparing careers in different cultures
•Research and describe a career/profession of choice
•Write inflectional endings masculine/feminine/plural words
•Use some regular and irregular verbs correctly in sentences in present tense when describing daily activities and routines
•Use verb to be in describing personal characteristics and how you feel
•Use verb to have to express possession, emotions and states of being

Fall Term:
•Authentic materials and the use of varied resources and technology are essential for effective communication
•Different countries and cultures have similarities and differences
•The foreign language class is a natural setting to express aspects about identity

Winter Term:
•The more you remember and use the vocabulary andexpressions learned the more your grow in language acquisition
•Diets have similarities and similarities in different countries
•Asking and giving directions are life skills in second language learning

Spring Term:
•Expressing wants and needs are essential life skills
•Many aspects determine future career choices and perspectives towards education and work vary across cultures
•Proficiency starts by having spontaneous conversations with others on familiar topics
•Second language learning is an on-going process that starts in the Lower School

Fall Term:
•What resources do I need to express myself more efficiently in Spanish?
•How are the cultures of the Spanish-speaking countries different and similar to mine?
•How can I talk about my identity in the Spanish class?

Winter Term:
•How do I use the vocabulary and expressions learned to talk naturally in more elaborate conversation?
•How similar/different is the diet in USA and the Spanish-speaking countries?
•Why should I learn about asking and giving directions in Spanish?

Spring Term:
•How do I express wants and needs in Spanish?
•What aspects determine a future career choice in USA and the Spanish-speaking countries?
•How can I develop proficiency in Spanish?
•How will I use the Spanish I have learned in the Middle School?

Assessment 4th Grade
•One-on-one work with student
•Formative Assessment
•Direct observation
•Evidence of the three modes of communication:interpersonal, interpretative and presentational
•Participation in class activities and effort

Fall Term:
•Greet and respond to one another
•Respond spontaneously and accurately to questions
•Introduce yourself orally and in writing
•Identify people and places in your community
•Participate and celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month
•Demonstrate understanding of content vocabulary and expression
•Use correct articles with nouns
•Use correct pronouns in sentences and phrases
•Recognize and use correct agreement of adjectives in gender and number (masculine singular, feminine singular,masculine plural, feminine plural)
•Write inflectional endings for masculine/feminine/plural nouns
•Sing a native Spanish song during Revels presentation

Winter Term:
•Counting using bigger numbers
•Identify Spanish-speaking countries on a map
•Research a Spanish-speaking country of choice
•Follow oral directions to move from place to place in a city
•Locate countries on a map using locators (spatial relationships)
•Identify the capital cities of the Spanish-speaking countries
•Name and locate all continents on a world map
•Introduce family members of immediate and extended family and tell what they like, do and their personal traits
•Identify people and places in your community
•Express likes and dislikes regarding foods, activities, sports, teams, seasons, animals, and give a reason why

Spring Term:
•Identify actions through non-verbal communication
•Express preference about weekend activities
•Tell what time of day you do specific activities
•Identify sports and activities
•Express feelings and wishes
•Describe items using complete sentences
•Create sentences with a beginning prompt
•Participate in games related to different topics

Fall Term:
•Learning another language and culture helps me reinforce and make natural connections with other disciplines
•Celebrations are cultural expressions that bring people together to celebrate and support one another
•Each one of us is a valuable member in our community and can contribute in many different ways

Winter Term:
•Learning Spanish effectively takes perseverance, gaining knowledge and opportunities to practice it
•Learning another language and culture will give you new perspectives and insights into your own language and culture
•Each one of us is unique, different and valuable in our community

Spring Term:
•Many factors influence personal preferences and choices
•Money is an important exchange tool in daily life. Different money is used in different countries
•Learning another language will enrich students’ lives professionally and personally

Fall Term:
•How can learning another language and culture help me enhance my knowledge about other subjects?
•Why do we have cultural celebrations?
•Who am I in my community?

Winter Term:
•What does it take to be able to communicate effectively in Spanish?
•How do our families shape our identity?
•What do I learn about my own culture when I compare it with the culture of the Spanish-speaking countries?

Spring Term:
•What influences personal preferences and choices
•Why do we use money? How do we use money indifferent countries?
•What are the benefits of learning a second language

Assessment 3rd Grade
•One-on-one work with student
•Formative Assessment
•Direct observation
•Evidence of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretative and presentational
•Participation in class activities and effort

Fall Term:
•Participate in memorized dialogues with information about self using the correct form of greetings and farewell courtesies
•Participate in the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
•Locate the Spanish-speaking countries on a map
•Compare and contrast holidays in different countries
•Develop calendar skills
•Listen and participate in children's songs, music and games native to Spain and Latin America
•Describe weather and seasons
•Use correct agreement between articles and nouns
•Use correct agreement of adjectives and nouns
•Sing a native Spanish song during Revels presentation

Winter Term:
•Identify different types of houses
•Compare housing in different cultures
•Identify furniture in a room
•Locate items in a room
•Identify places in the city from oral cues
•Follow oral directions to move from place to place in the city
•Give directions in a city and read a map
•Classify animals into different categories
•Identify animals and species in the tide pool of Oregon
•Name animals and their characteristics and special features, where they live and what they eat

Spring Term:
•Identify different foods and meals
•Tell time and tell when you eat different meals
•Role-play “the supermarket” and buy products using paper-money
•Identify and describe fruits and vegetables
•Expressing needs and wants
•Role-play “the restaurant” and order food in Spanish
•Express likes and dislikes
•Participate in a restaurant trip and order food in Spanish
•Read and follow a menu from a restaurant
•Listen to and understand culturally authentic literature from Spanish speaking countries
•Count objects using manipulatives and identify bigger numbers

Fall Term:
•Culture, as a way of life of a group of people, is closely related to the language they speak
•Learning another language can be achieved by finding opportunities to practice it and using technology and Internet resources
•Cultural celebrations and traditions are important aspects of a culture

Winter Term:
•People in different countries live in different types of housing - Houses reflect cultural values and views
•Asking for directions and reading a map in another language are life skills
•Classifying animals teach us different aspects of their lives

Spring Term:
•The purpose of learning Spanish is to communicate and connect with others who speak that target language
•Foods and meals in different countries have similarities and differences
•Expressing needs and wants are essential skills to learn in a second language

Fall Term:
•What is culture? How are language and culture related
•What strategies and resources will help me learn another language effectively?
•Why do we celebrate cultural events?

Winter Term:
•Where do people live? How does housing reflect cultural views and values?
•How can I get to places in a city in a Spanish-speaking country?
•What can we learn from different classifications of animals?

Spring Term:
•What is the purpose of learning Spanish?
•How are foods and meals different/similar in different cultures?
•How can I express needs and wants in Spanish?

Assessment 2nd Grade
•One-on-one work with student
•Formative Assessment
•Direct observation
•Evidence of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretative and presentational
•Participation in class activities and effort

Fall Term:
•Participate in dialogues by responding to questions and using greetings, farewells and gestures
•State weather conditions
•Recognize objects or pictures, use manipulatives and gestures to demonstrate understanding of verbal cues
•Identify people and roles in the school community
•Identify places in a community
•Listen and participate in children's songs, music and games native to Spanish countries
•Learn about heritage and culture in our community
•Recognize and understand the significance of selected festivals and events important to Spanish heritage people
•Learn a native Spanish song during Revels presentation

Winter Term:
•Listen to and understand culturally authentic literature from Spanish speaking countries
•Identify different types of clothing
•Describe what people are wearing in different seasons
•Use correct agreement between articles and nouns
•Match consonant sounds to written alphabet letters
•Identify and respond to requests and commands
•Develop calendar skills
•Match pictures to familiar written words and phrases
•Listen to and understand culturally authentic literature from Spanish- speaking countries
•Identify and point to body parts

Spring Time:
•Identify means of transportation in a community
•Identify people and places in a city
•Identify animals from the forest
•Identify domestic animals
•Identify the parts of a plant and tree
•Identify habitats in the forest
•Compare animals
•Use the target language to reinforce vocabulary learned in math, social studies and science
•Match vowel sounds to written alphabet letters

Fall Term:
•Language skills are best developed by using the interpersonal, interpretative, and presentational modes of communication
•Heritage and culture teach us about different people’s perspective and understanding

Winter Term:
•Non-verbal communication can help me understand Spanish and express it without understanding all the words
•Personal choices and seasons influence the type of clothing we wear

Spring Term:
•Listening skills are critical for learning and communicating in another language
•Participating in communicative situations and being fearless about making mistakes help me develop confidence
•The forest is a place inhabited by a variety of living things

Fall Term:
•How do I best learn second language skills to communicate effectively
•What can I learn about heritage and culture in my community

Winter Term:
•How do I figure out meaning when words are not understood?
•What kinds of clothes are we wearing?

Spring Term:
•What role does listening play in oral communication
•How will I develop confidence to engage in situations in Spanish?
•What lives in the forest and how can I tell about this in Spanish?

Assessment 1st Grade
•One-on-one work with student
•Formative assessment
•Direct observation
•Evidence of the three modes of communication:interpersonal, interpretative, and presentational
•Participation in class activities and effort

Fall Term:
•Participate in cultural songs, rhymes and games
•Learn about the origins of Spanish & the Spanish-speaking countries
•Identify differences and similarities between English and Spanish
•Point to objects or pictures to demonstrate understanding
•Identify and respond to expressions used in daily routine
•Use appropriate greetings at different times of day
•Describe weather and fall
•Answer simple questions about yourself and others
•Identify weather expressions
•Identify and describe objects and items

Winter Term:
•Pay attention to auditory cues and body gestures for effective communication
•Identify and introduce the family members of your immediate family
•Identify shapes and colors
•Describe physical appearance
•Identify and point to body parts
•Identify feelings
•Identify people and places around me
•Describe weather and wintertime
•Participate in cultural songs, rhymes, and games
•Use and identify gestures to demonstrate understanding

Spring Term:
•Identify animals native to Latin America, Spain, and USA
•Identify farm and domestic animals
•Describe pets or dream pets
•Imitate animals’ sounds in Spanish
•Identify and describe fruits and vegetables
•Express likes and dislikes
•Identify and describe spring time
•Identify numbers and use manipulatives to count
•Identify the months of the year and the days of the week
•Describe weather and spring time

Fall Term:
•The Spanish language and culture originated from Spain and extended to countries in Latin, Central and North America
•Different languages have similarities and differences
•Communicating in another language starts with simple structures, lists, and phrases

Winter Term:
•Learning another language is a natural threshold to connect with other subject matters, especially through cultural connections
•Expressing myself about familiar topics and surroundings helps me learn Spanish
•Learning another language takes motivation, perseverance, and practice

Spring Term:
•Ability to retain information, repetition, and opportunities to practice the language are essential
•Learning another language will open the door to a new culture with new ways to communicate and view the world

Fall Term:
•Where does the Spanish language come from?
•How is Spanish different from/similar to English?
•How do I start communicating in Spanish?

Winter Term:
•What connections exist between the Spanish class and what I learn in the other classes?
•What are some things I know about myself, my family, and how that can help me express myself in Spanish?
•What qualities do I need to learn another language

Spring Term:
•What are some skills and strategies I can develop to expand my knowledge and understanding of Spanish?
•What is the impact of learning another language?

Social Studies

Social studies involves looking at how people solve problems. Our goal is the promotion of civic competence— the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life.

As a vehicle for developing research skills and critical thinking about complex issues, students explore the pitchfork to place process. Just where does our food come from and what happens between the day a seed is planted to the moment I raise my fork?

Marketing

•Students create fictional applesauce companies and ads.
•Students create a posters on how to be informed consumers of marketing.
•Students create a digital portfolio to track understandings, knowledge, and skills, that are developed throughout the unit.

•Specifics marketing strategies and persuasive techniques used to persuade others including: bandwagon, plain folks, expert support/testimonial, and emotional appeal.
•There are various audiences and consumer roles important for marketing a product.
•Persuasion can influence a consumer’s decisions.
•Consumers should be aware of the messages marketed to them in order to make informed decisions.
•Observing and taking notes through direct experience.
•Incorporating persuasive techniques into their writing with a specific persuasive goal in mind.
•Identifying persuasive elements in writing.
•Analyzing film, ads, and other media for persuasive elements.
•Maintaining an ongoing documentation of their developing knowledge.
•Supporting opinions with direct evidence.
•Determining the meaning of words and phrases used in a text.
•Assessing how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of
a text.
•Participating in conversations and collaborations with others to build on others’ ideas and express their own clearly and persuasively.
•Sharing knowledge through presentations.

•The goal of persuasion is to create individual or communal change.
•Persuasion can be used for positive or negative change.
•The effects of persuasion can be viewed from multiple perspectives.
•Persuasion can be used for material gain or social change. These can and often are connected.
•Marketing communicates that something is valuable and persuades change to happen.
•Nonfiction writing can and often does have an agenda.
•Authors can use research to support a specific point of view.
•Readers can take on multiple perspectives which influences how they interpret the author’s writing.
•Research is often biased in some ways.5. Data can be written for multiple forms of interpretation.
•There are different methods of marketing developed to persuade an individual to make specific choices.
•Marketing uses deliberate words and images to convey a message to an audience/consumers.
•Marketing can persuade an individual’s decision making, as well as that of a community of people.
•Marketing can positively and negatively impact consumers.

•How does marketing persuade me to make different choices?
•How do I persuade others?
•How does persuasion benefit and harm my community?
•What role can I take in this process as a critical thinker?

Social Change

•Current issues in the pitchfork to plate process.
•Current arguments on the topic they value.
•Definition of Social Change.
•The variety of steps in social change process.
•Identify a problem.
•Defining a solution.
•Identifying an audience that may help generate a solution.
•Identify a method of communication for informing an audience.
•Crafting your communication.
•Major modes of communication.
•Current social media accessible to fifth grade.
•Accessing leaders & and new organizers.
•Direct Communication Audience and different communities.
•Using research skills.
•Highlighting key information.
•Using library database.
•Identifying the quality of a website.
•Using search methods when using internet.
•Interviewing primary sources.
•Observing and taking notes during direct experiences.
•Maintaining ongoing documentation for their developing knowledge.
•Sharing knowledge through presentations.
•Publication for presentation.
•Applying basic principles.

•Social change occurs as a result of action.
•Change is an ongoing process that takes continuous investment.
•We all have the right to power to advocate for what we value.
•We belong to many communities.
•Different methods of communication are effective for different audiences.

•What communities am I a part of?
•How do I effectively communicate with them?
•What is my responsibility to inform my community?

Transportation, Packaging, & Processing

Students will generate weekly pieces of a transportation and packaging plan for moving food from harvest to consumer and explain the costs and benefits of his/her choices based on information from readings, videos, and field trips.

•
The major forms transportation used to move food around the world.
•That all food must be transported from plant to consumer before it can be eaten.
•The transportation of food consumes energy.
•The transportation and processing of food reduces the quality, flavor and nutritional value.
•The packaging of food can help preserve the quality, flavor and nutritional value.
•The production costs of plastic, glass & paper.
•The consumer benefits of plastic, glass & paper.
•The environmental pros/cons of plastic, glass & paper.
•Companies can use cost-saving measures such as importation, low wages and reducing the quality of foods to increase their profitability and reduce the price consumers pay for their final product.
•Using research skills.
•Highlighting key information.
•Using the library database.
•Identifying the quality of a web site.
•Different search methods when using the internet.
•Interviewing primary sources.
•Observing and taking notes during direct experiences.
•Maintaining an ongoing documentation of their developing knowledge.
•Sharing knowledge through presentations.
•Supporting opinions with direct evidence.

•Many decisions are made in the transportation of food to market based on productivity, social and financial benefits.
•Many decisions are made in the packaging of food for sale based on productivity, social and financial benefits.
•The decisions in transporting food and packaging food are interrelated to one another and there are costs and benefits to any decision.
•There are costs and benefits related to the amount of money people are paid to transport and package food.
•Packaging materials have a financial cost to create, consumer appeal, and a financial/environmental cost to dispose of.

•What decisions to people make when they process food?
•What decisions do people make when they package food?
•What decisions do people make when they transport food?
•What decisions to people make when they market food?

Farm Origins & Social Choice

Students will select a piece of produce and justify and explain the costs and benefits of his/her choice using information about the decisions conventional and organic farmers make during the seed to harvest process.

•That all food must grow, have nourishment, and be harvested before it can be eaten.
•Soil can be enriched through mimicking nature’s cycle through composting, companion planting, etc.
•The closed loop system for growing plants (natural life cycle of a plant).
•Chemicals will help plants grow, but are not a closed loop process.
•The standard definitions for conventional and organic farming.
•Chemicals provide quick growth, but have effects on consumers and the environment.
•Using research skills.
•Highlighting key information.
•Using the library database.
•Identifying the quality of a web site.
•Different search methods when using the internet.
•Interviewing primary sources.
•Observing and taking notes during direct experiences.
•Maintaining an ongoing documentation of their developing knowledge.

•Food growers make many decisions in the seed to harvest process which meet consumers’ needs in different ways.
•Food growers make decisions on enriching soil based on productivity, social and financial benefits.
•The decisions in growing and producing food are interrelated to one another and there are costs and benefits to any decision.
•Food comes from the earth & air, but can be manipulated by humans in different ways.

•What decisions do farms make when they grow food and why do they make them?

•What are the impacts of growing food?

Immigration

Unit 5: Immigration through Ellis Island

•Synthesize learning through writing, acting, art, discussion, and interpreting data
•Express feelings of immigrants in a variety of ways (poetry, role-plays, illustrations, etc.)
•Compare and contrast the experiences of modern day and historical immigrants

•Locate and identify countries ethnic groups emigrated from on world maps and globes
•Discuss and analyze statistical immigration data
•Collect and define vocabulary specific to immigration
•Research online historical photos of Ellis Island
•Research immigration in another country
•Organize findings using graphing, charts, etc.
•Analyze cause and effect relationships
•Synthesize and analyze findings from literature, applying to personal perspective in journal form

•Cultural patterns and their interactions with and across places, such as migration and settlement, changes in customs or ideas, and in the ways people make a living
•Concepts such as location, direction, distance and scale, chronology, causality, change, conflict, complexity, multiple perspectives, primary and secondary sources, and cause and effect
•Factors influencing various community, state and regional patterns of human settlement, such as the availability of land and water, and places for people to live
•Tools such as maps, globes, and geospatial technologies in investigating the relationships among people, places and environments
•Economic, social, political and cultural events and issues influence immigration( Ideologies and structures of political systems differ from country to country)
•Contemporary perspectives affect historical interpretation

•What makes an American an American?
•What is an immigrant?
•What are the causes and effects of migration/immigration?
•How have various ethnic groups contributed/influenced the US, culturally/historically/socio-politically?
•What is the history of immigration to the U.S.?

Unit 4: Migration across the regions of the USA

•Synthesize learning through writing, acting, art, discussion, and interpreting data
•Participate in a regions of the USA fair

•Know the regions of the US
• Ask and find answers to become experts on the characteristics of one region
•Ask and find answers to geographic questions related to regions in the past and the present
•Research, organize, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information from atlases, data bases, grid systems, charts, graphs, maps, to interpret relationships among geographic factors and historical events
•Identify and interpret push and pull factors involved in the migrations of people in these regions

•Concepts of location, direction, distance and scale
•Factors influencing various community, state and regional patterns of human settlement, such as the availability of land and water, and places for people to live
•Cultural patterns and their interactions within and across places, such as migration and settlement, changes in customs or ideas, and in the ways people make a living
•Benefits and problems resulting from the discovery and use of resources
•Factors that contribute to similarities and differences among peoples locally and in places across the world, including ethnicity, language and religious beliefs

•Who are the people living in the five regions of the USA?
•Why did they move there? Why do they stay? Why do they leave?

Unit 3: Social Justice Heroes

•Synthesize learning through writing, acting, art, discussion, and interpreting data
•Participate in social justice community meeting

•Understand biographical information about 3-5 social justice leaders
•Learn about several categories of social justice issues beyond diversity and race
•Develop content vocabulary related to social justice

•Students will recognize stereotypes and relate to people as individuals rather than representatives of groups.
•Students will recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g., biased speech) and injustice at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., discrimination).
•Students will analyze the harmful impact of bias and injustice on the world, historically and today.
•Students will recognize that power and privilege influence relationships on interpersonal, intergroup and institutional levels and consider how they have been affected by those dynamics.

•Who are the social justice heroes we are grateful for?
•How can I see people as unique individuals?
•How are people discriminated against as individuals and as groups?
•What are some laws or rules from the past or today that discriminate against groups of people? (piggyback on third grade water study)
•How does power and privilege affect how people relate to one another?
•Who are some people or groups that have worked to affect positive change for social justice?
•What is a stereotype and how is it harmful?

Unit 2: Oregon Trail

•Participate in simulation
•Journal responses/exit tickets

•Recognize, define, and use pioneer
vocabulary in context
•Use research skills (with guidance) to find out about life on the wagon train and prairie
•Compare and contrast pros and cons of moving westward
•Explain difficulties/opportunities settlers faced in moving westward
•Basic geography of the Oregon Trail (i.e., the travel routes of pioneers)
•Characteristics of the American Frontier
•Necessary items required for travel on the Oregon Trail

•People’s needs, wants, and location (geography) affect their decisions to move or relocate
•Many pioneers had naive ideas about the opportunities and difficulties of moving west
•People move for a variety of reasons -- for new economic opportunities, greater freedoms or to flee something
•The role of migration and immigration of people in the development of the United States
•Successful pioneers rely on courage, ingenuity, and collaboration to overcome hardships and challenges

•What did migration look like in the past?
•What was the relationship between people, places, and environments?
•How did these migrations shape our communities and culture?
•What were the costs and benefits of people’s decision to migrate?
•How do economic systems affect people’s lives?

Unit 1: Why Oregon?

•Formative assessments
•Anecdotal notes
•Visual planners of final video project
•Drafts of video scripts
•A 4th-Landia video vignette that includes the richness of different groups within Portland/Oregon, and what draws and keeps them here

•Students will be able to ask and find answers to questions related to culture in the contexts of school, community, state, and regions.
•Students will be able explore and describe similarities and differences in the ways various cultural groups meet similar needs and concerns.
•Students will be able to give examples of how information and experiences may be interpreted differently by people from different cultural groups.
•Students will be able to investigate relationships among people, places, and environments in the school, community, regions of the state through the use of maps.
•Students will be able to consider themselves from an alternative perspective.
•Students will be able to map the physical regions of Oregon and identify major natural resources, crop regions, and regions.

•People migrate for many reasons including, but not limited to, work, family connections, seeking a better life, escaping war or economic difficulties, for religious freedom, etc.
•Social and physical surroundings influence individual identity and growth.
•Individual choices are influenced by personal, economic and social factors.
•First-hand stories, biographies, primary sources, interviews and videos inform our understanding of the past.

Essentiial Questions

•Why do people come, stay, leave?
•What is culture?
•How do these migrations shape our communities?
•What is the relationship between people, places and environments?.... (in Oregon)?

Oregon Geography

•Informal observation of student work
•Assessment of student made maps, writing, and presentations of the Oregon maps to their guests

•Read and interpret maps, atlases, globes
•Construct maps of Oregon and share them with guests
•Create dictionaries of geographical terms with locations in Oregon

•Maps show a variety of information about a location such as geographical features, political features, elevation, climates, and vegetation.
•Geographical terms such as cape, plateau, basin, mountains and peninsula are common features of Oregon.
•It is helpful to know the language of maps to locate places such as latitude, longitude, cardinal directions, hemispheres, continents, equator, etc.

•What are the geographical terms associated with Oregon?
•What are the diverse geographical features of Oregon?

Global Perspectives on Water

•Compare their access to water to someone from another country
•Identify the continents and oceans
•Consider other people’s perspectives
•Use Graphic organizers based on essential questions.
•Demonstrate understanding from stories and texts to make connections to how it relates to our life and water accessibility.
•Create a project (student choice of topic related to the essential questions) with rubric.

•How people in other parts of the world get their water
•How their lives are different/similar to our own
•Continents & Oceans
•Regions of the world and their climates
•People around the world have different lives than ours.
•Access to water is different depending on where people live
•People have very different qualities of life

•How does water affect our lives?
•What is the relationship between people and water in other parts of the world?

Local Water Use

•Informal observation of student work
•Assessment of student constructions, writing about unit, and evaluation of methods for solutions
•Participation in class discussions
•One-to-one work with students

•Produce How-To Writing
•Describing processes and cycles
•Research & note taking
•Writing paragraphs

•Clean water is an important way for a community to thrive
•The ways that humans use water
•Where our local drinking water comes from
•What happens to wastewater
•The water cycle
•Oregon's climate
•Watersheds
•How water is a natural resource

•Why do we care about water, where it comes from and where it goes?
•What is the relationship between people and water in the Pacific NW?
•How do our choices of water use impact our community?

Meta-cognition Memory & Attention

•Using the language of the brain physiology and strategies for success
•Making active choices to be more successful
•Using strategies to thoughtfully record thoughts, questions, etc.
•Follow up with student set goals.
•Student self-reflections on their growth.

•Use strategies to learn and remember information
•Think about and talk about their own learning styles and strategies
•Communicate their needs as a learner and work to set goals for learning.
•Cooperate and collaborate with others.
•Learn to make responsible choices that help one to thrive

•What it means to be successful
•What helps us be successful (e.g., in school, friendships, activities, etc.)
•What interferes with being successful
•Stress can interfere with learning
•Growth Mindsets: Intelligence and ability are not fixed, but can change with learning and practice
•Strategies can be used to help store and retrieve information
•Metacognition & self-reflection can help one to be more successful
•Students can use their strengths to build up their areas of challenge
•Effort leads to success
•There is a Zone of Proximal Development and feeling uncomfortable can be a sign that you are growing and learning

•How do we thrive as a learner?
•What does it mean to thrive?

Forest Decision Making

Forest Model Game, in which students makes decisions for their model forest, and respond to new situations.

•Use evidence to defend decisions.
•Describe the needs of a forest.
•Describe how humans use forests.
•Recognize the signs of human impact on forests.
•Participate in the inquiry process including: generating questions, finding answers from a wide array of sources (interviews with, direct experience, and books), sharing knowledge with others.
•Write informative text.

•Oregon’s forests provide basic resources that people use every day.
•Individuals hold different values concerning forests and their use based on their experience and connection with the forest.
•Choices humans make regarding the use of forests affects our ability to sustain forest ecosystems.
•The role forests play in meeting human needs will change over time.
•All decisions have costs and benefits and consequences.
•Decisions regarding forest management are rooted in a combination of values and evidence.
•There is a delicate balance between meeting human needs and the needs of the forest ecosystem.
•Current and some historical ways Oregonians use and protect forests (laws, advocacy, volunteer efforts,education, etc.).
•Challenges forests have faced: fires, over-harvesting, development of population centers, invasive species, and erosion.
•Costs and benefits of different methods of forest management.
•Different harvesting methods and tools.
•Cycle of Timber(“Forest to Shelf”)
•Ways humans use wood products
•Some ways to balance human needs with the needs of a healthy forest ecosystem.

•How do humans and forests affect one another?
•With each decision, what are the costs and benefits to forests and humans?
•How will we impact the use and protection of Oregon’s forests in the future?

Identity

Creation of 4-5 part "Identity Box"

•Discus elements of their own identity.
•Discus similarities and differences between their own identities and those of their peers.

•Who you are is made up of multiple layers (external, family, school community, and internal)
•While it is shaped by the cultures that surround us, you own your identity and it will be unique from others
•Asking about differences of identity is a good thing and there are respectful ways of doing this.
•Vocabulary specific to describing identity.
•Aspects of their own identity as well as the identity of their classmates.

•What makes you who you are?
•What pieces of who you are are evident to strangers, to schoolmates, in your family, and inside of you?
•Where does your identity come from?

Social Justice

•In real-life situations at school students encounter moments of injustice. We observe how they respond to the injustices.
•Completion of an art project representing the changes and actions necessary to turn an injustice into justice

•Listen to and read non-fiction text to gain information
•Record new learning through drawings and writing
•Plan an action to correct a social injustice
•Collaborate with a group of students to accomplish a goal

•Myriad, layered factors lead to social justice—the idea that everyone has the opportunity to lead a full, healthy life.
•Humans create conditions leading to social injustices. These conditions are often based on power and perceptions of scarcity.
•The work for social justice is ongoing and continuous.
•Examples of historical social injustices
•Examples of current social injustices
•Ways people throughout time have worked for social justice
•Examples of social injustices occurring at school
•Ways they can act to promote social justice at school

•What is social justice?
•What causes social injustice?
•How can people work for social justice?

Pacific Northwest Forests

•Give a tour of Catlin’s forest using evidence to explain ecosystem interdependency.
•Defend and revise interaction maps.
•Tell story of adopted tree.
•Attend to interdependency in child-created in forest models.
•Create a non-fiction text.

•Identify animal evidence including tracks, scat, homes, and markings.
•Identify and classify animals of a PNW forest.
•Identify and classify PNW forest trees and flora.
•Create interaction maps of PNW forests.
•Use guide books and dichotomous keys.
•Keep an accurate and easy to understand log.
•Collect quantitative and qualitative data about the forest.
•Map an area of the forest.
•Using C.E.R. (Claim, Evidence,Reasoning) to support scientific thinking.

•An ecosystem is composed of living and non-living parts.
•Environmental changes result from physical and biological forces (erosion, addition and removal of species, etc.). These changes affect the composition and function of an ecosystem.
•Animals that inhabit a PNW forest and their niches (including their place within the food chain).
•Trees and other flora of a PNW forest.
•The characteristics, including habitats, of the different layers of PNW forest.
•Vocabulary:predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, scavenger, decomposer,pollinator, canopy, understory, shrub, flora, fauna, nurse log, evergreen,deciduous.
•The elements of a healthy forest ecosystem.
•The organisms in a healthy forest ecosystem are interdependent.
•Forest ecosystems change over time.
•Valid arguments are grounded in observable evidence.
•Evidence can support multiple viewpoints of an argument.

•What makes a Pacific Northwest Forest?
•How do organisms change a forest ecosystem?
•How do environmental changes affect the organisms in a forest ecosystem?
•In what ways is a forest ecosystem interdependent and self-sustaining?
•What evidence supports an argument?
•What makes a healthy forest? (according to various stakeholders)

Multiple Intelligences

•Complete a brain stretch project. Students articulate how they will use their strengths to work to complete their brain stretch. During the project, students act as both mentor and mentee.
•Prepare a tri-fold board and oral presentation for the Brain Fest Symposium.

•Describe the 8 different intelligences.
•Use strengths to improve growth areas.
•Use their own strengths to mentor someone else.
•
Listen to stories about intelligences, and record the pertinent information in inquiry notebooks.
•Utilize intelligences of oneself and others to work effectively as a member of a group.
•Design, maintain, and reflect upon stretch projects.

•Humans have many different intelligences
•To varying degrees, every person has all of the intelligences.
•People can excel at some aspects of an intelligence, but not at other aspects.
•Intelligence is not fixed; people can use intelligences to improve brain stretches.
•People use creative thinking, organization, and problem solving in all of the intelligences.
•People in Portland utilizing their intelligences to ‘Be a hummingbird’ for the sake of their community.
•Their own intelligences/stretches.

•How do I use the intelligences individually and in combination with one another?
•What mix of intelligences do I have today?
•How can I use my intelligences to improve brain stretches?
•How can I use my intelligences to improve my learning?
•How will understanding my intelligences help me ‘be a hummingbird’?

Neuroscience

•Create a product or presentation to teach others what is meant by, "The neurons that fire together wire together".
•Prepare tri-fold board and oral presentation for the Brain Fest Symposium.
•Draw a diagram of the brain showing how learning happens.

•Strategies for moving knowledge from working memory to long-term memory and strategies for retrieving knowledge from long-term memory.
•Create and draw brain models, and identify the three main portions of the brain
•Create and draw neuron models, and identify the cell body, dendrites, and axon.
•Document their thinking/learning in their inquiry notebooks.
•Compile and utilize an "emotional toolkit."

•Learning only happens in the cerebral cortex. If you become upset, you downshift to the emotional brain; if you feel you are in danger you downshift to the reptilian brain.
•Learning happens when neural pathways are established. Extended practice creates stronger pathways. Neurons that fire together wire together
•Intelligence is not fixed. You can control how smart you become.
•Memory is made of working, short term, and long term memories; each plays an important role in learning.
•The brain is the control center of the body. it is made of cells called neurons.
•The brain consists of three main parts: Brain Stem, Cerebellum, and Cerebrum.
•Three different parts of the brain work together to act like one brain. The reptilian brain runs body functions and helps the body survive. The Limbic area controls emotions. The cerebral cortex is where learning occurs.
•Neurons have a cell body, dendrites, and an axon. They communicate with other neurons to corm connection. The messages jump across gaps called synapses.

•How can you prevent downshifting when learning?
•How can you create strong neural pathways in your brain?
•What can you do to become smarter?

Assessments

CLASSROOM COMMUNITY
•Classroom participation
•Visual representations (ex. model of self)
•Written projects
•Individual interview

FAMILY
•Build a family and a home using research-based decisions.
•Include “what you can tell by looking”, based on artifacts, layout, people and roles, and “what you can’t tell by looking”
•Answer pre- and post-questions: What makes a family?

FOOD
•Assess change in student food choices as part of an adult-created buffet luncheon (pre/post)
•Design a habitat for mystery creature
•Grow a transplant for your home or the school garden

CLASSROOM COMMUNITY
•Describe and utilize affinities, strengths and challenges to maximize one's learning
•Utilize classroom environment to meet one's own needs
•Increase one's understanding of others through observation and questioning
•Describe what one knows and needs to learn about one's classmates
•Recognize and develop strategies for controlling one's own level/quality of attention

FAMILY
•Name the basic needs of humans.
•Define needs and wants.
•Describe how families are formed.
•Identify multiple family structures.
•Name roles people play in families.
•Explore examples of family culture – including physical and intangible manifestations of culture.
•Identify examples of how one's own family has influenced who one is becoming.
•Identify examples of how families other than one's own influence who one is becoming.
•Conduct interviews.
•Record new knowledge.
•Make research-based decisions,
using photographs and artifacts to gain information.
•Take the perspective of different family members and their roles.

FOOD
•Conduct interviews
•Use direct experience, print resources (brochures, maps, books, magazines) and film to get information
•Record new knowledge
•Make research-based decisions
•Analyze cost vs. benefit
•Map a place where food is produced
•Classify animals into mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish
•Classify plants into flowering and non-flowering
•Identify body parts and infer how these help plants or animals survive
•Match, compare and contrast parents with their offspring
•Compare and contrast members of differing and like species
•Take the perspective of differing groups and their relationship to food

CLASSROOM COMMUNITY
•People can learn about their own affinities, strengths and challenges through self-reflection.
•People can learn about others by knowing their affinities, strengths and challenges.
•A community is interdependent and affected by the strengths and challenges of all of its members.
•Parts of our brain work to help us pay attention.
•One can change how one's own brain focuses and attends.
•People engaged in the same experience may have different memories and feelings associated with that experience.

FAMILY
•people have basic needs and wants, which can be met through membership in a family.
•people play different roles in order to meet basic needs and wants.
•families have their own culture (ways of being) and family culture is similar and different across families.
•some aspects of who one is are chosen, others are not.

FOOD
•People can use their five sense to "try" foods in different ways.
•Foods can be prepared in different ways: raw, cooked, preserved. dehydrated, canned, pickled/fermented
•Food beliefs, preparation and practices vary among groups.
•Geographic factors (weather, access to water) affect what people eat, where food comes from: farms, family, gardens, community gardens, supermarkets, farmers markets, restaurants, natural sources.
•There are differing ways to grow food: farming tools and practices; hand tools vs. machines
•Different parts of plants and animals are used for food and other purposes. Plants and animals are classified in different ways.
•Plants and animals use different adaptations to help them survive and grow. These can vary within species.
•Parents and their offspring are the same and different. Parents help their young survive in different ways.

CLASSROOM COMMUNITY
•How do my strengths and challenges impact the classroom community?
•What do classroom community members do?
•How can I use my understanding of my brain to improve my focus and attention?

FAMILY
•How is courage demonstrated in a family? (Kid language: How are people courageous as members of a family?)
•What makes a family?
•How does my family shape who I am becoming?
•How do people’s families shape who they are becoming?
•What can you tell about a family just by looking at them? And what can’t you tell?

FOOD
•What are the ways plants and animals take care of us and how do we take care of them?
•How do people interact with plants and animals?
•What strategies do plants and animals use to survive and grow?
•How do my food choices make me feel?
•How can courage help us take care of ourselves and our world?

Grade 5: Responsible Decision-Making

Students will live in concert with their values and do so with honesty, confidence and courage. They will explore their core beliefs throughout their lives, test and revise the

Grade 4: Relationship Skills

In 4th grade, students focus on developing empathy through connection and understanding multiple perspectives. Students are learning to enter interactions with others openly and honestly. When conflicts arise, students practice using resolution skills to truly move beyond problems and to strengthen relationships.

Grade 3: Social Awareness

Third graders focus on learning to thrive as individuals, and as a community. Focusing on social awareness can help students to thrive throughout their day and across campus, by learning how to help themselves and others thrive. The students learn about their role in their community, thinking about themselves in relation to others and how their actions have impacts on others. Understanding one’s own needs and others’ needs, students can better empathize, relate, and problem solve (e.g., conflict resolution).

Grade 2: Self-Manaagement

We see self-management as the ability to recognize our emotions and use patience to respond to those emotions in self-supportive ways. We use the phrase "put your brave in front" in reference to managing conflict and challenge with confidence and resolve. We support students in setting goals in order to stretch and grow. We also encourage them to persevere in the face of challenge or setback. Finally, we coach students to see how this individual work supports the greater goals of our classroom, school, and global communities.

Grade 1: Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is an important skill for all humans to have. In first grade, we increase self-awareness by identifying feelings and the mind-body connection. We practice and apply an array of self-regulation strategies, ways to express emotions appropriately and reflective practices about social-emotional growth.

Science

The Lower School Science Curriculum Philosophy and Overview

The Lower School science program’s experiential approach cultivates a sense of wonder and inquiry. A primary goal is for students to understand, appreciate, and become stewards of the natural world. In this way, students may better understand the various roles humans play in local and global communities.

To fully understand the process of science, students practice the actual skills and behaviors of being a scientist. We focus on asking questions, making observations, planning and carrying out investigations, interpreting results, and sharing information. Students work collaboratively to formulate scientific arguments and explanations through direct experiences. In younger grades, students practice asking testable questions, designing and conducting group inquiries, and engaging in scientific discussions. By 5th grade, students are prepared to develop their own independent scientific investigation.

Grade-specific courses of study focus on building understanding of scientific phenomena that tie directly to the students’ experiences. We strive to understand both the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of the world around us. Students do this through a variety of ways, including direct experience, modeling, and research.

Energy in the Physical World

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Angry Birds catapult/structure design & explanation
•Shoebox room
•Group community design

•Ask questions that can be investigated and predict outcomes based on patterns
•Make observations and collect data to construct an explanation based on evidence
•Apply scientific ideas to solve design problems
•Compare and contrast informational texts with results from investigations

•Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light or heat -- when objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another
•The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses
•Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light or electric currents
•“Producing energy” refers to the conversion of stored energy into a desired form for practical use
•Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources – their use affects the environment in multiple ways

•What is energy?
•How does energy transform and transfer?
•How do we get the energy we need? How does this affect the environment?

Independent Inquiry

•Demonstration of skills & understanding during discussions
•Checkpoints
•Lab notebook
•Final presentation (paper or poster)

•Work independently to design an investigation that answers a testable question
•Develop measurement and record keeping protocol
•Summarize, analyze and share results

•Scientists sometimes answer their questions through experimentation and research
•The scientific process is dynamic – scientists continually review and revise their work
•Scientists share and critique their work with others
•Identifying variables helps scientists design a fair test
•Different variables affect the results of an experiment, sometimes in surprising ways

•How do scientists answer their questions?
•What makes a good experimental design?

Matter & Energy in Ecosystems

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Decomposition model and explanation
•Ecosystem models (estuary, forest, pond, beach, etc.)

•Develop a model to describe a scientific process or phenomena
•Measure and analyze quantities of area and/or volume
•Compare and contrast informational texts with results from investigations
•Support an argument with evidence, data and/or a model

•An ecosystem is a biological community of organisms and their physical environment
•Food provides animals with the materials they need for growth
•Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water
•Matter cycles between the air and soil and among organisms
•Earth’s major systems are the geosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere – these systems interact in multiple ways
•Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have major effects on these systems
•The ultimate source of energy is the sun – this energy is captured by plants and converted to food energy
•Organisms are classified as producers, consumers and decomposers
•A healthy ecosystem is relatively stable – newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem

•How do ecosystems function?
•What is the effect of change on an ecosystem?

Space & Technology

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Rocket design and data analysis

•Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns that indicate relationships
•Support an argument with evidence, data, or a model
•Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints

•Orbits and rotations of the Earth and Moon cause observable patterns in the sky
•The Sun is a star that appears larger and brighter to Earth because it is closer than other stars – the sun emits radiation that produces visible light, ultraviolet rays, etc.
•Gravity is a force that pulls objects towards Earth
•Waves are regular patterns of motion
•Scientific theories are based on empirical evidence, but may be changed in light of new evidence

•What is an accurate model of the universe?
•How and why do we travel across space?
•How does the engineering design process help a team reach a common goal?

Structure & Properties of Matter

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Mystery powders argumentation

•Develop a model to describe phenomena
•Conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as basis for evidence
•Develop a fair test considering number of trials and variables
•Construct an argument using evidence

•Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles too small to be seen - models can help support and explain this idea
•Measurements of different properties can be used to identify materials
•When two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed (chemical reaction vs physical reaction)
•Matter is conserved despite chemical reactions or the creation of new substances

•How does matter change?
•How are properties used to classify substances?

Landforms & Earth Processes

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Hazard solution
•Landforms project

•Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as evidence
•Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning
•Identify the evidence that supports an explanation and its social biases
•Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the design criteria and constraints

•Local, regional and global geological patterns indicate changes over time, some gradual and some not - these patterns can help us predict natural disasters that may affect humans
•Rainfall helps to shape the land, which in turn affects the types of organisms that live there
•Water, ice, wind, living organisms and gravity break rocks, soils and sediments into smaller pieces
•Maps are a useful tool for locating different land and water feature areas on Earth
•Although humans cannot eliminate natural hazards, they can take steps to reduce their impacts
•Science is a social endeavor – evidence is not always accepted or rejected on merit alone

•How does the Earth’s surface change?
•How can humans protect themselves from natural Earth processes?
•How can we understand events we have not witnessed?

Evolution of Life

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries

•Ask questions that can be investigated based on patterns
•Use models to test interactions concerning the functioning of a natural system
•Obtain and combine information from reliable media to explain phenomena
•Construct an argument with evidence, data, and models

•Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there
•When the environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move out, some move in, and some die
•For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all
•Fossils provide evidence of past organisms and the environment that they live in

•How has life on Earth changed over time?
•What can we learn from living things that no longer exist or those that have existed for a long time?

Magnetism and Engineering

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Maglev train design

•Ask questions that can be investigated based on patterns
•Define a problem that can be solved through the development of a new idea or piece of technology
•Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data that serves as basis for evidence
•Use fair tests (control variables & consider number of trials)
•Make observations and collect measurements
•Analyze data to support an argument that a solution works as intended

•Forces have both a strength and direction when acting on an object
•An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it
•The patterns of an object’s motion can be observed and measured – when the past motion exhibits regular patterns, its future motion can be predicted
•Magnetic forces between objects do not require that the objects be in contact - the size of the force depends on the properties of the objects, their distances apart, and orientation relative to each other
•Engineering is a field of science where designers solve problems, sometimes by developing technology

•How do equal and unequal forces affect an object?
•How can engineering help solve problems?

Environmental Change & Living Things

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Salmon board game project

•Develop models of natural phenomena
•Use evidence to support an explanation
•Observe and collect data on changes in environment and organism development
•Analyze and interpret data

•When the environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move out, some move in, and some die
•Being part of a group is one way animals survive
•Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism
•Organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information or the environment has affected their traits
•Sometimes differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing
•Organisms have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior and reproduction
•Different sense receptors are specialized for particular kinds of information

•What happens to living things when their environment changes?
•What makes a healthy watershed?

Weathering & Erosion

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Erosion prevention design

•Develop a model to represent patterns in the natural world
•Use evidence from observations or research to support a scientific argument
•Compare multiple solutions to a problem

•Some land changes happen very quickly, and others very slowly
•Wind, water, and organisms can change the shape of the land
•Maps show different shapes and kinds of land and water and where they are located
•Land and bodies of water affect each other’s shape

•How does land change?

Force & Motion

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Rube Goldberg machine design

•Ask questions that can be investigated based on patterns
•Collaboratively plan and conduct an investigation using fair tests to produce data to help answer a question
•Collect measurements to produce data to serve as evidence
•Analyze data from tests of a design to see if it works as intended

•Pushing or pulling an object can change the speed or direction of its motion and can start or stop it – a bigger push or pull makes things go faster
•Force has both a strength and direction on an object
•Gravity is a force that pulls an object toward the center of Earth

•What makes it move?

Natural Evidence & Forests

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Independent journal entries
•Interaction map
•Tree story
•Forest Models

•Make verbal, written, and drawn observations to collect data
•Sort data based on observable characteristics and compare and contrast classification strategies
•Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to help answer a question
•Use evidence from observations or research to support a scientific argument
•Make observations firsthand or from media to construct an explanation based on evidence
•Develop a model to represent patterns in the natural world

•Scientists answer their questions through observation, research, and experimentation
•Living things are classified using a variety of observable characteristics and behaviors
•Living things needs (food, water, shelter, etc) are met through their habitat – quantity and quality of these needs vary among species
•The ability of an ecosystem to meet the needs of the living things that live there affects their ability to survive and reproduce

•How do living things interact with each other and their habitat?
•How are animals and plants classified?

Plant & Animal Survival

•Demonstration of skills & understanding during discussions and investigations
•Journal entries
•Is it alive? bulletin board
•Seed Design
•Mini-beast design

•Work collaboratively to plan and carry out an investigation that provides evidence to answer a question
•Make observations to construct an explanation based on evidence
•Use tools and materials to design a device that solves a problem
•Read and use other media to obtain information on patterns

•Living things share defining characteristics
•Plants and animals have external parts that help them survive and grow
•Plants and animals reproduce and use different strategies to help their offspring survive
•Plants and animals sense and respond to their environment
•Individuals of the same plant or animal group can vary, even if they are related

•How do plants and animals survive and grow?
•How do we know if something is living?

Light & Sound

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and investigations
•Journal entries
•Sound and light argument posters
•Design of a device that uses light or sound to communicate over a distance

•Sound can make matter vibrate and vibrating matter can make sound
•Objects can only be seen when light is available to illuminate them
•Some objects produce their own light
•Materials vary in their ability to block light -- when light is blocked, a shadow is created
•Most materials reflect light to some degree
•People use a variety of devices to communicate over long distances
•The patterns of the sun and moon can be observed, described and predicted

•What does sound do?
•What does light do?

Materials and their Properties

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions and labs
•Journal pages
•Classification of a mystery substance (Oobleck)

•Work collaboratively to plan and carry out an investigation that provides evidence to answer a question
•Make observations to construct an explanation based on evidence

•Matter is all around us
•Matter can be classified and described by observable properties
•Matter can change states (such as by heating/cooling,change in pressure) -- some of these changes are reversible, some are not
•Many objects are made up of smaller pieces

•How do we classify things around us?
•How does matter change?

Naturalist Studies

•Demonstration of skills and understanding during discussions, labs, and field studies
•Journal pages

•Make observations using multiple senses
•Use tools (binoculars, microscopes, magnifying glasses) to expand observations
•Record observations using writing and drawing
•Use collected observations to describe patterns

•Scientists use different skills and tools to make and record observations
•Observations are made using our five senses and inferences are based on our observations

•How do scientists learn about the world around them?

An effective literacy program offers a balance of challenge and support while building children’s confidence in their emerging abilities as readers and writers. Our goal is to develop fluent, capable readers who enjoy the process and learn from it, drawing from a diverse array of literature. We view reading and writing as a developmental process and understand that a child’s progress is seldom even or linear. It is common, for example, that a student’s leap ahead in learning is followed by a consolidating phase or an apparent plateau. We also find that students cannot be easily placed in a single category along the learning continuum. Rather, students often exhibit a range of skills and understandings.

While no two developmental journeys are identical, the following reading continuum describes the basic path to literacy in the Beginning and Lower Schools.

Reader's Workshop
Reader's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in reading. Reader's Workshop focuses on the teaching of reading comprehension strategies. The purpose of Reader's Workshop is to foster independence, reflection, and analysis among readers.

In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of reading comprehension, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with small groups of kids, allowing time for students to practice the skills independently. Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Read Aloud
Here, the teacher reads picture books, poetry and literature to the children daily. Text typically may be above their instructional reading levels and their independent reading levels. Text may also be thematically linked to our content, schoolwide themes, or current events. This provides a rich context in which children can experience more complex language and stories. These books are often a stimulus for thought provoking conversations, exploration of global issues, and/or entry points to lesser explored genres. Great literature and storytelling draw in fifth graders, collectively influencing them positively.

Guided Reading
In guided reading groups, the teacher provides support so that children can read books with an appropriate amount of challenge. Books are considered to be at an instructional level in guided reading group if a child can fluently and independently read at least 90% of the words. Children will be working in small groups with the teacher. We place children in flexible groups according to their choices, ability and personal interests. Groups change throughout the year depending on the needs of the students. The children in each group are guided through a reading selection together as a group, and then independently. Children will be involved in vocabulary enrichment, predicting, open-ended questioning, visualizing, synthesizing, summarizing, and making connections within the text. Students practice the strategies they will need in order to become comprehensive readers. The goals for each child will change as his/her reading level changes.

Independent Reading
Lastly children read independently outside the classroom. We guide them to select “Just Right” books across multiple genres. This is typically a years-long process of working with children to make choices of books that are just right for them, this is done in tandem with our librarians. Children compile personal “Just Right” book lists that are of interest to them, across genres, choosing from and adapting their lists throughout the year. We expect, and inspire, students to read independently daily.

Literature Circles
Literature Circles are discussion based groups in which children meet regularly to talk, think and reflect on what they read. Small groups are determined by book choices in collaboration with students. Book groups are genre, topic, or theme based. They are small and heterogeneous, allowing for differentiated learning. Students lead discussions and practice reading comprehension skills independently within the group; they make relevant predictions, pose open-ended questions for the group, provide possible answers to those questions, define new vocabulary, make connections within the text, summarize passages, and synthesize text. The whole class may read one book in common, groups of students may read different titles, or individuals may read different books connected by a theme or genre and meet together to discuss. Our goal is to help students gain a deeper understanding of what they read, by thinking abstractly, reading between the lines, and considering multiple perspectives.

Reading Workshop
Reading workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in reading. Reading workshop focuses on the teaching of reading strategies. The purpose of reading workshop is to foster independence among readers.
In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of reading, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with groups of kids, and time for students to practice the skills independently.

Read Aloud
Here, the teacher reads both picture books and chapter books to the children daily. Text may be above their instructional reading levels and their independent reading levels. Text may also be thematically linked to our content or current events. This provides a rich context in which children can experience more complex language and stories. Sometimes we will be reading great literature and other times we might introduce a series that eventually children will be able to read on their own. These books are often a stimulus for writing as well. Great literature and storytelling influences fourth graders very positively; just like it does for you and me.

Partner Reading
Peers will read the same book, aloud or silently, while applying structured reading strategies demonstrating to one another how to read and think about a book. Readers hear the language of stories, creating a warm and positive, mutually supportive atmosphere. Children learn fluency at the same time that they are learning to love books and poetry.

Guided Reading
In guided reading groups, the teacher provides support so that children can read books with a small amount of challenge. Books are considered to be at an instructional level in guided reading group if a child can successfully and independently read at least 90% of the words. Children will be working in small groups with the teacher. We place children in flexible groups according to their ability and personal interests.

Groups may change throughout the year depending on the needs of the students. The children in each group are guided through a reading selection together as a group and then independently.

Children will be involved in vocabulary enrichment, predicting, open-ended questioning, visualizing, summarizing, and making connections within the text. Students practice the strategies they will need in order to become comprehensive readers. The goals for each child will change as his/her reading level changes.

Independent Reading
Lastly, we will provide time for children to read independently and will guide them to select “just right” books across genres. This is typically a years-long process of working with children to make choices of books that are just right for them. We teach the children that this means that the text is not too hard that it causes frustration and not too easy that it presents zero challenge, but rather right in the middle (think "Matilda" and "Trumpet of the Swan"). “Just Right” books give the right balance of confidence and practice to promote the continuation of one’s desire to read along with acquiring the necessary skills and vocabulary to move forward in this pursuit.

Literature Circles
Our Literature Circles are discussion groups in which children meet regularly to talk about books. Groups are determined by book choices which are genre or theme based. They are heterogeneous and include a range of interests and abilities. Students take on roles in the group; they may pick a favorite passage to share, raise questions for the group, find new vocabulary, talk about literary elements, etc. A whole class may read one book in common, or groups of students may read different titles connected by a theme, genre, or author. Our goal is to help students gain a deeper understanding of how to think and talk deeply about books.

Seeing Reading Continuum Above

Reader's Workshop
Reader's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in reading. Reader's Workshop focuses on the teaching of reading strategies. The purpose of Reader's Workshop is to foster independence among readers. In the classroom this looks like a mini-lesson devoted to one aspect of reading, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with small groups of kids. There is also time for students to practice the skills independently.

Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Read Aloud
During read alouds in the classroom, a variety of books are chosen, such as chapter books, picture books, non-fiction texts, poetry, etc. One of the primary goals of the read alouds is to provide modeling of fluent and expressive reading while allowing the students to access texts that they are not yet able to read independently. The teacher is able to model thinking and comprehension strategies while the students are able to contribute their thinking about the text and practice reading comprehension strategies.

Shared Reading
Shared reading is used as a tool to practice reading fluency. Partners might share a poem for two voices, or a small group may share a text for a reader's theater activity in which the students take on character roles and practice reading with fluency and expression.

Guided Reading
Guided reading brings together a small group of students who are similar enough in their reading development that they can be taught together for a period of time. A particular text is selected that provides opportunities for them to expand their processing powers. Students will work on reading comprehension strategies as well as working with words (e.g., contractions, syllables, proper nouns, etc.). Short texts are often chosen to provide multiple text experiences, and longer chapter books that relate to social studies content may also be used to integrate different aspects of the curriculum.

Independent Reading
Independent reading is an opportunity for students to develop and practice habits of effective readers. Students learn to exercise choice as readers. Through authentic experience, they develop favorite books, types of books, genres, topics, and authors. Students also work on the habit of spending time reading. Students are expected to read on a daily basis. Students are learning to choose books that are “just right,” meaning they are at an independent reading level and are of interest to the reader. Students may be introduced to books by book talks given by the teacher, learn about books shared by other students, and may have books assigned to them by the teacher to help them expand their reading experiences. During independent reading time, the teacher is available to confer with individuals or teach small reading groups.

Literature Circles
Literature circles are an opportunity for students to share their thinking about a book. During discussions, students develop their own thinking about books while sharing and listening to others’ thinking. Students read with specific questions to think about the content, the author's message, or particular features of an author’s writing. Students develop skills to help them think more deeply about texts. Additionally, they learn how to think beyond the text itself. They search for evidence within the text to back up their ideas and answers. Discussions are rich opportunities to learn more about books from many different perspectives.

Reading Conferences
Reading conferences allow the teacher to gain information about each student’s comprehension, reading strategies, and fluency, which then informs instruction. During a reading conference, the teacher will listen to the student read orally and have a brief conversation about the book. At the beginning of the year, conferences will include an assessment to determine independent and instructional reading levels for guided reading groups and for helping students select books to read independently.

Reader's Notebooks
Third graders record notes and thoughts about reading, and make personal connections with facts, characters and situations in literature.

Vocabulary
Third graders find words to learn in their reading. They use dictionaries and thesauruses and create a collection of words and their definitions, including parts of speech.

Reader's Workshop
Reader's workshop emphasizes the building of authentic and life long habits, strategies and tools. There is a strong focus on the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in reading. Reader's Workshop focuses on the teaching of reading strategies. The purpose of Reader's Workshop is to foster independence among readers.
In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of reading, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with groups of kids, and time for students to practice the skills independently.
Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Read Aloud
Second grade is an exciting year of school because the children are at a point where they can bring together all of their reading skills from first grade. Children no longer have to put all of their energy into learning to read words (decoding), instead they are able to concentrate on meaning making. As children are reading more complex texts we put an emphasis on “Reading is Thinking.” Children learn how to capitalize on thinking strategies to improve their reading comprehension. We use read-alouds as a way to practice the following thinking strategies: Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing and Using Sensory Images, Inferring, Determining Importance, and Synthesizing.

Shared Reading
Shared reading happens occasionally in second grade wherein the reading practice and responsibility is shared between the teacher and students. We use this as a time to practice and model reading fluency skills including pace, phrasing, and intonation. This allows for the rereading of familiar texts to promote the connection between reading fluency and reading comprehension.

Guided Reading
Guided reading groups are small groups formed around commonalities amongst various student needs and readiness. Guided reading groups are less than 6 students at a time meeting with a teacher for direct instruction. This process allows for a high degree of differentiation and individualized instruction focusing on decoding and comprehension strategies. Throughout the year the groups are flexibly formed and change depending on growth and development as well as the teaching point required by the unit at hand.

Independent Reading
Independent reading is crucial to the practice of comprehension strategies. Since the mental energy is beginning to shift from decoding to comprehension strategies, the children are able to sustain reading of longer texts for up to 20-30 minutes at a stretch. Students are always working on tracking their thinking while reading a Just Right Book. Books are sometimes selected by a teacher but are often chosen independently by the students. This is also an opportunity for students to practice comprehension strategies by responding to their reading in writing. Children are often engaged in independent reading while teachers are meeting with other Guided Reading groups fostering self-direction.

Reading Conferences
In this practice, students are meeting with a teacher one-on-one with their independent reading books. This is an opportunity for highly individualized instruction and assessment of a student's progress. This is a rich opportunity to discuss metacognition strategies and the language of thinking about one's thinking. During this time students work to improve their metacognition skills by learning how to make their thinking visible (through reading responses), identifying when meaning is breaking down, and honing their ability to select a strategy to fix-up the break down in meaning. Students will become more reflective readers as they work to ensure they are reading across a variety of genres and improve their ability to set literacy goals.

Reader's Workshop
Reader's workshop emphasizes the importance of student engagement and the interaction between readers and text. It provides differentiated instruction in reading. Reader's Workshop focuses on the teaching of reading strategies. The purpose of Reader's Workshop is to foster independence among readers.
In the classroom this looks like a mini lesson devoted to one aspect of reading, followed by guided practice where the teacher works with groups of kids, and time for students to practice the skills independently.
Specific components of this grade level are described below.

Read Aloud
Here, the teacher reads picture books and chapter books to the children that may be above their instructional reading levels and their independent reading level. This provides a rich context in which children can experience more complex language and stories. Sometimes we will be reading great literature and other times we might introduce a series that eventually children will be able to read on their own. These books are often a stimulus for writing as well. Great literature influences first graders very positively; just like it does for you and me.

Shared Reading
Teachers will read picture books and big books aloud with the children while structuring discussions and demonstrations on how to read and think about a book. Here, the teacher often points to each word and frequently children are encouraged to join in. They hear the language of stories during which we create a warm and positive atmosphere. Children learn to recognize words at the same time they are learning to love books and poetry.

Guided Reading
In guided reading groups, the teacher provides support so that children can read books with a small amount of challenge. Books are considered to be at an instructional level in guided reading group if a child can successfully and independently read at least 90% of the words. Children will be working in small groups with the teacher. We place children in flexible groups according to their ability and personal interests. Groups may change throughout the year depending on the needs of the students. The children in each group are guided through a reading selection together as a group and then independently. Children will be involved in word study and learn and practice the strategies they will need in order to become independent readers. The goals for each child will change as his/her reading level changes.

Independent Reading
We provide time for children to read independently and will guide them to select “Just Right” books. This is typically a years-long process of working with children to make choices of books that are just right for them. We teach the children that this means that the text is not too hard that it causes frustration and not too easy that it presents zero challenge, but rather right in the middle (think Goldilocks!). “Just Right” books give the right balance of confidence and practice to promote the continuation of one’s desire to read along with acquiring the necessary skills and vocabulary to move forward in this pursuit.

Reading Conferences
Individual reading conferences are a time when students sit one-on-one with teachers to discuss their "just right" book choices, reading preferences and reading habits. It is also an opportunity for both formal and informal assessment of students reading levels with regard to both decoding (figuring the words out) and comprehension (understanding).

See Reading Continuum Above

Fluent (ages 9-12)

•Reads challenging children's literature
•Selects, reads, and finishes a wide variety of genres
•Begins to develop strategies and criteria for selecting reading materials
•Read aloud with fluency, expression, and confidence
•Reads silently for extended periods of time (30-40 min)
•Begins to use resources and text features to locate information and build vocabulary
•Generates thoughtful oral and written responses in small group literature discussions
•Begins to use new vocabulary in different subjects and in oral and written responses to literature
•Begins to gain deeper meaning by using inferences
•Begins to set goals and identifies strategies to improve reading

•Uses a range of strategies automatically when constructing meaning from text:
•self-corrects
•re-reads
•slows down
•Reads and comprehends text that is abstract and removed from personal experience
•Makes inferences based on implicit information drawn from a text and can provide justification for these inferences
•Returns purposefully to make connections between widely separated sections of a text
•Uses word identification strategies appropriately and automatically when encountering an unknown word:
•knowledge of sound-symbol relationships
•knowledge of word patterns
•knowledge of word derivations, prefixes,
suffixes and syllabification

•How do I make critical comparisons between texts?
•How does perspective impact the interpretation of text?
•How can I challenge texts, drawing on evidence from my own experiences?
•How do I gain enjoyment through reading?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

Bridging (age 9-11)

•Reads medium level chapter books
•Chooses reading materials at appropriate level.
•Expands knowledge of different genres (realistic fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy)
•Reads aloud with expression.
•Uses resources (encyclopedia, nonfiction texts, internet) to locate and sort information as well as increase vocabulary.
•Gathers information by using text features
•Demonstrates understanding of the difference between fact and opinion
•Follows multi-step written directions independently
•Discusses setting, plot, characters, and point of view with guidance
•Follows multi-step written instructions
•Responds to issues and ideas in lit
•Makes connections to other authors, books, and perspectives
•Participates in small group lit discussions
•Uses reasons and examples to support ideas and opinions

•Efficiently uses most of the following strategies for constructing meaning:
•makes predictions and is able to
substantiate them
•self-corrects when reading
•re-reads to clarify meaning
•reads-on when encountering a difficult
text
•slows down when reading difficult texts
•substitutes familiar words
•uses knowledge of print conventions
•Makes meaningful substitutions, such as: when reading cool drink, they read cold drink
•Discusses and examines the purposes of different text structures, such as: reports, procedures, biographies, narratives, advertisements, and documentaries
•Uses an increasing bank of sight words, including some difficult and subject-specific words, such as: immigration, experiment, colonial, indentured
•Uses knowledge of common letter patterns to decode words, such as: tion, scious, ough
•Uses prefixes, suffixes, and syllabification to understand the meaning of words

•Is reading purposeful and automatic?
•How do I gain enjoyment through reading?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

Expanding (ages 7-9)

•Reads easy chapter books
•Chooses, reads, and finishes a variety of materials at appropriate level with guidance
•Begins to read aloud with fluency
•Reads silently for increasingly longer periods (15-30 minutes)
•Uses reading strategies appropriately, depending on the text and purposes
•Uses word structure cues (root words, prefixes, suffixes, etc) when encountering unknown words
•Increases vocabulary by using meaning cues (context)
•Self-Corrects for meaning
•Follows written instructions
•Summarizes and retells story events in order
•Responds to and makes personal connections with facts, characters, and situations in literature
•Compares/contrasts characters and story events
•Begins to use inferential thinking
•Identifies own reading strategies and sets goals with guidance

•Shows an ability to construct meaning by integrating knowledge of:
•text structure (such as: letter, narrative,
report, recount, procedure)
•text organization: (such as: paragraphs,
chapters, introduction, conclusion,
contents, page, index)
•language features (such as: descriptive
language connectives such as because,
therefore, if...then)
•subject specific language (such as: the
language of reporting in science and the
language of a journalistic report)
•Can retell and discuss texts by providing information relating to plot and character, including a main idea and supporting details
•Recognizes generalizations in texts, such as: a mother looking after her children at home, a prince rescuing a maiden from her evil stepmother, and discusses their implications
•Selects appropriate material and adjusts reading strategies for different texts and different purposes, such as: skimming to locate specific information
•Is becoming efficient in the use of the following word identification strategies for constructing meaning:
•sounds-out to decode words
•uses initial letters as a cue to decoding
•uses known parts of words to make
•sense of the whole word
•uses blending to decode words

•How do I respond critically to what we read?
•How do I use various reading strategies to comprehend different genres?
•How do I choose texts at my own reading level?
•How do I gain enjoyment through reading?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

•Relies heavily on beginning letters and sounding out for word identification
•Reads on her own for short periods of time
Chooses their own reading materials, with guidance
•Uses context clues, illustrations, and phonics skills to figure out the meaning of words
•Identifies simple patterns, such as a main idea and a beginning, middle, and end
•Recognizes that books can be shared and talked about with others
•Identifies the title and author of each book
•Books are written for the enjoyment of an audience
•Relies heavily on beginning letters and sounding out for word identification (graphophonic strategy)

Physical activity is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Lower School students have PE class 3-4 times a week. We foster fitness, motor skill development, coordination, and sportsmanship. In the early years of Lower School we work on balance, rhythm, ball handling, throwing, and correcting movement errors. As children mature, we introduce a variety of competitive and non-competitive activities including various team sports and movement experiences. Competition is kept in check to ensure that students of all skill levels are encouraged by each other and everyone is reaching for their personal best.

Romantic Love, Healthy Relationships, Personal Values and Decision-Making

Students will be able to use their learning to:

Develop and maintain meaningful relationships
Avoid exploitative, manipulative, or otherwise unhealthy relationships
Express love an intimacy in appropriate ways
Identify core personal values about relationship
Use values as a starting place for making difficult decisions

Students will be able to use their learning to:

Express love and intimacy in appropriate ways
Develop and maintain meaningful relationships
Avoid exploitative, manipulative, or otherwise unhealthy relationships
Exhibit skills that enhance personal relationships

Students will know....

The relationship between personal values and integrity
The characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships
The differences between crushes, liking someone, and being in love

Students will be skilled at....

Evaluate decisions using their personal values
Use assertive language to refuse unwelcome or unhealthy

behavior

Students will understand that:

Individual’s have supreme rights over their own bodies
Developing healthy relationships requires the acquisition and practice of many social skills
Values differ from person to person, from family to family, from religion to religion, from culture to culture
Personal values are the best guide for decision-making

What are personal values?
How are values formed?
What is integrity?
What are the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships?
How do I make safe and healthy choices?

Gender, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

Students will be able to use their learning to:

Differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity
Interact with all genders in respectful or appropriate ways
Affirm one's own gender identities and respect the gender identities of others
Affirm one's own sexual orientation and respect the sexual orientation of others

Students will know:

The difference between gender and sexuality
The term gender and sexual diversity (GSD) and what it signifies

Students will be skilled at:

Using relevant language to discuss GSD

Gender identity sexual orientation/identity are distinct from one another
One's biological sex may not align with one's gender identity
Expression of these identifiers and the ways that they intersect vary widely from person to person
Widely-used, binary male-female construction does not accurately represent how many define their own gender identity
That gender identity is determined by the individual and may change multiple times over the course of one's lifetime

How does gender and identity development (GSD) unfold?
What is gender?
What is sexual orientation/identity?
Why do people feel so strongly about the concept of gender?
How can our understanding of gender expand to include the nuances of individual gender identity?

Students will be able to use their learning to:

Appreciate one's own body
Identify normal body changes associated with puberty
Maintain physical hygiene
Affirm that human development includes sexual development, which mayor may not include sexual experience or reproduction
Seek further information about reproduction as needed

Students will understand that:

Puberty marks the body's preparation for reproduction and adult independence
There is a wide range of normal with regard to when puberty begins and ends for humans, and with regard to how it unfolds
Puberty results in significant physical, emotional, and cognitive growth

Concussions

Concussion test for Catlin Gabel

Knowledge:

What a concussion is
How a concussion can affect a person

Skills:

How to prevent a concussion

A concussion can happen in a variety of ways
Concussions should be taken seriously

How can I take the best care of my physical body?

Summary on how tobacco affects the body
At home - family discussion around use of substances

Knowledge:

How tobacco can affect the body
The difference between cigarettes, chew, juling, vaping
Understanding when peer pressure situations are occuring

Skills:

Taking into consideration personal / family values
How to deal with peer pressure
Who to talk to if they need help

Tobacco use can impact the body physically, mentally, and socially
Tobacco takes many forms

How can I make good choices around substances?

Food categorization w/ nutrients
At home - food log w/ nutrient analysis

Knowledge:

What nutrients are
Why our body needs nutrients to function

Skills:

Understanding what a food does for the body
Analysis of "nutrient rich" foods vs. "nutrient poor" foods

Nutrients are the building blocks of food
The human body needs nutrients

How do I "fuel" my body in the best possible way?

Personal stress plan

Knowledge:

Types of stress
Difference between physical / psychological symptoms

Skills:

Strategies for dealing w/ stress in the moment
How to maintain life balance
Self reflection on personal stressors

Everyone experiences stress
There are a variety of ways to handle stress

Ultimate Frisbee

•Teacher observations on catching / throwing, moving down the field, game play situations, teamwork
•Various referee jobs will show understanding of rules
•Analyze game situations for strengths / things to work on
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through peer coaching
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Demonstrate how to catch / throw a Frisbee while stationary and then while moving
•Analyze a teammate's technique and be able to give them feedback
•Compare various offensive and defensive strategies
•Identify the rules of the game
•Demonstrate strategies during game play
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•There are a variety of ways to catch and throw a Frisbee
•Moving to open spaces allows for greater success while attempting to score
•Defending an opponent can cause a turnover
•Giving feedback (as a peer coach) that is specific and kind is the most helpful
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help a team to be successful

•What are the various ways I can use Frisbee skills in a game situation?
•How does strategy affect game play?
•How does working as a team affect a practice session? A game?

Jump Rope

•Demonstrate various long rope skills
•Create a jump rope routine w/ team that includes all of the required elements on rubric
•Analyze a routine for strengths / things to work on
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through a peer critique
•Teacher observations on skills and teamwork
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Demonstrate long rope techniques including: partner jumping, using objects while jumping, jumping with a short rope inside a long rope and double dutch
•Create a routine that includes various skills of jump roping
•Show what to do when teamwork issues arise
•Demonstrate how to incorporate each team member's ideas
•Make adjustments to a routine based on feedback
•Analyze a routine for the required elements

•There are a variety of ways to move my body while jumping rope
•Understanding my "role" at a given time helps the team to be able to practice successfully
•Putting together a routine takes cooperation and communication skills
•Feedback that is specific and kind is the most helpful

•What are the various ways I can move my body with control while using a jump rope?
•How does working as a team affect a practice session? A performance?

What is gender?

Reproductive Physiology and Puberty

Exit tickets after each lesson on what they learned / questions they have

Students will know:

Accurate words for reproductive physiology
Intersex is a range of combinations of both male and female reproductive physiology
What changes occur during puberty for biologically male and female people

Students will be skilled at:

Identifying adults they can ask questions about puberty and adolescence
Describing the process of human reproduction

Puberty marks the body's preparation for reproduction and adult independence
There is a wide range of normal with regard to when puberty begins and ends for humans, and with regard to how it unfolds
Puberty results in significant physical, emotional, and cognitive growth

How does puberty change a person?

Substances

Matching items on a medicine label
At home - family discussion around locations of medicines

Knowledge:

Understanding the parts of a medicine label

Skills:

How to read a medicine label
What to do if the medicine is not taken correctly

Medicine is good for the body when used properly

How can I take the best care of my body?

Exit ticket on parts of a food label
At home - teach an adult about food labels, find labels and analyze nutritional value

Knowledge:

Understanding of a food label and its purpose

Skills:

Ability to read a food label
Basic analysis of similar foods

Food is needed to live a healthy life
Nutritious foods will help my body perform at its best

What types of quality foods fuel my body?

Self motivation poster

Knowledge:

What it means to be resilient
Growth vs. Fixed mindset
Situations where one might need to be resilient

Skills:

Strategies for what to do when the going gets tough
Self inventory of mindset

Resiliency takes practice

Volleyball

•Teacher observations on skills, game play situations, teamwork
•Student illustrated diagram of the court
•Various referee jobs will show understanding of rules
•Analyze game situations for strengths / things to work on
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through peer coaching
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Demonstrate how to pass / set / serve a volleyball
•Analyze a teammate's technique and be able to give them feedback
•Identify the rules of the game and how a court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries
•Demonstrate strategies during game play
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•There are a variety of ways to keep the ball "alive"
•Moving to play the ball is essential
•Multiple ways of serving can be utilized to put the ball into play
•Giving feedback (as a peer coach) that is specific and kind is the most helpful.
•Having and using a strategy during game play can help a team to be successful

•What are the various ways I can use volleyball skills in a game situation?
•How does strategy affect game play?
•How does working as a team affect a practice session? A game?

Acrosport

•Demonstrate various types of builds (2 person / 3 person / 4 person)
•Create an acrosport routine w/ team that includes all of the required elements on rubric
•Analyze a routine for strengths / things to work on
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through a peer critique
•Teacher observations on skills and teamwork
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

Knowledge & Skillls

•Demonstrate basic safety techniques
•Differentiate between correct and incorrect positioning of flyers / bases / spotters
•Create a routine that includes various builds and gymnastic elements
•Show what to do when teamwork issues arise
•Demonstrate how to incorporate each team member's ideas
•Make adjustments to a routine based on feedback
•Analyze a routine for the required elements

•There are many ways to move my body with control
•Being safe while doing something challenging takes concentration and an understanding of my "role" at that moment
•Putting together a routine takes cooperation and communication skills
•Feedback that is specific and kind is the most helpful

•What are the various ways I can move my body with control?
•How does working as a team affect a performance?

Hygiene

Hand washing experiment
At home tooth log

Knowledge:

Types of germs
How germs are transmitted
Tooth care

Skills:

Proper hand washing technique
How to brush / floss correctly

Germs are all around us
Basic hygiene skills can keep various illness away
Taking care of our physical body helps us to be well

How can I keep my body healthy?

•Food group assessment

•At home go / slow / whoa log

•Healthy snack flyer

•At home water log

•Foods are categorized into 6 main groups

•Some foods are healthier than others

•What a snack is and types one can have

•Various vocab around water

Skills:

Ability to categorize basic foods (oranges, nuts, bread, etc.)
Identifying go, slow, whoa foods
Comparing healthy vs. non-healthy snack foods
Water vs. other drinks

•Food is needed to live a healthy life

•Nutritious foods will help my body perform at its best

•Water is vital for a healthy body

What types of quality foods fuel my body?

Why do we need water?

Mental Wellness

Personal reflection

Knowledge:

Basic understanding of mental health
Types of emotions / feelings

Skills:

Strategies in handling various emotions
Talking about emotions / feelings

Emotions are normal and a part of each person
It is OK to talk about feelings!

How can I maintain my mental health?

Fitness

•Teacher observations on various fitness activities
•Student analysis of fitness results
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through peer coaching
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Demonstrate knowledge of various fitness terms (cardiovascular strength / endurance, muscular strength / endurance, flexibility, body composition)
•Develop realistic goals for personal fitness
•Analyze results over a period of time to see progress
•Identify personal strengths / challenges in the area of fitness

•Physical fitness takes practice and perseverance
•Awareness of one's body and its strength / limitations is an important factor when setting fitness goals
•Understanding what "personal best" is takes an awareness of one's body

•What does being physically fit mean for me?
•How can I reach my personal best in the area of fitness?

Manipulatives

•Teacher observations on motor skills, game play situations, teamwork
•Student illustrated diagram of the court
•Various referee jobs will show understanding of rules
•Analyze game situations for strengths / things to work on
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through peer coaching
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Differentiate between correct and incorrect form when using a fundamental motor skill
•Analyze a teammate's technique and be able to give them feedback
•Identify the rules of a game and how the field / court is set up, including where players stand and boundaries
•Demonstrate strategies during game play
•Collaborate and communicate with others when teamwork issues arise
•Analyze various situations to improve game play

•Correct form is important for a variety of movements
•Working as a team takes cooperation and communication skills
•Feedback that is specific and kind is the most helpful

•What does correct form look like for fundamental motor skills?
•How can I use feedback to adjust form?
•How does teamwork affect the outcomes of an activity?

Gymnastics

•Demonstrate various gymnastic skills individually and with a partner
•Create a gymnastics routine w/ team that includes all of the required elements on rubric
•Analyze a routine for strengths / things to work on
•Give and receive feedback on individual skills through a peer critique
•Teacher observations on skills and teamwork
•Self and peer assessment
•Personal reflections during unit

•Differentiate between correct and incorrect techniques of gymnastic skills
•Physically show how to control their bodies using a variety of gymnastic movements
•Create a routine that includes various elements
•Show what to do when teamwork issues arise
•Demonstrate how to incorporate each team member's ideas
•Make adjustments to a routine based on feedback

•There are many ways to move my body with control
•Putting together a routine takes cooperation and communication skills
•Feedback that is specific and kind is the most helpful

•How can I control my body?
•What are the various ways I can move my body?
•How does working as a team affect the performance?

Gender and Sexual Diversity

Students will know…

Gender is a continuum
Individual gender expression varies
Gender bias exists
Catlin Gabel does not affirm or support gender bias

Students will be skilled at…

Accepting multiple ways of expressing gender
Looking beyond gender to see people as unique, multidimensional individuals

What is gender identity?

What is relationship?

What is friendship?

How do I get along with others?

Classroom Application-Motor Development

•Demonstrate correct technique for motor forms
•Demonstrate skills of chasing, fleeing and dodging to avoid others
•Combines locomotor patterns in time to the music
•Balances, demonstrating momentary stillness, in symmetrical and non-symmetrical shapes on a variety of body parts
•Design and practice a movement sequence of three different locomotor skills
•Exhibits the ability to adapt movement skills (e.g. tossing a ball to a moving partner)
•Demonstrate control in traveling activities and weight bearing and balance activities
•Use feedback to improve performance
•Identify characteristics of mature walking, running, hopping and skipping

This unit is taught throughout the course of the year because alternating units in a recursive manner extends the practice of skills from each area over a longer time period, vital in the development of motor skills. Revisiting the content of a unit over months allows students to use and improve previously learned skills, concepts, and attitudes as they acquire new skills. Students who mature more slowly are given continuing opportunities to gain satisfaction in an area when it is repeated where they previously were reluctant to participate fully. Specific units and games each term build onto the development of motor skills.
*Motor forms: walking, running, galloping, skipping, hopping, jumping, sliding
•Introduce motor patterns in motor combinations
•Transitions between sequential motor skills
•Balance
•Characteristics of a mature performance: space, effort and the relationships that vary the quality of movement
•Gymfest preparation: tumbling unit
•Individual tumbling skills: forward roll, backward roll, head stand
•Group tumbling skills: pyramid formations, body position and balance using others weight and leverage, safety techniques, weight distribution, performance routines (cooperative skills: give-and-take in working together, compromise, collectively planning a routine)

•What is a motor skill?
•How do I combine motor skills?
•How do I evaluate my motor abilities?
•How do I improve my motor skills?

Content Standards-PE

•Shape "Physical Best" Assessment
•Prudential Fitnessgram; Cooper Institue •For Aerobic Research
•Teacher observations
•Anecdotal notes
•Student conversations
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Self and peer assessments

•Movement forms
•Foundations of motor skill acquisition
•Appropriate motor patterns in daily physical activities
•Use and refinement of fundamental skills (running, skipping, throwing, striking)
•Development of specialized skills to be used in increasingly complex movement environments
Application of movement concepts and principles
•Cognitive application of motor skill acquisition and performance
•Disciplines application from motor learning and development, sport psychology and sociology, biomechanics, exercise physiology (e.g. increasing force production through summation of forces, effects of anxiety, specificity in training)
•Development of movement vocabulary
•Establishing of regular and effective participation in physical activity
•Application of concepts (force absorption, principles governing equilibrium, application of force)
•Application of concepts to real-life activity
•High school focus on independent use of concepts (performance trends connected to new learning new motor skills, specificity of training)
•Use of knowledge to acquire new skills and refine existing skills
Attributes of Active lifestyle
•Connections between physical education class and outside physical activities
•Attributes of a healthy lifestyle
•Identification of attributes of an active, healthy lifestyle
•Awareness of cause and effect relationships
Maintenance of physical fitness
•Ways to develop higher levels of basic fitness
•Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition
•Awareness of fitness and maintenance components
•Importance of overall fitness
•Personal responsibility for fitness
Responsible personal and social behavior in physical activities
•Development of self-initiated behaviors for successful participation in activities
•Identification of safe practices, adherence to rules and procedures, etiquette, cooperation and teamwork, ethical behavior in sports, and what constitutes positive social interactions (classroom rules and procedures and cooperative behavior)
•Develop respect for individual differences
•Recognize individual similarities and differences
•Participate cooperatively in physical activities

•Movement forms and concepts
•Motor skills
•Attributes of a physically active lifestyle?
•Ways to demonstrate respect differences in others
•Connection of physical activity to personal enjoyment, self-expression, and social interaction

•How can I be healthy physically?
•How can I develop motor skills?
•How should I behave in P.E.?
•How should I treat others in P.E. class?
•How do I show that I accept differences in others?
•In what ways can I use my physical skills?

Staying Safe!

•Adult observation of safety drills
•Participation in group discussions

•Evacuate buildings appropriately
•Respond to earthquake drills with appropriate choices
•Demonstrate safety responses to a fire
•Evacuate bus properly

•Earthquake procedures
•Fire Safety procedures
•Bus safety rules and procedures
•Playground rules and guidelines

How can I be safe at school?

Classroom Applications-Fitness

•Mile run
•Pacer (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run)
•Curl ups, trunk extensor (trunk lift)

•Participate in fitness activities
•Run a mile
•Knowing own endurance pace and improve
•Practice pacing techniques
•Demonstrate techniques for fitness activities
•Set and modify own fitness goals
•Identity regular times in own life for fitness activities
•Self assessment of individual goals
•Run Across Oregon activity
•Track of participation in individual fitness activity
•Graphing of individual performance in fitness activities (Run Across Oregon activity)

•Fitness components: aerobic capacity, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility, body composition
•Optimum level of aerobic capacity
•Training strategies for running the mile.
•Pacing
•Abdominal strength
•Upper body strength assessment: push ups, modified pull ups, pull ups , flexed arm hang
•Flexibility: back saver Sit-and-Reach, shoulder stretch
•Goal setting for National fitness assessment
•Importance of regular physical activity and overall body health and function
•Knowledge of appropriate body composition
•Connection of body composition to exercise and nutrition
•Setting of short term and long term fitness goals
•Graphing of individual performance in fitness activities (Run Across Oregon activity)

•What does it mean to be fit?
•How can I run the mile?
•What is pacing?
•How do I strengthen my body?

Gender and Sexuality Education

With support, students will be able to use their learning to…

Identify cultural expectations about gender
Identify gender stereotypes when encountered
Affirm one’s own gender identity and respect the gender identity of others

Students will know…

Gender is a continuum
Individual gender expression varies
Gender bias exists
Catlin Gabel does not affirm or support gender bias

Students will be skilled at…

Accepting multiple ways of expressing gender
Looking beyond gender to see people as unique, multidimensional individuals

Students will understand that…

Gender is the complex interplay of mind, body, and heart and varies between individuals
Gender is dynamic and may change constantly over one’s lifetime
People choose how and whether to express their gender
Societal expectations can shape gender expression
Different families have different beliefs and value about gender expression

What is gender?

What are gender stereotypes?

Bodies, Safe Touch, and Sexual Abuse Prevention

Students will begin to use their learning to…

Appreciate and know their own body
Be comfortable using accurate vocabulary to identify parts of the human body
Make appropriate decisions about private behavior
Express discomfort about a situation
Identify appropriate and comfortable touch and respect those boundaries
Identify adults they can ask for help and ask for help when needed
Advocate for their personal safety

Students will know....

Each body part has a scientific name and specific function
The importance of privacy with regard to private parts and bathroom behavior
That it is unsafe to keep secrets from trusted adults
Safe touch vs. unsafe touch
What to do if they experience sexual abuse or unsafe touch from an adult or another child

Students will be skilled at....

Assertively refusing unwelcome behavior
Identifying adults they can ask for help

With support, students will be able to use their learning to....

Express love in appropriate ways
Develop and maintain meaningful relationships
Identify unhealthy attributes in a relationship
Communicate withy others to solve problems

Students will know....

The qualities a healthy relationship
That qualities of an unhealthy relationship
The steps to solve a conflict
A variety of feeling words (vocabulary)

Students will be skilled at....

Entering new play groups
Inviting friends to play
Identifying appropriate words to express a wide range of feelings

Friendship

What is a friend?

How do I build, sustain, and maintain friendships?

Families

What is a family?

Why do we have families?

How are families different?

How families function and show love?

Nutrition

•Recognize the relationship between food and exercise in helping the body grow and stay well.
•Gain an understanding of the meaning of "serving size" or portion as it relates to daily nutritional needs as outlined in the •Harvard Food Pyramid.
•Explore new food choices in order to increase inclusion of a greater variety of healthy foods in their diet.
•Understand the correlation between personal choices in food and activity level and level of wellness.
•Identify the food groups as outlined on the •Harvard Food Pyramid.

•Awareness of concepts and principles of healthy eating.
•Food choices that enhance personal wellness.
•Eating behaviors that contribute to a balanced and fulfilling life.

•What do I need to eat to stay healthy?
•What is an appropriate portion size?
•What are the different food groups?

Lifelong Attitudes Toward Fitness & Well being

•Engages in moderate to vigorous physical activity on an intermittent basis.
•Engages in a variety of locomotor activities (e.g., hopping, walking, jumping, galloping and running) during leisure time.
•Monitor activity by using a pedometer to count the number of steps taken or the distance traveled.
•Participates in chasing and fleeing activities outside of school.
•Participates in a variety of activities that involve manipulation of objects in and outside of physical education class (e.g., tossing ball, juggling).
•Participates regularly in a variety of non-structured and minimally organized physical activities outside of physical education class (e.g., tag, hid-and-seek).

•Patterns of regular participation in activity.
•Requisite skills and knowledge.
•Self-management skills.
•Physical and psychological health (includes prevention of health problems)
•Social opportunities and relationships

•How can I connect what I do in P.E. class with my life outside of class to stay active and to develop an active lifestyle?
•How can I make use of the skills and knowledge that I learn in PE class as I engage in activity outside of class?
•What are the immediate and identifiable effects of activity on my body?
•How can I develop interests in outside activities that are personally meaningful to me?

Health Enhancing Physical Fitness

•Shape "Physical Best" Assessment
Prudential Fitnessgram; Cooper Institute •For Aerobic Research
•Teacher observations
•Anecdotal notes
•Student conversations
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Self and peer assessments

•Demonstrates sufficient muscular strength to be able to bear body weight for climbing, hanging, and momentary body support on hands.
•Engages in a series of locomotor activities (e.g., timed segments of hopping, walking, jumping, galloping, and running) without tiring easily.
•Participates in a variety of games that increase breathing and heart rate.
Increases arm and shoulder strength by traveling hand-over-hand along a horizontal ladder (i.e., monkey bars).
•Sustains activity for increasingly longer periods of time while participating in various activities in physical education.
Moves transversely along a rock wall with little teacher assistance.
•Recognizes that health-related physical fitness consists of several different components.

•Cardiorespiratory strength and endurance
•Muscular strength and endurance
•Flexibility
•Body composition
•Physiological signs associated with participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
•Health-enhancing activities.

•What are the components of health-related fitness?
•What can I do to develop higher levels of basic fitness?
•How can I improve my physical competence?
•What are the skills and knowledge I need to become responsible for my personal fitness?

Personal Responsibility & Safety

•Teacher observations
•Anecdotal notes
•Student conversations
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Self and peer assessments

•Practices specific skills as assigned until the teacher signals the end of practice.
•Follows directions given to the class for an all-class activity.
•Shows compassion for others by helping them.
•Handles equipment safely by putting it away when not in use.
•Uses equipment and space safely and properly.
•Honestly reports the results of work.
•Works in a diverse group setting without interfering with others.
•Invites a peer to take his or her turn at a piece of apparatus before repeating a turn.
•Assists a partner by sharing observations about skill performance during practice.
•Enjoys participating alone while exploring movement tasks.
•Accepts all playmates without regard to personal differences.
•During class closure, identifies sharing with a partner as a way to cooperate.
•Displays consideration of others while participating in class activity.
•Demonstrates the elements of socially acceptable conflict resolution during class activity.

•Safe practices
•Adherence to rules and procedures
•Etiquette
•Teamwork
•Ethical behavior
•Positive social interaction
•Interpersonal communication
•Fire, earthquake and bus evacuation drills and safety practices.
•Cooperative movement, sharing, problem solving.
•Respect for individual similarities and differences in others.

•How can I work with others to play safely and have fun?
•What are our class rules?
•What do I need to know to be safe on the bus?
•What are important things to know about fire and earthquake safety?
•What is good sportsmanship?
•How can I resolve a conflict with others?

Movement Concepts, Principles, Strategies, and Tactics

•States that best effort is shown by trying new or hard tasks.
•Identifies correctly body planes (i.e., front, back, side).
•Identifies correctly various body parts (e.g., knee, foot, arm, palm).
•Explains that warm-up prepares the body for physical activity.
•Recognizes appropriate safety practices in general space by throwing balls only when others are not in the direct line of throw.
•Repeats cue words for jumping vertically (crouch, straighten, land on both feet and bed knees) and demonstrates/explains what is meant by each.
•Corrects movement errors in response to corrective feedback (e.g., remember to twist your tummy when throwing the ball).
•States the short-term effects of physical activity on the heart and lungs.
•Explains that appropriate practice improves performance.

•Movement concepts:
•Space awareness (space loction, directions, levels and pathways)
•Effort (time, force and flow)
•Relationship (body awareness and movement relationships, roles with other movers and objects)
•Patterns
•Principles
•Strategies
•Tactics

•How can I identify the elements of correct form for fundamental skills?
•How can I use feedback to improve my motor performance?
•How can I identify and perform basic movement concepts?

Motor Skills & Movement Location

•Shape "Physical Best" Assessment
•Prudential Fitnessgram; Cooper Institute •For Aerobic Research
•Teacher observations
•Anecdotal notes
•Student conversations
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Self and peer assessments

•Skips (or hops, gallops, slides, etc.) using mature form (e.g., step-hops, swings arms, swings knees, demonstrates smooth and continuous motion etc.)
•Performs a simple dance step in keeping with a specific tempo.
•Demonstrates clear contrast between slow and fast movement when skipping (or hopping, galloping, etc)
•Travels forward and sideways, changing direction quickly in response to a signal or obstacle using a variety of locomotor skills.
•Demonstrates a smooth transition between locomotor skills in time to music.
•Drops a ball and catches it at the peak of the bounce.
•Throws a ball underhand using mature form.
•Taps the ball from foot to foot, shifting weight and balancing the body on the non-dribbling foot, while in one
location.
•Discovers how to balance on different body parts, at different levels, becoming "like" a statue while making symmetrical and nonsymmetrical shapes.

•Locomotor skills
•Jumping and Landing (stability)
•Balancing (stability)
•Transferring weight and rolling (stability)
•Kicking and punting (manipulative)
•Throwing and catching (Manipulative)
•Volleying and dribbling (manipulative)
•Striking with paddles/rackets (mainpulative)

•How can I develop the physical skills to enjoy participation in physical activities?
•How can I master the fundamentals of movement?
•How can I improve my motor skill acquisition?

All Lower School students have a 40-minute music class three times a week. First through 5th graders participate in an Orff-Schulwerk curriculum that combines instrumental work, singing, speech, drama, dance, creative movement, and improvisation. Through these experiences students develop an understanding of the elements of music and gain an increasingly sophisticated level of skill. The Orff-Schulwerk Music for Children volumes provide the foundation for skill development.

Exposure to music from many cultures gives students a window into understanding how music reflects the lives and values of other people. During a child's journey through the Lower School, they learn to improvise in all curricular areas, read music, compose, and perform using their voices, recorders, pitched and unpitched percussion instruments, and movement. Children have many opportunities throughout the years to perform for the community, including the annual fall Harvest Festival, winter Revels concert, and Spring Festival, as well as community meetings and casual recitals and sharings.

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal.
•Homework and independent composition assignments.
•Performances
•Self assessment - formal and informal.
•Recording of ensemble work.
•Analysis of taped performances.
•Ability to revise compositions.
•Group participation - group generated rubrics and evaluation.
•Performance assessment.
•Individual skill competency assessment.
•Individual student ability to revise compositions.
•Digital Portfollios
•End of year Self-assessment.

•Sing songs in more than 4 part canons
•Play the songs in 4 part canons on the instruments
•Play recorder pieces in parts
•Play instrumental pieces using borduns and obstinati
•Play melodies in unison on the instruments
•Play instrumental canons in C pentatonic
•Play a variety of borduns, chords (I- IV and V) and obstinati in instrumental ensemble experiences
•The children will improvise pieces using the 12 part blues chord progression
•Play pieces on the barred instruments that uses paraphony
•Play marimba pieces with 4 independent melodic parts.
•Sing songs in 4 parts
•Sing partner songs

•Music can be developed using a variety of textures - monophonic, counterpoint and canon.
•Harmony can be experienced with borduns and chords.
•Borduns and chords can move.
•I -IV-V chords are functional harmony
•The twelve bar blues scale provides a foundation for jazz improvisation.
•The ground bass provides a foundation for improvisation and has been used throughout history.
•Many songs can be sung in canon
•Partner songs create harmony.

•What is Monophonic (Unison)?
•What is counterpoint? (Independent Parts)?
•What is the function of a bordun?
•What is a moving, broken, crossover and level bordun?
•What is a chord?
•When should chords be changed
•What is paraphany?
•What is the functions of traditional harmony in major and minor- I, IV and V
What is a blues progression
•What is an obstinati?
•What is a canon?
•What is required to sing in harmonic parts?

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal.
•Homework and independent composition assignments.
•Recorder proficiency.
•Self assessment - formal and informal.
•Recording of ensemble work.
•Analysis of taped performances.
•Ability to revise compositions.
•Group participation - group generated rubrics and evaluation.
•Performance assessment.
•Individual skill competency assessment.
•Individual student ability to revise compositions.
•End of year Self-assessment.

•Read, perform a 4 + part musical score
•Demonstrate understanding of musical symbols and terminology
•Perform recorder music using the sequence of notational development:
treble and bass clef using soprano, alto, tenor and bass recorders
•Perform 4 part recorder music using the soprano and alto tenor and bass recorders
•Perform recorder music using sequence of notational development and by ear
treble and bass clef using soprano, alto, tenor and bass recorders
•Create theme and variations over a ground base

•There are correct ways to play the recorder: fingering, breath and tonguing.
•Recorder fingering has a direct relationship to staff notation.
•Composition and improvisation on the recorder can relate to language.
•Recorder pieces can be played in 4 independent parts to create polyphony.
•Independent practice is essential to succeed with an instrument
•Recorder fingering to coincide with notation skills.
•Fingering review of fourth grade skills is essential.
•Half holing of the thumb crested E2, F2, G2 and A2.
•Soprano recorders have C fingering and alto recorders have F fingering. They are different.
•Recorder pieces can be developed in consort using 4 - 6 independent parts.

•How does a child read Treble Cleff staff notation?
•What techniques should I use to play the soprano recorder?
•What is question and answer in music?
•How do I improvise on the recorder?
•What are the fingering patterns for soprano recorder C1-A2 including F sharp, B flat and C sharp?
•What is the fingering for alto recorders including F sharp, B, flat and C sharp?
•What independence is required to play in parts with Bass, Tenor, alto, soprano, sopranino and garkline recorders in consort?
•How can I integrate musical literacy in singing, recorder, instrumental and vocal participation?
•How does one develop improvisations over ground basses?

•Participate in singing games that require movement and group awareness
•Demonstrate rhythmic competency through movement projects and body percussion
•Move appropriately in response to aural cues.
•Demonstrate competency with fine and gross motor skills
•Demonstrate and apply the Laban elements of dance (weight, space, time and flow
•Demonstrate and apply the elements of dance to problems, songs and stories
•Interpret music, concepts and stories through interpretive movement
•Perform set dances to recorded music.
•Dance dances from around the world
•Create dances to reflect the form and character of songs and instrumental pieces
•Create dances in mixed meter and with tempo change.
•Develop dances in duple and triple meter
•Dance set dances from a variety of cultures
•Dance Morris dances

•Dance and movement requires sequential understandings.
•Dance and movement requires rhythmic competency, meter, locomotor and fine rhythmic movement and directionality.
•Movement and Dance require an understanding of the elements of dance (Laban).
•Songs, stories, ideas and concepts can be communicated through movement.
•There are basic dance forms and steps that are unique to cultural practice.
•Dance has historical significance.
•Participation in movement requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.
•New dances can be created or improvised.

•How do I interpret musical ideasthrough movement and dance?and vocabulary of dance?
•What are the elements of dance?
•What is the difference between creative movement and set dances?
•What are play party games?
•What dances are unique to cultures around the world?
•What dance styles are unique to world history?
•What is the historical significance of Morris Dance?
•What is directionality and dance sequence?
•What are some of the basic steps that are unique to dances from other cultures?
•How do we create original dance forms?
•What dance forms represent musical form and style?

•Demonstrate beat competency through movement and instrumental activities
•Substitute rhythmic speech sequences with instruments
•Maintain pulse and 8-16 beat pattern through movement and instrumental activities
•Notate, read and play symbols for pulse, double division of pulse, and rest and half notes and 16th notes
•Divide rhythmic patterns into meter using bar lines
•Perform music in duple and triple meter
•Chart rhymes and speech patterns rhythmically
•Create rhythmic compositions with rhythmic notation using known elements
•Canonic echoing (delayed echoingwith continuation of new patterns)
•Perform rhythmic canons
•Perform body percussion pieces using rhythmic elements
•Perform pieces with layered rhythmic patterns
•Play rhythmic games that reinforce beat competency
Translate speech into body percussion
•Participate in rhythmic games
• Participate in canonic echoing (delayed echoing with continuation of new patterns).
•Perform syncopated patterns
•Perform pieces with an anacrusis
•Perform polyrhythms
•Develop pieces in mixes meter
•Develop pieces in 3/8, 4/8 6/8, 7/8 and 5/4
•Identify the uniqueness of the rhythmic elements in music

•All music has rhythmic elements.
•Rhythmic patterns consist of pulse and division of pulse. (whole notes, half note, quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted notes, triplets and sixteenth notes).
•Rhythmic elements can be notated.
•Music requires rhythmic independence.
•Performing music requires beat and rhythmic competency.
•Rhythmic activities require beat competency and rhythmic independence.
•Rhythmic elements are organized into duple and triple meter.
•Rhythmic compositions can be created on unpitched instruments.
•Accents can change the feel of meter.
•Syncopation can cause tension in music.
•Anacrusis (up beat)
•Meter can change within one song and impacts the expression and character of the song.
•Phrase length can change.
•3/8, 4/8 and 6/8 meter

•What is beat and rhythmic competency and independence
•What is a rhythmic pattern?
•How can we create and play a variety of rhythmic patters at the same time?
•How can I move to a beat?
•What is rhythmic improvisation?
•How can I notate pulse, division of pulse and rests?
•What is duple and triple meter?
•What is syncopation?
•What is an anacrusis?
•What are polyrhythms?
•What happens when you change phrase length or meter with a pulse?
•What are the unique rhythmic characteristics of music from different cultural groups?

•Perform music in compound duple, triple and compound and mixed meters
•Performs a 4 part musical score
•Demonstrates understanding of musical symbols and terminology
•Echo rhythmic and melodic sequences all tonalities (major, minor, modes and blues scale
Improvise in all scales and over a ground base.
•Demonstrate instrumental facility (4th grade skills)
•Orchestrate instrumental arrangements for songs
•Orchestrate melodies with a variety of borduns and chord structures
•Perform chords in root and inverted positions using triple malleting
•Change chords in the harmonic structure of the music being studied
•Use triple malleting
•Orchestrate melodies with chord changes I, IV and V chord structures
•Creates variations from a given theme
Create original instrumental compositions with known skills and concepts
•Integrates instrumental work with recorder, singing, dance and creative movement

•All instruments have unique timbre.
•There are pitched and unhitched instruments.
•There is technique required to produce optimal sound from the instruments.
•All instrumental pieces has melodic components such as tonal centers,form, sequences and contour.
•All instrumental work has rhythmic elements.
•Instrumental work requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Instrumental work requires sequential understandings.
•Orchestrations require borduns and ostinati.
•Bordens can move.
•Major and minor chords can be produced on Orff Instruments. Chords can move.
•Canons can be played on the instruments.
•Musical composition begins with improvisation.
•Paraphonic sequences can be played on the instruments.
•Hexatonic sequences can be played.
•Improvisation can happen in any tonal structure.
•Polyrhythms can be played on a variety of pitched and unhitched instruments.
•Participation in instrumental work requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What are the Orff instruments?
•What is the difference between pitched and unpitched instruments?
•What is the technique for producing sound on the instruments.
•Which instruments should be used to best
highlight a song or story?
•How does one improvise musically?
•What is a musical pattern?
•What is a moving bordun and an ostinati?
•How do patterns fit together to develop an
orchestration?
•What is transposition?
•How do we create original compositions with multiple parts?
•How do we play pieces in a variety of modalities
•What instruments best fit culturally specific music.
•What are Major and Minor chords?
•what is the difference between no functional and functional harmony
•What are jazz sequences on the instruments (chord structure and tonality)
•What is an introduction, interlude and coda?
•What is question and answer in music?
•What creates expression in music?
•What is transposition?

•Echo and melodic sequences in all modalities
•Demonstrate instrumental facility (5th grade skills)
•Identify and perform melodic sequences in all modalities including the blues scale
•Improvise and compose in all scales
Decode and apply staff notation
•Sings with counter melodies and simple ostinati
•Perform vocal pieces - Rondo, Binary and Ternary
•Perform vocal and using expressive qualities
•Sing songs that reflect history and cultural practice.
•Sing songs that reflect seasonal changes
•Sing four plus part cannons
•Read, perform a 4 + part musical score
•Demonstrate understanding of musical symbols and terminology
•Sing four + part cannons
•Sing partner songs
•Compose original melodies

•All music has melodic components such as tonal centers, form, interval and pattern sequences, and contour.
•There are a variety of modes in which melodies are constructed: Aeolean, Ionian, Dorian, phrygian, mixolydian, lydian, locrian, whole tone, blues scale
•Singing requires tonal memory and text memory.
•The music staff communicates the language of music.
•Music literacy is required to develop music composed by others.
•Music requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Singing in canon or parts requires melodic independence.
•Singing in large groups can enrich the community.
•Music reflects cultural practice and has historical significance.
•Participation in music requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.
•Modal tonality - Aeolean, Ionian, Dorian, mixolydian, lydian
•Treble cleff staff notation - full staff
•Bass Clef staff notation
•Home keys C - G - F - a - e - d
•Key signatures - C, F, G, and related minors
•Singing in tune
• Canon - 4 +parts
•Osinati - 3 parts
•Counter melodies
•Singing in 3 simple parts

•What is a diatonic scale ( major and minor)?
•What is a blues scale?
•What is a ground base?
•What is a counter melody?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•How are melodies constructed?
•What are the components of Treble cleff staff notation?
•What is the relationship between songs and cultural practice?
•What does it mean to sing in tune?
•What is pitch?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•How are melodies constructed?
•What does it mean to sing in parts?
•How can I analyze a piece of music?
•What are the characteristics of music of South America and Europe and how does it reflect their cultures?
•How does the music of Africa relate to African-American culture?
•What criteria should I use to analyze a piece of music?
•How are societal struggles represented in music

•Sing songs in 4 part canons
•Play the songs in 4 part canons on the instruments.
•Play recorder pieces in parts
•Play instrumental pieces using borduns and obstinati.
•Play melodies in unison on the instruments.
•Play instrumental canons in C pentatonic
•Play a variety of borduns, chords (I-ii and i-VII) and obstinati in instrumental ensemble experiences
•Play pieces on the barred instruments that uses paraphony.
•Sing partner songs

•Music can be developed using a variety of textures - monophonic, counterpoint and canon.
•Harmony can be experienced with borduns and chords.
•Borduns and chords can move.
•I-vii and i-II chords are nonfunctional and functional harmony
•Many songs can be sung in canon
•Partner songs create harmony.

•What is Monophonic (Unison)?
•What is counterpoint? (Independent Parts)?
•What is the function of a bordun?
•What is a moving, broken, crossover and level bordun?
•What is a chord?
•When should chords be changed
•What is paraphany?
•What is the functions of I ii and i VII chord chords in major and minor
•What is an obstinati?
•What is a canon?

FALL
Harvest Festival and Revels - Performance
•Group participation
•Group generated rubrics
•Focus
•Performance - Community Meeting
•Skill competency
•Developmental readiness
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Self assessment
•Tape of ensemble work
•Analysis of taped performances
•Ability to revise compositions
•Homework and independent composition assignments
•Recorder proficiency

WINTER
•Group participation
•Group generated rubrics
•Focus
•Performance
•Individual skill
•Developmental readiness
•Self assessment
•Tape of ensemble work
•Analysis of taped performances
•Ability to revise compositions
•Homework and independent composition assignments
•Recorder proficiency

SPRING
Performance - Spring Festival
•Music and Poetry Sharing
•Group participation
•Group generated rubrics
•Focus
•Performance
•Skill competency
•Developmental readiness
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Tape of ensemble work
•Analysis of taped performances
•Ability to revise compositions
•Homework
•Independent composition assignments
•Recorder proficiency
•End-of-year self-assessment

•Demonstrate basic fingering patterns for soprano recorder - C1 - through D2 including F#
•Reproduce and perform music on recorder. using the sequence of notational development.
•Read and Performs a 2 part musical score
•Echo melodic sequences using their ear.
•Play songs that are 32 measures in length.
•Perform simple 2 part recorder music.
•Echoes rhythmic and melodic sequences in major and minor pentatonic.
•Plays recorder music using the sequence of notational development
•Plays alto recorder music using f fingering.
•Perform 2 part recorder music using the soprano and alto recorders
•Plays recorder songs by ear.
•Memorizes all recorder music.

•There are correct ways to play the recorder: fingering, breath and tonguing.
•Recorder fingering has a direct relationship to staff notation.
•Composition and improvisation on the recorder can relate to language.
•Recorder pieces can be played in 2 independent parts to create polyphony.
•Independent practice is essential to succeed with an instrument.
•Recorder fingering to coincide with notation skills.
•Fingering review of third grade skills is essential.
•Half holing of the thumb crested E2, F2, G2 and A2.
•Soprano recorders have C fingering and alto recorders have F fingering. They are different.

•How does a child read Treble Cleff staff notation?
•What techniques should I use to play the soprano recorder?
•What is question and answer in music?
•How do I improvise on the recorder?
•What are the fingering patterns for soprano recorder C1-A2 including F sharp, B flat and C sharp?
•What is the fingering for alto recorders including F sharp, B, flat and C sharp?
•What independence is required to play in parts with alto and soprano recorders?
•How can I integrate musical literacy in singing, recorder, instrumental and vocal participation?

•Participate in singing games that require movement and group awareness
•Demonstrate rhythmic competency through movement projects and body percussion.
•Move appropriately in response to aural cues.
•Demonstrate competency with fine and gross motor skills
•Demonstrate and apply the Laban elements of dance (weight, space, time and flow
•Demonstrate and apply the elements of dance to problems, songs and stories
•Interpret music, concepts and stories through interpretive movement
•Perform set dances to recorded music.
•Dance dances from around the world
•Create dances to reflect the form and character of songs and instrumental pieces
•Develop dances in duple and triple meter.
•Dance set dances from a variety of cultures

•Dance and movement requires sequential understandings.
•Dance and movement requires rhythmic competency, meter, locomotor and fine rhythmic movement and directionality.
•Movement and Dance require an understanding of the elements of dance (Laban).
•Songs, stories, ideas and concepts can be communicated through movement.
•There are basic dance forms and steps that are unique to cultural practice.
•Dance has historical significance
•Participation in movement requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.
•New dances can be created or improvised.

•How do I interpret musical ideas through movement and dance?and vocabulary of dance?
What are the elements of dance?
•What is the difference between creative movement and set dances?
•What are play party games?
•What dances are unique to cultures around the world.
•What dance styles are unique to world history?
•What is directionality and dance sequence?
•What are some of the basic steps that are unique to dances from other cultures?
•How do we create original dance forms?
•What dance forms represent musical form and style?

•Demonstrate beat competency through movement and instrumental activities
•Substitute rhythmic speech sequences with instruments
•Maintain pulse and 8-32 beat pattern through movement and instrumental activities
•Notate, read and play symbols for pulse, double division of pulse, and rest and half notes and 16th notes
•Divide rhythmic patterns into meter using bar lines
•Perform music in duple and triple meter
•Chart rhymes and speech patterns rhythmically.
•Create rhythmic compositions with rhythmic notation using known elements
•Canonic echoing (delayed echoing with continuation of new patterns)
•Perform rhythmic canons.
•Perform body percussion pieces using rhythmic elements
•Perform pieces with layered rhythmic patterns
•Play rhythmic games that reinforce beat competency
•Translate speech into body percussion
•Participate in singing activities and games
•Canonic echoing (delayed echoing with continuation of new patterns)
•Perform syncopated patterns
•Perform pieces with an anacrusis (upbeat)
•Perform polyrhythms

•All music has rhythmic elements.
•Rhythmic patterns consist of pulse and division of pulse. (whole notes, half note, quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted notes, triplets and sixteenth notes).
•Rhythmic elements can be notated.
•Music requires rhythmic independence.
•Performing music requires beat and rhythmic competency.
•Rhythmic activities require beat competency and rhythmic independence.
•Rhythmic elements are organized into duple and triple meter.
•Rhythmic compositions can be created on unpitched instruments.
•Accents can change the feel of meter
•Syncopation can cause tension in music
•Anacrusis

•What is beat and rhythmic competency and independence?
•What is a rhythmic pattern?
•How can we create and play a variety of rhythmic patters at the same time?
•How can I move to a beat?
•What is rhythmic improvisation?
•How can I notate rhythmic elements found in fourth grade materials?
•What is duple and triple meter?
•What is syncopation?
•What is an anacrusis?
•What are polyrhythms?

•Performances
•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation - group generated rubrics and evaluation
•Individual focus
•Performance assessment
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory learning environment
•Student self assessment - formal and informal
•Taping of ensemble work
•Analysis of audio and video taped performances
•Individual student ability to revise compositions
•Homework and independent composition assignments
•End of year Self-assessment

•Perform music in compound duple, triple and compound meters
•Performs a 4 part musical score
•Demonstrates understanding of musical symbols and terminology
•Echo rhythmic and melodic sequences in major and minor pentatonic and hexatonic
•Demonstrate instrumental facility (4th grade skills)
•Orchestrate instrumental arrangements for songs
•Orchestrate melodies with a variety of borduns and chord structures
•Perform chords in root and inverted positions using triple malleting
•Change chords in the harmonic structure of the music being studied
•Use triple malleting
•Orchestrate melodies with chord changes I and ii in major and I and vii in minor
Create original instrumental compositions with known skills and concepts.
•Integrates instrumental work with recorder, singing, dance and creative movement

•All instruments have unique timbre
•There are pitched and unhitched instruments.
•There is technique required to produce optimal sound from the instruments
•All instrumental pieces has melodic components such as tonal centers,form, sequences and contour.
•All instrumental work has rhythmic elements
•Instrumental work requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Instrumental work requires sequential understandings
•Orchestrations require borduns and ostinati.
•Bordens can move.
•Major and minor chords can be produced on Orff Instruments. Chords can move
•Canons can be played on the instruments.
•Musical composition begins with improvisation.
•Paraphonic sequences can be played on the barred instruments
•Hexatonic sequences can be played.
Improvisation can happen in any tonal structure.
•Participation in instrumental work requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What are the Orff instruments?
•What is the difference between pitched and unpitched instruments?
•What is the technique for producing sound on the instruments
•Which instruments should be used to best
highlight a song or story?
•How does one improvise musically?
•What is a musical pattern?
•What is a moving bordun and an ostinati?
•How do patterns fit together to develop an
orchestration?
•What is transposition?
•How do we create original compositions with multiple parts?
•What is do and la pentatonic ( major and minor) and hexatonic?
•What is a chord?
•What are Major and Minor chords?
•What is an introduction, interlude and coda?
•What is question and answer in music?
•What creates expression in music?
•What is transposition?

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation - group generated rubrics and evaluation
•Individual focus
•Performance assessment
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Response to multi-sensory learning environment
•Student self assessment - informal
•Taping of ensemble work
•Analysis of audio and video taped performances
•Performances
•Homework and independent composition assignments

•Echo and melodic sequences in major and minor pentatonic, major and minor diatonic scales
•Demonstrate instrumental facility (4th grade skills)
•Identify and perform melodic sequences in major, minor pentatonic and hexatonic scales.
•Improvise and compose in all scales
•Decode and apply staff notation
•Sings with counter melodies and simple ostinati
•Perform vocal pieces - Rondo, Binary and Ternary
•Perform vocal and using expressive qualities
•Sing songs that reflect history and cultural practice
•Sing songs that reflect seasonal changes.
•Sing four plus part cannons
•Compose original melodies

•All music has melodic components such as tonal centers, form, interval and pattern sequences, and contour.
•The pentatonic scales is elemental to Orff-Schulwerk.
•Singing requires tonal memory and text memory.
•The hexatonic scale is a six not scale without the leading tone.
•The music staff communicates the language of music.
•Music literacy is required to develop music composed by others.
•Music requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Singing in canon or parts requires melodic independence.
•Singing in large groups can enrich the community.
•Music reflects cultural practice and has historical significance.
•Participation in music requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What is a hexatonic scale (6 note musical scale)?
•What is a diatonic scale ( major and minor)?
•What is a counter melody?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•How are melodies constructed?
•What are the components of Treble cleff staff notation?
•What is the relationship between songs and cultural practice?
•What does it mean to sing in tune?
•What is pitch?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•What does it mean to sing in parts?
•How can I analyze a piece of music?

•Play instrumental pieces using borduns and obstinati.
•Play melodies in unison on the instruments.
•Sing songs in unison and 3 part canons.
•Play instrumental canons in C pentatonic
•Play a variety of borduns, chords and obstinati in instrumental ensemble experiences
•Sing partner songs

•Music can be developed using a variety of textures - monophonic, counterpoint and canon.
•Harmony can be experienced with borduns and chords.
•Borduns and chords can move. They can function as nonfunctional harmony.
•Many songs can be sung in canon.
•Partner songs create harmony.

Recorder

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Homework and independent composition assignments
•Recorder proficiency tests
•Self assessment - formal and informal.
•Recording of ensemble work.
•Analysis of taped performances
•Ability to revise compositions
•Group participation - group generated rubrics and evaluation
•Performance assessment
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Individual student ability to revise compositions.
•End of year Self-assessment

•Demonstrate basic fingering patterns for soprano recorder - C1 - through D2 including F#
•Reproduce and perform music on recorder. using the sequence of notational development
•Play songs are 4 - 8 measures long
•Read and Performs a 2 part musical score
•Echo melodic sequences using their ear
•Play are a minimum of 16 measures in length
•Play songs that are 32 measures in length
•Perform simple 2 part recorder music
•Echoes rhythmic and melodic sequences in major and minor pentatonic.
•Memorizes all recorder music
•Incorporate recorder into ensemble work

•How does a child read Treble Cleff staff notation?
•What techniques should I use to play the soprano recorder well?
•What are the fingering patterns for notes
C1 through D2, including F#?
•What is question and answer in music?
•How do I improvise on the recorder?

•Performances
•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation - group generated rubrics and evaluation
•Individual focus
•Performance assessment
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory learning environment
•Student self assessment - formal and informal
•Taping of ensemble work
•Analysis of audio and video taped performances
•Individual student ability to revise compositions
•Group work
•Digital portfolio
•End of year Self-assessment

•Participate in singing games that require movement and group awareness
•Demonstrate rhythmic competency through movement projects and body percussion
•Move appropriately in response to aural cues
•Demonstrate competency with fine and gross motor skills
•Demonstrate and apply the Laban elements of dance (weight, space, time and flow
•Demonstrate and apply the elements of dance
•Interpret music, concepts and stories through interpretive movement
•Perform set dances to recorded music
•Dance dances from around the world
•Create dances to reflect the form and character of songs and instrumental pieces

•Dance and movement requires sequential understandings.
•Dance and movement requires rhythmic competency, locomotor and fine rhythmic movement and directionality.
•Movement and Dance require an understanding of the elements of dance (Laban).
•Songs, stories, ideas and concepts can be communicated through movement.
•There are basic dance forms and steps that are unique to cultural practice.
•Participation in movement requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.
•New dances can be created or improvised.

•How do I interpret musical ideas through movement and dance?and vocabulary of dance?
•What are the elements of dance?
•What is the difference between creative movement and set dances?
•What are play party games?
•What dances are unique to cultures around the world.
•What is directionality and dance sequence?
•What are some of the basic steps that are unique to dances from other cultures?
•How do we create original dance forms?

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation
•Focus
•Performance
•Skill competency assessment
•Response to multi-sensory learning environment
•Student self assessment
•Individual student ability to revise compositions
•Individual self-assessment - informal and formal

•Demonstrate beat competency through movement and instrumental activities
•Substitute rhythmic speech sequences with instruments
•Maintain pulse and four-eight beat pattern through movement and instrumental activities
•Notate, read and play symbols for pulse, double division of pulse, and rest and half notes
•Divide rhythmic patterns into meter using bar lines
•Perform music in duple and triple meter
•Chart rhymes and speech patterns rhythmically
•Create rhythmic compositions with rhythmic notation using known elements
•Canonic echoing (delayed echoing with continuation of new patterns)
•Perform rhythmic canons
•Perform body percussion pieces using rhythmic elements
•Perform pieces with layered rhythmic patterns
•Play rhythmic games that reinforce beat competency

•All music has rhythmic elements.
•Rhythmic patterns consist of pulse and division of pulse. (whole notes, half note, quarter notes, eighth notes, dotted notes, triplets).
•Rhythmic elements can be notated.
•Music requires rhythmic independence.
•Performing music requires beat and rhythmic competency.
•Rhythmic activities require beat competency and rhythmic independence.
•Rhythmic elements are organized into duple and triple meter.
•Rhythmic compositions can be created on unpitched instruments.

•What is beat and rhythmic competency and independence?
•What is a rhythmic pattern?
•How can we create and play a variety of rhythmic patters at the same time?
•How can I move to a beat?
•What is rhythmic improvisation?
•How can I notate pulse, division of pulse and rests, half notes, dotted notes and triplets?
•What is duple and triple meter?

•Demonstrate rhythmic independence and melodic independence on the instruments
•Perform music in duple and triple meter
•Perform a 3 part rhythmic score on unhitched instruments
•Play melodic sequences in major and minor pentatonic
•Demonstrate instrumental facility (3rd grade skills)
•Orchestrate instrumental arrangements
using borduns and obstinate
•Perform and identify cross over and moving borduns
•Perform chords in root position using triple malleting
•Change chords at appropriate place in harmonic structure of music
•Performs and identifies Rondo, Binary and Ternary
•Orchestrate instrumental arrangements
•Perform cross over and moving borduns
•Creates group compositions using 5 parts in do or la pentatonic
•Revises and refines an improvisational compositions - notates work
•Integrates instrumental work with singing, recorder, dance and creative movement

•All instruments have unique timbre.
•There are pitched and unhitched instruments.
•There is technique required to produce optimal sound from the instruments.
•All instrumental pieces has melodic components such as tonal centers,form, sequences and contour.
•All instrumental work has rhythmic elements.
•Instrumental work requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Instrumental work requires sequential understandings.
•Orchestrations require borduns and ostinati.
•Bordens can move.
•Major and minor chords can be produced on Orff Instruments.
•Canons can be played on the instruments.
•Musical composition begins with improvisation.
•Participation in instrumental work requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What are the Orff instruments?
•What is the difference between pitched and unpitched instruments?
•What is the technique for producing sound on the instruments.
•Which instruments should be used to best
highlight a song or story?
•How does one improvise musically?
•What is a musical pattern?
•What is a moving bordun and an ostinati?
•How do patterns fit together to develop an
orchestration?
•What is transposition?
•How do we create original compositions with multiple parts?
•What is do and la pentatonic ( major and minor)?
•What is a chord?
•What are Major and Minor chords?
•What is an introduction, interlude and coda?
•What is question and answer in music?
•What creates expression in music?
•What is transposition?
•What is question and answer in music?

•Participate in singing activities and singing games
•Sing songs that reflect season changes
•Sing seasonal song material that reflects cultural practice within our community
•Sing songs from other cultures
•Identify melodic contour through movement and hand signs
•Sing in tune Do-Re-Me-So-La(pentatonic)
•Notates and charts combinations of Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Do intervalic sequences
•Identify and perform melodic sequences in major and minor pentatonic scales
•Sing 2, 3 and part part cannons
•Notate and chart combinations of Sol-La-Me - Re - Do intervalic sequences
•Sing songs in duple and triple meter
•Echo rhythmic and melodic sequences in C G and F pentatonic
•Sing songs in duple and triple meter
•Translate staff notation and terminology
•Use expressive qualities in vocal work

•All music has melodic components such as tonal centers,form, interval and pattern sequences, and contour.
•The pentatonic scales is elemental to Orff-Schulwerk.
•Singing requires tonal memory and text memory.
•There are la and do centered pentatonic scales.
•The music staff communicates the language of music.
•Music literacy is required to develop music composed by others.
•Music requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Singing in canon or parts requires melodic independence.
•Singing in large groups can enrich the community.
•Music reflects cultural practice and has historical significance.
•Participation in music requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What is do and la pentatonic ( major and minor)?
•What is a counter melody?
•What does it mean to sing in tune?
•What is pitch?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•How are melodies constructed?
•What are the components of Treble cleff staff notation?
•What is the relationship between songs and cultural practice?

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation
•Individual focus
I•ndividual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Self-assessment
•Group critiquing
•Performances

•Play instrumental pieces using borduns and obstinati
•Play melodies in unison on the instruments
•Sing songs in unison and 3 part canons
•Play instrumental canons in C pentatonic
•Play a variety of borduns and obstinati in instrumental ensemble experiences
•Sing partner songs

•Music can be developed using a variety of textures - monophonic, counterpoint and canon.
•Harmony can be experienced with borduns and chords.
•Borduns and chords can move.
•Many songs can be sung in canon.
•Partner songs create harmony.

•What is Monophonic (Unison)?
•What is counterpoint? (Independent Parts)?
•What is a tonic bordun?
•What is a moving, broken and level bordun?
•What is a chord?
•What is an obstinati?
•What is a canon?
•What is an ostinati?

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Self-assessment
•Group critiquing
•Performances

•Participate in singing games that require movement and group awareness
•Demonstrate rhythmic competency through movement projects and body percussion
•Move appropriately in response to aural cues
•Demonstrate competency with gross motor skills
•Demonstrate and apply the Labanelements of
dance (weight, space, time and flow
•Demonstrate and apply the elements of dance
•Interpret music, concepts and stories through interpretive movement
•Perform set dances to recorded music
•Dance 12 dances from around the world
•Create dances to reflect theform and character of songs and instrumental pieces

•Dance and movement requires sequential understandings.
•Dance and movement requires rhythmic competency, locomotor and fine rhythmic movement and directionality.
•Movement and Dance require an understanding of the elements of dance (Laban.)
•Songs, stories, ideas and concepts can be communicated through movement.
•There are basic dance forms and steps that are unique to cultural practice.
•Participation in movement requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•How do I interpret musical ideas through movement and dance?and vocabulary of dance
•What is the difference between creative movement and set dances?
•What are play party games
•What dances are unique to cultures around the world.
•What is directionality?
•What are some of the basic steps that are unique to dances from other cultures.

•Demonstrate beat competency through movement and instrumental activities
•Substitute rhythmic speech sequences with instruments
•Maintain pulse and four-eight beat pattern through movement and instrumental activities
•Notate, read and play symbols for pulse, double division of pulse, and rest and half notes
•Divide rhythmic patterns into meter using bar lines
•Chart rhymes and speech patterns rhythmically
•Create rhythmic compositions with rhythmic notation using known elements
•Canonic echoing (delayed echoing with continuation of new patterns)
•Perform pieces with layered rhythmic patterns
•Play rhythmic games that reinforce beat competency

•All music has rhythmic elements.
•Rhythmic patterns consist of pulse, rests and division of pulse.
•Rhythmic elements can be notated.
•Music requires rhythmic independence
•Performing music requires beat and rhythmic competency.
•Rhythmic activities require beat competency and rhythmic independence.
•Rhythmic elements are organized into meter.

•Follow conducting cues
•Work within a group.
•Identify the instruments by name
•Demonstrate correct instrumental technique
•Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of instrumental timbres when composing and improvising
•Develop sound carpets for poems and stories
•Substitute rhythmic speech sequences with instruments
•Maintain a pulse and a four-eight beat pattern
•Play multiple patterns to create an orchestration
•Identify melodic contour
•Play a four-measure C pentatonic song in duple meter on barred instruments
•Echo rhythmic and melodic sequences in C pentatonic
•Identify C, F and G pentatonic
•Play pieces with additive orchestrations
•Participate in ensemble work that blends instrumental work, singing and dance.
•Problem-solves as a group when improvising
•Create original compositions using the rhythm of know nursery rhymes.
•Orchestrate instrumental arrangements for songs with known patterns
•Demonstrate independent responsibility in ensemble work.
•Revise and refine an improvisational compositions
•Use crescendo and decrescendo in instrumental pieces
•Develop technique with triple malting
•Integrates instrumental work with singing, dance and creative movement

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Performance assessment
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Self-assessment and group assessment
•Recording of ensemble work
•Group critiques of ensemble work
•Community participation in singing
•Performances

•All music has melodic components such as tonal centers, form, interval and pattern sequences, and contour.
•The pentatonic scales is elemental to Orff-Schulwerk.
•Singing requires tonal memory and text memory.
•Music requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Singing in canon or parts requires melodic independence.
•Singing in large groups can enrich the community.
•Music reflects cultural practice and has historical significance.
•Participation in music requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What does it mean to sing in tune?
•What is pitch?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•How are melodies constructed?
•What is required to sing in parts?
•What is the relationship between music and cultural practice?
•How are societal struggles represented in song?

Texture/Harmonic

•Play instrumental pieces using borduns and obstinati
•Play melodies in unison on the instruments
•Sing songs in unison and canon

•Music can be developed using a variety of texture - monophonic, counterpoint.
•Harmony can be experienced with burdens and chords.
•Many songs can be sung in canon.

•What is Monophonic (Unison)?
•What is counterpoint? (Independent Parts)?
•What is a tonic borden?
•What is an obstinati?
•What is a canon?

Movement

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Self-assessment
•Group critiquing
•Performances

•Participate in singing games that require movement and group awareness.
•Demonstrate rhythmic competency through movement projects and body percussion
•Move appropriately in response to aural cues.
•Demonstrate competency with gross motor skills
•Demonstrate and apply the Laban elements of
dance (weight, space, time and flow
•Demonstrate and apply the elements of
•Interpret music, ideas, concepts and stories through interpretive movement
•Perform set dances for songs and recorded music
•Create dances to reflect the form and character of songs and instrumental pieces

•Dance and movement requires sequential understandings.
•Songs, stories, ideas and concepts can be communicated through movement.
•Dance and movement requires rhythmic competency, locomotor and fine rhythmic movement and directionality.
•Movement and Dance require an understanding of the elements of dance (Laban).
•Participation in movement requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

.

•How do I interpret musical ideas through movement and dance?
•What are the elements of dance
•What is the difference between creative movement and set dances?
•What are play party games?

Rhythmic

•Assessment is embedded in every lesson, and can be formal or informal
•Group participation
•Individual focus
•Performance assessment
•Individual skill competency assessment
•Developmental readiness of individual students
•Response to multi-sensory environment
•Self assessment
•Student-created performance rubrics
•Self assessment and group assessment
•Taping of ensemble work
•Ability to revise compositions
•Performances

•All music has rhythmic element.
•Rhythmic patterns consist of pulse and division of pulse.
•Rhythmic elements can be notated.
•Music requires rhythmic independence.
•Performing music requires beat and rhythmic competency.

•What is rhythmic improvisation?
•What is a beat?
How can I move to a beat?
•What is tempo?
•What is a rhythmic pattern?
•How do I notate rhythmic patterns using
quarter notes, eight notes and quarter
rests?

Instrumental

•Follow conducting cues
•Work within a group.
•Identify the instruments by name
•Demonstrate correct instrumental technique
•Demonstrate and understanding of the characteristics of instrumental timbres when composing and improvising
•Develop sound carpets for poems and stories
•Substitute rhythmic speech sequences with instruments
•Maintain a pulse and a four -eight beat pattern
•Play multiple patterns to create an orchestration
•Identify melodic contour
•Play a four-measure C pentatonic song in duple meter on barred instruments
•Echo rhythmic and melodic sequences in C pentatonic
•Play pieces with additive orchestrations
•Participate in ensemble work that blends instrumental work, singing and dance
•Problem-solves as a group when improvising
•Create original compositions using the rhythm of know nursery rhymes
•Orchestrate instrumental arrangements for songs with known patterns
•Demonstrate independent responsibility in ensemble work
•Revise and refine an improvisational compositions
•Integrates instrumental work with singing, dance and creative movement

•All instruments require accurate technique to produce quality sound.
•Some instruments produce exact pitch and some are unpitched. There are also sound effect instrument.
•All instrumental pieces has melodic components such as tonal centers,form, sequences and contour.
•All instrumental work has rhythmic elements.
•Instrumental work requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Instrumental work requires sequential understandings.
•Orchestrations require borduns and ostinati.
•Burdens can move.
•Musical composition begins with improvisation.
•Participation in instrumental work requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What are the Orff instruments?
•What is the difference between pitched and unpitched instruments?
•Which instruments should be used to best highlight a song or story?
•What is improvisation?
•What is a musical pattern?
•What is a bordun and a simple ostinati?
•How do patterns fit together to develop an orchestration?
•What is ensemble?
•How do we create original compositions?

Vocal/Melodic

•Echo rhythmic and melodic sequences in C pentatonic
•Participate in singing activities and games
•Identify melodic contour
•Sing in tune Do-Re-Me-So-La
•Sing two part cannons
•Notate and chart combinations of Sol-La-Me - Re - Do intervalic sequences
•Identify and perform melodic sequence
•Sing songs in binary and ternary forms
•Sing songs that reflect seasonal changes
•Sing songs that reflect cultural practice around the world
•Sing songs that reflect social change

•All music has melodic components such as tonal centers,form, interval and pattern sequences, and contour.
•Singing requires tonal memory and text memory.
•Music requires melodic, harmonic and rhythmic independence.
•Singing in canon requires melodic independence.
•Singing in large groups can enrich the community.
•Music reflects cultural practice and has historical significance.
•Participation in music requires personal responsibility and an awareness of the group.

•What does it mean to sing in tune?
•What is pitch?
•What are the musical components of melody?
•How are melodies constructed?
•What is the relationship between songs and cultural practice?
•How are societal struggles represented in song?

We view mathematics as a developmental pursuit, just as we do reading and writing. We recognize that children develop mathematical understandings across a broad continuum and thus need to be challenged in a just-right fashion in order to continue to develop with full and flexible understandings. We provide a workshop model for math instruction, which allows for plenty of independent practice on projects and problems designed specifically for small-group instruction. The groups are arranged so children facing similar challenges or making use of similar strategies in their problem solving are together.

Math Goals
Support students to make sense of mathematics and learn that they can be mathematical thinkers
Focus on computational fluency with whole numbers
Provide substantive work in important areas of mathematics—rational numbers, geometry, measurement, data, and early algebra—and connections among them
Emphasize reasoning about mathematical ideas
Communicate mathematics content and pedagogy to teachers
Engage the range of learners in understanding mathematics

Math Topics
Numbers: The ability to read, write, and understand the meaning, order, and relative magnitudes of whole and fractional numbers. This is foundational for all future mathematics and is a “never-ending” process.
Operations: Building an understanding of the meaning, use, and connections between addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division
Calculations: Choose and use a repertoire of mental, paper, and calculator computational strategies for each operation, meeting needed degrees of accuracy and judging the reasonableness of the results
Geometry: Visualize, draw and model shapes, locations, and arrangements in order to predict and show the effect of transformations on them, solve problems, and justify solutions.
Measurement: Develop confidence and proficiency in using direct and indirect measurement and estimating skills to describe, compare, evaluate, plan, and construct
Data analysis (probability and statistics): Understand and use the everyday language of chance and make statements about how likely it is that an event will occur based on experience, experiments, and analysis. Collect, organize, summarize, and represent data in order to draw conclusions, taking into account data collection techniques and chance processes involved

Mathematically proficient fifth graders use repeated reasoning to understand algorithms and make generalizations about patterns. Students connect place value and their prior work with operations to understand algorithms to fluently multiply multi-digit numbers and perform all operations with decimals to hundredths. Students explore operations with fractions with visual models and begin to formulate generalizations.

In fifth grade, mathematically proficient students look closely to discover a pattern or structure. For instance, students use properties of operations as strategies to add, subtract, multiply and divide with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. They examine numerical patterns and relate them to a rule or a graphical representation.

Mathematically proficient students in grade 5 continue to refine their mathematical communication skills by using clear and precise language in their discussions with others and in their own reasoning. Students use appropriate terminology when referring to expressions, fractions, geometric figures, and coordinate grids. They are careful about specifying units of measure and state the meaning of the symbols they choose. For instance, when figuring out the volume of a rectangular prism they record their answers in cubic units.

Mathematically proficient fifth graders consider the available tools (including estimation) when solving a mathematical problem and decide when certain tools might be helpful. For instance, they may use unit cubes to fill a rectangular prism and then use a ruler to measure the dimensions. They use graph paper to accurately create graphs and solve problems or make predictions from real world data.

Mathematically proficient students in grade 5 experiment with representing problem situations in multiple ways including numbers, words (mathematical language), drawing pictures, using objects, making a chart, list, or graph, creating equations, etc. Students need opportunities to connect the different representations and explain the connections. They should be able to use all of these representations as needed. Fifth graders should evaluate their results in the context of the situation and whether the results make sense. They also evaluate the utility of models to determine which models are most useful and efficient to solve problems.

In fifth grade mathematically proficient students may construct arguments using concrete referents, such as objects, pictures, and drawings. They explain calculations based upon models and properties of operations and rules that generate patterns. They demonstrate and explain the relationship between volume and multiplication. They refine their mathematical communication skills as they participate in mathematical discussions involving questions like “How did you get that?” and “Why is that true?” They explain their thinking to others and respond to others’ thinking.

Mathematically proficient students in grade 5 should recognize that a number represents a specific quantity. They connect quantities to written symbols and create a logical representation of the problem at hand, considering both the appropriate units involved and the meaning of quantities. They extend this understanding from whole numbers to their work with fractions and decimals. Students write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers and represent or round numbers using place value concepts.

Mathematically proficient students in grade 5 should solve problems by applying their understanding of operations with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions including mixed numbers. They solve problems related to volume and measurement conversions. Students seek the meaning of a problem and look for efficient ways to represent and solve it. They may check their thinking by asking themselves, “What is the most efficient way to solve the problem?, “Does this make sense?”, and “Can I solve the problem in a different way?”.

•That attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category. For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are rectangles, so all squares have four right angles.
•That the first number indicates how far to travel from the origin in the direction of one axis, and the second number indicates how far to travel in the direction of the second axis, with the convention that the names of the two axes and the coordinates correspond (e.g., x-axis and x-coordinate, y-axis and y-coordinate)
•Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties e.g. identify different quadrilaterals by attribute, and know that some quadrilaterals can be classified in more than one way
•Identify mathematically similar polygons
•Use a pair of perpendicular number lines, called axes, to define a coordinate system, with the intersection of the lines (the origin) arranged to coincide with the 0 on each line and a given point in the plane located by using an ordered pair of numbers, called its coordinates
•Represent real world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation

•When we copy and make figures and objects, we need to think about how the whole thing looks and about how the parts relate to each other and to the whole
•Things can be the same in some ways and different in other ways; when we classify, we sort things into groups that are the same in specified ways
•There are special words, phrases and symbols that help us to think about and describe the shape and structure of things
•Thinking about shape can help us to understand the way things work and fit together
•People have developed useful ways to classify shapes; knowing that a shape is one of the standard types can tell us a lot about it

•Describe the major features of a set of data represented in a line plot or bar graph and quantify the description by using the median or fractional parts of the data
•Draw conclusions about how two groups compare based on summarizing the data for each group
•Use a decimal, fraction or percent to describe and compare the theoretical probabilities of events with a certain number of equally likely outcomes

•when we analyze and interpret data we are deciding what it says and what it means; there is a difference between the data itself and what we think it means
we need to evaluate the data we are using in order to be confident about the conclusions we have drawn
•Not to assume that what happens in a sample will exactly predict what happens in the whole population
•The uncertainty involved in sampling is what causes the uncertainty in drawing conclusions.

•Determine the perimeter and area of rectangles in standard units
•Find the volume of rectangular prisms using standard units
•Identify how the dimensions of a box change when the volume is changed
•Use known angle sizes to determine the sizes of other angles (30˚, 45˚, 60˚, 90˚, 120˚ and 150˚)

•The net of an object has to have the same component parts as the object and the parts have to be in the right relationship to each other
•For certain types of shapes we can describe the relationship between the lengths of its edges and its perimeter, its area and its volume
•We can calculate one measurement from others using relationships between quantities

•Create tables and graphs to represent the relationships between two variables
•Use tables and graphs to compare two situations with constant rates of change
•Use symbolic notation to represent the value of one variable in terms of another variable in situations with constant rates of change

•We use tables and diagrams to organize and summarize data in a systematic way
•When we analyze and interpret data we are deciding what it says and what it means; there is a difference between the data itself and what we think it means
•To describe a number pattern means to provide a precise rule that produces the pattern
•There are strategies that help us become better at recognizing common types of patterns

•Demonstrate fluency with math fact associated with each of the four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
•Find the factors of any whole number up to 150solve subtraction problems with whole numbers accurately and efficiently, choosing from a variety of strategies
•Solve multiplication problems with 2- and 3-digit whole numbers accurately and efficiently
•Solve division problems with 2-digit divisors accurately and efficiently
•Add and subtract decimal numbers by reasoning about place value, equivalents and representations
•Add and subtract fractional numbers by reasoning about fractional equivalents and relationships

•We can think of a number as a sum or difference in different ways.
•We can rearrange the parts of an addition without changing the quantity; why addition is commutative but subtraction is not, and the associative property of addition A + (B + C) = (A + B) + C
•We can think of a number as a multiplication or division in different ways.
•We can rearrange the factors of a multiplication without changing the quantity, the associative property of multiplication (A x B) x C = A x (B x C), and the commutative property of multiplication A x B x C = C x A x B
•Place value and basic number facts together allow us to calculate with any whole or decimal numbers
•There are strategies we can practice to help us do calculations mentally
•There are some special calculating methods that we can use for calculations we find hard to do in our head
•We can calculate with fractions and that sometimes renaming fractions, or unitizing, is helpful for this
•Whole numbers can be partitioned in standard and non-standard ways to meet the particular demands of the current computational task
•The best mental calculation strategies help us to store the bits of the calculation in our head as we go along
•The importance of mental computation lies in its portability and flexibility, not necessarily its speed
•That there a range of standard methods that can assist accuracy and speed for more difficult calculations, but these do not replace other strategies
•They should choose the approach to calculating that suits the numbers involved, the context, adn their own preferences and skills
•There are a variety of algorithms used in different communities around the world
•Unit and regular fractions can be iterated beyond one whole
•The part-part-whole model for thinking about addition and subtraction of whole numbers also applies to decimal and fractional numbers

•Use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction routinely for any numbers including decimals and fractions to make a direct calculation possible
•Interpret multiplication situations as 'times as much' and so can see that 12 is three times as much as 4 and 8 is ten times smaller than 80explain why grouping (partitive) and sharing (quotative) situations can be solved by the same division process
•Explain why multiplication of whole numbers is commutative without calculating
•Choose strategies and models which fit the constraints in a situation and check and verify their use
•Explain when you can and cannot use each of the four operations

•Partitioning numbers into part-part-whole helps us relate addition and subtraction and understand their properties
•Multiplying numbers is useful when we: repeat equal quantities, use rates, make ratio comparisons or changes, e.g. scales, make arrays and combinations need products of measure with whole numbers
•Dividing numbers is useful when we: share or group a quantity into a given number of portions, share or group a quantity into portions of a given size
•Need the inverse of multiplication
•Repeating equal quantities and partitioning a quantity into equal parts helps us relate multiplication and divsion and understand their properties
•The same operation can be said and written in different ways
•Properties of operations and relationships between them can help us to decide whether number sentences are true
•Thinking of a problem as a number sentence of then help us to solve it. Sometimes we need to rewrite the number sentence in a different but equivalent way.
•We make assumptions when using operations. We should check that the assumptions make sense for the problem
•The inverse relationship between addition and subtraction works with decimals and fractions
•The equal sign '=' means 'is equal to' and that it indicates that both sides of the equation represent the same number
•Two number sentences are equivalent (that is, mathematically the same) when they represent the same situation
•It is not necessary to go back to the original situation to know that two number sentences are equivalent; instead we can use properties of operations and relationships between them
•They need to make sense of the whole expression, and not rely only on 'cue' words or translating word for word

•What do effective problem solvers do when they get stuck?
•What are the limits of this math model and of mathematical modeling in general?

•Use fraction-percent equivalencies to sove problems about the percentage of a quantityorder fractions with like and unlike denominators
•Interpret fractions as division e.g. 3/4 = 3 divided by 4determine the 'whole' when given a non-unit fraction (e.g. If this is 2/5, draw the whole.) or and improper fraction (e.g. If this is 5/2, draw the whole.)
•Use the count of iterations needed to create the whole to determine the size of unit fractions (e.g. 'Fifths are smaller than thirds because it takes five repeats to recreate the same whole compared to only three.')

•We can partition objects and collections into two or more equal-sized parts and the partitioning can be done in different ways
•We use fraction words and symbols to describe parts of a whole. The whole can be an object, a collection or a quantity.
•The same fractional quantity can be represented with a lot of different fractions. We say fractions are equivalent when they represent the same number or quantity
•We can compare and order fractional numbers and place them on a number line
•A fraction can be written as a division or as a decimal
•The same object or group can be partitioned in different ways, e.g. into 4 equal parts or into 6 equal parts and this helps to determine equivalency
•The numerator tells how many parts, and the denominator tells the size of the parts
e.g. the fraction 'one third' means not simply one out of three parts, but 'one out of each three parts'
•Fractions are often used to describe quantities, e.g. 3/4 of an apple, but they also represent numbers that have their own properties and their own position on a number line
•Fraction notation developed as a shorthand way to show the division sign, so that 3 ÷ 4 became 3/4that 2 ÷ 3 = 1/3 of 2 = 2/3

•To repeat the hundreds, decades and 1 to 9 sequences within each of the thousands
•The way we say large numbers is based on powers of a thousand, with the pattern in the initial ones, tens and hundreds being repeated
•That the thousands cycle applies only to whole numbers
•Zero is a place holder. It indicates there is none of a particular quantity and holds the other digits 'in place'
•There is a constant multiplicative relationship betwen the places, with the values of the positions increasing in powers of ten, from right to left
•To find the quantity that a digit represents, the value of the digit is multiplied by the value of the place
•Multiple partitions of the same number are possible and that this does not change the original quantity
•The place value system can be extended to the right of the units place to show numbers between two whole numbers
•To represent a number between two consecutive whole numbers, record the smaller whole, followed by the part, separated by a decimal point
•Although numbers can be applied in all sorts of different ways in the real world, they are also abstract objects that can be thought about and manipulated in their own right
•Moving backwards and forwards between quantities and abstract numbers can help us to make sense of each
•Read and write any whole number
•Order and whole number
•Read, write and interpret decimal numbers to the thousandths place
•Compare two decimals to thousandths based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons
•Use place value understanding to round decimals to any place

Students in fourth grade should notice repetitive actions in computation to make generalizations. Students use models to explain calculations and understand how algorithms work. They also use models to examine patterns and generate their own algorithms. For example, students use visual fraction models to write equivalent fractions.

In fourth grade, mathematically proficient students look closely to discover a pattern or structure. For instance, students use properties of operations to explain calculations (partial-productsmodel). They relate representations of counting problems such as tree diagrams and arrays to the multiplication principal of counting. They generate number or shape patterns that follow a given rule.

As fourth grade students develop their mathematical communication skills, they try to use clear and precise language in their discussions with others and in their own reasoning. They are careful about specifying units of measure and state the meaning of the symbols they choose. For instance, they use appropriate labels when creating a line plot.

Mathematically proficient fourth grade students consider the available tools (including estimation) when solving a mathematical problem and decide when certain tools might be helpful. For instance, they may use graph paper or a number line to represent and compare decimals and protractors to measure angles. They use other measurement tools to understand the relative size of units within a system and express measurements given in larger units in terms of smaller units.

Mathematically proficient fourth grade students experiment with representing problem situations in multiple ways including numbers, words (mathematical language), drawing pictures, using objects, making a chart, list, or graph, creating equations, etc. Students need opportunities to connect the different representations and explain the connections. They should be able to use all of these representations as needed. Fourth graders should evaluate their results in the context of the situation and reflect on whether the results make sense.

In fourth grade, mathematically proficient students may construct arguments using concrete referents, such as objects, pictures, and drawings. They explain their thinking and make connections between models and equations. They refine their mathematical communication skills as they participate in mathematical discussions involving questions like “How did you get that?” and “Why is that true?” They explain their thinking to others and respond to others’ thinking.

Mathematically proficient fourth grade students should recognize that a number represents a specific quantity. They connect the quantity to written symbols and create a logical representation of the problem at hand, considering both the appropriate units involved and the meaning of quantities. They extend this understanding from whole numbers to their work with fractions and decimals. Students write simple expressions, record calculations with numbers, and represent or round numbers using place value concepts.

Mathematically proficient students in grade 4 know that doing mathematics involves solving problems and discussing how they solved them. Students explain to themselves the meaning of a problem and look for ways to solve it. Fourth graders may use concrete objects or pictures to help them conceptualize and solve problems. They may check their thinking by asking themselves, “Does this make sense?” They listen to the strategies of others and will try different approaches. They often will use another method to check their answers.

•Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines; identify these in two-dimensional figures
•Identify quadrilaterals as any four-sided closed figure
•Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size
•Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles
•Identify 2-dimensional silhouettes of 3-dimensional solids e.g., a cone can project a triangular silhouette
•Draw 2-dimensional representations showing different perspectives of a 3-dimensional object
•Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts; identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry

•When we copy and make figures of objects, we need to think about how the whole thing looks and about how the parts relate to each other and to the whole
•The net of an object has to have the same component parts as the object and the parts have to be in the right relationship to each other
•That to understand drawings of objects we need to combine what we can actually see with what we think is there; special drawing techniques emphasize different aspects of an object
•That people have developed useful ways to classify shapes; knowing that a shape is one of the standard types can tell us a lot about it

•Why they need to choose the same size objects to use as units when comparing two quantities
•That they can add measurements that they can readily think of in terms of repetitions of units; e.g. find the perimeter of a shape by measuring the sides and adding
•That they can use measurements alone to decide whether one thing is bigger or smaller than another
•Why it is necessary to use the same unit for each quantity when comparisons are being made
•Gaps and overlaps will affect a measurement e.g why it is important to line up the zero mark on a ruler with the start of the thing to be measured
•That on a calibrated scale, the starting point shows the beginning of the first unit, which means no units used and so is labeled '0'; the end of the first unit indicates one unit used and so is marked '1'; the end of each unit marks the number of units long the object is
•Use appropriate measurement tools to measure distance
•Find the area of polygons using a square unit of measure
•Find the volume of cube buildings and rectangular prisms
•Use a right angle as a landmark for finding angles of 30˚, 45˚, and 60˚

•To measure something means to say how much of a particular attribute it has; we measure by choosing a unit and working out how many of the unit it takes to match the thing
•The instrument we choose to represent our unit should relate well to the attribute to be measured and be easy to repeat to match the thing to be measured
•Measurements of continuous quantities are always approximate; measurements can be made more accurate by choosing smaller units, subdividing units and by other strategies
•To measure consistently we need to use our instrument in a way that ensures a good match of the unit with the object to be measured
•Calibrated scales can be used as a substitute for repeating units when measuring length, capacity, mass, angle, and time
•For certain types of shapes, we can describe the relationship between the lengths of the edges and its perimeter, its area and its volume

•The same number pattern can be present in many different situations
•Connect tables and graphs to each other and to the situations they represent
•Make a graph on a coordinate grid from a table of values
•Describe how a graph shows change where the rate of change is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant; differences in steepness represent differences in rate of change
•Take into account the starting amount and the amount of change in describing and comparing situations of constant change
•Write rules (using words or arithmetic expressions) in a situation of constant change to determine the value of one quantity, given the value of the other

•Representing aspects of a situation with numbers can make it easier to see patterns in the situation
•To describe a number pattern means to provide a precise rule that produces the pattern
•There are strategies that help us to become better at recognizing common types of patterns

•Why addition and multiplication are commutative and subtraction and division are is not
•The associative properties for addition and multiplication
•The inverse relationship between addition and subtraction
•Demonstrate fluency with multiplication facts up to and including 12 x 12
•Find the factors of any 2-digit whole number
•Solve addition problems efficiently, choosing from a variety of strategies to meet the demands of each problem
•Solve subtraction problems by using at least one strategy efficiently
•Mentally add and subtract multiples of 10 (including multiples of 100 and 1,000 fluently)
•Multiply 2-digit numbers efficiently
•Solve division problems with 1- and 2-digit divisors by using at least one strategy efficiently
•Add fractions with the same or related denominators, e.g. halves, fourths and eights; thirds and sixths

•The same number fact will be true no matter how you count the objects or what the objects are
•We can think of a number as a sum or difference in different ways; we can rearrange the parts of an addition without changing the quantity
•We can think of a number as a multiplication or division in different ways; we can rearrange the factors of a multiplication without changing the quantity
•Place value and number facts together allow us to calculate with any whole or decimal numbers
•There are strategies we can practice to help us do calculations in our head
•There are some special calculating methods that we can use for calculations we find hard to do in our head
•We can calculate with fractions; sometimes renaming fractions is helpful for this
•Rounding, imagining a number line, and using properties of numbers and operations help us to estimate calculations

•The equal sign '=' means 'is equal to' and that it indicates that both sides of the equation represent the same number
•Two number sentences are equivalent (that is, mathematically the same) when they represent the same situation
•It is not necessary to go back to the original situation to know that two number sentences are equivalent; instead we can use properties of operations and relationships between them
•They need to make sense of the whole situation/ word problem, and not rely only on 'cue' words or translating word for word
•That one factor tells how many groups, and the other factor tells the size of the groups
•Write an equation for the range of addition and subtraction situations and use the equation to solve (rather than writing an equation after they have worked out the solution)
•Write either a subtraction equation or an addition equation with a missing addend when interpreting any subtraction situation
•Choose multiplication to solve situations that involve the repeat of equal quantities, arrays or combinations, or scale comparisons and write an equation using conventional symbolic notation ('x', and '=')
•Write either a division equation or a multiplication equation with a missing factor when interpreting a division situation using conventional symbolic notation ('÷', and '=')

•Adding and subtracting numbers are useful when we: change a quantity by adding more or taking some away, think of a quantity as combined of parts, equalize or compare two quantities
•Partitioning numbers into part-part-whole helps us relate addition and subtraction and understand their properties
•Multiplying numbers is useful when we repeat equal quantities, make arrays, combinations and scale comparisons with whole numbers
•Dividing numbers is useful when we: share or group a quantity into a given number of portions, or, share or group a quantity into portions of a given size
•Repeating equal quantities and partitioning a quantity into equal parts helps us to relate multiplication and divsion and to understand their properties
•The same operation can be said and written in different ways
•Properties of operations and relationships between them can help us to decide whether number sentences are true
•Thinking of a problem as a number sentence often helps us to solve it; sometimes we need to rewrite the number sentence in a different but equivalent way
•We make assumptions when using operations; we should check that the assumptions make sense for the problem

•Equal parts need not look alike, but they must have the same size or amount of the relevant quantity
•No matter how we partition, the whole remains the same amount
•The more shares something is split into, the smaller each share is
•The numerator tells how many parts, and the denominator tells the size of the parts
•Fractions are often used to describe quantities, e.g. 3/4 of an apple, but they also represent numbers that have their own properties and their own position on a number line
•Identify fractional parts of a rectangular area (with and overlayed grid, including halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, sixths)
•Identify fractional parts of a group (of objects, people, etc.)
•Read, write and interpret fraction notation (when referring to part of a whole)
•Read, write and interpret fraction notation (when referring to fractions as numbers)
•Order fractions with like and unlike denominators on a number line by relating to landmarks: 0, 1/2, and 1 whole

•To repeat the hundreds, decades and 1 to 9 sequences within each of the thousands
•The way we say large numbers is based on powers of a thousand, with the pattern in the initial ones, tens and hundreds being repeated
•That the thousands cycle applies only to whole numbers
•Zero is a place holder; it indicates there is none of a particular quantity and holds the other digits 'in place'
•Multiple partitions of the same number are possible and this does not change the original quantity
•The place value system can be extended to the right of the units place to show numbers between two whole numbers
•To represent a number between two consecutive whole numbers, record the smaller whole, followed by the part, separated by a decimal point
•Although numbers can be applied in all sorts of different ways in the real world, they are also abstract objects that can be thought about and manipulated in their own right
•Moving backwards and forwards between quantities and abstract numbers can help us to make sense of each
•Recite number names forwards or backwards starting from any number up to 100,000
•Read any numeral up to and including 100,000
•Write any numeral from dictation up to and including 100,000
•Order whole numbers up to 100,000
•Read, write and interpret decimal numbers to the hundredths place
•Order and compare decimals to the hundredths using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons
•Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place

•Whole numbers are in a particular order and there are patterns in the way we say them which helps us to remember the order
•There are patterns in the way we write whole numbers that help us to remember their order
•Place value helps us to think of the same whole number in different ways and this can be useful
•We can extend the pattern in the way we write whole numbers to write decimal numbers
•We can compare and order the numbers themselves

Mathematically proficient students in third grade should notice repetitive actions in computation and look for more shortcut methods. For example, students may use the distributive property as a strategy for using products they know to solve products that they don’t know. For example, if students are asked to find the product of 7 x 8, they might decompose 7 into 5 and 2 and then multiply 5 x 8 and 2 x 8 to arrive at 40 + 16 or 56. In addition, third graders continually evaluate their work by asking themselves, “Does this make sense?”

In third grade mathematically proficient students look closely to discover a pattern or structure. For instance, students use properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide (commutative and distributive properties).

Mathematically proficient third grade students develop their mathematical communication skills, they try to use clear and precise language in their discussions with others and in their own reasoning. They are careful about specifying units of measure and state the meaning of the symbols they choose. For instance, when figuring out the area of a rectangle they record their answers in square units.

Mathematically proficient third grade students consider the available tools (including estimation) when solving a mathematical problem and decide when certain tools might be helpful. For instance, they may use graph paper to find all the possible rectangles that have a given perimeter. They compile the possibilities into an organized list or a table, and determine whether they have all the possible rectangles.

Mathematically proficient students experiment with representing problem situations in multiple ways including numbers, words (mathematical language), drawing pictures, using objects, acting out, making a chart, list, or graph, creating equations, etc. Students require extensive opportunities to generate various mathematical representations and to write both equations and story problems, explain connections between representations, and connections between representations and equations. Students should be able to use all of these representations as needed. They should evaluate their results in the context of the situation and reflect on whether the results make sense.

In third grade, mathematically proficient students may construct arguments using concrete referents, such as objects, pictures, and drawings. They refine their mathematical communication skills as they participate in mathematical discussions that the teacher facilitates by asking questions such as “How did you get that?” and “Why is that true?”They explain their thinking to others and respond to others’ thinking.

Mathematically proficient third grade students should recognize that a number represents a specific quantity. They connect the quantity to written symbols and create a logical representation of the problem at hand, considering both the appropriate units involved and the meaning of quantities.

In third grade, mathematically proficient students know that doing mathematics involves solving problems and discussing how they solved them. Students explain to themselves the meaning of a problem and look for ways to solve it. Third grade students may use concrete objects or pictures to help them conceptualize and solve problems. They may check their thinking by asking themselves, “Does this make sense?” Students listen to other students’ strategies and are able to make connections between various methods for a given problem.

•Shape is a property, or attribute of things, and there are infinitely variable shapes possible
•We have developed standard classifications of shapes and have given the classes names of their own; this naming helps us to distinguish shapes and to remember them
•Identify triangles as three-sided closed figures with three vertices and three angles
•Identify and compare attributes of 3-dimensional solids including number of faces, edges, and vertices
•Design patterns (nets) for boxes that will hold a given number of cubes
•Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories

•People have developed useful ways to classify shapes; knowing that a shape is one of the standard types can tell us a lot about it
•Shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals).
•When we copy and make figures and objects, we need to think about how the whole thing looks and about how the parts relate to each other and to the whole
•The net of an object has to have the same component parts as the object and parts have to be in the right relationship to each other

•It is the information we record about an object, event or experience that is our data
• We say that we 'collect data', but we really produce it
•The data does not tell us everything about the original objects or events or experiences
•Organize, represent and describe categorical data, choosing categories that help make sense of the data
•Interpret a bar graph
•Make a line plot for a set of numerical data
•Describe the shape of the data for a numerical data set including where the data are concentrated and where there is an outlier
•Summarize a set of data describing concentrations of data and what those concentrations mean in terms of the situation the data represents
•Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.

•Organizing data in different ways may tell us different things
•Graphs, tables and diagrams display data about the real world, although they are not pictures of the real world; we need to learn how to read them
•When we analyze and interpret data we are deciding what it says and what it means
•There is a difference between the data itself and what we think it means

•That the same count of diferent-sized units yields different lengths, i.e. when measuring the same length, larger units yield smaller counts
•We can use numbers to describe the size of a thing by selecting a unit and counting how many repeats of the unit it takes to match the thing as closely as possible
•The size of something doesn’t change when you use a different-sized unit to measure it, but the number of units taken to matchit may change
•A square with side length 1 unit, called "a unit square," is said to have "one square unit" of area, and can be used to measure area
•A plane figure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by n unit squares is said to have an area of n square units
•Area is an attribute of plane figures
•Area is additive so one can find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing them into non-overlapping rectangles and adding the areas of the non-overlapping parts
•Identify and measure the perimeter of a figure using U.S. standard and metric units
•Identify and find the areas of given figures presented on a grid overlay, by counting whole and partial square units
•Identify right angles and recognize whether an angle is larger or smaller than a right angle
•Determine the number of cubes (volume) that will fit in a box made by a given pattern
•Interpret temperature values, e.g. relate numerical temperatures to seasons, to what outdoor clothing would be needed
•Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units)
•Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters

•We can compare things by how much of a particular attribute each has; different attributes may result in different orders
•There are special words and phrases that help us to describe and compare quantity
•To measure something means to say how much of a particular attribute it has; we measure by choosing a unit and working out how many of the unit it takes to match the thing
•We can directly compare objects and events to say which has more length, mass, capacity, area, volume, angle or time
•We can indirectly compare two objects by using other objects as go-betweens or by altering the objects in some way that doesn't affect the quantity

•How does what we measure influence how we measure?
•How does how we measure influence what we measure (or don't measure)?

•They can represent a variety of patterns using numbers
•Interpret graphs of change over time, including both the meaning of points on the graph and how the graph show that values are increasing, decreasing, or staying the same
•Compare related situations with a constant rate of change by interpreting the graphs, tables, and sequences that represent those situations
•Create a table of values for a situation with a constant rate of change and explain the values in the table in terms of the situation

•Representing aspects of a situation with number can make it easier to see patterns in the situation
•We use tables and diagrams to organize and summarize data in a systematic way

Students in 3rd grade construct and practice a range of strategies for calculating. The goal is flexibility and efficiency rather than standardization. In most cases, computational strategies rely on the flexible use of place value where numbers are partitioned in both standard (47=40+7) and non-standard (47=20+27 or 47=43+4) ways. Students come to realize that by decomposing and composing numbers into convenient forms, we can turn any required calculation into one involving a series of applications of basic facts. Students use a variety of models, drawings and numerical notations to construct increasingly deeper concepts of part-part-whole(total) and place value as we challenge them with opportunities for making estimates and computations.

•Demonstrate fluency with subtraction facts related to addition combinations to 10 + 10 (subtrahends up to 20), and multiplication combinations with products up to 50
•Solve 3-digit addition problems using at least one strategy efficiently
•Subtract 3-digit numbers using strategies that involve either subtracting a number in parts, adding up, or subtracting back
•Add multiples of 10 and 100 (sums less than 1,000) and subtract them from any 3-digit number
•Use skip counting or repeated addition to solve multiplication problems
•Use repeated subtraction or multiplication to solve division problems

•The same number fact will be true no matter how you count the objects or what the objects are
•We can think of a number as a sum or difference in different ways; we can rearrange the parts of an addition without changing the quantity
•Place value and basic number facts together allow us to calculate with any whole or decimal numbers
•There are strategies we can practice to help us do calculations in our heads
•There are some special calculating methods that we can use for calculations we find difficult to do in our head
•Rounding, imagining a number line, and using properties of number and operations help us to estimate calculations

•How accurate (precise) does this solution need to be?
•When and why should we estimate?

•Addition is commutative but subtraction is not
•They can change the order of addends to make calculations easier (associative property of addition)
•The multiplication symbol 'x' can be interpreted as 'groups of'
•Interpret subtraction situations that involve removing a part from a whole, comparing two quantities, or finding the missing part
•Demonstrate an understanding of multiplication and division as involving groups of equal groups
•Link addition to subtraction by using a variable as a missing addend e.g. 23 + n = 89 and work out the 'unknown' by counting up or by subtracting
•Link the 'x' symbol to repeated addition, and use materials or diagrams to represent the situation
•Use materials or diagrams to represent the relationships in a division (grouping or sharing) problems

•Adding and subtracting numbers are useful when we change a quantity by adding more or taking some away, think of a quantity as combined of parts or compare two quantities
•Partitioning number into part-part-whole helps us to relate addition and subtraction and to understand their properties
•Multiplying numbers is useful when we repeat equal quantities
• Dividing numbers is useful when we share or group a quantitiy into a given number of portions or share or group a quantity into portions of a given size

•What do good problem solvers do, especially when they get stuck?
•What are the limits of this math model and of mathematical modeling in general?

•That parts could look different but still be equal in size
•When splitting a whole into parts, the whole should be used up
•Regardless of how we partition, the whole remains the same amount
•To link the action of sharing into equal portions and taking one of the portions with the language of unit fractions e.g. one half, one third, one fourth, etc
•They can count forward and backwards using fractional words e.g. one third, two thirds, three thirds or one, four thirds or one-and-one-third
•Two fractions are equivalent if they represent the same amount of the relevant whole
•Divide a single continuous whole or quantity of discrete objects into equal parts
•Name parts as fractions and mixed numbers
•Identify equivalent fractions e.g. 1/2 = 3/6, 1/3 = 2/6
•Find combinations of fractions that are equal to one whole, or other fractions e.g. 1/2 + 3/6 = 1; 1/6 + 1/6 = 1/3
•Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size
•Represent fractions on a number line diagram

•The hundreds (centuries) are named following the 1-9 sequence
•We repeat the decade sequence and the 1-9 sequence within each of the hundreds
•Zero is a place holder; it indicates there is none of a particular quantity and holds the other digits 'in place'
•Multiple partitions of the same number are possible and that this does not change the original quantity
•Recite number names forwards or backwards starting from any number up to 10,000
•Read any numeral up to and including 10,000
•Write any numeral from dictation up to and including 10,000
•Order whole numbers up to 10,000
•Partition 2- and 3-digit numbers in standard and non-standard ways
•Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade begin to look for regularity in problem structures when solving mathematical tasks. For example, after solving two digit addition problems by decomposing numbers (33+ 25 = 30 + 20+ 3 +5), students may begin to generalize and frequently apply that strategy independently on future tasks. Further, students begin to look for strategies to be more efficient in computations, including doubles strategies and making a ten. Lastly, while solving all tasks, Second Grade students accurately check for the reasonableness of their solutions during and after completing the task.

Look for and make use of structure

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade carefully look for patterns and structures in the number system and other areas of mathematics. For example, students notice number patterns within the tens place as they connect skip count by 10s off the decade to the corresponding numbers on a 100s chart. While working in the Numbers in Base Ten domain, students work with the idea that 10 ones equals a ten, and 10 tens equals 1 hundred. In addition, Second Grade students also make use of structure when they work with subtraction as missing addend problems, such as 50- 33 = __can be written as 33+ __ = 50 and can be thought of as,” How much more do I need to add to 33 to get to 50?”

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade are precise in their communication, calculations, and measurements. In all mathematical tasks, students in Second Grade communicate clearly, using grade-level appropriate vocabulary accurately as well as giving precise explanations and reasoning regarding their process of finding solutions. For example, while measuring an object, care is taken to line up the tool correctly in order to get an accurate measurement. During tasks involving number sense, students consider if their answer is reasonable and check their work to ensure the accuracy of solutions.

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade have access to and use tools appropriately. These tools may include snap cubes, place value (base ten) blocks, hundreds number boards, number lines, rulers, and concrete geometric shapes (e.g., pattern blocks, 3-d solids). Students also have experiences with educational technologies, such as calculators and virtual manipulatives, which support conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking skills. During classroom instruction, students have access to various mathematical tools as well as paper, and determine which tools are the most appropriate to use. For example, while measuring the length of the hallway, students can explain why a yardstick is more appropriate to use than a ruler.

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade model real-life mathematical situations with a number sentence or an equation, and check to make sure that their equation accurately matches the problem context. Second Grade students use concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations to provide further explanation of the equation. Likewise, Second Grade students are able to create an appropriate problem situation from an equation. For example, students are expected to create a story problem for the equation 43 + 17 = ___ such as “There were 43 gumballs in the machine. Tom poured in 17 more gumballs. How many gumballs are now in the machine?”

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade accurately use definitions and previously established solutions to construct viable arguments about mathematics. During discussions about problem solving strategies, students constructively critique the strategies and reasoning of their classmates. For example, while solving 74 - 18, students may use a variety of strategies, and after working on the task, can discuss and critique each others’ reasoning and strategies, citing similarities and differences between strategies.

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade make sense of quantities and relationships while solving tasks. This involves two processes- decontexualizing and contextualizing. In Second Grade, students represent situations by decontextualizing tasks into numbers and symbols. For example, in the task, “There are 25 children in the cafeteria and they are joined by 17 more children. How many students are in the cafeteria? ” Second Grade students translate that situation into an equation, such as: 25 + 17 = __ and then solve the problem. Students also contextualize situations during the problem solving process. For example, while solving the task above, students can refer to the context of the task to determine that they need to subtract 19 since 19 children leave. The processes of reasoning also other areas of mathematics such as determining the length of quantities when measuring with standard units.

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

Mathematically proficient students in Second Grade examine problems and tasks, can make sense of the meaning of the task and find an entry point or a way to start the task. Second Grade students also develop a foundation for problem solving strategies and become independently proficient on using those strategies to solve new tasks. In Second Grade, students’ work continues to use concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations as well as mental mathematics. Second Grade students also are expected to persevere while solving tasks; that is, if students reach a point in which they are stuck, they can re-examine the task in a different way and continue to solve the task. Lastly, mathematically proficient students complete a task by asking themselves the question, “Does my answer make sense?”

•It is the information we record about an object, event or experience that is our data
•We say that we 'collect data', but we really produce it
•The data does not tell us everything about the original objects or events or experiences
•Describe a numerical data set, including the highest and the lowest values and the mode
•Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object; show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in whole-number units
•Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories;
•Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph

•We can answer some questions (and test some predictions) by using data
•We can produce data by: counting or measuring things, asking groups of people or watching what happens (observing)
•We can display data visually; some graphs and plots show how many or how much is in each category or group
•Graphs, tables and diagrams display data about the real world, although they are not pictures of the real world; we need to learn how to read them

Is there a pattern?

•Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces
•Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes
•Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares and count to find the total number of them

•That the same count of diferent-sized units yields different lengths, i.e. when measuring the same length, larger units yield smaller counts
•We can use numbers to describe the size of a thing by selecting a unit and counting how many repeats of the unit it takes to match the thing as closely as possible
•The size of something doesn’t change when you use a different-sized unit to measure it, but the number of units taken to matchit may change
•Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes

• Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen

• Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters

• Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit

• Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem

• Represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line diagram with equally spaced points corresponding to the numbers 0, 1, 2, ...

• Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m.

• Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols appropriately. Example: If you have 2 dimes and 3 pennies, how many cents do you have?

• Identify sources of measurement error

• Identify the number of rows and the number of squares in each row in an array

•The instrument we choose to represent our unit should relate well to the attribute to be measured and be easy to repeat to match the thing to measured
•To measure consistently we need to use our instrument in a way that ensures a good match of the unit with the object to be measuredmeasurements of continuous quantities are always approximate.
•Standard units help us to interpret, communicate and calculate measurements
•To measure something means to say how much of a particular attribute it has; we measure by choosing a unit and working out how many of the unit it takes to match the thing to be measured
•We can indirectly compare two objects by using other objects as go-betweens or by altering the objects in some way that doesn’t affect the quantity
•Calibrated scales can be used as a substitute for repeating units when measuring length, capacity, mass, angle and time
•We can judge and measure time using both natural cyclical issues and special techniques and tools which people have developed

•Why do attributes matter?
•How does understanding attributes help me to understand the world?

•The same number pattern can be present in many different situations
•Patterns enable us to predict, expect and plan
•Representing aspects of a situation with numbers and then looking for patterns in the numbers can help us understand the situation better, often making patterns more obvious and predictions easier
•Some collections can be shared into two equal groups (those with an even numbers of items) and some can't (those with an odd numbers of items)
• Explain what the numbers in a table represent in a constant ratio situation (involving ratios of 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6)
•Complete and extend a table to match a situation involving a constant ratio
•Extend a repeating pattern and determine what element of a pattern will be in a particular position e.g. the 16th position, if the pattern keeps going
•Determine whether a group of objects (up to 20) has an odd or even number of members, e.g., by pairing objects or counting them by 2s; write an equation to express an even number as a sum of two equal addends
•Reason about 'partners', 'teams', and 'leftovers' to make and justify generalizations about what happens when even and odd numbers are added

•Representing aspects of a pattern with numbers can make it easier to see patterns in the situation
•Some numbers have interesting or useful properties; investigating the patterns in these special numbers can help us to understand them better

•How does recognizing patterns help us to understand, make predictions, and interact with our world?
•Is there a pattern?

Students in 2nd grade construct and practice a range of strategies for calculating. The goal is flexibility and efficiency rather than standardization. In most cases, computational strategies rely on the flexible use of place value where numbers are partitioned in both standard (47=40+7) and non-standard (47=20+27 or 47=43+4) ways. Students come to realize that by decomposing and composing numbers into convenient forms, we can turn any required calculation into one involving a series of applications of basic facts. Students use a variety of models, drawings and numerical notations to construct increasingly deeper concepts of part-part-whole (total) and place value as we challenge them with opportunities for making estimates and computations.

•That there are non-counting strategies that can be used to work out addition and subtraction facts that are not yet known; unknown facts can be derived from known facts
• Why addition is commutative and subtraction is not
•That they can use the 'compensation' strategy to make calculating easier e.g. to find 274 + 8 you can think of eight as 6 + 2, use the six to 'fill up' the seventies to get 280 and then add the two
•That they can use 'compatible' numbers to make a calculation easier e.g. 68+27+12 can be thought of as 68+12=80, plus 20 more is 100, plus 7 more is 107
•That they can use 'bridging' strategy to make calculations easier e.g. 68 + 47 can be thought of as 68 and 32 will make 100 with 15 left, so 115
•How to use the following mathematical models to solve calculations and justify their accuracy: 100 chart and number line
•Know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers
• Add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies
•Mentally add 10 or 100 to a given number 100-900, and mentally subtract 10 or 100 from a given number 100-900
•Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction
•Represent whole-number sums and differences within 100 on a number line diagram
•Add up to four two-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and properties of operations
•Add and subtract within 1000, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method
• Explain why addition and subtraction strategies work, using place value and the properties of operations

•The same number fact will be true no matter how you count the objects or what the objects are
•We can think of a number as a sum or difference in different ways; we can rearrange the parts of an addition without changing the quantity
•Place value and basic facts together allow us to calculate with any whole number
•There are strategies we can practice to help us do calculations in our head
•To use a calculator well we need to enter and interpret the information correctly and know about its functions
•Thinking about what makes sense helps us to check and interpret the results of calculations

•Why is it helpful to know math facts?
•How does understanding the commutative property of addition and the part-part-whole model help us to be flexible mathematicians?
•Why is flexibility with calculations an important aspect of becoming an efficient mathematician?

•Addition is commutative and subtraction is not
•If the total quantity is unknown, addition is required, and if one of the other quantities (parts) is unknown, then subtraction is required
•Interpret addition and subtraction word problems (with numbers under 100) involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem
•Interpret multiplicative situations in terms of repeated addition
•Use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays with up to 5 rows and up to 5 columns and write an equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends
•Enter appropriate number sentences into calculators based on the operational situation

•How do the operations of addition and subtraction help us to think about situations in our world?
•When is adding groups of ones better in some situations than others?
•How can one situation be described by different equations?
•How can one equation describe different situations?

•Equal parts need not look alike
•When splitting a whole into equal parts, the whole should be completely used up
•Regardless of how we partition, the whole remains the same amount
•The more shares something is split into, the smaller each share will be
•Find half of a set of objects
•Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths
•Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape

•Repeated addition or skip counting will give the same result as counting by ones
•The three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones
•100 can be thought of as a bundle of ten tens — called a "hundred."
•The position or place of a digit tells us its value
•Zero is used as a place holder; it indicates there are none of a particular quantity and holds the other digits 'in place'
•Count within 1,000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s
•Read and write numbers to 1,000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form
•Compare two three-digit numbers based on meanings of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons

•We can often see how many are in a collection just be looking and also by thinking of it in parts
•Whole numbers are in a particular order and there are patterns in the way we say them which help us to remember the order
•There are patterns in the way we write numbers that help us remember their order
•We can compare and order the numbers themselves

•Why is it important to count accurately?
•Why are some counting strategies better than others?
•How do number words help us to communicate?
•How is subitizing useful in my world?
•Why are number names said in a pattern?

First grade students typically work on constructing the concepts listed in:
• The Quantifying Phase of Number
• The Matching and Comparing Phase of Measurement
• The Recognizing and the Describing Phases of Geometry
(See continuum descriptions above.)

First grade students are beginning to represent their thinking with symbolic expressions (+, -, =), rather than with drawings alone. They are beginning to use models such as number lines and 100 charts, to help them examine relationships in the number system.

Mathematical Practices

Essential Questions for Mathematical Practices

• What do I know and what do I need to know?
• Where should I start? When should I change course? How will I know when I am done?
• What's working? What's not? What adjustments should I make?
• Is there a more efficient way to do this? Is there a more effective way to do this? How should I balance efficiency and effectiveness?
• How will I know when I am done?
• What should I do when I get stuck?
• How can I overcome my fear of making mistakes?
• What have I learned? What insights have I gained?
• How can I improve my performance?
• What will I do differently next time?

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade begin to look for regularity in problem structures when solving mathematical tasks. For example, when adding three one-digit numbers and by making tens or using doubles, students engage in future tasks looking for opportunities to employ those same strategies. Thus, when solving 8+7+2, a student may say, “I know that 8 and 2 equal 10 and then I add 7 more. That makes 17. It helps to see if I can make a 10 out of 2 numbers when I start.” Further, students use repeated reasoning while solving a task with multiple correct answers. For example, in the task “There are 12 crayons in the box. Some are red and some are blue. How many of each could there be?” First Grade students realize that the 12 crayons could include 6 of each color (6+6 = 12), 7 of one color and 5 of another (7+5 = 12), etc. In essence, students repeatedly find numbers that add up to 12.

Look for and make use of structure.

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade carefully look for patterns and structures in the number system and other areas of mathematics. For example, while solving addition problems using a number balance, students recognize that regardless whether you put the 7 on a peg first and then the 4, or the 4 on first and then the 7, they both equal 11(commutative property). When decomposing two-digit numbers, students realize that the number of tens they have constructed ‘happens’ to coincide with the digit in the tens place. When exploring geometric properties, first graders recognize that certain attributes are critical (number of sides, angles), while other properties are not (size, color, orientation).

Attend to precision

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade attend to precision in their communication, calculations, andmeasurements. They are able to describe their actions and strategies clearly, using grade-level appropriate vocabulary accurately. Their explanations and reasoning regarding their process of finding a solution becomes more precise. In varying types of mathematical tasks, first grade students pay attention to details as they work. For example, as students’ ability to attend to position and direction develops, they begin to notice reversals of numerals and self-correct when appropriate. When measuring an object, students check to make sure that there are not any gaps or overlaps as they carefully place each unit end to end to measure the object (iterating length units). Mathematically proficient first grade students understand the symbols they use (=, >,<) and use clear explanations in discussions with others. For example, for the sentence 4 >3, a proficient student who is able to attend to precision states, “Four ismore than 3” rather than “The alligator eats the four. It’s bigger.”

Use appropriate tools strategically

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade have access to a variety of concrete (e.g. 3-dimensional solids, ten frames, number balances, number lines) and technological tools (e.g., virtual manipulatives, calculators, interactive websites) and use them to investigate mathematical concepts. They select tools that help them solve and/or illustrate solutions toa problem. They recognize that multiple tools can be used for the same problem-depending on the strategy used. For example, a child who is in the counting stage may choose connecting cubes to solve a problem. While, a student who understands parts of number, may solve the same problem using ten-frames to decompose numbers rather than using individual connecting cubes. As the teacher provides numerous opportunities for students to use educational materials, first grade students’ conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking skills are developed.

Model with mathematics

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade model real-life mathematical situations with a number sentence or an equation, and check to make sure that their equation accurately matches the problem context. They also use tools, such as tables, to help collect information, analyze results, make conclusions, and review their conclusions to see if the results make sense and revising as needed.

Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade continue to develop their ability to clearly express, explain, organize and consolidate their math thinking using both verbal and written representations. Their understanding of grade appropriate vocabulary helps them to construct viable arguments about mathematics. For example, when justifying why a particular shape isn’t a square, a first grade student may hold up a picture of a rectangle, pointing to the various parts, and reason, “It can’t be a square because, even though it has 4 sides and 4 angles, the sides aren’t all the same size.” In a classroom where risk-taking and varying perspectives are encouraged, mathematically proficient students are willing and eager to share their ideas with others, consider other ideas proposed by classmates, and question ideas that don’t seem to make sense.

Reason abstractly and quantitatively

Mathematically proficient students in First Grade recognize that a number represents a specific quantity. They use numbers and symbols to represent a problem, explain thinking, and justify a response. For example, when solving the problem: “There are 60 children on the playground. Some children line up. There are 20 children still on the playground. How many children lined up?” first grade students may write 20 + 40= 60 to indicate a Think-Addition strategy. Other students may illustrate acounting-on by tens strategy by writing 20 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 60. The numbers and equations written illustrate the students’ thinking and the strategies used, rather than how to simply compute, and how the story is decontextualized as it is represented abstractly with symbols.

Make Sense of Problems and Persevere in Solving Them

Mathematically proficient students in first grade continue to develop the ability to focus attention, test hypotheses, take reasonable risks, remain flexible, try alternatives, exhibit self-regulation,and persevere (Copley, 2010). As the teacher uses thoughtful questioning and provides opportunities for students to share thinking, first grade students become conscious of what they know and how they solve problems. They make sense of task-type problems, find an entry point or a way to begin the task, and are willing to try other approaches when solving the task. They ask themselves,“Does this make sense?” first grade students’ conceptual understanding builds from their experiences in Kindergarten as they continue to rely on concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations to solve a problem, eventuallybecoming fluent and flexible with mental math as a result of these experiences.

Geometry

First grade students typically work on constructing the concepts in the Recognizing and the Describing Phases of Geometry.
(See continuum descriptions above.)

•Diagnostic Tasks
•Performance Tasks
•Interviews

•Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size)
•Build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
•Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.

•When we copy and make figures and objects, we need to think about how the whole thing looks and about how the parts relate to each other and to the whole
•Things can be the same in some ways and different in other ways.
•When we classify, we sort things into groups that are the same in specified ways
•There are special words, phrases and symbols that help us to think about and describe the shape and structure of things
•People have developed useful ways to classify shapes; knowing that a shape is one of the standard types can tell us a lot about it

Data Analysis

Using data to answer questions is the essence of the 'scientific method'.

• Data collection is a question-answering strategy
•It is the information we record about an object, event or experience that is our data
•We can display data visually
•Predictions are not simply guesses, they are 'best guesses', 'informed guesses' or 'judgement calls' based on our previous experience and knowledge, and our theories and analysis
•Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories
•Ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.

Measurement

First grade students typically work on constructing the concepts listed in the Matching and Comparing Phase of Measurement.
(See continuum descriptions above.)

•Length, mass, capacity and time are attributes of objects and events and can be used to put two or three obviously different things in order
•Comparing by one attribute amy produce a different order to comparing by another
•Different words are associated with different attributes (tall, short, wide, narrow, long, length, distance) and there is comparative language associated with particular attributes (tall, taller, tallest, as tall as)
•Order three objects by length
•Compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object
•Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end
•Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks

•We can compare things by how much of a particular attribute each has and that different attributes may result in different orders
•There are special words and phrases that help us to describe and compare quantity
•We can directly compare objects and events to say which has more length, mass, capacity, area or time
•The length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps
•We can indirectly compare two objects by using other objects as go-betweens or by altering the objects in some way that doesn’t affect the quantity

•How does noticing different attributes help us?
•Why are there special words for describing and comparing?

Reason Algebraically

•We use the word 'pattern' to refer to the underlying regularity or ongoing repetition in a situation e.g., in a fabric design made by a turning and sliding motif, it is not the motif or the overall design that is 'pattern', rather the pattern is the regularity of the turning and sliding
•To describe a pattern means to describe how to get the design or overal picture
•To copy a pattern means to reproduce the regularity
•Patterns enable us to predict, expect and plan
•Representing aspects of a situation with numbers and then looking for patterns in the numbers can help us understand the situation better, often making patterns more obvious and predictions easier
•The same number pattern can be present in many different situations
•Identify the unit of a repeating pattern for patterns with the structure AB and ABC
•Construct, describe and extend a repeating pattern with the structure of AB, ABC, AAB, ABB
•Determine what comes several steps beyond the visible part of an AB, ABC, AAB, or ABB repeating pattern
•Describe how various AB and ABC patterns are alike
•Construct, describe and extend a pattern that has a constant increase for the sequences: 1, 3, 5...; 2, 4, 6...; 1, 4, 7...; 2, 5, 8...; and 3, 6, 9... through counting and building

•We use regularity or pattern to infer one thing from another thing and to make predictions.
•Representing aspects of a situation with numbers can make it easier to see patterns in the situation.

How does recognizing patterns help us to understand, make predictions, and interact with our world?

Calculate

•The facts they work out and come to trust, can always be relied upon to give the same sum
•They can use partitions and and other strategies to work out sums they don't know
•Solve all of the two-addend combinations with sums to 10 within 3 seconds
•Relate counting to addition & subtraction

•The same number fact will be true no matter how you count the objects or what the objects are
•We can think of a number as a sum or difference in different ways. We can rearrange the parts of an addition without changing the quantity.

•Why will 4 + 5 always be equal to 9?
•When might it be useful to have some facts memorized?

Understand Operations

•That they can make connections between dramatic, physical, diagramatic and verbal forms of problems (contextualize and decontextualize)
•At least one meaning for the operational symbols (+, -, =)
•Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem
•Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem

•That adding and subtracting numbers is useful when we: change a quantity by adding more or by taking some away, think of a quantity as a combination of parts, or compare two quantities
•That partitioning numbers into part-part-total helps us to relate addition and subtraction and understand their properties
•The meaning of the equal sign (=)
•The commutative property of addition a+b=b+a
•The associative property of addition (a+b)+c =a+(b+c)

•Why is it important to be able to notice and understand changes in quantity that happen in our day-to-day lives?
•How can one situation be described by different equations?
•How can one equation describe different situations?
•How does math language help us to tell/ understand situations where quantities are changing, being combined or are being compared to one another?
•How does the part-part-whole model help us to understand different situations?

Understand fractional numbers

•Objects can be partitioned just as numbers can
•They can use symmetry or measurement to partition quantities into two equal shares
•When making equal portions, they must use up the entire whole
•Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares and describe those shares using the words half/halves, fourths, and quarters

•When we split something into two equal-sized parts, we say we have 'halved it' and that each part is 'half' the original thing.
•We can partition objects into two or more equal-sized parts and the partitioning can be done in different ways.

When would we need to be able to describe quantities that are less than one, but more than zero?

Understand Whole Numbers

•Diagnostic Tasks
•Performance Tasks
•Interviews/ student reflection
•Direct Observation

•Objects to be counted can be touched in any order, and the starting point and order in which the objects are counted does not affect how many there are.
•The arrangement of the objects to be counted does not affect how many there are.
•The last number said when counting a collection tells 'how many' in the whole collection. It does not describe the last object touched.
•It is easier to see how many there are when collections are in special arrangements.
•Any collection can be separated into parts and each part can be represented by a number: thinking part-part-whole can help us see how many there are.
•The same number can be thought of in parts in different ways, including in more than two parts.
•How to predict and name the decades by following the 1 to 9 sequence
•How to repeat the 1 to 9 sequence within each decade
•That except for the teens, you say the places in the order in which the digits are written from left to right
•The order of the digits makes a difference to the number, so 28 is different than 82.
•Accurately count a set of up to 60 objects
•Combine two small quantities by 'counting on'
•Count by groups (skip-count) in meaningful ways
•Find at least five combinations of two addends for any teen number
•Count orally to 120
•Read & write numerals up to 120
•Sequence whole numbers up to 120

•We can count a collection to find out how many are in it.
•We can often see how many are in a collection just by looking and also by thinking of it in parts.
•Whole numbers are in a particular order and there are patterns in the way we say them which help us to remember the order.
•There are patterns in the way we write whole numbers that help us to remember their order.

•Why do we count?
•Why is it important to count accurately?
•How does breaking a number into smaller parts help us to think about the quantity?
•What if you didn't know that you could break numbers apart?
•How do patterns in the way we say numbers help us to count?
•Why do we repeat some number names when we are counting?

Geometry Continuum

Relating Phase of Geometry (ages 11-15)

Students develop coordinated mental representations of spatial configurations in relation to their component parts enabling them to mentally manipulate and transform figures, objects and arrangements. Through investigating properties of shapes and movements and inter-relationships between them, their use of visual images becomes constrained by their more abstract verbal knowledge of the properties.

As a result, students are able to visualize the result of systematically moving or folding figures or moving objects or themselves in relation an object and to represent transformations. They also integrate distance and direction in their descriptions of paths and locations and can represent them on coordinate systems.

Also as a result, students come to recognize relationships between properties and between common classes of shapes; e.g. This square is also a rectangle because it has all the properties of a rectangle.

Analyzing Phase of Geometry (ages 8-13)

As students consciously compare and contrast spatial configurations, they form generalizations about relationships both within and between figures, objects, movements and arrangements. Through their own experimentation, they realize that when an object or arrangement is transformed, relationships between its component parts may be preserved or not, and they try to visualize 'what happens' when things are represented or moved.

As a result, students establish that shapes and movements they recognize as in the same class have features in common, thus the term 'triangle' can now be interpreted as a collection of properties (a closed figure with three sides) that can be represented by many figures.

Also as a result, students try to ensure that desired relationships are preserved when they make (e.g. produce a net of an object, make a scaled copy), represent (e.g. draw a map or diagram of an object) or move things (e.g. look from a different view, fold and unfold, turn).

Describing Phase of Geometry (ages 6-10)

Through their own physical and perceptual action on spatial configurations focused on interpreting, describing and representing the parts making the whole, students make sense of the the spatial relationships within figures, objects and arrangements and in the visual representations of them.

As a result, they identify the features of particular plane figures (This has four sides and two of its sides are equal.) and objects (This has six faces and they are all rectangles.) and construct 3D meanings for the 2D representations of 3D that are conventional within their culture.

Also as a result, students pay attention to the shape and placement of component parts when they draw, match, make and copy things and are able to think of objects in positional relationship to each other rather than in relation to themselves.

Recognizing Phase of Geometry (ages 4-7)

Students' exploration of objects and space through touch and sight gradually become more regulated as they attend to spatial features and construct mental and visual representations of shapes and arrangements in space.

As a result, they can copy simple figures and recognize figures of 'the same shape', constructing visual images or prototypes of what people mean when they refer to common figures and objects; e.g. This is a rectangle because it looks like a rectangle.

Also as a result, they construct visual images of familiar objects and of where objects are within familiar spaces and locations.

Emergent Phase of Geometry (ages 3-5)

As students move about their environment and explore the objects in it, they respond perceptually to spatial features, encoding shape and the location of objects they can see within a framework of landmarks.

As a result, they begin to name things they can see and handle in ways that reflect attention to shape and they can match simple shapes in an impressionistic way.

Also as a result, they begin to understand that we can represent the relative position of neighboring things, for example, placing a toy dog under the table to 'stand for' the real dog under the real table.

Measurement Continuum

Relating Phase of Measurement (ages 11-15)

Students come to trust measurement information even when it is about things they cannot see or handle and to understand measurement relationships, both those between attributes and those between units.

As a result, they work with measurement information itself and can use measurements to compare things, including those they have not directly experienced, and to indirectly measure things.

Measuring Phase of Measurement (ages 9-13)

Students come to understand the unit as an amount (rather than an object or a mark on a scale) and to see the process of matching a unit with an object as equivalent to subdividing the object into bits of the same size as the unit and counting the bits.

As a result, they see that part-units can be combined to form whole units and they understand and trust the measurement as a property or description of the object being measured that does not change as a result of the choice or placement of units.

Quantifying Phase of Measurement (ages 7-11)

Students connect the two ideas of directly comparing the size of things and of deciding 'how many fit' and so come to an understanding that the count of actual or imagined repetitions of units gives an indication of size and enables two things to be compared without directly matching them.

As a result, they trust information about repetitions of units as an indicator of size and are prepared to use this in making comparisons of objects.

Matching & Comparing Phase of Measurement (ages 5-9)

Students match in a conscious way in order to decide which is bigger by familiar readily perceived and distinguished attributes such as length, mass, capacity and time. They also repeat copies of objects, amounts and actions to decide how many fit (balance or match) a provided object or event.
As a result, they learn to directly compare things to decide which is longer, fatter, heavier, holds more or took longer. They also learn what people expect them to do in response to questions such as 'How long (tall, wide or heavy, much time, much does it hold)?' or when explicitly asked to measure something.

Emergent Phase of Measurement (ages 4-7)

Students initially attend to overall appearance of size, recognizing one thing as perceptually bigger than another and using comparative language in a fairly undifferentiated and absolute way (big/small) rather than to describe comparative size (bigger/smaller). Over time, they note that their communities distinguish between different forms of bigness (or size) and make relative judgments of size.

As a result, they begin to understand and use everyday language of attributes and comparison used within their home and school environment, differentiating between attributes that are obviously perceptually different.

Operating Phase (ages 11+)

During the Operating Phase of Understanding Number students learn to interpret multipliers as ‘times as much as’ or ‘of’ rather than simply counters of groups, so can think of them as ‘operators’ that need not be whole numbers. Students also come to see that any number can be thought of as a unit which can be repeated or split up any number of times.  As a result, students see how the intervals between whole numbers can be split and re-split into increasingly smaller intervals and realize the significance of the relationship between successive places.  For example, the value of each place is ten times the value of the place to its right and one tenth the value of the place to its left. Also as a result, students learn to make multiplicative comparisons between numbers, deal with proportional situations, and integrate their ideas about common and decimal fractions. These students can think of multiplications and divisions in terms of operators.

Factoring Phase (ages 9-13)

During the Factoring Phase of Understanding Number students extend their additive ideas about whole numbers to include the coordination of two factors needed for multiplicative thinking. They learn to construct and coordinate groups of equal size, number of groups and a total amount. Students also learn to visualize multiplicative situations in terms of a quantity arranged in rows and columns (an array). As a result, students see the significance of the connection between groups of ten or groups of one hundred and the way we write whole numbers. They are able to relate different types of multiplication and division situations involving whole numbers. They also link the ideas of repeating equal groups, splitting a quantity into equal parts and fractions. These students think both additively and multiplicatively about numerical quantities.

Partitioning Phase (ages 6-11)

During the Partitioning Phase of Understanding Number students come to see the significance of whole numbers having their own meaning independent of particular countable objects. They learn to use part-part-whole reasoning without needing to see or visualize physical collections. As a result, students see that numbers have magnitudes in relation to each other, can interpret any whole number as composed of two or more other numbers, and see the relationship between different types of addition and subtraction situations. Also as a result, students see that number can be used to count groups and that they can use one group as a representative of other equal groups. They trust, too, that appropriate partitioning of quantities must produce equal portions. These students use additive thinking to deal with many-to-one relations.

During the Quantifying Phase of Understanding Number students reason about numerical quantities and come to believe that if nothing is added to, or removed from a collection or quantity, then the total amount must stay the same even if its arrangement or appearance is altered. As a result, students see that the significance of the number uttered at the end of counting process does not change with the rearrangement of the collection or the counting strategy. They interpret small numbers as compositions of other numbers. These students use part-part-whole relations for numerical quantities.

During the Matching Phase of Understanding Number students use numbers as adjectives that describe actual quantities of physical materials. Through stories, games and everyday tasks, students use one-to-one relations to solve problems where they can directly carry out or imagine the actions suggested in the situation. They learn to fix small collections to make them match, ‘deal out’ collections or portions, and to respect most of the principles of counting. 
As a result, students learn what people expect them to do in response to requests such as: How many are there? Can you give me six forks? How many are left? Give out one (two) each. Share them. These students use one-to-one relations to share and count out.

Mandarin Chinese

Students attend either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish language class three times a week for 40-minute lessons. For the first six weeks of the school year, 1st grade students are introduced to both languages offered by the Lower School. After this six-week period, students and their parents decide which language class they want to join for the rest of the year. Students may switch languages in 2nd or 3rd grade if the class has openings. By 3rd grade, we ask that students remain in either Mandarin or Spanish for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to develop a strong second language underpinning.

Our goal in Mandarin and Spanish is language proficiency. In the early years, students learn vocabulary for concepts such as colors, food, body parts, seasons, and numbers.

As children move through the Lower School their language skills extend from short dialogues to authentic conversations. Writing, literature, and grammar are introduced and practiced along the way. Mandarin Chinese- or Spanish-speaking cultures are explored through singing and acting, holiday celebrations, and storytelling.

•Individual unit projects (booklets, comic strips)
•Class participation and interaction with peers and adult
•Field trip
•Student-made graphic organizers
•Total physical response (TPR) & total physical response storytelling (TPRS)
•Skit/play
•Observation
•Self-assessment

Fall Term
•Able to describe when and why one feels a certain way.
•Able to describe different means of transportation.
•Know how to ask for the way and tell directions.
•Know how to ask/describe what one’s job is.

Winter Term
•Use the software to switch between English and Chinese keyboard input in order to type in Chinese.
•Use a Chinese dictionary to understand the meanings of unfamiliar characters or phrases.
•Describe/identify someone's or something's existence (是 shi), location (在 zai),state (很 hen), likes (喜欢 xihuan), ability (会 hui),emotions (很 hen).
•Use graphic organizers to present/summarize what you understand.

Spring Term
•Carry on a dialogue in a play for live performance.
•Create story books/comic strips to put the learned vocabulary in complete sentences to describe yourself or others.
•Make meaningful sentences of the 5 basic verbs learned in the 4 different contexts. For example, a) 是／不是／也是／都是; b) 在／不在／也在／都在; c) 喜欢／不喜欢／也喜欢／都喜欢; d) 会／不会／也会／都会; e) 有／没有／也有／都有／还有.
•Able to recognize and retain 250 - 300 basic Chinese characters.

Fall Term
•Describe your feelings and emotions: happy, sad, lonely,angry, bored, shy, bored, sick, comfortable, sick, hot, cold, nervous.
•Describe your skills and abilities and talk about your dream job.
•Describe means of public transportation.

Winter Term
•Understand Pinyin system for typing purpose and choosing the correct characters to build a foundation for literacy.
•Understand how to look up unknown characters in a Chinese dictionary.
•Review names of American & Chinese foods and make comments about the tastes.

Spring Term
•Review of different sentence structures for a) be verb"是 shì", "不是 búshì"; b) ownership "有you", "没有 méiyou"; c) locates/exists "在zài", "住在 zhù zài"; d) can "会 huì", "不会 búhuì"; e) like "喜欢 xihuan", "不喜欢 bù xihuan", "最喜欢 zuì xihuan; f) want "要" Yao, don't want "不要“ búyào.
•Learn "也 ye" (also) & "都 dōu" (all) in combination of the above verbs.
•Review Measure Words for different nouns by categories
•Various responses to greetings based on different times and formality.
•Review of all wh- questions (what, where, who,when, why) to practice asking questions.
•Comparison and contrast of American & Chinese cultures including rituals, holiday celebrations, traditional values/practices, etc.

Fall Term
•How do I talk about my emotions and feelings in Chinese?
•How do I talk about my dream job in Chinese?
•How do I use Chinese to talk about means of public transportation?
•How do I combine radicals/learned characters to make new vocabulary?

Winter Term
•How do I type in Chinese and how does it help my oral skill?
•How do I use a Chinese dictionary to help with my Chinese learning?
•How can I transfer my knowledge about Chinese language and culture to a live performance?

Spring Term
•How do I use Mandarin Chinese to express/introduce myself or my family members with details?
•How do I state my understanding of Chinese culture in a deeper way?

•Role-play in shopping situation & inviting someone to shop
•Scavenger hunt for listening comprehension check on directions
•Games: "Guess who I am?" " Musical Chairs" "Detective"
•Dictation & quizzes
•Projects
•Short play

Fall Term
•Know how to use the 56 basic radicals to facilitate character recognition and retention.
•Understand and identify the key vocabulary by pointing out or matching pictures with meanings.
•Ask & answer yes/no & wh questions correctly to each other.

Winter Term
•Use fake Chinese money to role-play shopping in Chinese speaking countries.
•Describe rooms in a house and household items.

Spring Term
•Draw relative locations of different buildings and facilities of the student's choice using the Catlin Gabel campus and describe the relative locations of them.
•Create/use a map of one's community and identify different places, then state their relative locations using "Place A+ zai+ Place B+de+location word".
•Able to recognize and retain 200 basic Chinese characters.

Fall Term
•The similar syntax between Chinese and English when describing something is located in somewhere: Thing/Person+zai+place.
•The different syntax between Chinese and English when describing what someone is doings omewhere: Person/People+zai+Place+Activity.
•Understand and retain 56 Chinese radicals.
•Decode the different elements of Chinese characters and write them down in the correct stroke orders.

WinterTerm
•Describe the relative locations of places in a community using "left/right" & "8 cardinal directions".
•Understand the currency in China:"yuan"= dollar; "jiao"=dime; "fen"= cent.
•Shopping (asking for price) and bargaining in China.
•Review the geography of China (major landmarks such as Gobi Desert, Himalayas, Yangzi River, Yellow River, the Great Wall and major cities), extension of geographic vocabulary (plain, port, plateau,valley, ocean).
•Country names in different continents and the languages spoken in each of those country.
•Vocabulary for traveling: suitcase, ticket,custom, passport, means of transportation.

SpringTerm
•Places in your community: school, movie theater, park, baseball stadium, grocery stores,coffee shops, pharmacy, zoo, transit station, fitness center.
•Review hobbies and learn to invite people to do some leisure activities together.
•Usage of 是／不是，有／没有，喜欢／不喜欢，要／不要，在／不在
•Compare Chinese and American holidays (ie.Chinese Valentine's Day "Qing Ren Jie" and Chinese Halloween"Qing Ming Jie")
•Review colors, fruits, clothes to practice the structure of adj. + noun.

Fall Term
•How do I use Chinese radicals to help with character recognition and retention?
•How are Chinese and English similar to and different from each other?

Winter Term
•How do I use Chinese in real life when traveling to Chinese speaking countries?
•How does learning Chinese help me become a more competent global citizen?

Spring Term
•How do I use Chinese to make friends?
•How do I build a foundation for Chinese literacy?

•Booklet projects
•Individual observation
•Reproduce map of China including major cities and landmarks
•Creative art projects
•Self-made picture dictionary
•Communicative games
•Short play
•Field trip

Fall Term
•Able to use Pinyin to read aloud characters and sentences correctly
•Describe yourself and immediate environment using complete sentences.
•State one's daily routine with time including am/pm in complete sentences.
•State one's hobbies.

Winter Term
•Understand how Chinese pictographs were created.
•Identify directions and the relative locations of China's major cities and landmarks.
•Understand Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an and stories about the Great Wall.

Spring Term
•Name some common American & Chinese food.
•Order food in a restaurant using the request form.
•Locate/label school buildings/facilities.
•Understand by listening yes/no in different sentence structures and wh- questions and answer accordingly.
•Able to recognize and retain 150 basic Chinese characters.

Fall Term
•Pinyin: initials, finals and tones.
•Numbers from 1-100 randomly and do simple math(multiplication) in Chinese.
•Personal information and preferences incomplete sentences.
•Hobbies, daily routines, and time.

Winter Term
•Pictographic Chinese characters: water, fish, sun, moon,rain, some animals, etc.
•Practice writing Chinese characters with correct stroke orders.
•Review classroom supplies and household items and learn the different rooms in a house.
•Review body parts and learn the major sick symptoms.

Spring Term
•Directions and China's major cities, landmarks, regional food.
•Common American/Chinese food and ordering in a restaurant.
•Review zoo animals as an extension from the 12zodiac animals and their habitats.
•Usage of 是/不是, 有/没有, 喜欢/不喜欢, 要/不要.
•Extension of greetings that correspond to different times during a day.
•School buildings/facilities

Fall Term
•How can I use Pinyin to pronounce characters and sentences?
•How is Chinese language similar to/different from English?

Winter Term
•What do Chinese characters look like that create meaning?
•What can I do with numbers using Chinese?
•How do I use Chinese to ask questions about sickness and describe symptoms?

Spring Term
•What do I learn from studying the map of China?
•How do I use Chinese to order and describe food?
•How does learning Chinese language and culture help me become a better global citizen?

•Board games, tag game, TRP (teen role play)
•Individual observation in class participation and group interaction
•Self-assessment
•Unit quizzes & projects
•Online interactive review activity
•Booklet projects

Fall Term
•State personal preference for colors, animals, clothes for communicative purpose.
•Describe people/animals' appearance using 有＋ adj. +body parts.
•Understand question word "where" and answer with the target vocabulary.
•State personal preference for colors, animals, clothes for communicative purpose.

Winter Term
•Identify (listening)/state (speaking) classroom and household items with the accurate quantifiers.
•Describe people/animals' appearance using 有＋ adj. + body parts.
•Use of 很 + adjective to describe someone/something.

Spring Term
•Physical/oral responses to classroom commands
•Ask for help from the teacher/peers in Chinese
•Understand by comparing and contrasting cultural practices and recall stories for Chinese holidays related to American ones.
•Understand the concept of Chinese word formation by comparing similar sounds/homophones.
•Able to recognize and write 100 basic characters.

Fall Term
•Review vocabulary of colors, animals, family members,numbers, days of the week, 12 zodiac animals, body parts, four seasons and weather.
•Extension on colors (black/white/brown/pink) and 7 vegetables.
•Seasons and clothes.
•Zoo animals and their habitats (natural environments such as safari, ocean, mountain,sky).

Winter Term
•Extended family members, numbers from 1-31 out of order,body parts (eye brows/thigh/calf/hands), and accessories.
•Expansion on classroom and household items (up to3-syllable words).
•Quantifier as a required modifier as a different concept in the Chinese language.
•Practice quantifier with classroom & household items.
•Subjects of study in the LS school.

Spring Term
•Usage of 是/不是, 有/没有, 喜欢/不喜欢 to introduce oneself.
•Extension on teacher's commands/students' requests:"please give me..." "I want..." "please wait!""please repeat!" "How to say/write ... in Chinese?"
•Holidays similar to American ones: Chinese Valentine's Day and Chinese Halloween.
• Chinese New Year songs.
• Chinese poems & rhymes.

Fall Term
•How do I use Chinese Mandarin to express my personal preference in both positive and negative statements?
•How do I describe my daily environment using Chinese?

Winter Term
•How do I use Mandarin Chinese numbers to do addition and subtraction?
•How does my cultural competence enhance my language learning experience?

Spring Term
•How do I compare learning Chinese and learning English?
•How do I remember words I learned?

•nformal observation of one-on-one interaction between teacher and student and student and student.
•Games that require listening and speaking to reach communicative goals.
•Individual student participation/volunteering in class.
•Willingness to use learned vocabulary in different contexts/situations.
•Total Physical Response for comprehension check.
•Individual projects that reinforce the ideas/concepts of the learned topics.
•Students' self-assessment
•Dictation, quizzes and tests

Fall Term
•Identify and point at pictures/objects when hearing sounds of the learned vocabulary.
•Understand and state one's age, grade,birthday, and zodiac sign.
•Understand and state dates and days of the week when looking at a calendar.
•Understand by listening to one's preference for colors, fruits, clothing choices and reproduce utterances of those vocabulary.

Winter Term
•Imitate animals' sounds and describe certain animals using the learned adjectives.
•Use the learned words to build vocabulary on,such as 大／大象，小／小鸟，长／长颈鹿, then use appropriate adjectives to describe the animals with "很“. (ie."大象很重" Elephants are heavy; "长颈鹿很高" Giraffes are tall.)
•Combine the opposites adjectives with body parts to describe people or animals.
•State the number of immediate family members and describe their basic physical features.

Spring Term
•Understand the different family structures in Chinese and Western families for cultural knowledge.
•Understand and respond to classroom commands.
•Sing children songs or repeat nursery rhymes to reinforce vocabulary retention.
•Recall vocabulary associated with the Chinese major holidays.
•Able to initiate/respond in social situations with manners in Mandarin Chinese.
•Able to recognize 50 – 60 basic Chinese characters.

Fall Term
•Number-related language functions: age, grade, dates, days of the week, birthday.
•10 prime colors: red, orange, yellow, green,blue, purple, black, white, brown, pink.
•9 fruits to go with different colors: apple,orange, banana, pear, grape, strawberry, watermelon, cherry, pineapple.
•10 vegetables: lettuce, tomato, potato,eggplant, cucumber, carrot, green pepper, corn, broccoli.
•Use 是/不是 (is/is not) to state & describe nouns we learn.
•Use 喜欢/不喜欢(like/don't like) to describe someone's likes, dislikes and preferences.

Winter Term
•12 zodiac animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake,horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.
•Four seasons, 4 weather conditions (sunny, rainy, snowy,windy), article of clothes, such as tops, pants, shorts, skirts, hats, shoes, socks, sweater, dress, etc.
•Things in the nature setting: sun, moon, star,wind, cloud, rain, flower, grass, tree, river, rock, mountain.
•6 immediate family members: dad, mom, older brother, older sister, younger brother, younger sister
•Classroom items and utensils with the sound"zi" (chair, table, plate, cup, knife, fork)
•8 Body parts and 8 adjectives that describe size,length, height, etc.
•Use 有/没有 (has,have/doesn't have) to state someone's possession or if there is/is not something.

Spring Term
•Opposites: big/small, tall/short, long/short, fat/thin/ and animals that represent them.
•Vocabulary and traditional customs for 3 major holidays(Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autum Festival).
•Basic greetings, manner words & classroom commands in Mandarin Chinese.
•Understand the question word "what"in question sentences. For example "what is your name?" "what is this?" "what time is it?" "what date is today?"
•5 songs, 2 Chinese poems and 3 children's rhymes.

Fall Term
•How can I have fun when learning Chinese?
•How do I recognize the different tones of Mandarin Chinese?
•How do I use the simple numbers in Chinese?
•How do I use Mandarin Chinese to describe colors, fruits and vegetables?

Winter Term
•How do I ask and give simple information about nature and weather?
•How do I use Mandarin Chinese to describe family members?
•How do I use Mandarin Chinese to describe body parts?
•How do I know what my zodiac sign is?

Spring Term
•How do I give simple personal information about myself?
•How does Chinese differ from English in terms of sentence structures?
•How do I know if I behave properly in Chinese-speaking communities?

The Lower School Library Curriculum Philosophy and Overview

•We offer a warm and welcoming environment to serve the developmental needs of preschool through 5th grade students and their families.
•We invite community use of the library space for a wide variety of purposes.
•We strive to create lifelong library users.
We foster love of language and development of reading skill.
•During storytime, we highlight the joy of sharing books together.
•We are partners with the family and encourage use of library resources for pleasure reading at home.
•We develop students’ awareness of the elements of fiction, text features in all genres, and teach strategies for searching and previewing non-fiction.
•We provide advice and counsel to parents as each child moves along a unique developmental path to independent reading.
•As students gain skill as independent readers, we provide reader’s advisory support for selecting “just right” reading materials.
•We guide students to examine the powers of the imagination shared by authors and illustrators, and the impact on the reader their choices make.
•We encourage students to
explore multiple perspectives, develop geographic knowledge, exercise critical thinking, expand curiosity, increase cultural competence and make connections between themselves and the world through the stories and information they peruse.

We help students explore resources representing diverse perspectives
develop historical, cultural and artistic awareness; place ideas in a larger context; acquire the skills needed to meet the challenges of information access in the 21st century.

• Understand concept of plagiarism and giving credit (see file)
• In library class, with everyone using the same source, write a paragraph and cite the source using EasyBib.
• To gain practice making bibliographies, learn to use Destiny Resource List function.
• In the classroom: When using computer resources, build expectation that students copy and paste citations onto their work, including the URL.
• For selected projects, print and attach citation info onto posters, add a bibliography with some resources, (etc.).
• On selected projects, practice making bibiographic entries for several source types.

• Who created this content?

• How can I give credit to the creations of others?

• What are my responsibilities for citation in an academic setting?

• Teacher observation of curiosity and ability to ask relevant questions (including who, what, when, where, why)

• Participation in comparing a variety of sources to explore a topic in depth

• Participation in discussions examining multiple perspectives

Ability to conduct a search on Destiny catalog

Ability to formulate an effective question, create keywords, conduct a search in Kid Info Bits that leads to relevant resultsUse of the inquiry process units of curricular study, including science, social studies, art, and literature.

• Know how to:

• conduct a search on the Destiny catalog using different search strategies

• conduct a keyword search using Kid Info Bits database.

This information is from: http://big6.com/

The Big6 is a inquiry process model used by people of all ages to solve an information problems. Successful information problem-solving encompasses six stages, which can be nonlinear and cyclical, with two sub-stages under each:

1. Task Definition
Define the information problem
1.2 Identify information needed
2. Information Seeking Strategies
2.1 Determine all possible sources
2.2 Select the best sources
3. Location and Access
3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)
3.2 Find information within sources
4. Use of Information
4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)
4.2 Extract relevant information
5. Synthesis
5.1 Organize from multiple sources
5.2 Present the information
6. Evaluation
6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)
6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

People go through these Big6 stages—consciously or not—when they seek or apply information to solve a problem or make a decision. It’s not necessary to complete these stages in a linear order, and a given stage doesn’t have to take a lot of time. In almost all successful problem-solving situations, all stages are addressed.

• What do I know, wonder about, and what do I need to learn?

• How do I frame good questions?

• How can I broaden or narrow my search terms to get the results I need?

• How can asking questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how help me define my research needs?

• What resources are available to me?

• Which resources are most appropriate to my needs?

• How can I evaluate the authenticity of websites?

Teacher observation of:

• increasingly ability to select enjoyable, satisfying, and/or useful materials for the defined purpose

• use of strategies to locate just right reading materials (the 5 Finger Test, Fountas & Pinnell level information, recognize that comprehension is key)

• consultation of bibliographies, genre lists and own personal resource lists, books on display, and recommendations of others

• evidence of reading from a wide variety of genres over the course of the year

• ability to independently locate most print materials on the library shelves

Know how to:

• Access Destiny resources lists in library catalogues in order to browse genre lists for selecting materials.

• Create independent reading lists using Destiny catalog.

• Compose book reviews in Destiny and recommend materials to peers.

• Advantages and disadvantages of print versus online resources

• Different levels of reading skill are required for different tasks

• Authors and publishers have different purposes in creating materials, and that materials may present a particular perspective or bias.

• Benefits of and responsibility for reading materials representing many cultures and perspectives

• Available genres for independent reading

• Evaluation of my reading choices

• How does my purpose affect book selection?

• Will I read independently or be guided in my reading?

• What skills help me choose books at my independent reading level?

• What are the advantages of print versus on-line resources?

• How do I evaluate resources for accuracy, authenticity, and bias?

• What are my reading preferences when reading independently?

• What are the different genres available for me to explore during my independent reading?

• What are the benefits of reading different genres and different perspectives?

• How do I evaluate my reading choices

• Library hours, general layout, and circulation procedures

• Different kinds of books are shelved in different neighborhoods in the library for a reason

• Meaning of the nearly all collection codes found on spine labels

• Familiarity with most sections of the library and what is found there

• Proper care and handling of resources

• Behavioral expectations in
the library space for a variety of events

• Various search techniques for searching online catalog

• Create a bibliography of resources used in your writing

• Include URL for some online sources (content and images)

• Locate title page and verso for bibliographic data of print materials

• Locate URL for online resources

• Include URL for some online sources (content and images)

• Take increasing responsibility for giving credit, including verbal recognition, copying and pasting URLs into Word docs and slide shows, printing and attaching citation information onto posters, and making an official bibliography for a selected project.

• Practice using Noodle Tools (online tool for giving credit used in CG Middle School) and become familiar with options (website, book, article within an encyclopedia, and so forth)

Authors, illustrators, editors, and website managers are all responsible for content

Creators of content bring their experience, opinions, knowledge, and biases to their work.•

• Who created thiscontent?
• How can I give credit to the creations ofothers?
• What are my responsibilities for citation in an academic setting?

The Inquiry Approach and The Big6 skills are embedded in units of curricular study, including science, social studies, art, and literature.

• Teacher observation of curiosity and ability to ask relevant questions (including who, what, when, where, why)

• Participation in comparing a variety of sources to explore a topic in depth

• Participation in discussions examining multiple perspectives

• Ability to conduct a search on Destiny catalog and locate the material on the library shelves

• Ability to formulate a question, create keywords, conduct a search in Kid Info Bits that leads to relevant results

• conduct a search on the Destiny catalog using different search strategies

• conduct a keyword search using Kid Info Bits database.

• Asking questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how help define research

• Broadening or narrowing search terms helps improve research results

• Searches on the library catalog may be conducted in multiple ways with different results

• What do I know, wonder about, and what do I need to learn?

• How do I frame good questions?

• What resources are available to me?

• Which resources are most appropriate to my needs?

• How can I evaluate the authenticity of websites?

Teacher observation of:

• increasingly ability to select enjoyable, satisfying, and/or useful materials for the defined purpose

• use of strategies to locate just right reading materials (the 5 Finger Test, Fountas & Pinnell level information, recognize that comprehension is key)

• consultation of bibliographies, resource lists, displays and recommendations of others

• increasing ability to independently locate print materials on the library shelves

• Evaluating appropriate reading level for oneself

• Locating specific sections of the library best suited for meeting particular needs

• Formulating effective questions to request materials and information

• Listening to recommendations from others

Understand:

• advantages of print versus online resources?

• that different levels of reading skill are required for different tasks

• that authors and publishers have different purposes in creating materials, and that materials may present a particular perspective or bias.

• the benefit of and responsibility to read materials representing many cultures and perspectives

• different genres for my independent reading.

• The benefits of reading different genres and different perspectives

• how to evaluate my reading choices

A successful student will
• Understand the self-checkout system, including locating own barcode and careful monitoring of the screen• Be aware of number of items currently checked-out
• Be comfortable with asking for help as needed
• Handle books with respect and care
• Be comfortable reporting damage to items so they can be repaired or replaced
• Be community minded, only keeping materials s/he is actively using and returning materials in a timely manner when finished
• Self-manage when using the library

• Understand that the library is available to students and families throughout every school day
• Practice steps for self check-out procedure
As developmentally appropriate, students will understand
- the library's layout and organizational plan meaning of collection codes
- alphabetical and numerical order
- use of author's last names in call numbers
- navigation of the electronic catalog of Catlin Gabel library materials
• Develop and maintain responsible borrowing habits

• Library hours, general layout, and circulation procedures

• Different kinds of books are shelved in different neighborhoods in the library for a reason

• Meaning of the majority of collection codes found on spine labels

• Familiarity with most sections of the library and what is found there

• Proper care and handling of resources

• Behavioral expectations in

the library space for a variety of events

• Various search techniques for searching online catalog

• What is available to me in a library, physical and virtual?

• How is the physical library organized and what can I learn from the signage in the room?

• How can I access the library online and how can I interact with it?

• What are the borrowing procedures?

• What are my responsibilities as a borrower?

• Participation in discussion of authors and illustrators

• Expresses appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to make use of the creations of others

• Ability to locate basic citation information

• Locate title page and verso for bibliographic data of print materials

• Locate URL for online resources

Authors, illustrators, editors, and website managers are all responsible for content

Creators of content bring their experience, opinions, knowledge, and biases to their work.

• Conducts simple search on the Destiny catalog using different search strategies

• Uses text features to navigate non-fiction resources

• Gleans information from illustrations

• Conducts searches on the Destiny catalog using strategy choices appropriate to reading level (keyword, title, author, subject, and series)

• Uses text features to navigate non-fiction resources

• Gleans information from illustrations

• Conducts searches on the Destiny catalog using strategy choices appropriate to reading level (keyword, title, author, subject, and series)

Know:

• how to evaluate appropriate reading level for oneself

• which sections of the library are best suited for meeting particular needs

• how to locate various sections of the library

• how to use the 5 Finger Test

• how to formulate questions to request materials and information

Is open to:

• Listening to recommendations from others

• Making recommendations to peers

Understand:

• the meaning of collection codes for book selection

• that different levels of reading skill are required for different tasks

A successful student will:

• Understand the self-checkout system, including locating own barcode and careful monitoring of the screen

• Be aware of number of items currently checked-out

• Be comfortable with asking for help as needed

• Handle books with respect and care

• Be comfortable reporting damage to items so they can be repaired or replaced

• Be community minded, only keeping materials s/he is actively using and returning materials in a timely manner when finished

• Self-manage when using the library

• Follows steps for self check-out procedure

• Navigates library layout and organizational plan through
understanding of collection codes

• Uses alphabetical and numerical order

• Navigates electronic catalog of Catlin Gabel library materials

• Develops and maintains responsible borrowing habits

• Library hours, general layout, and circulation procedures

• Different kinds of books are shelved in different "neighborhoods" in the library for a reason

• Meaning of many collection codes found on spine labels

• Familiarity with many sections of the library and what is found there

• Proper care and handling of resources

• Behavioral expectations in the library space for a variety of events

• Basic use of online catalog

• What is available to me in a library?

• How is the physical library organized?

• What are the borrowing procedures?

• What are my responsibilities as a borrower?

•Locate author and illustrator information on some materials

• Understands the terms: author, illustrator, publisher, copyright date,source, website

• Identifies names of different sources of information (books, videos, interviews, observation, websites)

• Expresses appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to make use of the creations of others

Know how to:

• conduct a search on the Destiny catalog using different search strategies

• conduct a keyword search using Kid Info Bits database.

• What do I know, wonder about, and what do I need to learn?

• How do I frame good questions?

• How can I broaden or narrow my search terms to get the results I need?

• What resources are available to me?

• Which resources are most appropriate to my needs?

• How to evaluate appropriate reading level for oneself

• Which sections of the library are best suited for meeting particular needs

Understand:

• that different levels of reading skill are required for different tasks

• Understanding collection codes for book selection

• that different sections of the library are best suited for meeting particular needs

• Listening to recommendations from others

• Use the self-checkout system, including locating own barcode and careful monitoring of the screen
• Shows an awareness of number of items currently checked-out
• Asks for help as needed
• Handles books with respect and care
• Is comfortable reporting damage to items so they can be repaired or replaced
• Is community minded, only keeping materials s/he is actively using and returning materials in a timely manner when finished
• Self-manages when using the library

• The library is available to students and families throughout every school day

• Library hours, general layout, and circulation procedures

• Different kinds of books are shelved in different neighborhoods in the library for a reason

• Meaning of information on a limited range of item spine labels

• Proper care and handling of resources

• Behavioral expectations in the library space for a variety of events

First Grade Overview

•We offer a warm and welcoming environment for serving the developmental needs of first graders and their families.
•We foster love of language and development of reading skill and confidence.
•We are partners with the family and encourage pleasure reading and use of library resources at home.
•We provide advice and counsel to parents as each child moves along a unique developmental path to independent reading.
•We assist students in exploring the library and discovering books on all topics.
•With first graders, we emphasize use of the “Orange Dot” section for finding books for successful independent reading practice.
•During storytime, we highlight the joy of sharing books and examine the powers of imagination, the importance of laughter, and the impact of the choices made by illustrators and authors.
•Elements of fiction, text features in all genres, and strategies for searching and previewing non-fiction are all discussed with first graders.
•Essential too are the inclusion of multicultural perspectives as well as guidance toward geographic curiosity and understanding. During storytime, we help students make connections to themselves, other books, and the world.

Giving Credit

• Participation in discussion of authors and illustrators

• Expresses appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to make use of the creations of others

• Locates author and illustrator information on some materials

• Understands terms:author, illustrator, publisher, copyright date, source, website.

• Identifies names of different sources of information (books, videos, interviews, observation, websites)

• Identify various source types - book, magazine, computer, a person, one's own experience or observations.

• Build awareness of giving credit for the creations of others and how we use them to gain new understanding for ourselves.

• Recognize that each of us can create original content and others can give us credit for our creations

• Who created this content?

• How can I give credit to the creations of others?

Inquiry Process & Search Skills

•What do I know, wonder about, and what do I need to learn?
•How do I frame good questions?
•How can I broaden or narrow my search terms to get the results I need?
•What resources are available to me?
•Which resources are most appropriate to my needs?

Teacher observation of curiosity and ability to ask relevant questions

•Conduct a search on the Destiny catalog using different search strategies
•Conduct a keyword search using Kid Info Bits database

• For every topic of interest to me there is likely to be relevant information available

• Different materials are better suited for different information needs

• Various search strategies have advantages and disadvantages (author name, keyword, title)

• What do I know, wonder about, and what do I need to learn?

• How can I ask a good question about what I am interested in knowing?

• What resources are available to me?

Materials Selection

Teacher observation of:

• selection of reading materials that are enjoyable, satisfying, and/or useful for the defined purpose

• openness to recommendations from teachers, librarians, and peers

• use of strategies to locate just right reading materials (the 5 Finger Test, Fountas & Pinnell level information, recognize that comprehension is key)

• use the Orange Dot section as appropriate

• How to evaluate appropriate reading level for oneself

• Knows sections of the library are best suited for meeting particular needs

• The library is organized by different "neighborhoods" (collections)

• Formulating questions to request materials and information

• Listening to recommendations from others

• How does my purpose affect book selection?

• Will I read independently or be guided in my reading?

• What skills help me choose books at my independent reading level?

• How do I evaluate my reading choices?

Library Basics

Teacher observation of:

• attentive listening

• respect for others during storytime

• growing sophistication of response to the stories (including making connections between stories and classroom activities, stories and personal experience, from one story to another,and the art and design of books)

• ease with using the self-checkout system, including locating own barcode and careful monitoring of the screen

• willingness to ask for help as needed

• handling books with respect and care

• comfort with reporting damaged items so they can be repaired or replaced

• independent responsibility for timely return of materials

• teacher observation of self-management when using the library

Follows steps for self check-out procedure

Explores the library's layout and organizational plan

Develops and maintains habits of responsible borrowing

Protects materials from damage

Demonstrates self regulation when visiting the library

• The library is available to students and families throughout every school day

• Library hours, physical layout, and circulation procedures

• Spine labels contain important information

• Proper care and handling of resources

• Behavioral expectations in the library space for a variety of events

• What is available to me in a library, physical and virtual?

• How is the physical library organized?

• What are the borrowing procedures?

• What are my responsibilities as a borrower?

Subtopic

The Lower School Arts Curriculum Philosophy and Overview
Arts Dept values that span grades preschool through grade 12
•All art is greatly immersed and evaluated on the rich and varied processes that are used throughout each year.
•Expansion of concepts and techniques are encouraged with most art projects
•Risk taking is valued and encouraged
•Creative ideas, creativity, innovation, are all encouraged
•Collaboration with other children when appropriate
•Craftsmanship
•Respect of others and their work
•Giving all media, concepts, techniques, and ideas one’s best effort

The Lower School children are in the Art Barn for five consecutive years (1st-5th)

Because of this, the curriculum builds gradually each year on previously learned concepts and techniques
There are four main areas of study in the Art Barn:
•Drawing, Painting and collage
•Clay/Ceramics/glazing, and other 3-D procedures
•Textiles (weaving, sewing, basket making etc.)
•Print making

The Elements and Principles of design are introduced as they relate to units of study.

NOTE: When collaboration takes place between the Art Barn and the Home Room, the projects may change from year to year. Similarly, the art curriculum projects may change from year to year, depending on many factors. The essential concept and technique attainment, however, remains similar throughout the five years. The units are examples of what can happen in a given a year in the Lower School art curriculum.

Grade 5

Identity painting

•Identity painting processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments, and self- assessments

•Draw and then paint an identity painting (for example: Use color theory for mixing, use different types of brush strokes, and create an abstract or realistic painting)

•Developing a painting that reflects their own identity by using knowledge gained in homeroom reading groups about identity

•What is an identity painting?
•How can I make a painting that tells something about my identity?
•How can I use knowledge about identity that I learned in homeroom reading groups to help me develop an idea for my painting?

Textile Unit

•Weaving and felting processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments, and self assessment

•Use knowledge of weaving terms: warp, weft, loom, reed, shuttle, plain weave, shaft
•Weave project using learned techniques
•Create a felt project using learned techniques (cleaning, carting, layering, shocking, felting wool)

•Historical aspects of weaving and cloth making
•Loom weaving techniques
•Plain weave, twill
•Weaving terms and vocabulary
•Feltmaking terms and vocabulary
•Felt making techniques

•What are the elements of weaving?
•What is plain weave?
•What is a warp, and a weft?
•What is a loom?
•What types of materials can be used in weaving?
•How do tapestry and basic weaving differ?
•How can I make felt?

Silk screen

•Silk screen stencil print processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Create a stencil for a silk screen print
•Learn about Exacto knife techniques
•Learn about how to use positive and negative space in a stencil
•Use a theme from, "Chew On This" to come up with a stencil design

•Understanding what a silk screen print is (review)
•How to make a stencil for a silk screen print
•Creating a theme for a design from the book, "Chew On This"

•What is a silk screen print (review)
•How do I make a stencil for a silk screen print?
•How do I use my knowledge from the book, "Chew On This" to come up with a design for a stencil?

•Slab clay box and choice piece processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments, and self- assessments

•Roll out clay with a rolling pin
•Measure and cut out pieces for a clay box
•Add on slab pieces for relief
•Use textured rubber and wooden tools to create texture on their slab pieces

•How to use the slab method of building with clay
•How to make a slab box and subsequently come up with an idea of how to use the slab method in a project
•How to add texture and relief to their slab work

•What does it mean to use the slab method of clay building?
•How do I make a slab box?
•How can I create my own project using the slab method?
•How can I add texture and relief to my slab work?

Drawing

•Shadow and light still life and perspective drawing processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills.
•Teacher observation, daily assessments, and self- assessments

•Use shading techniques (hatching, cross hatching, smearing etc.) as well as use of a light source.
•Draw a still life
•Review of drawing one and two point perspective and possibly trying out three point perspective

•How to use drawings techniques that depict shadow and light in still life drawing
•How to use drawing techniques that depict shadow and light in a perspective drawing

•What is a still life drawing?
•How can I create shadow and light in my still life drawing?
•How can I create shadow and light in my perspective drawing?

•Balance and unity collage processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self-assessment

•Build skills in risk taking while coming up with new and innovative techniques in collage making
•Build skills in creating visual balance and unity in their collage (for example: Using visual weight of color and size)

•How to come up with new and innovative ways to make a collage while building on the skills learned in years past
•How to incorporate balance and unity into collage making

•How can I build on techniques I have learned in collage making in order to come up with new and innovative techniques?
•How can I use balance and unity in my collage?

•Mono type and linoleum block printing processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Make a mono print (painting ink onto a plate and printing it onto moistened paper with a press)
•Make a linoleum block print (draw a design, carve the linoleum block and print the block)

•Review: How the process of making a mono print is done
•How the process of making a linoleum block print is done

•Review: How can I make a mono print? (review)
•How can I make a linoleum block print with the theme of micro or macro ecological environments at Camp Westwind?

Grade 4

•Weaving processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessment

•Make and warping a card loom
•Weave a card loom
•Design and make a pot holder weaving

•The distinctive skills and techniques involved in weaving
•The historical importance of weaving/cloth making

What is weaving?
•Historically how has weaving played a big role in our world?
•What is plain weave?
•What is card weaving?
•What is pot holder weaving?

Collage/Perspective

•Illusion of space collage processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Map out where their collage pieces will be placed in order to achieve the illusion of space (using one point perspective)
•Review previously learned techniques of layering, using foreground, middle ground and back ground, and use of diminishing size of objects as they are placed up the page.

•Through review and application of techniques, understanding about the illusion of space will be made

•How can I make a collage while incorporating the idea of perspective into my piece?
•How can I use previously learned techniques about the illusion of space in my collage?

•Clay mold and choice piece processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessment

•Create coils and then mesh them into a mold of a bowl or a plate
•Review for scoring and slipping
•Review for pulling out clay from a main piece

•That a clay mold is something that is used to make a replica of a clay form
•How to use a mold with the coil technique
•(Review) How to "Pull out" rather than add on to clay work

•What is a clay mold and how is it used?
•How do I pull out clay rather than add it on? (review)

Drawing/Perspective

Assessement

•The processes and products of creating the illusion of space by using one and two point perspective are assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observation, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Use of the horizon line, vanishing points, and parallel lines in order to give the illusion of space (one and two point perspective)
•Measure, mark and draw while using craftsmanship in their work

•How one and two point perspective are techniques that artists use to give the illusion of space (integration with homeroom and mathematics)
•How to use one and two point perspective

•How do I use one and two point perspective to create the illusion of space?
•What are one and two point perspective?

•Mono type print processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Render a drawing that includes a major aspect of what was learned in homeroom about the Oregon Trail
•Create a mono type print: Painting with specialized ink onto a plastic plate, and using a printing press to transfer the print onto moistened paper

•Transferring their understanding about the Oregon Trail (that they learned in homeroom) into a mono type print during art
•How to make a mono type print using a printing press

•How can I make a print that will transfer some of the understanding that I learned in homeroom about the Oregon Trail?
•How can I make a print that uses the Mono Type technique for printmaking?

Paper Mache

•Paper mache bowl processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Use a balloon, strips of newsprint, and paper mache pulp to gain skills in creating a paper mache bowl
•Paint patterns from different cultures onto their bowls

•What paper mache is and how it is used in different cultures to create pieces of art
•How to make a paper mache bowl with painted patterns from a different culture

•What is paper mache?
•How is paper mache used in the arts?
•What cultures use paper mache in their arts?
•How can I make a paper mache bowl with painted patterns from a culture other than my own?

Landforms

•Drawing/ painting of an Oregon land form product and processes assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self-assessment

•Make sketches of Beacon Rock (and land forms in the area) while on their field trip in the Gorge
•Use their sketches to create a painting of an Oregon land form
•Work with watercolor paints (For example: Control through drying techniques, wet on wet techniques, watercolor washes)

•More deeply understand what a land form is by transferring their knowledge learned from science and homeroom to art class
•Practice and extend their understanding of watercolor painting

•What is a land form (collaboration between science, homeroom, shop and art)?
•How can I make a painting of a land form as seen from Beacon Rock?

Painting

•Jonathan Green identity painting processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Ask key questions and give clear answers after the presentation
•Come up with clear ideas for their identity painting with thumbnail sketches
•Use the style of Jonathan Green in their own paintings if they want to (for example: Bright, bold colors, pattern, illusion of space)
•Paint with acrylics: use of complementary colors to darken through mixing, or complementary colors to brighten by placing colors next to each other, brush strokes, block large areas, and paint details

•The distinctive features of the artwork of Jonathan Green and how he uses his historically/culturally important background to make a statement about his identity
•How they too can make a statement about their own lives through the medium of paint

•Who is Jonathan Green and what is his story?
•How do Jonathan Green's paintings reflect his identity?
•How can my painting reflect my identity?

Grade 3

Drawing Proportions

•Basic proportions of the human body and head processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessment.

•Draw a human using the proportions of an 8 head high human. Students will use 1 head as the main measurement for all of the the proportions of a human (i.e. The legs are 4 heads long)
•Draw out a human figure and create clothing and features for him/her using rulers and fractions (integrated with homeroom learning of fractions),
•Draw a human head using proportioning skills/techniques (for example, the eyes are drawn half way down the head)

•How to draw the basic proportions of the human body
•How to draw the basic proportions of the human head (review and in more depth)

•What are proportions?
•What are the basic proportions of the human body?
•What are the basic proportions of the human face?

Tidepool Animals

•Tide pool animal processes and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observation, daily assessments and self- assessments

Knowledge and skills

•Create drawings of individual tide pool animals through careful observation of details
•Paint details first and background last, learn watercolor techniques (such as how to control water color paint) to paint their tide pool animals

•How to use their understandings of tide pool animals (learned in homeroom and science) to create a scientific drawing/painting of their individual tide pool animal
•How to create a scientific drawing/painting (review)

•What is a tide pool animal (collaboration with homeroom)?
•What is a scientific drawing/painting?

Faith Ringgold Painting/Story Quilt

•Story quilt processes and product assessed for evidence of understandings and skills
•Teacher observation, daily assessments, and self-assessments

•Use drawing skills and thumbnail sketches to create a paper story quilt that depicts a personal memory
•Use painting skills such as, but not limited to: Painting large areas first, details second, learning about brush strokes and texture, and using the correct size of brush for the right job
•Use color and pattern to create a quilted paper frame for their painting.

•The distinctive features of the artwork of Faith Ringgold, artist, teacher, author, and illustrator
•How people can express their personal stories through artwork

•Who is Faith Ringgold?
•Why is Faith Ringgold's art work important?
•What is a story quilt?
•What is a personal memory that I have that I can make into a story quilt?

•Coil pot and textured pocket processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Roll out clay coils and adhere them together with the scoring and slipping technique
•Roll out a slab of clay and create a textured pocket

•How to use the coil technique, differing texturing techniques and the "pocket" technique in clay
•(Through review) how to use the scoring and slipping, coiling, and texturing techniques to create their individual clay piece

•What is a coil pot?
•What is a textured pocket?
•How can I make a "choice" piece using techniques I have learned?

Printmaking/Bull Run Watershed

•Scratch foam and silk screen processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Create an image from their memory of the Bull Run filed trip.
•Print with both scratch foam and silk screen to produce a variety of prints
•Specific skills for scratch foam include scratching a mirror image sketch onto foam, then inking and printing it carefully with brayers and ink
•Specific skills for silk screening include making a sketch that uses only shapes. These shapes are then cut out and placed on a sheet of paper. Using a squeegee, silk screen and ink, the shapes are then screened onto the paper

•How one can use ones's knowledge of the Bull Run watershed to create prints
•Through review, how to make a scratch foam and a silk screen print

•What is a watershed? (collaboration with homeroom and science).
•How can I make a scratch foam print of the Bull Run watershed?
•How can I make a silkscreen print?

Collage

•Collage process and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Create visually textured papers for his/her collage (Japanese marbling, marble box, and bubble painting)
•Learn skills to render the illusion of space (using foreground, middle ground and background, making shapes smaller as they recede in space, and overlapping shapes)
•Practice skills in cutting, gluing, and layering paper

•How Henri Matisse used collage in his art
•What the difference between visual and real texture is
•How overlapping and other techniques can create the illusion of space

•What is "visual texture" vs. "real texture"
•How can we make visually textured paper for collages?
•How does overlapping papers give us the illusion of space?
•Who is Henri Matisse and how did he use collage?

Grade 2

Weaving

•Simple woven piece process and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Examine a variety of fabrics to see weave patterns
•Develop working use of fabric/weaving terminology
•Use card weaving or paper weaving skills to create simple weaving (plain weave)

•Vocabulary development: warp, weft, plain weave, twill, tapestry
•Story telling through weaving as a way to pass on oral history
•Card or paper weaving techniques
•Color design: Pattern

•What is the difference between fabric and tapestry?
•What is a warp and a weft?
•What are techniques for weaving and how can I make my own?

Clay

•Forest ally animal and choice piece processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Review and practice knowledge and skills of Pinching, pulling out, scoring, and slipping

•How to make an, "ally animal"
•Through review, how to pinch, pull out and score and slip with clay

•What is an ally animal (integration with homeroom study of forest animals)?
•How can I make my ally animal out of clay?
•What is a "choice" piece?
•How can I use the skills learned last year in art (pinching, scoring and slipping) to create something of my own choice?

Self Portrait

•Self portrait process and product assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Learn about salt and alcohol techniques with watercolor
•Learn about wet on wet watercolor techniques
•Determine characteristics of internal self
•Determine characteristics external self

•What the definitions of internal and external self means (feelings, emotions, ideas, interests and passions as opposed to what we look like)
•How colors can be used as expressions of the internal self

•How can I represent myself in a watercolor self portrait?
•Who am I on the inside? The outside?
•How am I different from others?
•How am I unique?

Symmetry

•Processes and products of two symmetrical pieces of art assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self-assessments

•Create two art pieces that 1) Have horizontal symmetry and 2) Have horizontal and vertical symmetry by using folded paper and oil pastels
•Discover and use color symmetry

•Student will understand what symmetry means, what horizontal and vertical symmetry are, how to use symmetry in art, and what color symmetry is

•What is symmetry?
•How do artists use symmetry in art?
•What is horizontal symmetry?
•What is horizontal and vertical symmetry?

Printmaking

•Process and product of the additive print and the silk screen methods of printmaking are assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self- assessments

•Cut and glue foam pieces onto a large piece of foam
•Practice inking skills using brayers and ink
•Draw and cut shapes out of newsprint for a silk screen print
•Acquire skills and techniques for using a squeegee and ink

•How to make an additive print
•How to make a silk screen print

•What is a print?
•What new techniques and skills can I use to make a print?
•How can I make an additive print with scratch foam?
•How can I make a silk screen print?

Collage Books

•Collage picture book processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills
•Teacher observations, daily written assessments and self-assessment

•Make many varied kinds of papers for their collage stories using a wide variety of textures and colors (examples: Japanese marbling, bubble paper making, painting with textures, and color mixing)
•Make a visual picture collage book using basic collage techniques (cutting, glueing, layering)

•How to make a collage, a collage character and a collage story

•What is collage?
•How are shape, color and texture used in collage?
•What is a collage story?
•What are collage techniques?

Elements of Art

•The processes and products of all the Elements of Art projects are assessed for evidence of understanding and skills.
•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self-assessments

•Using varied tools and techniques, students will study many kinds of line making (example: zig zagging)
•Study geometric and organic shapes and experiment using them in an art piece
•Study the color wheel and create their own color wheel by using primary and secondary colors
•Learn about form by making a forest animal out of clay: Pinching, scoring and slipping

•The Elements of Art are the building blocks to understanding and doing art

Essential questions

•What are the elements of art and how are they used in art?

Grade 1

Fall
•Clay pinch pot, clay animal/creature, glazing, and drawing of face and a person processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills

Winter:
•Family painting, clay person, courage tile, and collage character processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills

Spring
•Scratch foam, mono, and stamp printing, polymere puppet, scientific painting of a bee and oil pastel drawing/painting processes and products assessed for evidence of understanding and skills

•Teacher observations, daily assessments and self assessments

In general
•Explore a variety of materials
•Follow classroom guidelines
•Learn to take risks and feeling ok about making mistakes
•Observe and interpret what they see visually
•Work collaboratively when appropriate
•Explore some "Elements of Art" as they relate to study

Fall
•Study form and texture and properties of clay
•Create a pinch pot
•Explore literature and art: Where the Wild Things Are
•Create a creature out of clay using scoring and slipping techniques
•Glaze all clay work using techniques learned in class
•Drawing skills and techniques such as using the basic proportions of the human body and face

Winter
•Create a drawing/painting using what they previously learned about faces and bodies to create their own family with sharpie and watercolor
•Glaze a "courage tile". Using what they previously learned about glazing to create a tile that symbolizes courage
•Cut and glue a character for a collage

Spring
•Print scratch foam with breyers and ink, mono printing, and stamp printing
•Pinch, form, pull out clay (as opposed to adding on), and add on texture to make a polymer puppet
•Make a scientific drawing/painting of a bee (integrating with homeroom studies).
•Observe and detail a drawing/painting of a bee using brushing and drying techniques
•"Paint" with oil pastels: Color, smear, look for lights and darks and mix colors

Fall Term
•The focus of fall term is gaining comfort in the Art Barn and learning routines. Some elements of curriculum are tied to homeroom studies.
•Art Barn: Different studio areas, classroom guidelines, and care of materials
•Clay unit: Clay in the natural environment and properties and forms of clay. How to make a pinch pot, and a clay animal/creature
•The basic shape(s) and proportions of the human face (self portrait) and how to draw the body of a human

Winter Term
•What a family is, and how it can be drawn and painted (tied in with homeroom studies of families)
•Creation of a "courage" tile (tied in with homeroom studies and school wide focus on social justice)
•What a collage is and how it is made
•What a "collage character" is and how it is made

Spring Term
•What a print is. Techniques for different kinds of printmaking: Using geometric stamps, breyers and ink with scratch foam and mono printing
•What a puppet is. Techniques for making a puppet with polymer clay and fabric
•What a scientific drawing is. Techniques for making and painting a scientific drawing
•What oil pastels are and how they can used for "painting" fruits and vegetables

Fall Term
•How can I express what I am learning and experiencing through my art?
•How can I use materials in different ways?
•Where does clay come from and what are its properties?
•How do different artists represent faces?

Winter Term
•How can I express what I am learning and experiencing through my art?
•How can I use a variety of materials in different ways?
•How can I draw and paint my family?
•How do I glaze a tile?
•How do I make a collage?

Spring Term
•How can I express what I am learning and experiencing through my art?
•How can I use materials in different ways?
•What makes a community?
•What is a print, how do I make a print? What techniques are used for making a print?
•How can I make a puppet?
•What is a scientific drawing?
•How can I use oil pastels to "paint" fruits and vegetables?

Beginning School

Writing

Writing is integrated throughout the kindergarten program. Whether children are writing messages to a friend or teacher, signs and labels for the latest iteration of the playhouse, thank you letters to a recent guest, or stories in their journals, writing in kindergarten always occurs within a meaningful context and for authentic purposes. Below are some examples of what writing can look like in our kindergarten program.

Shared Writing
Children take turns being the “special helper” in kindergarten. On his or her day, the special helper gets to help the teacher write The Daily News, a written account of the special helper’s news from home. The teacher writes the news on chart paper in front of the class, modeling letter and word formation. As the year progresses, the special helper helps write the news with teacher guidance. Finally, the class plays games with the news, hunting for letters, sounds, and high frequency “star words”, such as and, the, and is, that are useful in their own writing.

Journals
People of all ages, regardless of where they are on the reading and writing continua, have stories to tell and can be authors. In kindergarten, we introduce journals, which are blank books with eight pages that children work on several times a week. Children draw and write fiction and nonfiction stories. Depending on their stages of development, they might label their pictures with one or two letters or complete words. Other children may dictate their story to a teacher, who will write the words for them, or may write their own sentences. When the journals are finished, children publish them by reading them to the class and then take them home. Mini-lessons with individuals, small groups, and the whole class help children practice developing their stories, learn writing conventions, and take next steps in their learning.

Learning Centers
There are several times each week when children work individually, in small groups, or with a teacher at learning centers. Learning centers feature materials and tasks that have been intentionally designed by teachers to help children practice skills, explore concepts, and apply skills and concepts in accomplishing meaningful tasks. For example, children at one center may be engaged in letter writing practice, while other children may be writing messages to friends and family at the message center. Meanwhile, a small group of children may be meeting with a teacher for an authors’ conference to brainstorm ideas for their next journals.

Preschoolers are encouraged to verbally express their thoughts and feelings in order to communicate effectively with those around them. Using language as a tool to express, share, and further one's thinking is one of our goals for the preschoolers. We model the value of words, both written and spoken, throughout the day. We tell stories (both real and pretend), read many, many books, and take delight in the taste, sound, and meanings of certain words and phrases. We encourage the children to familiarize themselves with the world of print by looking at books on their own and figuring out the story through the pictures. The children go to the library every week for story time and a chance to choose books for the classroom. We ask the children to express their thoughts pictorially and give us the language that goes with these pictures. The preschoolers often send dictated notes home; these might be love letters or messages about what is best to send for lunch. Either way they model the importance of the written word. We are vigilant about monitoring small motor skills, which are an integral part of the mechanics and art of writing. Preschoolers consistently practice writing their names in order to attain fluency. We are nourish the children's confidence in themselves as pre-literate thinkers and doers.

Writing Continuum

•Sentence structures vary
•Descriptive language
•Steps within the writing process; prewriting, writing, revision, edit, publication-brainstorming techniques- techniques for revising
•Sentences begin with capital letters
•Sentences end with either a period, question mark, exclamation point depending on purpose
•Use of resources for standard spelling (e.g. dictionary)

•How can I improve my writing?
•How can I express my ideas?
•How do I tell different stories?
•How can I make what I want to say to others clear?
•How can I make my writing more interesting?

•Writes 1-2 sentences about a topic
•Writes names and favorite words
•Can think of ideas to write about
•Writes from top to bottom, left to right, and front to back.
•Uses both upper and lower case letter
•Uses capital letters, spaces, and periods correctly some of the time
•Uses known sounds and rhymes to write words
•Sounds out words when written
•Uses beginning, middle, and ending sounds to write words
•Can sometimes read own writing

•Words put together make phrases or short sentences
•Spelling is standardized
•Ideas can come from literature, life experiences, and imagination
•Conventional methods help you and others to read your writing

• How do I think of ideas?
• How do I put words together that make
sense?
• How are some words spelled?
• Is there true spelling?

•Uses pictures and words to tell stories
•Writes about pictures
•Copies names and some words in writing
•Knows that each sound has a letter or letters
•Prints with mostly upper case letters
•Matches letters to their sounds
•Begins to use sounds to write words
•Uses beginning and ending sounds to write words.
•Can almost read what I write
•Writes new things and spells words on own

•Letters represent sounds
•Letters combine to make words
•Print conveys meaning
•User of 'Sound Spelling' for writing: Write a letter for every sound you hear
•Words are constructed with vowels and consonants
•Writing uses a direction model: left to right, top to bottom
•Writing is used for a variety of purposes

•How are words written?
•How are sentences written?
•Where do I start on the paper?what I write?

•Student's writing folder sample
•Classroom observation

•Draws pictures to tell a story
•Begins to write a word or two about the pictures
•Can write own name
•Knows that letters are used to make words and stories
•Writes words using the letters known
•Tells about pictures and writing

•Letters represent sounds
•Letters combine to make words
•Print conveys meaning
• Random use of letters and approximations of letters

•What do letters represent?
•What are books?
•How does writing convey ideas?
•Why do people write?
•How can I write?

Woodworking

The Beginning School Woodworking Curriculum Philosophy and Overview

•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students.
•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product.
•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work.
•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities.
•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision.
•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity.
•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques should generally precede machine work.
•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing.
•Foster students finding and working from their passions.

Every Kindergartener starts the year building a simple box. Beginning with this project allows students time to develop and practice newly learned skills at their own pace. The students use precut pieces of wood as measuring tools, which are referred to as units. This process allows the children to see how units link together, the basic concept of how a ruler works. Successfully building a 3-dimensional box emphasizes how measurement determines accuracy and balance.

The rest of the year focuses on individual and collaborative creations--except for our final boat project.

The goal in kindergarten woodshop is to try and build whatever is imagined. The students are asked to draw the front view of their idea with as much detail as possible. For instance, if their idea is a birdhouse, their drawing will help to visualize their thinking. Do they envision a flat roof or a pitched roof? Will there be a door? To determine the overall size of their idea, they hold their hands apart to indicate how wide and then how tall. For each direction, the tape measure is stretched between their hands verifying the measurement. Understanding dimensions and perspective continues to develop throughout the year as the students increase the complexity of their work.

The kindergarten year in woodshop establishes a foundation for all kinds of creative thinking while empowering independence. Their finished work reveals a wide variety of understandings, creativity and craftsmanship!

Some of the hand tools we use are: claw hammer, saw, coping saw, hand drill, brace drill, square, screw driver, sand paper, file, vise, C-clamp, bar-clamp and wood glue.

•Beginning understanding of 3-dimensional art
•See relationships of parts of structure – sides, top, and bottom
•Experience properties of wood - grain, knots and thicknesses

•How are woodworking tools used safely and purposefully?
•What can be built using flat pieces of wood?
•How are wood connections built to last?
•How are connections made for functioning parts?
•What information is necessary on a woodshop plan?
•When and why does wood split and or crack?
•What enables the hand saw to cut in a straight line?

The preschool year in woodshop establishes a foundation for all kinds of creative thinking and empowers independence. We focus on individual and collaborative creations while being mindful of how finished work reveals a wide variety of understandings, processes and successes. Working with wood can present many problems to solve just by the nature of the medium. The grain in the wood or where a knot is located can be factors for causing the wood to split, a nail to bend or saw cut to be off the line. We take plenty of time to explore and discover as well as build amazing things!

The students begin most of their self-initiated projects by selecting wood from the scrap wood bin. It’s similar to putting a puzzle together. I might ask, “Which two pieces would you like to connect first?” This introduces the idea of making a plan. Taking a photograph or tracing the wood shapes onto a large piece of paper is a solid representation of a preschool plan. The expectation is that the language of shop is practiced, practiced and then practiced some more. Successfully drilling 8 holes through a piece of wood is wonderfully thrilling and suitable for display! Some of the hand tools we use are: claw hammer, saws, hand drill, brace drill, square, screw driver, sand paper, file, C-clamp, bar-clamp, vise and wood glue.

•Appropriate and safe use of the shop environment and the woodworking tools
•Demonstrates initiative and curiosity
•Pride in work  
•Shows perseverance  
•Seeks help 
•Follows directions  
•Respect for and willingness to work with others
•Use of class time

•Safe, purposeful and appropriate use ofwoodworking hand tools

•Independent competence with hand tools expands capacity for creative and inventive thinking

•Simple understandings for beautiful craftsmanship and techniques

•Assemble parts in a balanced and logical manner

•Identify the natural properties of soft wood (grain, knots and thicknesses)

•Use simple measurement strategies (compare one piece to another; hold hands apart to indicate height and width)

•Understand "how many"

•Beginning understanding of 3-dimensional art

•See relationships of parts of structure–-sides, top, and bottom

•Experience properties of wood--grain, knots and thicknesses

•How are tools used safely and purposefully?
•What can be built using flat pieces of wood?
•How are wood connections built to last?
•How are connections made for functioning parts?
•What information is necessary on a woodshop plan?
•When and why does wood split and or crack?
•What enables the hand saw to cut in a straight line?

Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) acts as an umbrella for all of the learning happening in the Beginning School and is integrated throughout our curriculum. Major goals of the Beginning School include helping children become their individual best selves and, concurrently, a community of learners.To that end, we continuously work on five SEL competencies:
•Self-awareness
•Self-management
•Social awareness
•Relationship skills
•Responsible decision-making

SEL competency descriptions based on the work of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning: http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/core-competencies/

In kindergarten, children learn to take responsibility for their roles in building a strong community of learners. We support children to promote safety and kindness with each other, building their capacity for self-regulation, problem solving, communication, and social wellbeing. A wide variety of strategies, tools, routines, and practices are integrated in support of social-emotional growth.

Responsible Decision Making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions. Kindergarten students work on:
•Making decisions about where to work and play
•Making decisions about with whom to work and play
•Trying new experiences
•Understanding why rules exist, making agreements that benefit the group, and supporting the community in upholding these agreements.
•Articulating reasons for decisions
•Considering the impact of decisions

Social-Awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior. Kindergarten students work on:
•Reading body language to understand the emotions of others
•Comforting others who are upset
•Recognizing the impact of their actions on others
•Sympathizing with others
•Recognizing, articulating, and exploring differences between self and others
•Taking action to uphold kindness, safety, and fairness in the community

Self-Management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward goals. Kindergarten students work on:
•Transitioning to new activities
•Regulating body movements
•Regulating voice volume
•Matching energy level to the activity
•Identifying needs
•Selecting appropriate strategies

Self-Awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations. Kindergarten students work on:
•Expressing emotions
•Trying new problem solving strategies
•Identifying needs in a conflict situation
•Identifying strengths and challenges

Social emotional learning is our top priority in preschool. In order to create a group of individuals who can think and learn collectively, the group needs to be able to live together. We start the year getting to know the students and helping them get to know each other. Each class has its own strengths and challenges and our responsive curriculum allows us to address the challenges while affirming the strengths.

Responsible Decision Making

Responsible Decision Making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions. Preschool students work on:
•Making decisions about where to work and play
•Making decisions about with whom to work and play
•Trying new experiences
•Understanding why rules exist and formulating agreements that benefit the group
•Articulating reasons for decisions
•Considering the impact of their decisions

Relationship Skills

Relationship Skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, negotiating conflict, and seeking and offering help when needed. Preschool students work on:
•Building friendships
•Problem solving with others
•Discussing and practicing qualities that make a good friend
•Working and playing cooperatively

Social Awareness

Social-Awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior. Preschool students work on:
•Reading body language to understand the emotions of others
•Comforting those who are upset
•Recognizing the impact of their actions
•Sympathizing
•Contemplating and respecting the differences between self and others

Self-Management

Self-Management: The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward goals. Preschool students work on:
•Transitioning to new activities
•Regulating body movements
•Regulating voice volume
•Practicing matching energy to an activity
•Choosing an activity that matches energy
•Listening to your own body in order to care for your own needs

Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts. and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations. Preschool students work on:
•Expressing emotions
•Learning problem solving strategies
•Identifying issues in a conflict situation
•Identifying strengths and challenges

Reading

K

Reading
Reading is integrated throughout the kindergarten program. Within our print-rich environment, reading for authentic purposes is a part of every child’s day. Whether we are reading the schedule to see what is next in our day, searching for information in a book, enjoying a story, practicing identifying letter sounds, or reading a message from a friend, reading in kindergarten always occurs within a meaningful context and for authentic purposes. Below are some examples of what reading can look like in our kindergarten program.

Shared Reading
Children take turns being the “special helper” in kindergarten. On his or her day, the special helper gets to help the teacher write The Daily News, a written account of the special helper’s news from home. As the teacher writes the news on chart paper, the class reads along, offering suggestions for words and sounds to be used. Likewise the teacher points out spacing between words, how letter sounds work, conventions of print, and other points of interest to young readers. The special helper leads the class in reading the news and then answers questions from peers. Finally, the class plays games with the news, hunting for letters, sounds, and high frequency “star words” such as and, the, and is.

Read-Alouds
Through daily read-alouds, teachers and students explore stories, folk-tales, biographies, and topics of inquiry from around the world. We help children link the books we read to their own experiences and inquiry. We practice making predictions and inferences, as well as empathizing with characters in books. We learn about how older authors and illustrators approach the writing process, as models for how kindergarten authors can plan, write, and publish books in class.

Learning Centers
There are several times each week when children work individually, in small groups, or with a teacher at learning centers. Learning centers feature materials and tasks that have been intentionally designed by teachers to help children practice skills, explore concepts, and apply skills and concepts in accomplishing meaningful tasks. For example, children at one center may be matching letters with corresponding objects to practice identifying letter sounds, while other children at the listening center may be listening to a story and reading along in a book. Meanwhile, a small group of children may be meeting with a teacher to read a nonfiction book to learn more about a current topic of interest or study.

Preschoolers are encouraged to verbally express their thoughts and feelings in order to communicate effectively with those around them. Using language as a tool to express, share, and further one's thinking is one of our goals for the preschoolers. We model the value of words, both written and spoken, throughout the day. We tell stories (both real and pretend), read many, many books, and discuss the intricacies and surprises of words, sounds, and language. We encourage the children to familiarize themselves with the world of print by looking at books on their own and figuring out the story through the pictures. The children go to the library every week for story time and a chance to choose books for the classroom. We ask the children to express their thoughts pictorially and give us the language that goes with these pictures. The preschoolers often send dictated notes home; these might be love letters or messages about what is best to send for lunch. Either way they model the importance of the written word. We are vigilant about monitoring small motor skills, which are an integral part of the mechanics and art of writing. We nourish the children's confidence in themselves as pre-literate thinkers and doers, and craft a solid foundation of literacy skills.

Reading Continuum

Beginning (ages 6-8)

•Developmental Reading Assessment
•Small Reading Group participation
•Independent reading records
•Ongoing observation

•Reads simple and more complex early-reader books
•Reads and follows simple written directions
•Identifies basic genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry)
•Uses basic punctuation when reading orally.
•Reads independently 10-15 minutes
•Chooses reading materials independently
•Learns and shares information from reading
•Uses context, grammar, and phonics cues
•Recognizes word endings, common contractions and many high frequency words
•Begins to self-correct
•Retells beginning, middle, end of a story
•Identifies own reading behaviors with guidance

•Reads unfamiliar texts slowly and deliberately as they focus on reading exactly what is on the page
•Reads familiar texts confidently and can retell major content from visual and printed texts, such as: language experience recounts, shared books, simple informational texts
•Identifies and talk about a range of different text forms, such as: letters, lists, recipes, stories, newspaper and magazine articles
•Demonstrates understanding that all texts, both narrative and informational, are written by authors who are expressing their own ideas
•Focuses on decoding when reading unfamiliar texts. May read word-by-word or line-by-line, thus compromising fluency and comprehension
•Uses pictures as cues and knowledge of context to check meaning
•Has a bank of words which are recognized when encountered in different contexts, such as: in a book, on the board, in the environment or on a chart

•What are the different genres?
•What are the various reading strategies?
•How do I discuss and question what I read?
•What is the author's perspective?
•How do I make and share experiences and connections related to what I read?
•How do I gain enjoyment through reading?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

Developing (ages 5-7)

•Conventions of Print
•Letter-Sound correspondence
•Phonemic awareness
•Sight word knowledge
•Developmental Reading Assessment
•Small Reading Group participation
•Ongoing observation

•Reads books with simple patterns
•Begins to read own writing
•Begins to read independently for 5-10 min
•Discusses favorite reading material
•Relies on illustrations and print
•Uses finger-print-voice matching
•Knows most letter sound and letter losers
•Recognizes simple words.
•Uses growing awareness of sound segments to read words
•Begins to make meaningful predictions
•Identifies titles and authors in lit
•Retells main event in lit
•Participates in guided literature discussions
•Sees self as "reader"

•Relies heavily on beginning letters and sounding out for word identification
•Reads on her own for short periods of time
•Chooses their own reading materials, with guidance
•Uses context clues, illustrations, and phonics skills to figure out the meaning of words
•Identifies simple patterns, such as a main idea and a beginning, middle, and end
•Recognizes that books can be shared and talked about with others
•Identifies the title and author of each book
•Books are written for the enjoyment of an audience
•Relies heavily on beginning letters and sounding out for word identification (graphophonic strategy)

•How do I become an independent reader?
•When I don't know a word, what do I do?
•What patterns can I find in books?
•How can I compare stories to my own experiences?
•What are the various parts of a book and how do they help me?
•How do I gain enjoyment through reading?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

Emerging (ages 4-6)

•Reading environmental print
•Demonstrates eagerness to read, pretends to read
•Uses illustrations to tell a story
•Reads top to bottom, left to right, and front to back with guidance
•Knows most letter names and some letter sounds
•Recognizes some names and words in context
•Makes meaningful predictions with guidance
•Rhymes and plays with words
•Participates in reading of familiar books and poems
•Begins to connect books to own experiences

•Print conveys meaning
•Print stays the same through repeated readings
•Print is the saving of oral information
•Ideas are communicated and preserved in print
•There are sound - symbol relationships
•There are sound - symbol combinations and patterns
•A word is a string of sounds in sequence
•Spaces separate words
•There are certain repetitive words to remember

•Why do I want to learn to read?
•What will I find out if I read?
•What do I need to know so I can learn to read?
•How do I know what sounds go with which symbols?
•How do I recognize the patterns in print so I can read new things?
•What words do I need to learn that I see over and over again?
•What is a word?
•What do the spaces between words mean?
•Where on the page do I begin to read?
•How do I combine sounds to understand printed words?
•How do words and illustrations work together?
•How do I gain enjoyment through reading?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

Preconventional (ages 3-5)

•Conventions of Print
•Letter-Sound correspondence
•Phonemic awareness
•Sight word knowledge
•Ongoing observation

•Begins to read environmental print
•Chooses reading material and has favorites
•Orients book correctly
•Shows beginning/end of a story
•Knows some letter names
•Listens and responds to literature

Understanding

•Print carries meaning
•Pictures carry meaning
•Pictures and symbols work together to convey meaning
•Language is made up of parts

•What do those symbols mean?
•What do those pictures mean?
•How do the pictures and symbols work together?
•How do the sounds in language work?
•How do I gain enjoyment through being read to?

Wellness

Classroom applications: motor development
•Observation of individuals when exploring ball movement
•Use of movement vocabulary
•Cooperation with peers
•Assessment of students effective behaviors (e.g. listening, independent work, taking turns, following teacher guidelines)
•Evaluation of students' ability to apply appropriate concepts to performance (e.g. change direction while running)
•Evaluation of students' ability to select proper body parts, skills, and movement concepts
•Students' ability to respond to cues (both visual and oral)
•Student sportsmanship and participation in Kindergarten Olympics

Content standards in PE
•Dayton Sensory Motor Assessment
•Prudential Fitnessgram Assessment
•Cooper Institute assessment materials

Classroom applications: movement & dance
•Checklist for Locomotor Development (Robertson and Halverson)
•Participation in class activities
•Individual growth in balance and locomotor skills
•Ability to apply locomotor skills
•Growth in accuracy of movement to a musical beat
•Increasing mature motor patterns
•Individual ability to control and vary movements

Classroom applications: gymnastics
•Observation of locomotor and non-locomotor movement
•Use of movement vocabulary
•Cooperation with peers
•Effective behaviors (e.g. listening, independent work, taking turns, following teacher guidelines)
•Ability to apply concepts to performance (e.g. motor skills: jump, skip, walk, run, gallop, leap)
•Ability to select proper skills &
movement concepts
•Ability to respond to cues (both visual and oral)
•Individual performance on apparatus
•Individual skill assessment for forward roll
•Motor Development Skill analysis
•Locomotor Skills assessment

Classroom applications: motor development
•Develop a feeling for handling balls and objects through exploration
•Manipulate objects in a variety of ways including grasping and holding a ball, placing a ball in different positions, rearranging small equipment and apparatus, and sending balls away
•Kicking a stationary or rolling ball with either foot
•Control path of a ball by making the kicking leg swing out to the sender or target
•Learn to look at the back of the ball in order to make the instep of the foot contact the ball
•Control the path of a ball
•Demonstrate basic mechanics of kicking
•Explore spatial relationships of the ball to objects in the environment: how balls roll and where balls are in space
•Verbalize the movements they make with balls
•Demonstrate increasing skill in eye/hand coordination
•Describe where objects are located in space
•Demonstrate skills of listening and looking to expand ideas for manipulating objects
•Rolling and throwing, catching and collecting
•Dribbling the ball by pushing with insides and outsides of feet
•Trapping a rolling ball
•Reduce reliance on cradling the ball
•Traveling to catch a ball
•Demonstrate fuller ranges of movements
•Track a slow rolling ball with eyes
•Collect the ball with two hands
•Roll the ball on different body parts (passing the ball around the middle or the knee)
•Demonstrate a variety of ways of moving the ball
•Bouncing and collecting balls
•Traveling with the ball
•Kicking, striking and throwing balls
•Gaining more distance and power in overhand throw
•Demonstrate proper transfer of weight when throwing
•Demonstrate skill at dodging
•Bouncing/dribbling ball with one and two hands
•Demonstrate the difference between dribbling and bouncing
•Show regard for spacing between classmates
•Listening and following cues for stopping
•Stay in self restricted areas when working in own spaces
•Respond appropriately when asked to move about the room
•Participate in Kindergarten Olympics

Content standards in PE
•Use and refine fundamental skills (running, skipping, throwing, striking)
•Develop specialized skills to be used in increasingly complex movement environments
•Application of movement concepts and principles
•Develop movement vocabulary
•Application of concepts to real-life activity
•Use of knowledge to acquire new skills and refine existing skills
•Attributes of Active lifestyle
•Connections between physical education class and outside physical activities
•Attributes of a healthy lifestyle
•Identification of attributes of an active, healthy lifestyle
•Awareness of cause and effect relationships
•Maintenance of physical fitness
•Ways to develop higher levels of basic fitness
•Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition
•Awareness of fitness and maintenance components
•Importance of overall fitness
•Personal responsibility for fitness
•Responsible personal and social behavior in physical activities
•Development of self-initiated behaviorfor successful participation in activities Identification of safe practices, adherence to rules and procedures, etiquette, cooperation and teamwork, ethical behavior in sports, and what constitutes positive social interactions (classroom rules and procedures and cooperative behavior)
•Develop respect for individual differences
•Recognize individual similarities and differences
•Participate cooperatively in physical activities

Classroom applications: movement & dance
•Travel in a variety of ways, demonstrating understanding of locomotor movements
•Show contrast of light and strong
•Travel to different tempos
•Travel independently by moving into empty, open spaces
•Combine pathways of movement
•Show spatial awareness of others
•Participate in games like Follow the Leader
•Demonstrate differences between fast, sudden movement and slow, sustained movement
•Differentiate between light, soft gentle movement and strong, hard firm movement
•Control the flow of movement by following commands for pausing or stopping, holding a specific position
•Explore and use a variety of locomotor movements to rhythmical and musical accompaniment
•Explore a variety of traveling actions while rising, sinking, and pausing without losing concentration
•Use the names of ways of traveling (e.g. galloping)
•Demonstrate more independence in controlling movements (sharing the dance space)

Classroom applications: gymnastics
•Explore different body movements
•Describe the different movements
•Demonstrate understanding of movement concepts
•Demonstrate basic body control
•Discover different ways of jumping
•Use safe movement practices
•Move in a variety of ways on large apparatus
•Demonstrate & describe body actions & activities
•Create solutions to physical challenges
•Maintain a balance position on hands
•Travel on different body parts (emphasis on changing the supporting body part)
•Transfer weight from feet to hands
•Responding to signals safely (e.g. stop on signal)
•Perform a forward roll
•Mount and dismount apparatus
•Change directions and levels (on balance beam and mat)
•Mount and walk a low balance beam
•Dismount and roll from balance beam

Classroom applications: motor development
This unit is taught throughout the course of the year.

Fundamental movement patterns
Basic body and manipulative control: Ball handling
•Collecting the ball (gaining possession)
•Directional pattern extensions (e.g. near to, far from, up and down)
•Prediction of distances and directions balls travel
•Movement vocabulary (e.g. rolling, trapping)
•Games and activities: dribbling a ball through a maze, dribbling and trapping experiences, Pin Soccer Ball (offensive and defensive play)
•Actions of body parts: apply and receive force
•Effects on ball control: weight, speed, space (location: high, medium and low, personal and general space)
•Models of ball handling
•Exploration of where and how objects move in space
•Traveling and working in individual space
•Skills for throwing, catching, kicking, dribbling and trapping a ball with the feet
•Independent skill development
•Skills for catching a ball: Toss and Catch, catching with a partner
•Skills for achieving more distance in overhand throwing
•Transformation of weight when throwing overhand
•Skills for passing a ball: inside & outside foot skills, stopping and trapping the ball, partner and group passing
•Skills for overhand throwing: practice with a small ball
•Skill at ball retrieval and alignment of body
•Skills for dribbling and bouncing balls, traveling while in possession of the ball
•Skills for control of kicking a ball
•Kindergarten Olympics Activities:Running Long Jump, High Jump, Basketball, Peanut Carry, Frisbee Carry, Suitcase Dress-up, Balloon Toss, Track Lap Run, Hurdles, Bean Bag Toss, Obstacle Course, Balance Beam
•History of the Olympics
•Sportsmanship (winning and losing)
•Training Principles - coaching buddies

Content standards in PE
•Movement forms and concepts
•Motor skills
•Attributes of a physically active lifestyle
•Ways to demonstrate respect differences in others
•Connection of physical activity to
• personal enjoyment
• self-expression
• social interaction

Classroom applications: movement & dance
•This unit is taught throughout the course of the year.
•Locomotor activities: stepping, walking, galloping, jumping, hopping, leaping
•Non-locomotor activities: balancing activities, twisting, curling, turning, spinning, circling, stretching, gesturing, rising, sinking
•Methods for increasing versatility in movement
•Space levels: high and low
•Pathways of movement: e.g. straight, curvy, zig zag
•Actions of body parts: leading and supporting the body
•Timing of movements: fast, slow, sustained, sudden
•Games for learning movement

Classroom applications: gymnastics
This unit is taught throughout the course of the year because alternating units in a recursive manner extends the practice of skills from each area over a longer time period, vital in the development of motor skills. Revisiting the content of a unit over months allows students to use and improve previously learned skills, concepts, and attitudes as they acquire new skills. Students who mature more slowly are given continuing opportunities to gain satisfaction in an area when it is repeated where they previously were reluctant to participate fully.
•Proper use of apparatus
•Skill in transferring body weight
•Differences in body shapes
•Body parts
•Body control
•Different methods for jumping, rolling, use of feet and hands, rocking, rolling, step-like actions, sliding, balancing, twisting, climbing, hanging, spinning, swinging, stretching, curling, turning
•Special vocabulary (levels, extensions, directions, pathways)
•Solutions for traveling on different body parts
•Techniques for a forward roll
•Skills for traveling in a straight pathway
•Skills for mounting & dismounting apparatus
•Skills for rolling
•Skills for moving from feet to hands
•Balance beam techniques (changing of levels and directions)

Classroom applications: motor development
•How do I control my body?
•How do I control a ball?

Content standards in PE
•How can I be healthy physically?
•How can I develop motor skills?
•How should I behave in P.E.?
•How should I treat others in P.E. class?
•How do I show that I accept differences in others?
•In what ways can I use my physical skills?

Classroom applications: movement & dance
•What can my feet do to move in different ways?
•How can I use my body to show different types of movements?
•What can I call different ways of moving?
•Can I follow a pattern set to music?

Classroom applications: gymnastics
•How can I use my body to make shapes and work at different levels?
•How can I move my body gracefully in different directions?

Movement, concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics
•Teacher observation
•Use of movement vocabulary
•Ability to apply concepts to performance
•Response to cues
•Dayton Sensory Motor Assessment
•Cooper Institute Assessment materials

Safety
•Teacher observation

Simple games & movement skills
•Teacher observation i.e. movements, listening, taking turns, following guidelines, effective behaviors, using vocabulary to describe movements (ie skip, hop)
•Dayton Sensory Motor Assessment
•Anecdotal records
•Checklist for Locomotor Development, • Robertson & Halverson

Gymnastics & movement
•Observation of locomotor and non-locomotor movement
•Use of movement vocabulary
•Cooperation with peers
•Behavior(e.g. listening, independent work, taking turns, following teacher guidelines)
•Ability to apply concepts to performance (e.g.jump. skip, walk, run, gallop, leap)
•Ability to select proper body parts, skills, and movement concepts
•Ability to respond to cues

Preschool Circus

Dance & movement
•Checklist for Locomotor Development (Robertson and Halverson)
•Participation in class activities
•Growth in balance and locomotor skills
•Ability to apply locomotor skills

Ball Handling Skills
•Teacher observation
•Use of movement vocabulary
•Cooperation with peers
•Effective behaviors
•Listening
•Independent work
•Taking turns
•Following teacher guidelines)
•Evaluation of students' ability to apply appropriate concepts to performance (e.g. change direction while running)
•Evaluation of students' ability to select proper body parts, skills, and movement concepts
•Response to cues (visual & oral)

Movement, concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics

Safety
•Emergency procedures for fire and earthquake

Simple games & movement skills
•How to play variations of tag games with classmates, moving from very simple to more complex movement patterns
•Bodies need exercise to stay healthy and strong

Gymnastics & movement
•Proper use of apparatus
•Body parts
•Techniques for body control feet and hands, rocking, rolling, sliding, stretching, curling, turning
•Skills in transferring body weight

Preschool Circus
•What makes a circus a circus
•Types of performers and tricks seen in a circus
•Costumes worn by circus performers

Dance & movement
•Locomotor activities: stepping, walking, galloping, jumping, hopping, leaping
•Non-locomotor activities: balancing activities, twisting, curling, turning, spinning, circling, stretching
•Methods for increasing versatility in movement
•Effort in movement: strong, light
•Space levels: high and low
•Pathways of movement: e.g. straight, curvy, zig zag sustained, sudden
•Games for learning movement:
•Around the Kitchen Table
•Round Moons
•Dancing Leaves
•Windmills
•Caterpillar Surprise
•Butterfly

Ball Handling Skills
•Fundamental movement patterns such as jumping or throwing
•I use different ball handling strategies for different activities
•Movement vocabulary (e.g. rolling, trapping)
•Skills for throwing, catching, kicking, dribbling and trapping a ball

Movement, concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics
•What makes my body healthy and strong?
•How do I control my body and move it in different ways?
•In what ways can I use my physical skills and develop new ones?

Safety
•How can I be safe at school?

Simple games & movement skills
•What kinds of games can I play with my classmates?
•How can I follow the rules of a game and have fun with others?

Gymnastics & movement
•How can I use my body to make shapes?
•How do I work at different levels?
•How can I move my body gracefully in different directions?

Preschool Circus
•What is a circus and how can we create one?
•What kind of circus tricks can I do?

Dance & movement
•How can I use my body to move in different ways?
•What can I call different ways of moving

Ball Handling Skills
•What are some different ways to move a ball?

Sexuality Education

Gender Identity

With support, students will be able to use their learning to…

Avoid gender bias
Assess cultural expectations and make personal choices regardless
Affirm one’s own gender identity and respect the gender identity of others

Students will know…

Gender is a continuum
Individual gender expression varies
Gender bias exists
Catlin Gabel does not affirm or support gender bias

Students will be skilled at…

Accepting multiple ways of expressing gender
Looking beyond gender to see people as unique, multidimensional individuals

Students will understand that…

Gender is the complex interplay of mind, body, and heart and varies between individuals
Gender is dynamic and may change constantly over one’s lifetime
People choose how and whether to express their gender
Societal expectations can shape gender expression
Different families have different beliefs and values about gender expression

With support, students will be able to use their learning to…

Understand that gender expression varies among individuals
Identify cultural expectations about gender
Affirm one’s own gender identity and respect the gender identity of others

Parts of the Body

Students will begin to use their learning to…

Appreciate and know their own body
Be comfortable using accurate vocabulary to identify parts of the human body
Make appropriate decisions about private behavior
Express discomfort about a situation
Identify appropriate and comfortable touch and respect those boundaries
Identify adults they can ask for help and ask for help when needed
Advocate for their personal safety

Students will know....

Each body part has a scientific name and specific function
The importance of privacy with regard to private parts and bathroom behavior
That it is unsafe to keep secrets from trusted adults
Safe touch vs. unsafe touch
What to do if they experience sexual abuse or unsafe touch from an adult or another child

Students will be skilled at....

Assertively refusing unwelcome behavior
Identifying adults they can ask for help

Students will understand that.....

All bodies change and grow
All bodies are different
All body differences are ok
Individuals have rights and ownership over their own bodies

Essential Questions:

How is my body unique from others?

What is privacy and personal space?

Human Reproduction

With support, students will be able to use their learning to....

Identify human reproduction as part of the life cycle
Seek further information about reproduction as needed

Students will know…

Babies are made when a sperm and egg unite
A fetus needs a safe place to grow into a baby
Adults are responsible for reproduction
Their parents are the best adults to ask questions about reproduction

Students will be skilled at…

Explaining the basics of human reproduction

Students will understand that…

All living things reproduce
There’s more than one way to make a baby
Reproduction is just one way a family can grow and gain in offspring
As bodies grow, changes occur, including the potential ability to reproduce

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How does reproduction occur?
How does a baby grow?
How does a baby get born?

Healthy Relationships

With support, students will be able to use their learning to....

Express love in appropriate ways
Develop and maintain meaningful relationships
Identify unhealthy attributes in a relationship
Communicate with others to solve problems

Knowledge and Skills

Students will know....

The qualities a healthy relationship
The qualities of an unhealthy relationship
The steps to solve a conflict
A variety of feeling words (vocabulary)

Students will be skilled at....

Entering new play groups
Inviting friends to play
Identifying appropriate words to express a wide range of feelings

Students will understand that.....

Relationships

Love can be expressed in different ways
There are appropriate ways to express love
Whoever you love is ok
There are specific behaviors and skills that allow us to have healthy relationships
Friends can work through problems and still be friends
Some relationships are not healthy

Families

There are different kinds of families
Families change over time
Households have different rules and ways of being
Friends and families are important throughout life

Relationships

What is relationship?

How do I build, maintain, and sustain healthy relationships?

Friendship

What is a friend?

What makes a healthy relationship?

Families

What is a family?

Why do we have families?

How are families different?

How families function and show love?

Mathematics

Math is integrated throughout the kindergarten program. We keep track of the days of school, noticing patterns in the base-10 number chart as we work towards the 100th day of school; every ten days, Zero the Hero flies in to help us celebrate. We create graphs about our community members as we learn about our identities, comparing and contrasting things we have in common with our peers. As we plan our topics of inquiry, teachers intentionally plan for ways that math can be integrated; we look for opportunities to integrate direct instruction on counting, sorting, comparing, collecting and representing data, measuring, adding and subtracting.

Learning Centers
There are several times each week when children work individually, in small groups, or with a teacher at learning centers. Learning centers feature materials and tasks that have been intentionally designed by teachers to help children practice skills, explore concepts, and apply skills and concepts in accomplishing meaningful tasks. For example, a group of children may be playing a game that provides counting practice and numeral recognition, while other children are copying and creating patterns. Meanwhile, individuals and small groups may be engaged in a teacher-led instruction. See below for a general outline of skills/concepts practiced in learning centers and integrated with the wider curriculum over the course of the year.

Fall
•Numeral recognition 1-10
•Each numeral represents a quantity
•Graphs are used to record, compare, and show information
•Identify geometric shapes
•A pattern repeats itself
•A pattern is a series
•There are different pattern sequences
•Patterns can be described in different ways (letters, colors, shapes, numerals...)
•Counting is used to tell how many
•Develop a counting strategy (One-to-one correspondence)
•Zero is an important number

Winter
•Numeral writing
•Each numeral represents a quantity
•Manipulatives can be used to show thinking about quantity
•100 is a BIG number! Skip counting strategies

Spring
•The basic concept of addition and subtraction through composing and decomposing quantity
•The basic numerical and mathematical symbols (+,-,=)
•Mathematical quantities and relationships can be represented in a variety of ways (manipulatives, paper and pencil, explaining your thinking orally)

Preschoolers are concrete thinkers and mathematical learning is part of our everyday practice. We count children who are present and absent and talk about different strategies for thinking of big numbers. We provide many varied opportunities to engage in sorting, classifying, counting, patterning, and geometrical awareness. Materials that will later be part of direct math instruction are out in the classroom to give the children a chance to meet, play with, and get to know things like cuisinaire rods and unifix cubes. Their natural curiosity leads the preschoolers to experiment with these materials in mathematical ways such as trying to find the perimeter of an oval rug by seeing how many unifix cubes it takes to go all the way around. The preschoolers also build and make connections: with unit blocks, in Woodshop, with puzzles, at the Invention Center, laying track for the trains. This type of work and play, along with big body movement during PE and recess, increases their spatial awareness, another key component of mathematical thinking. Over the course of the year each student builds context for mathematical concepts motivated by self-propelled inquiry and experiential learning.

See Continuum Above

Number Continuum

Quantifying Phase (ages 5-9)

•During the Quantifying Phase of Number students reason about numerical quantities and come to believe that if nothing is added to, or removed from a collection or quantity, then the total amount must stay the same even if its arrangement or appearance is altered.
•As a result, students see that the significance of the number uttered at the end of counting process does not change with the rearrangement of the collection or the counting strategy. They interpret small numbers as compositions of other numbers. These students use part-part-whole relations for numerical quantities.

Matching Phase (ages 4-6)

•During the Matching Phase of Number students use numbers as adjectives that describe actual quantities of physical materials. Through stories, games and everyday tasks, students use one-to-one relations to solve problems where they can directly carry out or imagine the actions suggested in the situation. They learn to fix small collections to make them match, ‘deal out’ collections or portions, and to respect most of the principles of counting. 
•As a result, students learn what people expect them to do in response to requests such as: How many are there? Can you give me six forks? How many are left? Give out one (two) each. Share them. These students use one-to-one relations to share and count out.

Music

4 Cornerstones of Kindergarten Music:
•All humans are musical: Music is a human birthright.
•Tuneful: Through practice we learn to use an appropriate singing voice.
•Beatful: Through practice we learn to clap a steady beat.
•Artful: Through practice we learn to move in ways that appropriately match musical prompts (recorded music, folk dances, play-parties)

Musical Learning Capstone
Through the practice of being in a musical community: students develop a disposition to be open to musical learning.

Cornerstones are synthesized from the work of Dr. John Feierabend (First Steps in Music) and the work of Music Together (Ken Guilmartin & Lili Levinowitz

•Teacher Observations in the moment, using observed assessments to modify lessons in the moment and to track individual student's skill progress.
•The primary intent of early childhood music is to provide a rich musical environment in which the child is nurtured. As such, assessment is used to direct the flow of each lesson and subsequent lesson.
•Skill assessment is interesting, but not predictive of future musical output or achievement. In terms of early childhood music education:"any response is a good response, even 'no' response".

Musical Community:
•Practice and learn to be aware of the behavior of the group and match my behavior to the group.
•This practice includes groupings like:
•Friday Sing
•Music class
•Classroom sings

Singing:
•Practice differentiating singing, speaking, whispering, (and shouting), and other vocal/mouth sounds.
•Practice matching pitch while singing.
•Practice having my voice match the other voices in the group.

Steady Beat:
•Practice finding a way to make a tap or clap match the group or the music (or both).
•Practice finding ways to have steady beat actions incorporated into musical games and folk dances.

Artful (movement):
•Practice moving in ways that match and respond to songs, recorded music, and folk dances.
•Practice focusing on musical input (songs, recorded music, folk songs) so that the movement I make is related to the musical input.
•Practice moving in ways that match the movements of others in the group.

Additional Content:
Fall:
•Practice repertoire that builds a common musical lexicon.
•The Fall repertoire concentrates on 'folk songs' that are accessible to children with a wide range of previous experience.
•The Fall repertoire also explores songs that are culturally relevant to the experience of young children; including simple call & response songs, echo songs, and songs that reflect the seasons and cultural practices of our community: including songs about family, the Fall season, pumpkins, Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

Winter:
•Continue to build repertoire of common songs.
•The Winter repertoire has a slight concentration on 'movement' activities and 'folk dances'.
•The Winter repertoire also begins to explore the concept of "audiation" (the ability to 'hear' a song when you are not singing it).

Spring:
•Continue to build a repertoire of common songs.
•The Spring repertoire includes songs about weather, gardens, and imaginary worlds.
•The Spring repertoire songs are somewhat more sophisticated in terms of rhymes, sequencing, complexity of melodic, rhythmic, and lyric structure.
•The Spring movement activities allow for more active input from the students in terms of range of motion; including galloping, rolling, and offering suggestions for possible movement. This active input is a result not only of student knowledge; but also is a result of the students having developed the impulse control to be able to use movements such as gallop with awareness of the other people sharing the movement space.

Supplemental Musical practice:
•The current Kindergarten curriculum allows for additional small group music exploration.
•Within this small group setting, Kindergarteners have the opportunity to explore barred instrument play (xylophones) and have the opportunity to build small rhythm instruments (such as: wooden framed drum with packing tape head, kazoo, mono-filament puck string).

Musical Community
•How do we make music together at school?
Singing
•How do voices Sing?
Steady Beat
•Does this music have an underlying pulse?
•It there a way I can show the underlying pulse of this music?
Movement
•Can I control my body and organize when my body moves and does not move?
•How can I move so that the movement matches the music?

4 Cornerstones of Preschool Music:
•All humans are musical: Music is a human birthright.
•Tuneful: Through practice we learn to use an appropriate singing voice.
•Beatful: Through practice we learn to clap a steady beat.
•Artful: Through practice we learn to move in ways that appropriately match musical prompts (recorded music, folk dances, play-parties)

Musical Learning Capstone
Through the practice of being in a musical community: students develop a disposition to be open to musical learning.

Cornerstones are synthesized from the work of Dr. John Feierabend (First Steps in Music) and the work of Music Together (Ken Guilmartin & Lili Levinowitz

•Teacher Observations in the moment, using observed assessments to modify lessons in the moment and to track individual student's skill progress.
•The primary intent of early childhood music is to provide a rich musical environment in which the child is nurtured. As such, assessment is used to direct the flow of each lesson and subsequent lesson.
•Skill assessment is interesting, but not predictive of future musical output or achievement. In terms of early childhood music education: "any response is a good response, even 'no' response".

Musical Community:
•Practice and learn to be aware of the behavior of the group and match my behavior to the group.
•This practice includes groupings like:
•Friday Sing
•Music class
•Classroom sings

Singing:
•Practice differentiating singing, speaking, whispering, (and shouting), and other vocal/mouth sounds.
•Practice matching pitch while singing.
•Practice having my voice match the other voices in the group.

Steady Beat:
•Practice finding a way to make a tap or clap match the group or the music (or both).
•Practice finding ways to have steady beat actions incorporated into musical games and folk dances.

Artful (movement):
•Practice moving in ways that match and respond to songs, recorded music, and folk dances.
•Practice focusing on musical input (songs, recorded music, folk songs) so that the movement I make is related to the musical input.
•Practice moving in ways that match the movements of others in the group.

Additional Content:
Fall:
•Practice repertoire that builds a common musical lexicon.
•The Fall repertoire concentrates on 'folk songs' that are accessible to children with a wide range of previous experience.
•The Fall repertoire also explores songs that are culturally relevant to the experience of young children; including simple call & response songs, echo songs, and songs that reflect the seasons and cultural practices of our community: including songs about family, the fall season, pumpkins, Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

Winter:
•Continue to build repertoire of common songs.
•The Winter repertoire has a slight concentration on 'movement' activities and 'folk dances'.
•The Winter repertoire also begins to explore the concept of "audiation" (the ability to 'hear' a song when you are not singing it).

Spring:
•Continue to build a repertoire of common songs.
•The Spring repertoire includes songs about weather, gardens, and imaginary worlds.
•The Spring repertoire songs are somewhat more sophisticated in terms of rhymes, sequencing, complexity of melodic, rhythmic, and lyric structure.
•The Spring movement activities allow for more active input from the students in terms of range of motion; including galloping, rolling, and offering suggestions for possible movement. This active input is a result not only of student knowledge; but also is a result of the students having developed the impulse control to be able to use movements such as gallop with awareness of the other people sharing the movement space.

Musical Community
•I am part of the group of music makers.
•I am working to become part of the group to match my singing, clapping or moving to match what the group is doing.

Singing
•Humans can make various sounds with their voices.
•My voice can sing, speak, whisper, shout, hum, tongue click; etc.
•When I sing, I can practice and learn to match my singing to other singers.

Steady Beat
•Humans can create rhythmic sounds with hands, feet, and various rhythm instruments.
•I can practice and learn to match rhythmic sounds to music.

Artful (movement)
•Humans can respond to music with movement.
•I can practice and learn to match my body motions to music.

Musical Community
•How do we make music together at school?

Singing
•How do voices Sing?

Steady Beat
•Does this music have an underlying pulse?
•Is there a way I can show the underlying pulse of this music?

Movement
•Can I control my body and organize when my body moves and does not move?
•How can I move so that the movement matches the music?

Library

Teacher observation of:
•attentive listening
•growing sophistication of response to the stories (including making connections between stories and classroom activities, stories and personal experience, from one story to another,and the art and design of books)
•respect for others during storytime
•ease in use of the self-checkout system
•willingness to ask for help as needed
•handling books with respect and care
•comfort with reporting damaged items so they can be repaired or replaced

•Listens and responds at storytime
•Selects a book to share in the kindergarten classroom during library storytime
•With guidance, examines illustrations, endpapers, page layout and typeface to develop appreciation of the physical qualities of books
•Participates in discussions of books
•Understands the sequence of steps in the self check-out system
•Practices responsible care of materials borrowed, including timely return
•Understands that damaged items need to be reported to the librarians so they can be repaired or replaced

•What is available to me in a library?
•What do I know and wonder about?
•How can I more clearly express my needs for books and information?
•What are the steps in the borrowing procedures?
•What are my responsibilities as a borrower?

Teacher observation of:
•attentive listening
•response to the stories
•respect for others during storytime
•ease in use of the self-checkout system
•willingness to ask for help as needed
•handling books with respect and care
•comfort with reporting damaged items so they can be repaired or replaced

•Listens and responds at story time
•Selects a book to share in the preschool classroom during library storytime
•With guidance, examines illustrations, endpapers, page layout and typeface to develop appreciation of the physical qualities of books
•Participates in discussions of books
•Understands the sequence of steps in the self check-out system
•Practices responsible care of materials borrowed, including timely return
•Understands that damaged items need to be reported to the librarians so they can be repaired or replaced

•Books and other materials are vehicles for sharing knowledge and communicating ideas between people
•For every interest, there is likely a book or magazine that relates to it and the librarians are eager to help me locate what meets my interest.
•All family members are welcome in library
•Borrowing during class visits is for classroom sharing
•Materials may be taken home when visiting with an adult
•All library users are responsible for care of the library collection

•What is available to me in a library?
•What do I know and wonder about?
•What are the steps in the borrowing procedures?
•What are my responsibilities as a borrower?

Inquiry (Social Studies/Science)

In Kindergarten, inquiry is at the heart of our curriculum. Our approach supports students’ open inquiry, independent thinking, and respect for diverse views. We leave room for student questions, and we foster curiosity, openness to differing perspectives, and the desire to keep learning — lasting benefits of a good education.
•Our environment is carefully designed to encourage exploration with a variety of materials and mediums for creative expression and story telling.
•Teachers design four or five units of study a year around questions that we believe are worth pursuing by people of any age. For example: What is our relationship with nature? How are we a part of cycles? How do we take care of a community? How do we study something?
•We also form small study groups in response to questions that arise out of the children’s interests, experiences, and explorations.

Fall Study
•Representational work to share questions and discoveries among study groups

Identity
•Students create representational work that reflects aspects of their identities.
• They use this work to explain their identities to others, to seek commonalities and differences with peers, and to introduce themselves to their third grade buddies.

Post Office
•Teacher observation and anecdotal records as children address letters and work in various roles in the classroom post office.

Eagles
•Self reflection on learning process
•Sharing museum of representational work with families, campus buddies, and peers

Fall Study
•Information can be gathered from many sources, each source provides different information (inc. internet, books, enacting, building, etc.)
•Representing is a way to explore ideas and share our thinking with others
•Questioning
•Gathering information from listening, observing, investigating, and experimenting
•Sharing ideas and hypothesizing

Identity
•People have different families, likes and passions
•The properties of an identity
•That our identity can be shown in many ways
•Through visual arts, we can represent our identities
•Asking questions is useful in getting to know more about others
•Plans can be a useful way to organize your thinking
•Our identities are of equal value
•There’s not a “right and wrong” when it comes to identity
•Comparing and contrasting
•Interviewing
•Reading graphs and diagrams
•Expressive language in conversation
•Listening
•Presenting to others
•Preparing for an audience
•Creating, following and reflecting on a plan
•Noticing and sharing appreciations for the identity aspects of others…?

Post Office
•Letters have names, addresses, and stamps
•The Postal system has many parts
•The sequence for moving mail from one location to another
•Many people with different jobs help move the mail
•Recognizing and writing numerals
•Sorting mail into categories, then individually
•Matching addresses to post office boxes
•Handwriting: letters and numerals
•Managing classroom mail within the kindergarten post office system

Eagles
•Eagles as animals>birds>raptors
•Eagle body parts (form follows function)
•Habitat/ types of eagles
•Life cycles/reproduction
•Eagles are part of the web of life, just like me
•Impact of humans and other life forms on each other (responsibility)
•Evaluating evidence
•Using fine motor skills
•Practicing self regulation in order to learn from others
•Representing in multiple modalities, inc. drawing, clay, blocks, dress up/enacting, etc.

Fall Study
•Studying is a way to learn more about a topic
•There are many ways to study something
•You can learn about something by sharing what you know, listening to new ideas, asking questions, and seeking information
•There are multiple avenues for gathering information (books, internet, stories, observation, experimentation, etc.)
•It is important to share your learning with others

Identity
•We are all alike and different from one another
•We all bring something unique and valuable to our community
•I am a person who can share who I am
•How we understand our identity can change over time

Post Office
•Many parts work together to make a system.
•People use mail systems to send objects over distances
•There are multiple systems for moving mail: U.S. Postal Service, Campus Mail, and kindergarten post office

Eagles
•Ongoing questioning is an essential part of a study
•There are many ways to explore our understanding of new information (to learn by doing, through multiple modalities) and many ways to show what you know
•Everyone accesses information in their own way (learning strengths and stretches)

Fall Study
•What does it mean to study something together?
•How do we research the answers to our questions?
•What tools can help us in the inquiry process?
•How can we share what we have learned?

Identity
•Who am I? Who are you? Who are we?
•How are we alike? How are we different?
•How can I share myself with others?
•How can I learn about others?
•What can I learn from others?
•How do I keep growing and changing?
•How can I show my appreciations for others?
•Which parts of who I am stay the same and which parts change?

Post Office
•How does a letter get from one friend to another?
•How do different parts work together to form a system?
•What happens to a system when one part is not working?

Eagles
•What are the representational languages I can use to express my understanding?
•What is my process and how do I learn best?
•How do I share my learning process?

Children are naturally curious. One part of being at school is to understand how to learn about something you are interested in. Our preschool students are known as the Honeybees so our study of honeybees serves as the vehicle for learning about the process of inquiry/learning about how to learn as a group. We think about what we already know, look at books, ask experts, observe, taste, touch, and share out what we learned with members of the community. This study is a larger example of what occurs in our classroom daily; children are naturally curious, and we all learn something new every day.

•Throughout the year the teachers closely observe the preschoolers' processing of new knowledge, the connections they make to existing knowledge, and the ways in which they think about what they know.
•We discuss things in large and small groups, create representational work to show thinking, and maintain a classroom environment that supports the topics and themes that are relevant at that moment.

•Learning occurs in many different ways.
•Contributing to group learning helps the group and the individual
•Sharing what you know can come in many shapes and forms (drawing, dictating, writing, talking, etc.)

•Learning is a process that is both individual and collective
•A group's learning can be strengthened by individual components
•Information should be compared by using multiple sources
•Sharing information is fun and beneficial to both parties

•How do you learn about something new?
•What tools help us learn about a new topic?
•How do you show what you know?

Art

Kindergarten

In the Studio, we practice being artists: in a community space, with peer artists.

Kindergarteners come to the studio in several configurations: in morning homeroom groups of 9, for rotations--a small group of 7 or 8 for three continuous days, and as a choice during explorations.

Visual arts is also an integrated component of the homeroom experiences, as the visual arts are a means for young children to express themselves, their thinking, and their learning.

While children's making is at times closely connected to homeroom content, studio is also a time and place where art-making is the content.

•Digital Portfolio: a record of student processes, thinking, and works over time
•Teacher observation and interaction during student work time
•Children’s participation
•Anecdotal evidence
•Students’ conversations
•Observed student experimentation and problem solving
•Photographs of processes of constructing products

•Engagement with a range of materials, 2D and 3D media, including drawing, painting, collage, clay, sculpture, natural materials, magna-tiles, sewing, and printmaking--as well as what springs up from the specific group of children,
•Create artworks, for a variety of purposes (see, for examples, list in 1. Essential Questions) and for varying amounts of time (some experiences are one day, while others span weeks).
•Use artist language, including calling the materials, tools, and processes by name.
•Practice sharing your artwork and considering changes you may make, as well as seeing and responding to peers’ works.
•Experiences in creating independently and with others.
•Conversations about creations, working process, inspiration, problem solving, persevering, strengths, challenges, etc.

•Human beings create, for many reasons and in possibly unlimited ways. Children can express themselves, and their thinking, through art.
•Art can be meaningful, both for the creator and those who see/experience it. Art has a context and can be used to communicate: with yourself, with others, and even across time or place.
•People have different artistic processes, including idea generation, ways of approaching creation, ways of solving problems or confronting frustrations, comfort with risk-taking. Makers work independently and/or in collaboration.
•Through sharing, either in process or product, art can be a means of connecting people.
•Through learning techniques and practicing with materials, we develop greater artistic fluency and can reflect on our processes and products.

How can I use my art to:
•Show what I am thinking?
•Express what I am feeling?
•Record an observation?
•Have a sensory experience?
•Track an experiment?
•Connect with others?
•Collaborate?
•Create beauty?
•Be functional? (i.e. to play with, to eat out of, to solve a problem)
•Tell a story? Or spark a story?
•Make real something from my imagination?
•Share my learning?
•Be present, in the moment, being in doing?
•Experience “the flow” of creating?
•Invent?
•What does this art mean to you?
•Your art
•Other’s art (peer(s), art on display, in a book, from a different place or time)
•What is/are your artistic process(es)?
•What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?
•What are your strengths/ challenges?
•What happens when you collaborate?
•How do you prefer to share your creation?
•How can art be used to connect people, in process and product?
•What (materials) do I want to get better at using? How can I better express my intention? What worked, what would I change? What would I like to learn more about?

Preschool

In the Studio, we practice being artists: in a community space, with peer artists.

Visual arts is also an integrated component of the homeroom experiences, as the visual arts are a means for young children to express themselves, their thinking, and their learning.

Assessment

•Digital Portfolio: a record of student
processes, thinking, and works over time
•Teacher observation and interaction
during student work time
•Children’s participation
•Anecdotal evidence
•Students’ conversations
•Observed student experimentation and
problem solving
•Photographs of processes of constructing
products

Knowledge & Skills

•Engagement with a range of materials, 2D and 3D media, including drawing, painting,collage, clay, sculpture, natural materials, magna-tiles, sewing, and printmaking--as well as what springs up from the specific group of children.
•Create artworks for a variety of purposes (see, for examples, list in 1. Essential Questions) and for varying amounts of time (some experiences are one day, while others span weeks).
•Use artist language, including calling the materials, tools, and processes by name.
•Practice sharing your artwork and considering changes you may make, as well as seeing and responding to peers’ works.
•Experiences in creating independently and with others.
•Conversations about creations, working process, inspiration, problem solving, persevering, strengths, challenges, etc.

Understandings

Essential Questions

•How can I use my art to:
•Show what I am thinking?
•Express what I am feeling?
•Record an observation?
•Have a sensory experience?
•Track an experiment?
•Connect with others?
•Collaborate?
•Create beauty?
•Be functional? (i.e. to play with, to eat out of, to solve a problem)
•Tell a story? Or spark a story?
•Make real something from my imagination?
•Share my learning?
•Be present, in the moment, being in doing?
•Experience “the flow” of creating?
•Invent?
•What does this art mean to you?
•Your art
•Other’s art (peer(s), art on display, in a book, from a different place or time)
•What is/are your artistic process(es)?
•What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?
•What are your strengths/challenges?
•What happens when you collaborate?
•How do you prefer to share your creation?
•How can art be used to connect people, in process and product?
•What (materials) do I want to get better at using? How can I better express my intention? What worked, what would I change? What would I like to learn more about?

UPDATED CURRICULUM MAP 8-3-2018

This English 11 curriculum emphasizes a deep understanding of the diverse and complex American experience to grasp what it means to be an American. Key themes include the significant roles of gender, class, race, and sexual preference in shaping American identity.

Designing The Team: Task, Ppl, Process

Brien McMahon Research Cloud

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 3

The Roaring 20's

Curriculum Map 2018

Upper School

The Learning Center

Balance and Wellness

Collaborative Learning

Resourcesfulness

Community Service

Lifelong Learning

Honors Spanish: Seminar A

Español IV: Conversation & Composition

Español III: Communication B

Español II: Communication A

Español I: Foundations

U.S. History

The Modern World

Human Crossroads

Coed Volleyball, Tennis and Badminton

Lifetime Fitness

Performance Fitness/TRX

Fitness by Design

Beginning Tennis

Disc Golf

Advanced Electives

General Electives

Core Sequence: Science I and Science II: Biology, Physics, and Chemistry

Palma Seminars

Crime and Punishment (2015-16)

Sports and Human Rights (2015)

Measuring Success (2014)

Electives

Core Courses

Honors Mandarin

Mandarin II

Mandarin IV

Mandarin III

Mandarin I

Senior Year

Junior Year

Sophomore Year

Freshman Year

Health 10

Health 9

FR V- Literature and Art

FR IV- Conversation and Composition

FR III- Interpretive Communication

FR II- Interpersonal Communication

FR I- Communication and Comprehension

Creative writing

Senior Electives

English 11

English 10

English 9

Computer Science

Computer Science Research

Advanced Topics in Computer Science

Advanced Computer Science

Introduction to Computer Science

Performing Arts

Athletics

Middle School

Grade 8 (Civics & Society)

Grade 7 (World Cultures)

Grade 6 (Humanities)

Physical Education (PE)

Outdoor Education

Extended Trips

After School Programs

Weekend Trips

Health

French

English

Arts

Grade 8

Grade 7