P.S. 78Q Curriculum Guide 2008-2009

Index Balanced Literacy Writing Reading Mathematics Science Social Studies Music Physical Education Extended Day Interventions Arts Technology Additional Initiatives to Support Student Growth

Balanced Literacy

P.S. 78Q works in collaboration with Teachers College Reading and Writing Project.  Staff Developers visit the school throughout the year to work with our staff and students.  Our Literacy Program consists of Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, Word Study, and Read Aloud.

Writing

The students learn to be better writers throughout the year by learning the qualities of good writing and about writing processes.  The children learn how to craft literature out of their own experiences.  Students participate in Writing Workshop every day.  Each Writing Workshop begins with a mini-lesson in which the students learn a strategy they will use to make their writing stronger.  During writing time teachers meet with individual students and small groups to help meet their academic goals.

The students begin the year writing stories about their personal lives.  As the year progresses, children learn to write in a variety of genres.  Students in grades K-2 write about fiction, non-fiction, poetry, letter writing, and project based writing.  Students in grades 3-5 write essays, realistic fiction, poetry, and memoirs (4th and 5th grade).  They also learn a variety of strategies to draw upon during each stage of the writing process.  During the year, they are also taught the conventions of good writing, which includes punctuation, grammar, and strategies for accurate spelling.

Students’ writing is celebrated throughout the year.

Reading

The students learn to be better readers throughout the year by learning strategies and skills that good readers use while reading.  The children are assessed using the Teachers’ College Reading Assessment to identify their independent reading level.  Each day students participate in Reading Workshop.  Reading Workshop begins with a mini-lesson in which the students learn a strategy to assist them in becoming stronger readers.  During workshop time, teachers confer with students individually and in small groups.  As the teacher conferences with the students, they are learning new ways to become a better reader.

As the year begins, the children learn habits to aide them in becoming independent readers.  Throughout the year they are introduced to a variety of genres.  Students are exposed to fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.  As the year progresses, we celebrate the great work they do as readers.

Word Study

Students in grades K-2 use the Fundations Language Arts Program.  This program is a phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling program.  Fundations lessons focus on carefully sequenced skills that include print knowledge, alphabet awareness, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling.  Critical thinking, speaking and listening skills are practiced during story time activities.

Students in grades 3-5 are assessed in their word study knowledge using the Words Their Way program.  The word study activities are based upon each student’s individual developmental level.  The program supports spelling, vocabulary, and phonics activities.

Read Aloud

Teachers read books at the children’s appropriate level aloud to model the skills and habits of a good reader.  Read Aloud supports the work the children do during Reading and Writing Workshop.  Children are actively engaged in the text and participate in partner conversations about the book.  Read Aloud supports vocabulary enrichment and accountable talk.

Mathematics

The Everyday Mathematics Program is used throughout the day in each classroom.  Everyday Mathematics is a problem-solving approach based on everyday situations.  The instructional approach revisits concepts regularly.  The program supports Math in the students’ everyday lives.  Math Workshop is done every day and includes a daily lesson, independent work, and group activities.  The students are taught problem-solving skills and strategies that they can use in the real world and participate in partner/group games that reinforce daily lessons.

In Everyday Mathematics, children develop a broad background by learning concepts and skills in all six content strands.  The strands are listed below:

• Number and Numeration:  Counting, reading/writing numbers, investigating place value and money
• Operations and Computation:  Learning addition and subtraction facts through concrete activities, problem solving.  For grades 3-5:  multiplication/division facts, algorithms, and experimenting with calculator procedures.
• Data and Chance:  Collecting, organizing, displaying and analyzing classroom data
• Measurement and Reference Frames:  Exploring units of measurement and weight
• Geometry:  Exploring two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes with manipulatives
• Patterns, Functions, and Algebra:  Exploring attributes, number/visual patterns, sequences, relations, finding missing numbers and rules in problem

Science

All students receive science instruction. The curriculum is primarily hands-on with additional supplemental literature.  The topics are as follows:

Kindergarten	Trees through the Seasons Exploring Properties Animals
1st Grade	Animal Diversity Properties of Matter Weather and Seasons
2nd Grade	Earth Materials Forces and Motion Plant Diversity
3rd Grade	Matter Energy Simple Machines Plant and Animal Adaptations
4th Grade	Animals and Plants in Their Environments Electricity and Magnetism Properties of Water Interactions of Air, Water, and Land
5th Grade	Variables Earth Science and Landforms Food and Nutrition Exploring Ecosystems

Social Studies

All children recieve Social Studies instruction. The units for social studies change throughout the year. The following information outlines what is taught during the year:

Kindergarten	Theme: Self and Others Essential Question:  What is a school and what does it mean to be a good citizen of a school community?
Grade 1	Theme: My Family and Other Families:  Now and Long Ago Essential Question:  Why are families important and how do they influence who we are?
Grade 2	Theme: My Community and other U.S. Communities Essential Question:  How does geography influence where people choose to live and why?
Grade 3	Theme: World Communities:  Now and Long Ago Essential Question:  What are the important features of communities throughout the world?
Grade 4	Theme: Local History and Government Essential Question:  How did Native Americans influence the development of New York?
Grade 5	Theme: The United States, Canada and Latin America Essential Question:  How did geography influence the development of the Western Hemisphere?

Music

The music curriculum is centered on Music and the Brain, a program to demonstrate the link between early musical instruction and cognitive ability.  Music and the Brain, a project of the 42nd Street Fund, is a fun and rigorous music program currently in place in 90 schools.  (Most of these are New York City public schools.  Some are as far away as New Orleans, Tulsa and Paris.)  The program provides instruction in playing the piano, reading music, music appreciation, rhythm, theory and ear training.

Research has gone on in several MATB schools with exciting results that correlate studying music with higher achievement in math, reading and spelling, and acquiring English as a second language.  All of these results are in addition to spatial-temporal skills, which have been the core of many studies done around the world.  The most recent research was started in 2002-2003 and is planned to continue for the next several years.

As part of the development of music appreciation, children are exposed to different forms of music.  Selections vary, but in the past have included a comparison of Tchaikovsky’s nutcracker with Duke Ellington’s version as well as watching a DVD of Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute.

Individual and group in-class performance is always encouraged, whether on a keyboard or an instrument from home.

Physical Education

During physical education class students engage in a variety of movement-based activities to enrich their overall health.  Some of the topics included are team and individual sport skills, transfer of weight and balance, cooperative games, adventure education, chase and flee, and group problem solving. Focus is on sportsmanship and how to be a good teammate.  Each day the students complete a set of exercises which can easily be implemented at home to promote healthy living.  The 4th and 5th grade students participate in the Fitness Gram, which is a nationwide assessment of the child’s overall health.  Students also learn about health and nutrition.  They learn a muscle and bone of the month, discuss nutrition and label reading, and speak about stress management.  Students are always encouraged to stay active and healthy at home.

Extended Day

The school day is extended 4 days per week for 37.5 minutes and consists of small group instruction.  Instruction is differentiated to address the children's appropriate learning level and needs in both literacy and math.  Some programs and/or instructional practices include:  guided reading, word study and phonics and Renzulli Learning.

Guided reading focuses on reading strategy lessons, building comprehension, and fluency.
Word study and phonics focuses on word building, sight words vocabulary development.
Renzulli Learning focuses on learning through students’ interests and learning styles

Interventions

During the school day, children work in small groups on their instructional levels in an effort to build and reinforce reading and writing stamina, reading comprehension and vocabulary development.  They work individually as needed one on one with an intervention teacher.

Instructional practices and/or programs include:

• Guided reading-strategy lessons
• Voyager Passport-comprehension, vocabulary
• Great Leaps - Fluency
• Fundations K-2-Word Study
• Words Their Way-3-5
• Everyday Math Games
• Differentiated math instruction
• Social Studies small group instruction—5th grade

Arts

All children recieve arts instruction throughout the year. The arts curriculum for grades PreK-2 follows the New York City Department of Education’s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts.  The arts curriculum encompasses the five strands of Arts Learning:  Arts Learning, Literacy in the Arts, Making Connections, Community and Cultural Resources, Careers and Lifelong Learning.  Students discover art movements, explore places, and learn about the people and cultures of the world.

Children in grades 3-5 have the opportunity to work with professional artists brought to our school through an arts residency collaboration.

City Lore Residencies 2008-09:

Grade 3	Social Studies Connection: West Africa African Dance Performing Arts/ Storytelling
Grade 4	Social Studies Connection: American Revolution Performing Arts
Grade 5	Science Connection: Environment Performing Arts

Technology

Computers and technology is incorporated into daily lessons in the classroom and library. Students are exposed to laptops, SMARTboards, video conferencing and many different types of software to enrich their learning in all content areas.

Additional Initiatives to Support Student Growth

Our parent coordinator is bilingual. Her ability to speak Spanish has enabled us to provide translation for our English Language Learner parents.  She provides opportunities for families to be more actively involved by instituting workshops during school and evening hours.  These workshops address a variety of curricula topics to bridge the gap between school and home.  P.S. 78Q's Parent Handbook provides the parent community with the ability to support and reinforce at home the learning that takes place in school, as well as strengthen the school-home partnership.