CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
This year we are continuing the use of BeyondTextbooks. The Beyond Textbooks program is designed to focus attention on the value of academic achievement, and increase accountability. BeyondTextbooks will allow us to provide re-teaching and enrichment in mathematics beyond the regularly scheduled class time for this subject; this means more academic time will be devoted to math. This will ensure mastery and growth in the essential standards measured by the A.I.M.S. test in the spring.
We are encouraged by the success of other schools in the BeyondTextbook family, and the growth in student learning they have achieved when extra time is taken in the core areas. Thank you for your cooperation during implementation of this new and exciting program!
1. What is Beyond Textbooks? (BT)
· Curriculum Calendar of Essential Standards
· Objectives are chosen because of 3 attributes: Endurance, Leverage, Readiness
· Endurance: Objective provides students with knowledge and skills that will be valued beyond a single test data
· Leverage: Objective lends itself to other core disciplines
· Readiness: Objective provides students with essential knowledge and skills that are necessary for future success in the next grade level
2. Why Calendars?
· Collaboration for teachers – planning and sharing resources
· Guarantee of Curriculum – consistency across the grade levels
· Ease of transition – students moving from one school to another will have learned the same content
· AIMS / SAT 10 Preparation – All Essential Standards are tested by the State
3. How?
· Teachers look at curriculum calendars to determine which objectives are to be taught and at what length and depth
· Curriculum calendars are linked to specific web pages (wiki) with lesson plans and instructional resources
· Formative assessments are given weekly based on the objectives taught, 5 questions per objective (4/5 or better = mastery)
4. How are the objectives taught?
· Objectives are written in student friendly terms: “I can convert within the same measurement system using both metric and U.S. customary units.”
· Students are presented with Essential Questions which are written at several levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Example: What are the units of measure for U.S.Customary system? When are they appropriate? How do I convert within a measurement system?
· Vocabulary is introduced and added to word wall
· Whole/small group instruction which includes:
o Math Review
o Conceptual Understanding
o Problem Solving
o Mastery of Math Facts
o Collaboration
· Hands on activities
· Formative assessments (Galileo Test Item Bank) – designed to measure a student’s growth past a simple level of basic understanding
5. Data Analysis
· Test Results are reviewed by the teacher weekly
· Results are reviewed by the 4th grade team and students are identified as whether they exceeded, meet, approached, or fell far below expectations
· Students who met (4/5 correct) or exceeded the standard (5/5 correct) engage in daily enrichmentactivities, as well as their normal math class
· Students who scored less than 4/5 go to daily re-teach, as well as their normal math class – re-teach then assess and adjust grade up to 80%
· Re-teach and enrichment groups are fluid and can change weekly based on formative results
· Thus we have added extra time in our master schedule for math (and reading)
6. Quarterly Benchmarks
· Assessing only those proficiencies taught during the quarter
· May be used as a final exam for the quarter
· Weighted as a Mastery Test
7. Other Assessments
· Galileo tests on non-essential standards
· Galileo tests on pre-requisite skills
· Cyclical review tests
· Quizzes
· Project Based learning projects
MY PLAN FOR THE YEAR
Reading
Our reading readiness program utilizes materials from the Houghton Mifflin reading series which is aliterature based, Theme based, whole-language approach to reading. The program teaches phonemic awareness, high frequency words, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and reading strategies such as
Language Arts and Writing
Students will be reviewing parts of the speech and sentence structure. They will understand and use proper capitalization, punctuation and endings to create fluent sentences. In addition to handwriting, students will be learning to express themselves by writing. Weekly journal practice and story building will be part of creative writing. Spelling is embedded in the Reading Houghton Mifflin themes. This will be a consistent practice weekly with spelling tests given on Friday.
Our reading readiness program utilizes materials from the Houghton Mifflin reading series which is aliterature based, Theme based, whole-language approach to reading. The program teaches phonemic awareness, high frequency words, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and reading strategies such as
- Summarizing
- Monitor/clarify
- Predict/Infer
- Phonics/decoding
- Story parts-beginning, middle, and ending sequence, along with setting, characters and plot.
Language Arts and Writing
Students will be reviewing parts of the speech and sentence structure. They will understand and use proper capitalization, punctuation and endings to create fluent sentences. In addition to handwriting, students will be learning to express themselves by writing. Weekly journal practice and story building will be part of creative writing. Spelling is embedded in the Reading Houghton Mifflin themes. This will be a consistent practice weekly with spelling tests given on Friday.
COMMON CORE CONNECTION
In connection with the year long plan, the following links provide further information regarding the material your student will learn this year, as it pertains to the Common Core and Arizona Standards.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
None at this time.