Academics
Kindergarten
Language Arts
Kindergarten students will experience the building blocks of reading and writing. They will have many opportunities to increase their understanding of the world through speaking aloud and listening to others. Kindergarten students will:
- Understand how print works (left-right; top-bottom; front-back; letters; words; spaces)
- Name upper- and lower-case letters, matching those letters with their sounds, and to print them.
- Learn to recognize, spell, and use high-frequency words that hold language together (e.g. a, the, to, of, from, I, is, are).
- Read and write simple 3-letter words.
- Retell familiar stories and talk about stories read to them.
- Ask and answer questions about key details in stories and other information read aloud.
- State an opinion about a topic or book verbally and in writing. (e.g. "My favorite book is…").
- Understand and use discussion question words ( e.g. who, what, where, when, why, how).
- Use drawing, speaking and/or writing to describe an event and feelings about the event.
- Take an active part in classroom conversations (speaking) following the rules for discussion by learning to take turns with others (listening).
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in kindergarten will:
- Understand numbers and quantities 0-20.
- Use counting skills to identify the total number of objects in a set and label sets with written numbers.
- Compare sets of objects and numbers in written form using the terms greater than, less than, and equal to.
- Add and subtract using numbers 0-10.
- Identify two and three dimensional shapes and describe shapes by telling about their parts (e.g. number of sides/points, lengths of sides) and orientation.
Science
Effective elementary science instruction engages students actively in enjoyable learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The curriculum enables students to experience the joy of doing science. In grades k-2, students will:
- Apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively and understand the nature of science.
- Gain an understanding of Earth and space through the study of earth materials, movement of the earth, moon, and weather.
- Study the forces of motion and the properties of materials.
- Study changes in organisms over time and the nature of living things.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community, and the world. As students engage in social studies, they also learn about culture, citizenship, geography, and financial literacy. Kindergarten students will:
- Identify and describe similarities and differences between individuals and families.
- Recognize their responsibilities in being a good citizen, such as appropriate behaviors in different settings.
- Use maps to identify their surroundings and physical features such as mountains and rivers.
- Recognize the difference between peoples’ needs, such as food and shelter, and their wants, such as toys and games.
- Describe different types of jobs and recognize various forms of money, such as coins and currency.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology. Students need to know how to use technology as a tool to accomplish a variety of tasks. Kindergarten students will:
- Discuss and demonstrate appropriate use of computers.
- Identify and name the basic parts of the computer such as keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
- Use electronic resources like interactive books and educational software.
- Demonstrate proper use of the computer mouse.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of creativity. Kindergarten students will gain an awareness of self, community, world, and culture. They will develop artistic skills along with performance skills and life skills through experience in the art forms of visual arts, dance, and drama. Kindergarten students will:
- Draw simple textures using line, dots and shapes and recognizing the variations of patterns.
- Identify and use colors.
- Listen to signals and respond to movement and directions.
- Move to a steady beat, changing tempo, simple rhythms and patterns.
- Use dramatic games to enhance listening, imitation, pretending and cooperation.
- Practice voice, movement, diction and expression.
- Experience improvisations, puppetry, props, and costumes.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best, and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In kindergarten, students will:
- Understand proper care of the body.
- Recognize that food is fuel for the body.
- Identify helpful and harmful substances to the body.
- Understand basic personal safety rules.
- Participate in regular physical activity that requires effort.
- Explore movement - hop, skip, twirl, dance, throw, catch, kick, strike.
- Maintain personal space and boundaries while moving.
Library Media
Providing students with information literacy and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. In the school library, emphasis is placed on reading for enjoyment as well as for information. Kindergarten students will:
- Learn where the library is in the school and be able to locate areas of the library.
- Demonstrate proper care of a book and be able to select and use library books.
- Listen to and interact with literature in a variety of formats and recognize that sometimes books are read for information.
- Discuss the meaning of media.
1st Grade
Language Arts
In first grade, students will become more independent readers and writers. They will continue to work with the building blocks of language while moving towards more complex words to increase their proficiency as readers and writers. When writing, first graders use complete sentences and increase spelling accuracy. First grade students will:
- Understand the organization of print (sentences, capitalization, punctuation, paragraphs).
- Match letters and sounds (phonics) and use word analysis skills to figure out unfamiliar words when reading and writing.
- Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
- Increase real-world knowledge by learning facts from reading.
- Write about a topic, using an opening sentence, appropriate details and closing.
- Describe people, places, things and events.
- Express ideas, feelings and opinions clearly and with complete sentences when speaking and writing.
- Increase vocabulary through the understanding and use of multiple meaning words (e.g., bat, duck), word families (look, looked, looking), word categories (colors, clothing), synonyms and near synonyms (said, stated) and real-life connections.
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in first grade will:
- Develop ways to add and subtract numbers using objects or drawings to model.
- Learn that numbers are made up of groups of tens and some ones.
- Add numbers within 100.
- Use two-dimensional and three dimensional shapes to make new shapes and describe those shapes with words.
- Measure using length.
- Tell time to the hour and half-hour.
Science
Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning science concepts. In grades K-2, students will:
- Apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively and understand the nature of science.
- Understand earth and space through the study of earth materials; the movement of the earth, moon and weather.
- Study the forces of motion and the properties of materials.
- Study changes in organisms over time and the nature of living things.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they also learn about culture, citizenship, geography, and financial literacy. First grade students will:
- Identify and describe similarities and differences between schools and neighborhoods, such as the different roles of people and different community traditions.
- Recognize their role and responsibilities in school and in the neighborhood, such as appropriate and responsible behaviors for working in a group and participating in activities.
- Use geographic tools, such as a compass, to identify directions and locate features on a map such as mountains and states.
- Explain how goods and services meet peoples’ needs and recognize how people make choices to meet their needs.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology as a tool to accomplish a variety of tasks. First grade students will:
- Discuss and demonstrate appropriate use of computers.
- Identify and name the basic components of the computer such as keyboard, monitor and mouse.
- Use electronic resources like interactive books and educational software.
- Demonstrate proper use of the mouse and proper keyboarding techniques.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. Kindergarten through third grade students will:
- Draw simple textures using line, dots and shapes while recognizing the variations of patterns.
- Understand and use colors.
- Listen to signals and respond to movement and directions.
- Move to a steady beat, changing tempo, simple rhythms and patterns.
- Use dramatic games to enhance listening, imitation, pretending and cooperation.
- Practice voice, movement, diction and expression.
- Experience improvisations, puppetry, props, and costumes.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best, and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In first grade, students will:
- Develop a sense of self and their relation to families and community.
- Understand personal hygiene, proper nutrition, benefits of exercise, personal safety, and learn to identify helpful and harmful substances to the body.
- Understand how family members support each other and how families can change over time.
- Recognize that choices have consequences which affect self, peers, and family.
- Describe behaviors that initiate and maintain friendships.
- Participate daily in short periods of physical activity that require effort.
- Perform skills like cutting, gluing, throwing, catching, and kicking.
Library Media
Providing students with information literacy and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. First grade students will:
- Learn where the library is in the school and be able to locate areas of the library (for example: easy fiction, reading areas, circulation counter, etc.).
- Demonstrate proper care of a book and be able to select and use library books.
- Be introduced to the Big Six information problem-solving processes and will use a book to read for information.
- Listen to and interact with literature in a variety of formats.
- Define and discuss the meaning of media.
2nd Grade
Language Arts
While continuing to practice matching sounds to letters that make up words, word-learning strategies will include word parts that carry the meaning for reading and writing. They will read a wide-range of grade level texts with understanding and fluency. Writing becomes a means of self-expression and way of presenting knowledge. As they write and speak, they will practice formal and informal uses of English and will learn to spell most words correctly. Second grade students will:
- Read words with long and short vowels, common vowel teams, two-syllable words, and understand the meaning of words formed when common suffixes and prefixes are added.
- Produce, expand and rearrange sentences to add interest and provide meaning to writing.
- Ask and answer questions about a text and pay close attention to details including pictures and graphics, and in stories and books to answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions.
- Identify main ideas in informational text and use text features (e.g. captions, bold print, indexes) to locate key facts or information efficiently.
- Determine the lesson or moral of stories, fables and folktales.
- Retell key information or ideas from media or books read aloud.
- Write stories that include a clear beginning, middle and end and provide a short sequence of events.
- Participate in shared research projects using a variety of books on a single topic to produce a report.
- Take part in conversations by linking his or her comments to the remarks of others and asking and answering questions to gather information or deepen their understanding of a topic.
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in second grade mathematics will:
- Solve addition and subtraction problems, including the use of models, within 1,000.
- Calculate sums and differences mentally for numbers, with only 10s or only 100s.
- Use mental strategies to add and subtract problems quickly, flexibly, accurately and appropriately within 20.
- Know, from memory, all sums of two one-digit numbers (5 + 7 = 12, 4 + 9 = 13, etc.).
- Understand the value of each digit in a four-digit number.
Science
Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning both skills and concepts. In grades K-2, students will:
- Apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively and understand the nature of science.
- Understand Earth and space through the study of earth materials, the movement of the earth, moon and weather.
- Study the forces of motion and the properties of materials.
- Study changes in organisms over time and the nature of living things.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they also learn about culture, citizenship, geography and financial literacy. Second grade students will:
- Identify and describe contributions from different cultural groups.
- Recognize civic responsibility and demonstrate good citizenship.
- Investigate how our communities, state and nation are united through various symbols, traditions and landmarks.
- Use geographic tools and skills to identify, locate, and describe places on earth, such as physical features, city, state and country.
- Explain the difference between consumers and producers and the different types of goods and services that help people to meet their needs.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology to accomplish a variety of tasks. Second grade students will:
- Learn beginning word-processing skills and demonstrate proper keyboarding techniques.
- Use electronic resources like interactive books, educational software and multimedia programs.
- Use technology to develop problem-solving skills and work cooperatively on a multimedia project with a classmate.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. Kindergarten through third grade students will:
- Draw simple textures using line, dots and shapes while recognizing the variations of patterns.
- Understand and use colors.
- Listen to signals and respond to movement and directions.
- Move to a steady beat, changing tempo, recognize simple rhythms and patterns.
- Use dramatic games to enhance listening, imitation, pretending and cooperation.
- Practice voice, movement, diction and expression.
- Experience improvisations, puppetry, props and costumes.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In second grade, students will:
- Learn healthy behaviors and develop a sense of self in relation to their families and community.
- Explain the importance of a balanced diet.
- Distinguish communicable from non-communicable disease and behaviors that can help to prevent them.
- Identify the harmful effects of tobacco on self and others.
- Understand characteristics of healthy relationships with family and friends.
- Recognize how choices and consequences affect self, peers and family.
- Participate daily in sustained physical activity that requires effort.
- Perform a variety of sport skills.
- Identify components of physical fitness and corresponding activities.
- Create and perform dance movements and sequences.
Library Media
Providing students with information-processing and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. Second grade students will:
- Appreciate and respond to children’s literature and learn about Caldecott award books.
- Be introduced to the online catalog and be able to find a book by title.
- Understand the difference between fiction and nonfiction books, learn the order of fiction books on the library shelves and be able to locate a fiction book by title and call number.
- Learn the Big Six information problem-solving process and use a nonfiction book to gather information.
- Analyze, question and think critically about media.
3rd Grade
Language Arts
Third grade is an important year for children. Students learn to read grade level texts with fluency and confidence. They will apply word-learning strategies to make sense of multi-syllable words. Those experiences will help them read increasingly difficult stories and books written to build knowledge of the world around them. With daily vocabulary learning and writing experiences, they will compose clear sentences and paragraphs on a range of topics. Third grade students will:
- Spell grade level words correctly and use resource aids like dictionaries to clarify meanings.
- Read closely to find main ideas and supporting details in a story.
- Read stories and poems aloud fluently, without pausing to figure out what each word means.
- Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and expressions like, “something’s fishy”, or “cold shoulder”.
- Compare and contrast themes, settings, and plots in stories written by the same author.
- Compare the most important points and key details presented in two books on the same topic.
- Write opinions or explanations and develop topics with facts and details.
- Write stories that establish clear sequences of events and describe actions, thoughts and feelings of characters.
- Conduct short research projects to build knowledge about various topics.
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in third grade will:
- Develop an understanding of multiplication and division within 100.
- Develop an understanding of fractions, particularly unit fractions.
- Understand rectangular arrays and area and how they connect with multiplication and division.
- Describe and analyze two-dimensional shapes.
Science
Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning both skills and concepts. In third grade, students will:
- Apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively and understand the nature of science. • Understand that the shape of Earth and the moon are spherical and that Earth rotates on its axis. • Understand that organisms depend on living and nonliving things within their environment. • Understand the relationship between the force applied to an object and resulting motion of the object. • Understand that objects near Earth are pulled toward Earth by gravity. • Understand that the sun is the main source of heat and light for things living on Earth.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they learn about civic competence in addition to various cultures, history, geography, and economics. Third grade students will:
- Analyze how geography influences the location and development of communities and cultures.
- Examine factors that shape a community, such as culture and the environment.
- Explore and apply principles of civic responsibilities, including the study of peoples’ rights and responsibilities and the role of government.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology to accomplish a variety of tasks. Third grade students will:
- Learn keyboarding and word processing skills.
- Create a simple multimedia product using technology tools.
- Use technology tools and the Internet to find information and discuss appropriateness and validity of sources.
- Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and safety on the Internet.
- Learn to keyboard using proper technique.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. Kindergarten through third grade students will:
- Draw simple textures using line, dots and shapes while recognizing the variations of patterns.
- Understand and use colors.
- Listen to signals and respond to movement and directions.
- Move to a steady beat, change tempo, recognize simple rhythms and patterns.
- Use dramatic games to enhance listening, imitation, pretend and cooperation.
- Practice voice, movement, diction and expression.
- Experience improvisations, puppetry, props and costumes.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In third grade, students will:
- Learn about substance abuse prevention, disease prevention and HIV/AIDS education.
- Understand nutrition, fitness and community health.
- Understand human development, relationships and violence prevention.
- Describe, participate in and assess personal health-related fitness.
- Demonstrate personal and social responsibility in an activity setting.
- Participate and apply rules in a variety of activities.
Library Media
Providing students with information-processing and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. Third grade students will:
- Appreciate and respond to children’s literature.
- Locate sections in the school library and learn the Dewey Decimal System.
- Use the online catalog to find a book by keyword or author and locate a fiction and nonfiction book by title and call number.
- Use the Big Six information problem-solving process, retrieve information from a table of contents and learn basic note-taking skills.
- Analyze, question and think critically about media.
4th Grade
Language Arts
To provide a foundation for college and career readiness, fourth graders need to build the stamina and skills to read challenging fiction, nonfiction and other materials over longer periods of time. They are learning more about the world through reading more complicated stories and poems from different cultures and a range of stories and books on history, science, art and music. Using correct grammar and punctuation, they write effective summaries, book reports and descriptions of characters and/or events. Fourth grade students will:
- Understand a range of grade-level stories, poems and informational texts including biographies, articles and books on history, science, and arts.
- Compare ideas, characters, events, settings and themes in stories and myths from different cultures.
- Understand how to use text features to understand the main and supporting ideas; compare and contrast information; and explain how the author uses facts, details, and evidence to support particular points.
- Use evidence presented in books and online to independently conduct and present short research projects on different aspects of a topic.
- Paraphrase and respond to information presented in discussions; compare and contrast ideas; analyze evidence used by speakers to support their points.
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in fourth grade will:
- Develop understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication.
- Understand division involving multi-digit dividends.
- Develop an understanding of fraction equivalence and operations with fractions including: addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers.
- Understand that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures and symmetry.
Science
Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning both skills and concepts. In fourth grade, students will:
- Understand that water changes state as it moves through the water cycle.
- Observe and record the elements of weather to make predictions and determine simple weather patterns.
- Understand the basic properties of rocks and the processes involved in the formation of soils.
- Understand how fossils are formed and how they can be used to make inferences.
- Understand the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests and deserts, and identify common organisms for each environment.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they learn about civic competence in addition to various cultures, history, geography and economics. Fourth grade students will learn how to:
- Analyze how the physical geography in Utah affects the people of Utah, such as the distribution of natural resources and the development of industry.
- Explore how Utah’s history has been shaped by many diverse people, events and ideas, including how Utah has changed over time.
- Investigate economic development in Utah and how it affects different people and places of Utah.
- Describe and analyze the role of government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens, including recognizing and demonstrating respect for the United States and Utah.
- Participate in civic responsibilities, such as volunteering or current issues analysis.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology to accomplish a variety of tasks. Fourth grade students will:
- Create a multimedia product and work cooperatively on a project with a group.
- Use technology tools and the Internet to find information.
- Evaluate appropriateness and validity of information resources and technology.
- Discuss basic issues related to responsible use of technology and safety on the Internet.
- Learn to keyboard using proper technique.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. In fourth grade, students will:
- Understand vanishing point and principals of location of objects.
- Make artistically pleasing decisions and discuss artwork using art vocabulary.
- Place all colors on color wheel and mix primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
- Perform a choreographed dance.
- Create an original dance.
- Use imagination, audience skills, cultural understanding, and creativity to perform a dance.
- Learn dramatic story structure, conflict, overall message, dialogue, plot and tension.
- Learn elements of dramatic performance such as recall, dynamics, volume, tempo, rhythm, tone, pitch and expressive voice.
- Use expressive movements, emotional interaction and exchange with others.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best, and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In fourth grade students will:
- Understand how to prevent substance abuse and communicable diseases including HIV/AIDS.
- Learn about personal safety and injury prevention.
- Practice good nutrition, fitness and consumer health.
- Participate in service learning.
- Participate in daily sustained individual and group physical activities.
Library Media
Providing students with information-processing and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. Fourth grade students will:
- Locate sections in the school library and use the Pioneer online library to access information.
- Use the online catalog to find a book by keyword, author or title and will use the Big Six problem-solving process to solve an information problem.
- Retrieve information from an index, use basic note-taking skills and use proper outlining techniques with an informational problem-solving project.
5th Grade
Language Arts
To build the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to be college and career ready, fifth grade students will read widely and deeply from a range of high-quality, increasingly challenging fiction and nonfiction from different cultures and time periods. They will respond analytically to grade level literary and informational sources, conduct research projects, and write multi-paragraph stories and essays. By writing and speaking daily, they will gain control over the conventions of grammar, usage, capitalization and punctuation as a means of communicating clearly and will have the opportunity to engage in rich, structured conversations on grade level topics and texts. Fifth grade students will:
- Expand, combine and reduce sentences to improve meaning, interest and writing style.
- Build knowledge of academic language.
- Identify and judge evidence that supports an author’s particular argument to change the reader’s point of view.
- Integrate information from several print and digital sources to answer questions and solve problems.
- Write opinions, offering reasons and providing facts and examples logically grouped to support the writer’s point of view.
- Write stories with developing plots that include dialogue, description, and effective pacing of the action.
- Report on a topic or present an opinion that follows a logical sequence of ideas with supporting facts and details.
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in fifth grade will:
- Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.
- Use models to represent multiplication and division of fractions and explain why the procedures for multiplying and dividing fractions make sense.
- Fluently use multi-digit numbers and decimal numbers in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division computations.
- Understand and measure volume for three-dimensional shapes.
Science
Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning both skills and concepts. In fifth grade, students will:
- Apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively and understand the nature of science.
- Understand the effects of volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering and erosion on the earth's surface.
- Observe magnetic forces between two magnets or between a magnet and materials made of iron.
- Understand features of static and current electricity.
- Understand that traits are passed from the parent organisms to their offspring, and that sometimes the offspring may possess variations of these traits that may help or hinder survival in a given environment.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they learn about civic competence in addition to various cultures, history, geography, and economics. Fifth grade students will:
- Investigate the growth and development of early American colonies.
- Understand key events leading to self-government, including the Declaration of Independence, the impact of the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States of America.
- Examine the principles of the U.S. Constitution and its impact on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens.
- Describe and evaluate significant events impacting America during the 19th century, such as westward expansion, the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution.
- Analyze and assess the causes, consequences, and implications of the Unites States as a world power, including the role of the U.S. during WWI, the great depression, WWII and issues facing the world today.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology to accomplish a variety of tasks. Fifth grade students will:
- Create a multimedia product using technology tools and work cooperatively on a project with a group.
- Evaluate appropriateness and validity of information resources and technology.
- Use the keyboard efficiently and effectively.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. The fine arts core includes visual arts, dance, and drama. Fifth grade students will:
- Create an illusion of depth by using one point perspective.
- Understand principle of shading and color theory using tints, tones, shades.
- Practice conditioning principles of balance, strength, flexibility, endurance and alignment.
- Learn to duplicate dance movement, memorize sequences, isolation of body parts and joint articulation.
- Identify motives and objectives of characters in play, films or stories.
- Use games and process drama techniques to develop emotional range, character voice, and movement.
- Identify the use of musical sound and the actor/audience relationship in live theatre.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best, and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In fifth grade, students will:
- Identify personal strengths and talents and make effective decisions based on positive self-worth.
- Recognize the consequences of substance abuse and practice responsible decision-making.
- Develop skills for building healthy interpersonal relationships.
- Understand personal hygiene and “universal precautions” and their role in preventing disease transmission.
- Understand what a person eats affects physical activity and health.
- Improve individual fitness using the five components of physical fitness.
- Develop skills in individual and team activities.
Library Media
Providing students with information-processing and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. Fifth grade students will:
- Use the online catalog independently to locate books.
- Take independent notes from both print and electronic sources.
- Outline a topic to present organized information in various forms.
- Analyze, question and think critically about media.
6th Grade
Language Arts
To be college and career ready, sixth graders focus on applying skills and strategies to read longer and more complex literary and informational texts. Sixth graders sharpen their ability to write and speak more clearly by learning how authors try to influence readers, make their points, and support their arguments with evidence and reasoning. Through reading and discussing, students expand their listening, speaking and writing vocabularies and are able to use new words in their stories, reports and essays. Sixth grade students will:
- Improve language use by recognizing variations from standard English in his or her own and others’ writing and speaking.
- Evaluate arguments in written materials or a speech by how reasons and evidence are used.
- Orally present their position and findings to others, putting ideas in sequence and pointing out main ideas and themes.
- Write stories using effective technique, relevant descriptive details and well-sequenced events.
- Write arguments that use credible sources to provide clear reasons and relevant evidence.
- Conduct short research projects, drawing on several sources to answer a question and sharpen focus.
- Review and paraphrase key ideas from a speaker.
Mathematics
Students will apply their reasoning and skills in the field of mathematics and will extend this knowledge to other aspects of their life. Students in sixth grade will:
- Connect ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and use concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems.
- Understand division of fractions.
- Write, interpret and use expressions and equations.
- Develop understanding of statistical thinking.
- Solve geometric problems involving area, volume and surface area.
Science
Science engages students in enjoyable, active learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a toad. The science curriculum allows students to experience the joy of doing science while learning both skills and concepts. In sixth grade, students will:
- Understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle.
- Understand how Earth’s tilt on its axis changes the length of daylight and creates the seasons.
- Understand the relationship and attributes of objects in the solar system.
- Understand the scale of size and distance between objects in the universe.
- Understand that microorganisms range from simple to complex, are found almost everywhere, and are both helpful and harmful.
- Understand properties and behavior of heat, light and sound.
Social Studies
Social Studies provides students an opportunity to learn about themselves, their community and the world. As students engage in social studies, they learn about civic competence in addition to various cultures, history, geography and economics. Sixth grade students will:
- Explore the development of ancient civilizations and their contributions to our society.
- Discover the impact of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance on the modern world.
- Examine the agricultural, industrial and French revolutions and the impact they have had on the modern world.
Information Technology
In a world where technology is playing an ever increasing role, it is necessary for students to learn how to access and use technology to accomplish a variety of tasks. Sixth grade students will:
- Use technology tools to access information and to create projects that show the information they have learned.
- Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness and bias of electronic information sources concerning real world problems.
- Exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology, and discuss the consequences of misuses.
- Use the keyboard efficiently and effectively.
Fine Arts
Learning the elements of art is an important part of expressing creativity. Students learn abstract thinking, expression, quality work and problem solving when engaged in the arts. The fine arts core includes visual arts, dance and drama. In sixth grade, students will:
- Draw cross contour lines that warp or flow such as topographical mapping.
- Use 2 point perspective to create the illusion of depth.
- Use geometric shapes and geometric form and block-in to get correct proportion.
- Learn elements of art including unity, balance, shading, visual texture and 3-D color schemes.
- Explore more complex dance movements.
- Study world dance.
- Use drama techniques which include mental, vocal, body and ensemble skills.
- Identify the design skill s of props, costumes, make-up, scenery, lighting and musical sound.
- Observe relationships in various art forms such as dance concerts, rock concerts, symphonies and art exhibits.
Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Education
Research shows that healthy, fit kids learn best, and that exercise has a positive impact on brain chemistry and function. In sixth grade, students will:
- Demonstrate coping behaviors related to grief, loss and stress.
- Define viruses and how they are transmitted.
- Understand the physical, legal, social and emotional consequences of substance abuse.
- Understand the changes that accompany puberty.
- Describe potential hazards, safety procedures and first aid in a variety of circumstances.
- Analyze food intake and compare Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Achieve and maintain health-enhancing levels of physical fitness by participating daily in sustained physical activity.
- Demonstrate movement and sports skills in activities and team games.
Library Media
Providing students with information-processing and problem-solving skills is an increasingly important role of the school library in today’s society. Students use the library to find reading materials for enjoyment and for information. Sixth grade students will:
- Take independent notes from both print and electronic sources and outline topics to present information in an organized manner.
- Complete an independent research project and present their information in various forms.
- Analyze, question and think critically about media.