• Curriculum
     
    At the core of student achievement are the curricular opportunities that are available to children. A comprehensive balanced literacy model provides for strategic reading lessons, guided and independent reading and writing opportunities, and a systematic approach to word study. Our language arts literacy program combines a variety of materials including shared texts, leveled books, and classroom libraries. Students participate in engaging activities that foster a passion and curiosity about the world through authentic literature. Students learn to increase and monitor comprehension by incorporating key strategies such as visualization, determining importance, making connections, questioning, and summarizing. Students in grades 1 and 2 use the Rigby Literacy By Design Reading Program. Students in grades 3 through 5 utilize the Making Meaning Reading Program. A highly structured and innovative vocabulary program has been included in all grade levels. The Being A Writer Program is used to engage students in experiences that embrace teacher modeling and the use of mentor texts. Students are immersed in writing on a daily basis. Concepts of Writers’ Workshop are woven through all aspects of the instructional day. An observable connection exists between literacy and the content areas of Social Studies and Science. Students explore historical, geographic, and scientific concepts by reading literature relevant to the world around them. As students develop comprehension ability, they learn to recognize features within the expository texts within each of these content areas. Art, music, and library classes also provide for a continuum of learning by incorporating elements of the four block literacy model.