Reading: Reading Cues, Fluency, & Comprehension

• Book Packets - Home literature connection
• Big Book - Guided Reading
• Literature Circles - Small group
• Parents as Partners
• Self Selected Reading - D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read)
• Predictable Readers

Phonics: Phonemes, Rhimes and Onsets, Rhymes, Blends, Digraphs

• McCracken Phonics - initial and ending consonant, menial vowels
• Working With Words - Word Families
• Word Wall - student dictionaries
• Inventive Spelling

• Writing
• Authentic Writing - Topic Related
• Guided Writing
• Free Writing - Journals
• Handwriting Books - letter formation, sentence dictation

• Science Lab - Related Topic
• Hands-on activities
• Introduce the Scientific Method
• Small group instruction
• Student discovery
• Journal entries

Learn Math on a concrete level with objects before moving to the abstract level on paper.

• Concept Center - Small group: graphing, classifying, patterning, number sense, addition, subtraction, fair trades, money, place value, problem solving
• Math Their Way
• Calendar
• Free Exploration

Studied within many of the topics (i.e. Animals, Native Americans, World Culture Study & the Olympics, Polar/Desert Regions, etc.)

• Flat Stanley: sending Flat Stanley to various places around the world
• Map skills: locating - continents, oceans, hemispheres, equator, etc.

• Art
• Drama - Plays
• Music - Topic-Related Songs
• Instruments - Violin and Piano

The students help to create a personal portfolio of their work for each topic studied. The portfolio includes authentic writing, field trip photographs, science lab lessons, math story problems, and more. At the end of the year, the students take home their portfolio as a treasured momento, showing examples of academic growth throughout the school year.