Notes

Outline

K-5 ART & MUSIC IN WESTFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

"The overall goal of the..." The overall goal of the Fine Arts Curriculum is to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills of art and music. They will learn to make informal and aesthetic judgments, create art and music, and understand the historical and cultural influences.

"The Fine Arts staff is..." The Fine Arts staff is attuned to the individual differences in students and assessments; therefore, assessments are diversified and meet the needs of students’ developmental characteristics, learning styles and knowledge/skill levels.

K-5 Fine Arts Schedule Kindergarten – 30 minutes of music once a week First through fourth grade – 30 minutes of music twice a week Fifth grade – 70 minutes of music per week, which includes both general music and a choral experience Kindergarten through fifth grade – 45 minutes of  art once a week

Instrumental Music Instrumental lessons begin in 4th grade and continue in 5th grade. Students may start an instrument in 5th grade if they have not done so in their 4th grade year. We strongly encourage students who wish to play an instrument, to begin in elementary school as there are NO beginning lessons in the Intermediate schools.

"For additional information or questions" For additional information or questions, please contact: Dr. Linda King Supervisor of  Fine Arts (908) 789-4417 lking@westfieldnjk12.com

Spanish in Westfield  Elementary Schools A Well-articulated Program

Mission Statement To provide a well-articulated program of instruction in Spanish, led by language specialists and supported by classroom teachers, which will enable students to communicate at a basic literacy level and which will foster an understanding of the interrelationship between language and culture.

Impact of Standards 7.1 & 7.2 Cumulative Indicators at 5th Grade Level Respond to and initiate simple statements and commands such as greetings, introductions, and leave-taking. Express attitudes, reactions, and courtesy using short phrases and simple sentences. Express likes, dislikes, and preferences. Describe people, places, things, and events using short phrases and simple sentences. Provide and obtain information on familiar topics. Express basic personal needs. Identify some common and distinct features, such as parts of speech and vocabulary, among languages.

"Demonstrate an awareness of culture" Demonstrate an awareness of culture. Demonstrate knowledge of the cultures of  speakers of the language studied. Recognize interrelationships between the language and the culture of a given group of people. Recognize and explore the process of stereotyping.

World Languages Curriculum Transition

Slide 12

"For additional information or questions" For additional information or questions, please contact: Robert Roth World Language Supervisor (908) 789-4465 rroth@westfieldnjk12.com

THE NATURE OF SCIENCE: THE FUNDAMENTAL GOAL INQUIRY HANDS-ON LEARNING UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD SUSTAINING CURIOSITY BUILDING CONNECTIONS

AN EIGHT-YEAR PROJECT ALTERNATING YEARS OF PILOTING MATERIALS IMPLEMENTING ADOPTED CURRICULAR UNITS

STUDENTS LEARN TO: Develop observation and exploration skills Make predictions based on observations and experiences Develop and sustain curiosity about the natural world Use scientific inquiry skills Express scientific ideas effectively in writing Work effectively in experimental activities

PHYSICAL SCIENCE (2000) K BALLS AND RAMPS 1 SOLIDS AND LIQUIDS 2 CHANGES 3 MAGNETISM AND ELECTRICITY 4 MOTION AND DESIGN 5 MIXTURES AND SOLUTIONS

EARTH SCIENCE (2002) K SUNSHINE AND SHADOWS 1 AIR AND WEATHER 2 PEBBLES, SAND, AND SILT 3 ROCKS AND MINERALS 4 WATER 5 THE EARTH

LIFE SCIENCE (2004) K TBD  (PILOTING CONTINUES) 1 INSECTS 2 NEW PLANTS 3 HUMAN BODY 4 STRUCTURES OF LIFE 5 ECO SYSTEMS

GRADE LEVEL THEMES did not use in 04 K OBSERVATIONS 1 CHANGES 2 CONNECTIONS 3 INTERACTIONS 4 APPLICATIONS 5 ELABORATIONS

THEMES FOR HELPING YOUR CHILD IN SCIENCE OBSERVING and MEASURING IDENTIFYING PROPERTIES SEEKING EVIDENCE FINDING PATTERNS AND CYCLES FINDING CAUSE AND EFFECT DESIGNING AND DOING CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS

"For additional information or questions" For additional information or questions, please contact: Dr. Janie Edmonds Assistant Superintendent (908) 789-4415 jedmonds@westfieldnjk12.com

SOCIAL STUDIES IN WESTFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

"The goal of the social..." The goal of the social studies program in the Westfield elementary schools is to begin to prepare students for their future role as intelligent, informed, reflective, responsible and active citizens in our democratic society.

"This goal includes preparing students..." This goal includes preparing students to become independent, informed thinkers who are able to identify, understand, and then cooperatively solve the problems that face our increasingly diverse nation and interdependent world.

"Elementary teachers use a variety..." Elementary teachers use a variety of resources to teach the social studies curriculum. These include: Teacher-created materials Computer software Internet resources Classroom reference resources Literature related to social studies themes Other supplementary classroom resources that support student-centered activities.

"The current elementary social studies..." The current elementary social studies curriculum, implemented in 2003-2004, is fully articulated with the social studies curricula at the intermediate and high school levels and includes the following components at each grade level:

"Grade Level Content Theme" Grade Level Content Theme Ongoing infusion of experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity. Ongoing infusion of citizenship skills. Ongoing infusion of geography skills. Ongoing infusion of current events.

GRADE LEVEL CONTENT THEMES KINDERGARTEN My Family and Me My School and Community FIRST GRADE Family School Community SECOND GRADE Communities Communities of Long Ago

GRADE LEVEL CONTENT THEMES THIRD GRADE Our Local Community (Westfield) Early American Culture FOURTH GRADE Exploring the Five Major Regions of the United States Discovering New Jersey FIFTH GRADE United States History – Period of Exploration and Discovery through the Formation of the United States Constitution

"For additional information or questions" For additional information or questions, please contact: Dr. Maria Schmidt Supervisor of Social Studies K – 12 (908) 789-4546 mschmidt@westfieldnjk12.com

LANGUAGE ARTS IN WESTFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

SPELLING The Rebecca Sitton spelling program is Nationally acclaimed and well-reviewed Based on the 1200 most frequently written words in the English language Begins in Grade One and completes at the end of Grade Eight Provides opportunities for parent involvement in every unit

K-5 LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM The language arts curriculum seeks to empower students as life-long learners with an appreciation of and respect for the rich diversity of human voices and experiences.  Students read from a wide range of texts to build an understanding of themselves, of the cultures of this country and of the world.

K-5 OBJECTIVES Concepts About Print Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Decoding and Word Recognition Fluency Reading Strategies (Before, During and After Reading) Vocabulary and Concept Development Comprehension Skills and Response to Text Inquiry and Research

"For additional information or questions" For additional information or questions, please contact: Barbara Ball Language Arts Supervisor (908) 789-4464 bball@westfieldnjk12.com

"MATHEMATICS IN" MATHEMATICS IN WESTFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

"Our goal is for every..." Our goal is for every child to develop a solid foundation in mathematics. We believe that all students can learn significant mathematics and all students should participate in a math program that allows them to experience a full range of mathematical content.

Everyday Mathematics Content Strands NUMERATION OPERATIONS & COMPUTATION PATTERNS, FUNCTIONS & ALGEBRA GEOMETRY MEASUREMENT DATA & CHANCE

FOCUS IN GRADES K-2 NUMBER (relationships, operations, place value) GEOMETRY (spatial relationships, attributes of shapes)

FOCUS IN GRADES 3-5 MULTIPLICATIVE REASONING (focusing on situations in which multiplication & division are appropriate) EQUIVALENCE (ability to recognize, create & use equivalent representations of numbers)

FOCUS THROUGHOUT GRADES K - 5 DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUENCY – Efficient & accurate methods – with whole numbers, based on strong conceptual understanding MASTERY OF BASIC NUMBER FACTS

"BEGINNING" BEGINNING Student demonstrates little understanding of the concept or skill, and is not expected to complete the task independently. DEVELOPING Student demonstrates some understanding, but needs reminders or suggestions to complete the task without errors. SECURE The student is able to apply the concept or skill correctly without any help.

EVERYDAY MATHEMATICS Program Components STUDENT JOURNALS Partner & small group activities Independent practice GAMES HOME LINKS / STUDY LINKS FAMILY LETTERS STUDENT REFERENCE BOOKS

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Attend an Everyday Mathematics Parent Workshop ~ details will be sent home with your children.

"For additional information or questions" For additional information or questions, please contact: Dr. Regina Kiczek Mathematics Supervisor (908) 789-4487 rkiczek@westfieldnjk12.com