· Web viewFoundational skills, including phonics, word recognition and fluency, provide the...

Elementary Curriculum Overview

Grade 4 Curriculum Overview

Learning standards in English Language Arts are organized into five strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. Each strand is one aspect of the processes of communication and is closely connected to the others.

Reading Informational TextThe Massachusetts English Language Arts Frameworks (2011) call for students to do a substantial percentage of reading of informational text. In Grades K-5, the reading of informational text is integrated into the Science, Technology, Engineering curriculum and the Social Studies curriculum in an effort to build students vocabulary and concept knowledge and their understanding of the content being studied.

Reading Foundational SkillsFoundational skills, including phonics, word recognition and fluency, provide the backbone of Newton’s comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of types and disciplines. In fourth grade, fluency and word work are woven into differentiated group instruction.

Literary Text Units of Study

Launching Readers Workshop

Overview: Students are introduced to the routines, procedures, and processes of reading workshop. In addition they define and practice academic strategies, including: analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, comparing and contrasting, predicting, explaining, inferring.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Readers grow stronger by getting lost in

books, building their reading stamina, and reading fluently.

Readers develop and sustain independent reading lives.

Writing responses to reading can help readers understand even more powerfully.

What are the habits that build reading stamina, engagement and fluency?

How do readers sustain independent reading lives?

Why and how do readers write about their reading?

English Language Arts Grade 4


Elements of Short Story

Overview: Students learn the elements of realistic fiction including character, setting, plot, and theme. The short stories included in this unit represent a variety of cultures and writing styles.Key Understandings: Essential Questions:

The setting affects the plot and mood of the story.

Writers embed their message or theme into a story.

People understand others by making inferences based on how they act, what they do and say, and what others say about them.

How does understanding the elements of realistic fiction deepen and enrich a reader’s experience of a story?

How do readers know that characters change over time?

Biography

Overview: Students read about people who have made a difference in the world. They learn common text features and characteristics of biographies and compare and contrast different biographies on the same person. In a final assessment, students write letters to a publishing company, advocating for biographies about influential people, and explaining their impact on society.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Reading biographies can help readers

understand how fellow human beings respond to life’s challenges.

Time, place and culture influence people’s lives.

People can change the course of their lives with courage and persistence.

Why do readers read biographies? Why do authors write biographies? How do the time, place and culture of a

person’s life influence him or her? How do people change and grow in

response to challenges and/or life altering events?

How do people make a difference in the world?

“What Does it Mean to Be an American?”

Overview: Students will learn about American people’s varied backgrounds, geographic regions and ethnic groups, that American values include freedom and fairness, that Americans strive to achieve better lives for themselves and their families, and that some Americans may struggle because of prejudice and discrimination.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Americans come from different

backgrounds, geographic regions and ethnic groups.

How can reading fiction enhance readers’ understanding of the American experience?


Immigrants coming to America often face challenges and obstacles.

Many Americans have been affected by prejudice.

People cherish freedom and fairness, one part of the American ideal.

In fiction, characters develop and change over time, often in response to the challenges they face.

How do challenges facing Americans, from different backgrounds, regions and groups, contribute to what it means to be an American?

How do the challenges people face in life contribute to their development?

What are the most cherished aspects of being an American?

Tales Have Deep Roots: Tall Tales Reading and Writing

Overview: Students learn the characteristics of Tall Tales, a type of folk literature told with exaggeration and humor. Tall tales follow a predictable pattern and the hero in each tale has traits and abilities that are admired by others. By reading tales from different regions, students will see that folktales are similar in their narrative structures and essential elements of the genre, while they differ in cultural details.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Tall Tales have predictable structures. Tall Tales are part of an oral tradition,

and reflect the cultures, regions, and time periods of their origins.

Humor and exaggeration make Tall Tales engaging.

Tall Tale heroes have exaggerated traits and abilities that are admired by others.

How do Tall Tales reflect the culture, regions, and time of their origins?

What reading strategies are most helpful for reading and understanding Tall Tales?

What makes a Tall Tale hero?

Poetry

Overview: In this year-long study, students closely read poems to identify poetic elements, sensory images, figurative language and grammatical structures of poems. They write responses including personal reactions, identifying the poems’ subject, and explaining poetic techniques.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Poetry is a special way of

communicating that uses imagery, figurative language, sound, and rhythm.

Poetry speaks to our minds (intelligence) and our hearts (emotions).

Poems are open to interpretation and invite a personal response.

What makes a poem a poem? How do readers read, relate and

respond to poems?


Writing Units of Study

The Arc of the Story: Writing Realistic Fiction (Narrative)

Overview: Students develop believable, complex characters, creating strong plans that show the characters growing and changing, and grounding their short stories in a sense of place (setting). After completing the first stories, students consolidate and apply their skills and strategies to a second piece, written with greater independence in a shorter time-frame.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Realistic fiction writers imagine the

kinds of characters and stories they wish existed in the world.

Short-story writers convey the emotion and tone of their stories by balancing description, action, dialogue and thoughts and feelings.

Narrative writers recount events bit-by-bit with powerful detail, leaving out unimportant parts.

How do realistic fiction writers generate ideas for their stories?

How do short-story writers make their stories powerful and meaningful to readers?

Boxes and Bullets: Personal and Persuasive Essays (Opinion)

Overview: Students begin with a brief essay structure “boot camp,” creating a class essay. They then plan, collect evidence for, and draft personal essays, adding introductions to orient and engage readers and conclusions that provide final thoughts on their topics. In the final section of the unit, students transfer these skills to writing a persuasive essay incorporating research and evidence from books, the Internet, and interviews.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Opinion writers persuade their readers

by using convincing tones, effective evidence, and powerful endings that inspire actions or responses.

Opinion writers make claims about topics and support their reasons with a variety of evidence.

Essays are organized with clear, replicable structures.

What does it mean to persuade someone?

How can we persuade others to accept our ideas?

What needs changing in the world? How can the essay format help give

shape and organization to our ideas?


Bringing History to Life (Information)

Overview: Students write informational books about the Civil Rights Movement, applying their knowledge from Social Studies. They include a variety of types of informational writing including descriptions, recounts, historical narratives, and essays. They build on their initial learning by asking research questions and reflecting on the life lessons they learn from studying historical events.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Information writers use a variety of

forms, structures and text features to teach others.

History writers develop their own ideas about historical topics, research them, and incorporate this research in their writing.

Information writers incorporate facts, details, quotes and ideas into their writing.

How do information writers research their topics to learn more and support their ideas?

How do history writers teach others about what they know?

The Literary Essay: Writing About Fiction (Opinion)

Overview: Students begin by reading literary texts closely, noting setting, word choices and metaphor. They write structured, compelling essays in which they make and support claims and analyze, incorporate, and interpret evidence. Finally, students learn to write essays comparing and contrasting the themes, topics, and authors’ approaches in two different texts, citing evidence from both in purposeful ways.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Analyzing the elements of a literary text

can help readers understand its meaning and develop important ideas for writing.

Literary essay writers create theories about characters, lessons and themes of literature and support these theories with evidence.

Literary essay writers pay attention to individual authors’ treatments of similar subjects -- point of view, emphasis, interpretation and craft moves.

How do literary elements affect the meaning of a piece of literature?

How do literary essay writers find and use textual evidence to support ideas?

How do different authors approach the same themes and characters?

Speaking and Listening

Overview: The speaking and listening standards require students to develop a range of oral communication and interpersonal skills. Students develop these skills by participating in numerous opportunities to listen to, speak about, and present ideas throughout the school day.


In Grade 4, students learn how to draw on reading to prepare for discussions, carry out assigned roles, pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow-up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion while linking to the remarks of others. Students also learn how to review the key ideas expressed, express their own ideas, paraphrase texts presented in a variety of media, and to identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points. They can present their knowledge and ideas orally in an organized and audible manner, using audio or visual displays to enhance their ideas.

Language: Conventions, Use, and Vocabulary

The Language standards include the essential rules of standard written and spoken English, and they also approach language as a craft that involves making choices about the variety of ways language can be used to communicate our ideas and understandings. The vocabulary standards focus on expanding students’ knowledge of their world by understanding words and concepts. Students learn about the layers of meaning in words and learn to use words to communicate clearly and effectively.Fourth graders in Newton Public Schools learn vocabulary throughout the reading units of study and spelling through the Newton spelling program.

Handwriting and Keyboarding

Efficient, correct, legible formation of letters develops pathways in the brain that over time build automaticity in letter recognition and production. Developing correct letter formation early on helps the writer approach writing with ease. Fluent writing allows the writer to focus on idea development and organization. Students in grade 4 will practice cursive writing using the Newton Alphabet Soup Handwriting program.Fourth graders in Newton practice keyboarding in order to develop proficiency in using computers for reading and research as well as for writing in all subject areas.


Mathematics Grade 4

Overview: Students generalize their understanding of place value to 1,000,000, understanding the

relative sizes of numbers in each place. They apply their understanding of models for multiplication and division, place value and properties of operations, as they develop, discuss, and use efficient, accurate and generalizable methods to compute products of multi-digit whole numbers and quotients with multi-digit dividends. They develop fluency with efficient procedures for multiplying whole numbers and select appropriate methods to estimate and calculate quotients.

Students develop understanding of fraction equivalence and operations with fractions. They recognize that two different fractions can be equal, and they develop methods for generating and recognizing equivalent fractions. Students extend previous understandings about fractions and the meaning of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number.

Students describe, analyze, compare, and classify two-dimensional shapes. Through building, drawing and analyzing shapes, students deepen their understanding of properties of two-dimensional objects and use them to solve problems involving symmetry.

In fourth grade, students will be working throughout the year on:

Mathematical Content Mathematical PracticesOperations and Algebraic Thinking

Using whole number computation to solve word problems, including problems with remainders

Number and Operations Adding and subtracting whole numbers

quickly and accurately Multiplying and dividing multi-digit

numbers in simple cases Understanding and applying equivalent

fractions Adding, subtracting and multiplying

fractions in simple cases, and solving related word problems

Understanding simple decimals in terms of fractions

Measurement and Data Solving word problems with measurements Representing and interpreting data

Geometry Measuring angles and finding unknown

angles in a diagram Identifying and finding lines of symmetry

Making sense of problems and persevering in solving them

Reasoning abstractly and quantitatively

Constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others

Modeling with mathematics

Using appropriate tools strategically

Attending to precision

Looking for and making use of structure

Looking for and expressing regularity and repeated reasoning


Unit 1: Northeast

Overview: Students learn about the geography, economics and culture of regions of the United States. The regions may be taught in any order.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Natural resources contribute to

the economy of the Northeast region.

The geography of the Northeast region determines where people live and how they spend their time.

People’s lives (i.e., work, quality of life, and recreation) may depend on the climate, natural resources and landforms of an area.

People rely on the resources of many regions to meet their needs.

People change the environment to meet their needs.

How does where we live affect how we live? How do the physical features of a region impact

where people settle? What impact did glaciers have on the physical

formation of the Northeast region? What are the major industries in the Northeast

and what features (human and natural resources, physical geography) of the Northeast promote those industries?

What are some of the sites and tourist attractions of the Northeast and why do people visit them?

What are some of the historic buildings, monuments and sites of Washington, D.C. and what is their relevance?

What is the impact of living in the densely populated region of the Northeast?

Unit 2: Southeast

Overview: Students learn about the geography, economics and culture of regions of the United States. The regions may be taught in any order.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Natural resources contribute to the

economy of the Southeast region. The geography of the Southeast region

determines where people live and how they spend their time.




How does where we live affect how we live?

How do the physical features and economy of a region impact where people settle?

What are the major industries in the Southeast and how do features (human and natural resources, physical geography) of the Southeast support these industries?

What makes the Everglades a unique feature of the Southeast region?

How does a deficit or a surplus of natural resources, manufactured goods, or agricultural products affect the economy of a region?

Social Studies Grade 4


Unit 3: Southwest

Overview: Students learn about the geography, economics and culture of regions of the United States. The regions may be taught in any order.Key Understandings: Essential Questions:

Natural resources contribute to the economy of the Southwest region.

The geography of the Southwest region determines where people live and how they spend their time.




Immigrant workers, who come to the border towns for employment, contribute both to the economy of American businesses and to their families’ economies.


How do the physical features of a region impact where people settle?

What impact does the climate, natural resources and landforms have on how people live and provide for their needs?

How does the environment affect the lives of people and how do people change their environment to suit their needs?

What pushes people to immigrate from their home country and what pulls them to the United States.

Unit 4: Midwest

Overview: Students learn about the geography, economics and culture of regions of the United States. The regions may be taught in any order.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Natural resources contribute to the

economy of the Midwest region. The geography of the Midwest region






How do the physical features of a region impact where people settle?

What impact did glaciers have on the physical formation of the Midwest region?

What are the major natural resources, important manufactured products and agricultural products (called “belts”) and how are they related to surpluses in the region?

What are some of the sites and tourist attractions of the Midwest and why do people visit them?


Unit 5: The West

Overview: Students learn about the geography, economics and culture of regions of the United States. The regions may be taught in any order.

Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Natural resources contribute to the

economy of the West region. The geography of the West region



People change the environment and use its resources to meet their needs.

Immigrants, who come to the West for employment, contribute both to the economy of American agriculture and to their families’ economic opportunities.


How do the water rights of a region impact where people settle and how water resources are used?

What affect did the Gold Rush have on the region?

What are the main types of tourism found in the West?

How does the environment affect the lives of people and how do people change their environment to suit their needs?

What pushes people to emigrate from their home country and what pulls them to the Western United States?

Unit 6: The Civil Rights Movement

Overview: This unit, integrated with English Language Arts, gives students an opportunity to study an important era of American history. Through literature, picture books and first person accounts students are able to understand a complex time in history and write about it as the informational text component of the Teachers College Writing program.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Today, and in history, the

perceived superiority of some groups has led to the oppression of others.

History is marked by a series of struggles between those with and those without power.

Citizens have the power to bring about change.

All citizens need to critically consider messages provided through a variety of media in order to make informed decisions.

How can we interrupt the cycle of oppression? How have people successfully organized to

make positive changes? How have individuals contributed to making

social change? How do stereotypes reinforce social norms? How do we develop our belief system and

values? How are groups of people treated differently

from one another, now and in the past?


Introduction to Grade 4 Science

Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Scientists use different kinds of

investigations and tools to develop explanations using evidence and knowledge.

Who are different scientists and how do they work?

Unit 1: Investigating Earth Materials (TERC)Overview: Students investigate earth materials, such as rock, sand, clay, water, shells, and oil that are found on the surface of our planet. They collect qualitative through observation and quantitative data using weight and volume. Students are introduced to the idea of conservation of matter through the long-term effects of weathering.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Rock, sand, clay, water, shells and

oil are earth materials. All materials have volume and

weight that can be measured and compared.

When broken into smaller pieces, material is conserved.

What can we learn about earth materials by observing them carefully?

What is soil made of? What does the relationship between equal

volumes of different materials with different weights tell us about the material?

Does breaking material into smaller pieces change the amount of the material?

Unit 2: Rocks and Minerals

Overview: Students observe and test rocks to identify properties of rocks and minerals. The processes they were formed by are used to categorize rocks.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Rocks and minerals are earth materials that

are classified by their different physical and chemical properties.

Different earth processes form rocks.

What methods can we use to classify earth materials?

What can we observe that indicates how a rock is formed?

Unit 3: Sun, Moon and Stars (FOSS)

Overview: Students become familiar with objects in our solar system. They gain a perspective on the physical relationship between objects in the solar system. Students use models and thought experiments to model planets and to study eclipses and planetary orbits. They also study stars and their celestial patterns.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Patterns of change and apparent motion

can be observed, described, and explained with models.

Earth is part of a planetary system in the

What patterns do you notice and how can you describe the changes that cause those patterns?

What is the universe, and what is Earth’s

Science and Technology Engineering Grade 4


universe. place in it?

Unit 4: Energy, Light, and Sound

Overview: Students investigate light and sound energy. Students recognize that energy has the ability to cause change and can be transferred from one form to another.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Electromagnetic waves can be detected

over a wide range of frequencies; humans can observe some, designed technologies detect others.

Energy can be transformed (e.g.; light can be transformed to heat.)

How is sound made and how can it be changed?

How does light behave? What ways can we observe energy

changes?

Unit 5: Discovering Decomposition and Earthworms

Overview: Student learn that decomposition is the process by which formerly living organisms are broken down so the materials they are made of can be reused by new organisms. Earthworms are found both in the soil and on the liter layer of the soil, aid the process of decomposition. In the classroom, students use red wiggler worms to process organic matter (snack foods) into soil components through decomposition.Key Understandings: Essential Questions: Decomposition is the process by which

organic substances are broken down in to simpler materials.

Organisms have physical characteristics that help them to survive in their environment.

Earthworms have a role in decomposition.

What happens to the materials and organism is made of when it decomposes?

How do the earthworm’s body structures enable it survive?

What is the role of earthworms in decomposition?


To succeed academically and become empathic, engaged, and ethical citizens, students need opportunities to develop social and emotional competence. NPS’s social and emotional (SEL) approach fosters resiliency, responsibility, supportive relationships, and reflection and provides opportunities for students to develop and practice important social and emotional competencies. Social and emotional competence includes the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that allow students to

Set and achieve goals Regulate and manage emotions and have self-compassion Take the perspective of another and feel empathy Establish and sustain positive and mutually satisfying relationships Make responsible decisions

Reflection and Resilience: Self-Awareness and Self-Management

Overview: Central to social and emotional competence is the ability to recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior and to have strategies for managing emotions and expressing them constructively. These self-awareness and self-management skills strengthen one’s ability to handle stress, control impulses, feel empathy for self and others, and motivate oneself to persevere in overcoming challenges to achieving goals. Related self awareness skills include being able to accurately assess one’s strengths, interests, and limitations, build on strengths and effectively connect with family, school, and community resources when needed. Self-management skills also include the ability to create hopes and goals and monitor progress toward achieving academic and personal goals.Key Understandings:

Identify and manage emotions and behavior Describe a range of emotions and the situations that might cause these emotions Identify observed emotions in self and others Describe and demonstrate ways to cope with strong emotions and express emotions

in constructive manner Tolerate failure or frustration and persevere with efforts Cease to use emotional expressions that cause upset in or conflict with others

Recognize personal qualities and external supports Describe personal skills and interests that one wants to develop Explain how family, school and community members can support school success and

achievement of goalsDemonstrate skills related to achieving personal and academic goals

Describe the steps in setting and working toward goals Recognize connection between school-wide and classroom expectations and goal

achievement Monitor progress on achieving a short-term personal goal Exhibit growth mindset and persevere in face of challenge

Social and Emotional Learning Upper Elementary Grades


Relationships: Social Awareness and Interpersonal Skills

Overview: Building and maintaining positive and rewarding relationships with others are central to success in school and life. Specific skills include the ability to recognize the thoughts, feelings and perspective of others, including those different from one’s own. In addition, establishing positive peer, family and work relationships requires skills in active listening, cooperating, communicating respectively, and constructively resolving conflict with others, and seeking and offering help when needed.Key Understandings:

Recognize the feelings and perspectives of others Identify verbal, physical, and situational cues that indicate how others may feel Describe the expressed feelings and perspectives of others Listen actively and carefully

Recognize individual and group similarities and differences Identify differences among and contributions of various social and cultural groups Demonstrate how to effectively work with those who are different from oneself

Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others Follow school and classroom rules and expectations Describe approaches for making and keeping friends Demonstrate skills for making friends Analyze ways to work effectively in groups Demonstrate ability to be an effective group member, including negotiating,

encouraging others and taking on different roles Able to speak up for oneself and demonstrate assertiveness skills Demonstrate skills for dealing with challenging social situations

Demonstrate ability to prevent, manage and resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways

Describe causes and consequences of conflicts Apply constructive approaches and problem solving models in resolving conflicts Negotiate disputes to de-escalate conflicts Admit mistakes and apologize with words and actions

Responsibility: Decision-Making and Responsible Behavior

Overview: Promoting one’s own health, avoiding risky behavior, dealing honestly and fairly with others and positively contributing to classroom, school, family, community and environment are critical aspects of citizen engagement in a democratic society. Becoming an effective citizen leader requires an ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions. This includes the ability to make decisions and solve problems on the basis of accurately defining what decisions need to be made, generating alternative solutions, anticipating the consequences of each on well-being of self and others, and evaluating and learning from one’s decision making.Key Understandings:

Consider ethical, safety and societal factors in making decisions Demonstrate the ability to respect the rights of self and others Demonstrate knowledge of how social norms affect decision making and behavior


Identify risky behavior and destructive choicesApply decision making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations

Identify and apply problem solving models to decision making Generate alternative solutions and evaluate their consequences for a range of

situations Analyze problem situations to overcome obstacles Follow through on commitments

Contribute to the well-being of one’s school and community Identify and perform roles that contribute to one’s school community Identify and perform roles that contribute to one’s community

Music Literacy

Overview: Music has a unique language of symbols and vocabulary. Students will develop their music literacy through a broad range of music making activities.Key Understandings:Music literacy includes the ability to:

Assign age-appropriate musical notation for rhythmic and melodic sounds Read and perform from standard musical notation, including:

o Whole note, half notes, quarter note, double eighth notes, quadruple sixteenth notes, quarter rest.

o An ascending melody and a descending melodyo Tonal patterns that step and skipo Measures, bar lines, double bar lines, repeat signs, note values in bar lines.

Elementary Music


Creative Expression and Movement

Overview: Music is an expressive art form that allows individuals and groups to communicate emotions, ideas, cultural identity, and religious beliefs. Music inspires physical movement and accompanies traditional and contemporary dance and creative movement.Key Understandings:Music accompanies purposeful movement:

Choreography Imitation Responding to musical elements through appropriate movement, Creating formations with a group of fellow students

Music accompanies and inspires creative movement: Expressive response to music Improvised movement

Music expresses cultural identity: Composition Folk dances Play parties game songs

Performance Etiquette

Overview: Students learn to appreciate musical performance from multiple perspectives.

Key Understandings:As audience members, students demonstrate understanding of performance etiquette by:

Listening attentively Displaying respectful audience behavior

As active listeners, students demonstrate understanding of performance etiquette by:

Creating Music

Overview: Music can be created with the human voice, with traditional instruments and with non-traditional objects. Each is an application of music literacy.Key Understandings:Students create music by playing classroom instruments, demonstrating knowledge of:

• Keeping a steady beat• Keeping a steady tempo• Performing patterns on pitched and un-pitched percussion instruments• Playing instruments with proper technique: posture, hand position

Students create music by singing, demonstrating knowledge of: Matching pitch• Healthy vocal production• Solo and ensemble singing• Rote repetition• Singing with appropriate expression


describing an emotional experience of music describing the elements of music using age-appropriate musical terminology

As performers, students demonstrate understanding of performance etiquette by: displaying appropriate presentation assessing the performance of self and others using age-appropriate musical

terminology allowing mistakes to be learning experiences

The Core Concepts of Skill Building, Art making, Envisioning and Reflecting, Connecting and Interacting remain constant throughout the students’ elementary experience. Lessons spiral and build on previous learning, cultivating development of craft and mastery of skills. The curricula are non-linear; units spiral with concepts and experiences repeating with greater variation and complexity each year.

Skill Building

Overview: Students will learn to use a variety of tools and materials and apply techniques through hands on creative exploration. Through these experiences students will discover the possibilities and limitations of different media, invent new techniques, and begin to formulate ideas about the creative potential inherent in each.Key Understandings:Artists use a variety of art tools, materials and techniques including Drawing: pencil, pen, marker, pastel, etc. Painting: tempera, watercolor, acrylic, etc. Ceramics: pinching, rolling, texturizing, attaching, glazing, etc. Collage: cutting, pasting, overlapping, contrast, composition, etc. Sculpture: wood, paper, cardboard, recycled materials, etc. Printmaking: stamping, relief printing, monoprinting, etc. Fiber Arts: weaving, sewing, felting, knitting, etc.

Art Making

Overview: Students will explore different approaches to art-making and discover how as artists they can develop and express their ideas applying the elements and principles of design through visual mediaKey Understandings:Artists use a variety of approaches to artmaking including

Observation Imagination Memory

Elementary Visual Art


Improvisation Collaboration Abstraction

Artists use the elements and principles of design to communicate and express their ideas: Elements: Line, Shape, Form, Space, Color, Texture, Pattern Principles: Rhythm, Movement, Balance, Proportion, Emphasis, Contrast, Variety,

Unity

Envisioning and Reflecting

Overview: Students will envision and reflect on their work within the context of both the classroom community and art world. Through sharing work with others, students will apply appropriate art vocabulary and discover ways to evaluate and revise their work to better express their ideasKey Understandings:

There are multiple solutions to a single visual problem. Art making is a creative process that incorporates envisioning, engaging,

reflecting, and revising that requires one to take risks and embrace uncertainty. Art is meant to be viewed and discussed.

Connecting

Overview: Students will explore how art has been made and valued throughout time and place and has brought about the visual culture in which they presently interact.Key Understandings:

Art is a universal visual language Art has been made by humans throughout time all over the world Art reflects the culture in which it is made incorporating unique systems of

symbols and artistic traditions Art is embedded in multiple disciplines Art and life are connected

Physical Education Health & WellnessBy the End of Grade 4

Interacting

Overview: Students will learn to behave as artists and as part of an artistic community showing respect for art materials, peers, and themselves.Key Understandings:Artists show respect for materials, peers, and themselves by:

Providing proper care and maintenance of art materials Organizing space and materials in relation to fellow students Demonstrating proper etiquette in galleries and museums Using purposeful art critique and criticism methods


The goal of Physical Education, Health & Wellness is to develop physically literate individuals who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity.

Demonstrates Competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.Overview: The students will work on three skill areas: locomotor movements, nonlocomotor movements and manipulatives. These skills are developed over time and spiral through the physical education curriculum. Mature patterns in each area can only be achieved through practice.Key Understandings:Locomotor Movements

Demonstrates mature patterns of locomotor skills Combines locomotor & manipulative skills Uses appropriate pacing for running a variety of distances

Nonlocomotor Combines balance and transferring weight with a partner Performs curling, twisting & stretching actions with correct application

Manipulative Throws for accuracy under and overhand using a mature pattern Catches a ball using a mature form at all levels Combines hand and foot dribbling with other skills Passes and receives with feet using a mature pattern to a partner as they’re

traveling Demonstrates mature patterns of kicking and punting Volleys a ball using two-hands Strikes an object consecutively, with a partner using a short handled

implement Combines manipulative skills and traveling for execution to a target Creates a jump rope routine

Applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies and tactics related to movement and performance.Overview: Students apply knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies and tactics related to movement and performance.Key Understandings:Movement Concepts Combines spatial concepts with locomotor & nonlocomotor movements Demonstrates movement concepts and strategies in game situations Applies basic offense & defense strategies & tactics


Recognizes the type of throw, volley or striking action needed for different games & sports situations

Demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.Overview: The students will focus on fitness knowledge and engagement in physical activityKey Understandings:Physical Activity Knowledge and Engagement

Charts and analyzes physical activity outside of PE class for fitness benefits Actively engages in all activities of PE

Fitness Knowledge Differentiates between skill-related & health-related fitness Identifies & understands the need for warm-up & cool down to various

physical activities

Assessment & Program Planning Designs a fitness plan Analyzes results of fitness assessment Analyzes the impact of food choices relative to physical activity, youth

sports & personal health

Exhibits responsible personal & social behavior that respects self & others.

Overview: The students learn to accept feedback from teachers and peers and interact positively with others.Key Understandings:Personal Responsibility Engages in physical activity with responsible interpersonal behavior Gives corrective feedback to peers Accepts, recognizes and actively involves others with both higher and lower

skill abilities and group projects

Recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.Overview: The students learn to be responsible for personal behavior in physical activity environments inside and outside of school.Key Understandings:Health Examines and compares the health benefits of participating in physical


activities

Self-Expression & Enjoyment Analyzes different physical activities for enjoyment & challenge Describes social benefits gained from participating in physical activity

Office of Teaching & Learning617- 559- 6125Mary Eich Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learningwww.newton.k12.ma.us


Curriculum Coordinators and Directors:Dana Bennett Coordinator, Elementary and Middle School Physical Education, Health and

WellnessJenny Craddock Coordinator, Elementary and Middle School Science &

Technology/Engineering Sara Hamerla Assistant Director, English Language Learning, All Levels Elleen Keane Coordinator, Instructional Technology, All LevelsAmy Kelly District Leader, Social and Emotional Learning, All LevelsRichard King Coordinator, Elementary and Middle School Fine Arts and MusicLisa LaCava Project Leader, Social and Emotional Learning, All LevelsAllison Levit Director, English Language Learning, All LevelsDeana Lew Coordinator, Elementary English Language ArtsAnne Mikulski Coordinator, Middle School Literacy Alison Mulligan Coordinator, Middle School World LanguageAlan Ripp Coordinator, Elementary and Middle School History & Social SciencesMaricel Sheets Director, Newton METCO, All LevelsJennifer Shore Coordinator, Elementary and Middle School MathematicsChris Swerling Coordinator, Library Media, All Levels

Date post:	10-Jan-2020
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· Web viewFoundational skills, including phonics, word recognition and fluency, provide the...

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