2nd - 3rd -4th grade Curriculum Outline 2007-2008

This year we are continuing our school-wide theme of “Sense of Place” with a focus for our class on “Community.” We begin with a look at what community means, particularly in light of character values. We explore how we create and foster community, particularly in our classroom and in our school. One of the projects that we will share with the 5th/6th grade class is the continuation of the school newspaper.

Within the wider community we will conduct our own “Living History” project wherein we will contact and conduct interviews with Mountain Road School alums. In addition we will seek to interview local and long-time residents of our various communities. In conjunction with this, we will look to develop a local service-learning project. Then we will look to communities past and present that have shared this very land where our school, Mountain Road, exists—the Native Americans and Shakers.

Expanding out from our local community we will be studying United States geography. The children will be given the opportunity for in-depth study of a particular state.

Language Arts curriculum, as always, is highly individualized and student-driven. The children personalize their journals with collage, and begin the year with a booklet they create about themselves. Journal writing contains a combination of teacher-directed topics and personal choice. There is “silent sustained reading” every day (also known as “DEAR” time—“Drop Everything And Read”) during which the children select their own reading material. The Language Arts curriculum will also include direct instruction, writing stories, reports, and, poetry, grammar, discussions, shared reading, read-aloud sessions, and performance. Our focus begins with self and the values of good character, and then moves to how we create and participate in community and how community supports us. Language Arts will weave all through all of our other studies in many different contexts.

Science studies will include local environmental science, taking advantage of the surrounding land, of Darrow’s “Living Machine” and of local resources such as the Columbia Land Conservancy. Other science units will focus on the scientific method, physics of motion and simple machines, and sound and light.

The mathematics curriculum must meet the needs of a wide range of skill and ability levels. A combination of individualized work and group work will cover the standards for each grade level. A variety of manipulatives and hands-on projects will be used to spark interest and motivation and to enhance the understanding of number, place value, and various other mathematical concepts. Topics covered include: time, measurement, money, fractions, decimals, algebra, geometry, probability, and arithmetical operations. There will be a focus on problem-solving and using mathematics in the “real world.”

Physical Education/Health Education: In conjunction with our study of our local area, we will begin with hiking the Abode land. If possible we will continue this exploration into the winter with snowshoeing. We will also participate in the Presidential Fitness Program for children, focusing on the concept of a “personal best” and not on competition. A key point of the program is to ingrain the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and to foster enjoyment of physical exercise

Link to: Aimee Johnson 2nd-3rd-4th grade Teacher