Curriculum

Literacy

The classrooms here at Perritt are Balanced Literacy classrooms. The daily literacy block is divided into Phonics, Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Read Alouds and Writing times.

Phonetic Connections is a Benchmark Education Company product used during our phonics time. It uses research-based, standards-aligned literacy materials for Grades K-8+ students, including gifted, on-level, and struggling readers; students with learning disabilities; and English-language learners. Products complement core curriculums and help teachers take each learner on a different road to academic success.

Click here for information about Phonetic Connections

Phonics skills:

consonants-short vowels,
short vowels 1,
short vowels 2,
l-family blends,
r-family blends,
s-family blends,
final s-family blends,
final clusters,
3-letter clusers,
CVCe long a - a-e,
CVCe long o - o-e,
CVCe long i - i-e,
open vowels,
final -ck,
digraphs ch sh,   affricates d j dr,
th & wh,

ai & ay,
oa oe ow old,
ee & ea,
i ie igh,
y as vowel,
ar,
ur ir-er-ur,
or,
eer & ear,
air are & ear,
oo eu ew u-e
au aw augh ,
oo u ou,
ou ow,
oi & oy,
soft c & g,
silent letters

Assessment: DIBELS is used at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the year to assess early literacy skills. Children who do not make benchmarks are progressed monitored using DIBELS to ensure benchmarks are met and maintained.
Weekly Spelling Tests and Weekly Reading Tests are used throughout the year.

A Guided Reading approach to teaching reading is used. The teacher chooses material for children to read and a purpose for reading, and then guides them to use reading strategies needed for that material and that purpose. The materials are chosen based on the groups reading levels. Guidance is provided in small group of 3 to 6 children. While guided reading lessons are being taught the rest of the class is busy at literacy centers. Guided Reading is always focused on comprehension. Children learn to predict what might happen or what they might learn. They learn about the story elements of characters, setting, and plot, and they learn how to organize and compare information learned from informational text.

Grade Level Reading Benchmarks:

Children are expected to be reading on the benchmark level to be considered 'on grade level'.

End of 1st Nine Weeks	Level D
End of 2nd Nine Weeks	Level E-F
End of 3rd Nine Weeks	Level G
End of 4th Nine Weeks	Level I

Reading Curriculum Pacing Guides

1st Nine Weeks
2nd Nine Weeks
3rd Nine Weeks
4th Nine Weeks

Assessment: The DRA is used at the beginning and end of the year to determine reading level. Running Records are used throughout the year to track reading levels.

A Writer's Workshop approach to teaching writing is used. The Writer's Workshop includes a Mini-lesson, Status of the class, Writing & Conferencing, and Sharing & Author's Chair. Children write daily during the Writer's Workshop time and with the teachers guidance take their stories through the writing process.

Click here for more information about Writer's Workshop.

Skills Taught:

Content: Planning, Topic, Beginning, Middle, End, Describing

Style: Interesting Words, Word usage; contractions, compound words, homophones, words that make sounds

Sentence Formation: Complete sentences, Word order

Usage: Subject/Verb agreement

Mechanics: Capitalization, Punctuation, Spelling

Writing Curriculum Pacing Guide

Assessment: The Learning Institute - Interim Assessments

Scoring Rubrics:
Teacher's Copy
Student Copy

Module 1: Narrative/Story Starter
Module 2: Narrative/Personal
Module 3: Informational/Descriptive

Shared Reading is used to teach comprehension skills. This approach uses a whole group setting. Big Books and other literature are chosen by science, social studies, or other topics of interest.

Comprehension Skills Taught:

Accessing Prior Knowledge

Making Connections: Text to Text, Text to Self, Text to World

Questioning: Who, What, When, Where, Making Sense, Searching for Answers

Story Elements: Setting, Characters, Events, Problem, Solution

Visualization

Main Idea

Monthly Pacing Guide

Math

Everyday Mathematics is a rigorous PreK-6 curriculum used to teach math. It is scientifically research-based and proven to build students' mathematical knowledge from the basics to higher-order thinking and critical problem solving.

Click here for information about Everyday Mathematics.

Sample Games
Printable Resources

Assessment: The Learning Institute Interim Assessments and Everyday Mathematics Unit tests are used throughout the year.

Click here to find a list of all 1st grade frameworks and activities to go with each one.
ixl.com

Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Module 5
Module 6

Science

An Integrated approach to teaching science is used at Perritt Primary School. Science is incorporated in Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Read Alouds, Writer's Workshop, P.E. and Math lessons. Students will learn about the world around them both by observation and experimentation. They will be encouraged to use their five senses to observe and describe changes in living and non-living objects. They will learn concepts and vocabulary from investigations, as well as, develop the ability to ask a scientific question, plan experiments to try to answer the question and develop reasonable explanations based on their observations.

Perritt's book room has a wide variety of Guided Reading books and Big Books which are used to implement our science curriculum.

Some of the following concepts will be introduced:

Living things and their habitats: Differences among animals. Life cycles of animals. Living things need food, water, space and shelter to survive. Plants and animals live in particular habitats. Parts of a plant.
The human body: The systems that make up the body —circulatory, muscular, skeletal, nervous and digestive — and how to take care of the body.
Matter: Materials come in solid, liquid and gas forms, and matter can change states.
Measurement: Temperature and how it is measured. Use tools to measure length.
Introduction to electricity and magnetism: Methods of producing static electricity. The push and pull of magnets.
Weather: How our weather changes daily. How to be safe during severe weather.
Light and Heat: Compare Natural sources of light, Compare Natural sources of heat
Space: The relation of the Earth in the solar system. The sequence of planets in the solar system.

Assessment: Oral assessments, demonstrations and written assessments are used throughout the year.

Science Curriculum Pacing Guides

1st Grading Period
2nd Grading Period
3rd Grading Period
4th Grading Period

Social Studies

An Integrated approach to teaching Social Studies is used at Perritt Primary School. Social Studies is incorporated in Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Read Alouds, and Writer's Workshop lessons. Students will learn about themselves, the world around them, and how they fit into that world.

Perritt's book room has a wide variety of Guided Reading books and Big Books which are used to implement our Social Studies curriculum.

Some of the following concepts will be introduced:

Physical and Spatial characteristics of Geography: Places (Arkadelphia), physical features, North/South poles, United States, equator, and cardinal directions on a map. Recognize 7 major continents, four major oceans. Pictorial symbols on maps represent real objects.

Culture and Diversity

Interaction of People and the Environment: Transportation, our environment and us

Form and Roles of Government

Citizenship

History: Time, Pilgrims and American Indians, Holidays, Transportation; current and past

Economic Choices: Wants and Needs

Resources: Money; Human, Natural, and Capital Resources

Goods and Services: Producers, consumers, education

Arkansas

Assessment: Oral and written assessments are used throughout the year.

Social Studies Curriculum
Pacing Guides

1st Grading Period
2nd Grading Period
3rd Grading Period
4th Grading Period