Stratford School Curriculum Update - May 2010

Science:  In light of district-wide concern over the elimination of the Science Specialist in the elementary schools, Administration is working to help fill this void.   The lab room at Stratford will be maintained for science use and includes lab equipment that will enable the teachers to engage the children in hands-on lab activities on a regular basis.  Administration is looking into scheduling lab time for each class, and will be working with teachers on each grade level to design labs for each grade to ensure consistency.  In addition, the afterschool science club has been an overwhelming success and administration re-evaluates the program each year in terms of enrollment and available funds.  Depending upon budget and interest, this might be expanded to allow for more hands-on activities.

Character Development – Bucket Filler Theme:

For years, Stratford has built character development into the curriculum.  This year’s “Bucket Filler” theme has been very successful and has given the schools the chance to establish a common language for everyone to talk about and address issues that may come up concerning bullying. 

When specific issues are brought to the attention of administration, the general protocol is to investigate the incident(s) and determine the best way to address it on a case-by-case basis.  When deemed necessary, parents will be contacted and the appropriate school personnel are consulted. 

It is essential for parents to keep an open dialogue with their child’s teacher and administration.  If a problem that has already been brought to the attention of a teacher/administration continues, the most important thing a parent can do is to keep the school informed.  Administration may believe that a situation has been resolved based on what they see and hear.  If that is not the case, they need to be made aware so further action can be taken.  

Class Size 2010-2011: 

Class size has yet to be finalized. 

Stratford Curriculum Meeting Summary March 22, 2010

  Stratford School Curriculum Update/ February, 2010

COGAT PRESENTATION:

Miss Hopkins gave a general overview of the assessment at the 1/26/10 PTA meeting which is now posted on the Principal’s Page on the Stratford website for all to view.

DIFFERENTIATION IN INSTRUCTION:

Differentiation occurs in many different ways at Stratford.  Teachers may use re-teach or enrichment sheets to supplement the lesson for those needing extra practice or to provide challenge work for those working at a faster pace.  They also differentiate instruction through the use of manipulatives, hands-on activities, graphic organizers, rephrasing of directions, strategic seating, etc. Teachers can differentiate in terms of process– how the material is taught – by using various instructional strategies depending on the different learning styles in a class.  Teachers can also tailor questioning strategies according to student needs. 

ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS:

A variety of formal and informal assessment tools including tests, projects and rubrics are used to gauge students’ understanding.  Furthermore, children in grades 3-5 complete monthly ELA and math benchmark assessments which are used to guide curriculum and instruction. 

GENERATING MINI-LESSONS:

The third grade works as a team with district consultant, Erica Pecorale involving their Balanced Literacy program and with Mrs. Gonzalez to generate mini-lessons for various units of study in reading to maintain consistency across the grade and ensure that essential curriculum points are being addressed.  Story maps and webs are created for the teachers to use to provide structure for lessons while still allowing for flexibility so teachers can focus their approach according to the needs of class.   The third, fourth and fifth grade teachers have begun looking at writing units of study as well.

2^ND GRADE BALANCED LITERACY:

A complete and informative overview of the program was presented at the 1/26/10 PTA meeting and will be posted on the Stratford website for those who missed it.

3^RD GRADE LITERACY:

Includes writing in content areas, reading strategies across genres, shared reading, guided reading and development of comprehension skills.  Daily literacy block is 2 periods long and follows model of 2^nd grade balanced literacy.  Guided reading groups meet with teacher approximately 3x cycle and material used in each group is based on level.  Parents can contact teacher to learn what books child is reading and to understand current goals him/her.  Typically while teacher is working with guided reading group, the remaining students are engaged in literacy-based activities such as independent reading (books chosen from leveled “browsing bins”).  Children may be asked to complete graphic organizer giving them opportunity to independently demonstrate skills/strategies previously presented in a whole group lesson.  Running records are administered periodically throughout the year. 

4TH-5TH GRADE LITERACY:

In all grades, students are taught to read for information about a text, within a text and- particularly in the higher grades- beyond the text.  Students are exposed to literacy in various ways including anthologies, content-area reading, vocabulary development, novels, magazines, etc.  Teachers may use flexible groupings in reading based on the students’ needs, skills or interest level. Thus, groups are more fluid and are formed as needed to help students reinforce particular concepts that have been presented such as map reading skills, etc. 

 A general note about curriculum:

Stratford follows the New York State Learning Standards for each grade level.  These are guidelines set forth by the state that are prescriptive as to depth of content and time period within which material should be covered.  These guidelines can be found at the NYS Department of Education website www.nysed.gov.

Quest:

 Quest is a gifted enrichment program focusing on enhancing higher level critical analysis and critical thinking. Participation in this program has required composite scores of 130 or higher on the CogAT test. In the past, the CogAT test had been given in various grade levels, however, for the past few years the test has been administered to students in grades 3 and 5.  

Science Curriculum:

The classroom teachers at Stratford are the primary science teachers although Mr. Cronin, our science specialist, works with the students every other cycle on coordinated labs.  Where appropriate, the classroom teachers do hands-on activities with the students as well.  The 3^rd grade science fair, which is a huge undertaking, truly enhances their curriculum.  In 4^th grade, there is an extra science period during the science cycle in an effort to support the work that the classroom teachers are doing and to help students prepare for the Elementary-Level Science Test in May.  FOCUS provides enhancement to the 5^th grade science program by giving students the opportunity to take field trips to explore their surrounding environment and gain a greater appreciation for Long Island.

 Spelling:

 Teachers on all grade levels use a variety of resources to teach and reinforce specific spelling principles and build word knowledge.  “Word Study”, a component of the 2nd grade Balanced Literacy Program, includes spelling principles which focus on sounds and blends.  Grades 3-5 use numerous materials to accomplish this task including spelling books to reinforce specific spelling rules, phonemic awareness, compound words, homophones, etc., as well as various spelling strategies. They also use lists of high frequency words that are often misspelled in student writing, and content area word lists to reinforce the terms learned in subjects such as social studies, science and math.