- Concepts of print
- Rhyming
- Beginning and ending sounds
- Reading comprehension/retelling
- Developmental reading levels 1-4
- Pencil grip
- Independent writing using inventive spelling and sentence structure
- About RDS
- Admissions
- Learning
- Community
- Giving
Curriculum
- Community
- Activists
- Basic needs of people
- Citizenship
- Ecology and conservation
• Patterns and sorting
• Number sense to 30, including addition and subtraction
• Graphing
• Time and calendar
• Measurement
• Skip counting/odd and even
- Life cycles
- Trees and seeds
- 5 Vertebrates
- 5 Senses
Kindergarten art students are exposed to a variety of media, including drawing, painting, stitching, ceramics, papercraft, and recycled material art. Some projects are directly tied into classroom study topics. There is a focus on small motor skill practice, lots of cutting, folding, tearing, use of glue, and other supplies. This gives students a base from which to grow artistically. In Kindergarten art, process takes front seat to the outcome. But the outcome is beautiful!
The K-4 music program introduces students to the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, tempo, timbre, dynamics, form, and style. These elements are explored through a variety of learning experiences including singing, instruments, dancing, games, and listening exercises. Each year, we explore the same musical elements, but with increasing depth, to lay a foundation for understanding greater musical concepts and skills.
- Theory: steady beat, reading basic rhythms, dynamics
- Singing: pitch matching, call and response, singing games, songs in unison Instruments: pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments
- Performances: Generations Day, Winter Concert, and other school events
- Students participate in P.E. twice a week for 30 minutes.
- Students travel safely in "general space" using various locomotor movements.
- Students move in various ways while maintaining "personal space."
- Students manipulate various objects using their arms and legs.
- Students recognize three signs of personal fitness.
- Students demonstrate the relationship of over, under, behind, next to, through, up, down, forward, backward, left, and right with their bodies and an object.
- Students understand that the body is composed of bones, muscles, organs, tissue, and fat.
- Students understand how what you eat affects how you look and feel.
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) as an instructional strategy.
- Develop listening comprehension skills.
- New vocabulary words are given a physical cue or movement.
- Mini-stories are acted by puppets, students at their seats (simultaneously), in partners, or by student volunteers in front of the class.
- Games and other activities are also used to reinforce vocabulary.
Use a mouse.
Use different drawing tools.
2-3 step directions.
Patience
Perseverance
Second application
Compare, Contrast tools
Drop down menus.
Nomenclature for desktop.
Exploration, individual discovery
Additional applications.
Using Help resources on board or from a neighbor.
Multiple, complex procedural steps
Initial Internet introduction
Fall Term
• Phonemic awareness
• Short vowels
• Consonant diagraphs
• Predicting
• Sequence of events
• Compare and contrast
• Cause and effect
• Who, what, why, when, and where
• Capitalization
• Nouns
• Punctuation
Winter Term
• Double consonants
• Word families
• Consonant blends
• Suffixes
• Story mapping
• Questioning and evaluating
• Noting details
• Introduction of spelling tests
• Verbs
• Adjectives
Spring Term
• Long vowels
• Word families
• R-controlled pattern
• Pronouns
• Editing
• Families
• North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Antarctica
• Cultural holidays
• Oratorical festival
Fall Term
- Number concepts
- Operations
- Graphing
- Addition and subtraction facts through ten
Winter Term
- Geometry
- Fractions
- Numbers through 100
Spring Term
- Patterns and Comparisons
- Time and money
- Weather
- Solids, Liquids and Gases
- Insects
- Dinosaurs
First grade art students build on studio skills they learned in Kindergarten. They continue to do projects that emphasize small motor competence. They move through many mediums that include: drawing, painting, weaving, stitching, ceramics, papercraft, and recycled material art. Some projects are directly tied into classroom study topics. Students learn about artists and styles of art as well as art from places and cultures around the world.
The K-4 music program introduces students to the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, tempo, timbre, dynamics, form, and style. These elements are explored through a variety of learning experiences including singing, instruments, dancing, games, and listening exercises. Each year, we explore the same musical elements, but with increasing depth, to lay a foundation for understanding greater musical concepts and skills.
- Theory: steady beat, reading basic rhythms, dynamics
- Singing: pitch matching, call and response, singing games, songs in unison
- Instruments: pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments
- Listening exercises
- Performances: Generations Day, Winter Concert, and other school events
- Students participate in P.E. twice a week for 30 minutes.
- Students travel safely in "general space" using various locomotor movements while changing directions and observing boundaries.
- Students move in various ways maintaining "personal space,” including on high, medium, and low levels.
- Students manipulate various objects safely using their arms and legs while playing games.
- Students demonstrate two-handed overhead, overhand, and underhand throwing patterns.
- Students can identify and list components of bones, muscles, and organs.
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) as an instructional strategy.
- Develop listening comprehension skills.
- New vocabulary words are given a physical cue or movement.
- Verbs are presented in the third person present tense.
- Mini-stories are acted by students at their seats (simultaneously), in partners, or by student volunteers in front of the class.
- Students are led to answer yes/no questions about each mini-story.
- Games and other activities are also used to reinforce vocabulary.
Compare, contrast tools in several applications
Basic file navigation.
Introduce Internet.
Using Multiple applications at the same time.
Finding information online.
Object versus embedded tools
Opening files locally and from the network
Additional applications
Switching between applications
Gathering information and images from the internet.
Desktop navigation
Following more complex written directions.
- Grammar
- Paragraph structure
- Spelling patterns
- Reading strategies
- Editing process
- Handwriting
- Poetry
- Fruitvale community / family
- Map skills
- Measurement
- Number Sense
- Probability and Statistics
- Geometry
- Problem-Solving
- Algebra
- Multiplication
- Bats
- Ocean habitat
- Scientific process
- Rocks and minerals
Second grade art students build on studio skills they learned in Kindergarten and first grade. As their experience grows, so do their skills and understanding of tools and art materials. They begin to make more individual choices about how they want their work to look. They work in many mediums that include: drawing, painting, printmaking, weaving, ceramics, papercraft, and recycled material art. Some projects are directly tied into classroom study topics. Students go into greater depth when learning about artists and the cultures that influence their work.
The K-4 music program introduces students to the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, tempo, timbre, dynamics, form, and style. These elements are explored through a variety of learning experiences including singing, instruments, dancing, games, and listening exercises. Each year, we explore the same musical elements, but with increasing depth, to lay a foundation for understanding greater musical concepts and skills.
- Theory: steady beat, reading and writing basic rhythms, dynamics
- Singing: pitch matching, call and response, singing games, songs in unison
- Instruments: pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments
- Listening exercises
- Performances: Generations Day, Winter Concert, and other school events
- Students participate in P.E. twice a week for 30 minutes.
- Students travel safely in "general space" using various locomotor movements while changing directions.
- Students move in various ways maintaining "personal space," including on high, medium, and low levels.
- Students manipulate various objects safely using their arms and legs while playing various games, including dribbling, kicking balls into a goal, and striking balls with "floor ball" sticks.
- Students recognize three changes in their bodies reflecting personal fitness.
- Students distinguish the differences in density in weight between bones, muscles, and organs.
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) as an instructional strategy.
- Develop listening comprehension and verbal skills.
- New vocabulary words are given a physical cue or movement.
- Verbs are presented in the third person present tense.
- Mini-stories are acted by students at their seats (simultaneously), in partners, or by student volunteers in front of the class.
- Students are led to answer questions about each mini-story in full sentences.
- Games and other activities are also used to reinforce vocabulary.
Hierarchical navigation; paths, local, network, folders, files
Using Internet for information and images.
Switching between applications
Create new projects.
Basic Internet navigation: links, back, home, scroll
Desktop navigation
Internet skills: multiple sites, bookmarks, intro simple search engine.
Switching between applications
Placing information and image from the internet into projects.
Discuss how they individually learn best using the computer.
• Paragraph and friendly letter structure
• 3 and 5 paragraph essays
• Comprehension strategies
• Word study/spelling
• Cursive
• Grammar and decoding
• Landforms
• Overview of Oakland history
• United States region tour
• Angel Island history
• Place value through 10,000
• Multi-digit addition and subtraction
• Multiplication and division
• Measurement
• Probability
• Geometry
• Fractions
• Problem solving with money and time
• Simple machines
• Sun, moon, and stars
• Scientific method
Third grade art students build on studio skills they learned in earlier grades. They are doing more complex projects and having much more control of what they are trying to say in their artwork. They work in many mediums that include: drawing, painting, printmaking, weaving, ceramics, papercraft, and recycled material art. Some projects are directly tied into classroom study topics. Students go into greater depth when learning about artists and the cultures that influence their work.
The K-4 music program introduces students to the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, tempo, timbre, dynamics, form, and style. These elements are explored through a variety of learning experiences including singing, instruments, dancing, games, and listening exercises. Each year, we explore the same musical elements, but with increasing depth, to lay a foundation for understanding greater musical concepts and skills.
- Theory: reading, playing and notating rhythms, reading treble clef, dynamics, articulation and expression markings, identifying musical symbols
- Singing: rounds, singing in unison and in two-part harmony
- Instruments: recorder, various percussion instruments, handbells
- Listening exercises
- Performances: Generations Day, Winter Concert, and other school events
- Students participate in P.E. twice a week for 30 minutes.
- Students travel safely in "general space" using various locomotor movements while changing directions using higher rates of speed.
- Students chase, flee, and move away from others in a changing environment.
- Students work in pairs or small groups to achieve an agreed-upon goal.
- Students acknowledge feelings resulting from challenges, success, and failure resulting from physical activity and competition.
- Students manipulate various objects safely using their arms and legs while playing various games, including overhand throws with accuracy, kicking balls into a goal, and striking balls with "floor ball" sticks.
- Students recognize three changes in their bodies reflecting personal fitness.
- Students understand that physical activity over long periods increases the body’s ability to burn fat.
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) as an instructional strategy.
- Follow curriculum from "Cuentame"
- Develop listening comprehension and verbal skills.
- New vocabulary words are given a physical cue or movement.
- Verbs are presented in the third person present tense.
- Mini-stories are acted by students at their seats (simultaneously), in partners, or by student volunteers in front of the class.
- Students are led to verbally answer questions about each mini-story in full sentences.
- Students read stories and respond to written questions about those stories.
- Games and other activities are also used to reinforce vocabulary.
"field trip" to server
Initial log on skills
Initial saving files to networked locations.
Open new and saved files.
Navigation to find/open files, images, resources.
Intro spreadsheet.
New applications: graphic organizer
Windows management.
Intro more self-directed projects
Internet navigation within complex sites
Internet: Intro collaborative, keyword searching, bookmarked sites, navigation links
New application: Drawing
- Vocabulary and Spelling: prefixes, suffixes and roots
- Compare and Contrast: analyzing Stone Soup story versions
- Narratives: 3-paragraph
- Book Reports: book jacket, advertisement, postcard
- Greek Mythology: reading, classifying and creating our own myths
- Research Project: I'm the Teacher
- Response to Literature: creating and supporting a thesis statement with evidence from the book
- Literature Circles: group discussions utilizing reading strategies
- Poetry: I am, shape, biography, haiku, free verse, acrostic
- Reading Strategies: explicitly taught through read-alouds
- California Geography: CA relief maps
- Native Americans: CA tribe books
- California Explorers: Explorer profiles and letters
- Missions: Mission scrapbook or poster and presentation; building mission model optional
- Ranchos: Understanding transition from end of mission period to the gold rush
- Gold Rush: Interactive simulation, living history museum
- Number sense through 1,000,000
- Decimals: addition and subtraction, understanding through thousandths place
- Multiplication: multi-digit numbers
- Division: multi-digit numbers
- Algebra and Functions: variables, expressions, equations, order of operations
- Fractions: addition, subtraction, equivalence and simplifying
- Geometry: area, perimeter, circles, lines, three-dimensional figures, angles, etc.
- Word Problems: strategies, key words, multi-step
- Statistics and Probability: graphing, organizing data
- Environment: Wetland habitats, watershed, Lake Merritt, tide pools
- Rock cycle: Rocks - igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary; minerals
- Electricity: Circuits, science fair inventions
- Health: Nutrition and puberty
Fourth grade art students build on studio skills they learned in earlier grades. They are doing more complex projects and having much more control of what they are trying to say in their artwork. Art theory is introduced in color study. They work in many mediums that include: drawing, painting, printmaking, weaving, ceramics, papercraft, and recycled material art. Some projects are directly tied into classroom study topics. Students go into greater depth when learning about artists and the cultures that influence their work. Students are taking a more active role in making decisions about the art they are creating.
The K-4 music program introduces students to the basic elements of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, tempo, timbre, dynamics, form, and style. These elements are explored through a variety of learning experiences including singing, instruments, dancing, games, and listening exercises. Each year, we explore the same musical elements, but with increasing depth, to lay a foundation for understanding greater musical concepts and skills.
- Theory: reading, playing and notating rhythms, reading treble clef, dynamics, articulation and expression markings, identifying musical symbols, ear training
- Singing: rounds, singing in unison and two-part harmony
- Instruments: recorders, various percussion instruments, handbells
- Music history and appreciation
- Listening exercises
- Performances: Generations Day, Winter Concert, and other school events
- Students participate in P.E. twice a week for 45 minutes.
- Students apply safe travel methods in various games.
- Students manipulate various objects with their arms or legs, dribbling or throwing with accuracy, and passing to each other.
- Students participate in competitive games and activities.
- Students work to allow feelings resulting from challenges, successes, and failures not to inhibit good sportsmanship practices.
- Students observe changes in their aerobic capacity and muscular strength.
- Students are able to identify at least two characteristics of physical activity that build aerobic capacity.
- Students are able to explain the relationship between regular, sustained physical activity and the body’s ability to consume calories and burn fat.
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) as an instructional strategy.
- Follow curriculum from "Cuentame Más"
- Develop listening comprehension and verbal skills.
- New vocabulary words are given a physical cue or movement.
- Verbs are presented in the present tense.
- Mini-stories are acted by students at their seats (simultaneously), in partners, or by student volunteers in front of the class.
- Students are led to verbally answer questions about each mini-story in full sentences.
- Students read stories and respond to written questions about those stories.
- Games and other activities are also used to reinforce vocabulary.
Type to Learn
Formatting skills
Internet: URL, domain name, navigating complex sites, intro boolean logic
Photo manipulation
- Selecting “Just Right” books
- Letters and business letters
- Journal writing
- Proofreading, self-editing, and peer editing
- “Wrapping” dialogue with descriptive text
- Class novels
- Comprehension strategies
- Vocabulary analysis
- Roots, prefixes, suffixes
- Essay writing
- Narrative, expository writing
- US His/Herstory timelines
- Heroes/Sheroes
- US government
- Constitution and Bill of Rights
- 50 states and capitals
- Indigenous People’s Day /Columbus Day
- Trail of Tears
- Dia de Los Muertos
- Diverse family structures
- Women's suffrage
- World War I
- The Depression
- World War II: the Holocaust, the atomic bomb, Japanese internment camps
- African American history – slavery, emancipation, and the Civil Rights movement
- Current and historical immigration
- Microscopes and cells
- Levels of organization in the human body
- Overview of the 11 human organ systems
- In-depth study of the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, and respiratory systems
- Health and nutrition
- Puberty and the human reproductive system
- Human Body Science Fair
• Advanced multiplication and long division
• Fractions, decimals, and percents
• Exponents
• Length, area, perimeter, and volume
• Angles and their measurement
• Parts of a circle
• Tables, graphs, and charts
• Simple algebraic formulas
• Integers and coordinate graphing
Fifth grade art students build on studio skills they learned in earlier grades. They are doing complex projects that require them to draw from past projects apply those skills to a new work. They work in many mediums that include: drawing, painting, printmaking, weaving, ceramics, stone carving, papercraft, and recycled material art. Some projects are directly tied into classroom study topics. Students go into greater depth when learning about artists and the cultures that influence their work. Students are now taking on more responsibility in the art studio; in decision making and care of tools and supplies.
- Students participate in P.E. three times a week for 45 minutes.
- Students apply safe travel methods in various games.
- Students manipulate various objects with their arms or legs, dribbling or throwing with accuracy, and passing to each other with defenders.
- Students observe changes in their aerobic capacity and muscular strength.
- Students work to allow feelings resulting from challenges, successes, and failures not to inhibit good sportsmanship practices.
- Students contribute and listen to ideas of their peers in cooperative problem- solving activities.
- Students practice acting in a positive, safe, and healthy manner when confronted by negative peer pressure during physical activity.
- Students understand why carbohydrates and protein are preferred fuel for endurance and high intensity physical activity.
Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) as an instructional strategy.
- Follow curriculum from "Cuentame Más"
- Develop listening comprehension and verbal skills.
- New vocabulary words are given a physical cue or movement.
- Verbs are presented in the present tense.
- Mini-stories are acted by students at their seats (simultaneously), in partners, or by student volunteers in front of the class.
- Students are led to verbally answer questions about each mini-story in full sentences.
- Students read stories and respond to written questions about those stories.
- Games and other activities are also used to reinforce vocabulary.
- Read a short chapter book in Spanish.
Multiple applications
Self-directed complex projects.
Finding tech answers independently using printed, online, and peer resources.
Identify personal learning tools, what works best, what is a challenge.
Type to Learn
Desktop publishing
Type to Learn
Spreadsheets
Internet; domain names, keyword, boolean logic, search engines
Multimedia applications
Type to Learn
Graphic organizer
Internet: open search, evaluate websites
Identify personal learning tools using a computer
Fall
- Introduction to listening (objective/subjective observations)
- Singing: Learning, rehearsing songs for Winter Concert
- Introduction to Body Music
Winter
- Singing: rehearsing songs for Winter Concert
- Rhythm: whole, half, quarter, eighth notes (reading and dictation)
- Body Music
Spring
- Singing: rehearsing for Art and Music Night
- Major and minor scale relationships
- Melodic/rhythmic dictation
• Introduction to Puberty and Anatomy: Students will begin to understand physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty. • Introduction to Sexuality and Gender. • Responsible Decision Making, Communication and Negotiation for Healthy Behaviors.
Fall
- intro into art room
- integrate with 6th grade humanities
- drawing: human heads
- 1 point perspective
- design: optical illusions
Winter
- drawing: light and shadow
- still life
- metal etching
- block printing
Spring
- stippling
- art history
- painting
- crafts
Fall
- History of Mathematics
- Number Theory
- Place Value, Decimals & Powers of 10
- Estimation
- Problem Solving with Multiplication & Division
- Algebra, expressions, equations, patterns & functions
- Problem Solving using Algebra
- Creating Sustainable Cultures
- Earth's History
- The Grand Canyon
- Sand & Soil
- Weather & Erosion
Winter
- Pascal's Triangle
- Order of Operations
- Prime Factorization, Greatest Common Factor & Least Common Multiple
- Understanding and Utilizing Fractions
- Comparing and Ordering Fractions and Decimals
- Relate Decimals and Percents
- Multiply and Divide Decimals
- Problem Solving using Fractions
- What's Inside our Earth
- Plate Tectonics
- Earthquakes
- Volcanoes
- Rocks & Minerals
Spring
- Customary Units of Measure
- Metric Units of Measure
- Relate Customary and Metric Units of Measure
- Perimeter and Area
- Graph Data
- Integers & Algebra
- Geometry
- Ratios, Percents and Probability
- Climate & Weather
- Atmosphere
- Human Impact on the Environment
- Research Paper & Science Expo
- Outer Space
Fall
- Introduction of basic grammar and vocabulary integral to surviving in a Spanish immersion classroom-including information to follow basic classroom instructions provided in Spanish
- Introduction of Spanish phonetics and basic pronunciation patterns-looking specifically at written and phonetic alphabets in Spanish
- Theme focus on definition of school community in both English and Spanish speaking worlds
- Descriptive words, adjective and noun use and construction in Spanish. Use of def. and ind. articles and their role and function as realted to genders of nouns
- Sugar skull project in honor of Day of The Dead as well as background reading in the holiday
Winter
- Continuation of present tense grammar and introduction of present tense grammar constructs including first, second and third regular present tense conjugations both plural and singular forms of verbs.
- Elemental reading and writing projects using newly acquired grammar with continued focus on school as community
- Vocabulary related to shopping for clothing and school supplies
- Numbers from 1-1000 and dates, years months and seasons vocabulary.
- Text reading related to school community comparing and contrasting Hispanic world and English speaking world.
Spring
- Continued practice of present tense verb conjugations as well as a basic introduction of irregular grammar constructs ('tener' , possesive adjectives) as they apply to final culmination project.
- Vocabulary related to food, family and home life and household as well as familial relationships
- Basic introduction to the ordinal numbers
- Culminating project on 'family as community' Family tree project and presentation.
Fall
- Introduction to theatre
- Terms, stage directions, brief history, types of theatre
- Exploring ways to use the body and voice
- Scene work - how to use a script
- Ambiguous Scenes
- Introduction to improvisation
- Games teaching Teamwork, Listening, Trust, Risk, Humor
- Introduction to Shakespeare
- How to read The Bard, Insults, Modern pop-culture impact, Sonnets
- Short scenes from Shakespeare
- Rehearsal and Presentation of final scenes
- Using plays from various local and nationally known playwrights
Fall
- Creation Myths and Ancient Flood Stories
- Vocabulary and Grammar
- Note taking - main ideas
- Creative Writing
- Public Speaking - Impromptu speeches
- cultural universals museum - research and presentation - integrative unit
- how to read a text book and 2-column note taking
- study skills
- Ancient Mesopotamia
Winter
- Essay Writing - paragraphs
- Journalism/News reporting writing
- Internet research
- Public Speaking - demonstration speeches
- Ancient Civilizations novels
- Vocabulary and Grammar
- Ancient Egypt - video project/research project
- Ancient China and India
- Introduction to Hinduism and Buddhism
- 3-column note taking
Spring
- Short Stories from the Ancient Hebrews
- Circle Justice Literature
- Ancient Greek Mythology
- Report Writing and Research skills
- Vocabulary and Grammar
- Ancient Hebrews - reports
- Ancient Greeks - god/goddess presentations and Greek Olympics
- five paragraph essay and report writing
- study skills
Fall
- Singing: Learning, rehearsing songs for Winter Concert.
- Cultural Universals Project: inventing instruments, creating scales, writing songs.
- Guitar Chords: G major, C major, D major chords
Winter
- Singing: Winter Concert songs, learning, rehearsing new songs for spring.
- Guitar Chords: A minor, E minor
- Introduction to guitar tablature notation and G major scale; playing melodies using these.
Spring
- Singing: Song preparation for Arts and Music Night performance.
- Guitar Chords: E major, A major, B minor
- Continuing to play guitar melodies, chord/melody duets
Class Objective
- To create a safe space for students to enjoy and explore physical fitness; students implement life long fitness into their lives. Students understand the importance of sportsmanship and effort.
Class Activites:
- Conditioning, Flexibility and Agility: long distance running, dynamic stretching, agility drills
- Cooperative Fitness Games
Major sports unit:
- Track and Field
- Flag Football
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Floor Ball
- Volleyball
- Baseball/Softball
- Pickle-ball
- Disc Sports
- To Further Discuss Changes that Occur During Puberty, both Emotional and Physical Changes.
- To Discuss In Depth: Values, Peer Relationships, Personal Relationships and Responsible Decision Making With Regard to Personal Health.
- Introduction and Prevention of Drugs and Alcohol.
Fall
- animal study
- drawing : light and shadow
- still life
- color paper mosaics
Winter
- 2 point perspective
- graph drawing
- clay
Spring
- advertising: group project
- art history
- painting
- foam vehicle building
Fall
- Intro Unit- Review Scientific Method, Microscopes, Metrics
- Cells- The Basic Units of Life and How They Function
- Genetics- Understanding Inheritance
Winter
- Human Body- A look at the skeletal, digestive, immune and nervous systems
- The Frog Dissection
Spring
- Environmental Science & Ecology- What is Environmentalism? What are Ecological Issues?
- Environmental Science Expo
Fall
- Discuss summer reading literature choices and create project based on those books
- Begin our comprehensive, year-long vocabulary units that integrates both literature-based vocabulary and vocabulary from our sourcebook
- Begin our year-long grammar course with a diagnostic assessment and review of all parts of speech, subjects and predicates
- Begin reading our first world literature novel and work on note-taking, discussions and journalling
- Review formal essay writing concepts such as thesis statement, topic sentences and examples from a text
- Outside Reading projects introduced; students read first of two outside reading books and complete a project based on their book
- Begin to read and analyze second world literature novel
Winter
- Finish reading and analyzing second world literature novel
- Continue work on note-taking and discussion
- Read and analyze science fiction novel about current socio-political issues
- In-class writing assessments based on quotations from literature incorporated
- Continue vocabulary program with application assessment. Students write a creative short story that includes vocabulary words used in context
- Continue grammar program
Spring
- Students read third world literature novel
- Continue work on note-taking and discussion
- Students write formal, analytical essay that incorporates quotations from the text.
- World poetry unit introduced that includes close reading strategies, creative writing, self expression, discussion, a short, formal analytical writing piece, and a culminating project.
- Continue grammar program
- Continue vocabulary program
- Prepare students for formal, comprehensive final examination
Fall
- Number Sense: integers, fractions, decimals
- Proportions
- Percents: increase, decrease, simple and compounding interest
Winter
- Geometry: area, perimeter, volume, and surface area
- Pythagorean Theorem
- Scale: drawings and architecture project
Spring
- Algebra Rules: powers, roots, functions, expressions, and equations
- Algebraic word problems
Fall
- Focus on year theme of Spanish communities at large both in the U.S. and overseas-compare and contrasting all components of these communities with our own.
- Grammar and vocabulary focus on review of concepts learned in 6th grade. Present tense verb conjugations and all previously learned vocabulary.
- Review of old irregular grammar constructs and introduction of new forms of irregular grammar construct in the present tense
- Research report on the Day of The Dead-specicif aspect of the holiday including research report and oral presentation given in Spanish.
Winter
- Further introduction of irregular grammatical constructs in the present tense-stem/spelling change verbs. Grammatical focus in more advanced constructions specifically indirect and direct object pronoun usage-seperately and together
- Vocabulary related to athletic activities and sporting events and soccer as a dominate sport in the Spanish speaking world
- Introduction of developmentally appropriate reader related to American perspective on Peruvian culture integrating vocabulary and grammar in context.
Spring
- Finish up the grammar ending with complex structures in present tense including reflexive verbs, irregular first person singular form verbs, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns as well as a basic introduction to regular verbs in the simple past
- Vocabulary related to health and illness and the role of a doctor and pharmacists
- Finish up reader using the content to introduce more complex grammatical constructs that they will be studying in 8th grade Spanish and culminate with a brief writing project related to reflections on the text
Fall
- Basic Public Speaking
- Informative vs Persuasive speaking
- Technique and good public speaking habits
- Choosing a topic
- How to create an outline for a speech
- Research and presentation of a speech in a professional environment
- Scene work
- How to approach more advanced scenes
- Rehearsal and presentation of scenes
- Introduction to lighting
- How to set up and store a lighting kit
- How to focus and light a stage
- Creating tone and mood with lights
- Revisit to improvisation
- More advanced games and exercises
- How to work successfully as a group with improvisation
- Exploration of other playwrights and styles
- Susan-Lori Parks, Neil Simon, Edward Albee
- Final Scenes
- Building off of the earlier introduction to advanced scenes
- Integrating lighting as part of the rehearsal and technical process
Fall
- Preview of year and timeline activity
- Rise & Fall of Rome
- European Feudalism--Focus on English Feudalism
- Byzantine Empire--split of the Roman Empire to Justinian
- Research paper on Byzantine buildings as artifac
- Islam--Foundations of. Projects include Dialogue with a Muslim
Winter
- Three Religions Paper with focus on Jerusalem
- Essay test on schism in Islam (previous years)
- Crusades from the First Crusade to the Fall of Constantinople
- Children's Crusades and modern-day context of Children of War (WWII, Northern Ireland, the Balkans) (previous years)
- Imperial China: Focus on the Han through the Song. Focus on art and spirituality--Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism
- Feudal Japan: Governance by daimyo, protection by samurai, Chinese and European influence
Spring
- West African Kingdoms and various art and writing projectsAsian Art Museum Visit
- Independent Research Project
- From Cradle of India to Imperial China to Feudal Japan: Religion and Balance in art and spirituality. Includes -isms including Buddhism as well as lifestyle practice Ayurveda.(previous years)
- Mesoamerica cultures: Art, religion, and everyday life in the Aztec and Mayan societies
- South America: Inca society
Fall
- Singing: Learning, rehearsing songs for Winter Concert.
- Guitar: Review of G, C, D, E, and A major and E, A and B minor chords; review of melodies in G major scale
- The Blues: Overview of Blues history with focus on major Blues artists (Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King)
Winter
- The Blues: Overview of later Blues artists
- Singing: Rehearsing songs for Winter Concert, intro to songs for Spring.
- Guitar: Learning F and B major, F# and C# minor chords; learning A major scale and melodies.
Spring
- Singing: Rehearsing songs for Art and Music night.
- Intro to Free Improvisation
- Guitar: Songwriting project.
Class Objective
- To create a safe space for students to enjoy and explore physical fitness; students implement life long fitness into their lives. Students understand the importance of sportsmanship and effort.
Class Activites:
- Conditioning, Flexibility and Agility: long distance running, dynamic stretching, agility drills
- Cooperative Fitness Games
Major sports unit:
- Track and Field
- Flag Football
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Floor Ball
- Volleyball
- Baseball/Softball
- Pickle-ball
- Disc Sports
- To Further Discuss Changes that Occur During Puberty, both Emotional and Physical Changes.
- To Discuss In Depth: Values, Peer Relationships, Personal Relationships and Responsible Decision Making With Regard to Personal Health.
- Introduction and Prevention of Drugs and Alcohol, HIV/STD's and Pregnancy.
- To Provide Youth With Skills Necessary From Risks Related to Sexual Decisions and Sexual Behaviors.
Fall
- character development
- animation cel design
- figure drawing
- fashion design
Winter
- animal study
- art history
- painting
- clay
Spring
- advertising: group project
- floor plan design
- foam home building
- paint Borucan masks
Fall
- Intro Unit- A Review of Scientific Method, Metrics, Graphing, Density & Basic Equations
- Chemistry- The Periodic Table, Atoms and Bonding
- Chemistry- Chemical Reactions
Winter
- Chemistry- Acids, Bases and Solutions
- Forces & Motion- A look at Newton's Laws
- Simple Machines- Rube Goldberg Projects
Spring
- Energy- What is Energy and How do we get it?
- Alternative Energy Options & A Look at Climate Change
- Energy Efficiency- Environmental Science Expo
Fall
- Linear Equations: solving and graphing
- Linear Inequalities: solving and graphing
Winter
- Systems of Equations and Inequalities: solving and graphing
- Polynomials: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing
- Factoring Polynomials
Spring
- Exponential Growth and Decay
- Quadratic Equations: solving, factoring, graphing
- Algebraic Word Problems
Fall
- Comprehensive review of grammar and vocab from 6th and 7th grade years including all irregularities in the present tense.
- The Spanish speaking world including customs, geography and celebrations and important figures in the Hispanic world
- In depth study of vocabulary on health, seasonal sporting activities and cultural events
- Day of the Dead projects: shoebox altar to a family member, and self-reflective obituary
- introduce indirect and direct object pronouns in Spanish
Winter
- Spanish II preparatory grammar and vocabulary including preterit past tense, also covering irregularities and stem changers in the past.
- introducing reflexive verbs
- continue practicing indirect and direct objects and sentence construction
- Vocabulary related to various forms of travel in Spanish speaking countries and reflexive behaviors
- Latin music video project
- Reading/writing unit-focus on César Chávez culminates in final project including options to write a letter to César Chávez's wife, create a eulogy for César Chávez, analyze a mural and discuss its symbolism, create a music CD whose songs represent themes connected with the life of César Chávez, create a collage or mural that represents the beliefs and accomplishments of César Chávez.
Spring
- Finish grammar with simple past tense as well as expand study of verbs and their usage, including introduction to imperfect past tense and past participle construction.
- Vocabulary related to daily life in the Spanish speaking world
- Final individual research project and oral presentation in the form of a podcast, on a Spanish speaking country of the world, focusing on government, history, culture, economy, and geography.
Fall
- 8th Grade Focus - Script Writing
- Format
- Different techniques and formats mean different things
- Reading short plays by various authors (consistent throughout the semester)
- including reading and performing plays written by previous classes
- Writing Exercises (consistent throughout the semester)
- Impossible scenes, Allegories, Power, creating a "world", Stage directions only, Writing with your voice, dialogue driven, creating characters, exposition
- Communicating to a director through stage directions
- How to turn ideas into a play
- Storytelling
- Improvisation
- Personal experience
- Development of characters
- Introduction to theatrical lighting
- How to set up and store a lighting kit
- How to focus and light a stage
- Creating mood and tone with lights
- Creation of original one-act plays
Fall
- From colonies to unity: Declaration of Independence--Study Guide & Test
- Patriot or Loyalist (or somewhere in between)? Town Meeting simulations
- Thomas Paine
- American Revolution group presentations
- First steps to a constitution: Articles of Confederation
- Constitution: Close reading, discussions, and test
- Writing your Congressperson
- Currents in our government
Winter
- Washington's Farewell Address--Lessons for Today?
- Westward Expansion
- Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark Diary
- Cooking of 19th Century Immigrants
- Native Americans--integration of English (Sherman Alexie) with plight of Native Americans
- Abolitionists--movers and movements
- Road to Civil War and the Civil War (Essay Test + Reintroduction to Note Card Prep)
- Poetry re Civil War and other themes of equity in the American political landscape
- Reconstruction
- Urban Migrations
- The 19th Amendment and the E.R.A.
- Immigration Waves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries
- American Imperialism in the Pacific and the Caribbean
- Yellow Journalism & Bias in the Media
Spring
- Family history: interviews and original recorded stories
- WWI--Greater world role for the U.S. and the modernization of war
- Currents: Drones in modern warfare
- Memoir Project: POV of a 1920s Figure (previous years)
- Stock Market Crash, Great Depression, and the New Deal
- WWII: European & Pacific Theaters and U.S. entry, Japanese Internment, Holocaust
- Cold War into the Korean & Vietnam wars
Fall
- Singing: Learning, rehearsing songs for Winter Concert.
- Jazz history: Overview of jazz from 1900-1950
- Improvisation: Group free improvisation exercises
Winter
- Singing: Rehearsing songs for Winter Concert, intro to songs for Spring.
- Jazz history: Overview of jazz from 1950-present
- Improvisation: Card Pieces
Spring
- Singing: Rehearsing songs for Art and Music night.
- Songwriting/performance project.
Class Objective
- To create a safe space for students to enjoy and explore physical fitness; students implement life long fitness into their lives. Students understand the importance of sportsmanship and effort.
Class Activites:
- Conditioning, Flexibility and Agility: long distance running, dynamic stretching, agility drills
- Cooperative Fitness Games
Major sports unit:
- Track and Field
- Flag Football
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Floor Ball
- Volleyball
- Baseball/Softball
- Pickle-ball
- Disc Sports
Fall
- Discuss summer reading literature choices and create project based on those books
- Begin our comprehensive, year-long vocabulary units that integrates both literature-based vocabulary and vocabulary from our sourcebook
- Begin our year-long grammar course with a diagnostic assessment of 7th grade concepts and review of subjects, predicates, direct and indirect objects
- Themes such as Self vs. Group Identity woven throughout
- Begin unit on Lord of the Flies by William Golding including discussions, note-taking and small group work
- Identification and analysis of symbols and themes in the novel, culminating in a formal written assessment including quotations from the literature.
- Outside Reading projects introduced; students read first of three outside reading books and complete a project based on their book
- Begin to read second novel and focus on identity formation, being the "other", and group dynamics
Winter
- Finish reading and analyzing second novel and focus on identity formation, being the "other", and group dynamics
- Themes such as self vs. other, perspective, sense of belonging and one's role in a neighborhood woven throughout
- Continue work on note-taking and discussion
- In-class writing assessments based on quotations from literature incorporated
- Analytical, creative assessment that compares art and music to the novel.
- Begin third novel with focus on close-reading, inference and perspective.
- Continue vocabulary program.
- Continue grammar program.
- Students begin Automated Wax Museum project, based on a book of the student's choice
Spring
- Students present Automated Wax Museum to RDS community, and hand in written monologues.
- Students embark on Short Story unit including analysis of stories, learning the story arc, understanding voice, perspective and dialogue and culminating in creative short story project.
- Begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the final novel of the year.
- Themes including gender stereotypes, racism, classism and courage woven throughout
- Students continue discussions, note-taking and in-class close readings and writing about quotations from the novel
- Students create paper topic based on To Kill a Mockingbird
- Vocabulary units continued
- Grammar units continued
- Prepare for formal final examination
Fall
- History of Mathematics
- Number Theory
- Place Value, Decimals & Powers of 10
- Estimation
- Problem Solving with Multiplication & Division
- Algebra, expressions, equations, patterns & functions
- Problem Solving using Algebra
- Creating Sustainable Cultures
- Earth's History
- The Grand Canyon
- Sand & Soil
- Weather & Erosion
Winter
- Pascal's Triangle
- Order of Operations
- Prime Factorization, Greatest Common Factor & Least Common Multiple
- Understanding and Utilizing Fractions
- Comparing and Ordering Fractions and Decimals
- Relate Decimals and Percents
- Multiply and Divide Decimals
- Problem Solving using Fractions
- What's Inside our Earth
- Plate Tectonics
- Earthquakes
- Volcanoes
- Rocks & Minerals
Spring
- Customary Units of Measure
- Metric Units of Measure
- Relate Customary and Metric Units of Measure
- Perimeter and Area
- Graph Data
- Integers & Algebra
- Geometry
- Ratios, Percents and Probability
- Climate & Weather
- Atmosphere
- Human Impact on the Environment
- Research Paper & Science Expo
- Outer Space
Fall
- Creation Myths and Ancient Flood Stories
- Vocabulary and Grammar
- Note taking - main ideas
- Creative Writing
- Public Speaking - Impromptu speeches
- cultural universals museum - research and presentation - integrative unit
- how to read a text book and 2-column note taking
- study skills
- Ancient Mesopotamia
Winter
- Essay Writing - paragraphs
- Journalism/News reporting writing
- Internet research
- Public Speaking - demonstration speeches
- Ancient Civilizations novels
- Vocabulary and Grammar
- Ancient Egypt - video project/research project
- Ancient China and India
- Introduction to Hinduism and Buddhism
- 3-column note taking
Spring
- Short Stories from the Ancient Hebrews
- Circle Justice Literature
- Ancient Greek Mythology
- Report Writing and Research skills
- Vocabulary and Grammar
- Ancient Hebrews - reports
- Ancient Greeks - god/goddess presentations and Greek Olympics
- five paragraph essay and report writing
- study skills
