All About Academics: K-8
December Updates from Curriculum Coordinators
Welcome to our second installment of All About Academics!
'Tis the season for learning, engagement, and celebrations. Your children are well into the swing of things this school year, our teachers are challenging them with rigorous activities and assessments, and our schools are buzzing with the holiday spirit.
Our winter newsletter is chock-full of information regarding what your students are learning in kindergarten through eight. We have included times, dates, and links for Grade 5 parent meetings regarding the middle school transition, K-8 content areas, and loads of clickables for more information. Enjoy!
Grades 5 and 6 Transition Meeting
Middle school counselors, middle school principals, and curriculum coordinators will go live to talk about what goes on in the spring and summer to help prepare students for the next school level. During this session, there will also be information regarding the placement process for Advanced Studies in Grades 6-8.
Join us virtually on Monday, January 22
You are invited to attend one of the sessions listed above. More information is available on our district website. If you are unable to attend, the slide deck and video recording of both meetings will be available online as early as January 23.
English Language Arts
Students have just finished, or are close to finishing up, the following units:
Elementary
Kindergarten
Reading: Sharing Reading
(Focus on concepts about print, reading with 1:1 match, sharing reading with others)
Writing: Show and Tell Writing
(Drawing, Writing and Labeling, Using words and letters to write sentences)
Fundations: Letter & sound recognition (a-z/short vowels), letter formation, phonemic awareness (beginning and ending sounds), print/word awareness, rhyming. Fundations Unit 1 Letter
Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Weeks 9-12 , Heggerty Weeks 13-14
Grade 1
Reading: Word Detectives
(Looking closely at letters, orthographically mapping words with long and short vowels, compound words, endings and retelling stories)
Writing: Writing How-To Books
Fundations: Blending and reading three sound short vowel words, segmenting and spelling three sound short vowel words, phoneme segmentation, Introduction of digraphs (wh, ch, sh, th, ck), practice of high frequency trick words, and sentence dictation. Fundations Unit 3 Letter, Fundations Unit 4 Letter, Fundations Unit 5 Letter
Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Weeks 8-10, Heggerty Weeks 11-14
Grade 2
Reading: Becoming Experts at Reading Non-Fiction
(understanding information in non-fiction texts, text features, building knowledge and vocabulary through text sets and exposure to different non-fiction genres)
Writing: How to Guide for Non-Fiction Writing
Fundations: Blending and reading words with glued sounds (ie: all, am, an ild, ind, old), segmenting and spelling words with glued sounds, fluent passage reading, practice of high frequency trick words, and story retelling. Fundations Unit 4 Letter, Fundations Unit 5 Letter, Fundations Unit 6 Letter
Heggerty: Home Letters: Heggerty Weeks 8-10, Heggerty Weeks 11-14
Grade 3
Reading: Reading to Learn: Grasping Main Ideas and Text Structures
Writing: The Art of Informational Writing
Fundations: Review of vowel-consonant-e syllables and spelling rule, review of division of multi-syllabic words, spelling multi-syllabic words, lowercase cursive letter formation Fundations Unit 3, Fundations Unit 4, Fundations Unit 5
Grade 4
Reading: Nonfiction: Reading the Weather, Reading the World
Writing: Writing Boxes and Bullets: Personal and Persuasive Essay
Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop: Defining words, work with synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, word associations, work with Latin/Greek roots, words in context
Grade 5
Reading: Tackling Complexity: Moving up Levels of Nonfiction
Writing: Journalism Writing
Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop: Defining words, work with synonyms and antonyms, sentence completion, word associations, work with Latin/Greek roots, words in context
Middle School
Grade 6
Reading: Navigating Non-fiction
Writing: Informational Writing
Grade 7
Reading: Essential Research Skills: Information
Writing: Informational Writing
Grade 8
Reading: Exploring Non-Fiction
Writing: Informational Writing
Want to learn more about what your child is learning in English Language Arts?
Contact Kim Paladino: Kimberly_Paladino@Greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our website, or click on the banner below.
Social Studies
Elementary
Students in elementary social studies are busy reading non-fiction texts, practicing skills in notetaking, graphic organization, mapping, informational writing, and verbal communication. Grade level topics listed below.
- Kindergarten: My Family & Me
- Grade 1: Home, School & Community
- Grade 2: People & Groups
- Grade 3: History of Government in Greenwich
- Grade 4: Movement of People & Ideas
- Grade 5: The 13 Colonies and Europe
The K-5 Social Studies Curriculum Advisory Council continues to meet with vendors and curriculum partners this fall and winter. We plan to recommend a curriculum to the Board for approval this spring, and adoption in the fall of 2024.
Middle School
- Grade 6: East Asia (China, Japan, North, and South Korea). Next up: Europe (Western and Eastern)
- Grade 7: Subcontinental Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan). Next up: Middle East and North Africa
- Grade 8: The United States Constitution. Next up: Expansion of the Early Republic
The middle school SS and ELA coordinators are working collaboratively on the approach to teaching the Holocaust, especially to the current eighth graders who have a gap in that area due to the recent curricular changes. Learning facilitators from both content areas will meet during the week of December 11 to discuss the plan for this group of students for the 2023-2024 school year, along with the longer term plan to ensure a consistent and meaningful learning experience for all GPS students. Opportunities for teacher input are forthcoming so please be on the lookout!
Want to learn more about what your child is learning in Elementary Social Studies? Contact Tara Fogel: tara_fogel@greenwich.k12.ct.us. Want to learn more about what your child is learning in Middle School Social Studies? Contact Tom Healy: thomas_healy@greenwichk12.ct.us, or head to our website.
Mathematics
Elementary: Please be on the lookout for the family letter that comes home before each chapter. These letters provide context, learning targets, and success criteria for the chapter.
Kindergarten: Compose and Decompose numbers to 10, Next unit: Add Numbers Within 10.
Grade 1: Subtract Numbers within 20, Next unit: Count and Write Numbers to 120.
Grade 2: Fluently Subtract within 100, Next unit: Understand Place Value to 1,000.
Grade 3: Patterns and Fluency, Next unit: Relate area to Multiplication.
Grade 4: Divide multi-digit numbers by one-digit numbers, Next unit: Factors, Multiples and Patterns
Grade 5: Multiply Decimals, Next unit: Divide Whole Numbers.
Middle School: Middle schoolers started the year with launch units to support prerequisite skills for each course and are now teaching the units using the Big Ideas Math program.
Course 6: Fractions and decimals, Next unit: Ratios and Rates
Course 6A: Numerical expressions and factors, Next unit: Ratios, rates, and proportions.
Course 7: Expressions, Next unit: Equations and inequalities.
Pre-Algebra 6 & 7: Graphing and writing linear equations, Next unit: Systems of linear equations.
Algebra: Graphing linear functions, Next unit: Writing linear functions
Geometry: Parallel and perpendicular lines, Next unit: Transformations.
Want to learn more about what your child is learning in math? Please visit the support on our website for access to support videos and topics to practice. Contact Mike Reid: mike_reid@greenwich.k12.ct.us, or head to our website.
Science
'Tis the season for science! Students in grades K through 8 are flying into their second units of instruction. We are getting better at making our thinking visible, using evidence to support our claims, and showing what we know quantitatively.
Elementary
Students in Grades K through 5 spent September working on science and engineering practices and began documenting findings in science notebooks. In November and December, all students are moved into their first instructional units, finishing up this week. In the grades listed below, students are working on topics related to:
- Kindergarten: Finishing up Properties of Matter, Next Unit: Weather
- Grade 1: Finishing up Force and Motion, Next Unit: Sun, Moon, and Stars
- Grade 2: Finishing up Light and Sound, Next Unit: Land and Water
- Grade 3: Finishing up Applied Chemistry, Next Unit: Earth's Materials
- Grade 4: Finishing up Force and Motion, Next Unit: Electricity and Magnetism
- Grade 5: Finishing up Waves, Next Unit: Natural Resources
We have scheduled our Science Assured Experience trips for Grades 1, 2 and 3 at all schools. Our community partners at The Bruce Museum (Grade 1), The Greenwich Audubon (Grade 2) and the Greenwich Botanical Center (Grade 3) cannot wait to serve our GPS students and provide place-based learning around town this spring!
Upper elementary students in Grades 3 through 5 continue working in the virtual lab platform called Gizmos. This science simulation tool allows students to manipulate variables and collect data online. It mimics the functionality of the NGSS Assessment in Grade 5. Check it out on your students' Chromebook or Google Classroom.
Middle School
You may have heard your children talking about models or projects in class. Each unit in middle school science allows students to make their thinking visible, grapple with real-world phenomena, and engage in individual and team projects. Currently, students in the middle school classroom are in their second unit of the school year. Students engage in scientific explanations based on evidence.
- Grade 6: Nature vs. Nurture: How can we use environmental and genetic factors to explain changes in organisms?
- Grade 7: Cycles of Energy: How do energy and matter cycle within a natural system?
- Grade 8: Exploring our Solar System: Why do the planets never collide? What forces keep the parts of our solar system together?
Want to learn more about what your child is learning in science?
Contact Tara Fogel: tara_fogel@greenwich.k12.ct.us, or head to our website.
K-8 ESOL, FLES & World Languages
K-8 ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
We are gearing up to administer the annual LAS Links assessment to all English learners in grades K-12 in order to evaluate their progress in and mastery of English language acquisition. This testing window runs from January through early March.
At the elementary level, we are studying winter holidays and vocabulary specific to the season of giving such as community, charity, celebration, and traditions. Some of our newest arrivals were able to celebrate their first Thanksgiving and were able to participate in pumpkin carving.
In K-2 ESOL, we are reading our favorite story books, looking for sight words we know, learning about story elements, crafting all about/expert books, and using nonfiction text features to help us navigate non-fiction text. In ESOL, we try to reinforce/use Fundations that are taught in the general education classroom in both reading and writing.
In 3 - 5 ESOL, based on the reading/writing curriculum, we read books and focused on learning about characters, story elements, and themes! We recently transitioned into reading informational texts. In writing, we published personal narratives, and have transitioned into writing informational texts.
At the middle school level, multilingual learners in the beginning classes enjoyed presenting and sampling foods from different U.S. regions as part of their culminating project in the U.S. Geography unit. Students at the intermediate level participated in debates to practice persuasive techniques in the persuasive writing unit. Multilingual learners in the advanced level classes are enjoying the twists and turns in short stories by classic American authors, and analyzing theme and craft.
K-8 Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) and World Language (WL):
In K-2 FLES, students are learning about activities they like to do according to the weather; how to describe themselves and their family members; and identify school subjects, classes, supplies, classroom objects and activities in the target language.
In 3-5 FLES, third grade students are learning how to answer questions about themselves including their name, age, where they live and where they were born. Fourth grade students are learning vocabulary to name and describe the rooms in the house, size/color of homes, and express the location of rooms in the house using prepositions of location. Fifth grade students are learning to describe and talk about the place and town in which they live.
In grades 3-5 Native Spanish Language Arts, students are learning to identify the story elements in fictional stories, and to make personal connections with diverse characters. They are also continuing to develop their own narrative writing skills in Spanish, as well as learning how to compare and analyze characters and adventures.
At the middle school level, eighth grade students are gearing up to complete tests for Spanish native language arts placement at GHS, and midterms in eighth grade non-native Spanish and French in January.
Want to learn more about what your child is learning in English for Speakers of Other Languages and World Language?
Contact Geoffrey Schenker geoffrey_schenker@greenwich.k12.ct.us, head to our ESOL or FLES websites, or click on the banner below.
Thanksgiving table decoration making at Julian Curtiss
Pumpkin carving at Riverside
Dessert is served at JC!
Thanksgiving at Eastern Middle School
Thanksgiving at Riverside School
Thanksgiving at Western Middle School
Arts: Visual Arts & Music
Visual Arts
Some creative things are happening around the district in the art classrooms! Students are not only working with various Elements of Art and using a variety of mediums that enhance the winter season, they are also working on learning about specific artists and creating work that is inspired by some of the techniques they used that make them icons in the art world.
One creative project that aligned with the Thanksgiving holiday was the Color Wheel Turkeys at Glenville School. Students demonstrated an understanding of value, how the lightness or darkness of the color, by creating a color scale for the feathers of their turkey. Students could then personalize the turkey with other realistic details to give an eye into the personality of their turkey. Such a fun project for students as they discuss such an important and useful Element of Art.
In our middle schools students are utilizing their original thoughts to demonstrate the variety of skills that they have learned in each medium. A focus at all of our middle school art classrooms is how students plan, prepare, create, and reflect on their work. Students go through a thoughtful planning process with guiding questions and conference time with the teacher. Students get the opportunity to write artist statements to present the work that they have created and discuss the variety of resources that may have inspired their work. You will see many unique works throughout the hallways and display cases and at our school concerts in all of our middle schools all year! Take a moment to observe the amazing ideas and skills students have demonstrated in their pieces.
Art Draws Us Together!
Glenville Artist of the Month
Glenville Artist of the Month Criteria
Music
Tis the season for all the holiday and winter themed music in our schools! Lots of musical performances sprinkle December and January in Greenwich Public Schools!
Our winter concert season is a great time to assess student learning since the start of the school year. The songs that students play in their concerts may be familiar or unfamiliar tunes to the general audience. For the teachers and students, it’s their culminating event to demonstrate all the skills they learned individually and as an ensemble. We get to see if that bow hold is improving, if they are able to keep a steady beat while playing with others, and many more specific performance skills that we have been reinforcing throughout the school year.
In addition to the performance skills, we are also focused on teaching all students the traits of a good audience. With the help of our building administration, we talk about the importance of staying quiet during a performance and giving the performers their undivided attention as they have been working hard each week to put their performance together for friends and family. I have been so pleased with all the outstanding audiences I have come across so far!
The GPS Honor Choir had their very first performance at the Songs of the Season concert that took place at the Palace Theater in Stamford. Young student performance groups from Fairfield County took the stage to serenade us with holiday music to kick-off the winter season. Our Honor Choir was invited again this year and opened the show! Such a wonderful event and reminder to recognize the lovely days ahead in the holiday season.
Looking forward to seeing you at our December and January events!
You can find a copy of the district performance calendar on the Arts academic page can be found online.
WMS Band Dress Rehearsal
Cos Cob Orchestra at the Winter Concet
RIverside Orchestra (Winter Concert)
Want to learn more about what your child is learning in Art or Music?
Contact Laura Newell laura_newell@greenwich.k12.ct.us, or head to our Arts website.
Special Education and Student Supports
Special Education Coffee
Please keep an eye out for an invitation to your school’s Special Education Coffee. Every elementary and middle school school has held a Special Education Coffee to introduce the SESS staff and building administrators and to provide updates. We will continue to hold these meetings throughout the year to provide parents and guardians with additional opportunities to interact with our SESS staff.
Reading Lab
by MaryPat Caldwell
I would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday and a wonderful break. Parents are always asking me, “What can I do over the break to maintain my child’s reading skills?”
I tell them the same thing I tell my students. “If you want to improve your reading, you need to do three things: read, read, read!”
The holidays are a busy time! If you could commit to spending even 15 minutes a day on reading, it would be well worth the effort. Put on your pajamas, make some popcorn, get the fire going, find a cozy spot, and read with your child.
Reading with them goes a long way toward modeling lifelong reading habits. Let them see you enjoying reading!
For the struggling or reluctant reader, I would recommend choosing a book you can read together. Either take turns reading aloud or quietly, but be sure to stop and chat about the reading at the end of each chapter or at other reasonable “stop and chat” points.
Make connections with the characters, share what surprised you, or what you are wondering about as you read. To deepen thinking, discuss what you could, would or should do in similar situations.
This quote from "Simplifying the Holidays" resonated for me: “Give kids something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.” A gift card to a bookstore is a great gift and a fun family adventure.
For a more cost effective option, visit your local library, so your child can explore lots of books and find an exciting new armchair adventure.
In all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I hope this newsletter gets you motivated to find some time to relax on the couch and read for at least some of your vacation!
At Home Activity Ideas from our GPS Inclusion Specialist Rachel Rubin
See a movie!
If your child needs a more sensory friendly movie-going experience, check out the Prospect Theater in Ridgefield’s Sensory Friendly Screenings. This location also offers families the option of coming to the theater the day before the screening to familiarize themselves with the Theater. This may help decrease the sensory impact of the hustle and bustle on the day of your screening. Go online for more info!
Select AMC theaters also offer a Sensory Friendly Film program on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Wednesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month. Movie-goers can stand up and even walk around during the movie. The closest location to Greenwich offering these showings is the AMC Port Chester 14 theater. Go online for more info!
Sensory Play and Explore
Sensory Sensitive Sundays at Chuck-e-Cheese. With locations in Yonkers, NY, Nanuet, NY, and Orange, CT, families and children can enjoy the fun and games at Chuck-E-Cheese in a sensory friendly environment. Go online for more info!
Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk, CT is hosting their “Let's Celebrate! Worldwide” programming where museum goers can learn about global holiday traditions and explore how light plays a central role in these annual celebrations. Families can request sensory friendly kits at the front desk.
There are so many more local attractions, including the Maritime Aquarium and Bruce Museum, that have accessible and sensory friendly programming. Head to Accessibility for All's website to learn more!
Want to learn more about how we are providing special education and student supports?
Contact Joseph Baynes joseph_baynes@greenwich.k12.ct.us, or head to our SESS website.
Library Media Services
News from our Elementary School K-5 Media Centers
BATTLE OF BOOKS: Once again, our elementary schools are gearing up for the Annual Battle of Books, a school library program designed to encourage our fifth graders to read quality literature over the summer months and continue reading in their leisure time during the school year. This year, for the first time ever, we have all of our eleven elementary schools participating! Each school will send a team of five students to the District Competition to battle out literature-specific questions from ten carefully curated books.
Mark your calendars! This year's competition will take place Tuesday, January 16 at 6:00 PM, with snow date, Wednesday, January 17 at 6:00 PM at Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center.
WE'RE CODING: Our K-5 learners are celebrating Computer Science Education Week! This year, our K-5 learners will have the opportunity to explore a world of coding and robotics concepts through Wonder Workshop's Dash robots and the Blockly application.
Wonder Workshop's Dash Robots: Dash robots are innovative educational tools designed to introduce elementary school students to the foundations of coding in a fun and interactive way. These robots are equipped with sensors, lights, sounds, and various programmable behaviors, providing a hands-on experience that brings coding to life. Here are some key features of Dash Robots:
- Engaging and Interactive: Dash is designed to captivate young learners' interest with its friendly appearance and interactive capabilities. It is a tangible and approachable introduction to the world of robotics.
- Programmability: Students will have the opportunity to program Dash using simple drag-and-drop coding blocks. This process encourages logical thinking and problem-solving skills as they create sequences of actions for the robot to perform.
- Sensors and Feedback: Dash responds to its environment through various sensors, allowing students to explore concepts such as distance, sound, and light. This feature enhances the learning experience by incorporating real-world interactions into their coding projects.
Blockly Application: The Blockly application is the platform through which students will create, experiment, and learn to code Dash. Blockly is a visual programming language that utilizes block-based coding, making it accessible and enjoyable for students. Here are some key experiences with Blockly:
- Visual Coding Interface: Blockly provides a drag-and-drop interface, allowing students to assemble code by stacking colorful blocks. This visual approach eliminates the need for syntax memorization, making coding more accessible for young learners.
- Creative Coding Projects: Students will engage in creative coding projects that range from simple sequences of movements to more complex algorithms. These projects are designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- Progressive Learning: Blockly offers a progressive learning experience, starting with basic coding concepts and gradually introducing more advanced principles. This ensures that students can develop a solid foundation in coding literacy.
We believe that introducing coding and robotics through Wonder Workshop's Dash robots and Blockly application will not only enhance our learners' technological literacy but also promote essential 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
Huge note of gratitude to Dr. Jones who had prioritized the ARP funding to enhance the K-5 student experience with hands-on activities in science in the classroom and engineering/technology in the media center across all of our eleven elementary schools so that we can provide this learning opportunity to all of our K-5 coders.
And, as always, thank you to all of our parents for your continued support of our commitment to providing innovative and engaging educational experiences for your children.
News from our Middle School 6-8 Media Centers
It’s a Winter Wonderland in our Library Learning Commons Across the District!
At Eastern, the Media Center has been transformed into a winter wonderland with a wide selection of fun winter related reads and a special feature includes our “Have You Read Any Good Movies Lately?” display that showcases books to movies on classics to current releases. Western is also on theme with displays for favorite winter related fiction & nonfiction titles for Hanukkah, Christmas & Kwanzaa, and has implemented a Featured Genre of the Month (December is Fantasy - what better choice for a Winter Wonderland!)
It goes without saying that all of our Media Centers have also been quite busy assisting students with book selection for independent reading and curriculum purposes!
Instruction
Digital Literacy students across the district are:
Reviewing how to search for and locate materials using Destiny (our online catalog)
Utilizing advanced aspects of digital tools such as Google Docs, Sheets & Slides
Evaluating websites by identifying the key elements that determine if the source is credible, accurate, reasonable, and supported. (C.A.R.S.)
Exploring Noodletools to cite sources correctly
Discussing important Digital & Media Literacy concepts such as bias
School-wide Support
On a daily basis, middle school Media Center staff assist students and teachers with research and technology, be it issues with Chromebooks, printing, Aspen, etc.
Of Special Note:
The EMS Fall Book Fair was a big success in the Media Center. Each student visited the book fair with their English class where there was much discussion and sharing about favorite authors and titles.
In addition to collaborating on near- and long-term teacher/student resource needs, WMS is in the middle of a huge “genrefication” project through which all fiction titles are being grouped by genre (Fantasy, SciFi, Adventure, etc.) to give students greater independence and access to books they truly want across the collection.
At CMS, eighth grade Digital Literacy students just began a short unit using Adobe Photoshop. Students will learn concepts such as Replace Color, Masking, Blending Modes, AI Generative fill. Once students have demonstrated proficiency with these concepts, students will complete an inquiry project of their choice. The 6th grade Digital Literacy students just began their prototype project. Students will use the Stanford Design Thinking framework to identify a problem while developing a solution using Tinkercad and 3D printing to create a 3D prototype.
All In All… the Library Learning Commons environments are bustling with spirited thinkers, readers and researchers!
Want to learn more about Library Media Services? Please contact us:
For K-5, Esra Murray, esra_murray@greenwich.k12.ct.us
For 6-8, Pia Ledina, pia_ledina@greenwich.k12.ct.us or Karen Ball, karen_ball@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Advanced Learning Program (ALP)
Grade 2 Enrichment to begin in February:
The ALP team is in the process of evaluating grade 2 students for the enrichment program, which will start in February. Placement recommendations will be emailed to parents on February 2.
Want to learn more about Advanced Learning? Get in touch with our team at
advancedlearning@greenwich.k12.ct.us, or head to our website.
Academic Curriculum Coordinators
If you enjoyed this newsletter and would like it mailed directly to your inbox, click on the "Follow" box on your right!
Website: https://www.greenwichschools.org/teaching-learning/k-8-curriculum
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT, USA