St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School is a child-centered Armenian Institution committed to academic excellence. At the Elementary level, the core curriculum subjects are taught in English. The Armenian language and history are taught in Armenian, with an emphasis on creating awareness and instilling an appreciation of Armenian culture and traditions.
The curriculum of St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School is comprised of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education and the fine arts. The Learning Goals under each core area represent the school’s end of the year expectations for students in grade one. The first grade curriculum will include but not be limited to, these topics. The developmental level of students as well as their varying abilities and interests will be taken into account when designing and implementing instruction.
The purpose of the written progress reports is to inform families of students’ individual progress in the achievement of these Learning Goals. Progress Reports are supplemented by Fall, Winter and Spring parent/teacher conferences. We believe that a child’s success in school is enhanced by meaningful home/school communication.
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School uses the Armenian language series entitled “Mer Lezoun”. This is a publication of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.
Reading:
Read fluently, paying attention to punctuation marks
Comprehension and Vocabulary:
Learn the vocabulary words
Retell the story read aloud
Answer the questions
Spelling:
Prepared spelling test
Unprepared spelling test
Spelling rules
Grammar:
Review consonants and vowels
Diphthong
Dictionary and alphabetical order
Letters used as numbers
Root words
Compound words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Capitalization
Punctuation
Noun or subject
Proper and common names
Plural/singular
Declension
Articles
Pronouns
Adjectives
Verbs
Groups of verbs ending with el, il, al
Tense (present, past, future)
Auxiliary verb “to be”
Writing:
Writing as a process approach
The three major parts of a writing:
Introduction
Development
- Conclusion
Recitation:
Recite with understanding and expression selected poems
Armenian History
Legacy Project(Click above link to go to Legacy Projects and view information on the Armenian Genocide)
READING
Decoding of the print-sound code should become automatic across the whole span of language
Independently read aloud unfamiliar level (at least) 38 nonfiction books with 95% accuracy or better
Easily read word with irregularly spelled suffixes
Use the cues of punctuation to guide themselves in getting meaning and fluently reading aloud from the increasingly complex texts they read
Use pacing and intonation to convey the meaning of the clauses and phrases of the sentences they read
Monitor their own reading, noticing when sentences or paragraphs are incomplete or when texts do not make sense
Use their ear for syntax to help figure out the meaning of new words
Infer the meaning of words from roots, prefixes and suffixes, as well as from the overall contextual meaning of what they are reading
Analyze the relations among different parts of a text
Raise questions about what the author was trying to say and use the text to help answer the questions
Capture meaning from figurative language and explain the meaning
Cite important details from a text
Compare one text to another they have read or heard
Discuss why an author might have chosen particular words
Say how a story relates to something in real-life experience
Explain the motives of characters
Discuss plot and setting
Use structure of informational text to retrieve information
Analyze the causes, motivations, sequences and results of events
Understand the concepts and relationships described in the story
Use reasoning and information from within and outside the text to examine arguments
Describe in their own words what new information they gained from a nonfiction text and how it relates to their prior knowledge
Follow instructions or directions they encounter in the more complicated functional texts they are now reading around 30 books a year, independently or with assistance, and regularly participate in discussions of their reading with another student, a group or an adult
Read and hear texts read aloud from a variety of genres
Read multiple books by the same author and be able to identify differences and similarities among them
Reread some favorite books or parts of longer books, gaining deeper comprehension and knowledge of author’s craft
Read own writing and the writing of their classmates
Read functional and instructional messages
Listen to and discuss at least one chapter read to them every day
Voluntarily read to each other, signaling their sense of themselves as readers
Read good children’s literature every day
Have worthwhile literature read to them to model the language and craft of good writing
Discuss underlying themes or messages when interpreting fiction
Read and respond to poems, stories, memoirs and plays written by peers
Identify and discuss recurring themes across works
Evaluate literary merit and participate informatively in peer talk about selecting books to read
Examine the reasons for a character’s actions, accounting for situation and motive
Recognize genre features and compare works by different authors in the same genre
Note and talk about author’s craft
- Demonstrate the skills we look for in the comprehension component of content
READING STANDARD 2: Getting the Meaning
Note and talk about author’s craft: word choice, beginnings and endings, plot, and character development
Use comparisons and analogies to explain ideas
Refer to knowledge built during discussion
Use information that is accurate, accessible and relevant
Restate own ideas with greater clarity when a listener indicates non-comprehension
Ask other students questions requiring them to support their claims or arguments
Indicate when their own or others’ ideas need further support or explanation
Learn new words every day from their reading
Recognize when they don’t know what a word means and use a variety of strategies for figuring it out (for example, ask others, look at the context, find the word in use elsewhere and look for clues there)
Know meanings of roots, prefixes and suffixes
Talk about the meaning of most of the new words encountered in independent and assisted reading
Notice and show interest in understanding unfamiliar words in texts that are read to them
Know how to talk about what nouns mean in terms of function for example, (“water is for drinking”), features (“water is wet,”) and category (“water is a liquid”)
Know how to talk about verbs as “action words”
- Talk about words as they relate to other words, synonyms, antonyms or which word is more precise
WRITING WORKSHOP:
Write daily
Generate their own topics and spend the necessary amount of time to revisit and refine their writing
Extend and rework pieces of writing (for example, turning a paragraph from a memoir into a fully developed piece)
Routinely rework, revise, edit and proofread their work
Over the course of the year, polish 10 or 12 pieces for an audience in and beyond the classroom
Write for specific purposes of their own (for example, writing a birthday card for a parent or friend)
Consciously study appropriate specific elements of a favorite author’s work to refine the quality of their own work
Apply criteria (both public and personal) to their writing
Orient or engage the reader to (set the time, indicate the location where the story takes place, introduce the character, or enter immediately into the story line)
Build and present a believable world through the precise choice of detail
Create a sequence of events which unfolds naturally
Provide pacing
Develop a character, often by providing motivation for action and having the character solve the problem
Add reflective comments (especially in an autobiographical narrative)
Provide some kind of conclusion
Engage the reader by establishing a context for the piece
Identify the topic
Provide a guide to find action in the story
Show the steps in an action in considerable detail
Include relevant information
Use language that is straightforward and clear
- May use illustrations detailing steps in the process
Producing Literature
Write stories, songs, poetry and plays –conforming to appropriate expectations of each form
Produce a piece that incorporates elements appropriate to the genre after engaging in a genre study
- Build on a thread of a story by extending or changing the story line
Responding to Literature
Support an interpretation by making specific reference to the text
Provide enough detail from the text so the reader can understand the interpretation
Go beyond retelling
Compare two works by an author
Discuss several works that have a common idea or theme
Make connections between the text and their own ideas and lives
Introduce the topic, sometimes providing a context or clue
Have an organizational structure that is useful to the reader
Communicate the ideas, insights or theories that have been elaborated on or illustrated through facts, details, quotations, statistics and information
Use diagrams, charts or illustrations as appropriate to the text
Have a concluding sentence or section
Employ a straightforward tone of voice
Incorporate transitional words and phrases appropriate to thinking
Embed phrases and modifiers that make their writing lively and graphic
Use varying sentence patterns and lengths to slow reading down, speed it up, create mood
Embed literary language where appropriate
Reproduce sentence structures found in various genres they are reading
Notice when words do not look correct and use strategies to correct the spelling (for example, experiment with alternative spellings, look the word up in the dictionary or word list)
Correctly spell all familiar high frequency words
Correctly spell words with short vowels and common endings
Correctly spell most inflectional endings, including plurals and verb tenses
Use correct spelling patterns and rules such as consonant doubling, dropping e and changing y to i
Correctly spell most derivational words (for example, -tion, -ment, -ly)
Use words from their speaking vocabulary in their writing, including words they have learned from reading and class discussion
Make word choices that reveal they have a large enough vocabulary to exercise options in word choice (for example, more precise and vivid words)
Extend their writing vocabulary by using specialized words related to their topic or setting of their writing (i.e., the names of the breeds of dogs if they are writing about dogs)
Use capital letters at the beginnings of sentences
Use periods and other end punctuation correctly, nearly all the time
Approximate the use of quotation marks
Use question marks
Use capital and lowercase letters
- Use contractions
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Place Value
- Multiply Whole Numbers
- Divide by a One-digit-Divisor
- Divide by a Two-Digit Divisor
- Add and Subtract Decimals
- Multiply and Divide Decimals
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Expressions and Patterns
- Number and Operations-Fractions
- Fractions and Decimals
- Add and Subtract Decimals
- Multiply and Divide Fractions
- Measurement and Data
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Geometry
KNOWATOM: Grade 5 Science System
Design Controlled Experiments
The KnowAtom Fifth Grade Science system increases student responsibility for designing and carrying out experiments. Students are taught how to reach conclusions using the Scientific Method and revise prototypes using the Engineering Design Process. The 13-unit curriculum covers all of the elementary-level standards and prepares students for middle school by focusing on topics such as the rock cycle, conservation and light waves. Teachers receive original student readers to reinforce the units’ topics and quizzes to assess student understanding.
Unit Topics
- Unit 1: Rocks and Minerals
- Unit 2: Moon and Tides
- Unit 3: Hurricanes
- Unit 4: Microscopic Life
- Unit 5: Conservation
- Unit 6: Natural Selection
- Unit 7: Energy Systems
- Unit 8: Electrical Energy
- Unit 9: Sound Energy
- Unit 10: Light Energy
- Unit 11: Complex Machines
- Unit 12: Engineering Boats
- Unit 13: Designing Roller Coasters
United States History, Geography, Economics, and Government: Early Exploration to Westward Movement
Students study the major pre-Columbian civilizations in the New World; the 15th and 16th century European explorations around the world, in the western hemisphere, and in North America in particular; the earliest settlements in North America; and the political, economic, and social development of the English colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. They also study the early development of democratic institutions and ideas, including the ideas and events that led to the independence of the original thirteen colonies and the formation of a national government under the U.S. Constitution. The purpose of the grade 5 curriculum is to give students their first concentrated study of the formative years of U.S. history.
CONCEPTS & SKILLS
Students should be able to:
Apply concepts and skills learned in previous grades.
History and Geography
- Identify different ways of dating historical narratives (17th century, seventeenth century, 1600s, colonial period).
- Interpret timelines of events studied.
- Observe and identify details in cartoons, photographs, charts, and graphs relating to an historical narrative.
- Use maps and globes to identify absolute locations (latitude and longitude).
- Identify the location of the North and South Poles, the equator, the prime meridian, Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Hemispheres.
- Distinguish between political and topographical maps and identify specialized maps that show information such as population, income, or climate change.
- Compare maps of the modern world with historical maps of the world before the Age of Exploration, and describe the changes in 16th and 17th century maps of the world.
Civics and Government
- Define and use correctly words related to government: citizen, suffrage, rights, representation, federal, state, county, and municipal.
- Give examples of the responsibilities and powers associated with major federal and state officials (the President, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, governor, state senators, and state representatives).
- Explain the structure of the student’s city or town government.
Economics
- Give examples of the ways people save their money and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
- Define what an entrepreneur is (a person who has started a business seeking a profit) and give examples from colonial history of an entrepreneur (e.g., Peter Faneuil and Benjamin Franklin).
- Define profit and describe how profit is an incentive for entrepreneurs.
- Give examples of how changes in supply and demand affected prices in colonial history (e.g., fur, lumber, fish, and meat).
LEARNING STANDARDS
Building on knowledge from previous years, students should be able to:
Pre-Columbian Civilizations of the New World and European Exploration, Colonization, and Settlement to 1700
- Describe the earliest explorations of the New World by the Vikings, the period and locations of their explorations, and the evidence for them.
- Identify the three major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America (Maya, Aztec, and Inca) and their locations. Describe their political structures, religious practices, and use of slaves.
- Explain why trade routes to Asia had been closed in the 15th century and trace the voyages of at least four of the explorers listed below. Describe what each explorer sought when he began his journey, what he found, and how his discoveries changed the image of the world, especially the maps used by explorers.
- Vasco Nuñez de Balboa
- John and Sebastian Cabot
- Jacques Cartier
- Samuel de Champlain
- Christopher Columbus
- Henry Hudson
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Juan Ponce de Leon
- Amerigo Vespucci
- Explain why the Aztec and Inca civilizations declined in the 16th century.
- the encounters between Cortez and Montezum
- the encounters between Pizarro and the Incas
- the goals of the Spanish conquistadors
- the effects of European diseases, particularly smallpox, throughout the Western hemisphere
- Describe the goals and extent of the Dutch settlement in New York, the French settlements in Canada, and the Spanish settlements in Florida, the Southwest, and California.
- Explain the early relationship of the English settlers to the indigenous peoples, or Indians, in North America, including the differing views on ownership or use of land and the conflicts between them (e.g., the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars in New England).
- Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the original colonies in North America.
- Lord Baltimore in Maryland
- William Penn in Pennsylvania
- John Smith in Virginia
- Roger Williams in Rhode Island
- John Winthrop in Massachusetts
- Identify the links between the political principles and practices developed in ancient Greece and such political institutions and practices as written constitutions and town meetings of the Puritans.
- Explain the reasons that the language, political institutions, and political principles of what became the United States of America were largely shaped by English colonists even though other major European nations also explored the New World.
- the relatively small number of colonists who came from other nations besides England
- long experience with self-government
- the high rates of literacy and education among the English colonial leaders
- England’s strong economic, intellectual, and military position
The Political, Intellectual, and Economic Growth of the Colonies, 1700-1775
- On a map of North America, identify the first 13 colonies and describe how regional differences in climate, types of farming, populations, and sources of labor shaped their economies and societies through the 18th century.
- Explain the importance of maritime commerce in the development of the economy of colonial Massachusetts, using the services of historical societies and museums as needed
- the fishing and shipbuilding industries
- trans-Atlantic trade
- the port cities of New Bedford, Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem, and Boston
- Explain the causes of the establishment of slavery in North America. Describe the harsh conditions of the Middle Passage and slave life, and the responses of slaves to their condition. Describe the life of free African Americans in the colonies.
- Identify the founders and the reasons for the establishment of educational institutions in the colonies (grammar schools and colleges such as Harvard and the College of William and Mary).
- Explain the development of colonial governments and describe how these developments contributed to the Revolution.
- legislative bodies
- town meetings
- charters on individual freedom and rights
- Explain the reasons for the French and Indian War, how it led to an overhaul of British imperial policy, and the colonial response to these policies.
- Sugar Act (1764)
- Stamp Act (1765)
- Townsend Duties (1767)
- Tea Act (1773) and the Intolerable Acts (1774)
- the slogan, “no taxation without representation”
- the roles of the Stamp Act Congress, the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston Tea Party (1773)
The Revolution and the Formation of a Federal Government under the Constitution, 1775-1789
- Explain the meaning of the key ideas on equality, natural rights, the rule of law, and the purpose of government contained in the Declaration of Independence.
- Describe the major battles of the Revolution and explain the factors leading to American victory and British defeat.
- Lexington and Concord (1775)
- Bunker Hill (1775)
- Saratoga (1777)
- Valley Forge (1777-1778)
- Yorktown (1781)
- Describe the life and achievements of important leaders during the Revolution and the early years of the United States.
- John Adams
- Benjamin Franklin
- King George III
- Alexander Hamilton
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
- George Washington
- Identify the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including its date, its primary author (John Adams), and the basic rights it gives to citizens of the Commonwealth.
- Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781 and for its later failure.
- Describe Shays’s Rebellion of 1786-1787 and explain why it was one of the crucial events leading to the Constitutional Convention.
- Identify the various leaders of the Constitutional Convention and describe the major issues they debated.
- distribution of political power
- rights of individuals
- rights of states
- the Great Compromise
- slavery
The Principles and Institutions of American Constitutional Government
- Describe the responsibilities of government at the federal, state, and local levels (e.g., protection of individual rights and the provision of services such as law enforcement and the building and funding of schools).
- Describe the basic political principles of American democracy and explain how the Constitution and the Bill of Rights reflect and preserve these principles.
- individual rights and responsibilities
- equality
- the rule of law
- limited government
- representative democracy
- Identify the three branches of the United States government as outlined by the Constitution, describe their functions and relationships, and identify what features of the Constitution were unique at the time (e.g., the presidency and the independent judiciary).
- Identify the rights in the Bill of Rights and explain the reasons for its inclusion in the Constitution in 1791.
- Explain how American citizens were expected to participate in, monitor, and bring about changes in their government over time, and give examples of how they continue to do so today.
The Growth of the Republic
- Identify the changes in voting qualifications between 1787 and 1820 (e.g., the abolition of property requirements), and compare who could vote in local, state, and national elections in the U.S. with who could vote in England, France, and Russia.
- Explain the events leading up to, and the significance of, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
- Describe the expedition of Lewis and Clark from 1803 to 1806.
- Describe the significance and consequences of the abolition of slavery in the northern states after the Revolution and of the 1808 law that banned the importation of slaves into the United States.
- Describe the causes of the war of 1812 and how events during the war contributed to a sense of American nationalism.
- British restrictions on trade and impressments
- Major battles and events of the war, including the role of the USS Constitution, the burning of the Capitol and the White House, and the Battle of New Orleans
- Explain the importance of the China trade and the whaling industry to 19th century New England, and give examples of imports from China.
- Explain the reasons that pioneer moved west from the beginning to the middle of the 19th century, and describe their lives on the frontier.
- Wagon train journeys on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails
- Their settlements in the western territory
- Identify the key issues that contributed to the onset of the Civil War.
- The debate over slavery and westward expansion
- Diverging economic interests
*Note-The SSAES Curriculum Guidelines for Social Studies is directly derived from the Massachusetts History & Social Science Curriculum Framework.
- Learn songs by rote; echo singing; matching tones in appropriate range
- Identify musical aspects of sound (1ong/short, up/down, high/low, soft/loud, fast/slow)
- Create body movement to music and rhythm; dances; additional verses to songs; dramatizations of songs, moods, stories
- Perform music alone and with others.
- Improvise and create music.
- Use the vocabulary and notation of music.
- Respond to music with aesthetic judgments.
- Continue the music learning experience independently.
- Perform and/or respond to music of ever-widening variety.
- Continue musical participation out of school as both a performer & a consumer.
- Use variety of media to create 2-D and 3-D artwork
- Use and understand the elements and principles of design
- Expand knowledge of color through study of color wheel
- Explore complexities of form and space by using found objects and mixed media
- Work cooperatively in groups
Technology Mission Statement
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School provides for the educational needs of all students through integrating technology-rich curriculum in the areas of basic skills and decision making and encourages a desire for learning, positive social interaction, and mutual respect. This mission is essential if our students are to become productive members of society with its ever-changing technology.
Computer Classroom Vision
St. Stephen’s students will use technology as a tool and resource to facilitate the development of lifelong learners who are equipped for the present and future world of higher education, work and personal pursuits. All students will have access to a technology-rich learning environment that supports and extends the school’s curriculum standards.
Goals and Objectives
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School actively supports the use of technology to enhance learning and to prepare students for productive lives in the Twenty-first century. Through technology, students will have rich learning experiences as they strengthen skills and critical thinking to acquire, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple sources. They will also gain proficiency in communicating and conducting research electronically, enabling them to function effectively and productively in the Information Age.
The objectives are appropriate for each elementary grade level’s development readiness. They should be met by the end of the academic year. However, any of these objectives may be introduced earlier than the specified grade level, depending on students’ readiness. Formal keyboarding instruction will begin in Grade 3 with the use of a keyboarding curriculum and will be continued in succeeding grade levels to increase speed and accuracy. With this proficiency, students will use technology more efficiently and possess a vital skill for further education and future employment.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
LEVEL 2 GRADES 3, 4, 5
By the completion of grade 5 all students should be able to perform the following tasks:
Tasks
- To use the numeric key pad, shift key and symbol keys.
- To apply proper usage of fingers on the keyboard.
- To develop and improve touch typing-keyboarding skills.
- To effectively participate in teacher directed key boarding instruction.
- To change the view of a window using the mouse.
- To create a folder and place files in it.
- To name or rename a file.
- To backup files from the HD by saving to a floppy disk.
- To open two programs simultaneously and switch between programs.
- To master the basic skills of management such as creating new documents, renaming, saving, closing and exiting files.
- To advance word processing skills.
- To customize documents by using alignment, margins and simple tabs.
- To understand word wrap, headers and footers and page breaks.
- To use editing features such as copy, cut, paste, and find/replace.
- To use a spell check.
- To use Word Art to customize documents.
- To use a desktop publishing program effectively.
- To understand the differences between portrait and landscape view in a document.
By the completion of grade 5 all students should be able to perform the following tasks as well as all indicators listed for level 1:
- To develop and plan a slide presentation.
- To create a slide show using a multimedia program.
- To create a slide show using information gathered for a research project.
- To edit text in slides in a slide show presentation.
- To format slides in a slide show presentation using good layout and design concepts.
- To organize slides in a meaningful order to convey an idea.
- To insert a graphic from a file into a slide.
- To import graphics from the Internet into a slide.
- To re-size a graphic in a slide.
- To use transitions.
- To be aware of giving credit to sources and to create a citation slide.
- To learn to critique a presentation using a teacher-created evaluation sheet.
- To use a drawing program.
- To apply special effects (size, re-size, flip, rotate) to a graphic.
- To use line, pointer and text tool in a draw or graphics program.
- To understand the basic principals of page layout and design.
- To understand database terminology such as record, field, category, sort/arrange, search/query, etc.
- To search, sort and print out information from a database.
- To understand what a spreadsheet is and how it is used.
- To create an original spreadsheet.
- To effectively use a spreadsheet application to chart and create a graph to represent survey data.
- To use different types of graphs to represent the same data.
- To edit individual cells in a spreadsheet.
- To save and retrieve a spreadsheet.
- To display or remove grid lines on a spreadsheet.
- To change the design of a spreadsheet. (Column width, font size)
- To add a graphic to a spreadsheet.
- To use computer aided software to strengthen skills in curriculum areas.
- To understand what a LAN is.
- To log off and on a network.
- To open a web browser.
- To use a search engine.
- To demonstrate competency in using information and communication networks.
- To use the internet as a research tool and educational resource.
- To create electronic bookmarks/favorites.
- To enhance projects using online resources.
- To work cooperatively on a project based webquest.
- To understand Internet terminology.
- To use teacher-guided search engines for research purposes.
- To use a flash drive to move electronic files from one computer to another computer.
- To delete files from the hard drive.
- To understand and follow the rules posted in the computer lab.
- To understand and follow rules contained in the school’s Acceptable Use Policy that is signed by both students and parents.
- To understand the consequences of not complying with the school’s Acceptable Use Policy.
- To understand and respect copyright information.
- To understand how technology is used in daily life.
- To work in a group setting to create a presentation in conjunction with the classroom teacher.
- To analyze and evaluate websites with regard to their purpose.
- To understand that websites are sponsored and may have commercial links.
- To understand that computers have handicap accessibility available where needed.
- To understand the dangers associated with using the Internet.
- To understand what controls are in use on the school’s network to keep students as safe as possible on the Internet.
- To learn Internet safety rules.
- To alert parents to Internet Safety websites.
- To learn proper E-mail ettiquette.
- To understand the meaning of cyber-bullying and its consequences.
- To learn the importance of proper ergonomics for sitting at a computer station.
- To use the Internet to effectively gather research data regarding a specific topic.
- To record the sources of Internet research facts.
- To cite sources in student work.
- To organize facts garnered from Internet research.
- To learn about the meaning and importance of key words when conducting a search.
- To be able to analyze and evaluate the usefulness and reliability of a particular website.
- To communicate with the classroom teacher by way of a classroom blog.
- To Introduce computer programming.
- To become familiar with the Armenian keyboard.
- To create documents and slide shows typed in Armenian in conjunction with the Armenian teacher.
- To search websites written in Armenian.
The Physical Education curriculum includes a balance of skills, concepts, game activities, rhythms and dance experiences designed to enhance the cognitive, motor, affective and physical fitness development of every child. Learning experiences encourage children to question, integrate, analyze, communicate and apply cognitive concepts. Activities that are taught in the curriculum allow children the opportunity to work together to improve their emerging social and cooperation skills. These activities also help children develop a positive self-concept. Ongoing fitness activities are part of the continual process of helping children understand, enjoy, improve and/or maintain their physical health and well-being. Grade decisions are based on ongoing individual assessments of children’s skill acquisition as they participate in physical education class activities and/or their effort to do their best while displaying cooperation and positive sportsmanship. The class is designed so that ALL children are involved in activities that allow them to remain active, successful and having fun.
- Demonstrate mature form in basic manipulative skills (overhand throw, underhand throw, kicking a moving ball, catching a ball thrown overhand)
- Demonstrate basic offensive and defensive strategies in invasion (soccer/basketball),striking/fielding (baseball/wiffle ball) and target (bowling) activities
- Perform simple dances
- Use critical elements to improve personal performance
- Participate in establishment of rules, procedures and standards of etiquette that are safe and effective for specific activity situations
- Work cooperatively and productively in a small group to accomplish a set goal
- Recognize the influence of individual differences on participation in physical activities
- Recognize the positive attributes individuals with varying gender, age, ability, race, culture and skill level bring to physical activity