Mountainside School District March 19, 2018 Curriculum Analysis - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nancy Lubarsky Mountainside School District March 19, 2018

Curriculum Analysis Goal

To utilize the newly formed Professional Development/ Curriculum Committee to assist all teachers in comparing/contrasting both the NJ Common Core Standards and the new NJ Learning Standards existing curriculum documents in 4 curriculum areas with an emphasis on writing – Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies – to identify at least 3 gaps between standards and current implementation.

Process

Date Activity September 5 Project introduced September 6 (half day) 22 (full day), January 29, February 15 Teachers met in grade level or subject area teams to complete the work September 13, November 15, January 10 Professional Development/ Curriculum Committee met to plan, review progress and develop final analysis

Language Arts K-4

Topic Gap Recommendation Phonics Foundations in the lower grades

• Identify developmental sequence that is compatible with

the developmental sequence of reading skills in R/W workshop

• Purchase supplemental materials to support this.

Spelling/Word Study (spelling patterns) Books at higher levels transition spelling patterns to vocabulary (Latin/Greek routes); May not be ready

• Need additional spelling and phonics study compatible

with Readers/Writers workshop

• Purchase supplemental materials to support this.

Grammar and Usage No developmental sequence

• Develop chart, based on state standards, of the non-

negotiable grammar/usage skills that should be taught at each grade level.

• Assign these to compatible reading/writing activities in a

logical, developmental sequence.

• Purchase supplemental materials to support this.

Language Arts Grade 5

Topic Gap Recommendation Grammar No developmental sequence

• Develop chart, based on state standards, of the non-negotiable

grammar/usage skills that should be taught at each grade level.

• Assign these to compatible reading/writing activities in a logical,

developmental sequence.

• Teach grammar/editing(usage) in centers during Writing Workshop as well as

in between units of study.

• Use online tools such as Moby Max to supplement.
• Interactive grammar/usage notebook
• Practice Greek/Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes
• Purchase supplemental materials to support this.

Spelling Books at higher levels in Words Their Way transition spelling patterns to vocabulary (Latin/Greek routes); May not be ready

• Add a homework component to Words Their Way for additional study
• Need additional spelling and phonics study compatible with Readers/Writers

workshop

• Purchase supplemental materials to support this.

Language Arts 6-8

Topic Gap Recommendations Vocabulary acquisition and use Multiple-meaning words, Greek and Latin roots, figures

• f speech

Integrate instruction about parts of speech, and Greek and Latin roots to support students’ understanding of vocabulary and proper usage with their own writing. Conventions of Standard English (Grammar/Usage) No developmental sequence

• Develop chart, based on state standards, of the non-

negotiable grammar/usage skills that should be taught at each grade level.

• Assign these to compatible reading/writing activities in a

logical, developmental sequence.

• Teach grammar/editing(usage) during Writing Workshop as well

as in between units of study.

• Use online tools such as Moby Max to supplement.
• Interactive grammar/usage notebook
• Practice Greek/Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes
• Purchase supplemental materials to support this

Math K-5

Topic Gap Recommendation Fact Fluency Expectations in standards in one grade create lag for the next

• Create flashcards

Word Problems/ Thinking and Reasoning Many children don’t have the prerequisite reading skills

• Create consistent language across grade

levels to use to solve word problems (i.e. key words and phrases) Addition and Subtraction Need more practice with addition/subtraction facts

• Provide more practice time for fluency in

practice Properties of operations Students struggle with these

• Teach these chapters later when students

have more practice with fact fluency Modeling Understanding of fractions

• Increase the amount of modeling. For

example: visual fraction strips; base ten blocks; measurement cubes; 2/3 dimensional figures.

Math 6-8

Topic Gap Recommendation Statistics and Probability Summarizing and describing distribution; summarizing numerical data sets in relation to their context

• Rearrange order in which the curriculum is taught in both 6th

and 7th grade to ensure exposure and continual review of analyzing statistics. Scientific Notation Operations with numbers expressing in scientific notation

• Math teachers will meet with science teachers to discuss

increased use of scientific notation calculations Similarity Transformation Understanding congruency

• f 2-dimentional figures
• 7th Grade curriculum has been rearrange to introduce the topic

prior to 8th grade. This section of the 8th grade curriculum has been moved to later in the year so that students can better conceptualize, grasp, and understand the visual aspects of geometry.

Social Studies K-5

Note: SS is under review beginning this year

Topic Gap Recommendation Civics, Government, and Human Rights Understanding the many facets of family member roles, traditions and family heritage; immigration; Organization of the US Government and government functions

• Need to develop a clear sequence of

instruction to eliminate gaps and redundancies Geography People and the Environment Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between cities, suburbs and towns.

• Need to develop a clear sequence of

instruction to eliminate gaps and redundancies Economics, Innovation and Technology Explain differences between goods and services; identify community helpers; understand economics as a driving force

• Need to develop a clear sequence of

instruction to eliminate gaps and redundancies History, Culture and Perspectives Understand the importance of the government in history; Americans and their ancestors; American identity

• Need to develop a clear sequence of

instruction to eliminate gaps and redundancies

Social Studies 6

Note: SS is under review beginning this year

Topic Gap Recommendation Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras Migratory patterns

• Locate supplementary resources

regarding migration

• Incorporate map skills

Geography and Map Skills Compare/contrast political and physical maps of ancient and modern civilization

• More frequent assessment of

maps and locations to understand why certain civilizations interacted more Legal Systems and Classical Civilizations Compare/contrast American legal system with classical civilizations

• Build a scaffold approach between

grade level: 6th – Greek Democracy, 7th Roman Republic, 8th American Democratic Republic

Social Studies 7 Note: SS is under review beginning this year

Topic Gap Recommendation Economics, Innovation, and Technology How classical civilizations used technology and innovation

• Add military development and its impact
• n urban areas with the development of

an increased division of labor Civics, Government and Human Rights The influence of medieval English legal and constitutional practices

• Introduce legal system by adding a new

unit – scaffold: 6th Greek, 7th Roman, 8th American History, Culture, and Perspectives The influence of the Byzantine Empire on the Islamic world and Western Europe

• Introduce the role of the Byzantine

Empire in relation to the Islamic World

Social Studies 8 Note: SS is under review beginning this year

Topic Gap Recommendation Expansion and Reform How major technological developments revolutionized transportation and the economy; how the concept of the Manifest Destiny influenced the acquisition

• f land
• Develop/expand research writing (DBQ’s)
• Students should engage in more presentations and

lead instruction

• Shift instruction of westward expansion to 5th

grade. CivilWar and Reconstruction The role of multiple factors that affected the course and outcome

• f the Civil War
• Consideration of truncating other topics to cover

the Civil War in more depth.

Science 6-8

(Curriculum underwent major revision 2016-17. This is a fine tuning.)

Topic Gap Recommendations Forces and Interactions Not included in the written document

• Incorporated into curriculum document

Engineering Components in Each Unit Engineering projects were done but not necessarily linked to a specific standard

• Aligned to the specific standard

Forces and Interaction vs. Energy This is included in both grades 6 and 8. Needed specific topics.

• Identified Newton’s Laws, kinetic and

thermal energy in grade 6

• Kinetic and potential energy

relationships and energy changes in grade 8

Science K-5

This is the first year of full implementation for K-5 so gaps and recommendations will be determined at the end of this year.

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Questions