Curriculum Overview: Reading
The following strategies are framed within the context of Reader's Workshop. Students are immersed in quality literature and learn to choose their own books based on interest. The Center of the Study of Reading reports that the single factor most strongly associated with reading achievement - more than the socioeconomic status or any instructional approach - is independent reading (Anderson, Wilson, Fielding, 1988). During the course of the year students will engage in the following strategies outlined. This is done for authentic purposes and in varying contexts.
Activating relevant, prior knowledge (schema) before, during and after reading text. Proficient readers "use prior knowledge to evaluate the adequacy of the model of meaning they have developed" and to store newly learned information with other related memories (Pearson, et.al., 1983; Hanson, 1981).
Students will learn strategies to identify the most important ideas and themes in a text. (Afferbach and Johnson, 1986). Proficient readers develop the ability to filter out extraneous information.
Proficient readers carry on an inner dialogue with the author, ask questions of the author to clarify and focus on making meaning of them.
Create visual and other sensory images from text during and after reading. This strategy aids in a deeper understanding of text.
Retelling and synthesizing what they have read.
The ability to select from an array of strategies to repair comprehension difficulties when they occur.
Curriculum Overview: Writing
"Writing is a struggle against silence"
The December 1999 issue of the "Reading Teacher" reported that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) observed that students who were doing "process writing had higher scores in writing on standardized tests."
Students are working in a Writing Workshop that supports a structure to simulate the strategies real writers use. They work within the confines of the "writing process" as a vehicle to formulate and craft ideas from stories, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as other forms of written expression.
In the Writing Workshop, students are given regular chunks of time in class to write. They learn how to choose their own topics and decide on the purpose and audience for their pieces. Students also learn how to take tests that supply a writing prompt and limit time to write.
Part of the workshop is devoted to teacher reading and modeling quality literature. students notice literary elements of published writers, with the intent of infusing their techniques into their own writing.
The mini-lessons fall into three distinct categories. They are procedural, literary and writing conventions.
Procedural - students learn the practices and procedures of the workshop to help move them smoothly through the writing process.
Literary Craft - students analyze and critique quality literature to incorporate strategies and techniques in their writing.
Writing Conventions - students recognize the purpose and use of grammar, punctuation and spelling as a means to make sense out of print.
As student writing unfolds, the varied genres that are covered are some of the following:
Personal narrative, memoir, biography,expository writing, short story, fables, fairy tales, myths and legends.
Research,essays, news reports, editorials, opinion, poetry, book reviews, letter writing.
Social Studies Curriculum Overview
“Right is of no sex—Truth is of no color—God is the father of us all, and we are all Brethren” Frederick Douglass
The first part of the year we will be studying the events, ideas and people of the United States during the era leading up to the Civil War. We will look at the various reform movements of the first half of the 1800’s, including the abolition of slavery, women’s rights and education. We will then focus on the issue of slavery: the living and working conditions of slaves, the economics of slavery and issues such as state’s rights. Students will discover how the country stood on this issue and how they tried to reach compromise so as to prevent tearing the country apart.
The second part of the year we will study in more detail about the events and issues that led directly to the Civil War. Students will discover President Lincoln’s views on slavery, how they evolved as the war progressed, and how this change impacted the course of the war. Students will learn in detail about the causes and effects of this conflict.
Our final study will look at the aftermath of the Civil War: the period of Reconstruction. Students will make comparisons between this era and the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Students will also draw conclusions about how the Civil War changed the United States, based on events during Reconstruction. Students will use reflection to think about what similarities still exist today.
In addition to the studies just reviewed, current events are a viable part of the social studies curriculum. Students receive a daily copy of the New York Times, monthly issues of Junior Scholastic and regular access to the Internet. These materials provide a vehicle to examine issues that impact on each student’s community, city, state and country.
We know how important an informed and empowered citizenry is to our democracy. Since Side by Side Community School was founded on the principles of social justice, we believe that as our students learn how to develop their voice and be active participants in their world, they will contribute to fostering social justice for future generations.