Welcome to
Central School
Curriculum Night
"Failure is the opportunity to begin
again, more intelligently." - Henry Ford
Teaching Team
Mrs. Biondi
English/Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
[email protected]
Mrs. Dean
or 740-4150
Accelerated English/Language Arts
Accelerated Math
Social Studies
[email protected]
or 740-4181
Classroom Expectations
Expectations
Students are expected to:
Be Responsible
Be timely turning in quality work
Be honest about mistakes and learn from them
Be Respectful
Be a cooperative team member
Be open and respectful with communication
Be Ready to Learn
Be conscience in putting forth a best effort
Rewards
Monthly/Quarterly Rewards
Rewards are based on the weekly work record
monthly/quarterly goal.
Movies
Extra recess
Board/Electronic games day
Ice cream party
Auction / Raffle
(donations always welcome – PLEASE)
Communication
Communication
Weekly Work Record
Will come home on Friday. The record indicates any behavior infractions for the
week, as well as missing homework. In addition, in and out of class projects with
due dates are recorded weekly. The work record requires a parent signature
every week. If the student does not have the record in school signed on
Monday, it counts as a missing assignment.
Assignment Notebook
Should be monitored daily at home.
Progress Book with Parent View
Usernames and passwords have been mailed from the office.
Homework assignments will be posted daily by subject. Assignments
updated regularly.
An excellent tool to monitor work completion.
Grading and Homework
District Grading Policy
Formative (weight 20%)
Assignments and assessments completed on the way to
mastery such as homework and daily practice and quizzes
Working towards understanding
Summative (weight 80%)
Final declaration of mastery or proficiency
Chapter/Unit tests, Culminating project, Common Assessments
Homework
Guidelines
Will be assigned nightly
Should take around 1 hour a night – some
nights will be more others less
Refer to the Family Handbook for Central
Policies
Interims
Our grades will be posted online using Parent View
The District expectation is for grades to be
posted by the midpoint of the quarter and at the
end of the quarter.
Parent View will serve as the interim report unless
a hard copy is requested.
Curriculum
Curriculum
Math
English/Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
Art, Music, PE
LRC
Computer
DARE
Guidance
Accelerated Math
CMP3 - Units
Prime Time
Factors and Multiples
Comparing Bits and Pieces
Ratios, Rational Numbers, and
Equivalence
Let’s Be Rational
Understanding Fraction Operations
Covering and Surrounding
Two-Dimensional Measurement
Decimal Ops
Computing with Decimals and Percents
Variables and Patterns
Focus on Algebra
Data About Us
Statistics and Data Analysis
Accelerated Math
eText books
Online Help – for students and parents
Videos
Math Games
Homework
Online Tests and Quizzes
Test and Quiz results
Study Plan
Accelerated Math
Common Core Mathematical Practices
Standard 1: Make Sense of Problems and Persevere in Solving Them
Standard 2: Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively
Standard 3: Construct Viable Arguments and Critique the Reasoning of Others
Standard 4: Model with Mathematics
Standard 5: Use Appropriate Tools Strategically
Standard 6: Attend to Precision
Standard 7: Look for and Make Use of Structure
Standard 8: Look for and Express Regularity in Repeated Reasoning
Science
Core Curriculum
Life Science
Earth / Space Science
Physical Science
Force / Motion
Sound
Light
Health
Nervous / Endocrine System
English/Language Arts
Core Curriculum
Literature
Informational Text
Foundational Skills
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Language / Grammar
Social Studies
Learning Standards / Skill Topics
History - Historical Thinking and Skills
Geography - Spatial Thinking and Skills
Government - Civic Participation and Skills
Economics - Economic Decision Making and Skills
Economics - Financial Literacy
Social Studies and ELA are integrated subjects
Accelerated Language Arts
College of William and Mary Center for Gifted Education
One of the nation’s foremost centers for gifted education
Literary Reflections
This Language Arts Curriculum exposes high-ability students to exemplary works of
literature that challenge their critical reasoning.
The guiding theme of this unit is the recognition that change affects people and their
relationships as well as the world around them.
Unit activities engage students in discussion and writing about what they have read and
in independent and group learning opportunities that promote skill development in
vocabulary, grammar, persuasive writing, literary analysis, oral communication, and
thinking.
Each discussion question, activity and project is precisely aligned to the analytical,
communication, and reasoning skills that gifted students most need to participate and
succeed in society’s highest levels.
Accelerated ELA
College of William and Mary
Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob's Ladder targets reading comprehension skills in high ability learners.
Three skill ladders are connected to individual readings in poetry, myths/fables, and
nonfiction.
Students move from lower order, concrete thinking skills to higher order, critical
thinking skills.
http://education.wm.edu/centers/cfge/curriculum/index.php
Accelerated ELA
Michael Clay Thompson - Materials
Grammar Voyage – Grammar
Grammar Voyage is founded on very high expectations of children’s abilities to
learn, and on high opinion of the value and fun of grammar.
It provides students with a unique challenge.
The book is intended to be compacted and studied early in the school year, making
it possible to use and apply the valuable knowledge for the remainder of the year.
A month or less is plenty of time to move through the whole book.
Accelerated ELA
Michael Clay Thompson - Materials
Caesar’s English II - Vocabulary / Greek and Latin Stems
Reveals the English language with its Roman beginnings and Latin-English-Spanish
connections.
Teaches the most prevalent Latin stems, show big words aren't necessarily hard.
Discards confines of teaching graded vocabulary, if little children can give the species
names of dinosaurs-a clear proof that they can learn and understand bigger words.
Uses examples of words and their stems were chosen from the best sentences that could
be found--even if a sentence was from books to be more likely read in high school rather
than in elementary school. Included are children's authors such as Sir Walter Scott,
Frances Hodgson Burnett, Kenneth Grahame, and Robert Louis Stevenson, but also the
Bronte, Jane Austen, Defoe, Milton, Morrison and Shelley.
Gifted Students
Gifted students require a differentiated education
because of their unique potential and needs.
They require educational experiences in higher level
thought processes: analysis, evaluation and synthesis.
Gifted students require the opportunity to develop
thinking, affective skills, communication, research, and
independent inquiry skills in all areas of the curriculum.
The curriculum focuses on interdisciplinary enrichment
activities.
Gifted Students
Characteristics
Ability to communicate ideals and feelings by verbal
and nonverbal students:

Has command of a large vocabulary

Uses words fluently and creatively

Is quick to respond

Is eager to relate experiences

Expresses ideas with clarity
Gifted Students
Characteristics
Adaptive behaviors characteristics of cultural group:

Displays a keen sense of humor

Is resourceful and can come up quickly with an alternative

Shows a degree of flexibility when situations call for a
change

Accepts responsibility for actions
Gifted Students
Characteristics
Appropriate application of convergent/divergent processes:

Arrives at a logical conclusion based on given information

Sees the plausible yet unique alternatives of a given situation

More adept at selecting, organizing and retrieving information

Able to expand information beyond what is given

Displays a keen sense of historical time and can sequentially
organize information

Pays close attention to detail in the analysis process

Can transfer learning readily from one situation to the next
Gifted Students
Characteristics
Persistence or commitment to task:

Establishes goals that are realistic although challenging

Demonstrates determination in the fulfillment of goals; tenacity

Is self-disciplined, independent

Displays persistent curiosity

Has a long attention span
Gifted Students
Characteristics
Energetic response to challenging experiences:

Produces works that have a freshness, vitality, and uniqueness

Often initiates the search for information

Desires to learn rapidly

Creates new ideas, substances, processes, and mechanical
devices (inventor)

Is willing to take a risk of failure in new or unfamiliar situations
Gifted Students
Characteristics
Ability in process-oriented curriculum:
May excel in science and math or other process-related
curriculum

Seems aware of aspects in the environment that go unnoticed by
others


Displays some amount of skepticism with new ideas or situations

Asks appropriate, thought-provoking questions

Evaluates carefully based on accurate observation