Elementary Curriculum

Overview

Our kindergarten program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with reading, writing, mathematics, social sciences, science, and technology. Kindergarten is offered in all schools and is a full day program.

Our instruction supports and emphasizes the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  In addition, teachers spend time instructing students on basic grammar skills and teach writing for specific purposes and audiences. 

Phonological Awareness

In kindergarten, our teachers provide phonological awareness instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the Heggerty program.  

The Heggerty curriculum provides daily explicit and systematic whole group phonological and phonemic awareness lessons. The daily lessons cover 8 phonological awareness skills: rhyming, onset fluency, blending, isolating final and medial phonemes, segmenting, adding, deleting and substituting phonemes, and two early literacy skills, alphabet knowledge and language awareness. 

In small group instruction, teachers identify students’ specific areas of phonological need and provide direct instruction.

Phonics 

In kindergarten, our teachers provide phonics instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the Units of Study Phonics Program.

The Units of Study Phonics curriculum provides concise instruction in whole group phonics. In Units of Study, phonics concepts and strategies are taught in a way that keeps pace with students' reading and writing. This helps students understand how  they can use phonics to read and write.

Phonics is also incorporated in the small group setting through systematic and explicit instruction to effectively build decoding and encoding skills. 

Comprehension & Vocabulary

In kindergarten, our teachers provide comprehension instruction through interactive read-aloud experiences in both fiction and nonfiction texts.  Students begin by making connections to the books they hear read aloud. They then move on to learning skills like predicting, retelling, identifying text features, and asking and answering questions.  This shared reading experience also provides a valuable source of new words. Teachers use ideas and activities from the resource, Bringing Words to Life, to choose and bring attention to robust vocabulary that children can then use to power their own verbal expression.  

Writing

Our writing curriculum in kindergarten focuses on meeting students where they are and giving them the foundations to become engaged, purposeful authors. 

Kindergarten teachers scaffold the writing process beginning with handwriting and simple sentence construction.  Students are then taught to write for a variety of purposes. They learn to write using patterns, to tell about their own lives, and finally to write their own stories with a beginning, middle, and end. Students also get to participate in writing their very own research!

Overview

The kindergarten standards place emphasis on developing the concept of number by counting; combining, sorting, and comparing sets of objects; recognizing, describing, and creating simple repeating patterns; and recognizing shapes and sizes of figures and objects. Students will investigate measurement through direct comparisons, collect data, and create graphs. The concept of fractions is introduced through sharing experiences.

While learning mathematics, students will be actively engaged, using concrete materials to facilitate problem solving.

Problem solving is integrated throughout. The development of problem-solving skills is a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level.

Whole Group Math - Number Corner

Over the course of any given month, kindergartners post new markers in the Calendar Grid pocket chart and make observations and predictions about the patterns that emerge; count and record the number of days they’ve been in school; and add cubes, sticks, shapes, or data to a monthly collection. Many days also feature a counting or computation activity—often a game— focused around the five-frame, ten-frame, or the number line. Math becomes less abstract as students work with concrete and accessible models related to reading, writing, and comparing numbers to 20; counting to 100 by 1s and 10s; developing ways to represent and solve addition and subtraction facts and story problems to 10; investigating shapes and using positional language; and measuring and comparing length and weight.

Guided Math

Our teachers utilize a guided math model for math instruction. This instruction is supported by the use of Bridges in Mathematics, Kathy Richardson Resources, Exemplars and VDOE lessons. Students are grouped based on formative and summative data. Each group is then instructed on grade level standards at their level of understanding. 

• Teacher Table consists of instruction using a C-R-A model in which students are able to determine the why behind the do by using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and finally abstract algorightims. Groups are flexible and fluid to ensure that each child is receiving the instruction they need when they need it. 

• Independent Station Work consists of differentiated student practice. Practice can take the form of a small group game, partner work, or an individual activity. 

• Digital Learning time utilizes Dreambox that has a challenging standards aligned curriculum that is evidence-based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solve problems. 

Overview

Our first grade program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with reading, writing, mathematics, social sciences, science and technology. 

Our instruction supports and emphasizes the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In addition, teachers spend time instructing students on basic grammar skills and teach writing for specific purposes and audiences. 

Phonological Awareness

In first grade, our teachers provide phonological awareness instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the Heggerty program.  

The Heggerty curriculum provides daily, explicit and systematic whole group phonological and phonemic awareness lessons. The daily lessons cover 8 phonological awareness skills: rhyming, onset fluency, blending, isolating final and medial phonemes, segmenting, adding, deleting and substituting phonemes, and 2 early literacy skills, alphabet knowledge and language awareness. 

In small group instruction, teachers identify students’ specific areas of phonological need and provide direct instruction.

Phonics 

In first grade, our teachers provide phonics instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the Units of Study Phonics Program.

In Units of Study, phonics concepts and strategies are taught in a way that keeps pace with students' reading and writing. This helps students understand how they can use phonics to read and write.

Phonics is also incorporated in the small group setting through systematic and explicit instruction to effectively build decoding and encoding skills. 

Phonics is also incorporated in small group instruction through systematic and explicit instruction in both letter names and sounds to effectively build decoding and encoding skills. 

Comprehension & Vocabulary

In first grade, our teachers provide comprehension instruction based on grade level Virginia standards through interactive read-aloud experiences in both fiction and nonfiction texts.  Students begin by using their prior knowledge and making connections to the books they hear read aloud. They then move on to learning skills like making predictions, retelling, identifying text features, asking and answering questions, and identifying the theme and main idea. This shared reading experience also provides a valuable source of new vocabulary words. Teachers use ideas and activities from the resource, Bringing Words to Life, to choose and bring attention to robust vocabulary that children can then use to power their own verbal expression.  

Writing

In first grade, our writing curriculum, Being a Writer, focuses on meeting students where they are and giving them the foundations to become engaged, purposeful writers. 

First grade teachers scaffold the writing process beginning with handwriting and simple sentence construction.  Students are then guided to brainstorm ideas and put those thoughts together in writing. Students are also instructed on writing mechanics and conventions that include capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. 

Overview

The first-grade standards place emphasis on counting, comparing, and ordering sets of up to 110 objects; recognizing and describing simple repeating and growing patterns; and tracing, describing, and sorting plane figures. Students’ understanding of numbers is expanded through recognizing and describing part-whole relationships for numbers up to 10, solving story and picture problems using addition and subtraction within 20; using nonstandard units to measure; and organizing and interpreting data. Fractional concepts will be expanded through sharing scenarios involving halves and fourths.

Problem solving is integrated throughout the content strands. The development of problem-solving skills is a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. The development of skills and problem-solving strategies is  integrated early and continuously into each student’s mathematics education.

Whole Group Math - Number Corner

Over the course of any given month, first graders predict and post new markers in the Calendar Grid pocket chart; count and record on a hundreds grid the number of days they’ve been in school; and add cubes, sticks, shapes, or coins to the month’s collection. Many days also feature a counting or computation activity—often a game—focused around the ten-frame, double ten-frame, hundreds grid, or the number line. Math becomes less abstract as students work with concrete and accessible models related to reading, writing, and comparing numbers to 120; counting in groups of tens and ones; developing and using efficient strategies to solve single - and double-digit addition and subtraction problems; measuring length in non-standard units and telling time; and investigating shapes and fractions.

Guided Math

Our teachers utilize a guided math model for math instruction. This instruction is supported by the use of Bridges in Mathematics, Kathy Richardson Resources, Exemplars and VDOE lessons. Students are grouped based on formative and summative data. Each group is then instructed on grade level standards at their level of understanding. 

• Teacher Table consists of instruction using a C-R-A model in which students are able to determine the why behind the do by using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and finally abstract algorightims. Groups are flexible and fluid to ensure that each child is receiving the instruction they need when they need it. 

• Independent Station Work consists of differentiated student practice. Practice can take the form of a small group game, partner work, or an individual activity. 

• Digital Learning time utilizes Dreambox that has a challenging standards aligned curriculum that is evidence-based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solve problems.

Overview

Our second grade program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with reading, writing, mathematics, social sciences, science, and technology. 

Our instruction supports and emphasizes the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  In addition, students spend time learning basic grammar skills and writing for specific purposes and audiences.

Phonological Awareness

In second grade, our teachers provide phonological awareness instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the 95% Group Core Phonics Program. The Core Phonics curriculum provides daily explicit and systematic whole group phonemic awareness lessons. The daily lessons cover increasingly rigorous phonemic awareness skills.

In small group instruction, teachers identify specific areas of phonological awareness and provide direct instruction as needed.

Phonics 

In second grade, our teachers provide phonics instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the 95% Group Core Phonics Program.

The 95% Group Core Phonics Program provides explicit and systematic whole group phonics instruction. It introduces phonics concepts and strategies in a way that keeps pace with students' reading and writing and helps them understand when, how, and why they can use phonics to read and write.

Phonics is also incorporated in small group instruction to effectively build decoding and encoding skills.

Comprehension & Vocabulary

In second grade, our teachers provide comprehension instruction based on grade level Virginia standards through interactive read-aloud experiences in both fiction and nonfiction texts.  Students are taken through the Gradual Release process, “I Do, We Do, You Do,” using mentor texts to model comprehension skills and strategies. They begin by making connections and making and confirming predictions in their texts. They then move on to learning skills that include: identifying story elements, retelling, identifying themes, drawing conclusions, identifying text features, summarizing, and asking and answering questions.  This shared reading experience also provides a valuable source of new vocabulary words. Teachers use ideas and activities from the resource Bringing Words to Life to choose and bring attention to robust vocabulary that children can then use to power their own verbal expression.

Writing

In second grade, our writing curriculum, Being a Writer,  focuses on meeting students where they are and giving them the foundations to becoming engaged, purposeful writers. Students develop basic communication skills as they write fiction stories, nonfiction research, opinion papers, letters, and poetry. 

Second grade teachers scaffold the writing process beginning with handwriting and simple sentence construction.  Students are also instructed on writing mechanics and conventions that include capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.

Overview

The second-grade standards extend the study of number and spatial sense to include three-digit whole numbers and solid geometric figures. Students will continue to learn, use, and gain proficiency in addition and subtraction within 20. Students will begin to use U.S. Customary units to measure length and weight; predict and use simple probability; and create and interpret pictographs and bar graphs. Students will work with a variety of patterns and will develop an understanding of equality.

While learning mathematics, students will be actively engaged, using concrete materials and appropriate technologies to facilitate problem solving. 

Problem solving is integrated throughout the content strands. The development of problem-solving skills is a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. The development of skills and problem-solving strategies is integrated early and continuously into each student’s mathematics education. 

Whole Group Math - Number Corner

Over the course of any given month, second graders predict and post new markers in the Calendar Grid pocket chart; build, sketch, and record arrays to match the day’s date; and collect, display, and analyze measurement or survey data. Many days also feature a counting or computation activity focused around fluency with facts to 20, 100, and 1000 using the ten-frame, double ten-frame, a fixed or open number line, or a number grid. Math becomes less abstract as students work with concrete and visual models related to reading, writing, and comparing numbers to 1,000; counting in groups of hundreds, tens, and ones; developing and using efficient strategies to solve double- and triple-digit addition and subtraction problems; telling time, measuring length and counting money; and investigating two- and three-dimensional shapes, rectangular arrays, and fractions.

Guided Math

Our teachers utilize a guided math model for math instruction. This instruction is supported by the use of Bridges in Mathematics, Kathy Richardson Resources, Exemplars and VDOE lessons. Students are grouped based on formative and summative data. Each group is then instructed on grade level standards at their level of understanding. 

• Teacher Table consists of instruction using a C-R-A model in which students are able to determine the why behind the do by using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and finally abstract algorightims. Groups are flexible and fluid to ensure that each child is receiving the instruction they need when they need it. 
• Independent Station Work consists of differentiated student practice. Practice can take the form of a small group game, partner work, or an individual activity. 
• Digital Learning time utilizes Dreambox that has a challenging standards aligned curriculum that is evidence based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solve problems. 

Overview

Our third grade program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with reading, writing, mathematics, social sciences, science and technology. 

Our instruction supports and emphasizes the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  In addition, teachers and students spend time learning basic grammar skills and writing for specific purposes and audiences. 

Phonological Awareness

In third grade, our teachers provide phonological awareness instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the 95% Group Core Phonics Program.

The Core Phonics curriculum provides daily explicit and systematic whole group phonemic awareness lessons. The daily lessons cover increasingly rigorous phonemic awareness skills.

In small group instruction, teachers identify students’ specific areas of phonological need and provide direct instruction.

Phonics 

In third grade, our teachers provide phonics instruction in both small and large group settings.  This instruction is supported by the use of the 95% Group Core Phonics Program.

The 95% Group Core Phonics Program provides an explicit and systematic  whole group of phonics instruction. It introduces phonics concepts and strategies in a way that keeps pace with students' reading and writing and helps them understand when, how, and why they can use phonics to read and write.

Phonics is also incorporated in small group instruction to effectively build decoding and encoding skills. 

Comprehension & Vocabulary

In third grade, our teachers provide comprehension instruction based on grade level Virginia standards through interactive read-aloud experiences in both fiction and nonfiction texts.  Students are taken through the Gradual Release process, “I Do, We Do, You Do,” using mentor texts to model comprehension skills and strategies. 

Students will learn a variety of comprehension strategies and apply them in both fiction and nonfiction text. When working in fictional text, students will learn to make, confirm, and revise predictions, summarize, draw conclusions and compare and contrast story elements. In nonfiction, students will learn to make, confirm, and revise predictions, summarize, draw conclusions, and preview and use text features to gain new information. 

This reading experience provides a valuable source of new vocabulary words. Teachers use ideas and activities from the resource Bringing Words to Life to choose and bring attention to robust vocabulary that children can then use to power their own verbal expression.  

Writing

In third grade, our writing curriculum, Being a Writer,  focuses on meeting students where they are and giving them the foundations to becoming engaged, purposeful writers. Students develop basic communication skills as they write in a variety of forms to include narrative, descriptive, opinion, and expository.

Third grade teachers scaffold the writing process beginning with sentence and paragraph structure.  Students are also instructed on writing mechanics that include capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. In addition to the conventions of writing, students will learn cursive handwriting. 

Overview

The third-grade standards place emphasis on developing an understanding of, and solving problems that involve multiplication and division through 10 × 10. Students will apply knowledge of place value and the properties of addition and multiplication as strategies for solving problems.  Concrete models and pictorial representations will be used to introduce addition and subtraction with fractions and the concept of probability as the measurement of chance. Students will use standard units (U.S. Customary and metric) to measure temperature, length, and liquid volume. Properties of shapes, points, line segments, rays, angles, vertices, and lines will be explored and students will identify polygons with 10 or fewer sides, combine and subdivide polygons, and name the resulting polygon(s).

Problem solving is integrated throughout the content strands. The development of problem-solving skills is a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. The development of skills and problem-solving strategies is integrated early and continuously into each student’s mathematics education. 

Whole Group Math - Number Corner

Over the course of any given month, third graders predict and post new markers in the Calendar Grid pocket chart; collect and record a unit of measure or a small set of data each day and then make observations and draw conclusions about the collection; play games and participate in activities designed to improve computational fluency; work on a number line with whole numbers, fractions, and mixed numbers; engage in problem strings, a focused whole-group activity designed to increase students’ understanding of mathematical operations and relationships between numbers; and solve problems involving multiple steps, estimating, reasoning, fractions, and all four operations. Math becomes less abstract as students work with concrete and visual models related to multi-digit numbers; fractions; developing and using efficient strategies to add, subtract, multiply and divide; measurement quantities and measurement tools; and investigating and analyzing two-dimensional shapes and their attributes.

Guided Math

Our teachers utilize a guided math model for math instruction. This instruction is supported by the use of Bridges in Mathematics, Kathy Richardson Resources, Exemplars and VDOE lessons. Students are grouped based on formative and summative data. Each group is then instructed on grade level standards at their level of understanding. 

• Teacher Table consists of instruction using a C-R-A model in which students are able to determine the why behind the do by using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and finally abstract algorightims. Groups are flexible and fluid to ensure that each child is receiving the instruction they need when they need it. 
• Independent Station Work consists of differentiated student practice. Practice can take the form of a small group game, partner work, or an individual activity. 
• Digital Learning time utilizes Dreambox that has a challenging standards aligned curriculum that is evidence based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solve problems. 

Overview

Our fourth grade program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with reading, writing, mathematics, social sciences, science and technology. 

Our instruction supports and emphasizes the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  In addition, teachers and students spend time learning basic grammar skills and writing for specific purposes and audiences. 

Comprehension 

In fourth grade, our teachers provide comprehension instruction based on grade level Virginia standards through interactive read aloud experiences in both fiction and nonfiction genres that include: realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, poetry, biography/autobiography, and informational nonfiction.  Students are taken through the Gradual Release process, “I Do, We Do, You Do,” using mentor texts to learn and apply comprehension skills and strategies.  

The fiction standards covered include: making predictions, summarizing, making inferences, drawing conclusions, and comparing and contrasting.

The nonfiction standards covered include: identifying organizational patterns, predicting and categorizing, summarizing, making inferences, and drawing conclusions.

Vocabulary

Teachers use ideas and activities from the resource Bringing Words to Life to choose and bring attention to robust vocabulary that children can then use to power their own expression.  

Fluency

Individualized Daily Reading, or IDR, is a supported independent reading time where students build reading stamina, self-monitoring capabilities and practice comprehension strategies. It is during this time that students are guided to form personal reading goals and practice all of the components of fluency, including: accuracy, expression, and rate.

Writing

In fourth grade, our writing curriculum, Being a Writer, brings together the latest research in teaching writing with support for students’ social and ethical development. Teachers take students through the writing process with guided instruction that follows the gradual release model of “I Do, We Do, You Do.” Students have the opportunity to write in a variety of genres including: personal narrative, opinion, research, poetry, functional, and descriptive writing.  

Students are also instructed on writing mechanics and conventions that include capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. 

Spelling (Phonics)

In fourth grade, teachers provide spelling instruction using Zaner-Bloser’s Spelling Connections: A Word Study Approach. Phonological awareness, phonics, sight word recognition, morphology, and vocabulary building are introduced as interdependent skills in each unit. Students learn how to consider words from all angles and apply their new knowledge across content areas.

Overview

The fourth-grade standards place emphasis on multiplication and division with whole numbers and solving problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions and decimals. Students will develop fluency with multiplication through 12 x 12 and the corresponding division facts as they become proficient in multiplying larger numbers. Students will apply knowledge of place value and the properties of addition and multiplication as strategies for solving problems.  Students also will refine their estimation skills for computations and measurements. Students will identify and describe representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles, including endpoints and vertices. Students will describe and compare characteristics of plane and solid figures. Concrete models and pictorial representations will be used to solve problems involving perimeter and area, patterns, probability, and equivalence of fractions and decimals.

Problem solving is integrated throughout the content strands. The development of problem-solving skills is a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. The development of skills and problem-solving strategies is integrated early and continuously into each student’s mathematics education. 

Whole Group Math - Number Corner

Over the course of any given month, fourth graders predict and post new markers in the Calendar Grid pocket chart; collect and record a unit of measure or a small set of data each day and then make observations and draw conclusions about the collection; play games and participate in activities designed to improve computational fluency, including number line work; engage in problem strings—a focused whole-group activity designed to increase students’ understanding of mathematical operations and relationships between numbers; and solve problems involving multiple steps, estimating, reasoning, fractions, and all four operations including division with remainders. Math becomes less abstract as students work with concrete and visual models related to multi-digit numbers; fractions; developing and using efficient strategies to add, subtract, multiply and divide; measurement quantities and measurement tools; and investigating and analyzing two-dimensional shapes and their attributes.

Guided Math

Our teachers utilize a guided math model for math instruction. This instruction is supported by the use of Bridges in Mathematics, Kathy Richardson Resources, Exemplars and VDOE lessons. Students are grouped based on formative and summative data. Each group is then instructed on grade level standards at their level of understanding. 

• Teacher Table consists of instruction using a C-R-A model in which students are able to determine the why behind the do by using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and finally abstract algorightims. Groups are flexible and fluid to ensure that each child is receiving the instruction they need when they need it. 
• Independent Station Work consists of differentiated student practice. Practice can take the form of a small group game, partner work, or an individual activity. 
• Digital Learning time utilizes Dreambox that has a challenging standards aligned curriculum that is evidence based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solve problems. 

Overview

Our fifth grade program is designed to encourage and support children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Children are involved in daily learning experiences with reading, writing, mathematics, social sciences, science and technology. 

Our instruction supports and emphasizes the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  In addition, teachers and students spend time learning basic grammar skills and writing for specific purposes and audiences. 

Comprehension 

In fifth grade, our teachers provide comprehension instruction based on grade level Virginia standards through interactive read aloud experiences in both fiction and nonfiction genres that include: realistic fiction, mystery, fantasy, historical fiction, poetry, biography/autobiography, and informational nonfiction.  Students are taken through the Gradual Release process, “I Do, We Do, You Do,” using mentor texts to model comprehension skills and strategies.  

The fiction standards covered include: making predictions, summarizing, making inferences, drawing conclusions, and comparing and contrasting.

The nonfiction standards covered include: identifying organizational patterns, predicting and categorizing, summarizing, making inferences, and drawing conclusions.

Vocabulary

Teachers use ideas and activities from the resource Bringing Words to Life to choose and bring attention to robust vocabulary that children can then use to power their own expression.  

Fluency

Individualized Daily Reading, or IDR, is a supported independent reading time where students build reading stamina, self-monitoring capabilities and practice comprehension strategies. It is during this time that students are guided to form personal fluency goals and practice all of the components of fluency, including: accuracy, expression, and rate.

Writing

In fifth grade, our writing curriculum, Being a Writer, brings together the latest research in teaching writing with support for students’ social and ethical development. Teachers take students through the writing process with guided instruction that follows the gradual release model of “I Do, We Do, You Do.” Students have the opportunity to write in a variety of genres including: personal narrative, opinion, research, poetry, functional, and descriptive writing.  

Students are also instructed on writing mechanics and conventions that include capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. 

Spelling (Phonics)

In fifth grade, teachers provide spelling instruction using Zaner-Bloser’s Spelling Connections: A Word Study Approach. Phonological awareness, phonics, sight word recognition, morphology, and vocabulary building are introduced as interdependent skills in each unit. Students learn how to consider words from all angles and apply their new knowledge across content areas.

Overview

The fifth-grade standards place emphasis on number sense with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. This focus includes concepts of prime and composite numbers, identifying even and odd numbers, and solving problems using order of operations for positive whole numbers. Students will develop proficiency in the use of fractions and decimals to solve practical problems. Students will collect, display, and analyze data in a variety of ways and solve probability problems, using a sample space, a tree diagram, or the Fundamental Counting Principle. Students will also solve problems involving volume, area, and perimeter. Students will be introduced to expressions with a variable. Students will solve problems using strategies including place value and the properties of addition and multiplication. All of these skills assist in the development of the algebraic concepts needed for success in the middle grades.

Problem solving is integrated throughout the content strands. The development of problem-solving skills is a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. The development of skills and problem-solving strategies is integrated early and continuously into each student’s mathematics education. 

Whole Group Math - Number Corner

Over the course of any given month, fifth graders predict and post new markers in the Calendar Grid pocket chart; collect and record a unit of measure or a small set of data each day and then make observations and draw conclusions about the collection; play games and participate in activities designed to improve computational fluency; engage in problem strings—a focused whole-group activity designed to increase students’ understanding of mathematical operations and relationships between numbers; and solve problems involving multiple steps, estimating, reasoning, fractions, decimals, conversions, and all four operations. Math becomes less abstract as students use concrete materials and visual models to represent and perform operations with multi-digit numbers, fractions, and decimals. They also use a variety of tools to take measurements in different units while gathering data.

Guided Math

Our teachers utilize a guided math model for math instruction. This instruction is supported by the use of Bridges in Mathematics, Kathy Richardson Resources, Exemplars and VDOE lessons. Students are grouped based on formative and summative data. Each group is then instructed on grade level standards at their level of understanding. 

• Teacher Table consists of instruction using a C-R-A model in which students are able to determine the why behind the do by using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and finally abstract algorightims. Groups are flexible and fluid to ensure that each child is receiving the instruction they need when they need it. 
• Independent Station Work consists of differentiated student practice. Practice can take the form of a small group game, partner work, or an individual activity. 
• Digital Learning time utilizes Dreambox that has a challenging standards aligned curriculum that is evidence based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solve problems.