Curriculum Support Selection: Language Arts

As we finish the year, it seems that we gain momentum with each passing day. About Christmas time the kids start talking about the end of the year, then the "Spring Break" hits and they really start thinking about it, and then you have a few days like we have the last 2, where the weather is nice, and the sun is shining, and they (the kids) seem to just be ready for the end. Well, there are many things to accomplish before the kids and teachers leave for the summer, one of those is the selection of materials for Language Arts.

Currently teachers are reviewing sample materials to see how they best fit and align with our curriculum. Each of them has a rubric that they are using to evaluate materials. These rubrics evaluate the organization of the text, the types of student work that is required, how technology fits in with the process, are there allowances for student reflection and analysis, how are the teacher materials organized, and how are things assessed. All of these things are an important part of the selection process and help teachers understand how the texts will support them as they instruct students in the classroom.

The Social Studies teachers are working to identify the standards and benchmarks that are grade level expectations. This procedure has taken a little evaluation and thought on their part, and as we see where "holes" are in our curriculum teachers may even have to pick up a few more benchmarks at the different grade levels. We will be discussing this further in May, and by the time we leave in June we will be able to say, these are our grade level expectations for Social Studies for the X Grade level, or for a specific class in the high school. Knowing this parents and students can plan accordingly and work as a team to meet these expectations during the course of a school year, or the scope of a class.