Parent Guide to the Curriculum

INTRODUCTION

In September of 2022, the Faculty of The Catholic Academy of Stamford embraced the task of examining and updating the current curriculum for the school as one of the major objectives identified in the multi-year Strategic Plan: Building Strong Foundations.

Under the direction of Patricia E. Brady, Head of School and Patrice Kopas, Director of Curriculum and Assessment for the Diocese of Bridgeport, our faculty worked in committee to establish school – level, subject area and grade level curriculum goals. Each grade level or subject area teacher identified the skills and content per grade and per subject that you will find within this document.

Part One of our curriculum update is to present to you as parents the first three subject areas that have been completed and will be used to guide instruction beginning in August of 2023: Language Arts, Math and Science. Each faculty member has a copy of this curriculum and uses it to guide the planning and instruction during the course of the school year. Part Two of this process will begin at the start of the 23-24 school year and include the subject areas of Religion, Social Studies, Spanish, Art, Physical Education, and Music.

Included with this curriculum guide is the new document to accompany the curriculum called The Catholic Academy of Stamford’s Parent Guide to the Curriculum. This Parent Guide is distributed at the start of each year to parents for the particular grade level their child is entering. The guide is also provided in total for each teacher. We are grateful to the parents on the Strategic Planning domain for Academics with their help on this document.

It is our hope that all who will teach our children this year, and in years to come, will find the curriculum and the parent guide helpful in preparing and planning for instruction and in working as a partner with parents in the education of the children God places in our care at The Catholic Academy of Stamford

August 28, 2023

Feast of St. Augustine Patron of the Diocese of Bridgeport

THEPLAYFULPRE-KINDERGARTEN3-YEAR-OLD

Thepreschoolyearsareamagicaltimeinthedevelopmentofyourchild.Theirindividual personalitiesreallybegintoshine.Developingimportantsocialskillsisnecessarybeforestarting Kindergarten.Duringyourchild’spreschoolyears,he/shewilllearnhowtoshareandcooperate. Childrenwillworktogether,taketurns,andparticipateingroupactivities.Thepreschool3 studentwillfollowsimpledirections,andcommunicatehis/herwantsandneeds.Childrenare naturallycuriousbeings,theworldaroundthemisfascinatingtothem,andthepreschool classroomisanenvironmentthatfosterstheirinnatecuriosity.

Athome,youcanreinforcesomeoftheskillslearnedinyourchild’spreschoolclassroomby doingbasicthingssuchasreadingwithhim/herandbyallowingyourchildtodosimplechores aroundthehouse.Tellingyourchildastoryandthenhavinghim/herretellitbacktoyoucanbea funactivity,aswell.Encourageyourchildtoplaywithotherchildrenbyarrangingplaydatesif possible,orjustbyplayingwithothersatthelocalparkorplayground.Thepreschool3child doesbestwhentheirenvironmentisorganizedandpredictable.Clearandconsistentrulesand expectationsarebestforfacilitatingappropriatebehaviorinyourchild.

Thepreschoolyearsarefilledwithdiscovery,playandoveralldelight.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN3 LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Useacceptedwordsforobjects,actionsandattributesencounteredfrequentlyinbothreal andsymboliccontexts

● Begintousesomewordsthatarenotapartofeverydayconversationalspeechbutthat arelearnedthroughbooksandpersonalexperiences

● Communicateaboutcurrentorremovedeventsand/orobjects

● Connectswords,phrases,andsentencestobuildideas

● Maintainatopicofconversationoverthecourseofseveralturns

● Answersimplewho,what,whereandwhyquestions

● Showinterestinavarietyofbooks

● Demonstratecomprehensionthroughretelling

● Recognizethatprintrepresentsspokenwords(firstnameinprint,environmentallabels)

● Identifysomeprintedwordsand/orcommonsymbols(bathroomsigns)inthecontextof environment

● Recognizesomelettersespeciallythoseinone’sownname

● Recognizerhymingwordsinsongs,chantsorpoems

● Identifywheninitialsoundsinwordsarethesame

● Writeinamannerthatisdistinctfromdrawing.Combinescribbleswithletter-likeforms

● Usesvariousdrawing/arttoolswithdevelopingcoordination

CONTENT

● LanguageComprehension

● Vocabulary

● Expressionofideas,Feelings,andNeeds

● LanguageStructure

● ConventionsofConversation

● LanguageandInteraction

● InterestandEngagementwithBooks

● UnderstandingofStoriesorInformation

● PrintConcepts

● LetterRecognition

● PhonologicalAwareness

● DrawingandWriting

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Language Arts skills and content:

● SingaSongTogether

● ListentoNurseryRhymes&Readthemtogether

● AlphabetGamesGalore: See,Say,Trace,&Do

● MakeCardsofDifferentShapes&Colorswiththealphabetletter

● Mixupthecardslikealphabetsoup; pullthemfromthepileandidentifytheletterand thesounds.

● ScavengerHunt:

○ Pullobjectsfromabin.

○ Identitytheobject.

○ Askwhatinitialsoundtheobjectbeginswithex.BearisB

○ Repeatthesoundtogether.

○ Pullanotherobjectout.

● SortingGames: Sorttheobjectsyoupulledoutbyanysound. AlltheD Dollsgo together

● StoryGames:

○ Createastoryabouttheobjectsthatyouhavetakenout.

○ Alternatevoices; adultstartsthestory&childfinishesthestory.

○ Makeapuppetcharacterfromanoldsock;therealwaysseemtobeonethatgot lostinthewash.

○ Roleplayormimicastorythatyouhaveread.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● LocalLibraryActivitiesareidealforearlyliteracyactivitiesandremainopentothe publicforscheduled read/singalongsthroughouttheyear.

○ FergusonLibrary,Stamford,Connecticut,MainCampusandHarryBennett Library,Stamford,Connecticut.

https://www.fergusonlibrary.org/locations-hours/harry-bennett

● Seeachildren’sshowwherestoriescometolife!

○ WestportCountryPlayhouse,Westport,Connecticut.

https://www.westportplayhouse.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwq4imBhBQEiwA9Nx1Bv gxDxWrFahzztCFSuSx1HBITpqMth7dBjndMBqr6qfUwneQU_85URoCXQwQ AvD_BwE

○ RidgefieldPlayhouse,Ridgefield,Connecticut. https://ridgefieldplayhouse.or EngagewithaGroup,Tumble, andListentoMusic

○ MyGym,Stamford,Connecticut.https://www.mygym.com/stamford/

PRE-KINDERGARTEN3 MATH

SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Sayorsignthenumbersequenceuptoatleast10

● Countuptoatleast5objectsusingone-to-onecorrespondence

● Countoutasetofobjectsuptofour

● Recognizewrittennumeralsuptoatleast5

● Withoutcounting,recognizenumberofobjectsinsmallgroupsofatleast3or4objects

● Comparesetsof1-5objectsusingvisualmatchingorcountingstrategyanddescribing thecomparisonasmore,lessthan,orthesame

● Usessizewordstodescribeobjects

● Understandthataddingto(ortakingaway)oneormoreobjectsfromagroupwill increase(ordecrease)theobjectsinthegroup

● Recognizemeasurableattributessuchaslength,weight,orcapacity

● Sortandclassifyobjectsinto2groups,countandcomparethequantityofthegroups (indicatewhichismore)

● Sortandclassifyobjectsbyoneattributeintotwoormoregroups(color,size,shape)

● Identify2dimensionalshapes

CONTENT

● Counting

● WrittenNumerals

● RecognitionofQuantity

● Comparison

● NumberOperations

● Measurement

● Data

● SortingandClassifying

● SpatialRelationships

● IdentificationofShapes

● NumberNames

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Math skills and content:

PlayBasedMathActivities: MakeitFun!

● Countcars.

● Pointoutthecolorofthings.

● Counthowmanyjumpsyoucando.

● Point todifferentshapesinthepark.

● Count howmanypeasareonyourplate.

● Look fornumbersonmailboxes.

● Counthowmanytimesyouswing.

● Sing!Cleanup,cleanupsongwithcategoriesoftoysbeingputaway. Putthetinydolls inthedollhouse. Putthetubed,roundlogsinthelogbin. Putthesmallstuffiesonthe longshelf.

● Counthowmanytimesyougodowntheslide.

● Putstickersbygroupsonaposter

● Createacollagebycategories.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● Play=Learning/Learning=Play!

○ Anypublicortownparkprovidesplaceforplay!

○ Seasonalfeesapplyandpermitsmaybeobtainedthroughyourtown’s governmentcenter

○ Offseasonsarefree!

● Enjoythedaycollectingshells. Howmanycandidyoufind? Listedbelowarejustafew localseasideparkstocountthehoursaway:

○ CoveIslandPark,Stamford,Connecticut.CoveIslandPark|VisitCT

○ WestBeach,Stamford,Connecticut.WestBeach|ParksandRecreationSites| Stamford,CT

○ BayleyBeach,Norwalk,Connecticut.BayleyBeach-OfficialWebsiteof Rowayton6thTaxingDistrict

○ WeedBeach,Darien,Connecticut.WelcometotheTownofDarien,ConnecticutWeedBeach

● Useallthesensestodevelopthemind, body,&spirit

○ SteppingStonesMuseum,Norwalk,Connecticut. https://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/ Youmaybevisitingthissiteagain; eachtimebringsanotherdiscovery!

○ TheBestTimeEver,Stamford,Connecticut. Makeacolorfulmemorythrough manyartprojects;learnthecategoriesofoptions andmixcolorstocreatea beautifuldaywithfriendsandfamily. https://www.thebesttimeever.com/

PRE-KINDERGARTEN3 SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Intentionallyvaryactionsinordertoobservetheeffectofthoseactionsonmaterials

● Citeexamplestosupporttheirideas

● Compareandcontrastbasicfeaturesoflivingthings(bodypartsandtheiruses)between andacrossgroups

● Explorehowanimalsdependupontheenvironmentforfood,water,andshelter

● Investigatehowobjects’speedanddirectioncanbevaried

● Observe,record,andnotepatternsregardingweatherandtheeffectsontheimmediate environment(rainoveraperiodofdayscausesflooding,sunnydayscausetheflowerbed todryout)

● Investigatehowhumansusedesignsolutionstoadaptnaturalresourcestomeetbasic needscuttreestobuildhouses,makeapplesauceoutofapples)

CONTENT:

● DefiningProblems

● Investigating

● UsingEvidence

● UnityandDiversityofLife

● LivingThingsandTheirInteractionswiththeEnvironmentandEachOther

● Energy,Force,andMotion

● EffectsofWeatherandWater

● Earth&HumanActivity

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Science skills and content:

● Keepadailyweatherchartwith2columns. OnecolumnstatesPredictionandtheother columnisentitledEvidence. Predicttheweatheranddrawasunorrainorclouds. Compareyourpredictiontotheevidence,theweatheroftheday.

● Makeicecubesandtimehowlongtheymeltundervarioustemperatureandconditions. Placeonetrayinthesunandtheotherinthehome.

● Kickdifferentsizeballsinthefieldsoratapark. Whichonegoesfarthest?

● TakeapapercuptotheLongIslandSoundandscoopupsomewater. Whatdoyousee? Youwouldbesurprisedatwhatyoufind.

● TakeaferryridetoPortJefferson. Experiencethewindinyourface. Isthereamotor?

● Gotoalocalfarmandpickwhatisinseason-applesorpumpkins?

● ReadEyeSpybooks. Identifytheobjectonthepage.

● Walkthroughamazewithyourfamily.

● Wrapapresenttogether,usingglueortape. Scissorswillneedsupervision.

● Bakeacaketogether; crackaneggandmixthecontentsinthe bowl. Observethe bakingprocessofthecakerisingunderincreasingoventemperatures.

● Observeallthatgoesintoyouryard. Nametheanimalsthatflyorraceby. Countthem together.

● Touchdifferentfruitswithclosedeyes. Feelandsmellthefruits. Guesswhattheyare, andthenenjoyanappleororange.

● Makestandswithdifferentfoundationsex.Papervs.cardboardandpredictwhichone willholdthebookthatwillbeplacedontopofthemediumbetter

● Fill4bucketswithwaterandtake4objectstobeplacedinthebucket. Predictwhichone willsinkorfloat. Explainwhy.

● Singallchildhoodsongstogether. Stopthemusicatalineandhavethechildsingsoloto completethesong.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● NatureCentersofferdiverseexperiencesandanimalsandecosystems.Luckily,localones areashortdrivefromCAS.

○ NewCanaanNatureCenter,NewCanaan,Connecticut. https://newcanaannature.org/

○ DarienNatureCenter,Darien,Connecticut.https://www.dariennaturecenter.org

● Farmsappealtoallthesensesinalltheseasons.

○ SilvermanFarm,Easton,Connecticut.https://www.silvermansfarm.com/

○ FlamigFarm, Simsbury,Connecticut.https://flamigfarm.com/

THEPRECIOUSPRE-KINDERGARTEN4-YEAROLD

ThePre-Kindergarten4yearoldisanotherbuildingblockinpreparationforKindergarten. Childrenatthisagehaveavarietyofinterests,andtheycanbegintodemonstratepreferencesfor oneactivityoveranother Theyareplayful,andtheirabilitytocommunicateexplodesduringthis year Thepreschool4childisabletoappropriatelycommunicatenotjustwantsandneeds,but feelingsandexperiences.The4-year-oldchildisexcitedbytheworldaroundhim/her,andtheir zestforlifeisawondertowatch.Duringthisimportantyear,lettersandnumbersareintroduced. Yourchildwillworkagreatdealwithcolors,shapesandsizes.He/shewillalsobeginto understandsequencing(first,middle,last).Pre-readingskillsaredevelopedatthistime.Students workonrhymingsounds,andtheylistentoandtalkaboutstories.Manypreschoolerscanread theirownnamesandsomesimplewords.Earlywritingandrotecountingarealsointroduced.

Asparents,youhaveavitalroleinsupportofyourchild’seducation.Continuetoreadwith him/her.Giveyourchildtheopportunitytomakesimplechoices,suchaschoosingwhattowear, whatgamestoplayorwhatsnacktoeat.Haveasteadybedtimeandmealtimeroutine/schedule, andbeclearandconsistentwhendiscipliningyourchild.Itisveryimportantatthisageand goingforwardtolimittelevisionandcomputertime,or“screentime,tojustonetotwohoursa day.Monitorwhatyourchildiswatching,andtakeadvantageofparentalcontrolsonappsand devices.

Thepreschoolchildisawondrous,joyouscreature.Enjoytheworldrightalongwiththem.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN4 LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Understandanincreasingvarietyandspecificityofwordsforobjects,actionsand attributesencounteredinbothrealandsymboliccontexts.

● Understandincreasinglycomplexsentencesthatinclude3-4concepts

● Useanincreasingvarietyandspecificityofacceptedwordsforobjects,actionsand attributesencounteredinbothrealandsymboliccontexts

● Usemorecomplexwordstodescribetherelationshipsbetweenobjectsandideas

● Usebasicgrammarrulesincludingsubject-verbagreement,tenses,regularandirregular pasttense,irregularplurals

● Initiate,maintainandendconversationsbyrepeatingwhatotherpersonsaysand/orby askingquestions

● Uselanguagetoshareideasandgaininformation

● Independentlychooseto“read”booksandselectavarietyoftextsincludingfictionand nonfiction

● Withpromptingandsupport,retellfamiliarstories,includingstoryelementsand/orshare keydetailsfrominformationaltext

● Knowhowprintisread(lefttoright,toptobottom,fronttoback)

● Knowthatbookshavetitles,authors,illustratorsorphotographers

● Recognizewordsasaunitofprintandthatlettersaregroupedtoformwords

● Identifysomefamiliarprintedwordsoutofcontext

● Begintouseawarenessoflettersoundsalongwithpicturestoreadwordsintext

● Recognizeandnameknownlettersofthealphabetinfamiliarandunfamiliarwords

● Makesomeletter-soundconnections

● Producerhymingwordsorwordsthathavesameinitialsound

● Recognizewhichwordsinasetofwordsbeginwiththesamesound

● Distinguishsyllablesinwords

● Draworiginalstorieswithabeginning,middleandend

● Useearlydevelopmentalspelling.Mayuseoneletterfortheinitialorfinalsoundto representwholeword

CONTENT

● WordComprehension

● LanguageComprehension

● Vocabulary

● ExpressionofIdeas,FeelingsandNeeds

● LanguageStructure

● ConventionsofConversation

● LanguageforInteraction

● InterestandEngagementwithBooks

● UnderstandingofStoriesorInformation

● BookConcepts

● PrintConcepts

● LetterRecognition

● PhonologicalAwareness

● DrawingandWriting

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Language Arts skills and content:

● Writearelativeacard.

● Writeyournameinchalkonablacktop.

● Takea familyweeklytriptothelocallibrarytoseewhat’snewthere.

● Writeyourteacheraholidaycard. Signyourname.

● Listentolimerickstogether

● Gocaroling.

● Haveateaparty;inviteafriendwithahandwritteninvitation.

● Readaloudnightly.

● Createanamebraceletforfriendsandwithafriend.

● Identifythelicenseplatelettersonatrip.

● Makeamicrophoneoutoftinfoilandsingafavoritesong.

● Playgames

○ 20questionswithemphasisonthesoundofaletter

○ Iseeanobjectwiththe“B”sound…

○ Pictionary

○ Charades

○ SeetheMovie&Readthebookatthesametime.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● CheckforChildren’sTheatrePerformances&RetelltheStoryline&PutonyourOwn VersionoftheShow

● RidgefieldPlayhouse,Ridgefield,Connecticut.https://ridgefieldplayhouse.org/

● WestportCountryPlayhouse,Westport,Connecticut.https://www.westportplayhouse.org/

● DisneyonIceandotherStorylineShowEventsatTotalMortgageArena,Bridgeport, Connecticut.https://www.totalmortgagearena.com/

● Socialize,PutyourSignatureontheArt,&ShareYourWorksofArtVerbally

● HandsonPottery,Darien,Connecticut. http://www.hopct.com/

● HappyHandsArtandPottery,Wilton,Connecticut.https://www.hhpottery.com/

PRE-KINDERGARTEN4 MATH

SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Saythenumbersequenceuptoatleast20

● Countupto10usingone-to-onecorrespondencetocountaccurately

● Countoutasetofobjectsuptofive

● Recognizewrittennumeralsuptoatleast10

● Recognizeandname,withoutcounting,thenumberofobjectsincollectionsofuptoat leastfiveitems.

● Comparesetsofupto10objectsusingavisualmatchingorcountingstrategyand describingthecomparisonasmore,lessthanorthesame.

● Userealworldsituationsandconcreteobjectstomodelandsolveadditionand subtractionproblemsupthroughfive.

● Comparemeasurableattributesoftwoormoreobjectsanddescribethecomparisonusing appropriatevocabulary(longer/shorter,samelength,heavier/lighter,sameweight,holds more/less/sameamount)

● Representdatausingaconcreteobjectorpicturegraphaccordingtooneattribute

● Sortandclassifyasetofobjectsonthebasisofoneattributeindependentlyanddescribe thesortingrule.Canre-sortandclassifythesamesetofobjectsbasedonadifferent attribute

CONTENT

● Counting

● Numbernames

● WrittenNumerals

● RecognitionofQuantity

● Comparison

● NumberOperations

● Measurement

● Data

● Sorting,classifying,andpatterning

● SpatialRelationships

● IdentificationofShapes

● CompositionofShapes

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Math skills and content:

● TakeaWalkintheParkorattheBeach. Imet….describethepeopleanddogs you meetbystature:colorofhairheight&dogbreeds.

● Identifythelicenseplatenumbersyouseealongatrip. Inoticed…numbers,states, colors….

● HandsonBuilding:Buildalogcabinwithlegologsandcountthelogsafterreadingthe TheThreeLIttlePigs. Canyouhuffandpuffandblowthehousedown?

● Rollthedice&Countthenumberstototalthenumbers. Taketurnsplayingthegame.

● Draw6 rectanglesonconstructionpaper&insertcategoriesofstickers.Counthow manyareineachrectangle. Thenextday,drawcircles&gluepompomsbycolorsinto thecircles.Thenextday,drawtriangles! Etc.Learnshapeswhilecounting.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● Countliveanimalsinnaturemuseums andlife-sizestatuesofdinosaurswholivedlong ago.

● StamfordNatureMuseum,Stamford,Connecticut.https://www.stamfordmuseum.org/

● DarienNatureMuseum,Darien,Connecticut.https://www.dariennaturecenter.org/

● DinosaurStatePark,RockyHill,Connecticut.http://www.dinosaurstatepark.org/

● Takeanotherwalkinyourlocal park;countthepeopleyoupass. Gotothenearbytown andcomparehowmanywereinyourparkvs.thetownnextdoor.

○ CalfPasturePark,Norwalk,Connecticut.

https://www.norwalkct.gov/2094/Calf-Pasture-and-Shady-Beach

● Takeawalkaroundyourneighborhoodandcountthesquirrelswhoseemtobebusyall fourseasons.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN4 SCIENCE

SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Defineaproblemtobesolvedincludingdetailsandlimitationstobeconsidered

● Engageincollaborativeinvestigationstodescribephenomenaortoexplorecauseand affectrelationships

● Giveevidencefromobservationsorinvestigations

● Begintodistinguishevidencefromopinion

● Groupandclassifylivingthingsbaseduponfeatures,providingevidencetosupport groupings

● Provideexamplesofhowanimalsdependonplantsandotheranimalsforfood

● Makepredictionsandconductsimpleexperimentstochangedirection,speedand distanceobjectstomove

● Evaluatetheappropriatenessofamaterialforagivenpurposebaseduponitsproperties

● Giveexamplesofwaysinwhichweathervariables(hot/coldtemperatures)

● Explorehowhumans’useofnaturalresourcesimpactstheenvironment(Ifwecatchall thesalmon,thiscannolongerbeafoodsource. Cuttingdowntreescancauseerosion.)

CONTENT:

● QuestioningandDefiningProblems

● Investigating

● UsingEvidence

● UnityandDiversityofLife

● LivingThingsandTheirInteractionswiththeEnvironmentandEachOther

● Energy,ForceandMotion

● MatteranditsProperties

● Earth’sFeaturesandtheEffectsofWeatherandWater

● Earth&HumanActivity

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Science skills and content:

● WatchtheSunsettogether Earlybirdsmaywatchthesunrises. Whathappenswhenthe moondisappears?

● Observeflagsorwindchimesformovementand winddirection. Whatcolorsareonthe flags?

● Catchfirefliesinajarwithholesandwatchthemflickerbeforereturningthemtonature. Counthowmanyyoucatch. Whyaretheresomany?Sofew?Predicthowmanywillfly tomorrow

● Afterarainstorm,counttheworms. Pickoneupifyouwish. Howdotheywriggle? Whydon’ttheywalklikehumans?

● VisitabutterflygardenthatvisitstheMaritimeCenter,orwatchthedifferentonesflutter inyouryardinspring. Letthemlandonyou,butdon’ttouch. Why?

● Birdwatchtogether BlueJayorHummingbird? Whichoneeatsbirdseed?

● Findastarfishorcrabwhilewalkingalongthebeach. Aretheyalive?

● Gotothefishstore. WhydoBetaslivealone?

● Completeanartproject,usingsafescissorsandvariouswashablemediums(avoid Sharpies).

● Whatdoyouenvision? Doyouwanttodrawawildanimalorahousepet?

● Createanherbgardeninsideorout. Nurturetheplants,observingtheirgrowth. Howdo theytaste-basilvs.oregano,forinstance?

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● TrygrowingyourowngardenafterlearninghowplantsgrowfromyourlocalNursery EdenFarms,Stamford,Connecticut.https://edenfarmsllc.com/

● Visitanimalsyoumightnowseeinyourbackyard. MeadFarm,Stamford,Connecticut. https://www.meadfarm.com/

● Farmer’sMarketsarescheduledofteninthesummertime. Visitalocalone,butcheckthe availabilityeachyear. Bringhomeavegetable,usingyourbusinessandmathskills,too! StamfordFarmersMarket, Stamford,Connecticut,Saturdays9-1p.m.AtlanticStreet, LandmarkSquare.

http://stamford-downtown.com/events/stamford-downtown-farmers-ma

● VisittheFarmStoresontheFarmsortheroadsidevegetablestandsonyourroadtrips. Askthelocalshowtheygrowtheircropsandtastethefreshnessofsomefruits. Compare thepricestoyourlocalgrocerystoreandcountyourchangecarefully LymanOrchard’s FarmStore, Middlefield,Connecticut.

https://lymanorchards.com/apple-barrel/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&ut m_campaign=gmb_listing&utm_id=gmb_listing (LymanOrchards)(Middlefield,CT)

● Howdoesyourgardengrow? Doesitgrowineachseason?BotanicalGardensoffer seasonalobservationsofplantgrowth.BronxBotanicalGardensisrightdowntheroad andacrossthestreetfromtheBronxZoo. ParkatFordhamUniversityifthelotisfullor takethetraindirectlyfromtheStamfordMetroStationtoBotanicalGardenstop.

BronxBotanicalGardens,Bronx,NewYork.

https://www.nybg.org/event/ebony-g-patterson/?gclid=CjwKCAjwq4imBhBQEiwA9Nx1Bu4fT QF7UO1mT1IcKA0I6rU3dOpwgUyAL0pEhuhujq_zNUNbaTvveBoC2poQAvD_BwE

● Visitwaterfallsinalltheseasonsandcomparethestateofthewater.

Mianus RiverPark,Stamford,Connecticut.

https://www.friendsofmianusriverpark.org/explore/directions

BeyondConnecticut

WatermillMuseum, Watermill,NewYork.https://watermillmuseum.org/

THEKINETICKINDERGARTNER

TheKindergartenyearisayearofforminganeducationalfoundation. Itisthefirststepin supportingyourchildthroughmanyyearsofschoolandbeyond. Themostwonderfulfactorin thelearningexperiencesinKindergartenisthattheyarefun. You,asparents,shouldenjoythis periodandshareinthefunasyouandyourchildexpandhis/herworld.

Kindergartenersareinvestigative. Theywanttoknowthehowandwhyofthings. Therefore, TheCatholicAcademyofStamfordKindergartnersareexposedtoage-appropriate developmentalskillsthatwillpreparethemforreading,writingandworkingwithnumbers.

Kindergartenersareactiveandoftenrestless. Theirclassespreparethemtoworkincooperative groups. Theyarecuriousabouttheirworldandfrequentlyaskquestionstobetterunderstandit. Theyaregenuineintheirwordsandexpressions,andthethingstheysaycansurpriseyouat times.Theyareabsorbingbothacademicandsocial/relationalconceptsatarapidrateduringthis time.

Itisimportantnottolookuponthisyearas“justKindergarten”. Thehabitsthatyourchild acquiresinKindergartenwillfollowhim/herthroughouthis/hereducation. Itisvitaltoyour child’seducationalgrowththatyousetroutinesincludinganestablisheddailyhomeworktime. Thisperiodmayincludereadingand/orcoloringwithyourchild,andimportantlyreviewingthe day’sactivities. Theformationofthisroutinewillestablishstrongstudyhabits.Itisalso importanttoestablishfirmandconcreteguidelinesandlimitsforscreentime.Excessivetimeon devicessuchasipadsandvideogamingsystemscanimpactachild’sattention,focusand socializationskills.

Forfiveyearsyouhavelovinglyraisedandnurturedyourchild. Itisnowtimetoletyourchild passthroughtheimportantdoorwaytoKindergarten. Itisnaturalthatyoumayfeelbothjoyand apprehension.

Kindergartenersareextraordinaryindividualswhowillcontinuallyastonishyou.

KINDERGARTEN LANGUAGEARTS SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Usepicturesandapplypriorknowledgetogainmeaningfromprint

● Traceandwritelettersandwordswithpropersizing,spacingandletterformation

● Identifylettersandtheircorrespondingsounds

● Useknowledgeofsound-symbolrelationshipstoformandreadwords

● Distinguishbetweenconceptsofprint(letters,words,spacebetweenwords)

● Communicatetheirthoughtsthroughinventivespellinginsimplesentences

● Listentogradelevelstories

● Makepredictionsanddrawconclusionsaboutastory

● Identifygradelevelsightwords

● Followwordsfromlefttorightandtoptobottomontheprintedpage

● Identifybookconcepts(cover,title,author,andillustrator)

● Recognizethesequenceofstories(beginning,middle,andend)

● Showappreciationforliterature(fictionandnonfiction,fairytales,poetry)

● Discussandretellstoriesfromemergentreaderbooks

● Understandpropernounsandpluralsendings

● Distinguishbetweenpluralandsingularnouns

● Understandanduseverbscorrectlyinsentences

CONTENT:

● Writingprocess

● Bookconcepts

● Directionality

● Readingpurpose

● Readingcomprehensionstrategies

● Beginning,middleandendofstories

● Genre

● Gradelevelsightwords

● Rhymingwordsandwordfamilies

● Phonemicawareness

● Handwritingskills

● Oneandtwostepdirections

● Grammarrules

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the Language Arts skills and content:

● Takeyourchildtoyourlocalpubliclibrary. Registerhim/herforhis/herownlibrary card. Meetthechildren’slibrarian,findthechildren’spicturebooksectionandcheckout someinterestingbooks.

● Readthestory,TheHungryCaterpillar,byEricCarle. Makeapuppetfromanoldsock. Haveyourchildactoutthestorywiththepuppet.

● Checkawordlessbookoutfromthelibrary Awordlessbookhasnotext,only illustrations. SomesuggestionsareBubble,BubblebyMercerMayer,DeepintheForest byBrintonTurkle,TheSnowman,byRaymondBriggs. Also,askthelibrarianfor additionaltitles. Letyourchild“read”thebooktoyoubylookingatthepicturesand makingupastorytoaccompanythepictures. Encourageyourchildtousemany descriptivewords.

● Whiledrivinginthecar,play“AlphabetISpy.” Taketurnstellingeachotherwhatletter tohuntforandfindingit.

● Haveyourchildpracticeprintinghis/herfirstname(capitallettertobeginthenameand thenlowercaseletters). Whenhe/shehasmasteredthisskill,teachhim/hertoprint his/herlastname,thenthemiddlename. Moveontobrothers’,sisters’,evenpets’ names.

● Practicerhymingwithyourchild. Readrhymingbooks.(i.e.TheCatintheHat,The GingerbreadMan,etc.)Makeupnonsensesentences. Youbeginthesentenceandyour childcompletesitwitharhymingword. Example: Ihaveaparrotthatlikestoeata (carrot). Mymommadestew;itlookedlike (glue).

● Play“ColorDetective.” Haveyourchildfindtenbluethingsinthelivingroom. Vary theroom,thecolor,andthenumbereachtimeyouplay

● Checkastorybookwithanaccompanyingtapeoutfromthelibrary. Setasideatime duringthedaytolistentothetapetogetherasyoufollowalongwiththebook.

● Haveyourchildmakehis/herownstorybook. Useinventivespellingandhaveyourchild illustratethebook.

● Discussandretellstoriesfromemergentreaderbooks. Askfordetails(characternames, setting,andincludesomethingthathappenedatthebeginning,middle,andendofeach story)

● Purchaseaninexpensivespiralnotebook. Collectsamplesofenvironmentalprintthat yourchildcan“read”andgluethemtothepagestomakeascrapbook. Keepaddingto thebook. Environmentalprintistheprintthatweseeallaroundus: thelabelsonthe cerealorthepeanutbutteryourchildloves,thelogoonafavoritefastfoodrestaurant, andthestopsignatthecorner. Itistheprintwerecognizefromthecolors,pictures,and shapesthatsurroundit. Howmanychildrenrecognizetheredbull’seyeandletteringto sayTARGET? Thisistheinitialstageofreading.

● Formorestorybooksoneverysubjectimaginable,seeAtoZooSubjectAccessto Children’sPictureBooksbyCarolynLima.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● Anywherebecomesastoryyoucandrawandwriteabout!

● PretendyouareasailorwhonavigatestheseasandwhohaslandedonSherwoodIsland aftervisitingtheLongIslandSoundShoreLineatSherwoodIsland,Connecticut. Enjoy apicnicthatyouhavemeasuredandprepared.

https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Parks/Sherwood-Island-State-Park

● Tellallaboutyourtimefrombeginning,middletoend anddrawyourtimeinyour storybooknotebookafteryouhavepickedpumpkinsatThePumpkinPatch, CastleFarm, Newtown,Connecticut.https://www.castlehillfarm.net/

● Marchtoalivelyparade’smusicandwriteastoryaboutyourlocaltown’sMemorialDay ParadeorSt.Patrick’sParade. Drawthecharactersyousee. Checkoutyourtown’s paradesdateonyourlocalgovernmentwebsite.

● ListentoataleatStorytimeatSteppingStonesMuseum,Norwalk, Connecticut.https://www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/about-us-2/storytellers

● TourtheLockwoodMatthewsMansionfortheirseasonalstories,includingtheHoliday EnchantmentattheMansion,HolidayWonderlandattheMansion,andonlyforthevery bravehearts,GhostlySightingsTours.https://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com

Virtual

● OnaRainyDayorlongtrip,CheckoutsomeStoryTimesonU-Tube FRANKLIN'sClassTrip READALOUD

● ListenandlearnwithBrainPopJunior https://jr.brainpop.com/science/animals/classifyinganimals/

KINDERGARTEN MATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Identify,describe,andcompareshapes

● Recognizethegeometricshapes

● Classifyandcomparesshapes

● Createandcomposesshapes

● Describemeasurableattributesofobjects

● Classifyandcountobjects

● Countto100

● Writenumbersto20

● Identifythenumberofobjects

● Compareobjectsandamountofobjects

● Comprehendadditionandsubtraction

● Comprehendconceptsoftimeandmoney

● Collectandusesimpledata

● Surveyandrecorddata

● Completeandinterpretpicturegraphs,pictographs,andbargraphs

● Explorefractionconcepts

● Exploreeventsmorelikely,equallylikely,orlesslikelytooccur.

● Addnumberswithsumsto12

● Subtractusingnumbers0-12

● Recognizethevalueofapenny,nickel,dime,andquarter

● Countonby1stofindthevalueofagroupofcoins

● Trade,compare,add,subtractmoneyamounts

● Solveproblemsusingamodel

● Telltimetothehour(digitalandanalog)

CONTENT:

● Numbers1-100

● Sortbysize,shape,color

● Geometricshapes(circle,square,rectangle,triangle,sphereconeandcube)

● Colorpatternandtwoandthreeshapepatterns

● Positionofwordsandthepositionofobjects

● One-to-onecorrespondence

● Ordinalnumbers1st-10thtoidentifyposition

● Tables,graphsandtallies

● Equalparts,equalhalvesandequalshares

● Addition

● Subtraction

● Coindenominations

● Time

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Giveyourchildalargesupplyofoldbuttons. Havehim/hersortthembydifferent properties:size,shape,color,ornumberofholes.

● PurchaseaninexpensivespiralnotebooktomakeaShapeScrapbook. Dividethenotebook intosixsectionsandcollectpicturesofthesixbasicshapes:circle,square,rectangle,triangle, oval,anddiamond. Haveyourchildlookthroughmagazines/newspapersandfindpicturesof objectsthatrepresenteachshape. Haveyourchildcutoutthepicturesandgluetheminto his/hernotebook.

● Makeapaperchainwithyourchild. Choosepaperofthreedifferentcolorsandcutinto one-inchstrips. Decideinwhatorderyouwillconnectthelinksofyourchain,andthen repeatthepatterns,i.e.red,yellow,blueandrepeat,blue,blue,redandrepeat.

● Countwithyourchildwheneverpossible. Havehim/herhelpsetthetableandcountthe silverware,countthebooksonashelf,counttoys,cars,beaniebabies,etc. Becreative! Just gethim/hercountingandkeeppracticing. Practicecountingto20,then30,then40,thenon andonandon.

● Haveyourchildemptyhis/herpiggybankandsortthecoins. Encourageyourchildtolearn thenameandvalueforeachtypeofcoin. Discussthelikenessesanddifferencesofeachtype ofcoin(color,size,pictures,frontandback).

● Taketenpiecesofpaper(anysize)andwritethenumerals1to10,onenumberoneachpiece ofpaper Haveyourchildmakesetsofobjectsforeachnumberi.e.:drawthecorrectnumber ofcirclesonthesheetthathasthenumber4writtenonit,orusingaholepuncher,punchthe appropriatenumberofholesforeachnumeral. Inaddition,yourchildshouldpracticegiving yousetsof0-10objectsatyourrequest,i.e.“Pleasegiveme7buttons.”

● Writethenumerals1to12clockwiseonapaperplate. Cuthandsfromstiffpaperor lightweightcardboardandattachtothecenteroftheplatewithapaperbrad. Usethisclock topractice“o’clock”timeswithyourchild.

● Placeavarietyofkitchenitems(spoons,ladle,spatula,tongs,etc)inapaperbag. Haveyour childdrawouttwoobjectsatatimeandthendeterminewhichisthelarger/smallerofeach pair. Makeapileof“smallobjects”andapileof“largeobjects.” Trythisactivityagainwith newitemsandcompareshort/tallorlong/shortorlight/heavy.

● Teachyourchildtowritehis/hertelephonenumber.

● Letyourchildhelpyoufixamealorsnack. Haveyourchildcutasmanythingsaspossible intoequalpieces.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● ItistimetovisitTheAmericanClockandWatchMuseum,Bristol,Connecticut. https://www.clockandwatchmuseum.org/ Clockscomeinallshapesandsizes. Dotheclocksalltellthesametime?

● Ifyoudonotwanttomakeamessinthekitchen,bakeatNora’sOvenworks,Stamford, Connecticut.https://www.norasovenworks.com/ Cookanddecorateyourowncupcakes. *Askaboutallergens.

● Visityourlocalbakery;thesightsandaromacanbestimulatingtoyourpalate! DiMare PastryShop,Stamford,ConnecticutandGreenwich,Connecticutlocations http://www.dimarepastry.com/*Askaboutallergens.

● Arainydayoffersatriptoacrafts’storeandrespitefromthesun:Michael’sArtsand CraftsStore,Stamford,Connecticut.https://locations.michaels.com/ct/stamford

● WindhamTextileandHistoryMuseum,Wilhamtic,Connecticut.https://millmuseum.org/

● Traveling?Museumsinfashiondesignandcostumesarelocatedinmostmajorcities.

● NatureWalksarewonderfulwaystoobservethenaturalworldtorecorddata.

○ Howmanytreeshavetheleavesturninginthefall?

○ Howmanyleavesdidyoucollect?

○ Tracealeafwhenyougethome.

○ Whichtreesarelarger?

○ Countyourstepswhileyouwalkalongthetrailandcomparethosetoyourhiking partner Remember: neverhikealone!

● CranburyPark,Norwalk,Connecticut. https://www.norwalkct.gov/2093/Cranbury-Park

● NewCanaanWavenyPark,NewCanaan, Connecticut. https://www.newcanaan.info/departments/recreation/facilities_parks_and_ permits/waveny_park.php (WavenyPark)

● Specialrockswereplacedalongtheforesttrails. Canyoufindthem? Countthem. Put yourownpaintedonealongthewoodedtrails.

● ShikiHibachiRestaurant,Stamford,Connecticut. http://www.shikistamford.com/Default.aspx(ShikiHibachiRestaurant) Experiencefood alltypesoffoodcookedinfrontofyouataJapaneseHibachiRestaurant

● Takeatripaftersummerandfinduniqueexhibitsandagriculturalactionforeveryonein thisupstateFallfair:TheBigEhttps://www.thebige.com/

KINDERGARTEN SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Identifythedifferencebetweensolid,liquidandgas

● Identifythefivesenses

● Identifyphysicalchangesofwater

● Observeandrecordtheweather

● Identify,compareandcontrastweatherconditions

● Identifypushandpull

● Identifyhowfastorslowsomethinggoes

● Recognizethestagesofplantlife

● Definethebasicneedsofaplant

● Recognizethestagesofthebutterfly

CONTENT:

● PropertiesofMatter

● Liquid,solidandgas

● Smell,taste,touch,sightandhearing

● Weather

● ForceandMotion

● Living&Non-livingthings

● PlantLifeCycle

● Elementsneededforseedstogrow(soil,light,water)

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Discussthenumberoflegsthatanimalscouldhave.Visitthezoo. Asyoutravelthroughthe zookeepalistofallthe2,4,orevenzeroleggedanimalsthatyousee.

● Thinkofallthewaysthatanimalsmove(swim,fly,crawl,run,hop). Haveyourchildthink of2to3animalsthatwouldbeexamplesforeachtypeofmovement.

● Exploreyourbackyardfor"creepycreatures."Helpyourchildfindbackyardbugsonplants, flowers,intheground.Makea"BackyardBugBook."Haveyourchilddrawthepictures. Youcanaddobservationsabouteachbug(size,color,numberoflegs,howitmoves)

● Plantflowerseedstogetherinamilkcarton. Talkaboutallofthethingsneededtomakea plantgrow(water,soil.,sunlight)

● Takeyourchildgroceryshopping.Helpyourchildmakenutritiousfoodselections.Discuss thedifferencebetweenhealthyandunhealthyfoods.

● Pickoneofthefivesenses(sight,hearing,smell,taste,touch).Haveyourchildthinkofall thewayshe/sheusesthatsense.Makealist.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● TheScienceCenter,Hartford,Connecticut.https://ctsciencecenter.org/ VisittheDiscoveryRoomattheScienceCenterinHartford. Spendtimeinteractingwith yourchildandthehands-ondisplays.

● BeardsleyZoo, Bridgeport,Connecticut.https://www.beardsleyzoo.org/ Bringyourlunchandenjoythissmallerzoothatrehabsanimals.

● NorwalkMaritimeAquarium,Norwalk,Connecticut.https://www.maritimeaquarium.org/

● GradeASuperMarket,Stamford,Connecticut. https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/3000/gradeamarkets/ Takeadriveuptheroad fromschooltoshopandtolearn. YoumightseeaCASfriend.

● RowaytonMarkethasadifferentvibethanthelargegrocerystore. Compareandcontrast offeringsatmanygrocerystores,includingTraderJoesandWholeFoods. Gourmetfoodsandabreakfastplacealongtheriverexisthereinthissmallerlocal market. Rowayton,Connecticut.https://rowaytonmarket.com/

● Communitiesmaygrowtheirowngardens. TakeawalkbytheDarienCommunity GardenlocatedofftheBostonPostRoadinthemiddleoftownin Darien,Connecticut. https://www.google.com/search?q=darien+vergatvle&oq=darien+vergatvle&aqs=chrome. .69i57j0i13i30j0i390i650l5.5267j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#rlimm=1755132719 3119522795

THEFASCINATINGFIRSTGRADER

Thefirstgraderepresentsayearofnewbeginnings. Firstgradersareexhilaratedwhenthey learnsomethingnew InKindergarten,thefoundationsofreadingweredeveloped.Infirstgrade, studentsgrowthoseskillstobecometruereaders.Theyworkwithnumbers,learnaboutour communityandtheirplanetand,mostimportantly,theyexpandtheirknowledgeofJesus. Their enthusiasmisevidentanditspreadsthroughouttheclassroomandinyourfamily.

Firstgradersarecreative. Theirabilitytoimaginestoriesandinventgamesisunlimited. Therefore,itisimportantthatyoucontinuetocultivatethissenseofwonderinyourchild.You canassistyourchildtoexploretheirworldinsimpleways. Introducehim/hertothejoyof learningbyaccompanyinghim/hertothelibrary,museums,sciencecenterandzoo.

Thefirstgradeclassroom’sstudentsandteacherbecomeavitalpartofyourchild’slife. First gradersaregenerousandwillsharetheirfriendship,thoughts,andfeelingswithpeopleofall ages. Theyareeagertosucceedandneedplentyofencouragement.

Keepinmindthatyourchildisextremelyimpressionable. Itisimportantthatyoumonitorwhat yourchildwatchesonline,ontelevision,atthemovies,andinvideogames.

Yourchildwillastoundyouwithwhathe/shehasbeentaught,whathe/shewillobserve,and whathe/shecandowiththosetools.

FIRSTGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

Skills:

Students will be able to:

● ReadandComprehendtextindependentlyandproficiently

● Useavarietyofstrategiestocomprehend,interpretandevaluatetext

● Analyzethestructureoftexts

● Defineandapplycontentrelatedwords(memory,highfrequencyandsight)

● Traceandwriteletters/wordsusingthecorrectletterformation

● Assesshowapointofvieworpurposeshapesthecontentandstyleofatext

● Useavarietyofstrategiesinwrittenlanguagetocommunicateeffectively

● Produceclearandcoherentwriting

● Useageappropriategrammarandincreasinglycomplexphrasesandsentences

● Identifylettersounds

● Distinguishrhymingelements

● Blendsoundstoformwords

● Uselettersoundknowledgetodecode/encodewords

● Readtextwithdevelopmentallyappropriaterateandaccuracy

● Developandstrengthwritingbyplanning,revising,editingandrewriting

● Formupperandlowercaselettersusingproperconventionsofprint

● CommunicateorallyusingstandardEnglish

● Speakclearlyanduseappropriatevolume

● Speakincompletesentences

● Identifythebeginning,middleandendofstories

● Makepredictionsanddrawone’sownconclusions

● Distinguishbetweenfictionandnonfictiontext

● Demonstratepropersize,spacingandletterformationinmanuscriptwriting

Content:

● WritingProcess

● Literature

● Grammar

● Phonics

● Spelling

● Handwriting

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● Visitthelibrary. Getalibrarycardinyourchild’snameandoneforyourselfif youdonothaveone. Checkoutbooksforthewholefamilytoread. Besureto introduceyourchildtothelibrarianandaskaboutspecialprogramsthelibrary hasforchildren.

● Writenotestoyourchildandencouragewrittenresponses. Haveyourchildhelp withgrocerylistsandhavehim/herhelpreadtheitemsasyoushop. Letyour childhelppreparesimplerecipes–encouragehim/hertofollowtheproper sequenceofthedirections.

● Tellyourchildstoriesaboutyourparentsandgrandparents. Reminisceabout whenyouwerelittle. Describethingsthathappenedatschoolinvolvingteachers andsubjectsyouwerestudying. Haveyourchildtellyoustorieslikethoseyou havetold. Beenthusiasticandresponsive. Askquestions.

● Lookforweeklyspellingwordsinthenewspaperandhaveyourchildcircleor highlightthem. Writespellingwordswithfingerpaintsandshavingcream.

● Playagameof“ConsonantBingo”. Foldapieceofpapertomake16boxes. Haveyourchildwriteaconsonantineachbox. Whentheboxesarefilledin,say awordthatbeginswithoneofthelettersandhaveyourchildcoverthatletter withamarker(cerealpieces,raisins,buttons,etc.). Thegameisoverwhenarow oflettershorizontally,verticallyordiagonallyhasbeencovered.

● Whenyourchilddrawsapicture,helphim/herlabelthethingsinthedrawingor writeatitleforit. Compilepicturesinabinderandoccasionallyhaveyourchild readthepicturestoyouorasibling.

● Play“MakeaFace”topracticelongandshortvowelrhymingwords. Giveyour childapieceofpaperandcrayonsormarkers. Haveyourchilddrawtheoutline ofafaceonthepaper Explainthatyouaregoingtosayaseriesofwordpairs. Havehim/herdrawapartofthefacewhenthewordpairrhymes.

● Practiceusingoppositesbyhavingaspecialfamilyraceinthebasementor outside. Telleachfamilymemberthateverythingabouthisracewillbethe oppositeofwhathappensinatypicalrace. Forexample,theracewillbeginatthe finishlineandendatthestartingline. Thewinnerwillbethepersonwhocrosses thelinelast. Participantsshouldbeginwhensomeoneyells“Stop”. Thinkof otherappropriatephrasestoincludeinotherraces.

● Writevocabularylistsonindexcardsandbindthemwithametalring. Keepaset inthecarsoyourchildcanflipthroughthemwhileridingfromplacetoplace.

Addnewwordslikefamilynames,namesofstoresorrestaurants,etc. Lookfor vocabularywordsonsignsandbillboards.

● Scheduleaweeklyfamilyreadingtime. Readaloudorwithyourchildanyofthe following:

● FrogandToadbyArnoldLobel

● AmeliaBedeliabyPeggyParish

● NatetheGreatbyMarjorieWeinmanSharmat

● TheShrinkingofTreehornbyFlorenceParryHeide

● TheStoriesJulianTellsbyAnnCameron

● DinosaursBeforeDarkbyMaryPopeOsborne

● AmberBrownIsNotaCrayonbyPaulaDanziger

● TheGivingTreebyShelSilverstein

● HorribleHarryinRoom2BbySuzyKline

● OwenFoote,SoccerStarbyStephanieGreene

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Closetohome:

● ThePurpleBus-StamfordPublicLibrary-cancomevisittheschoolortake studentstoandfromthelibrary.

● PoeCottage,Bronx,NewYork https://bronxhistoricalsociety.org/poe-cottage LearnhistoryandaboutEdgarA.Poe. Thisfamousauthor’shouseremainsa nationallandmarkinabustlingBronx.

● WaveHill,Bronx,NewYork https://www.wavehill.org MeditateinthesebeautifulgardensoverseeingtheHudsonRiver.Imaginewhat theformerresidents,manyofthemfamousauthors, mayhaveseen.

● WavenyPark,NewCanaanhttps://wavenyparkconservancy.org/visit/ Nestledin NewCanaan,thehikesarerichwithnature’ssplendorsandartexhibits.Bring yourdog!

● Reminder:YourPublicLibraryShowsAlltheEventsforAllAgesAlltheTime! Makethelibrarypartofyourweeklyroutine.

● BarnumMuseum Bridgeport

TheBarnumMuseumfulfillsP.T.Barnum'sownmission:toinspirecuriosity, creativityandconfidencethroughinstructiveentertainment. BarnumMuseum website

● BeardsleyZoo Bridgeport

Morethan300animalsrepresentingprimarilyNorthandSouthAmericanspecies. Comelearnaboutourmanyendangeredandthreatenedspecies,whichincludethe Amur(Siberian)tiger,Andeancondor,Ocelot,Redwolf,Andean(spectacled) bear,Manedwolf,andGoldenliontamarin. BeardsleyZoowebsite

● DiscoveryMuseum Bridgeport

Fromthreefloorsofhands-onfunwithsciencetodailyPlanetarium shows,allincludewithadmissiontothemuseum!Addtothatourfirst classeducationalprogramsandConnecticut'sonlyChallengerLearning CenterandtheDiscoveryMuseumisastopthatcan'tbemissed.Avariety ofprogramsareavailabletoschools,camps,scouttroopsoranyother groupinterestedinanunmatchableexperience! DiscoveryMuseum website

● HousatonicMuseumofArt Bridgeport

TheMuseumconsistsofTheBurtChernowGalleriesandavastcollection ofworksofvariedmediumsandstylesthataredisplayedthroughoutthe College.Thisprovidesacolorfulandstimulatinglandscapeandlearning environmentforourHCCstudentsaswellasvisitingstudentsfromarea schools. HarrietBeecherStoweCenterwebsite

● MarkTwainHouse&Museum Hartford

Amuseumdedicatedtothework,lifeandtimesofauthorMarkTwai MarkTwainHouse&Museumwebsite

● MuseumofConnecticutHistory Hartford

AttheMuseumofConnecticutHistory,you'llfindexhibitsthattracethe growthoftheStateanditsroleinthedevelopmentofthenation.The MuseumfocusesonConnecticut'sgovernment,industrialandmilitary history. Virtual: MoWillems Ivan-WildWithin-ZooAtlanta

FIRSTGRADE MATH SKILLS

Students will be able to:

● Readandwritenumeralsupto120

● Count,compare,andorderwholenumbersto100withunderstandingofplacevalue

● Identifyequalamountsandunequalamountsbetweengroupsofobjectsandnumbers

● Recognizepatterns,relationships,andpositionofnumbersto100

● Addandsubtractwithin20usinganumberlineandtenframes

● Memorizemathfacts0-20tofluentlyaddandsubtractwithin20

● Comprehendrelationshipbetweenadditionandsubtractiontosolvesimpleword problemsusingmodelingandproblem-solvingstrategies

● Surveyandrecordinformationwithonetoonecorrespondenceandinterpretdata

● Identifyandcomposetwo-andthree-dimensionalgeometricshapes(circle,square, rectangle,triangle,trapezoid,hexagon)andsolidfigures(sphere,cylinder,cone,cube, pyramid,rectangularprism)

● Distinguishattributes(side,vertex,face,edge,symmetry)ofgeometricshapes

● Demonstratereasoningwithlocation,directionsandpositionsofobjects(slide,turn,flip, roll,stack)

● Demonstrateunderstandingofcoindenominations,countthevalueofagroupofcoinsto onedollar,comparemoneyamounts,andmakefairtrades

● Telltimetothehourandhalfhourusinganaloganddigitalclocks

● Determinetimepatterns,elapsedtime,andestimatedtimetocompletecommontasks

● Useacalendartodemonstrateunderstandingofrelationshipofdays,weeks,andmonths

● Measureandcomparelength,capacityandtemperaturewithnonstandardandstandard units

● Recognize,partition,andnamepartsofwholeorequalpartsofaset(halves,thirds, fourths)

● Addandsubtracttwo-digitwholenumberswithandwithoutregrouping

CONTENT

● Numeralsandnumberwords

● Placevalueto10

● Evenandoddnumbers

● Skipcountingby2,5,10

● Ordinalnumbers:1stto31st

● Patternsandrelationships

● Comparison:equal,greaterthan,lessthan

● Addition:sumsto20

● Subtraction:fromupto20

● Wordproblemsandproblemsolvingstrategiesusingadditionandsubtraction

● Graphs:tallies,bargraphs,picturegraphsandpictographs

● Dataanalysis:range,mode,median

● Geometry:openandclosedfigures,symmetry

● Money:Coindenominations(penny,nickel,dime,quarter)andthedollar

● Time:tothehourandhalfhour

● Calendar:days,weeks,months

● Measurement:Nonstandardunits(paperclips,unifixcubes);Standardunits(inch,foot, cup,pint,quart,liter,pound,kilogram,centimeter,degreesFahrenheit)

● WholeandFractions:1/2,1/3,1/4

● Two-digitadditionandsubtractionwithandwithoutmodels

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Countandrecordtrafficthatpassesoutsideyourhomeduringaday.Record,onatallysheet, differenttypesofvehicles-cars,vans,trucks,bicycles,motorcycles.

● Practicecountingbackwardsbyobservingthedigitalclockonamicrowaveasvariousfoods arecooking.

● PlayagameofMoneyMatch.Theobjectofthegameistobethefirstplayertoearnaset amount(20or30centsisagoodamount).Thefirstplayerrollsadieandgetsthenumberof penniesshownonthedie.Playerstaketurnsrollingthedietocollectadditionalcoins.As eachplayeraccumulates5pennies,thepenniesaretradedforanickel.Thefirstplayerto reachthesetamountwins.Thisgamecanalsobeplayedwithnickelsanddimes.

● Helpyourchildlookforthenumbers1-100inthenewspaper Cutthenumbersoutandglue theminorderontoalargepieceofpaper Trycountingby2's,5's,and10's,also.

● Practiceaquickmentalcomputationbyaddingupthenumbersonalicenseplate.

● Afteratriptothegrocerystore,practiceestimationwithbagsfullofgroceries.Haveyour childguesshowmanyobjectsthereareinabag.Ask: Is it full? Could it hold more? Could it tear if you put more in it? Why do some bags hold more or less than others?

● Haveyourchildcollectinformationandpictureitonagraph.Chooseaninheritedfamily characteristic,haircolorforexample.Counthowmanypeopleinthefamilyhavedifferent haircolors.Makeagraph.Forexample,if5peoplehavebrownhair,draw5headssideby sidetoshowthesefivepeople.Dothesamefortheotherhaircolors

● Makeflashcardsforadditionandsubtractionfactsto12.Playgameswiththecardsto committhefactstomemory.

● Usingclay,makecircles,triangles,squaresandpracticedividingthemintohalves,thirds, fourths.Dothesameactivityaftermakingabatchofbreadorpizzadoughwithyourchild. Havehim/hermeasuretheingredients.

● Readaloudtoyourchildanyofthefollowingbooks'andlookforpatterns,useofaddition andsubtractionfacts,fractions,geometricshapes,tellingtime,coins,problemsolving:

Amelia'sNineLivesbyLomaBalian

TheDogWhoHadKittensbyPollyM.Robertus

CanYouImagine...?byBeauGardner

SylvesterandtheMagicPebblebyWilliamSteig

Evan'sComerbyElizabethStarr

IfYouMadeaMillionbyDavidM.Schwartz

TheCompleteHickoryDickorvDockbyJimAylesworth

EatingFractionsbyBruceMcMillan

TheHalf-BirthdayPartybyCharlottePomerantz

AMillionFish MoreorLessbyPatriciaC.McKissack

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● DiscoveryMuseum Bridgeport

Fromthreefloorsofhands-onfunwithsciencetodailyPlanetariumshows,allinclude withadmissiontothemuseum!Addtothatourfirstclasseducationalprogramsand Connecticut'sonlyChallengerLearningCenterandtheDiscoveryMuseumisastopthat can'tbemissed.Avarietyofprogramsareavailabletoschools,camps,scouttroopsor anyothergroupinterestedinanunmatchableexperience! DiscoveryMuseumwebsite

● AmericanClockandWatchMuseum, Bristol

StepbackintimewithavisittotheAmericanClock&WatchMuseum,Inc.Anauthentic earlyAmericansundialgardencompletewithperiodherbsandflowersaddsseasonal beautytothemuseum'sgrounds.heticking,strikingandchimingofthetimepieceswill beatreattoyoureyesandears.Ofparticularinterestisourgatewayexhibit, "ConnecticutClockmakingandtheIndustrialRevolution,"whichtellsthestoryofa youngman'sdreamanditsimpactontheclockindustryandtheAmericansystemof manufacture.Oneofourvisitors'favoritedisplaysisourtwo-storytowerclockthat

providesaclose-uplookatwhatmakesaclock"tick".Recognizedasthefirstmuseumin Americatobedevotedtohorology,theAmericanClock&WatchMuseum,Inc.houses thefinestcollectionofAmericanmanufacturedclocksondisplay AmericanClockand WatchMuseumwebsite

● DanburyRailwayMuseum Danbury

TheDanburyRailwayMuseumisanon-profitorganizationstaffedsolelybyvolunteers. TheMuseumoffersrailroadhistory,tours,trainrides,acollectionoforiginalandrestored rollingstock,andopportunitiesforhands-onrailroadworkat"12inchestothefoot" scale. DanburyRailwayMuseumwebsite

BeyondCT

● TheIntrepidMuseum

https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/Purchase-Tickets?PartnerID=1343&gclid=CjwKCAjw2 K6lBhBXEiwA5RjtCcrXlKhrOYJZpYgFnKbxU1a1gmipXtBQRAW_HfCYgWrTVhAz bO2XWhoCvgIQAvD_BwE

Connections:HowmanyplanesdidtheIntrepidcarry,distancetraveled,howmanymen workedtheship.

● TheNewYorkBotanicalGardens: Numbers in Nature

https://www.nybg.org/event/ebony-g-patterson/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2K6lBhBXEiwA5RjtCYpjVg _bKnfnje-9r41jOXHymCwHiubJeDcOjBic5libM9JR286zUxoCIWsQAvD_BwE

Connections:Fractals,symmetry,patterns,shape,andline

Virtual:

https://momath.org/visit/

https://stressfreemathforkids.com/members-only/virtual-math-field-trips/

StressFreeMathsitehasdifferentoptionsforvirtualmathfieldtrips

FIRSTGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Demonstrateunderstandingofgradelevelcontent

● Describehowthefivesensesareusedtogatherinformation

● Identifyhowsoundismade,describesoundsandusesound

● Observelightandidentifyusesoflight

● Identifyhowlightinteractswithdifferentmaterials

● Observeobjectsandtheirpatternsofmovementinthesky

● Describehowdayshavedifferentlengthsduringdifferentseasons

● Identifytypesofweatherandhowtheweatherchangesduringseasons

● Relatethepartsofplantsandanimalsthathelpthemmoveandsurvive

● Describeneedsofplantsandanimals

● Identifywhereplantsandanimalslive

● Describehowparentsandoffspringarealikeanddifferent

● Demonstrateabilitytopredict,experiment,andrecordinformation

● Usematerialsandresourcesappropriatelytoproblemsolve

● Participateininvestigationsanddiscussions

CONTENT:

● ScientificMethod

● Experiments

● ScientificTools:ruler,balance,graduatedcylinder,thermometer

● Sound

● Light

● Sky

● Seasons

● Weather

● AnimalandPlantLifeCycles

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Findaplantorananimalyourchildcancareforathome.Talkaboutwhatalivingthing needstobehealthy

● Cookwithyourchild.Talkabouttheuseofyoursenses,measuring,andchemicalchangesof theingredients.

● Haveyourchildlistentotheweatherontheradioortelevisionandgiveamorningweather reporttothefamily.Talkaboutappropriateclothesforthatday'sweather.Chartthehighand lowtemperaturesfortheweek.Usethenewspapertofinddailytemperaturesofcitieswhere familyorfriendslive.

● Visitabotanicalgardenandlookfordifferentsizes,shapesandtexturesofvariousplant parts-roots,stems,leaves,andflowers.

● Watchanddiscussthecomingsandgoingsofbackyardanimalsinthefourseasons.Lookfor animaltracksandtrytoidentifywhatanimalmadethetracks.

● ConsideroneofthefollowingmagazinesubscriptionsforabirthdayorChristmasgift:

3-2-1 Contact

Children'sTelevisionWorkshopOneLincolnPlaza NewYorkNY10023

Cricket, The Magazine for Children Box5296

Boulder,CO80322-2961

Ranger Rick

NationalWildlifeFederation141216th StreetNW

Washington,DC20036-2266

● Readaloudorwithyourchildoneofthefollowing:

TheTinySeedbyEricCarle

OverintheMeadowbyEzraJackKeats

TheGreatKapokTreebyLynneCherry

ASeedisaPromisebyClaireMerrill

SwimmybyLeoLionni

HopperHuntsforSpringbyMarcusPfister

TheSeasonsofArnold’sAppleTreebyGailGibbonsCharlietheCaterpillarby DomDeLuise

MirandyandBrotherWindbyPatriciaMcKissack

Dolphin'sFirstDaybyKathleenWeidner

IvaDunnitandtheBigWindbyCarolPurdy

EndangeredAnimalbySylvainePerols

SolobyPaulGeraghty

SweetsandTreatsbyBobbyeGoldstein

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● VisittheZooandlookforanimalswithdifferentcoverings-fur,scales,feathers,shells.Look forbodypartsthathelpanimalsmoveonland,intheairandinwater.

● VisitTheStamfordNatureCenterandexplorethenaturetrailstoseechangesinwildlife duringeachoftheseasons.Getontheirmailinglistforfamilyandchild-centeredclassesand hikes.

● Visit a local farm and learn what different animals eat. Encourage your child to ask questionsoftheanimals'caregivers.

Connecticut

● StamfordNatureMuseum,Stamford,Connecticut. https://www.stamfordmuseum.org

Rotatingfestivalsoutdoorsandanaturalplaygroundarebusyallyearlong. Animalsand theartscoexistpeacefully. Thenightowlsmayviewthestarsattheobservationdeck. Reminder: NatureCentersarelocatedinvarioustowns. Checkoutyourtownorcity’s location.

NewCanaanNatureCenter,NewCanaan,Connecticut

DarienNatureCenter,Darien,Connecticut.

JonesFamilyFarm,Easton,Connecticut.

● ConnecticutTrolleyMuseumwebsite

ConnecticutTrolleyMuseum East Windsor

Itisthenation'soldestincorporatedorganizationdedicatedtothepreservationofthe trolleyera.Asanon-profitinstitution,itseducationalandhistoricalaimisthe establishmentofafullscaleoperatingstreetandinterurbanrailroadsystemwiththe appropriateaccessoryequipmentandbuildings,torecreateanimportantphaseofNew England'sbusinessandsociallifefrom1890to1945.

● EssexSteamTrain&Riverboat Essex

Shareyourfavoritepicturesandmemoriesfromtheonlysteamtrainandriverboat connectionintheUnitedStates.TheEssexSteamTrainandRiverboattransportspeople onexcitingexcursionsthroughtheunspoiledConnecticutRiverValley,aplaced designatedas"oneofthelastgreatplacesonearth"bytheNatureConservancy The steamlocomotivepullsvintagecoachesthroughthequintessentialNewEnglandtownsof DeepRiverandChester,andtheBeckyThatcherriverboattakesvisitorspasthistoric landmarks.

BeyondConnecticut

● MuscootFarm,Katonah,NewYorkhttps://www.muscootfarm.org

EnjoythedrivetoKatonah,NewYork,tofreeparkingandexperiencefreeanimaland educationaltrailsinthisWestchesterCountyPark.

● ThePlanetarium

● Air&SpaceMuseum,Washington,DC

VirtualFieldTrips

● Weather.com: ComparetheStates’Weather

THESENSATIONALSECONDGRADER

Thesecondgraderepresentsayearofexplorationandinvestigation. Thesecondgraderis introducedtospecialinformationaboutReading,Writing,Arithmetic,Languageandthought development. Theyexperienceabigjumpbothininterestandability. Theirintroductionto cursivewritingbecomesagreatgoaltoachieve.

Secondgradersliketobereadtobutatthesametimelikeverymuchtoreadtoyou. Beingread toandreadingtootherscanhelpyourchildtobecomeamoreprolificreader. Inaddition,itisin thisgradethatyourchildbecomesextremelyengrossedinwhathe/sheisdoingandseemsto absorbalmosteverythingthatsurroundshim/her

Homeandschoolnowbecometwodifferentspheres. Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatyour secondgradermaynotbetheexpansive,communicative,outgoingpersonhe/shewasinfirst grade. Itmaybenecessarytodrawoutdiscussionsabouttheirschoolday.

If,asaparent,yourecognizethatyourchildishavingbasicdifficultywithreading,mathand/or othersubjects,itisimportanttoactuponthisquickly Bringyourconcernstoyourchild’s homeroomteacher.Inconsultationwiththeschoolcounselor,he/shewilladviseyouonaplanof actionforyourchild’sindividualneeds.

Itisinthesecondgradethatyourchildispreparedforthereceptionofthesacramentsof ReconciliationandEucharist. Itiswithmuchanticipationthatyourchildandfamilywillshare thejoyinreceivingthegracesfromthesesacraments. Inpreparation,itisimportantthatyou attendandparticipateinthescheduledparentmeetingsatyourparishforthereceptionofthe sacraments.

Thesecondgraderisnowequippedtocontinuehis/heracademicandspiritualgrowth.

SECONDGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Readandcomprehendstextsindependentlyandproficiently

● Useavarietyofstrategiestocomprehend,interpret,andevaluatetext

● Analyzethestructureoftexts,includinghowsentences,paragraphs,andlarger portionsofatextrelatetoeachotherandthewhole

● Defineandappropriatelyapplycontent-relatedvocabularywords,highfrequency, andsightwords

● Assesshowpointofvieworpurposeshapesthecontentandstyleofatext

● Analyzehowtwoormoretextsaddresssimilarthemesoftopics

● Useavarietyofstrategiesinwrittenlanguagetocommunicateeffectivelyto differentaudiencesfordifferentreasons

● Plan,revise,edit,rewrite,ortryanewapproachtostrengthenwriting

● Produceclearandcoherentwriting

● Drawevidencefromtextstosupportanalysis,reflection,andresearch

● Demonstratepropersize,spacing,andletterformationinmanuscriptwriting

● Begintousecursivelettering

● CommunicateorallyusingStandardEnglish

● Speakclearlyanduseappropriatevolume

● Developactivelisteningskills

● Participateinarangeofconversations,expressingideasclearly

● Presentinformationsuchthatlistenerscanfollowthelineofreasoning

● Demonstratecommandoftheconventionsofgrammarandusagewhenspeaking orwriting

● Demonstratecommandoftheconventionsofcapitalizationandpunctuationwhen writing

● Comprehendandapplythesound-symbolrelationship

● Correctlyspellcontent-relatedvocabularyandsightwords

● Understandandapplyphonicsandwordanalysisskillstodecode/encodewords

CONTENT:

● Grammar(sentencetypeandstructure),nouns,verbs,adjectives,adverbs, conjunctions,homophones,regularandirregularplurals,

● Spellingusingphonemicawareness

● Decodeandapplyallsecondgradephonicsskills(ex-short/longvowels, r-controlledvowels,voweldipthongsanddigraphs,consonantdigraphs,blends, silentconsonants,suffixes,andprefixes)

● Gradelevelvocabulary

● Manuscriptwritingwithafocusonlegibility(shape,size,spacing,slant)

● Cursivewritingwithafocusonformationandlegibility(shape,size,spacing, slant)

● Contextclues

● Recognizeplot(problemandsolution;beginning,middle,end)

● Comprehensionstrategiesincludingpredicting,picturing,textfeatures,answering questionsaboutatext,mainideaandsupportingdetails,causeandeffect

● Identifylessonstaughtbyastory,play,orfable.Identifybetweengenres(fiction, nonfiction,realisticstory,fantasy,poetry,directions)

● Sequencingevents

● Usethewritingprocesstoplan,draft,revise,edit,andpublishastoryorreport.

● Dictateorwriteexpository,narrative,orinformationaltexts,opinionpieces, persuasiveopinions,andpoems.

● Readwithnaturalphrasing,accuracy,expression,appropriatestress,withproper pitchandvolume,andatanappropriaterate.Theywillobservepunctuationand usetypographicalclues.

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● PurchaseFrankSchaeffer’sbasicsightwordsflashcards(beginningandsecondlevel).

● Toencouragesequencing,haveyourchildtellaboutvacationsusingphotosandadding sentencesforadditionaldetail.

● PracticeZaner-Blosermanuscriptandcursivewritingcopyingthingssuchasshopping listsandrecipes.Supplementalbooksareavailableonline.

● Dramatizestoriesthatyourchildreadsbycreatingpuppetshowsandplays.

● Asyoutravel,readbillboardsandsignstogether Playagamelikehuntfortheletter “A”. Keepscore. Changethehuntaccordingtoshort/longvowels.

● UsingDr.Seuss’GreenEggsandHam,challengeyourchildtoreadpartsofthebookand replaceall“Iwillnot’s…”withcontractions.

● Beginreadingearlychapterbooks. Keepafamilyjournaloffavoriteepisodes.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

● Visityourlocalbranchlibrary,acquireacalendarofeventsandparticipateinselected activities. Visitthelibraryonaregularbasis. Modelyourownenjoymentofreadingfor yourchildbyreadingtogetherdaily

● PoeCottage,Bronx,NewYork https://bronxhistoricalsociety.org/poe-cottage LearnhistoryandaboutEdgarA.Poe. Thisfamousauthor’shouseremainsanational landmarkinabustlingBronx.

● Reminder:YourPublicLibraryShowsAlltheEventsforAllAgesAlltheTime! Makethelibrarypartofyourweeklyroutine.

● BarnumMuseum Bridgeport

TheBarnumMuseumfulfillsP.T.Barnum'sownmission:toinspirecuriosity,creativity andconfidencethroughinstructiveentertainment. BarnumMuseumwebsite

● BeardsleyZoo Bridgeport

Morethan300animalsrepresentingprimarilyNorthandSouthAmericanspecies.Come learnaboutourmanyendangeredandthreatenedspecies,whichincludetheAmur (Siberian)tiger,Andeancondor,Ocelot,Redwolf,Andean(spectacled)bear,Maned wolf,andGoldenliontamarin. BeardsleyZoowebsite

● DiscoveryMuseum Bridgeport

Fromthreefloorsofhands-onfunwithsciencetodailyPlanetariumshows,allinclude withadmissiontothemuseum!Addtothatourfirstclasseducationalprogramsand Connecticut'sonlyChallengerLearningCenterandtheDiscoveryMuseumisastopthat can'tbemissed.Avarietyofprogramsareavailabletoschools,camps,scouttroopsor anyothergroupinterestedinanunmatchableexperience! DiscoveryMuseumwebsite

● HousatonicMuseumofArt Bridgeport

TheMuseumconsistsofTheBurtChernowGalleriesandavastcollectionofworksof variedmediumsandstylesthataredisplayedthroughouttheCollege.Thisprovidesa colorfulandstimulatinglandscapeandlearningenvironmentforourHCCstudentsas wellasvisitingstudentsfromareaschools.

HarrietBeecherStoweCenterwebsite

MarkTwainHouse&Museum Hartford

Amuseumdedicatedtothework,lifeandtimesofauthorMarkTwain.

MarkTwainHouse&Museumwebsite

● MuseumofConnecticutHistory Hartford

AttheMuseumofConnecticutHistory,you'llfindexhibitsthattracethegrowthofthe Stateanditsroleinthedevelopmentofthenation.TheMuseumfocusesonConnecticut's government,industrialandmilitaryhistory.

Virtual:

https://storylineonline.net

https://zooatlanta.org/virtual-experience/ivan-wild-within/?gclid=CjwKCAjwt52mBhB5EiwA05 YKo1rtDiiSrrjcp639l4gESf4JlAvmOfV1aBL8vOli6OBe8uHLkyqvmRoCNqAQAvD_BwE

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

SECONDGRADE MATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Comprehendplacevalueandcomparetwoandthreedigitnumbers

● Fluentlyaddandsubtractwithin100

● Comprehendrelationshipbetweenadditionandsubtractionandcanusemodelingtosolve wordproblems

● Demonstrateunderstandingofpatternsandrelationships

● Recognizeshapesbasedonangelsandfaces

● Drawshapesbasedonattributes

● Partitionshapesintoequalshares

● Tellandwritetimetothenearest5minutes

● Identifyandsolveproblemsinvolvingmoney

● Representandinterpretdatainchartsandgraphs

● Measure,estimate,andcomparelengthinstandardunits

● Relateadditionandsubtractiontolength

● Drawconclusionsaboutequalgroupsasafoundationformultiplication

CONTENT:

● Mentaladditionandsubtractionwithin20

● Strategiestosolveoneandtwostepproblems

● Placevalueandcomparisonoftwo-digitnumbers

● Additionandsubtractionproblems(withmultiplesteps)

● Fluentlyaddandsubtractwithin100

● Inverseoperationsandfactfamilies

● Commutativeproperty

● Numbersentencestorepresentrelationships

● Growingandrepeatingpatterns

● Numbersentencestorepresentrelationships

● Placevaluetoaddandsubtractwithin1000

● Additionupto4two-digitnumbers

● Additionandsubtractionofmultiplesoften

● Evenandoddnumbers

● SkipCountingby2s,5s,10s,25s,50s,100s

● Additiontofindthenumberofobjectsinanarray

● Measurement(StandardandMetric)

● Capacity,weight,andtemperature

● Wholenumbersaslengthsfromzeroonanumberline

● Timetothenearestfiveminutesonadigitalandanalogclock

● Extendunderstandinganduseofcalendarandcorrectlywriteandreadthedate

● Money

● Lineplots,picture,andbargraphs

● Surveysanddata

● Anglesandfaces

● Fractions: Describepartsusinghalves,thirds,andfourths

● Shapes(twoandthreedimentional)

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Buyormakeflashcardsforadditionandsubtraction.Keeptheonesyourchildneedsworkon someplaceconvenient(inthecar,thekitchen,someplaceyouarewithyourchildeveryday) anddrillthesefactswithyourchild.

● Usepennies,dimes,anddollarswhenhelpingyourchildwithplacevalue(ones,tens,and hundreds).

● Keepachangejaronthecounter.Emptyitonceaweekandhaveyourchildcountit.

● Giveyourchild$100in“pretend"moneyanddosomecatalogoronlineshopping.Help him/hersubtracttheamountsspentuntilthemoneyisgone.

● Haveyourchildtellyouwhattimeitis.Startwitheasyonesandmoveonasskillsimprove. Alsooftenask:"Howlongtill ?"(lunch,bedtime,etc)

● Challengeyourchildtoseewhocanfindthemostofaparticulargeometricshapearoundthe house.Starteasy("Howmanyrectanglesinthekitchen?")Moveonthroughsquares, triangles,circles,etc.

● EmptyoutabagofM&M’s,skittlesorjellybeans.Haveyourchildsortthecandiesbycolor; thenestimatehowmanythereareineachgroup,countthemandmakeagraph.

● Measurethings.Witharuler,tapemeasure,oryardstickmeasurethelengthoftheliving room,thewidthoftheTV,etc.Also,letyourchildmeasureingredientswhenyoucook.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Close toHome

● TheTheGlassHouse

https://fieldtripdirectory.com/destinations/connecticut/new-canaan/glass-house/

Connections:Geometry,Symmetry,Shape,Line

● ConnecticutAirandSpaceCenter https://www.ctairandspace.org/

Connections:Distance,symmetry,shape

● AmericanClockandWatchMuseum,Bristol

StepbackintimewithavisittotheAmericanClock&WatchMuseum,Inc.Anauthentic earlyAmericansundialgardencompletewithperiodherbsandflowersaddsseasonal beautytothemuseum'sgrounds.heticking,strikingandchimingofthetimepieceswill

beatreattoyoureyesandears.Ofparticularinterestisourgatewayexhibit, "ConnecticutClockmakingandtheIndustrialRevolution,"whichtellsthestoryofa youngman'sdreamanditsimpactontheclockindustryandtheAmericansystemof manufacture.Oneofourvisitors'favoritedisplaysisourtwo-storytowerclockthat providesaclose-uplookatwhatmakesaclock"tick".Recognizedasthefirstmuseumin Americatobedevotedtohorology,theAmericanClock&WatchMuseum,Inc.houses thefinestcollectionofAmericanmanufacturedclocksondisplay. AmericanClockand WatchMuseumwebsite

● DanburyRailwayMuseum Danbury

TheDanburyRailwayMuseumisanon-profitorganizationstaffedsolelybyvolunteers. TheMuseumoffersrailroadhistory,tours,trainrides,acollectionoforiginalandrestored rollingstock,andopportunitiesforhands-onrailroadworkat"12inchestothefoot" scale. DanburyRailwayMuseumwebsite

BeyondCT

● TheIntrepidMuseum

https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/Purchase-Tickets?PartnerID=1343&gclid=CjwKCAjw2 K6lBhBXEiwA5RjtCcrXlKhrOYJZpYgFnKbxU1a1gmipXtBQRAW_HfCYgWrTVhAz bO2XWhoCvgIQAvD_BwE

Connections:HowmanyplanesdidtheIntrepidcarry,distancetraveled,howmanymen workedtheship.

● TheNewYorkBotanicalGardens: Numbers in Nature

https://www.nybg.org/event/ebony-g-patterson/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2K6lBhBXEiwA5RjtCYpjVg _bKnfnje-9r41jOXHymCwHiubJeDcOjBic5libM9JR286zUxoCIWsQAvD_BwE

Connections:Fractals,symmetry,patterns,shape,andline

Virtual:

https://momath.org/school-groups/online-field-trips/

SECONDGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Demonstrateunderstandingofgrade-levelcontent

● Demonstrateabilitytopredict,experiment,andrecordinformation

● Usematerialsandresourcesappropriatelytoproblemsolve

● Participateininvestigationsanddiscussions

● Tellthedifferencebetweenasolid,liquid,andgas

● Describematterbyitsproperties

● DescribeEarth’ssurfaces

● Identifydifferentbodiesofwater

● Describewhatcancauselandtochange(quickly&slowly)

● Describesomeplantandanimallifecycles

● Explainthatplantsneedsunlight,water,air,space,andnutrients

● Explainthatanimalsneedfood,oxygen,water,andshelter

● Identifywayssomeanimalscanhelpplantsreproduce

CONTENT:

● Propertiesofmatter

● ScientificMethod

● Technology

● Landforms

● Bodiesofwater

● Weatheranderosion

● Plantlifecycle

● Tadpolelifecycle

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Whenlearningaboutweather,createacharttomakealogofweatherandgraphweather patterns.

● VisitalocalScienceCenterandkeepalogaboutalltheinterestingthingsyousee.

● Takeatriptotheairportandwatchplanestakeoff.Discussthewayplaneswork.Contactthe airportforapossibletour.

● WatchtheDiscoveryChanneltogethertolearnaboutanimalsandtheirhabitats.Visitalocal Zoo.

● Asafamily,discussgoodnutrition,cutoutpicturesoffoodsfrommagazinesandgluethem ontoaFoodPyramidchart.It’salsoagoodideatoobservefoodlabels.

● Haveyourchildplantandcareforseedlings.Perhapsheorshecouldhaveaspecialsection ofthegarden.

● Purchaseahumanbodyvideo(secondgradelevel)toexplainhowtheheartandlungswork.

● Observethemoonandstarsatnight,drawpicturesandmakenotesofwhatchildobserves. (Visitalocalplanetarium)

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Tri-State

● MuscootFarm,Katonah,NewYorkhttps://www.muscootfarm.org

EnjoythedrivetoKatonah,NewYork,tofreeparkingandexperiencefreeanimaland educationaltrailsinthisWestchesterCountyPark.

● StamfordNatureMuseum,Stamford,Connecticut. https://www.stamfordmuseum.org

● Rotatingfestivalsoutdoorsandanaturalplaygroundarebusyallyearlong. Animalsand theartscoexistpeacefully. Thenightowlsmayviewthestarsattheobservationdeck. Reminder: NatureCentersarelocatedinvarioustowns. Checkoutyourtownorcity’s location.

● NewCanaanNatureCenter,NewCanaan,Connecticut

● DarienNatureCenter,Darien,Connecticut.

AdventuringBeyondtheTri-State?

● ThePlanetarium

● Air&SpaceMuseum,Washington,DC

VirtualFieldTrips

● Weather.com: ComparetheStates’Weather

THETHRILLINGTHIRDGRADER

Thethirdgradeisayearofdiscovery. Thirdgradersdelightinproblemsolvingandlookupon eachnewareatobelearnedasanadventure. Theyareeagertolearnandgrow Yourchild’s remarkablecapacitytolive,learnandloveisbottomless. Studentsinthisgradeoftendisplaya desiretoleadandtoinvestigatenewthings.Thisisalsoacriticaltimetobuilduponand strengthentheskillslearnedinpriorgrades.

Thirdgradersstrivetobethebesttheycanbe,andtherefore,yourconstantencouragementisa specialingredienttoyourchild’sdeterminationtoachieve.

Thirdgradersareexuberantabouttheirpeers,theirteacher,theirschool,andtheirchurch. They aregraciouswithothersandseekmanyfriendshipswithpeopleofallages. Itisatthisagethat yourchildwillbegintodevelopcloseone-on-onefriendships.

Studentsatthisagearehonestbothincomplimentsandcomplaints. Theyexpresstheiropinions freelywithouthesitation. Encourageyourchildtocontinuetofeelfreetoexpresshim/herself andtodevelopandenjoytheflightsoftheirimagination.

Thirdgradersarereadytogrowacademicallyandcreatively

THIRDGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

Skills:

Students will be able to…

● Readandcomprehendtextindependentlyandproficiently

● Useavarietyofstrategiestocomprehend,interpret,andevaluatetext

● Analyzethestructureoftexts,includinghowsentences,paragraphs,andlargerportions ofthetextrelatetoeachotherandthewhole.

● Defineandappropriatelyapplycontent-relatedvocabularywords,highfrequencyand sightwords.

● Analyzehowpointofvieworpurposeshapesthecontentandstyleofatext

● Analyzehowtwoormoretextsaddresssimilarthemesortopics.

● Useavarietyofstrategiesinwrittenlanguagetocommunicateeffectivelytodifferent audiencesfordifferentreasons.

● Developandstrengthenwritingbyplanning,revising,editing,rewriting,ortryingnew approaches.

● Produceclearandcoherentwriting

● Drawevidencefromtextstosupportanalysis,reflectionandresearch

● CommunicateorallyusingstandardEnglish

● Speakclearlyanduseappropriatevolume

● Presentinformationsuchthatlistenerscanfollowthelineofreasoning

● Participateinarangeofconversationsexpressingideasclearlyandpersuasively

● Demonstratecommandoftheconventionsofgrammarandusagewhenspeakingor writing

● Demonstratecommandoftheconventionsofcapitalizationandpunctuationwhenwriting

● Achieveproficiencyinmanuscriptwriting

● Demonstrateproficiencyinwritingcursivelettering

● Comprehendandapplythesound-symbolrelationship

● Correctlyspellcontent-relatedvocabularyandsightwords

● Understandandapplyphonicandwordanalysisskillstodecode/encodewords

Content

● Grammar(sentences(typesandstructure),subjects,predicates,nouns,verbs,pronouns, contractions,adjectives,adverbs,prepositions,articles,homophones)

● Spellingusingphonemicawareness

● Cursivewritingwithafocusonlegibility(shape,size,spacing,slant)

● Manuscriptwriting

● Five-stepwritingprocess

● Gradelevelvocabulary

● VocabularyStrategies:contextclues,figurativelanguage,prefixes,synonyms,idioms, antonyms,rootwords,suffixes,andGreekandLatinroots

● Comprehensionstrategy:visualization,make,confirm&revisepredictions,reread, summarize,ask,andanswerquestions,

● ComprehensionSkills:Character,setting,plot,sequence,problemandsolution,theme, pointofview,authorpointofview,cause,andeffect,compareandcontrast,text structure.

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● VisitthelibrarytogetherandparticipateinactivitiestheresuchastheSummerReading ProgramandStorytellingHour

● Writeletterstofriendsandfamilymembers.

● Afterwatchingamovieortelevisionprogramtogether,askyourchildwhatthestorywas about.(Mainidea)

● Encourageyourchildtokeepajournalofhis/herthoughtsandfeelings. Journalduring familyvacations.

● Giveyourchildapracticespellingtestathomebeforetheweeklytest.

● Duringcar-rides,create“OntheSpotStories”. Onepersonbeginsastorywithan openingsentencesuchas“OntheFourthofJuly,thefamilywenttotheStamford Parade.” Taketurnsaddingsentencesuntilanentirestoryiscreated. Encourageyour childtobecreativeanddescriptive.

● Readwithyourchilddaily. Taketurnsbeingtheoralreader.

● Attendplaysandmusicalspresentedforchildren.

● SomesuggestedauthorsforThirdGradeReadersare:

JudyBlume

BeverlyCleary

RoaldDahl

PaulaDanziger

KackPrelutsky

JonScieszka

MauriceDendak

ShelSilverstein

ChirsVanAllsburg

E.B.White

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InConnecticut:

SoundWatersSail

Askyourchildaboutsomeofthevocabularywordsusedonthesail.Whatvocabularystrategies cantheyusefornewwords?Askthemtodescribetheirfavoritepartsofthesailorhavethem writeajournalentrytoremembertheirexperience.

StamfordAllSchoolMusical

TheAll-SchoolMusicalisaunique,afterschoolmusicaltheaterprogramthatbringstogether Stamfordpublicandprivateschoolstudents/residentsfromareaschools.Eachyear,we mounta full-scale,professional-levelmusicalundertheguidanceoftheaterprofessionals,educators,and dedicatedvolunteers.Aftertheshow,askyourchildtosummarizethestory

WeirFarm

VisitConnecticut’sonlyNationalParkandthehomeandstudioofAmerica'smostbeloved Impressionist,J.AldenWeir.Walkinthefootstepsofgenerationsofworld-classartists.Set amidstmorethan60acresofpainterlywoods,fields,andwaterways,you’llsoonseewhyWeir describedhishomeasthe"GreatGoodPlace."Weir’sfarmisanationallegacytoAmerican Impressionism,thecreativespirit,andhistoricpreservation.

OutsideConnecticut:

WorldAwarenessChildren’sMuseum

Themuseumspaceisdividedinto7exhibitareas;WorldGallery,Home&FamilyLife,Animal PreserveResearchCenter,WorldMusic,TextileMarketplace,WorldFashion,andArtStudio& Gallery Carefullyprepareddiscoveryguidestomakeyourtourfunandinformative.Createyour owntraveladventure,designauniquecrafttotakehome,playgames,hearstories,participatein puppetshows,dance,shopandsomuchmore!

TheColorFactory

ColorFactoryisacelebrationforyoursenses.Tapintothejoyofcolorthroughtheexpressionof arttocreateexperiencesthatmakepeopleofallagessmile,connect,remember,andfeellike kidsagain.Expandyourboundariesofperception,indulgeyouinplayanddiscovery,andengage yoursensesinunexpectedwaysandhaveconversationswithyourchildabouttheirexperience throughitall.

SloomooInstitute

Didyouknowslimecanincreaseyourchild’sabilitytopayattention?Themoresensesinvolved whenyourchildplays,themoreconnectionstheirbrainsaremaking.Getallthebenefitsofslime whileavoidingthemessofmakingit.VisittheSloomooInstituteinNYC.Haveyourchild sequencetheeventsoftheexperiencetohelpmakethoseELAconnections.

Virtual: NationalConstitutionCenter

THIRDGRADE MATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to…

● Comprehendpropertiesofplacevaluetoperformmulti-digitarithmetic

● Identifypatternsandrelationships

● Comprehendtherelationshipbetweenandsolveproblemsincludingthefouroperations

● Fluentlymultiplyanddividewithin100

● Representproblemsinvolvingmultiplicationanddivisionusingalgebraicsymbols

● Comparetwofractionswiththesamedenominator2,3,4,6,8

● Drawshapesbasedonattributes

● Demonstratetheabilitytopartitionshapes

● Identifypolygonsbasedoncategoriesandattributes.

● Developanunderstandingoffractionsasnumbers

● Identifydecimalplacevalue

CONTENT:

● PlaceValuetothehundredthousands

● Estimation

● Comparingnumbers

● Roundingnumbers

● Addition–estimation,andaddingthree-digitnumberswithandwithoutregrouping

● Subtraction–estimation,andsubtractingthree-digitnumberswithandwithout regrouping

● Multiplicationproperties

● DivisionProperties

● Measurement:MetricandStandard

● Time:Tothehour,minute,quarter-hour,half-hour,andelapsedtime

● Geometry:Identifylines,rays,andangles,Shapes:circles,polygons,andtriangles

● Perimeter,Area,andVolume

● Multiplication:One,two,andthree-digitnumbersbyonedigitwithandwithout regrouping

● Division:multi-digitquotientswithandwithoutremainders

● Graphs:pictographs,bargraphs,linegraphs,lineplots,andcirclegraphs

● Probability

● Range,Median,Mode,andMean

● Fractions-terms,equivalentfractions,simplestform,estimating,comparingandordering fractions,add/subtractlikedenominators

● Writemixednumbersinstandardandwordform

● Decimals:fractionsasdecimals.Subtract,add,multiply,divide,compare,andorder decimals.Identifythehundredthsplaceandwritedecimalsgreaterthanone

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● PurchaseandviewMusicalMultiplicationwithyourchild. Thevideoisavailableonline.

● Purchaseanyofthefollowingaudiotapes(dependingonyourfamily’smusictaste): Multiplication Rock, Multiplication Country, Multiplication Rap. Alloftheabovecanbe foundonline.

● Purchaseandplay Twenty-Four Math Games.

● Withyourchild,measure,log,graphthesizeofvariousroomsinyourhome. Log measurementsincustomaryandmetricmeasurement.

● Play Multiplication Bingo.

● Giveyourchild$25,escorthim/hertothegrocerystoreandhavehim/herplanbudget, anddevelopamenuforyourfamily’sdinner.

● Bakecookieswithyourchildusingafavoriterecipe;haveyourchildcomputethe ingredientstodoubletherecipe. Onanotherdaymakethesamerecipeandhaveyour childreducetheingredientsbyhalf.

● Playflashcardgamesforreinforcementofmathfacts(addition,subtraction, multiplicationanddivision).

● Readaloudwithyourchild:

StarryMessenger:ABookDepictingtheLifeofaFamousScientist,Mathematician, Astronomer,Philosopher,Physicist,GalileoGalileibyPeterSis

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

MM2GOwascreatedbytheNationalMuseumofMathematics(MoMath)-anaward-winning museumthathighlightstheroleofmathematicsinilluminatingthepatternsandstructuresall aroundus. Itsdynamicexhibits,galleries,andprogramsaredesignedtostimulateinquiry,spark curiosity,andrevealthewondersofmathematics. TheMuseum’sinnovativeexhibitswill engagevisitorsofeveryage,from1to100!SchoolVisitinformationonfractionsandshapescan befoundhere

InConnecticut:

LutzChildren’sMuseum LutzChildren’sMuseuminvitesgroupstoexploreculture,history,and thesciencesthroughfunexhibits,programs,andmore.STEAMeducationactivitiesarealso available.

TheAldrichContemporaryArtMuseum

TheAldrichContemporaryArtMuseumisoneoftheoldestcontemporaryartmuseumsinthe UnitedStates.ArtandMathrequiretheabilitytorecognizepatternsandspatialreasoning.

Bowlero

Usearainydaytoheadtothelocalbowlinglanes.Askyourchildtousebothadditionand subtractiontocomeupwiththescoreforeachframebeforetheyreturnbacktothewaitingarea.. Quizthemonhowstrikesorsparescanchangethescore.Askthemwhata‘perfect’gamescores like(answer:it’s(10+10+10)x10=300).

OutsideofConnecticut:

NationalMuseumofMathematics

MoMath,theNationalMuseumofMathematics,isanaward-winningmuseumthathighlightsthe roleofmathematicsinilluminatingthepatternsandstructuresallaroundus. Itsdynamic exhibits,galleries,andprogramsaredesignedtostimulateinquiry,sparkcuriosity,andrevealthe wondersofmathematics. TheMuseum’sinnovativeexhibitswillengagevisitorsofeveryage, from1to100!

Caramoor

CaramoorCenterforMusicandtheArtsisadestinationforexceptionalmusic,captivating programs,spectaculargardensandgrounds,andwonderfulmomentswithfriendsandfamily It enrichesthelivesofitsaudiencesthroughinnovativeanddiversemusicalperformancesofthe highestquality.Itsmissionalsoincludesmentoringyoungprofessionalmusiciansandproviding educationalprogramsforyoungchildrencenteredaroundmusic.

LegolandNewYork

Takeaclasswithamasterbuilder. Legoscanencouragecreativityandexperimentation,whichis whatSTEMisallabout.

Virtual:

ManufacturingtheFutureofAviation

THIRDGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to…

● Demonstrateunderstandingofgrade-levelcontent

● Demonstratetheabilitytopredict,experiment,andrecordinformation

● Usematerialsandresourcesappropriatelytoproblemsolve

● Participateininvestigationsanddiscussions

● Observe,measure,andusepatternstopredictanobject’smotion

● Identifytheforcesactingonanobject&useevidencetoexplainhowbalancedand unbalancedforcesaffectanobject’smotion

● Relatethecausesandeffectsofelectricforcesbetweenobjectsanddescribefactorsthat affectmagneticforcesbetweenobjects

● Explainhowwateraffectsweather,demonstratehowtostaysafeinsevereweather,and describetheweatherconditionsforeachseason

● Describefactorsthataffectclimate,thewaysinwhichclimatecanchange,climatein differentpartsoftheworld,andexplainhowglobalclimateischanging.

● Describehowalllifecyclesfollowthesamepattern,explainhowlivingthingsinherit manycharacteristicsfromtheirparents,andhowtheenvironmentcaninfluencethe characteristicsoflivingthings.

● Relatethecharacteristicsofaplant/animaltohowwellitcansurvive,listthatsome animalsformgroupstohelpthemsurvive,andexplainhowplantsandanimalsrespondto changesintheenvironment.

● Describewhatafossilisandsomewaystheyform.

● Usefossildatatogiveevidenceoforganismsandenvironmentsthatexistedlongagoand toarguehowsomelivingthingshaverespondedtoclimatechanges.

CONTENT:

● Motion&Forces

● Electricity

● Magnetism

● Weather

● Climate

● LifeCycles&Traits

● Adaptions&Survivals

● FossilEvidence

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● VisitalocalZoo.

● Workingwithyourchild,takeapartanoldapplianceandidentifythesimplemachines incorporatedinit.

● Whenvisitinganamusementpark,trytoidentifythesimplemachinesoneachride.

● Usingrawmaterialssuchasdowels,papertowelrolls,paperclips,rubberbands,etc.,create compoundmachines.

● VisittheAviationandStructureGalleriesatalocalScienceCenter

● Startarockcollectionandidentifytherocks.Classifytherocksaccordingtorocktypes.

● VisitalocalBotanicalGarden.Observethedifferentgroupingsofplantsandflowers.

● ReadExplorationinEarthSciencebyLawrenceLowerywithyourchild.

● Purchase"Murphy'sMinerals,"acomputersoftwaresimulationofover100minerals.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InConnecticut:

ConnecticutScienceMuseum

Withmorethan165hands-onexhibits,astate-of-the-art3Ddigitaltheater,foureducationallabs, plusdailyprogramsandevents,theConnecticutScienceCenteroffersendlessexplorationfor children,teens,andadults.Fromphysicstoforensics,geologytoastronomy,visitorshavethe sciencesattheirfingertips.

YalePeabodyMuseum

ThePeabodyMuseumofNaturalHistoryatYaleUniversityisoneoftheoldest,largest,and mostprolificuniversitynaturalhistorymuseumsintheworld.Itwasfoundedbythe philanthropistGeorgePeabodyin1866atthebehestofhisnephewOthnielCharlesMarsh,an earlypaleontologist.(Reopensinearly2024)

MysticAquarium&InstituteforExploration

MysticAquarium,oneofAmerica'sleadingaquariums,showcasesthelivingcollections,science andconservationworkofSeaResearchthroughexhibits,demonstrationsandeducational programs,emphasizinghands-on,interactive,liveanimalcontactexperiencesforallages. Hostingmorethan750,000visitorsannually,theAquariumisopenyear-roundandis Connecticut'slargestnon-casinoattraction.MysticAquariumisoneofthefewinNorthAmerica housingBelugawhalesandotherrareandremarkableseacreatures.

OutsideConnecticut:

ThomasEdisonNationalHistoricalPark

StepbackintimetoThomasEdison’shomeandlaboratory,whenmachineswererunbybelts andpulleysandmusicwasplayedonphonographs.DiscoverwhereAmerica’sgreatestinventor changedourworldforever.

LakeGeorgeKayakCompany

KayakingusesNewton’ssecondandthirdlawofmotion.WhileCASstudentsmaynothave madethisobservation yet,theystudymotionandforcesinthirdgrade.Kayakingisagreatway forthemtoseeitinaction.

PortJeffFerry

Whatmanypassengersdon’trealizeisthattheferryisalsopartofaresearchprojecttostudythe movementsofseabirdsandshorebirdsthroughtheSound.OntheroofoftheP.T.Barnumisa newly-installedantennathatpicksupinformationtransmittedfrombirdswearingspecial trackingdevicescallednanotags.Thisinformationisdownloadedtoacomputer,wherescientists collectandanalyzethedata.Checkoutthewildlifeandcheckoutthebirdsbeingtrackedhere

Virtual: NickelodeonSlimeinSpace

Thefourthgraderepresentsayearoftransitionforyourchild.Academicindependencebeginsto emergeasinstructionisnotsolelyteacherdirected.

Themovetofourthgraderepresentsaquantumacademicleap. Fourthgradeworkdemandsa newkindofthinking,abstractingandapplyinginformationthatupuntilnowhadbeenmoreor lessmemorized.Theworkdemandedofthefourthgraderisgeometrically,notjust arithmetically,moredifficultthantheworkdemandedofthethirdgrader.

Yourchild’steachersareacutelyawareofthedemandsoffourthgradeandwillaccommodate thosedemands.Theywillspendtimeteachingorganizationalskills,theuseofappropriateonline platforms,theset-upofanotebook,thecoordinationofmaterialsthatareneededwhenstudents changeclass,andtimemanagementskills. Itistheteacher’sresponsibilitynotonlytoinstruct but,also,toguidetheirpupilsontheroadtoindependenceanddivergentthinking.

Althoughtheteachersrecognizetheextrarequirementthatfourthgrademakesofstudents,many parentsarenotawareorpreparedforit. Manytimestheyaresurprisedwhentheirchild, successfulinschoolupuntilnow,suddenlyrunsintounexpecteddifficulties.

Youcanassistyourchildbydevelopinghomeschedulesandpredictableroutines(mealtimes, homeworkareasandtimes,bedtimes). Assistyourchildinpackinghis/herbackpacktheevening beforeandplacingitbythedoor Thishelpseverymorningtoflowmoresmoothly

Fourthgradersarespiritedindividualswithanenthusiasmforlifeandforlearning. Their academicexposurewillbebroadenedthisyearandtheywillbegintoapplytheknowledgethat hasbeendirectedtotheminpreviousyears.

Theyareproudoftheiraccomplishmentsandwanttosucceed. Manytimesthroughoutthisyear yourchildwillbegivenprojectstocomplete(bookreports,researchpapers,creativewriting assignments). Youcanassistyourchildbyhelpinghim/herindevelopingatimelinefor completionwellbeforetheduedate. Assistyourchildbytakinghim/hertothelibraryortoa friend’shouse(orallowingotherstudentstocometoyourhome)ifitisagroupproject. Give him/herdirectionandguidanceduringtheproject,butnevercompleteitforhim/her,asthiswill onlyservetopreventyourchildfromfeelingthesatisfactionofajobwelldone.

Yourfourthgraderisreadytolearnandgrowwithyourdirection.

FOURTHGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Readandcomprehendcomplextextsindependentlyandproficiently

● Useavarietyofstrategiestocomprehend,interpret,andevaluatetext

● Analyzethestructureoffictiontexts;determinecentralideasorthemesandanalyzetheir development;summarizethekeysupportingdetailsandideas;analyzetheuseofliterary devices

● Readinformationaltextstoacquirenewinformationandtorespondtotheneedsand demandsofsociety

● Readavarietyofgenrescloselytodeterminewhatthetextsaysexplicitlyandtomake logicalinferencesfromit;citespecifictextualevidencewhenwritingorspeakingto supportconclusionsdrawnfromthetexttobuildanunderstandingofthemany dimensionsofthehumanexperience

● Defineandappropriatelyapplycontent-relatedvocabularywordstoenrich comprehensionandcommunicationskills;clarifythemeaningofunknownwordsby usingcontextclues

● Assesshowpointofvieworpurposeshapesthecontentandstyleofatext

● Analyzehowtwoormoretextsaddresssimilarthemesortopicstobuildknowledgeorto comparetheapproachesauthorstake

● Evaluateelectronicinformationsourcesandmakedecisionsabouttheaccuracyand relevanceofsuchinformation;becomeresponsibledigitalcitizens

● Demonstrateanunderstandingofthepersonalchoicesandmoralconsequencesin literatureandapplythesetotheirownlife;readtolearnmoreabouthis/herrelationship withGod,theirfaith,andtraditions

● Useavarietyofstrategiesinwrittenlanguagetoinform,persuade,explain,andtoshare realorimaginedexperiencesinordertocommunicateeffectivelytodifferentaudiences fordifferentreasons

● Understandandusepropergrammarandusageconventionsinallwrittenexpression

● Developandstrengthenwritingbyprewriting,drafting,revising,publishing,and presenting

● Gatherrelevantinformationfrommultiplesources,includingtheinternet;assessthe credibilityofeachsourceandintegratetheinformationwhileavoidingplagiarism;use technologytoproduceandpublishwritingandtointeractandcollaboratewithothers; becomeresponsibleglobalcitizens

● Writeinformative/explanatorytextstoexamineandconveycomplexideasand informationclearlyandaccuratelythroughtheeffectiveselection,organization,and analysisofcontent

● Produceclearandcoherentwritingwherebydevelopment,organization,andstyleare appropriatetotask,purpose,andaudience

● Writenarrativestodeveloprealorimaginedexperiencesoreventsusingeffective technique,well-chosendetails,andwell-structuredsequences

● Writepersuasivelytosupportpositionsonrelevanttopicsortexts,usingvalidreasoning andsufficientevidence

● CommunicateorallyusingStandardEnglish

● Evaluateaspeaker’spointofview,reasoning,anduseofevidenceandrhetoric

● Integrateandevaluateinformationpresentedindiversemediaandformats,including visually,quantitatively,andorally

● Prepareforandparticipateeffectivelyinarangeofconversationsandcollaborationswith diversepartners,buildingonothers’ideasandexpressingtheirownclearlyand persuasively

● Presentinformation,findings,andsupportiveevidencesuchthatlistenerscanfollowthe lineofreasoningandtheorganization,development,andstyleareappropriatetotask, purpose,andaudience

● Makestrategicuseofdigitalmediaandvisualdisplaysofdatatoexpressinformationand enhanceunderstandingofpresentations

● Listenwithcourtesyandreverenceandparticipateactivelyduringliturgyandprayertime

● DemonstratecommandoftheconventionsofStandardEnglishgrammarandusagewhen speakingandwriting

● DemonstratecommandoftheconventionsofStandardEnglishcapitalizationand punctuationwhenwriting

● Applyknowledgeoflanguagetounderstandhowlanguagefunctionsindifferent contexts,tomakeeffectivechoicesformeaningorstyle,andtocomprehendmorefully whenreadingorlistening

● Understandtheimportanceofcorrectspelling

● Understandandapplythesound-symbolrelationship

● Correctlyspellcontent-relatedvocabularyandsightwords

● Applyspellingskillsacrossthecurriculum

● Understandsthatlegiblehandwritingisatoolofcommunicationandacourtesytothose whoareexpectedtoreadit

● Achieveproficiencyinmanuscriptandcursivewritingtoenablewrittencommunication

● Demonstrateproficiencyinwritingcursiveandreadinglettering

CONTENT:

● Grammar(sentences(typesandstructure),subjects,predicates,nouns,verbs,pronouns, adjectives,adverbs,prepositions,articles,homophones)

● Spellingusingphonemicawareness

● Cursivewritingwithafocusonlegibility(shape,size,spacing,slant)

● Five-stepwritingprocess

● Research,prepare,andpresentonanassignedtopic

● Gradelevelvocabulary

● Contextclues

● Comprehensionstrategiesincludingpredicting;wondering;picturing;noticing;figuring out;askandanswerquestions;mainideaandsupportingdetails;causeandeffect

● Figurativelanguage

● Characterandthemesinliterature

● Author’spurpose:entertain,inform,persuade

● Sequencingevents

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● Helpyourchildcreatea“StoryIsland”asawallmuralorspecialbulletinboard. Give namestoitsforests,mountains,rivers,hills,andvillages. Inventcharactersfor“Story Island”;includepeople,animalsandimaginarycreatures. Whenyourstoryislandis finished,useitbyhavingyourchildtellstoriesabouttheadventuresofthecharactersthat liveinthesettingyouhavecreatedtogether.

● Aletterisagoodwaytosharethenewswithsomeoneelse. Helpyourchildselecta friendorrelativehe/shecouldwritetoonaregularbasis. Makesureyourchild proofreadstheletters,andmakesuggestionsastowhatkindsofinformationshouldbe includedintheletter. Helpwithaddressingtheenvelope,andthenmailtheletter together

● Takeadvantageofallthatyourlocallibraryoffers. Manylibrariesofferregularactivities andspecialevents. Gowithyourchildtotheseeventsandenjoythemtogether Discuss whathasbeenpresented. Don’tforgettoleavethelibrarywithseveralbooksforeachof you. Letyourchildseeyouread,too. Getinthehabitof“sustainedsilentreading”for pleasure,onaregularbasis,andyouwillfindthequiettimeasrewardingforyouasfor yourchild. Childrenlearnbyexample.

● Makealistoftwentyverbs. Haveyourchildwritealistofeachverbinpast,present,and futuretense.

● Haveyourownspelling“pre-test”athome. Eachweekthereisusuallyatest. Saythe word,usethewordinasentence,andthenrepeattheword. Giveyourchildtimetowrite eachword,then,checkthepapertogether. Goodpractice.

● Helpyourchildwriteadescriptiveparagraphabouthis/herroom. Tellhim/herthat detailsandaccuratedescriptionsusinglotsofadjectivesandadverbsshouldbeincluded. Haveyourchildproofreadhis/herworkandthensharetheparagraphwiththefamily. Childrenlovetowriteaboutthethingsthattheyknowbest.

● Withthehelpofyourlocallibrarian,obtainacurrentlistofthelatestCaldecottand NewberryAwardwinnersforchildren’sbooks. Haveyourchildlocatethemonthe libraryshelves,andcheckthemout. Readthemtogether. Everyoneenjoyshavinga goodstoryreadtothem,sotaketurns–youreadtoyourchild,thenhaveyourchildread toyou.

● Haveyourchildpretendthathe/sheistheyoungestpersonevertotravelintospace. Tell him/hertoimaginethathe/sheisgoingtospendaweekinthespaceshuttle. Writea journalentryforeachday. Answerthefollowingquestions: Whatkindsofthingsare youdoing? Whatisitliketoliveintheshuttle? Becreative!

● Helpyourchildselectafamouspersontoreadandwriteabout. Useencyclopedias, biographies,Encarta(orothercomputerreferencetools)toresearchandobtain informationandthenhaveyourchildwriteabiographyaboutthisperson. Besureto proofread.

● Writeahaiku. AhaikuisaJapanesepoemofthreeunrhymedlines. Thefirstandthird lineshavefivesyllableseach. Thesecondlinehassevensyllables. Helpyourchildwrite ahaikuabouthowhe/shethinksitfeelstofly

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InConnecticut: PalaceTheatre

Theatreisakeycomponentintheevolutionofliteracy.Ithelpsinthedevelopmentofeffective communicationskills.Theybecomeactivelisteners,reactandcritiqueperformances.It incorporateslanguageintothearts.

MuseumofContemporaryArt

TheWestportArtsCenter,whichhasbeenacornerstoneoftheWestportArtsCommunityfor50 years,hasundergoneasignificantexpansioninordertobringevenmorerichanddiverse programmingtoWestport.Asyoumovethroughthemuseum,askquestionsabouttheexhibits.

FortGriswoldBattlefieldStatePark

FortGriswoldisthesiteofthelargestRevolutionaryWarbattlefoughtinConnecticut.Takea tourandconsidercreatingyourowntimeline,askyourchildrenwhatquestionstheywouldask BenedictArnoldorotherhistoricalfiguresfromthebattle.

BeyondConnecticut:

EllisIsland

TakeatourofEllisIsland.Haveyoubeen?Discussfeelingsandchallengesimmigrantsfaced whendecidingonanewsettlement.

PowerHouseon8th

EverySundaymorning,there'sanactivity-packedstorytime,oftenstarringlocalkid-litauthors readingtheirworkorBrooklynmusiciansplayingtheirsongs.Theshopalsohostsamonthly bookclubfortweensandyoungteens.

IntrepidSea,Air&SpaceMuseum

TheIntrepidSea,Air&SpaceMuseumisdedicatedtotheexhibitionandinterpretationof history,scienceandserviceasrelatedtoitshomeaboardtheaircraftcarrier Intrepid,aNational HistoricLandmark.AsyouexploretheMuseumyouwillbeabletoexamineoriginalartifacts, viewhistoricvideofootageandexploreinteractiveexhibits.

Virtual:

ColonialWilliamsburg

FOURTHGRADE MATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Generalizeanduseplacevalueofmulti-digitnumbersasafoundationformulti-digit arithmetic

● Performmulti-digitarithmetic

● Solveproblemsinvolvingthefouroperations

● Identifyfactorsandmultiples

● Representproblemsinvolvingmultiplicationanddivision

● Extendpreviousunderstandingoffractionsasnumbers

● Comparefractionswithdifferentnumeratorsanddenominators(fractionswiththe denominatorsof2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12,and100)

● Solveproblemsinvolvingfractions

● Understanddecimalnotationforfractionsandcompare

● Extendunderstandingofplacevaluetoaddandsubtractdecimals

● Generateandanalyzepatterns

● Measureandknowrelativesizesofmeasurementunitswithinasinglesystem

● Solveproblemsinvolvingdistance,volume,andmass

● Solverealworldproblemsinvolvingareaandperimeterofpolygons

● Solveproblemsinvolvingtimeandmoney

● Generate,represent,andinterpretdata

● Measureangles

● Classify2dimensionalfiguresbasedonlinesandangles

● Drawgeometricfigures

● Identifylinesofsymmetry

CONTENT:

● Numbersandoperationsinbase10

● AdditionProperties

● ExpressionsandVariables

● Placevaluestothemillions

● Estimation

● ComparingNumbers

● RoundingNumbers

● MultiplicationProperties

● Division:1digitquotients;2digitquotients;3digitquotients

● Mean

● Division:2digitdividends;greaterquotients

● Fractions-terms,equivalentfractions,simplestform,comparingandorderingfractions, add/subtractlikeandunlikedenominators

● Improper/mixedfractions,decimalstotenths,andhundredths,decimalsandfractions, add/subtractdecimals,dividedecimals

● Problemsolvingstrategiessuchaslogicalreasoning,makeatableorlist,working backwards,interpretingtheremainder,usingmorethanonestep,findingapattern, drawingamodel,usingsimplernumbers

● Probability

● Multiples

● Geometry,identifylines,rays,andangles,shapes:circles,polygons-quadrilateralstriangles;coordinategeometry

● PerimeterandArea

● SolidFigures

● Volumeofsolidfigures

● Graphs:pictographs,bargraphs,linegraphs,lineplots,circlegraphs

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● PlayMultiplicationBingowithyourchild.

● Playflashcardgamesforreinforcementofmathfacts(addition,subtraction, multiplicationanddivision).

● Useamenufromalocalrestaurant,chooseselectionsforeachmemberofthefamilyand totalupthebill. Giveyourchildabudgetthathe/shehastoworkwithin.

● Planatriptosomeunfamiliardestination. Usingamapandthemapscale,calculatethe totalmilesforthetrip. Figureoutthehoursitwilltakeifyouaretraveling55milesper hour.

● Nameatleastfivesportsthatareplayedwithspheres. Givesomepropertiesofspheres thatwouldexplainwhytheyareusedinsomanysports. Chooseoneofthespheresto playagamewith.

● Makea“MultiplicationFrisbee”. Stapletogethertwopaperplates. Writemultiplication problemsonthemandplayFrisbeebyansweringtheproblemsasyoucatchtheFrisbee.

● Useaclockwithasecondhandtotimehowhigheachmemberofthefamilycancountin oneminute. Thenrecordthehighestnumbereachcountercanreach. Dividetofindout howmanynumberseachpersonwouldsayinasecond.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

MM2GOwascreatedbytheNationalMuseumofMathematics(MoMath)-anaward-winning museumthathighlightstheroleofmathematicsinilluminatingthepatternsandstructuresall aroundus. Itsdynamicexhibits,galleries,andprogramsaredesignedtostimulateinquiry,spark curiosity,andrevealthewondersofmathematics. TheMuseum’sinnovativeexhibitswill engagevisitorsofeveryage,from1to100!SchoolVisitinformationonfractionsandshapescan befoundhere.

InConnecticut:

TheGlassHouse

BuiltbyarchitectPhilipJohnsonin1949,theGlassHouseisanessayinminimalstructure, geometry,proportion,andtheeffectsoftransparencyandreflection.

HartfordYardGoats

Recordstatistics,calculatebattingaveragesandenjoyagameattheHartfordYardGoatsgame.

RidgefieldPlayhouse

Didyouknowthatlisteningtomusicincreasesactivityinthepartofthebrainthatprocesses reasoningskills?Researchhasshownthatmusichelpsstudentsdevelopmathematicalskills. CatchaconcertattheRidgefieldPlayhouse.

OutsideofConnecticut:

NationalMuseumofMathematics

MoMath,theNationalMuseumofMathematics,isanaward-winningmuseumthathighlightsthe roleofmathematicsinilluminatingthepatternsandstructuresallaroundus. Itsdynamic exhibits,galleries,andprogramsaredesignedtostimulateinquiry,sparkcuriosity,andrevealthe wondersofmathematics. TheMuseum’sinnovativeexhibitswillengagevisitorsofeveryage, from1to100!

LegolandDiscoveryCenter

DiscoverthelearningphilosophyofLEGOEducationinthethrillingatmosphereof LEGOLANDDiscoveryCenter,offeringanengagingintroductoryhands-onSTEAMsolution thatencouragesstudentstodiscoverphysicalscienceinaction.

BonBon

TakeatouroftheBonBonchocolatefactory.AskyourtourguidehowMathisusedandhow Mathmistakescouldaffectthefinalproduct.

Virtual:

AmazonRoboticsFulfillmentCenter

FOURTHGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Demonstrateunderstandingofgrade-levelcontent

● Demonstratetheabilitytopredict,experiment,andrecordinformation

● Usematerialsandresourcesappropriatelytoproblemsolve

● Participateininvestigationsandinstructions

● Investigateandidentifytherelationshipsamongenergy,speedandmovingobjects

● Constructelectriccircuitsandexplorehowcurrentsmovethroughcircuits

● Learntheconnectionbetweennaturalresourcesandenergy

● Identifysourcesofrenewableandnonrenewableenergy

● Identifywavecharacteristicssuchashowwavesmoveandtransferenergy

● Modelwavesusingpatternsinwaveproperties

● Identifycharacteristicsofrocksandexaminehowtheyform

● Explorechemicalandphysicalweatheringandevaluatetherelationshipbetween weatheringanderosion

● Explorethecausesandeffectsoftectonichazardsincludingearthquakes,volcanoes,and tsunamis

● Investigateanddesignpossiblesolutionstominimizetheimpactofnaturalhazards

● Studytheanatomyofsomeinternalplantstructuresandconnectthosestructureswith howtheplantsurvivesandreproduces

● Investigatethemanyinternalstructuresofanimalsthathelpthemsurviveintheir environments

● Explorehowhumanbodysystemsareorganizedbycells,tissuesandorgans

● Investigatethedifferentsystemsofthehumanbodyandexplainthefunctionsofeach partofthesystem

CONTENT:

● EnergyandMotion:Energyspeedandmovingobjects

● Collisions;Energytransfers

● Electriccircuits

● Humanusesofenergy:Energyconversions

● RenewableandNonrenewableEnergysources

● EnvironmentalImpactsofenergyuse

● WavesandInformation:PropertyandPatternsofWaves

● PatternsofEarth’sFeatures

● Rocks,Minerals,andSoil

● WeatheringandErosion

● Earth’sNaturalHazards

● Internalandexternalfunctionsofplantsandanimals

● Plantandanimalresponsestotheenvironment

● HumanBodySystems(circulatory,respiratory,skeletal,digestive,nervous,reproductive, skin)

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Giveyourchildtheopportunitytoplanthis/herownseedsandberesponsibleformaintaining theplants.Experimentwiththeplants'environmenttoseewhatworksbestforthem.

● Haveyourchildinterviewfamilymembersaboutmemorableweathereventsthathave occurredintheirlifetime.

● Takeyourchildonanindoorandoutdoortourofyourhome.Noticethefeaturesthatprotect yourhomefromrain,snow,intenseheat,orintensecold.Comparetheclimateoutsideand insideyourhome.

● Becomeelectricaldetectives!Gointoyourkitchenandidentifytheelectricalappliancesand devicesyoufindthere.Seeifyoucanidentifywhatmaterialisusedtoinsulateeach applianceordevice.Checkallthecordsforcracksandpeeling.

● VisitalocalZoo.Checkoutalloftheexoticanimalsandbesuretoexaminetheirhabitats. ReadStrangeCreaturesbySeymourSimontoprepareforyourzootrip.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InConnecticut: ConnecticutScienceMuseum

Withmorethan165hands-onexhibits,astate-of-the-art3Ddigitaltheater,foureducationallabs, plusdailyprogramsandevents,theConnecticutScienceCenteroffersendlessexplorationfor children,teens,andadults.Fromphysicstoforensics,geologytoastronomy,visitorshavethe sciencesattheirfingertips.

YalePeabodyMuseum

ThePeabodyMuseumofNaturalHistoryatYaleUniversityisoneoftheoldest,largest,and mostprolificuniversitynaturalhistorymuseumsintheworld.Itwasfoundedbythe philanthropistGeorgePeabodyin1866atthebehestofhisnephewOthnielCharlesMarsh,an earlypaleontologist.(Reopensinearly2024)

KelloggEnvironmentalCenter

AspartoftheConnecticutDepartmentofEnergy&EnvironmentalProtection,theKellogg EnvironmentalCenteroffersworkshops,exhibits,natureactivities,andlecturesforthegeneral public.Throughhands-onprograms,familiescanenjoylearningaboutnatureandthe environment.Throughouttheyear,theCenteroffersspecialweekendprograms,naturewalks, andfamilyworkshops.

OutofConnecticut:

DNALearningCenter

TheDNALearningCenterisageneticslearningcenteraffiliatedwiththeColdSpringHarbor Laboratory,inColdSpringHarbor,NewYork.Itistheworld'sfirstsciencecenterdevoted entirelytogeneticseducation.

TheBotanicalGardens

Whatrelationshipscanyoufindintheplantworld?Lookforpatternsamongstdifferentspecies ofplants.

BronxZoo

Checkoutthemorethan700speciesofanimalsthatspanthe265acrezoorightintheheartof theBronx.Paycloseattentiontoeachanimal'shabitatandmakenoticeofanyphysical characteristicsthatassisttheanimalsintheirhabitats.

Virtual: HumanBodyVirtualTour

Thefifthgraderepresentsayearofdichotomy. Thefifthgradestudentissuddenlyawareof his/herindependence;yet,isnotquitefullymaturedandequippedtoacceptthefull responsibilityofindependence. Theywilldelightyouwiththeirnaivetéandastoundyouwith theirmaturity Theyareadventurous,yet,theyarecautious. Theircautiousnesssometimes precedesratherthanfollowstheiractions. However,theyarequickeratthisstagetorecognize theirerrors.

Theirsenseofindependenceoftenpropelsthemintoacompetitivearena. Sincethefifthgrader oftenworksingroupsitisessentialthattheircompetitivenessbechanneledintotherealmof cooperation.

Manyoftheskillsintroducedinthefourthgradearesharpened. Theirstepfromconcreteto abstractthinkingchallengesandincreasestheirself-worth.

You,astheparentsofafifthgradestudent,canhelptoreinforceresponsibilitiesthatyourchild willencounter Itisimportantthatyouchannelyourchild’sexcitementabouttryingnewand challengingactivities. Yourchildmaybeoverwhelmedbythemultipletasksexpectedof him/her Astheprimaryeducator,youcanandmustgivetheneededsupportofencouragement.

Thisisatimewhenthesocialdemandsofbeingatpre-teenoftenincrease,whichisparticularly complicatedbyonlinecommunicationtoolssuchasphones,iPadandtheuseofsocialmedia apps.Studentsareimpactedbytheactionsoftheirpeersaroundthem.Itisimportanttohave consistentguidelinesinyourhomeregardingacceptableonlinebehaviorandlimitstouseof socialmedia.

Communicationbetweenyouandyourchildisvitalatthistime.Yourchildisnevertoooldfor youtoask: “Namethreeexcitingthingsyoudidinschooltoday.” Perhapsthesediscussionscan beincorporatedintoyourfamilydinnerconversations.

Itisuptoyoutoconstantlyreinforcecommitmentstoyourchild’sideas,friends,familyand religion.

FIFTHGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Engageeffectivelyinarangeofcollaborativediscussions(oneonone,partner,groupor teacherled)withdiversepatternsontopics/texts,building/expressingtheirownclearly

● Usegeneralacademic/domainspecificwordsandphrases

● Describecharactersinastory

● Usespecificwords/phrases/sensorydetailstoconveyexperiencesandevents

● Producecompletesentencesrecognizing/correctinginappropriatefragments/runons

● Readingandcomprehendingvarioustypesoftextsfiction/non-fiction

● Demonstrateunderstandingoffigurativelanguage,wordrelationshipsinwordmeanings

● Usenarrativetechniques,suchasdialogue,descriptionandpacingtodevelopexperiences oreventstoshowtheresponsesofcharactersinasituation

● Poseandrespondtospecificquestions

● Quoteaccuratelyusingtextevidencewhendrawinginferences

● Understandfigurativelanguageusedinshortstoriesandpoetry

● Developtopicswithfacts,definitions,concretedetails

● Writeroutinelyoverextendedtimeframes(research/revision/reflection)

● Produceclearandcoherentwritingwiththedevelopment/organizationofparagraphs

● Beginannotatingforanalyzing/identifyauthorspurpose

CONTENT:

● Writing:buildingexpressions,connectingtopassages,detail,drawinginferences, narrative,informationalwriting restatingthequestion,

● Grammar:figurativelanguage,homophones,subjects,predicates,compoundwords,run onsentences,common/propernouns,single/pluralnouns,actionverbs,possessive pronouns,pronouns/antecedents,independentanddependentclauses,

● Spelling:shortvowels,longvowels,rcontrolled,wordswith(er,ir,ur),variantvowels, plurals,inflectionalendings,prefixes,suffixes,

● Reading:leveledreadings,wholegroupreadings,annotations,poetry

● Informationaltext/fictionreadings

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● Journalsareverypopularlearningtools. Theyencouragedailywritingina non-threateningformat. Thebestwaytoreinforcewritingasalifeskillistomodelthis behaviorforyourchild. UseaplainspiralnotebookandbeginaSharedJournalwith yourson/daughter. Taketurnswithhim/hermakingentriesinthisjournal. Keepthe entriessimple,onlyafewlines. Thetopicsareendless. Youcouldrecallapastactivity thatyousharedwithyourchild,praisehim/herforoneofhis/hersuccesses,reportwhat youdidatworkorwhatyoudidwhileyourchildwasatschool. Thisactivitywillnot

onlyreinforceyourreadingandwritingskillsbutitwillalsoserveasavaluable communicationtoolbetweenyouandyourchild.

● Childrenenjoyreceivingtheirownmail. Writeletterstoyourchildandmailthemfrom workorwhenyouareoutdoingerrands. Whatwillbeginasareadingactivityforyour child,willovertime,developintoawritingactivityasyourchildbeginstorespondto yourletters.

● WheretheSidewalkEndsbyShelSilversteincontainssomegreatpoetryforreading aloudtoyourchild. Thiscollectionofpoetryisafavoriteofchildren. Encourageyour childtowritehis/herownpoetrymodeledaftersomeofthepoemsyouhavereadinthis book.

● Toreinforcepartsofspeech,purchaseabookletofMadLibsandcompletetheselections withyourchild. MadLibsareacollectionofstorieswithkeywordsomitted. Inplaceof theomittedword,yourchildwillhavetoinsertarequestedpartofspeech. Whenread backthestoriesareamusing. TheMadLibbooksareinexpensiveandcanbepurchased atmosttoystoresoronline.

(http://www.eduplace.com/cgi-bin/template/hmco/school/tales/friendsfor.thtml)

● Post-It-Notesareavailableinavarietyofcolorsandsizesareavailableatdiscountand officesupplystores. Haveyourchildwritehis/herspellingwordsonseparatenotesand sticktheminconspicuousplacesaroundthehouse. Throughouttheweek,encourage yourchildtostop,lookat,andspellthesewordseverytimehe/shecomesacrossone.

● Readingtoyourchild,nomatterwhathis/herage,isasimplebutinvaluableactivity. Itis enjoyable,entertainingandrelaxing. Itsharpenslisteningskillsthatareimportantto yourchild’ssuccessinallareasofschool. Italsomodelscorrectoralreadingskillsof pace,expression,andinflection. Ithelpstoexposeyourchildtovocabularythathe/she maynotbeabletotackleindependentlyatthistime. Itmodelstoyourchildthatyou considerreadingtobeavaluableactivity. Mostimportantlyitallowsyoutospendquiet, one-on-onetimewithyourchild. Itistimethatyouwillbothcherishinlateryears.

● Listedbelowarebooksthatyourfifthgradechildwouldenjoy. Readthesebooks together.

FourAncestors: Stories,SongandPoemsfromNativeNorthAmerica toldbyJoseph Bruchac

BlubberbyJudyBlume

ShilohbyPhyllisReynoldsNaylor

Fmi

TheWatsonsGotoBirmingham–1963byChristopherPaulCurtis

CelebrateAmericainPoetryandArteditedbyNoraPanzer

You’reInvitedtoBruceLansky’sPoetryPartybyBruceLansky

TheIHateMathematics!BookbyMarilynBurns

KidsWithCourage: TrueStoriesAboutYoungPeopleMakingaDifference

A.Lewis

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InConnecticut:

MarkTwainHouseandMuseum

byBarbara

BringyourchildtovisitthehousewhereHuck,TomandJimwereborn!Throughavarietyof interactive,inquiry-basedtoursandprogramsledbyourexpertguides,studentsingradesK-12 canexplorethebeautifulroomswhereTwainworkedandraisedhisfamily,learnaboutthesocial andculturalissuesthatshapedhiswriting,andevendoalittlestorytellingthemselves.It’sthe perfectwaytobringlearningtolife!

MashantucketPequotMuseumandResearchCenter

Taketheopportunitytoreadtheinformationtextprovidedatthemuseumwhileseeingartifacts firsthandrightinourhomestate.

SherwoodIslandStatePark

TheSherwoodIslandNatureCenterislocatedbetweenEastBeachandthesaltmarshnature trail.DEEPstaff,assistedbyinternsanddocents,haveplannedsummernaturewalks,bird watching,andlearningactivitiesforadultsandchildren.

OutsideConnecticut:

TheTouratNBCStudios

Checkoutthe4KtheaterlocatedintheShopatNBCStudiosbeforethetourbegins.Getaview ofthefullyrestoredandspectacularArtDecoRotunda,theNBCProductionGallery,visitat leasttwoNBCstudiosandtheTourStudiowhereyoucreateyourownshow!

TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt

Letyourkidschoosethepaceofthetourorsignupforaguidedtour Encourage“Inotice” languagetohelpyourchildcommunicateandthinkaboutthearttheysee.

GroundZeroTour

Hearfirsthandaccountsfromguideswhoremember9/11.LearnaboutthenewWorldTrade Centerandthe9/11MemorialandMuseum.Takeamomenttohonortheliveslostandtoseeand celebrateNewYorkCity’sresilience.

Virtual:

ChangeMakersinAction

FIFTHGRADE MATH SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Readandwritenumberstothebillionsandtothethousandthsplacevalue

● Add/subtractandcompare/orderlargewholenumbers

● Multiply1-6digits

● Dividewholenumbers,moneyanddecimals1-2-digitdivisors

● Useprimefactorization

● Findthegreatestcommonfactor,leastcommonmultipleandleastcommondenominator

● Solvefractionsintosimplestform

● Convertimproperfractionstomixednumbersandmixednumberstoimproperfractions

● Compareandorderfractionsonanumber

● Add/subtractfractions

● Findtheprobabilityofsimple/combinedevents

● Findmean,median,mode,rangeforthedataset

● Identifydecimalplacevalues

● Multiply/dividedecimalswithexponents

● Understandmeasurement,unitsoflength,capacityandweight

● Findthearea,surfacearea,volumeofbasicshapes

● Understandbasicsofratios/proportions/expressions/equations

CONTENT:

● Add,subtract,multiply,divideof2to6-digitnumbers

● Add,subtract,multiply,divideandorderfractions

● PEMDAS,beginningofexponents

● GCF,LCM,LCD

● Add,subtract,multiply,divideandorderdecimals

● Distributiveproperty(equations)

● Numberline

● Area,perimeter&volume

● Associative,distributiveandcommutativeproperty

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Lookforexamplesofdifferentkindsofgraphsinthenewspaper,inmagazinesandin books. Haveyourchildexplainwhatthegraphmeans.

● HaveyourchildconstructaMetricMonsterusinggeometricshapestocreatebodyparts. Findthecircumferenceofthecircularparts;findtheareaandperimeteroftherectangular andtriangularparts.

● Collectdataaboutcarsthatpassbyyourhouseina5-minuteperiod. Then,basedon yourinformation,formulatewordproblemsthatwilluseeachofthefouroperations: addition,subtraction,multiplicationanddivision.

● Usingaprotractorandaruler,taketurnsdrawinganglesandestimatingtheirsize. Using aprotractor,measuretheanglesandrecordtheactualsize;then,labeltheanglesasright, acute,orobtuse.

● Acquirethefollowingbookstousewithyourchild:

1. MathSquared: GraphPaperActivitiesforFunandFundamentalsbyDavidP.Stern.

2. GettingOlderandOlder,FasterandFasterfromTheTalesofTrickeryfromtheLand ofSpoof(mathpuzzlesandproblem-solvingskills).

3. MysteryStoryProblems: MixedMultiplicationandDivisionFactsbyDavidClark Yaeger.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InSchool:

MM2GOwascreatedbytheNationalMuseumofMathematics(MoMath)-anaward-winning museumthathighlightstheroleofmathematicsinilluminatingthepatternsandstructuresall aroundus. Itsdynamicexhibits,galleries,andprogramsaredesignedtostimulateinquiry,spark curiosity,andrevealthewondersofmathematics. TheMuseum’sinnovativeexhibitswill engagevisitorsofeveryage,from1to100!SchoolVisitinformationonfractionsandshapescan befoundhere

InConnecticut:

TheAldrichContemporaryArtMuseum

ChallengeyourfamilytouseMathvocabularytodescribetheartyousee.Lookforpatternsin shapesandcolorwhilepayingcloseattentiontotheuseofspace.

ConnecticutSun

CalculateshootingaverageswhiletakinginaWNBAgame.

NorwalkCoveMarinaMiniatureGolf

NorwalkCoveMarinaMiniGolfhasprovidedFairfieldCountywithsummertimeentertainment forover50years.Our18-holecourseoffersdemandingplaywithtrue“progolf”styleminigolf. Itisaplacewherepeopleofallagesandskilllevelscanenjoyaroundofminiaturegolfwhile takinginthewonderfulwaterfrontviewsofCalfPastureBeachandtheLongIslandSound.

OutsideofConnecticut:

NationalMuseumofMathematics

MoMath,theNationalMuseumofMathematics,isanaward-winningmuseumthathighlightsthe roleofmathematicsinilluminatingthepatternsandstructuresallaroundus. Itsdynamic exhibits,galleries,andprogramsaredesignedtostimulateinquiry,sparkcuriosity,andrevealthe wondersofmathematics. TheMuseum’sinnovativeexhibitswillengagevisitorsofeveryage, from1to100!

CathedralChurchofSt.JohntheDivine

TheGeometryTourandWorkshopattheCathedralofSt.JohntheDivinegivesstudentsa chancetounderstandfirsthandhowgeometryimpactsarchitecture.Onthetour,studentswill discovergeometricshapesandprincipleswithintheCathedral’sdesignandexaminethe importanceofmathematicalrelationshipsthatcreatestabilityandbeautythroughoutthebuilding.

Spyscape

AtSPYHQyou’llexplorehiddenworlds,breakcodes,runsurveillanceandspotliars-whilea systemdevelopedwithMI6expertsrevealsyourpersonalspyroleandprofile.

Virtual:

Louvre

LeonardoDaVincicreatedtheMonaLisausingthegoldenratio.Checkoutavirtualtourtosee foryourself.

FIFTHGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Observeandmeasurepropertiesofmatter

● Identifymaterialsbasedontheirpropertiesandidentifythedifferencesinthethreestates ofmatter

● Useevidencetoshowthatmatterisconservedduringaphysicalchange

● Explainhowtemperaturecanaffectaphysicalchange

● Useevidencetoshowthatmatterisconservedduringachemicalchange

● Explainwhathappenswhendifferentsubstancesaremixed

● Explainhowtoslowdownorspeedupthedissolvingprocesswhenmixingmaterialsin water

● Describewhatmakesupthegeosphere/biosphere/atmosphere/hydrosphere

● DescribehowEarth’ssystemsinteractwitheachother

● Explainpartsofthewatercycle/recognizethattheoceanisanimportantpartofthewater cycle

● IdentifythatmostoftheEarth’sfreshwaterisinglaciers/ice caps/underground/lakes/rivers/wetlands/atmosphere

● DescribeEarth’snaturalresources

● Usemodelstodeceivetheenergyinananimalsfoodwasonceenergyfromthesun

● Describehowplantsmakefoodusingsunlight,air,waterandmaterialsinsoil

● Explainhowanimalsusetheenergytheygetfromfoodandidentifywhereenergyon Earthcomesfrom

● ExplainhowhumanactivitiesaffectEarth’sresourcesandenvironments&describeways toprotectEarth’sresourcesandenvironments

● Recognizethatmanystarsarebig/brightasthesun

● DescribeinnerplanetsofMercury,Venus,EarthandMarsandidentifycommon characteristics

● DescribetheouterplanetsofJupiter,Saturn,Uranus,Neptuneandidentifycommon characteristics

● DemonstratethatEarth’sgravitypullsobjectstowardthecenterofEarthanddemonstrate thatnightanddayarecausedbytherotationofEartharounditsaxisonceaday

● Demonstratewhythesun,moonandstarsappearatdifferenttimes.

● Createamodelofthesolarsystem

● Describethecomponentsofanecosystemanddescribehoworganismsuse matter/describerelationshipsbetweenorganismsinanecosystem

● Identifythecharacteristicsofahealthyecosystem/describehowchangeaffectsan ecosystem

● Modelthemovementofmatteramongorganismsandtheenvironment

CONTENT:

● PropertiesofMatter:observing,modeling&thepropertiesofmatter.

● ChangesinMatter:physical,chemical&mixtures/solutions.

● Earth'sSystems:geosphere,biosphere,hydrosphere&atmosphere.Interactionamong earth'ssystems.

● Humanimpactsonearth'ssystems:natural&energyresources.

● Patternsinspace:earth'sgravitationalforces,movementsinspaceandpatternsovertime.

● Solarsystem:brightnessofthesun/stars,inner,outersolarsystem

● Energy&food:energyinfood,howplantsmakefood&howanimalsusefood.

● Matter&energyinecosystems:ecosystems,organisms/changewithinecosystemsand mattertransferwithecosystems.

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Createa"PlantSystemSalad"Gofoodshoppingwithyourchild.Intheproducesectiontry toclassifythevegetablesaccordingtoplantsystemsthatyoucaneat!(leaves,fruits,stems, roots)Makeasaladcontainingatleastonevegetablefromeachplantsystem;shareitwith thefamily.

● Toreinforce"StructureofLivingThings--CellsandHowTheyWork,"visitapetstore. Challengeyourchildtoclassifyalloftheanimalsthereintogroupsthatscientistsuse.

● TakeatriptotheZoo,ananimalfarm,theNaturalHistoryMuseum,oranAquarium.

● Makeamodeloftheplanets.Drawthemorbuildmodelsoutofplaydough.

● Researchandreportonspaceprobesandsatellites.

● Haveyourchildidentifythenoisemakersinyourhome.Havehim/herthinkofwaystomake themquieter

● Visitanaturallandformnearyou,(lake,cave,river,mountain,hilletc,)Askyourchildto explainsomeEarthprocessesthatmayaccountforthepresenceofthislandform.

● Rentorborrowfromalibrarynaturevideostowatchwithyouchild.Considertopicssuchas earthquakes,volcanoes,dinosaurs,etc.

● Collectrocksorshellsalongariver,lake,oroceanshore.Askyourchildtospeculatewhat mighthappentothemoverthenext10,100,or1,000years.Howmightweathering,erosion, orclimateaffectthem?

● Suggestedbookstoreadwithyourchild:

FootprintsintheSwampbyMarieHalumBlock

Glaciers:IceontheMovebySallyM.Walker

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

InConnecticut:

SacredHeartUniversityDiscoveryScienceCenterandPlanetarium

TheDiscoveryScienceCenterandPlanetariumisahands-onsciencemuseumandplanetarium. AttheCenter,visitexhibits,theDiscovery'sChallengerCenterwherevisitorsareimmersedina mockspacestationandmissioncontrolsimulationexperienceandseeaplanetariumshow. EngageinaLearningLabdesignedtosupportlearningwiththeNextGenerationScience Standards.

LeitnerFamilyObservatory&Planetarium

Seeplanetariumshows,learnaboutthehistoryofastronomyresearchatYale,andview astronomicalinstrumentsattheLeitnerFamilyObservatory&Planetarium.

ConnecticutScienceMuseum

Withmorethan165hands-onexhibits,astate-of-the-art3Ddigitaltheater,foureducationallabs, plusdailyprogramsandevents,theConnecticutScienceCenteroffersendlessexplorationfor children,teens,andadults.Fromphysicstoforensics,geologytoastronomy,visitorshavethe sciencesattheirfingertips.

OutsideConnecticut: Ecotarium

TheEcoTariummuseumofscienceandnatureinWorcester,Massachusetts,offersan indoor-outdoorexperiencetovisitorsofallages.Guestsareencouragedtoexplorethreefloorsof indoorinteractiveexhibits,liveanimalhabitats,dailyScienceDiscoveryprograms,hikes throughforestandmeadownaturetrails,outdoorimaginativeplay,andatrainride(seasonal) aroundthe45+acrecampus.

HaydenPlanetarium

HaydenPlanetariumSpaceTheaterisattheheartoftheRoseCenterforEarthandSpaceisan 87-foot-diameterspherethatappearstofloatinsideaglasscube Noneedtosettleforjust lookingatthestars-this$210millionplanetariumisavirtualjoyridethroughtheuniverse.

NewYorkHallofScience

Here,youwon'tjustlearnhowtoseethescienceallaroundus,you'llhavethechancetosolve problems,asknewquestions,andlearnthroughdiscovery.You'llheadhomewithnew understandinggainedthroughfunexperiencesthatmeetyouwhereyouare.

Virtual: StellariumWebKids

ThroughStellariumWeb,kidscanexploreover60,000stars,locateplanets,andwatchsunrises andsolareclipses.Ifyouenteryourlocation,youcanseealltheconstellationsthatarevisiblein thenightskyinyourcorneroftheworld.

THESPIRITEDSIXTHGRADER

Thesixthgraderepresentsayearoftransitionintomiddleschool. Thesixthgradersuddenly becomesawareofhis/heremergenceintoadolescenceandmaydisplayresentmentwhenheor sheperceivesthattheyarebeingtreatedasachild. Sixthgradersfiercelystrivetobe independent;yet,atthesametimetheirneedforpeerapprovalisevident.Thiscanbeseenin theirdevelopmentofsmall,closepeergroups.

Yourchildnowhasfivecoreteachersandthreespecialsteachers. Thisisthefirstyearthatthey consistentlymovefromclassroomtoclassroomfortheircoresubjects.Thiscan,inthe beginning,beoverwhelming. You,asparents,canassistyourchildduringthistransitionby checkinghis/heronlineGoogleClassroomaccountbeforeandaftercompletingassignments. Overtime,encourageyourchildtobecomemoreindependentandmonitorGoogleClassroomon his/herownwithyou,asparents,onlycheckinginsporadically.

Whileitistruethatyouradolescentisenteringintotheworldofadulthood,itisinthisperiodof his/herlifethatthereisaspecialneedforparentalguidanceandexample. Givingyourchild freedomisimportantbutmiddleschoolersnecessitateclearandreasonableguidelinesfromtheir parentsaboutacceptablebehaviorsinthehomeandoutsideofthehome.

TheMiddleSchoolprovidesthesixthgradertheabilitytomakechoices. Theirsenseof independenceisstrengthenedbyadditionalfreedomsandchoiceswhichareaffordedthemiddle schoolstudent. Theyaregivenabreaktimemid-morningthatallowsthemtimetosocializeand regenerateforthechallengesoftheday.

Yoursixthgraderisatanexcitingstageashe/shebeginsajourneyfromchildhoodto adolescence.

SIXTHGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS:

Studentswillbeableto

● CloseReadandannotatewiththeintentofanalyzingandidentifying author'spurpose& audience

● Usevocabularyandit’sdifferentmodalitiestoincreasecomprehensionandword knowledgeforspeakingandwritingskills

● Conductdiscussionswithinagroupsetting/presentusingproperstandardsofEnglish

● Howtoparticipatein meaningfulconversationswitheachmemberhavingajoband usingrulestoensuretheyoccur

● Useproperstandardsofgrammarandmechanicinwritingandspeaking

● Identifythevariousthemesinliterature/poetry

● CloseReadandannotateinformationaltexttoanalyzeforevidence/bias

● Useevidencefromallreadingtypestowriteshort/essaywritingpieces

● Identify/createthesisstatementsunderstandtheirimportanceinthewritingprocess

● DifferentiatebetweenPrimary&Secondarysources

● MaintainanELAnotebook

● Writeresponsestopromptsfromvarioustexts

● Useorganizationalskillstoprepareforclass,completehomeworkandprojectsina specifictimeframe

CONTENT:

● Writingforediting/finalcopyandcompletion

● DailyLanguageactivity

● Weeklyvocabulary;usingsynonyms/antonyms,wordsincontext,meaning,partof speech

● Texts/shortstories/poetry/elementstoacknowledgehowliteraturediffersfrompieceto piece

● Informationaltexttodifferentiatebetweenwriterstyleandpurpose

● InformationaltexttouseprimaryandSecondarysourcestosubstantiateevidencefound intext

● Independentquestionsfromalltypesoftextforactivitiesonreadmaterial

● CornellNotes,Sketch-noting,othernotetakingmaterial

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● Haveyourchildselectafavoritestorythathe/shehasread. Haveyourson/daughter designandwriteatravelbrochurefortheplaceinwhichthestoryisset.

● Createa“FoundPoem.” Thumbthroughmagazinesandnewspapers. Cutoutwordsand phrasesthatappealtoyou.Thenselectrelatedwordsandphrasesandarrangethemina poem.

● Haveyourchildcreatehis/herownimaginativebooksusingavarietyofprocesses. Contactareaschooloftheartsforclassschedulesinpapermaking,offsetprinting,and bookbinding.

● Readthefollowingsuggestedbookswithyourchild:

HeroesandMonstersofGreekMythbyBernardErslin

TheGirlWhoLovedWildHorsesbyPaulGoble

Don’tYouTurnBackbyLangstonHughes

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● PrintShop.Stamford,Connecticut.

● TheBarkerCharacter: ComicandCartoonMuseum.Cheshire,Connecticut. Comicstrip,cartoons,wester,T.V., andadvertisingmemorabiliafromHerbandGloria Barkerwaitforyou. SodotheRoyRogers’LunchBoxandtheMickeyandMinnie Hand-Car. Createyourowncomicafterseeingthismuseum.

● Nature’sArtVillage. Oakdale,Connecticut. https://naturesartvillage.com/

TheGeniusMuseumisavillageofprogresswithanoriginalprintingpress, manufacturingsteamengines,andmore. Allageswillalsoenjoythe60-acreadventure parkwithlife-sizeddinosaurs.And,MysticConnecticutandAquariumisjust20minutes away!

BeyondConnecticut

● QueensPublicLibrary,Queens,NewYork.https://www.queenslibrary.org/

● CometoNewYorkandseetheLangstonHughesExhibit.

● PoetsHouse,NewYork,NewYork. PoetsHouse

ThePoetsHouseisanationallibraryofliteraryandpoetryworks.PoetryReadingsand workshopsandeventsareavailableforallages.

● ThePrintingOfficeofEdesandGill. Boston,Massachusetts. https://www.bostongazette.org/ Seetheprintingprocessinactioninmoderntimes.

Virtual

● InternationalPrintingMuseum.Carson,California.

Videoofthehistoryof InternationalPrintingMuseumTour:TheGutenbergPress printingfromitsChineseinventionsthroughthe19thcentury.

● NewspaperPrinting. TheRepublicNewspaperPrintingPressTour

SIXTHGRADE GRADELEVELMATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Solvedecimalcalculations

● Solvefractionandmixednumbercalculations

● Useorderofoperationstowrite,simplifyand/orevaluateexpressionsthatinclude decimalsandfractions

● Identifypartsofanalgebraicexpression

● Usethedistributivepropertyinexpressions

● Writefractionanddecimalequivalents

● Writeandsolveone-stepalgebraicequationsthatincludedecimalsandfractions

● Write,solveandgraphonanumberlineone-stepalgebraicinequalitiesthatinclude decimalsandfractions

● Compareandorderintegersandrationalnumbers

● Plotpointsinall4quadrantsofcoordinategrid

● Writeratiosthreedifferentways

● Writeequivalentratios

CONTENT

● Add,subtract,multiply,divide,estimateandrounddecimals

● Add,subtract,multiply,divideandestimatefractions

● Decimalandfractionrelations

● Calculationswithmoney

● GCF,LCM;equivalentfractionsandsimplifiedfractions

● PEMDAS;“exponentforms”

● Associative,Commutative,andDistributiveProperties

● Terms,coefficient,andconstant

● PropertiesofEquality

● Inequalitiessymbols

● Numberlines

● AbsoluteValue

● Coordinateplane

● Ratios,rates,andunitrates

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● PlayMathBingowithyourchild. MathBingocanbepurchasedatanyofthelocal schoolsupplystores.

● Play“PercentShoppingSpree.” Shopwithyourchildandcalculatethesalespriceand regularpriceofitemsandcomparethedifference.

● Wheneatingoutatarestaurantwithyourfamily,haveyourson/daughtercomputethetip fortheserversat20%ofthetotalbill.

● Haveyourchildlookthroughthenewspapersandmagazinestofindarticlesor illustrationsthatusemetricunitsofmeasurement.

● Haveyourchildcreateafileforcoupons. Havehim/hercategorizethecoupons. Express thevalueofeachcouponasadecimal.

● Haveyourchildrecordthenumberofhoursandminutesthathe/shespendsonthe followingactivitieseachday: school,homework,play,TV,computer,sleeping. Createa chartrecordingeachactivityasafractionwithadenominatorof24andreducetolowest terms. Findtheaveragedailyamountoftimespentoneachoftheseactivitiesfora one-weekperiod.

● Usingaroadorcitystreetmapthatexpressesthescaleininches,haveyourchild estimatethedistanceinmilesbetweencitiesorstreets. Usearuler,themapscale,and yourchild’sknowledgeofmultiplication,tofindtheactualdistances.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● MerwinsvilleHotelRestoration,Gaylordsville,Connecticut. LocatedalongtheHousatonicRailroad,thehotelrevealswhatitwaslikeover163years agowhenthepassengersmadetheirwaybyrailfromBridgeport,Connecticut to Pittsfield,Mass.Takenoteofhowtherailsystemstopshavechangedandreviewhow manypassengersareridingtherailsviaMetroNorthorAmtrakincurrenttimes. Comparetoday’smapswithtimesbefore. Createathenandnowchartandseethe bustlingcommuterschanging travelsofpresentday

● SilverSandsStatePark,Milford,Connecticut. Measureyourtimethereinfeetandconverttometricswhenyougethome.Apparently, CaptainKiddmayhaveburiedhistreasurehere. Drawamapof whereyouwentinthe parkortaketheexistingpark’smapandseethescaleofacartographervs.thepathyou havewalked.

● Shoppingtime!Useyourcouponsonatriptoyourlocalsupermarket. Documenthow muchyouhavesavedvs.theoriginalmarketprice. Watchthedecimalswhenyouare addingandsubtracting.

● CollisP.HuntingtonStatePark,Redding,Connecticut. Countthelife-likesculpturesofbearsandwolvesthatwelcomeyouasyoumarkhow longandhowfaryouhavewalkedinthefieldsandintheforest. Donotforgetto includethetenthsofamile.

BeyondConnecticut

● NBCStudioTour,NewYork,NewYorkNBCStudioTour. Lookatallthetimespentintoproducingthe1hourof newsyourfamilymaywatch. Howmanyminutesarerelegatedtoeachnewsbite? Youmaylookatashowdifferently nexttimeyousitinfrontofthetelevision.

Virtual

TheNationalMuseumofMathematicsshowcasesonlineeventsbygradeseachyear. https://momath.org/upcoming-events/

SIXTHGRADE ADVANCEDMATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Solvedecimalcalculations

● Solvefractionandmixednumbercalculations

● Useorderofoperationstowrite,simplifyand/orevaluateexpressionsthatinclude decimalsandfractions

● Identifypartsofanalgebraicexpression

● Usethedistributivepropertyinexpressions

● Writefractionanddecimalequivalents

● Writeandsolveone-stepalgebraicequationsthatincludedecimalsandfractions

● Write,solveandgraphonanumberlineone-stepalgebraicinequalitiesthatinclude decimalsandfractions

● Compareandorderintegersandrationalnumbers

● Solvecalculationswithintegers

● Plotpointsinall4quadrantsofcoordinategrid

● Writeratiosthreedifferentways

● Writeequivalentratios

● Writeapercentageasafractionandasadecimal

● Completebasicpercentproblems

● Solveperimeter,area,andvolumeproblemswithfractionsanddecimals

● Solvecircumferenceandareaproblemsforcircleswhengivenformulas

● Calculatethemean,median,andmodeofwholenumberdata

CONTENT

● Add,subtract,multiply,divide,estimateandrounddecimals

● Multiplyanddividefractions

● Decimalandfractionrelations

● Calculationswithmoney

● GCF,LCM;equivalentfractionsandsimplifiedfractions

● PEMDAS;“exponentforms”

● Associative,Commutative,andDistributiveProperties

● Terms,coefficient,andconstant

● PropertiesofEquality

● Inequalitiessymbols

● Add,subtract,multiply,anddivideintegerswithnumberlinesandintegerchips

● Coordinateplane

● AbsoluteValue

● Ratios,rates,andunitrates

● 100squaretorepresentpercents;percentequation

● Perimeter,area,volume,surfaceareaandcircumferenceformulas

● MeasuresofCentralTendencyandgraphs

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● PlayMathBingowithyourchild. MathBingocanbepurchasedatanyofthelocal schoolsupplystoresoronline.

● Play“PercentShoppingSpree.” Shopwithyourchildandcalculatethesalespriceand regularpriceofitemsandcomparethedifference.

● Wheneatingoutatarestaurantwithyourfamily,haveyourson/daughtercomputethetip fortheserversat20%ofthetotalbill.

● Haveyourchildlookthroughthenewspapersandmagazinestofindarticlesor illustrationsthatusemetricunitsofmeasurement.

● Haveyourchildcreateafileforcoupons. Havehim/hercategorizethecoupons. Express thevalueofeachcouponasadecimal.

● Haveyourchildrecordthenumberofhoursandminutesthathe/shespendsonthe followingactivitieseachday: school,homework,play,TV,computer,sleeping. Createa chartrecordingeachactivityasafractionwithadenominatorof24andreducetolowest terms. Findtheaveragedailyamountoftimespentoneachoftheseactivitiesfora one-weekperiod.

● Usingaroadorcitystreetmapthatexpressesthescaleininches,haveyourchild estimatethedistanceinmilesbetweencitiesorstreets. Usearuler,themapscale,and yourchild’sknowledgeofmultiplication,tofindtheactualdistances.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● FlorenceGriswoldMuseum.OldLyme,Connecticut. SeetherestoredFlorenceGriswoldhouse,alongwithitsgallerywhichfeatureseducation andlandscapecenters,arestoredartist’sstudio,gardens,andahalf-milenaturetrail. Measureyourstepsinkilometersandconvertmiles.

● HarryC.BarnesMemorialNatureCenter.Bristol,Connecticut. Thecenterhostsnaturedisplaysandloopinghikingtrails,includingadioramaofNew Englandhabitatoflivereptiles,amphibians,andfish. Readthemap, estimateyourtime, andcountyourfootstepstothenexttrailhead.

BeyondConnecticut

● StudioMuseuminHarlem. Harlem,NewYork.https://studiomuseum.org/cartography Surroundyourselfwithmapsandgeography

● TheBrooklynBridge,NewYork, NewYork10038.

https://www.viator.com/tours/New-York-City/Brooklyn-Bridge-Bike-Tour/d687-3156BI

KE03

Lookupthebridge’smeasurementsbeforeyougo. Takeapictureofthewholefamily underthebridgeandthenseevibrantneighborhoodsandlandmarksbybike.

Virtual

● AdayattheNationalMuseumofMeasurement.

https://metricviews.uk/2015/08/07/a-day-at-the-national-museum-of-measurement/

● Learnmoreaboutthestandardofmeasurementandhowitisgettingmoreaccurate.

https://www.pbs.org/video/measure-the-metric-system-explained-uzna1f/

SIXTHGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● IdentifyandusestandardlaboratorysafetypracticesintheScienceclassroom.

● Conductresearchanddevelopexperimentsbasedonobservations,gatherandanalyze data,andexplainresults.

● Identifyandcomparethephysicalandchemicalpropertiesofmatter

● Modeltheparticlearrangementanddescribethebehaviorofeachofthethreemainstates ofmatter,includingreactionstotemperaturechange,andtherelationshiptopressureand volumeattheparticlelevel.

● Understandthenatureandroleofenergyinourworldanddemonstratehowenergyis transferredandtransformed.

● Explaintherelationshipbetweentemperature,thermalenergy,transferofheatenergy,and changesinstatesofmatter.

● RecognizeandunderstandtheinteractionsbetweenEarth’ssystems.

● Recognizethedirectrelationshipbetweenweatherandclimate,theeffectofwaterinthe atmosphere,andthemovementofairmassesontheweather.

● CreatemodelstodemonstrateandexplainEarth’slayers.

● IdentifytheprocessesthatformEarth’srocksandminerals.

● Identifyandevaluateevidenceofplatemotionandtheimpactofplatetectonicson Earth’ssurfaceovertime.

● Describethecausesoferosionanddepositionandhowthesetwoprocesseschange Earth’ssurface.

● Explorelivingthingsandidentifyhowandwhytheyareclassifiedaswellashow differentorganismsimpacthumans.

CONTENT:

● ScienceLabSafety: Guidelinesforsafeperformanceofexperiments. Knowledgeof safetyequipment.

● ScientificMethod:Observation. Creatingeffectiveexperiments. Developing Hypotheses. Research. Datacollectionandanalysis. Explainingandpublishingresults.

● IntroductiontoMatter: DescribingandClassifyingMatter MeasuringMatter Changes inMatter

● Solids,Liquids,andGases: StatesofMatter ChangesinState. GasBehavior

● Energy:Energy,Motion,Force,andWork. Kinetic&PotentialEnergy. OtherFormsof Energy. EnergyChangeandConservation.

● ThermalEnergy: ThermalEnergy,Heat,andTemperature. HeatTransfer. Heatand Materials.

● IntroductiontoEarth’sSystems: MatterandEnergyinEarth’sSystems. Surface FeaturesintheGeosphere. TheHydrosphere.

● WeatherintheAtmosphere: TheAtmosphereAroundYou. WaterintheAtmosphere. AirMasses. PredictingWeatherChanges. SevereWeatherandFloods.

● MineralsandRocksintheGeosphere: Earth’sInterior Minerals. Rocks. Cyclingof Rocks.

● PlateTectonics: EvidenceofPlateMotions. PlateTectonicsandEarth’sSurface. EarthquakesandTsunamiHazards. VolcanoesandEarth’sSurface.

● Earth’sSurfaceSystems: WeatheringandSoil. ErosionandDeposition. WaterErosion. GlacialandWaveErosion.

● LivingThingsintheBiosphere: LivingThings. ClassificationSystems. Viruses, Bacteria,Protists,andFungi. PlantsandAnimals.

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Purchaseafieldguidefromalocalbookstoreandstartarockcollection.Identifyandlabel eachsample.

● Observethemoonthroughonecompletecycle.Drawapictureofthemoonineachphase.

● Researchandidentifyseveraldifferentconstellationsinthenightsky Visitaplanetariumata localsciencecenter

● StaycurrentwithNASAandspaceexpeditions.

● Discussthelandformationsandclimatesofthevariousplacesyouhavevisitedasafamily. Pointoutthe“science”behindtimezones,mountainranges,vegetation,etc.

● Designandplantagardenincludingannuals,biennials,andperennials.

● VisitalocalBotanicalGarden.Takeatourand/orsignupforaclassasafamily.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● StarGazingattheLeitnerFamilyObservatoryandPlanetarium. NewHaven, Connecticut.https://leitnerobservatory.yale.edu/ Thisisjustoneofmanydesignated placesinConnecticutinwhichtostargaze. Honeyourmapreadingskillsandseewhere elseyoumayseethestars.

● CherryLawnPark. DarienConnecticut.

http://www.darienct.gov/content/28025/28545/28831/40295/default.aspx Bringablanket orsitonabenchandseethesmallgarden.

● NationalWeatherServiceOutreachToursinYourLocalWeatherStation.

https://www.weather.gov/pub/toursOutreach

BeyondConnecticut

● NewYorkBotanicalGardens.https://www.nybg.org/visit/ Thegroundsrevealbeautiful gardenstoexploreyear-round.

● NASATramTours,Houston,Texas.https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/exploration LearnallaboutNASAwhileseatedonthetram.

Virtual

● https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ESRS/HDEV/ (NASALIVECAM)

VideofromtheInternationalSpaceStationisstreamedlive.Doyouseewhattheysee?

● USGS.https://www.usgs.gov/search?keywords=earthquakes

Viewwhatthegovernmentismonitoringforearthquakeactivities.

THESENSITIVESEVENTHGRADER

Theseventhgraderepresentsayearofacademicandemotionalchallenges. Yourchildhas enteredthestageoffull-fledgedadolescence. Itisherethathe/shedevelopsstrongbondsof friendshipyet,maydisplaylessovertaffectiontoyou.

Seventhgradersstrugglewithasenseofidentityastheyenteranoftenconfused,yetexploratory phase…exploringtheircognitiveabilitiesandsenseofself.

Seventhgradersdonotliketobeheldtoarigidschedule. Theyprefervarietyandstimulation. TheCatholicAcademyofStamfordamplysupplieseachstudentwithmanyopportunitiesto participateinvariousactivitiesandencouragesstudentsatthisagetobegintodevelopleadership qualitieswithanemphasisonservicetoGodandservicetoothers.Thisqualitywillbebuilt uponduringtheeighthgradeyear.

Itiswiseforyourseventhgraderandyoutobegintoexploreandinvestigatevarioushigh schools. Choicesforsecondaryeducationshouldbeinvestigatedintheseventhgrade. AttendanceatfallhighschoolnightsandhighschoolopenhousesinNovemberwillbe advantageousindecision-making

Theseventhgradeequipsyourchildwiththeacademicskillsandthecouragetoexplore.

SEVENTHGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS:

Studentswillbeableto:

● Developadeeperunderstandingofauthorcharacterdevelopment (flat/static/round)

● Recognizeandunderstandconflictscreatedwithinshortstories/novels/poetrythatare createdbytheauthor(internal,external,societal,technology)

● UseELAskillsettoengagemorethoroughlyinallsubjectareas

● UnderstandtheimportanceanduseofMLAformatinwriting

● Participateinadvancedandindependentgroupactivities,basedonalltypesoftext exposure

● Understand,identify,anduseindependentanddependentclausesinthethesisprocessand howtousetransitionwordstowriteaproperthesisstatement

● Understanduseofwordconnotationanddenotationandhowtoapplyinthespokenand writtenword

● Completemoreadvancedandindependentgroupactivitiesusingalltypesoftext

● UseCloseReadandannotatingtocompareandcontrastvarioustypesoftext

CONTENT:

● DailyLanguageactivity

● Self-editingforprojectsandwriting

● Peereditinginwriting

● DBQDocuments(fromSocialStudies)

● Differentformsofessaysinwritingandshortresponse

● Novelstudy

● Poetry/ShortStories

● Methodsofnotetaking

● Organizationalskills

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● ReadalegendfromthebookTheNativeAmericanLegendsandActivitiesbyMariLu Robbins. Createwithyourchildanartprojecttosymbolizethelegend.

● AttendwithyourchildaliveperformanceattheStamfordCenterfortheArt’sPalace Theater.

● VisitalocalArtMuseumtoviewmythicalartandlearnaboutmythsandmythologyona tour

● Attendaproductionatalocalchildren’stheater: CrystalTheaterinNorwalk,Northeast Children’sTheaterinWestport,WiltonChildren’sTheaterinWilton,andDowntown CabaretChildren’sTheaterinBridgeportaresomesuggestions.

● InthespringgowithyourfamilytovisittheConnecticutStoryTellingCenterinNew London,CT

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions: Connecticut

● SterlingTheatre,StamfordConnecticut.https://sterlingtheaters.com/. Crossthestreet fromCASandenjoylivelocaltheaterperformancesofallgenres year-round.

● BruceMuseum,Greenwich,Connecticuthttps://brucemuseum.org

Thenewlyrenovatedartmuseumshowcasesbeautifulpiecesandthematicrooms.

● MashantucketPeqotMuseum.Mashantucket,Connecticut.MashantucketPequot Museum.

SeeyourNativeAmericanliteraturecomealivewithhistoricalfactsonNativeAmerican history.

● WoodMemorialLibraryandMuseum.SouthWindsor,Connecticut.WoodMemorial Library. VisitareplicaofoneofthemanytribesthatsettledinConnecticut.

● TheBallardInstituteofMuseumofPuppetry(BIMP)Storrs,Connecticut. https://bimp.uconn.edu/

Rememberwhenyouwereachildandlovedplayingwithpuppets? Revisitthattimeand makeityour middleschoolexperience.Createastorylineorpoemaftervisitingthe puppetsfromaroundtheworldandfromthosecreatedfromtheUniversityof Connecticut.

BeyondConnecticut

● PoeCottage,Bronx,NewYork. https://bronxhistoricalsociety.org/poe-cottage Learnlanguageandthehistorysurrounding EdgarA.Poe. Thisfamousauthor’shouse remainsanationallandmarkinabustlingBronx.

● JohnJayHomestead.http://johnjayhomestead.org/visit/education/ Historycomesaliveinpersononthegroundsoronvirtualfieldtrips.

● TheClassicalTheatreofHarlem. Harlem,NewYork.TheClassicalTheatreofHarlem Classicsarerevivedinthisvibrantneighborhood,anintegralpartofNewYorkCity historicalandpresent-daycontributionstothearts.

Virtual

● MuseumofIndianArtsandCulture.OnlineExhibitions|MuseumofIndianArts& Culture|SantaFe,NewMexico

● NationalMuseumofNaturalHistory https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour

SEVENTHGRADE GRADELEVELMATH

SKILLS: Students will be able to:

● Calculateabsolutevalues

● Completeintegercalculations

● Completerationalnumberscalculations

● Completeorderofoperationproblemswithrationalnumbers

● Write,simplify,andevaluateexpressionswithrationalnumbers

● Plotpoints(makingpolygons)onthecoordinateplane

● Solvetwo-stepequationswithrationalnumbers

● Solvetwo-stepinequalitieswithrationalnumbersandplotonnumberline

● Uselawsofexponentstosimplifyexpressions

● Writenumbersinscientificnotation

● Useratios,rates,similarity,andscalefactorstosolveproblemswithunitratesand proportions

● Useproportionsandpercentequationformulatosolvepercentproblems

● Producegraphs(line,bar,andscatterplot)basedongivendata

● Interpretgraphsforoutliersandmeasuresofcentraltendency

● UsethePythagoreanTheorem

● Measureinteriorandexterioranglesofpolygonsusingaprotractor

● Calculatemeasuresofangleswithintransversals

● Useknowledgeoftotalnumberofdegreesinanglesoftrianglesandquadrilateralsto solveproblems

● Solvevolumeandsurfaceareaproblemsof3dimensionalfigures(prismsandcylinder)

CONTENT:

● Absolutevalue

● Add,subtract,multiple,anddivideintegerswithintegerchips

● Add,subtract,multiply,anddivideintegerswithnumberlines

● Add,subtract,multiply,anddividerationalnumbers

● Terminatingandrepeatingdecimals

● TI34calculatororsimilarcalculator

● PEMDAS;exponentsandgroupingsymbols

● Coordinateplane

● PropertyofEquality

● Inequalitysymbols

● Scientificnotation

● Ratios,rates,“crossproducts”,similarity,scaling,conversionfactors

● Percentequation,percentfunctiononcalculator;salestax,discounts,markups

● Graphingprojectwithmeasuresofcentraltendency

● PythagoreanTheorem;perfectsquaresandsquareroots

● Protractor

● Transversals

● Volumeandsurfaceareaformulas

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Withyourchild,computehowmuchtimeeachofyouhasspentwatchingTVinyour lifetime. Discusswithyourchildhowyoushouldapproachthisproblem. What computationswilleachofyouhavetodoinordertosolvethisproblem?

● Workwithyourchildtodesignhis/herideaofanidealclassroom(bedroom,den, kitchen). Thinkaboutthewaysyouwouldchangethisroom,keepingitrealistic. Work withthearrangementoffurnitureandspaceandotherfeaturestomaketheroomuse better. Withyourchildmakeascaledrawingofthenewroom. Inyourdrawingbesure toindicatethesizeoftheroomandidentifyallofitscontents.

● Visitalocalbowlingalley;learnhowtokeepscoreinbowling. Withyourfamilymakea posterillustratinghowthescoringofbowlingworks.

● Gotoalocalsemi-professionalorprofessionalbaseballgame. Keepascorecardduring thegameusingtheappropriatesymbolsforthescoring. Choosefiveplayers(atleastone pitcher);findtheirERA(earnedrunaverage)andRBI(runsbattedin). Computewhat theERAandRBI’softheplayerswereatthegameyouattended.

● Usingacamera,walkaroundyourneighborhoodwithyourchildandtakepicturesof geometricalfigures. Findtwoexamplesofeachofapolygon,rectangle,square,circle, trapezoid,triangleandothermultisidedshapes. Withyourchildcreateascrapbook, display,orposter Labelthepicturesastotheshapethatwasfound.

● Readwithyourson/daughterMoneyDoesn’tGrowonTrees. Trytoimplementsomeof thesuggestionsonkeepingabudget.

● Shareyourhouseholdbudgetwithyourchild. Helpyourson/daughterunderstandwhat expensesyouhaveandhowyouareplanningforthefuture.

● Encourageyourson/daughtertoestablishsomelongtermfinancialgoalforthemselves (newbike,dreamtennisshoes,etc.),anddevelopaplanforearningenoughmoneyto makethisgoalareality.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● BassProShop,Bridgeport,Connecticut.

https://stores.basspro.com/us/ct/bridgeport/1-bass-pro-dr.html?y_source=1_MzAxMTU1 Mi03MTUtbG9jYXRpb24ud2Vic2l0ZQ%3D%3DBowling,arcades,andallthings outdoorscanbeanadventureinonestop. Whoiskeepingscoreatthissite?

● EthanCurrier, Newton,Connecticut. https://www.ethancurrierart.com/

Enjoysculpturegardensand artists’applicationsforbuildingsculptures,mergingnature andstoneswhilemindfulofmathematicalperspective.

● HuntingtonStatePark,Redding,Connecticut.

https://www.stateparks.com/huntington_state_park_in_connecticut.htm

Enjoytheambienceandlocalartists’naturesculpturegarden.

BeyondConnecticut

● TheGuggenheimMuseum.NewYork,NewYork.Cubism|TheGuggenheimMuseums andFoundation Perspectivesandmeasurementofanglesinartcanbeseenincubism.

● WallStreetInsiderTourwithaFinanceProfessional.NewYork,NewYork.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g60763-d11451134-Wall_Street_I nsider_Tour_with_a_Finance_Professional-New_York_City_New_York.html Takeatour withafinanceprofessionalandlearnaboutWallStreet.

● FinanceCrisisTour. NewYork,NewYork.

https://www.thewallstreetexperience.com/financial-crisis-tour/ Learnhowthe2008 collapseunraveled.

Virtual

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcw_79bFYpo WatchhowMathandpythagorean theorembuildsstairsandobservemath’sroleinbuildingahouse.

● RaywardHouse,Tirranna.Savewright.org.

https://savewright.org/building/rayward-house/FrankLloydWright’s“Tiranna”isfor sale!NewCanaan,Connecticut. Learnhowonefamousarchitect’sunderstandingof humannatureisdisplayedinhismathematicaldesignsforbuilding.

SEVENTHGRADE

MATH PRE-ALGEBRA

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Calculateabsolutevalue

● Completeintegercalculations

● Completerationalnumberscalculations

● Completeorderofoperationproblemswithrationalnumbers

● Write,simplify,andevaluateexpressionswithrationalnumbers

● Plotpoints(makingpolygons)onthecoordinateplane

● Solvemultistepequationsthatincludecombiningliketermsandusingthedistributive propertywithrationalnumbers

● Solvetwostepinequalitieswithrationalnumbersandplotonnumberline

● Uselawsofexponents(includingnegativeexponents)tosimplifyexpressions

● Writenumbersinscientificnotation

● CompletemultiplicationanddivisionworkwithScientificNotation

● Useratios,rates,similarity,andscalefactorstosolveproblemswithunitratesand proportions

● Usedimensionalanalysistosolvemeasurementproblems

● Useproportionsandpercentequationformulatosolvepercentproblems

● Producegraphs(line,bar,andscatterplot)basedongivendata

● Interpretgraphsforoutliersandmeasuresofcentraltendency

● UsethePythagoreanTheorem

● Measureinteriorandexterioranglesofpolygonsusingaprotractor

● Calculatemeasuresofangleswithintransversals

● Useknowledgeoftotalnumberofdegreesinanglesofpolygonstosolveproblems

● Solvevolumeandsurfaceareaproblemsof3dimensionalfigures(prism,cylinderand cone)

● Calculatetheoreticalandexperimentalprobability

CONTENT:

● Absolutevalue

● Add,subtract,multiple,anddivideintegers

● Add,subtract,multiply,anddividerationalnumbers

● Terminatingandrepeatingdecimals

● TI34calculatororsimilarcalculator

● PEMDAS;exponentsandgroupingsymbols

● Coordinateplane;reflectionsandtranslations

● Combining“liketerms”

● PropertyofEqualityandDistributiveProperty

● Inequalitysymbols

● Scientificnotation

● Ratios,rates,“crossproducts”,similarity,scaling,conversionfactors

● Percentequation,percentfunctiononcalculator;taxes,discounts,markups,percent change,simpleinterest

● Graphingprojectwithmeasuresofcentraltendency

● PythagoreanTheorem;perfectsquaresandsquareroots

● Protractor

● Transversals

● Volumeandsurfaceareaformulas

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Withyourchild,computehowmuchtimeeachofyouhasspentwatchingTVinyour lifetime. Discusswithyourchildhowyoushouldapproachthisproblem. What computationswilleachofyouhavetodoinordertosolvethisproblem?

● Workwithyourchildtodesignhis/herideaofanidealclassroom(bedroom,den, kitchen). Thinkaboutthewaysyouwouldchangethisroom,keepingitrealistic. Work withthearrangementoffurnitureandspaceandotherfeaturestomaketheroomuse better. Withyourchildmakeascaledrawingofthenewroom. Inyourdrawingbesure toindicatethesizeoftheroomandidentifyallofitscontents.

● Visitalocalbowlingalley;learnhowtokeepscoreinbowling. Withyourfamilymakea posterillustratinghowthescoringofbowlingworks.

● Gotoalocalsemi-professionalorprofessionalbaseballgame. Keepascorecardduring thegameusingtheappropriatesymbolsforthescoring. Choosefiveplayers(atleastone pitcher);findtheirERA(earnedrunaverage)andRBI(runsbattedin). Computewhat theERAandRBI’softheplayerswereatthegameyouattended.

● Usingacamera,walkaroundyourneighborhoodwithyourchildandtakepicturesof geometricalfigures. Findtwoexamplesofeachofapolygon,rectangle,square,circle, trapezoid,triangleandothermultisidedshapes. Withyourchildcreateascrapbook, display,orposter. Labelthepicturesastotheshapethatwasfound.

● Readwithyourson/daughterMoneyDoesn’tGrowonTrees. Trytoimplementsomeof thesuggestionsonkeepingabudget.

● Shareyourhouseholdbudgetwithyourchild. Helpyourson/daughterunderstandwhat expensesyouhaveandhowyouareplanningforthefuture.

● Encourageyourson/daughtertoestablishsomelongtermfinancialgoalforthemselves (newbike,dreamtennisshoes,etc.),anddevelopaplanforearningenoughmoneyto makethisgoalareality.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● PrivateHistoricYaleSelf-GuidedWalkingTour.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g33851-d25463470-Private_ Historic_Yale_Smart_Phone_Self_Guided_Walking_Tour-New_Haven_Connecticut. html

VisitacollegewhiletakinganhistorictouraroundNewHaven’sarchitecturalsites. Get outthecameraandmeasuretheanglesofbuildingsthroughyoursmartphone. Learnthe storiesbehindthescenes,includingtheInventorsoftheHamburger.

● Bowelero,Norwalk,Connecticut.https://www.bowlero.com/ Whowillkeepscore?

● ConnecticutHistoricalSocietyMuseum.Hartford,Connecticut. https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/

Comparethepastandconnectwiththepresent. Thinkabouthistoryandaworldwithout calculators. Howdidthedifferenterasandculturesmeasure,create,dobusiness,and live?

● NewYorkYankeesGame.Thebleacherscangetrowdy!

https://www.mlb.com/yankees/tickets/single-game-tickets?mlbkw=ds-g-p30551135331& gclid=Cj0KCQjwqs6lBhCxARIsAG8YcDi_pGh8FGWeZUNUztWvC3uix5fniGaWOL-P cMUNLTz4XR5Oph2ChqoaAiAnEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

● NewYorkMetsGame.HowaboutthoseMets?

https://www.mlb.com/mets/tickets/single-game-tickets?mlbkw=ds-g-p27915153047&gad =1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqs6lBhCxARIsAG8YcDi0o0TMzECHgPgEEW7Ox9Qgh0zZof7C xza7vE9lfkW5RraaWOvhNmIaAn8IEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

BeyondConnecticut

● 5WitsErie. Eerie,Pennsylvania. https://5-wits.com/erie/ AnimmersiveexperiencechallengesyouwithFiveWitspuzzlesandgames.FiveWits areinavarietyoflocations.

● IndependenceSeaportMuseum,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.

https://www.explorableplaces.com/places/independence-seaport-museum

Self-guidedfieldtripsforGradesK-12showstudentsthebasicsofhowengineers navigateandcalculatedistance. Seecompasses,maps,andnavigationobjectsfromthe colonialera.

● TheFabricWorkshopandMuseum.Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.

https://www.explorableplaces.com/places/the-fabric-workshop-and-museum

Applyyourmathlessonswhileyoumeasure,cut,andcraftfabric. Createanddesign usingMath.

● FairmontWaterworks.Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.

https://www.explorableplaces.com/places/fairmount-waterworks

Learnaboutcalculationsandaquaticmicrobiology.

Virtual

● https://www.youtube.com/user/MuseumOfMathematics Hearhowmathisappliedtoreal worldsituations.

● https://us.kitchenplanner.net Createyourownkitchenonline.

SEVENTHGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● IdentifyandusestandardlaboratorysafetypracticesintheScienceclassroom.

● Conductresearchanddevelopexperimentsbasedonobservations,gatherandanalyze data,andexplainresults.

● Usemodelstorecognizecellstructuresandtheirfunctions.

● Demonstratetheinteractionsamongseveralofthebody’ssystems.

● Recognizetheimportanceofenvironmentalfactorsinthegrowthofalllivingthings, includinghumanbeings.

● Identifytheconnectionsamongfeaturesofanecosystem,humanandnaturalevents,and theoverallhealthofanecosystem,includingtheavailabilityofresources.

● UnderstandthatbiodiversityisessentialforsustaininglifeonEarth.

● ExploretheuseofEarth’snaturalresourcesincludingmineralsandwater.

● IdentifywaysthatagrowinghumanpopulationaffectsEarth’sair,land,andwaterand waystomitigatethehumanimpact.

● Recognizethepropertiesofthemanyformsofwavesencountereddaily,aswellasways inwhichelectromagneticwavesarerelevanttoourlivesandtothetechnologiesweuse everyday

● Investigatetheinteractionsbetweenelectricityandmagnetism.

● Understandandrecognizetheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofdigitalandanalogsignals.

CONTENT:

● ScienceLabSafety: Guidelinesforsafeperformanceofexperiments. Knowledgeof safetyequipment.

● ScientificMethod:Observation. Creatingeffectiveexperiments. Developing Hypotheses. Research. Datacollectionandanalysis. Explainingandpublishingresults.

● TheCellSystem: StructureandFunctionofCells. CellStructures. Obtainingand removingMaterials. CellDivision. Photosynthesis. CellularRespiration.

● HumanBodySystems: BodyOrganization. SystemsInteracting. SupplyingEnergy ManagingMaterials. ControllingProcesses.

● ReproductionandGrowth: PatternsofReproduction. PlantStructuresforReproduction. AnimalBehaviorsforReproduction. FactorsInfluencingGrowth.

● Ecosystems: LivingThingsandtheEnvironment. EnergyFlowinEcosystems. Cycles ofMatter.

● Populations,Communities,andEcosystems: InteractionsinEcosystems. Dynamicand ResilientEcosystems. Biodiversity. EcosystemServices.

● DistributionofNaturalResources: NonrenewableEnergyResources. Mineral Resources. WaterResources.

● HumanImpactsontheEnvironment: PopulationGrowthandResourceConsumption. AirPollution. ImpactsonLand. WaterPollution.

● WavesandElectromagneticRadiation: WaveProperties. WaveInteractions. Sound Waves. ElectromagneticWaves. Light.

● ElectricityandMagnetism: ElectricForce. MagneticForce. ElectromagneticForce. ElectricandMagneticInteractions.

● InformationTechnologies: ElectricCircuits. Signals. CommunicationandTechnology.

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science skills and content:

● Writemenusforwhatyouwouldconsideridealbreakfasts,lunches,anddinnersforfour days.Prepareahealthymealforthefamilythatincludesallsiximportantnutrients.

● VisittheDNAZoneatalocalScienceCenter.

● Researchacellresearcher(RosalindFranklin,CamilloGolgi,SirHansKrebs,Rudolf Virchow,JamesWatson,FrancisCrick)andtracethedevelopmentandimpactof technologyonmodernscience.

● Staycurrentwiththescientificresearch/studiesatlocaluniversities.

● Makeyourownmemorygameusingsciencevocabularywordsanddefinitions.

● Followthephysicaltrainingscheduleoffavoritesportsplayers/Olympiads. Investigatehow theorgansystemsworktogethertoachievemaximumathleticperformance.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● MillRiverPark,StamfordConnecticut. https://millriverpark.org/ Anewlybuilt educationcenteroffersanarrayofeducationalandfamilyeventsthat recognizetheimportanceofecosystemsandsustainability. Rideacarouselafterthe walk.

● TheDanburyRailwayMuseum.Danbury,Connecticut. https://www.danburyrail.org/ Onweekends,allcantakearideonhistorictrainsandresearchtheinfluencesofhow railroadinghasimpactedtheNewEnglandregion. Contrasthowtechnologyandrailroad signalshavechangedandremainedthesameovertime.

● CoveIslandPark.Stamford,Connecticut.

https://www.stamfordct.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/120/ 507

SeemarinelifefromStamford’slocalecosystemalongtheLongIslandSoundandvisit theWildlifeSanctuarytuckedinthebackoftheparkinglot.

BeyondConnecticut

● ThePaleyCenterforMedia,NewYork,NewYork.

https://www.paleycenter.org/visit-visitny/ Learnaboutmedia,radiobroadcastingand howitismadeavailabletothepublic.

● NewYorkHallofScience.NewYork,NewYork.NewYorkHallofScience ModerntechnologyshowsthehistoryofNewYork. Your phone’sSnapchatCameracan showthepowerthatfuelsNewYorkCity.

Virtual

● TheNatureConservancy.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/youth-engagement/nat ure-lab/virtual-field-trips/Informationalvideosofecosystems’strengthsandchallenges; youmightwishtovisitasite anothertimeinthefuture.

● TheHooverDam.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6gSEsftPVU

Examinethepowerfulstructureofbridgesandman-madedamthatoffersahydro-electric powerplantthathaswithstoodtimesinceitsformationinTheGreatDepression. Its purposesaremulti-faceted, sendingwatersuppliestoSouthernCaliforniaandLos Angelesandofferingfloodcontrolandirrigationforsurroundingecosystems.

THEEXUBERANTEIGHTHGRADER

Theeighthgraderepresentsayearofself-recognition. Eighthgradersbecomemoreself-assured withtheiracademics. Theyareconfidentinapplyingdivergentthinkingskills. Itisatthispoint intheireducationthattheyemergeasleaders. Establishinggoalsasaclassinearlyfallhelps themrecognizetheirpotential.

Theymoveeasilyandfreelyamongtheirpeersandrarelyseemtobeatalossforfriends. However,itisimportantthatyou,asparents,becomeacquaintedwithyourchild’sfriends, encouraginghim/hertomakewisechoices.

Structureandlimitsonyourchild’soutsideactivitieswillactasanassurancefortheirsafety. Theyarenottoooldforyoutoask: “Whereareyougoing? Whowillyoubewith? Willtheir parentsbehome? Etc.” Networkingwithyourchild’sfriendsisanimportantfactortoyour child’ssafety.Monitoringyourchild’sonlineactivityincludingtextmessages,apps,and websitesvisitedisanotheressentialpartofassuringyourchild’shealthandsafety.

Oneoftheeighthgraders’mostoutstandingcharacteristicsishis/herenthusiasm. Becoming involvedinawidevarietyofinterestscanexcitethem. Theirenthusiasmgeneratesthespiritof theschool. Participatinginparentactivitieswillactasapositiveexample.

Equally,theirenthusiasmabouthighschoolurgesthemtochanneltheirenergiestoexcelin academics. Itmaybeforthefirsttimethathe/sherecognizestheeffectofhis/heractionson long-rangeeducationalopportunities. Theylookupontheirentranceintohighschoolasan adventurousexcitingjourney

Duringthiseighthgradeyeartheywillprepareforthereceptionofthesacramentof Confirmation. Thistoo,isanexcitingtimeforthemasitsignalsthecompletionofthe sacramentsofinitiationandtheirchoicetobeconfirmedinthecommitmenttotheirfaiththat beganatthetimeoftheirbaptism.

EIGHTHGRADE LANGUAGEARTS

SKILLS:

Studentswillbeableto:

● CloseReadandannotateusinghigherleveltext

● UsehigherlevelknowledgeofvocabularywordstoCloseReadandanalyzehigher leveltext

● Usethewriting/editingprocesstocompleteessaysfrompromptsinvarioustypesof text

● Usevideos/technologytoestablishpurposeofinformationaltext

● Differentiatebetweenfictionandnonfictiontextforrepeatedthemesinhistoryin conjunctionwithSocialStudiescurriculum

● Useevidencetounderstandhigherleveltextforauthor'spurposeandaudience

● Recognizegoodwritingforallmechanicsandgrammar

● Understandskilldevelopmentvscontentknowledgeinallsubjectareas

● Demonstratewithmasternotetaking/studyskillstothehighschoolandbeyond

● Identifystrengthsandweaknessestoengageinmeaningfulself-assessmentforlong termgrowth

CONTENT:

● NovelStudy

● HigherLevelpoetry/ShortStories/informationaltext

● DailyLanguageActivity

● Continueduseofactivitiesandpracticesthatenhancedailyvocabulary/reading&writing skillsforthehighschoolyearsandbeyond

● Notetakingandstudyskillsfortestandprojectsacrossallsubjectareas

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Language Arts skills and content:

● Createacareerbook. Chooseanoccupationandfindtenfactsaboutit. Interviewa persondoingthatwork. Checkthe“HelpWanted”adsforthatoccupation.

● Dosomeresearchonyourfavoritelivingauthor Planatelephoneinterview Bantam booksandDellPublishinghavetelephonelinestotheirauthors.

● Makeatravelogueorvideofromaplaceyouhavebeenorareplanningtovisit. Makeit aguideforfuturetourists.

● Makea“BestsellerList”ofyourfavoritebooks. Giveabriefsummaryofeachbookand whyyou’rerecommendingit.

● Readabookthathasbeenadaptedforfilm. Whenyouhavefinishedreadingthebook withyourchild,watchthemovie. Listhowtheyarealikeandhowtheyaredifferent. Discusswhichversionyourson/daughterlikesbetterandwhy. Shareyourchoice,too.

● Interviewresidentsofyourneighborhoodandwritedownsomelocaltraditionsand folklore.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● WavenyPark,NewCanaan,Connecticut https://wavenyparkconservancy.org/visit/ NestledinNewCanaan,thehikesarerichwithnature’ssplendorsandartexhibits. Manymoviesareactuallymadethere. Doyouknowwhichones? Videotapethescenery andmakeyourselfafilmforyourtravelogue. Youcanbringyourcameraand dog!

● SeeLiteraryConnecticutandthemanyauthors’sitesyoumayvisitat authorsadventures.org.

Followaworldofliterarytrailsinperson-fromEugeneO’NeillinNewLondon, Connecticut,andthenrideupstatetoMarkTwain,inHartford,Connecticut. Discussand comparetheauthors’stylesandlivesalongtheway!

● ELAandHistorypairwelltogether! ReadanovellikeUncleTom’sCabinandthenvisit seeamuseumthatisatributetoonewoman’scontributionstotheworld.HarrietBeecher StoweCenter (860)522-9258https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/ info@stowecenter.org

● Booksigningsareeverywhere! Bringyourfavoritenovelandmeettheauthorsinperson. Browseabookstorewebsitetoseeifyourpublisherishostinganauthorsigning. Barnes andNobleis justonelocalstorethatoffersauthorsigningsyear-round. https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our-stores-communities/events/

● Reminder:YourPublicLibraryShowsAlltheEventsbylocalandfamousauthorsforAll AgesAlltheTime! Eighthgradersarealwayswelcomedforresearchingauthors. Continuetomakeyourlocallibrarypartofyourweeklyroutinevisits.

BeyondConnecticut

● TheAmericanFolkArtMuseum.NewYork,NewYorkhttps://folkartmuseum.org/ Culturalfolklorecomestolife.

● MuseumoftheMovingImage,Astoria,NewYork.MuseumoftheMovingImage Film,culture,andhistorycometogetherindiverseAstoria,NewYork.

● WaveHill,Bronx,NewYork https://www.wavehill.org MeditateinthesebeautifulgardensoverseeingtheHudsonRiver Imaginewhatthe formerresidents,manyofthemfamousauthors, mayhaveseen.Whoaretheauthorsand whatdidtheywrite? Bringagoodbookandyourjournalforyourreflections.

Virtual

● TakeavirtualFieldTripbyThemeandAuthorthroughEducationworld. com.TakeLiteraryVirtualFieldTrips|EducationWorld

● ExploretheworksofjustoneofmanyAmericanauthorsatWalden.org

● SeetheworldthroughtheAmericanFolkloreSociety’sFolklorePodcasts https://americanfolkloresociety.org/resources/folklore-podcasts/

EIGHTHGRADE GRADELEVELMATH

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Completecalculationswithrationalnumbers

● Identifyrationalandirrationalnumbers

● Completeorderofoperationsproblems

● Uselawsofexponentstosimplifyexpressions

● CompletemultiplicationanddivisionworkwithScientificNotation

● Usesquaresandsquarerootstosolveproblems(includingPythagoreanTheorem problems)

● Simplifyradicals

● Solvemultistepequations

● Solvemultistepinequalitiesandplotonnumberline

● Identifypolynomials

● Completecalculationswithpolynomials

● Identifyandevaluatefunctions

● Calculatetheslopeofaline

● Graphalinearfunction

● IdentifyXandYintercepts

● Useproportionsandpercentequationformulatosolvepercentproblems

● Calculatethemeasurementofangleswithinatransversal

● Solvevolumeandsurfaceareaproblemsof3dimensionalfigures

● Maketransformationsofpolygonsoncoordinateplane

● Identifyandextendarithmeticandgeometricsequences

CONTENT:

● Add,subtract,multiplyanddividerationalnumbers

● Realnumbers

● TI34calculatororsimilarcalculator

● PEMDAS;exponentsandgroupingsymbols

● ScientificNotation

● Perfectsquaresandsquareroots;PythagoreanTheorem

● Inequalitysymbols

● Numberline

● Addandsubtractpolynomials(combining“liketerms”)

● Multiplymonomialswithmonomialsorbinomials,multiplytwobinomials(distributive property,tablemethod,andFOIL)

● Dividemonomials(exponentlaws)

● Functionnotation;“verticallinetest”

● Slope(formulaand“riseoverrun”)

● SlopeInterceptFormofalinearequation

● XandYintercepts

● Coordinateplane

● Percentequation,percentfunctiononcalculator

● Transversals

● Volumeandsurfaceareaformulas

● Explicitformulasforsequences

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Buyacoupleof1000piecepuzzles. Makeitafamilyprojecttoputthepuzzletogether Thisisverygoodforvisualdiscriminationandlookingforpatterns.

● Designaboardgame. Makethegame. Decidehowthegamestartsandends. Develop therulesofthegame. Howwillyouknowwhenthegameisoverandwhowins? Give yourgameaname.

● Encourageyoursonordaughtertosolvethepuzzlesinthenewspaper(e.g.,crossword puzzlesorJumble).

● Haveyourson/daughterdesignanewhousetofitintothelotwhereyourhouseisnow. Makeamodeltoscale. Determinethesizeofthelot,totalsquarefootageinyourpresent houseandinthenewhouse. Thehouseneedstoberealisticandfittheneedsofour family.

● Makebelieveyouhaveinventedanewcereal. Chooseaboxthatwillholdtheamountof cerealyouwanttosell. Howmuchwillyoucharge? Designandmakethebox. Doyou thinkpeoplewillbuyyourcereal? Why? Howmuchperouncewillyourcerealcost? Puteverythingintoacommercialaboutyourcereal.

● Attendabaseballgame. Keepascorecardduringthegameusingappropriatesymbolsfor scoring. Ifyoucouldimprovethegameofbaseball,whatwouldyoudo? Howbig wouldtheparkbe? Howmanyfanscouldattend? Whatwouldtheticketpricebe? How muchwouldyoupaytheteammembers?

● Visitagrocerystoreorusenewspaperads. Planmenusforbreakfast,lunch,anddinner Berealistic. Howmuchwoulditcostyouforaweekofgroceries?

● Keeptrackofthefoodsyoueatforseveraldays. Usingpackagelabelsandnutritional informationavailableatvariousgrocerystores,determinehowmanycalorieswere consumed. Whatistheaveragecalorieconsumptionperday? Howmanycaloriescame fromfat?Fromcarbohydrates?Fromproteins?

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● ConnecticutScienceCenter.Events&Programs-ConnecticutScienceCenter. Summersareoftenfree;findtheexhibitsthatyoulike,includingunderstandinggardens, includingnutritionalvaluesofplants, beyondourspecialCASone. MathandScience makegoodfriends.

BeyondConnecticut

● TheCathedralofSt.JohntheDivine,NewYork,New York..https://www.stjohndivine.org/

Toursremainopentothepublic,therearesomanywaystoexperiencetheCathedral. As thewebsitesays:LookUp! Shapesandcolorscreateaspaceforprayer. TakeThe GeometryTourandGeometryArtsWorkshop. Learnhowgeometryimpactsarchitecture ina1-2hourtour.

● Checkout:UpcomingEvents–NationalMuseumofMathematics-,NewYork,New York

MathbecomesexperientialwhilevisitingtheNewYorkmuseumdedicatedtoallthings Math. FromPrussia,withMath!Grades4-12studentscanworkcollaborativelyasthey areintroducedtographtheoryandunderstandwhygraphsworkwhilecrossingtheseven bridgesof Konigsburg,Prussia.

● Bartram’sGarden.Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.Bartram'sGarden. Horticulturalhistory reliedoncalculations.

VirtualFieldTrips

● SeehowtheMarlinStadiumisbuiltat https://cptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/b40052d2-202a-4fee-bf6f-5e63f91e9936/b400 52d2-202a-4fee-bf6f-5e63f91e9936/

● SeeabackstagepasstotheWorldofDisneyatVirtualFieldTrip|WorkinginHarmony

EIGHTHGRADE MATH-ALGEBRA

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● Simplifyandevaluatealgebraicexpressions

● Relateastorytoanequation,tableandgraph

● Solvemultistepequationsincludingvariablesonbothsidesoftheequation

● Solvemultistepinequalitieswithvariablesonbothsidesoftheinequalitysignandgraphonanumber line

● Solvecompoundinequalitiesandgraphonanumberline

● Solveabsolutevalueequationsandgraphonanumberline

● Identifyandevaluatefunctions

● Identifylinearandnon-linearfunctions

● Graphlinearfunctions(includingabsolutevalue)

● Writelinearequationsin3forms

● Solveasystemofequations

● Solveasystemofinequalities

● Evaluate,solveand/orgraphexponentialfunctions

● Identifyandextendalgebraicandgeometricsequences

● Calculateexponentialgrowthanddecay

● Calculateinterest

● Identifypolynomials

● Completecalculationswithpolynomials

● Factorpolynomials

● Graphandfindthesolutionsofquadraticequations

● Usethequadraticformula

● Simplifyradicalexpressions,includingPythagoreanTheoremwork

● Completecalculationswithradicals

● Simplifyrationalexpressions

CONTENT:

● Distributiveproperty

● Orderofoperations;groupingsymbols(brackets,radicalsigns)

● Lawsofexponents

● Coordinateplane

● Inequalitysymbols

● Linearandnon-linearfunctions

● Explicitformulasforsequences

● Exponentialgrowthanddecayformulas

● Numberline

● Functionnotation;“verticallinetest”

● Slope(formulaand“riseoverrun”)

● XandYIntercepts

● SlopeIntercept,PointSlopeandStandardFormoflinearequations

● Absolutevalue

● Solutionsofsystemsthroughgraphing,substitutionandelimination

● Exponentialfunctions(includinginterest)

● Add,subtract,multiplyanddividepolynomials

● Quadraticfunctions

● Thequadraticformula

● Rationalexponents

● PythagoreanTheorem,perfectsquaresandsquareroots

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Math skills and content:

● Buyacoupleof1000piecepuzzles. Makeitafamilyprojecttoputthepuzzletogether. Thisisvery goodforvisualdiscriminationandlookingforpatterns.

● Designaboardgame. Makethegame. Decidehowthegamestartsandends. Developtherulesof thegame. Howwillyouknowwhenthegameisoverandwhowins? Giveyourgameaname.

● Encourageyoursonordaughtertosolvethepuzzlesinthenewspaper(e.g.,crosswordpuzzlesor Jumble).

● Haveyourson/daughterdesignanewhousetofitintothelotwhereyourhouseisnow. Makea modeltoscale. Determinethesizeofthelot,totalsquarefootageinyourpresenthouseandinthe newhouse. Thehouseneedstoberealisticandfittheneedsofourfamily.

● Makebelieveyouhaveinventedanewcereal. Chooseaboxthatwillholdtheamountofcerealyou wanttosell. Howmuchwillyoucharge? Designandmakethebox. Doyouthinkpeoplewillbuy yourcereal? Why? Howmuchperouncewillyourcerealcost? Puteverythingintoacommercial aboutyourcereal.

● Attendabaseballgame. Keepascorecardduringthegameusingappropriatesymbolsforscoring. If youcouldimprovethegameofbaseball,whatwouldyoudo? Howbigwouldtheparkbe? How manyfanscouldattend? Whatwouldtheticketpricebe? Howmuchwouldyoupaytheteam members?

● Visitagrocerystoreorusenewspaperads. Planmenusforbreakfast,lunch,anddinner. Berealistic. Howmuchwoulditcostyouforaweekofgroceries?

● Keeptrackofthefoodsyoueatforseveraldays. Usingpackagelabelsandnutritionalinformation availableatvariousgrocerystores,determinehowmanycalorieswereconsumed. Whatisthe averagecalorieconsumptionperday? Howmanycaloriescamefromfat?Fromcarbohydrates? Fromproteins?

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● WiltonHistoricalSociety:TheHeritageMuseum.Wilton,Connecticut.https://wiltonhistorical.org/ TheBettsSturgisBlackmarHouseorRedhousewasbuiltin1739;then,theSloanRaymondFitchhouse orgreyhousewasbuiltin1772in2001fromitsoriginalhome¼milebecauseofaroadwidening project.Fourteenroomsrevealhomelife,economy,furniture,anddecorationsfrom1740-1910. Rural NewEnglandHomesfromtheearlycolonialtotheVIctorianerarevealhowtimeshavechangedinhome building. Lookupthecostofmaterialstodayandseehowmuchthehomemightcosttobuildtoday

● WellsHollowCreamery,Shelton,Connecticut.https://www.wellshollowcreamery.com/index.html Walkthroughalivecornmazeandenjoyanicecreamafterwards. Replicatethatmazefrommemory(or aphoto) usingsticksfromtheyardordrawthemazeonpaper Seeifafamilymembercangetout.

● PEZVisitorCenter,Orange,Connecticut. https://us.pez.com/pages/hours-and-location

Takeafactorytourandlearnthemachinationsofbuildingabusinessandproduct. Whatgoesonbehind thescenesbeforeyoumakeyourpurchaseofthiscandyfoundalloverUSstores?

BeyondConnecticut

● https://parks.ny.gov/parks/

Visitacityorstatepark.Askstudentstocalculatethetotalsizeofthepark.Studentscanbegivenmaps, oratasmallerpark,makethemeasurementsthemselves.Thecalculationscanbecomplicatedbyapark thathasirregularborders. Parkscomeinallshapesandsizes. Makeachartofthedifferentshapesand sizes. Don’tforgetthefractions.

Virtual

● NewYorkisatrainrideaway. Callingallsports’andmathfanstosee CitiField’sstadium: TennisorBaseball? https://www.mlb.com/mets/ballpark ComparetheattendancestatsfromtheUSOpentotheMetsOpener

● Compare YankeeStadiumGameOpenerattendancevsanyday https://www.mlb.com/yankees/ballpark

● CheckouttheStamfordAdvocateonlinevs.TheNewYorkTimesonlinevs.TheWallStreetJournal online. TrialSessionsexistbutyourlocalpubliclibrarymayhelpyouaccessthenewspaperstosee whatofferingsanddifferentcolumnsexistinprint.

EIGHTHGRADE SCIENCE

SKILLS:

Students will be able to:

● IdentifyandusestandardlaboratorysafetypracticesintheScienceclassroom.

● Conductresearchanddevelopexperimentsbasedonobservations,gatherandanalyze data,andexplainresults.

● Usemodelstodescribetheatomicstructureandpropertiesofelementsontheperiodic table.

● Useevidencetoidentifyifaphysicalchangeorchemicalchangeinmatterhasoccurred.

● Understandmotion,theforcesthatcausemotion,andotherrelatedconceptssuchas speed,velocity,andacceleration.

● ApplyandidentifyNewton’sthreelawsofmotion,frictionandgravitationalforcesto everydayexperiences.

● Identifyhowoffspringreceivetraitsfromtheirparents.

● Exploretheprocessesthatexplainhoworganismschangeovertimeandinvestigatethe factorsthatdrivenaturalselection.

● RecognizethelonghistoryofEarthandhowgeologiceventshaveimpactedtheevolution oflivingthings.

● Analyzemodelsofglobalpatternsofwindsandoceancurrentstounderstandthatheat energyflowsfromtheequatortowardthepolesdirectlyimpactsweatherandclimate.

● IdentifythenaturalandhumanfactorsthatimpactEarth’sclimate.

● UnderstandhowobjectsincludingtheEarth,sun,andmoonmovethroughspaceand recognizehowthemotionandpositionoftheEarth,sun,andmoonaffecteachother.

● Usemodelstodemonstrateourunderstandingoftheuniverseanddiscoverhowother planetarysystemsmightsupportlife.

CONTENT:

● ScienceLabSafety: Guidelinesforsafeperformanceofexperiments. Knowledgeof safetyequipment.

● ScientificMethod:Observation. Creatingeffectiveexperiments. Developing Hypotheses. Research. Datacollectionandanalysis. Explainingandpublishingresults.

● AtomsandthePeriodicTable: AtomicTheory ThePeriodicTable. Bondingandthe PeriodicTable. TypesofBonds. AcidsandBases.

● ChemicalReactions: MixturesandSolutions. ChemicalChange. ModelingChemical Reactions. ProducingUsefulMaterials.

● ForcesandMotion: DescribingMotionandForce. Speed,Velocity,andAcceleration. Newton’sLawsofMotion. FrictionandGravitationalInteractions.

● GenesandHeredity: PatternsofInheritance. ChromosomesandInheritance. Genetic CodingandProteinSynthesis. TraitVariations. GeneticTechnologies.

● NaturalSelectionandChangeOverTime: EarlyStudyofEvolution. NaturalSelection. TheProcessof Evolution. EvidenceintheFossilRecord. OtherEvidenceofEvolution.

● HistoryofEarth: DeterminingAgesofRocks. GeologicTimeScale. MajorEventsin Earth’sHistory

● EnergyintheAtmosphereandOcean: EnergyinEarth’sAtmosphere. Patternsof CirculationintheAtmosphere. PatternsofCirculationintheOcean.

● Climate: ClimateFactors. ClimateChange. EffectsofaChangingClimate.

● Earth-Sun-MoonSystem: MovementinSpace. Earth’sMovementinSpace. Phasesand Eclipses.

● SolarSystemandtheUniverse: SolarSystemObjects. LearningAbouttheUniverse. Stars. Galaxies.

The following are suggestions that you can do with your child to reinforce the above Science goals:

● Practicemetricconversionsbycookingamealusingthemetricunits.

● Helpyourchildtobuildarocket. UseNewton’sthreelawsofmotiontoperfectits performance.

● Makeseveraldifferentstylesofpaperairplaneswithyourchild.Launchthemandseewhich onefliesthefarthest.Graphtheresults.

● Helpyourchildtomemorizetheperiodictableofelements.

● LogontotheScientificAmericanwebsite:www.sciam.comanddiscussrecentscientific discoveries,e-mailyourcommentsandquestions,andexploretheexhibithall.

● Spendanafternoonsolving Science Puzzles togetherasfamily(availableatthelibraryor online).

● ResearchtheinventionsofLeonardodaVinci,AlexanderGrahamBell,andThomasEdison; Enterthe Craftsman Young Inventors contest.

FamilyFieldTripsuggestions:

Connecticut

● ConnecticutScienceCenter.https://ctsciencecenter.org/events/. Know:therearealwayssomanyeventstoexploreyear-round! Younevergettooold.

● ConnecticutMuseumofMiningandMineralScience. http://www.ctamachinery.com/what-is-cama/connecticut_museum_of_minin/about-the-connecticut-museu/ Viewironminingindustryandcollectionsofnoteworthymineralsfromthroughoutthe state.

BeyondConnecticut

● SmithsonianNationalAirandSpaceMuseum.Washington,DC. https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/museum-dc Explorespacetogetherhereonearth.

● HoweCavernTour, HowesCave, NewYork. https://howecaverns.com/cave-tours/ Goundergroundandseerockcrystalformationsandmineralsbyboat.

Virtual

● https://www.discoveryeducation.com/community/virtual-field-trips/

● https://www.pbs.org/video/newtons-laws-overview-cfqmjz/ Learnmore aboutNewton’slaws!

● https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/suni_iss_tour.html Havequestionsabouthowastronautsliveinspace? Someofyourquestionsmaybe answeredasyoutourthespaceship.