2024 Curriculum Guide

Hamlin Robinson School

Where learning has no limits.

CURRICULUM GUIDE

MISSION

Hamlin Robinson School ignites the academic and creative potential of students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.

VISION

The world class education program at Hamlin Robinson School is a catalyst for students to discover the joy of learning within a rich, comprehensive school experience.

CORE VALUES

Respect | Responsibility | Purpose | Perseverance

OVERVIEW

Students with dyslexia learn differently, benefitting from daily, direct instruction in literacy. Hamlin Robinson School classroom spaces and teaching methods embrace effective learning strategies so students can achieve success. Our comprehensive school program delivers structured, explicit instruction across all content areas. Enrichment programs provide exposure to cultural, historic, civic, artistic, and science experiences.

HRS’s program is organized by grade level but incorporates split-level groups, allowing for more tailored instruction. Age, social needs, and skills are all taken into consideration when determining the appropriate placement for a student.

With the goal of student access, independence, and self-advocacy, HRS has an unwavering commitment to effective instruction and skill-building across all grade levels and classes. We empower students to understand themselves as learners so they can advocate for the tools they need to be successful in high school and beyond.

LOWER SCHOOL

• Employs a classroom-based model of targeted instruction

• Students achieve authentic success building their trust and confidence as learners

• Offers integrated, effective, instruction nurturing a more optimal school-life balance

• Fosters a lifelong love of learning

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Combines a rigorous academic program with intentional supports

• Students practice executive function skills, organizational skills, and goal setting

• Exercises self-advocacy and independence as core competencies

• Cultivates empathy, critical thinking, and leadership skills

SUBJECT Reading Writing Math

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 1 reading classes, students learn foundational skills in five distinct reading skillsets:

1. Print Awareness (understanding the nature and uses of printed language, like recognizing letters and identifying parts of a book)

2. Phonological Awareness (understanding the sound structure of spoken words, such as breaking down parts of a word and identifying syllables)

3. Phonics/Decoding (correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in the alphabet, like differentiating between vowels and consonants, recognizing root words, and understanding prefixes and suffixes)

4. Oral Reading/Fluency (ability to read text accurately, automatically, and with appropriate expression)

5. Comprehension (ability to understand a text, such as identifying main ideas and characters, recalling information, making connections)

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 1 students practice written expression through phonemic awareness and the smallest unit of sight, sound and feel: a single letter. Students practice forming letters through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

In addition to letter formation of vowels and consonants, focus writing skills this year include: learning to write (writing posture, pencil grip, paper placement, print conventions, and organizing writing on paper); encoding (breaking down individual words into syllables and phonemes); forming words into phrases; and lowercase and uppercase letter formations; understanding letter size and line awareness; identifying introductory Red Flag words; introduction to digraphs (“ch, ck,and sh”); introduction to suffixes; differentiating between parts of speech; forming words and phrases into sentences; and the introduction of dictation.

Level 1 students continue to hone their basic math skills using the Math in Focus curriculum, reviewing key skills such as: addition and subtraction with and without regrouping; numerical formations; using a number line; sequencing numbers in ascending and descending order and story problems. Students also begin exploring new skills, including: place value; introduction to fractions; introduction to counting money in bills and coins; introduction to time; single-digit multiplication; introduction to division; and new forms of measurement (perimeter, area, etc.).

SUBJECT

Science

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Students will begin to explore science concepts relating to weather and cycles: observing weather, graphing, scientific investigation, recording observations and explaining weather concepts using weather vocabulary. At the end of the year, students build on their knowledge of weather by learning about plants. This unit includes the plant cycle, parts of a plant, parts of a flower, and pollination.

History

Social Studies

Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills

Students are developing their understanding of basic concepts and ideas from civics, economics, geography, and history. The context for social studies learning is the family and the ways they choose to live and work together. To develop students’ understanding of the basic social studies concepts, students are asked to think about their family and extend their learnings to their classroom and school environment.

Level 1 students continue exploring social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include building community, empathy, feelings and challenges, friendship, and resolving conflict.

Students will also practice critical executive functioning skills across all classes, including working memory and short-term memory, planning and organization, task initiation, perseverance, cognitive flexibility, and self-control.

Enrichment Classes

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 1 students visit the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, library, and technology.

SUBJECT Reading Writing Math FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 2 reading classes, students learn foundational skills in five distinct reading skillsets:

1. Print Awareness (understanding the nature and uses of printed language, like recognizing letters and identifying parts of a book)

2. Phonological Awareness (understanding the sound structure of spoken words, such as breaking down parts of a word and identifying syllables)

3. Phonics/Decoding (correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in the alphabet, like differentiating between vowels and consonants, recognizing root words, and understanding prefixes and suffixes)

4. Oral Reading/Fluency (ability to read text accurately, automatically, and with appropriate expression)

5. Comprehension (ability to understand a text, such as identifying main ideas and characters, recalling information, making connections)

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 2 students practice written expression through phonemic awareness and the smallest unit of sight, sound and feel: a single letter. Students practice forming letters through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

In addition to letter formation of vowels and consonants, focus writing skills this year include: learning to write (writing posture, pencil grip, paper placement, print conventions, and organizing writing on paper); encoding (breaking down individual words into syllables and phonemes); forming words into phrases; and lowercase and uppercase letter formations; understanding letter size and line awareness; identifying introductory Red Flag words; introduction to digraphs (“ch, ck, th, and sh”) and phonograms (“ai, ay, ee, v_e, ar, or, and oo”); introduction to suffixes; differentiating between parts of speech; forming words and phrases into sentences; and the introduction of dictation.

Level 2 students continue to hone their basic math skills using the Math in Focus curriculum, reviewing key skills such as: addition and subtraction with and without regrouping; numerical formations; using a number line; sequencing numbers in ascending and descending order and story problems. Students also begin exploring new skills, including: place value; introduction to fractions; introduction to counting money in bills and coins; introduction to time; single-digit multiplication; introduction to division; and new forms of measurement (perimeter, area, etc.).

SUBJECT

Science

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Students begin the year with a dinosaur unit, including the study of fossils, land formations, types of dinosaurs, and the Mesozoic Era composed of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods. Later in the year, students learn all about cycles. This includes the study of “life” cycles such as animals, and people, and “non-life” cycle like the seasons.

History

Social Studies

Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills

Students apply their emerging understanding of civics, economics, geography, and history to their communities and others around the world. Students learn about how their community works as well as the variety of ways that communities organize themselves. To develop conceptual understanding, students examine the geographic and economic aspects of life in their own neighborhoods.

Level 2 students continue exploring social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include building community, empathy, feelings and challenges, friendship, and resolving conflict.

Students will also practice critical executive functioning skills across all classes, including working memory and short-term memory, planning and organization, task initiation, perseverance, cognitive flexibility, and self-control.

Enrichment Classes

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 2 students visit the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, library, and technology.

SUBJECT

Reading

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 3 reading classes, students continue to practice foundational reading skills in five distinct skillsets:

1. Print Awareness (distinguish between letters, words, sentences, and stories; understand text directionality and text features, recognize and name letters)

2. Phonological Awareness (orally segment words and phrases, recognize vowel sounds, and identify phonemes)

3. Phonics/Decoding (develop understanding that a predictable relationship exists between written letters and spoken sounds, practice reading one-syllable words, identify root words, and suffixes)

4. Oral Reading/Fluency (read decodable stories, use appropriate speed and expression while reading, practice self-correcting and rereading)

5. Comprehension (retell facts and details, identify key parts of a story, make connections, predictions, and inferences)

Writing

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 3 students practice written expression through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

Key focus areas include: introduction to cursive handwriting and review of letter formation; encoding multi-syllable words; using writing conventions (capitalization, punctuation, and suffixes); creating more complex sentences using new phonograms and spelling rules; and using words to construct sentences and paragraphs. Students demonstrate their independent writing and vocabulary skills in dictation exercises.

Math Science

Level 3 students continue to build and refine their basic math skills using the Math in Focus curriculum, reviewing key topics such as: basic number sense concepts; multi-digit addition and subtraction; multiplication and division; and using strategies to interpret word problems. Students work throughout the year to better understand place value and number sense concepts beyond four digits, as well as more complex multiplication problems, division, and use of a multiplication table.

Level 3 students learn about life cycles and the unity and diversity in biology. Students make connections between how nature and people interact, and learn about life cycles of plants and animals. In the winter, students learn about how plants and animals are connected through the food chain, and how different habitats affect plant and animal species. In the spring, students explore the four spheres of our planet and how humans impact these systems. Through this work, students explore more complex systems and make inferences about their observations.

Enrichment Classes

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Level 3 students begin to explore more complex concepts and ideas from civics, economics, geography, and history as they study the varied backgrounds of people living in Washington and the rest of the United States. Emphasis is on cultures in the United States, including the study of Native Americans. Students examine these cultures from the past and in the present and the impact they had in shaping our contemporary society. In the spring, students participate in a community unit, exploring different types of communities and their traits, as well as the services and roles within a community. They begin to look at issues and events from more than one perspective.

Level 3 students learn more about social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include kindness, empathy, gratitude, alike and different, and behavior outside of class.

Students will also practice critical executive functioning skills across all classes, including organization, working memory, flexible thinking, work completion, following multi-step directions, and self-control.

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 3 students visit the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, library, and technology.

SUBJECT

Reading

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 4 reading classes, students continue to practice foundational reading skills in five distinct skillsets:

1. Print Awareness (review key text features and parts of a book, locate information in charts, glossaries, and other parts of a text, understand the purpose of punctuation)

2. Phonological Awareness (orally segment sentences, identify syllables in a word)

3. Phonics/Decoding (identify root words, prefixes, and suffixes, understand syllable patterns, decode unknown words)

4. Oral Reading/Fluency (build stamina while reading aloud and independently, use tone and volume to enhance meaning)

5. Comprehension (recall details, make connections, predictions, and inferences, identify text types and genres, determine author’s purpose)

Writing Math Science

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 4 students practice written expression through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

Key focus areas include: review of all lowercase and capital cursive letter formations with their corresponding sounds; encoding and decoding with short vowels, digraphs (ck, ch), trigraphs (tch, dge), prefixes, and suffixes; review of phonogram vowel patterns; using writing conventions (capitalization, end punctuation, commas); identifying more complex parts of speech (pronouns, articles); and independent paragraph construction. Students continue demonstrating their independent writing and vocabulary skills in dictation exercises.

Level 4 students continue to build strong foundational math skills and learn new concepts using the Math in Focus curriculum. In particular, students focus on solving increasingly complex multiplication equations, implementing multiple strategies to solve multiplication problems, using a multiplication table, and multiplication fact fluency. Other skills this year include: using number lines; reviewing place values to the thousands; fluently adding and subtracting; long division equations; operations with like and unlike fractions; and operations with decimals.

Level 4 students begin the year studying geology, where they investigate the process of physical and chemical weathering of rocks and minerals, volcanic origins, and earthquake tectonics. They study the composition of soils from four different locations; observe and compare local soils. In conjunction with their social studies class, students use their knowledge of rocks and minerals in constructing a 3D map of Washington state. In the spring, level 4 classes apply their knowledge of geology to the exploration of aquatic habitats and ecosystems within the Pacific Northwest, researching a specific creature and their survival strategies in their ecosystem.

SUBJECT History Social Studies

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Level 4 students use their understanding of social studies concepts and skills to explore the Pacific Northwest from the Ice Age to Washington Statehood. Students learn about the state’s unique geography and key eras in early Pacific Northwest history, beginning with the native Salish tribes and studying the impact of foreign exploration and settlement including the consequences of the treaty making period. They use this historical perspective to help them make sense of the state’s geography, economy, and government today.

Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills Enrichment Classes

Level 4 students learn more about social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include courage, perseverance, kind/unkind speech, and resolving conflicts.

Students will also practice critical executive functioning skills across all classes, including organization, recalling and following multi-step directions, work completion, and working memory.

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 4 students participate in the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, library, technology, and media arts.

SUBJECT

Reading

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 5 reading classes, students continue to practice foundational reading skills in five distinct skillsets:

1. Print Awareness (review key text features and parts of a book; distinguish between letters, sounds, sentences, paragraphs, and stories; understand key print conventions like italics and quotation marks)

2. Phonological Awareness (demonstrate understanding that words are made up of sequences of sounds)

3. Phonics/Decoding (decode multi-syllable words, use morphology to understand words, identify Greek and Latin roots)

4. Oral Reading/Fluency (determine the role of punctuation while reading orally, demonstrate prosody while reading a variety of texts)

5. Comprehension (recall details, differentiate between genres, identify and analyze literary language, make connections, inferences, and predictions)

Writing

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 5 students practice written expression through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

As level 5 students prepare to transition to middle school, students focus on refining key skills, as well as developing the complexity of their language studies. Focus areas include: review of letter formation, handwriting, and written organization; complex syllable structures; spelling patterns; using an outline to prepare for writing; and paragraph composition. Students continue demonstrating their independent writing and vocabulary skills in dictation exercises.

Math Science

Level 5 students continue to build strong foundational math skills and learn new concepts using the Math in Focus curriculum. In particular, students begin the year with an in-depth review of place values for whole numbers and decimals. These critical skills allow students to tackle increasingly complex, multi-step equations. Other skills this year include: multi-digit multiplication and division problems; increased fluency with multiplication facts; multiplestep word problems; fractions with like and unlike denominators; and introductory data analysis using tables and graphs.

Level 5 students conduct a study of living systems, including an introduction to the concept of systems, the needs and functions of living things, nutrient and transport systems in various organisms, human body systems, the Earth and biosphere as systems, and the solar system. Students explore how living and nonliving systems interact, as well as how organisms adapt to the environments in which they live. Students also learn more about the scientific method and the processes needed to explore a scientific inquiry.

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 5 students participate in the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, library, technology, and media arts. SUBJECT History Social Studies Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills Enrichment Classes

Level 5 students use their understanding of social studies concepts and cause-and-effect relationships to study the development of the United States up to 1791. By applying what they know from civics, economics and geography, students learn the ideals, principles, and systems that shaped this country’s founding. Students understand how the development of indigenous societies in North America (time immemorial to 1791), encounter, colonization, and devastation (1492-1763). Revolution and the Constitution (1763-1791) helped to define eras in U.S. history from time immemorial to 1791.

Level 5 students learn more about social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include kindness, gratitude, perseverance, teasing/bullying, and friendship.

Students will also practice critical executive functioning skills across all classes, including organization, work completion, emotional regulation, time management, and following multi-step directions.

SUBJECT

Reading

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 6 reading classes, students continue to practice foundational reading skills in five distinct skillsets: Print Awareness (identifying text features, understanding print conventions); Phonological Awareness (segmenting words into phonemes); Phonics/ Decoding (reading multi-syllable words containing consonant blends and digraphs); Oral Reading/Fluency (practicing oral and silent reading fluency); and Comprehension (retelling plot and sequences of events, identifying key details such as characters and setting).

Additionally, students at the middle school level work to develop a deeper understanding of literary elements and speaking/listening skills as they explore more challenging novels and nonfiction texts. Level 6 skills include: analyzing theme, cause and effect relationships, and author’s purpose in a text; identifying character traits and motivations; making connections and predictions in a complex literary text; engaging in meaningful discussion of texts and topics; presenting ideas and claims to a group of people.

Writing

Math

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 6 students practice written expression through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

As students enter middle school, they review key concepts from previous instruction while adding complex new skills to bolster their written expression. Key focus areas include: review of cursive letters and handwriting skills; review of short vowels, consonants, and letter combinations; parts of speech and sentence structure; introduction to new digraphs, affixes, and phonograms; and introduction to multi-paragraph writing. Students demonstrate their independent writing and vocabulary skills in dictation exercises.

In middle school math classes, students work on being able to communicate mathematical thinking through verbal and written expression, integrate visuals into their explanations, and translate real-world situations into problems and solve them. Students are always encouraged to ‘play with math’ and take academic risks, thereby learning that a wrong answer is just a rough draft, rather than a final version. Teachers explicitly teach math skills in a clear and direct way.

Level 6 students begin an in-depth focus on ratios, rates, and solidifying operations with positive rational numbers. Units include: Area and Surface Area; Introducing Ratios; Unit Rate and Percentages; Dividing Fractions; Operations in Base 10; Expressions and Equations; Rational Numbers; and Data Sets and Distribution.

Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills

Enrichment Classes

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Level 6 students develop fundamental skills as scientific thinkers in their Earth Science course. This year, students begin to build an understanding of scientific inquiry, lab routines and safety, and measurements that will support their learning throughout middle school. Earth science begins with a geology unit, where students explore Earth’s interior, plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Later in the year, students learn about the atmosphere and meteorology, including air pressure, wind, storms, hurricanes and tornadoes, weather prediction, and climate. This study of weather and climate culminates with an in-depth examination of global climate change.

In the spring, students apply their understanding of the scientific method to a school-wide science fair, where they choose and research their own topics and present their findings to an audience of peers, teachers, and families.

Level 6 students explore early world history through their Ancient Civilization course. Students build essential skills as historians, learning more about civics, economics, geography, and history. Students use these themes as a lens through which they can examine several civilizations throughout history, from hunter-gatherer societies to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and China. As they study each unique civilization, students build their answers to an essential question: How do civilizations meet society’s needs? In addition to studying the elements of each ancient civilization in its time, students will engage in discussions and activities regarding citizenship and civics in our current day.

Level 6 students learn more about social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include positive school experiences, inclusivity, friendship, interests outside of school, and sleep.

Students continue working on executive functioning skills across all classes, including selfadvocacy, organization, work completion, emotional regulation, time management, and using a planner.

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 6 students participate in the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, technology, media arts, and drama.

SUBJECT

Reading

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 7 reading classes, students continue to practice foundational reading skills in five distinct skillsets: Print Awareness (identifying text features, understanding print conventions); Phonological Awareness (segmenting words into phonemes); Phonics/ Decoding (reading multi-syllable words containing consonant blends and digraphs); Oral Reading/Fluency (practicing oral and silent reading fluency); and Comprehension (retelling plot and sequences of events, identifying key details such as characters and setting).

Additionally, students at the middle school level work to develop a deeper understanding of literary elements and speaking/listening skills as they explore more challenging novels and nonfiction texts. Level 7 skills include: identifying and analyzing literary elements in a text; making predictions and inferences based on text evidence; drawing comparisons between texts of different genres; analyzing two or more authors writing on the same topic; engaging in meaningful class discussion and understanding multiple perspectives.

Writing

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 7 students continue their practice of written expression through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

Key focus areas include: reviewing basic letter combinations; identify common “red flag” words; introducing more complex phonograms and affixes; identifying and using varied parts of speech, punctuation, and sentence structure; encoding and decoding more complex multisyllabic words; and understand how words with shared roots will have similar meanings. Students continue demonstrating their independent writing and vocabulary skills in dictation exercises.

Math

In middle school math classes, students work on being able to communicate mathematical thinking through verbal and written expression, integrate visuals into their explanations, and translate real-world situations into problems and solve them. Students are always encouraged to ‘play with math’ and take academic risks, thereby learning that a wrong answer is just a rough draft, rather than a final version. Teachers explicitly teach math skills in a clear and direct way.

Level 7 students solidify their understanding of operations with all rational numbers, as well as proportional relationships and how to represent them in multiple ways. Units include: Scale Drawings; Introducing Proportional Relationships; Circles; Proportional Relationships and Percentages; Rational Numbers; Irrational Numbers; Expressions; Equations and Inequalities; Angles; Triangles; Prisms; and Probability and Sampling.

SUBJECT

Science

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Level 7 students continue to build their scientific inquiry skills through their Physical Science class. At the beginning of the class, students explore concepts of motion, learning to calculate distance, speed, time, velocity, acceleration, force, and momentum through hands-on activities. Students continue their exploration of fundamental physics concepts with a study of energy, where they learn to differentiate between potential and kinetic energy. Students also investigate light, sound energy, and thermal energy. Coursework then shifts from physics to chemistry as students learn how to utilize the periodic table to draw accurate Bohr models of atoms and examine how atoms bond to form molecules and chemical compounds, with emphasis on the relationship between chemical interactions and living organisms.

In the spring, students apply their understanding of the scientific method to a school-wide science fair, where they choose and research their own topics and present their findings to an audience of peers, teachers, and families.

History

Social Studies

Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills

Enrichment Classes

Level 7 students continue to build their skills as historians in their Washington State History course. Students begin by exploring the early history of our state, the impact of the land on humans of this region, human impact on the land, and the First People of Washington. Through a close study of Native Nations, students learn about first contact between tribes and pioneers, as well as the continued relations between them. Students then explore how Washington became a state, as well as our state’s role and impact on pivotal moments in history, including the Gold Rush, the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout the course, students hone their discussion and critical thinking skills, drawing comparisons between historical events and our current society.

Level 7 students learn more about social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include wellness and creativity, peer pressure, appreciating diversity, and resolving conflicts.

Students continue working on executive functioning skills across all classes, including time management, organization, working memory, using a planner, note taking, and selfadvocacy.

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 7 students participate in the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, technology, media arts, and drama.

SUBJECT

Reading

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

In level 8 reading classes, students continue to practice foundational reading skills in five distinct skillsets: Print Awareness (identifying text features, understanding print conventions); Phonological Awareness (segmenting words into phonemes); Phonics/ Decoding (reading multi-syllable words containing consonant blends and digraphs); Oral Reading/Fluency (practicing oral and silent reading fluency); and Comprehension (retelling plot and sequences of events, identifying key details such as characters and setting).

Additionally, students at the middle school level work to develop a deeper understanding of literary elements and speaking/listening skills as they explore more challenging novels and nonfiction texts. Level 8 skills include: determining the central idea of a text and analyzing its development over the course of a text; understanding the figurative and connotative meaning of words in a text; analyzing the impact of words on a text’s meaning; comparing and contrasting information from multiple texts; and effectively engaging in a range of collaborative discussions.

Writing

Using the Slingerland multisensory approach, level 8 students continue their practice of written expression through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic routines to reinforce the connection between written letters and sounds.

As students prepare for their transition to high school, writing classes focus on making all basic and advanced skills more automatic, and helping students become advocates for their own learning. Focus areas include: review of handwriting skills, advanced phonetic elements, and spelling rules; oral language skills and presentations; Latin and Greek roots with accompanying affixes and accents; and construction of a five-paragraph essay. Students continue demonstrating their independent writing and vocabulary skills in dictation exercises.

Math

In middle school math classes, students work on being able to communicate mathematical thinking through verbal and written expression, integrate visuals into their explanations, and translate real-world situations into problems and solve them. Students are always encouraged to ‘play with math’ and take academic risks, thereby learning that a wrong answer is just a rough draft, rather than a final version. Teachers explicitly teach math skills in a clear and direct way.

Level 8 students focus on understanding linear relationships and functions, as well as honing their algebra and basic geometry skills in preparation for high school math courses. Units include: Transformations, Congruence, and Similarity; Dilations; Similarity and Introducing Slope; Linear Relationships; Linear Equations and Linear Systems; Functions and Volume; Associations in Data; Exponents and Scientific Notation; Pythagorean Theorem; and Irrational Numbers.

SUBJECT

Science History

Social Studies

FOCUS SKILLS + TOPICS

Level 8 students continue to build their scientific inquiry skills through their Life Science class. Students begin the year by examining cells, the building blocks of life. Students learn about cell structure by using microscopes, while also gaining knowledge about cell reproduction and life cycles. Later in the year, students explore natural selection, systems of classification, ecology, the human body, and how small changes can have large impacts on an ecosystem. Throughout the year, students hone their understanding of the scientific method as it applies to biology, creating hypotheses, variables, procedures, data tables/ graphs, conclusions, and new questions based on experiment results.

In the spring, students apply their understanding of the scientific method to a school-wide science fair, where they choose and research their own topics and present their findings to an audience of peers, teachers, and families.

Level 8 students seek to understand developments in United States history from Colonial times to the late 19th century. Topics of study include: re-examining what U.S. history defines as colonization, the fight for independence from Great Britain; establishing a new nation; slavery, expansion, removal, and reform; The Civil War and Reconstruction; and society and industrialization. In each of these historical inquiries, students develop their skills as historians by synthesizing multiple perspectives, reading primary and secondary sources, evaluating source reliability, and interpreting multi-media information.

Social Emotional Learning + Executive Functioning Skills Enrichment Classes

Level 8 students learn more about social emotional topics using the Caring Schools curriculum. Example topics include personal relationships, exclusion/inclusion, reducing stress, and helping others.

Students continue working on executive functioning skills across all classes, including time management, organization of planner and classwork, working memory, using a planner, note taking, and self-advocacy.

Specialist classes provide a space for students to explore new skills and personal interests. They also serve as an essential place to practice developing executive functioning skills. Level 8 students participate in the following enrichment classes: art, music, physical education, technology, media arts, and drama.