In the constructivist model of education, the child interacts with his or her own environment
in order to build knowledge. Each day I remind myself to empower
the students and to encourage "student ownership" of learning as much as possible. Keeping this in mind, many
of the activities and projects are student centered. There are general ideas and topics that I have planned
to introduce to the students throughout each month, but those plans may change at any time depending
on the students' interests and needs.
School Wide Monthly Units
Each month, classroom studies will be connected with an overarching theme. Our first theme
was Harry Potter. October's theme is the Act of Wonder, which will be based on
scientific investigations (the kids are really showing an interest in scientific inquiry).
Curriculum Plans For This Month
Math: Creating story problems, Counting coins (pennies, nickels, and dimes), Time by the Hour, Pattern Completion, Counting by 2, 5, and 10, Memorizing addition facts to 10, Representing numbers with 10s and 1s, Odd/Even, Dividing by 2, The language of fractions (whole, half)
Language Arts:
Reading:
Word Study: Beginning and ending sounds, Sight word practice
Writing: Prewriting and Writing a Rough Draft, Journaling, Rhyming Words
Special Strategies: Making Text-to-Self Connections - "This story reminds me of a time when I...," Using pictures to make meaning
Dance/Music: Shapes with the body, Paths of movement, and Levels
Themes:More Harry Potter, The Act of Wonder - Using the Scientific Method
Possible Field Trips: The Botannical Gardens, The Japanese Friendship Garden,
The Berkley at the Maritime Museum, The Coronado Ferry Landing, Balboa Park Tram,
The Worldbeat Center, Centro Cultural De La Raza
Note: Field trips are possible only with the proper amount of chaperones.
Resources
Most of these curricular ideas are pulled from the following sources: Patricia Cunningham's
Four Blocks and Phonics Their Way, a math program entitled Math Their Way,
Maria Montessori's curriculum guides, wonderful books entitled Strategies That Work
and Mosaic of Thought, and elements from The Responsive Classroom. All
of the classrooms will also incorporate philosophical instruction from Getting Our Thoughts Together: Elfie
and ideas from Philosophy Rocks into the curriculum.