Reading

The curriculum and instruction for English Language Arts combines reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening. Our English Language Arts curriculum is based on the curriculum standards of New Hampshire’s College and Career Ready Standards (NH CCRS).

The NH CCRS require students to respond to a variety of texts, audiences, purposes, and content. Students learn how to be critical consumers of information using technology, digital, and hard copies of text. Students learn to cite evidence to support their understanding and comprehension of the text.

Each area is broken out below:

Reading focuses on phonics, word study, fluency, literature, and informational text.

Writing focuses on producing and distributing narrative, opinion, and informational writing and research.

Language focuses on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.

Speaking and Listening focuses on both presentations and audience and small group skills.

Most schools in SAU 50 use a Workshop Model as an instructional structure for English Language Arts. This allows teachers the freedom to choose literature and nonfiction/informational text that is relevant to students, of the highest quality, and integrates with other subject areas. Teachers also use other materials and resources to provide learning of our curriculum.

Math

The curriculum and instruction for Mathematics have changed over the years. Just learning facts, formulas, and doing computation is not enough for our students to become college and career ready.

Our Mathematics curriculum is based on the curriculum standards of New Hampshire’s College and Career Ready Standards. These standards require students to understand concepts, compute with accuracy, and problem solve using mathematical thinking. The standards also require that students are proficient with their basic facts so that more complicated reasoning and calculations can be done at the middle school level. Students learn through concrete models, move to pictorial representations of the concept, and finish by applying the abstract numbers, equations, and formulas to real life situations.

As a school we use the iReady program to foster the learning of Math.

The Math Specialist also uses the Bridges Intervention program to assist with enrichment and to support math learners.

Technology

The ISTE Standards for Students are designed to empower student voice and ensure that learning is a student-driven process. They are focused on seven areas that are integrated into curriculum and project-based learning. Our goal is to foster a future-ready, flexible mindset for students at each grade level.

  1. Empowered Learner

  2. Digital Citizen

  3. Knowledge Constructor

  4. Innovative Designer

  5. Computational Thinker

  6. Creative Communicator

  7. Global Collaborator

More information can be found at:

ISTE Standards for Students