CURRICULUM

Social Studies

ANS students explore social studies concepts through the 3C Framework – College, Career, and Civic Life.  Students practice the work of being a communication Historian, Geographer, Economist, and Citizen in this inquiry-based model of learning and teaching:

1. Developing questions:  – Pose compelling questions about real-world problems like “Why do we need rules?”
2. Applying disciplinary tools and concepts – Study the problem through the four core disciplines of social studies – civics, economics, geography, and history.
3. Evaluating sources and using evidence – Gather information from various sources and evaluate the relevance of that information.
4. Communicating conclusions with others – Share their new understandings and evaluate their skills, knowledge, and abilities. 
   
   

AERO Standards and C3 Framework

Math

We are mathematicians!  Our ANS math program focuses on developing students’ deep understanding of mathematical concepts, proficiency with essential skills, and solving complex and novel problems. 

The Bridges math program is a comprehensive K–5 curriculum that equips teachers to fully implement the AERO Standards for Mathematics in a rigorous, coherent, engaging, and accessible manner to all learners.

Bridges blend direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration. It taps into the intelligence and strengths of all students by presenting material that is as linguistically, visually, and kinesthetically rich as it is mathematically robust.

Eight Mathematical Practices for Students

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 
4. Model with mathematics. 
5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 
6. Attend to precision. 
7. Look for and make use of structure. 
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. 

 Bridges in Mathematics, 8 Mathematical Practices for Students, AERO Mathematics Standards

Literacy

We are readers and writers!  Our literacy program is designed to get students thinking, talking, reading, and writing about the text in a way that supports learning and fosters a love of reading and writing.  We integrate the best practices of literacy instruction with the use of the following curricular approaches.

Balanced Literacy Framework: 

Balanced Literacy values that students have ownership of their learning with a menu of engaging, balanced literacy instruction. On a typical day, each class has an ELA Block for reading and writing instruction. Reading Instruction includes Shared Reading, Read Alouds, Guided Reading, and Independent Reading in the Balanced Literacy Model.

Reading:

Explicit instruction of foundational skills ensures mastery of essential reading and decoding skills.  In whole group instruction, teachers teach and model fluency and comprehension strategies that good readers use.  Using the workshop model, students spend most of the class engaging in purposeful and accountable reading.

Writing:

The writing process is taught through modeling writing in whole group lessons, collaborative writing in small groups or pairs, and independent writing with teacher support.  Teachers have opportunities for writing conferences with students.  Using the workshop model, students spend most of the class engaging in purposeful and accountable writing.

Phonics:  

The phonics program taps into kids’ skills and energy for tackling the fabulous challenge of learning to read and write.  Children learn phonics concepts and strategies to keep pace with students’ reading and writing and helps them understand when, how, and why they can use phonics to read and write. Our phonics program builds these skills:

• Concepts About Print
• Phonological Awareness
• Letter Knowledge
• Word Knowledge/Word Solving
• Phonics
• High-Frequency Words

Vocabulary and Spelling:

Word studies actively engage and motivate students to explore words and their patterns creatively throughout meaningful reading and writing lessons.

Resources: Units of Study for Writing, Units of Study for Reading, Guided Reading Groups, Word Study (K-2),  AERO Literacy Standards, Common Core in Spanish (SLA – Literacy)

Science

We are Scientists!  Classroom teachers engage students in a dynamic science program that emphasizes being a Scientist using the 3D Model of the NGSS Standards.  

Students practice the real work of being a Scientist in this inquiry-based model of learning and teaching:

1. Asking questions and defining problems – Scientists ask each other questions about the texts they read, the features of the phenomena they observe, and the conclusions they draw from their models or scientific investigations.
   • Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and designed world(s).ç
   • Ask and identify questions that an investigation can answer.
   • Define a simple problem that can be solved by developing a new or improved object or tool.
2. Developing and Using Models – Modeling can begin in the earliest grades, with students’ models progressing from concrete “pictures” and physical scale models (e.g., a toy car) to more abstract representations of relevant relationships in later grades, such as a diagram representing forces on a particular object in a system.
   • Distinguish between a model and the actual object, process, and events the model represents.
   • Compare models to identify common features and differences.
   • Develop and use a model to represent amounts, relationships, relative scales (bigger, smaller), and patterns in the natural and designed world(s).
   • Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool.
3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations  – Scientists share their new understandings and evaluate their skills, knowledge, and abilities.  Scientists make posters, write articles, participate in debates, take tests, and prepare multimedia presentations.
   • Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer a question.
   • Evaluate different ways of observing and measuring a phenomenon to determine which way can answer a question.
   • Make observations (firsthand or from media) and measurements to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
   • Make observations (firsthand or from media) and measurements of a proposed object, tool, or solution to determine if it solves a problem or meets a goal.
   • Make predictions based on prior experiences.
4. Constructing Explanations and Designing – Once collected, data must be presented in a form that can reveal any patterns and relationships, allowing results to be communicated to others.
   • Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas).
   • Use and share pictures, drawings, and writings of observations.
   • Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns and relationships in the natural and designed world(s) to answer scientific questions and solve problems.
   • Compare predictions (based on prior experiences) to what occurred (observable events).
   • Analyze data from tests of an object or tool to determine if it works as intended.

Next Generation Science Standards