The subjects I teach are ELA and Social Studies. Mr. Foster teaches Math and Science to my homeroom students, and I teach ELA and Social Studies to his homeroom students.
In ELA, students work on reading (fiction and nonfiction), writing (informational, opinion, narrative, and text dependent analysis), grammar, and word study (morphology and spelling rules). We rotate between whole group instruction, centers, and small group instruction.
Part of our ELA block is I&E (Intervention & Enrichment). During this time, some students remain in the classroom with me, while others leave to work in small groups for either intervention or enrichment. If your child leaves the classroom, you have been notified about this. During I&E in the classroom, we work on centers, Book Clubs, and additional instruction in areas of need.
Our Social Studies curriculum is intertwined into the ELA curriculum. We practice close reading strategies while reading Social Studies articles. Students also work in groups to put together projects and presentations based on what we are learning. Our curriculum is broken up into three sections by trimester.
Trimester 1: Who Makes the Rules? - During this trimester, our primary focus is government. Students learn about forms of government and the structure of our United States government.
Trimester 2: Where Am I? - During this trimester, our focus is on Globalization and International Cooperation & Conflicts. Students also look at topics such as trade, cultures, and ways to make our community and world a better place.
Trimester 3: Where Am I Going? - This trimester focuses a lot on finance. Students learn about needs vs. wants, the economy, supply and demand, and how an adult spends money. They end the year by creating a project about their future.