Oakwood elementary

We host various programs for our youngest Raiders. A detailed description of our Early Childhood Curriculum is coming soon. 

The Developmental Kindergarten (DK) curriculum focuses on providing a nurturing and developmentally appropriate environment for children to enhance their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. 

Pre-reading and literacy skills: Developmental Kindergarten often engage in activities to develop pre-reading skills such as letter recognition, phonics, and basic sight word recognition. They may participate in storytelling, rhyming games, and letter-tracing exercises.

Early math concepts: Basic math skills are introduced, including counting, number recognition, simple addition and subtraction, sorting, and patterns. Hands-on activities and manipulatives are commonly used to help children understand these concepts.

Fine and gross motor skills development: DK engages in activities to improve their fine motor skills, such as drawing, coloring, cutting, and writing their names. Gross motor skills are enhanced through activities like running, jumping, climbing, and playing with balls.

Social and emotional development: DK learns important social and emotional skills, such as taking turns, sharing, cooperating, and resolving conflicts. They engage in group activities to promote teamwork, communication, and empathy.

Science and nature exploration: Children may be introduced to basic science concepts through hands-on experiments and observations. They might explore topics like plants, animals, weather, and the environment.

Art and creativity: Students are encouraged to express their creativity through various art activities such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and crafts. These activities help develop their imagination, fine motor skills, and self-expression.

Play and socialization: Play-based learning is an essential component of Young Fives programs. Children engage in free play and structured playtime, allowing them to develop their social skills, imagination, problem-solving abilities, and self-regulation.

The STEM curriculum is divided into these areas: Forces and Interactions; Animals, Plants, and Their Environment; Weather and Climate.  These STEM projects facilitate children’s language development. These increase vocabulary and conversations, which can help children develop language and general knowledge of a subject at the same time.Classic STEM activities, as well as various collaborative tech tools, encourage students to work together as they innovate and think critically when working on projects. 

Technology: Basic computer skills and digital literacy may be introduced, including typing, using educational software or websites, and practicing safe and responsible online behavior.

The Kindergarten curriculum covers a wide range of subjects and developmental areas to promote the holistic growth of young children. 

Language and Literacy: Developing language skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This involves vocabulary building, phonics, basic reading comprehension, and storytelling. Oakwood’s curriculum is divided into five general areas: Foundational Skills, Speaking and Listening, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, and Writing.  Kindergarten students focus on building the foundational skills of recognizing the basic features of print; developing an understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds; and learning to decode words.  Kindergarten students learn to identify the key details and main ideas of a piece of writing or a story.  They also will be able to retell parts of a story or express their understanding of something that they have read or had read to them.  A kindergarten student will learn the skills needed to begin to communicate and express their ideas through writing, drawing pictures, and using symbols as well as expressing themselves and listening critically to others to share and gather information.

Mathematics: Introducing foundational math concepts such as numbers, counting, basic operations (addition and subtraction), patterns, shapes, measurements, and simple problem-solving. Our Kindergarten Mathematics curriculum is divided into five general areas: Counting and Cardinality; Numbers and Operations; Algebraic Concepts; Measurement, Data, and Probability; and, Geometry.  Kindergarten students learn the number names, to write and recite the numbers in sequence, and to apply a one-to-one correspondence to objects. The students learn to use numbers to compare quantities.  They will also learn to add and subtract within 10.  Kindergarten students learn to identify, describe, analyze, compare, and create two and three-dimensional shapes.  The students will describe and compare the attributes of area, length, weight, and capacity of everyday objects.  The students classify objects and count the number of objects in each category.

Science: Exploring the natural world through hands-on activities, experiments, and observations. Topics may include plants, animals, weather, seasons, and basic scientific principles.

Social Studies: Learning about the community, family, basic geography, cultural diversity, and important historical figures or events in an age-appropriate manner.

Art and Creativity: Encouraging self-expression through various art forms such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and crafts. This fosters creativity, fine motor skills, and visual perception.

Music and Movement: Engaging in singing, dancing, playing simple musical instruments, and rhythmic activities to develop coordination, rhythm, and an appreciation for music.

Physical Education: Participating in games, exercises, and activities that promote physical development, coordination, gross motor skills, and an understanding of basic health and fitness concepts.

Social and Emotional Development: Promoting social skills, cooperation, sharing, empathy, and conflict resolution. This includes fostering emotional regulation, self-awareness, and building positive relationships with peers and teachers.

Personal and Social Responsibility: Encouraging good manners, personal hygiene, independence, and responsibility for personal belongings and classroom materials.

Play and Free Exploration: Allowing ample time for unstructured play, which supports imagination, problem-solving, social interaction, and the development of cognitive and motor skills.

The STEM curriculum for Kindergarten is divided into five general areas: Forces and Interactions; Animals, Plants, and Their Environment; Weather and Climate; Engineering Design; and, Coding.  Kindergarten students learn how to explain and predict interactions between objects within systems, how energy is transferred and conserved, how organisms live, grow and respond to their environments, and how the earth’s processes and human activities affect each other.  Kindergarten students also learn how you find a simple problem and a solution and how to improve upon that solution.  Kindergarten students are introduced to coding and how computer science is a foundational skill for all students. 

Technology: Basic computer skills and digital literacy may be introduced, including typing, using educational software or websites, and practicing safe and responsible online behavior.

In a first-grade classroom, the curriculum covers a variety of subjects to provide a well-rounded education for young learners. The curriculum is divided into five general areas: Foundational Skills, Speaking and Listening, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, and Writing.  First-grade students learn to read on-level text with purpose and understanding while improving accuracy in word identification, rate, and expression.  They learn and apply phonics strategies to include sounds in syllables and words, blends, and digraphs.  Students will build on their ability to identify the main idea and key details of a text and be able to identify the author’s purpose for writing the text or the message the author is trying to convey.  The students also will be able to refer to the text when answering and asking questions.  These students learn to write in a logical order and to use the proper conventions of writing.  They use their writing to tell a story, support a topic or explain their opinion.

Language Arts/Literacy:  The following skills are addressed:  Phonics and reading skills: Letter recognition, sound-symbol correspondence, decoding, blending, and reading fluency, Vocabulary development: Building a foundation of words and their meanings through reading and context, Writing: Basic sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and creative writing activities, Spelling: Learning and practicing spelling words, including phonetic patterns and Handwriting: Developing legible handwriting skills.

Mathematics: The Mathematics curriculum is divided into five general areas: Numbers and Operations; Algebraic Concepts; Measurement, Data and Probability; Geometry; and Problem Solving.  First grade students learn to extend the counting sequence. The students use place value to represent tens and ones, to compare two digit numbers, and, to add and subtract within 100.  The students will learn to represent and solve problems using addition and subtraction within 20.  They will also learn to apply the properties of the operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.  The students learn to compose and distinguish between two and three dimensional shapes based on their attributes, and, will use fractions to partition shapes into halves and quarters. First grade students learn to order lengths and measure them indirectly and by repeating length units.  The students will tell time to the nearest half hour using both an analog clock and a digital one.  The students will also represent and interpret data using charts and tables. The following are specifically taught: Number sense: Counting, writing, and identifying numbers up to 100 or beyond, Addition and subtraction: Understanding basic operations and solving simple equations, Measurement: Learning about units of measurement, such as length, weight, and time, Shapes and patterns: Identifying and classifying shapes and patterns and Data analysis: Collecting, organizing, and interpreting data using graphs and charts.

Science: Introduction to the scientific method: Making observations, asking questions, and conducting simple experiments. Earth and space: Studying the solar system, seasons, weather, and basic concepts about the Earth. Life science: Exploring plants, animals, habitats, and the human body. Physical science: Basic concepts of matter, energy, and forces.

Social Studies: Community and citizenship: Learning about the roles and responsibilities of individuals in a community. Geography: Basic understanding of maps, continents, and simple geographic features. History: Exploring key historical figures, events, and holidays. Culture and diversity: Celebrating and appreciating different cultures and traditions.

Art: Engaging in creative activities such as drawing, painting, and crafts.

Music: Singing, playing simple instruments, and basic music appreciation.

Physical Education: Developing motor skills, coordination, and participating in age-appropriate physical activities and games.

The STEM curriculum is divided into five general areas: Air and Weather; Plants and Animals; Waves, Light and Sound; Engineering Design; and, Coding.  Students will learn what is the universe and what is the earth’s place in it, patterns within the moon-earth-sun system, how organisms external structures help them survive grow and meet their needs, and how individuals of the same species have different characteristics.  Students will learn how to explain the structures, properties and interactions of matter, how waves transfer energy and how to predict the interactions between objects.  Students will also learn how you find a simple problem and a solution and how to improve upon that solution.  Students will be introduced to coding and how computer science is a foundational skill for all students. 

Technology: Basic computer skills and digital literacy may be introduced, including typing, using educational software or websites, and practicing safe and responsible online behavior.

Language Arts/English: Second graders continue to develop their reading, writing, and communication skills. They learn to read more complex texts, improve reading comprehension, and expand their vocabulary. They also work on writing complete sentences, paragraphs, and simple stories. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are introduced and practiced. The Literacy curriculum is divided into five general areas: Foundational Skills, Speaking and Listening, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, and Writing.  Second grade students will learn to identify the main idea in a multi-paragraph text, as well as use questions like “who, what, when, why, where and how” to identify the main idea.  They will also learn to identify key information within a text and then use that information to determine the author’s purpose and answer questions regarding the text.  Second grade students will also learn to identify the central message, lesson or moral in a fictional text and answer questions regarding characters, the point of view or how the characters overcame challenges and big events in a story.  Second grade students will write informative, explanatory and opinion texts and convey ideas or information clearly.  Second grade students will learn to introduce and develop a topic in writing, give facts and definitions, and use a structure that is organized and provides a concluding statement or section. Second grade students will also be able to communicate in a collaborative group, respond to questions and provide information orally, and present their ideas, information or answers with clarity and in a coherent manner.

Mathematics: Second graders build upon the foundational math skills they learned in first grade. They work on addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers, introduction to multiplication and division, place value, measurement (length, weight, time, and money), geometry (shapes and patterns), and basic fractions. Problem-solving skills are emphasized. The Mathematics curriculum is divided into these general areas: Numbers and Operations; Algebraic Concepts; Measurement, Data, and Probability; Geometry; and Problem-Solving.  Second-grade students learn to use place value concepts to use tens and ones to compare three-digit numbers.  The students will learn to read, write and skip count to 1000, and will understand the properties of operations to add and subtract within 1000.  Second-grade students learn to represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 100 and use mental strategies to add and subtract within 20.  The students will also learn to use equal groups to build the foundations of multiplication.  Second-grade students learn to analyze and draw two and three-dimensional shapes with specified attributes and to use fractions to partition shapes into halves, quarters, and thirds.  The students learn to use appropriate tools to measure and estimate lengths; to apply addition and subtraction properties to problems involving length; to tell and write time to the nearest five minutes using analog and digital clocks; to solve problems and make change using coins and bills with the appropriate symbols; and, to represent and interpret data using line plots, bar graphs, and picture graphs.

Science: Second-grade science introduces students to various scientific concepts. They explore topics such as plants and animals, weather and seasons, the human body, properties of matter, basic forces and motion, and the environment. They engage in hands-on activities, experiments, and observations.

Social Studies: In social studies, second graders learn about their community, their country, and the world around them. They study basic geography, map reading skills, community roles, historical figures, holidays and traditions, basic economics, and the importance of citizenship.

Health and Physical Education: Students learn about healthy habits, nutrition, personal hygiene, and safety. They also participate in physical activities to develop their motor skills, coordination, and teamwork.

Arts: Second graders engage in various forms of artistic expression, including visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpting), music (singing, playing simple instruments), and sometimes drama or dance. They learn about different artists, styles, and cultural influences.

The STEM curriculum for second grade is divided into the following areas: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems; Structure and Properties of Matter; Processes that shape the earth; Engineering Design; and, Coding.  Students learn how organisms interact with their environment and the effects of these interactions, how and why the earth is constantly changing, what is the universe and the earth’s place in it, and how one can explain the structure, properties and interactions of matter. Students will also learn how you find a simple problem and a solution and how to improve upon that solution.  Students will be introduced to coding and how computer science is a foundational skill for all students. 

Technology: Basic computer skills and digital literacy may be introduced, including typing, using educational software or websites, and practicing safe and responsible online behavior.