Academics & Enrichment

Curriculum

Literacy

At P.S. 8, students engage in structured literacy courses that incorporate evidence-based, explicit instruction approaches to build content knowledge and vocabulary development. Our teachers follow the Expeditionary Learning curriculum to engage learners in meaningful standards-based instruction and help students develop lifelong literacy skills. 

Our youngest learners in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade also receive reading instruction through a multisensory, structured language program called Fundations. Fundations helps students learn to read through emphasis on: 

• Phonemic awareness

• Phonics/ word study

• High frequency word study

• Reading fluency

• Vocabulary

• Comprehension strategies 

• Handwriting

• Spelling

Mathematics

We follow the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum for grades K-5, supplemented with a variety of project-based learning activities that provide Integrated-STEM and cross-curricular connections. 

P.S. 8 students also engage in daily Number Talks and Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) routines that develop their mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills.  

Science and Social Studies 

Our students receive Science and Social Studies instruction aligned with the NYC Scope and Sequence. Our Science curriculum, Amplify Science, provides students with opportunities to engage with hands-on experiments and science literature.