Embedded Files
Curriculum Information for Each Subject Area
Because instructional decisions are made based on individual student needs, instructional content and materials are subject to change as needed. Please read a brief, generalized description of each of the subjects that will be covered this year.
Life Skills
Life Skills is the first period of the day. It is broken into three parts. First, students practice routine hygiene skills of washing their faces, combing their hair, brushing their teeth, and putting on deodorant. Second, they participate in our classroom business. We prepare and sell coffee to the high school staff. Third, they participate in the daily lesson. On Mondays the lesson covers social skills. On Tuesdays the lesson is about following a recipe and cooking a dish. Wednesday's lesson is typically about a health related topic. Thursdays are about planning for the following week's cooking lesson. We read the upcoming recipe and make a plan to buy the ingredients for the lowest possible price by comparing prices of three online stores. Then, on Fridays we take a trip to the grocery store to purchase the needed ingredients. More about Friday Field Trips can be found below.
Work Experience
Work Experience does not become a graded class period until students are in high school. The purpose of this class is to practice the "soft skills" of any workplace with hands-on work opportunities around the campus.
Flight
Flight time is a building-wide intervention time. It is not graded. It is a time for those who need extra help on assignments to arrange to meet with the teacher. Our class takes the opportunity to continue practicing work-related skills by running a school store as part of a school-wide reward system. The items are available to students who have earned a reward ticket we call a Falcon Card. Our class is in charge of inventory, resupplying products, and selling them to the rest of the school. We even bake cookies, make marshmallow treats, and wrap individual servings.
Math
The math skills we practice are directly related to the students' ability levels. Math is a scaffolded skill which means that it is very difficult to learn higher-level concepts if the lower-level concepts have not been mastered because they build upon each other. We use the Iowa Core Essential Elements Math Standards as a guide to ensure we are covering the math skills that the state of Iowa expects for students in each grade level. We also target the math skills that are needed to be successful in life such as money counting and management as well as time management. Click on the link above for more information about the Iowa Core Essential Elements Math Standards.
Reading
In the early grades, teachers spend most of the reading instruction time focused on the mechanics of reading, learning how to decode words. If this skill is not mastered in the upper grades, we still instruct the basics of reading, but it is no longer the main focus. There are tools that can help struggling readers know what is written therefore we shift our focus to not only helping students master using those tools but we also focus on instructing reading comprehension. Our class practices reading a variety of text types from literature to informational text. We use the Iowa Core Essential Elements Literacy Standards as a basis for designing instruction. Click the link to find out more.
English
Studies show that effective reading instruction also includes writing instruction. We cover spelling, grammar, and structure just like you would find in any other English Language Arts class with the only difference being that we work at each student's instructional level. You can find out more information from the Iowa Core Essential Elements Literacy Standards.
Science
Our class engages in hands-on science activities designed to be interesting and able to be applied to daily life. This is a proven method for ensuring students internalize the concepts being taught. For more information see the Iowa Core Essential Elements Science Standards.
Social Studies
Our Social Studies class covers the basics of government, geography, economics, history, and current events. Click on the link to learn more about the Iowa Core Essential Elements Social Studies Standards.
Friday Field Trips
As mentioned above, on Fridays we take a field trip to a grocery store to purchase the ingredients for the recipe we make on Tuesdays. We also purchase other items needed for the classroom. The students are practicing money skills and decision making skills in a real life situation. On good weather days we may take the time to practice social skills in other public places, as well as other life skills such as how to safely cross the street while going for a walk in a busy area, how to ride a public transit bus, how to use the public library, how to place an order at a restaurant, and so on. These trips are fun and full of learning opportunities.
My Grading Policy
To best meet the individual needs of your student, my grading policy is slightly different than the district's policy. Grades are mostly based on participation during class time and unit assessments. Any late work must be turned in before the end of the grading term.
Click on the link for the student handbook which contains the district grading policy.
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