Embedded Files
Professional development for teachers:
At Apple Elementary school we believe in professional development programs for teachers in order for them to foster an inclusive environment for students. The following guidelines enforce professional development for teachers:
Cross-cultural education
Anti-discrimination policies
Inclusive curriculum development
Social-emotional learning
Addressing bullying related to identity
Collaboration with families and communities
Accountability measures
Teacher guidelines
Teacher guidelines
Culturally Responsive Instruction
Standard: Lessons will reflect the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of our students, connecting learning to their lived experiences.
Guidelines: Incorporating texts and activities that represent diverse cultures, including the 42% Hispanic population as well as offering bilingual or translated materials in order to support our English Learners (16%).
High expectations and Rigorous learning goals
Standard: Set clear and achievable learning objectives while challenging all students to exceed expectations
Guidelines: Communicate learning goals while encouraging students to actively engage with the material in an effort to strive for personal achievement and academic growth. As well as celebrate and encourage progress not just achievements especially for our economically disadvantaged students (73%).
Differentiated Instruction and Inclusive Practices
Standard: All lessons will be accessible to students varying academic, linguistic, asd socio-emotional needs.
Guidelines: Using scaffolding techniques such as modeling and demonstrating as well as using visual aids to support English learners and students with cognitive challenges. As well as integrating collaborative activities in an effort to foster peer learning and encourage social interaction.
Apple Elementary curriculum:
Apple Elementary curriculum:
English Language Arts
Goal: Build literacy while fostering appreciation for diverse voices.
List:
K-1: Storytelling from around the world (folk tales)
K-2, K-3: Global stories (biographies of changemakers)
K4, K5: Power of words (reading diverse literature and persuasive writing)
Mathematics
Goal: Develop problem-solving skills through real-world contexts.
List:
K-1: Shapes in our community (geometry through local architecture)
K-2, K-3: Math in Markets (learn fractions and measurements)
K-4, K-5: Data detectives (analyzing equity data, e.g., access to resources)
Science
Goal: Promote curiosity through hands-on learning.
List:
K-1: Observing our world (seasons, animals, and weather in different regions)
K-2, K-3: Our diverse planet (ecosystems and the impact of human activities)
K-4, K-5: Science for Justice (renewable resources and community health)
Social Studies
Goal: Teach history and civics with a focus on equity and diverse perspectives.
List:
K-1: Who we are (learning about students’ own families and cultures)
K-2, K-3: Neighborhoods and Nations (history of local peoples)
K-4, K-5: Stories of change (civil rights, activism, and community-building)
Arts & Creative Expression
Goal: Exploring creativity while respecting diverse artistic traditions.
List:
K-1: Exploring colors and shapes (introduction to drawing, painting, and basic crafts)
K-2, K-3: Telling stories through art (learning about composition)
K-4, K-5: Mastering techniques (e.g., clay modeling, watercolor painting, digital art)
Also Include:
Music: singing, rhythm
Drama: basic acting, role-playing
Dance: movement, choreography
Equity & Social Justice
Goal: Encourage critical thinking about fairness.
List:
K-1: Kindness and fairness (SEL and understanding diversity)
K-2, K-3: Helping hands (small community service project)
K-4, K-5: Becoming change-makers (students identify and act on equity issues in our school)
Physical Education
Goal: Combine physical health with mental well-being.
Include:
Sports and games
Yoga and mindfulness for SEL
Hidden curriculum:
To avoid the hidden curriculum, our school will establish a system of core values that clearly outline our mission and emphasize equity, respect, and inclusivity, reinforcing these principles through daily interactions with students. Teachers must build awareness to recognize and address inequality while modeling inclusive behavior and ensuring the curriculum promotes positive values. The curriculum should actively involve students, teachers, and parents in decision-making and significant school events, supported by tools like suggestion boxes to enhance communication with families. Celebrating cultural diversity through classroom discussions, holidays, and extracurricular activities helps highlight the richness of students’ traditions, histories, and ethnicities, fostering a more inclusive and equitable school environment.
Assessment/Testing procedures:
The testing procedure for our school would be a balanced approach that includes formative assessments, summative assessments, and Holistic assessments. When talking about Formative assessments we believe regular quizzes, peer reviews, and short projects can help to monitor ongoing progress of our students and it can encourage feedback loops between teachers and students by including presentations, group projects, and role-playing to help students get real world experiences and so its cooperative learning. When looking at our Summative assessments we want to make sure our school has end-of-unit exams that focus on critical thinking and applied knowledge rather than rote memorization this can be through a presentation of or a portfolio that showcase a range of student work over the semester and how thi ha helped them learn and what we can do to help them learn so they can also give feedback to there teachers. Finally we would include holistic assessments that focus on the socio emotional learning and growth of our students and this can be done through self assessments and teachers observations of the students collaborative skills and their cultural understanding and what new things they learned about their culture and other cultures.
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