George Washington Elementary Curriculum


 
Reading
The SUCCESS FOR ALL Reading Program is a research-based program that was developed at Johns Hopkins University which incorporates the best practices in teaching children to read.

The SUCCESS FOR ALL Program has proven to be effective at George Washington School. Students at George Washington School are now receiving 90 minutes of reading at their instructional level in a challenging program. As a result of on-going eight week assessments, the students' growth in reading is measured and recorded. The assessments allow for flexible regrouping. Other components of the program which allow for ample growth include the Family Support Team, Tutoring sessions, and 20 minutes of reading for homework daily.

The Family Support Team is a group of concerned and dedicated school personnel who are here to work with families to ensure their child's success in school. This team focuses on issues such as behavior, academics, tardiness, and absenteeism.

Tutoring sessions are another component of the "Success for All" reading program. Certified teachers have been hired to work with students, using a one-to-one model. These students are selected based on outcomes of the eight week assessments.

A crucial element of each student's academic success is for him/her to be given the opportunity to read to their parent or guardian 20 minutes every night. The parent/guardian is then asked to sign the Read and Response sheet that their child will return to his/her reading teacher every day.

Math
SAXON MATH is an educational opportunity where all children can develop a solid foundation in the language and basic concepts of math. In this program, concepts are presented in carefully sequenced small pieces called increments. New objectives are introduced through carefully selected group activities. All concepts are practiced in each succeeding lesson. All areas of math are integrated so that children see the interrelationships. Thus the presentation of concepts is gently spread out over a period of time.

An important element of each child's success in this program is the daily homework sheet and daily fact practice sheet. Each child should be given the opportunity to complete the daily homework sheets, review the sheets with a parent/guardian, and then return the sheets to their teacher.

Science
George Washington uses the ASSET Science Program. This program involves a continuous process of learning field by each students' explorations, questions and discoveries. In an inquiry-based environment, students ask questions, collect, analyze and organize data, draw conclusions, experiment and monitor the results in learning process that is not linear, but more circular and recursive, leading the learner to a higher level of thinking.

Success Maker and StudyIsland
George Washington Elementary School students use SUCCESS MAKER SOFTWARE and STUDYISLAND, an Internet based program. These are knowledge-based interactive multimedia computer courses designed to develop and maintain Reading and Mathematics skills. During each individualized session, students are exposed to a variety of exercises. All exercises include the use of color illustrations and audio as a basis for highly interactive instruction. Students receive a mixture of instructional exercises, based on their previous performance on each of the skill objectives included in the course. The programs distribute exercises appropriate to the student's level.

English as a Second Language

George Washington School's curriculum is supplemented and greatly enhanced by many teacher-developed units and programs that encompass many varied curriculum areas.