Sherman Curriculum Descriptions
Language Arts/Reading: Literacy curriculum is aligned to meet Common Core State Standards for Literacy in All Subjects. Sherman’s literacy curriculum aligns to MMSD’s scope and sequence. Over the year students create narrative, informative/explanatory and argumentative writings. Students read mentor texts (both literary and informational) and analyze the effect author’s use of craft and structure to better understand how to create their writings.
Close Reading activities include but are not limited to: understanding theme, point of view and language in novels and short narrative text selections; discussion of structure, meaning, and authors’ craft guide students in collecting and using objective summaries to convey information; close reading of informational text and narrative text to support the of a question of inquiry that will lead to research and the construction of a well- developed argument; close reading of text, audio, and video to understand choices made in regards to craft, structure, and language and how the choices impact meaning.
Mathematics: Curriculum is aligned to meet Common Core State Standards of Mathematical Practice and Content and follows MMSD’s Scope and Sequence. We use Connected Mathematics Project (CMP2) curriculum as the primary resource. In Grade 6, students will focus on ratio and rate, gaining efficient strategies to work with the full system of rational numbers, understanding the use of variables and thinking statistically. Grade 7 will focus on proportional relationships, expressions and equations, geometry and measurement and statistics and probability. Grade 8 focuses on representations of linear and nonlinear relationships, functions, and geometry.
Close Reading: Students of mathematics must read and understand text, equations, graphs, and pictures. Teachers are responsible for facilitating this learning. Students need to identify important information, decode, synthesize, and infer.
Social Studies: Social Studies curriculum uses MMSD’s Social Studies standards and the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in All Subjects. TCI textbooks and materials are one of the resources used to teach Social Studies. At 6th and 7th grade, courses are designed to include standards from World Cultures and Ancient Civilizations, as well as Global Connections. This means that students learn about the Geography, History, Political Science, Economics and Behavioral Sciences standards by focusing on a particular continent from ancient times to the present.
In 8th grade, students learn about US History until 1865. This means that students will examine the political, social, economic and cultural history of the United States, beginning with native societies of North America and the factors that compelled European exploration and colonization of the Americas. Other eras of focus will be the American Revolution and subsequent formation of a constitutional government, Westward Expansion, Industry and Immigration, Social Reforms, Slavery and Sectionalism, and the Civil War.
Science: Science curriculum is based on MMSD’s Science Standards and Scope and Sequence. The primary resource is FOSS science materials, an active-learning science program.. Each year students participate in physical, life and earths science units. Units in 6th grade are Force & Motion, Diversity of Life, and Weather & Water. 7th grade units are Chemical Interactions, Earth History, and Populations & Ecosystems. 8th grade students learn about Planetary Science, Electronics and Human Brain & Senses. In each grade, students participate in experiments to learn about the different topics.
Extended Academics Hour: Students will be given targeted work for their specific learning needs to continue their academic growth. Do The Math, Do The Math Now, Think Through Math, REWARDS reading and writing programs, Great Books, Scholastic XBooks/On the Record/ID curriculums, and other evidence based strategies will be used to ensure students are getting what they need. Some English Language Learners will benefit from an ESL class targeting language acquisition for their level of language development. The courses are fluid and students will move based on multiple assessments and data points.
Read 180: READ 180 is a reading program designed for students in elementary through high school whose reading achievement is below the proficient level. The goal of READ 180 is to address gaps in students’ skills through the use of a computer program, literature, and direct instruction in reading skills. The software component of the program aims to track and adapt to each student’s progress. In addition to the computer program, the READ 180 program includes workbooks designed to address reading comprehension skills, paperback books for independent reading, and audiobooks with corresponding CDs for modeled reading.
System 44: System 44 is a foundational reading program designed so that teacher, technology, and texts work together to deliver highly engaging, comprehensive, research-based instructional content to the most challenged older struggling reader in Grades 3-12. Intentionally metacognitive, System 44 helps students understand that the English language is a finite system of 44 sounds and 26 letters that can be mastered utilizing computer-adaptive skill-based assessments to inform placement and monitor progress and growth and a combination of teacher-led and computer-adaptive instruction that guide students along a systematic path from phonemic awareness to fluent reading.