Academics and Curriculum / Overview

WES Academics and Curriculum

Mission: The mission of Wallingford Elementary School is to provide an environment in which we challenge and empower students to become successful lifelong learners, to develop their unique gifts, to develop an appreciation for self, others, and community, and to become responsible, contributing citizens in a rapidly changing world.

Math: The mathematics program at meets the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Students are actively involved in solving math problems that they would encounter in everyday life. Manipulatives are used so that students can visualize and understand concepts. The curriculum emphasizes the skills of mathematical thinking, problem solving, and communication.

Everyday Mathematics® is a complete kindergarten through fifth grade curriculum that enriches the mathematical experiences of teachers and children. It embraces many of the traditional goals of school mathematics as well as two ambitious goals:

• To substantially raise expectations with respect to the amount and range of mathematics that children can learn and
• To provide materials for children and support for teachers that enable them to meet these higher expectations.

Language Arts: The language arts program, which is aligned with Pennsylvania Academic Standards, uses a balanced and integrated approach to teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Instruction is geared to support students' individual needs, interests, and learning styles. Reading is taught using the Houghton-Mifflin reading program "A Legacy of Literacy" in grades one through three. Students read a wide range of non-fiction and fiction (including novels) across all grade levels. Writing instruction empowers students to become effective, engaged, and reflective writers who view writing as a form of communication that is a necessary, meaningful, and pleasurable. Students are taught to use a writing rubric to develop focus, content, organization, style, and conventions. Across the grade levels, students are instructed to write poetry, narrative, expository, and persuasive pieces, which may be integrated with library research. Students in kindergarten through third grade learn printing and cursive writing using the Handwriting Without Tears program.

Social Studies: The curriculum addresses themes of self, community, geography, history, civics, and economics. Components include factual content, skills, experiences, perspectives, and values. Our social studies program meets the standards of the National Council for the Social Studies. In the primary grades, students explore the themes of neighborhoods and communities within the framework of the hands-on, interactive Nystrom program. In fourth and fifth grades, students learn about United States geography and history using the Houghton-Mifflin social studies program.

Science: Classroom science instruction is kit-based and reflects a constructivist, hands-on approach to science learning. In grade one, students are introduced to the concept of weather and how it affects their lives, and they investigate the properties of common solids and liquids. In grade two, students expand their understanding of solids, liquids, and gases and investigate changes in state. They also study the life cycles of insects and the stages of metamorphosis. In grade three, students observe the stages in the life cycle of a plant, and they explore the differences and similarities between rocks and minerals. Land, water, and electrical circuits are the focus of study in grade four. Fifth grade students study ecosystems and cell structure.

Technology: Technology education consists of weekly instruction in the computer lab and experience working with computers in the classrooms. Computer use is integrated across the curriculum. Computer instruction includes computer identification skills, application skills, keyboarding skills, creating databases, creating spreadsheets, using painting/drawing tools, using multimedia tools, conducting research/accessing information, exploring related ethical issues, and exploring telecommunications.

Guidance and Special Areas: The core curriculum is supplemented with regular guidance lessons, provided by the school guidance counselor, as well as weekly instruction in art, music, library, and physical education—all provided by specialists in the respective disciplines.

School Theme: The annual schoolwide theme provides a vehicle through which all of the curricular areas are integrated. The 2009-2010 theme is "Time Travel: Back to the Future".