Curriculum

List of 8 items.

• Pre-K: Transition to a Full-Day Program

  Faculty Participants: Jessica Eaton and Rachel Sullivan
  

   

  The pre-k team of Jessica Eaton and Rachel Sullivan undertook the task of examining the current part-time program and thoughtfully determining how to expand the program in a way that preserves the important balance between child-led and teacher-guided learning experiences throughout the day.
  
  The team focused on four goals:

  • Establishing overall pre-k program goals
  • Integrating targeted literacy objectives
  • Designing small group instruction blocks
  • Ensuring kindergarten readiness

  Key outcomes of their work included:

  • The creation of a comprehensive, full-year, full-day schedule that incorporates daily outdoor recess, rest, and choice time. 
  • A framework for small-group literacy instruction was established, involving four teachers working together on shared literacy objectives. A weekly meeting time was also determined for the team to collaborate on lesson planning for the literacy groups.
  • A review of curriculum and resources was conducted.
  • The initial weeks of school were planned to ensure a smooth transition to the full-day program.

• Kindergarten: Team-Building

  Faculty Participants: Margo Portnoy '05 and Zella Bergman
  

   

  Margo Portnoy '05, the current kindergarten teacher, and Zella Bergman, a new teacher at Tenacre, are partnering as kindergarten homeroom teachers this year. The purpose of their summer grant was to build a strong foundation for collaboration and alignment. The teachers met weekly to discuss the structure of the team-teaching model and develop a shared understanding of how to divide responsibilities, collaborate across classrooms, and approach instruction together. 
  
  

  The team focused on curriculum and instructional practices with the goal of determining pacing and content delivery in order to map out a clear timeline and teaching strategy for the school year. As a result of their work, the team finalized a plan for student grouping across content areas, which included:

  • Homeroom-specific, small-group instruction for writing and word study
  • Mixed groupings for math
  • Shared blocks for Mind & Heart, Social Studies, and Choice Time
  • Integration of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness into reading and writing workshops

  Another key outcome for the team was to establish classroom procedures, routines, and rules to set expectations for students that are consistent across the two classrooms. By developing a shared vision for the school year, the team is entering the year aligned in their approach for supporting student growth.

• Grade 1: Team-Building

  Faculty Participants: Megan Delaney '03 and Kate O'Toole
  

   

  Megan Delaney '03, the current first-grade teacher, and Kate O’Toole, formerly a second-grade teacher, will be partnering as first-grade homeroom teachers this year. The purpose of their summer grant was to build a strong foundation for the new teaching partnership and to prepare thoughtfully for the start of the school year.  Erin Wong, a Learning and Enrichment Specialist, also participated in the grant work, specifically in relation to work done on the math curriculum.
  
  

  The team had three areas of focus:

  • Examining the first-grade curriculum and resources in order to identify skills and goals across subject areas
  • Prepare for the first weeks of school
  • Establish common goals and expectations for how to work as a team

  In the area of curriculum, the team worked with Erin Wong to update and organize the first-grade math drive by chapter, create a year-long calendar mapping out each unit, and gather resources for a new data unit of study. Additionally, they discussed the social-emotional learning curriculum and identified ways to integrate social-emotional learning into classroom routines and instruction. Finally, they made a plan for a monarch butterfly project.
  
  

  In preparation for the first weeks of school, the team reviewed beginning-of-year parent communications and planned activities and routines to help students get to know their classrooms, teachers, and one another, so they feel comfortable and connected.

  In pursuit of establishing how they will work as a team, the teachers discussed what is important to each of them in a collaborative relationship and shared teaching practices that they value. The team identified guiding principles and shared expectations to create consistency across the classrooms.

  
  
  

• Grade 2: Team-Building

  Faculty Participants: Dr. Tatiana Cochis and Susan Doering
  

   

  Susan Doering, the current second-grade teacher, and  Dr. Tatiana Cochis, formerly a first-grade teacher, will be partnering as second-grade homeroom teachers this year. The purpose of their summer grant was to invest time in building a partnership that will best support the second-grade students and their families. The team focused on two areas: student data and curriculum.
  
  

  Because Dr. Cochis taught first grade, she has extensive knowledge of the students entering second grade. The team discussed individual students’ strengths and areas for growth. They also examined the social dynamics among first-grade students and considered arrangements for student groupings during small-group instruction. 
  
  

  In the area of curriculum, the team reviewed social studies, math, and reading, including Fundations. The focus was on identifying specific routines students learned in first grade that the team can continue and build upon in second grade.

• Grade 3: Math Review with new Singapore Math text, "Dimensions"

  Faculty Participants: Tom Doering, Katie Dubenetsky, Rebecca Goddard
  

   

  The third-grade team of Rebecca Goddard, Katie Dubenetsky, and Tom Doering evaluated the Dimensions edition of Singapore Math to consider it for this year.
  
  

  The team determined that the Dimensions curriculum combines many of the elements they valued in the Common Core Edition, which they used previously, including:

  • Each lesson includes opportunities for challenge and extension
  • The end of each unit provides a clearly defined, comprehensive review section 
  • The workbooks provide additional practice, which serves students who need reinforcement
  • The assessment booklet provides two tests for each unit, allowing for a practice assessment before the final test.

  As a result of their evaluation, the team decided to use the curriculum and subsequently created a sequence of 15 units using the previous year’s scope and sequence as a guide. The teachers expect that the curriculum will facilitate differentiated instruction and provide students with the appropriate level of support or challenge.

• Woodshop Curriculum

  Faculty Participants: Francesca Bessey and Dave Hamilton
  

   

  Director of Design Technology Dave Hamilton and Design Technology Specialist Francesca Bessey developed a sequenced woodworking curriculum for students in grades pre-k–6. 

  
  

  Defining characteristics of the curriculum include:

  • Identifies what a graduating Tenacre student should know and be able to do in the woodshop, framed around solving real problems with wood.
  • Establishes a gradual-release model, introducing tools and concepts as early as safely possible, then giving students years to build proficiency.
  • Creates a common language and set of benchmarks (grade-level and graduate) so teachers can plan projects consistently and assess growth over time.
  • Formalizes safety protocols and tool-specific competency standards for all hand and power tools used in the program.
     
    As part of the curriculum development, the team created a Scope and Sequence Tool Proficiency Guide that includes five key skill areas, a four-level proficiency scale, detailed competency checklists for each of the fourteen tools, and a grade-by-grade chart showing when each tool is introduced and how proficiency progresses from pre-k through graduation.

• Spanish Department: New Teacher Orientation & Curriculum Preparation

  Faculty participants: Mercé Garcia and Tamy Persechini
  
  Current Gr. 3–6 Spanish teacher Mercé Garcia introduced new PreK–Gr. 2 Spanish teacher Tamy Persechini to the Spanish program. The goal was to familiarize Ms. Persechini with the curriculum, instructional materials, and classroom resources, and to identify and address any materials needed for the upcoming school year.
  
  
  The teachers conducted a comprehensive review of the existing Spanish curriculum and materials for pre-K through second grade, including the scope and sequence, lesson materials, units, activities, assessments, vocabulary resources, and instructional materials. They identified the goals and expectations for each grade level, and explored how the curriculum progresses from one year to the next.
  
  The teachers also planned the first unit for grades pre-k to second grade and discussed and agreed on several projects for each grade that could be done at the end of the unit, which would serve as both an informal assessment and a way for parents to see the learning from the unit.

• Grade 6: Science Curriculum Redesign

  Faculty Participant: Leah Staffier
  
  In response to a change in the amount of instructional time allotted to grade 6 science, science teacher Leah Staffier undertook a thoughtful redesign of the curriculum.  The goal of the redesign was to create a focused and coherent Grade 6 science experience that :
  

  • Prioritizes depth over breadth
  • Protects meaningful hands-on investigations and projects 
  • Reduces unnecessary repetition
  • Makes intentional use of the school garden as an outdoor learning environment

  The redesigned curriculum engages students in the work of scientists and engineers by asking questions, making observations, designing investigations, collecting and analyzing data, using models, developing explanations, communicating scientific information, designing solutions, testing ideas, and learning from evidence.
  
  The curriculum includes 5 units:
  

  • The Garden as a Living Laboratory
  • Fungi: Nature’s Recyclers
  • Biodiversity and Conservation: From Science to Action
  • Chemistry: Understanding Matter and Change
  • Engineering Solutions: The Big Bridge Fail