Curriculum & Instruction

At Todd Elementary School in grades K-3, students engage in daily Fundations lessons that encompass the teaching of reading, spelling, and handwriting skills in a multisensory way.  

Grounded in the Science of Reading, Fundations is based on the Orton-Gillingham Principles of reading instruction and the Wilson Reading Program, which both focus on multi-sensory instruction to increase literacy.  Students learn to spell high frequency words using gross motor memory, building automaticity with phonetically irregular words to facilitate reading and writing.  Beginning reading skills taught in Fundations include phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, word attack strategies, vocabulary building, and fluency. 

The program also teaches reading comprehension skills through text analysis, story mapping, and inference-making.  In writing, Fundations promotes spelling skills and the use of conventions and punctuation as well as grammar.  Fundations instruction is delivered explicitly and practice occurs in a systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic manner. 

Links to Fundations alignment with Science of Reading  

https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FUN-Activities-Alignment-to-the-SOR-2.pdf  

Program Overview  

https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Fundations-Program-Overview-Levels-K-3.pdf  

The mission of the Todd Elementary School writing curriculum is to engage all learners in rigorous, authentic writing instruction that sets the groundwork for students to communicate effectively. The writing curriculum provides students to live in the three genres of writing: narrative, opinion, and informational.  Through a combination of mini-lessons, guided practice, and peer collaboration, we aim to cultivate a love for writing while also honing essential literacy skills such as spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. We value the process of writing as much as the final product, emphasizing revision and reflection as integral parts of the creative journey.  By fostering a community of writers who celebrate each other's successes and offer constructive feedback, we strive to instill confidence and a sense of ownership in every student's writing abilities. Our ultimate goal is to empower young writers to express themselves authentically and effectively, both in the classroom and beyond.

Our English Language Arts classes promote critical thinking, creativity, and empathy by asking students to engage with a range of genres representing a variety of perspectives and experiences as portrayed through different characters and time periods. Students engage in analysis, reflection, and research to deepen learning and make connections across texts, current events, themes, and time periods.  ELA classrooms place emphasis on visual and digital literacy, and you can often find teachers and students leaning on technology to enhance learning whenever possible. This might look like publishing short stories as eBooks in Pages or students researching common terms or artifacts to better understand the setting of a class novel. 

We prepare students to become well-rounded readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. Each grade level uses a literature-based curriculum; students study a variety of literary and informational prose and poetry including essays, short stories, novels, and dramatic works. Through these texts, students consider multiple perspectives, identify themes and build a repertoire of writing craft and techniques to apply to their own writing. Students read classics and contemporary works representing a diversity of authors and a wide variety of cultural perspectives. Over the course of their three years at BMS, students write a balance of the genres outlined by the NYS Next Generation Standards: argumentative writing, informative writing, narrative writing, and poetry. 

If you walked into an ELA classroom at BMS, you might find groups of students engaged in a “Socratic Seminar,” an open discussion, usually held in a circle formation, where students are responding to student generated questions and prompts. You might also find students analyzing captions on a published photo essay in order to identify craft techniques and features to be able to create their own unique photo essays. Still yet, you might find students engaged in a peer editing process, having exchanged “papers” (sometimes their iPads!) in order to provide specific and actionable feedback for improvement. 

When it comes to content and depth, each grade builds on the last. All units and their subsequent assessments focus on the writing process, analytical reading, comprehension, as well as public speaking and discussion skills.

Math lessons are student-centered and collaborative, incorporating problem solving and hands-on and tech-based manipulatives. These classrooms are energizing. You are likely to walk into a math classroom and observe students conversing in small groups as they solve fast-paced problem, scribbling and erasing solutions until they enthusiastically indicate that they “got it!”   

Students learn to reason, understand concepts and apply problem solving skills as they master the concepts mapped out by the NYS Next Generation Learning Standards-- from Ratios and Proportions to Number Systems, Expressions, Equations & Inequalities, Geometry, and Statistics & Probability. Students excelling in math and seeking an additional academic challenge are placed in our accelerated math program beginning in 7th grade. These students move at a faster pace, completing both 7th and 8th grade material in one academic year, allowing them to learn and sit for the Algebra I Regents in the 8th grade. Students who successfully complete the Regents in Algebra I earn high school credit with the final grade appearing on the student’s high school transcript.   

Science instruction at BMS is grounded in inquiry, problem-solving and hands-on experimentation. Students develop the skills of the discipline including data analysis, application, investigating phenomena, and understanding that certain concepts cut across all scientific disciplines. They are encouraged to discover and appreciate the wonders of science through the content.

• In 6th grade, students explore topics related to Earth’s Systems, History of Earth, Weather & Climate, Human Impacts, and Space Systems.
• All units incorporate lab activities, engineering, and design.
• 7th grade students study the living environment with a focus on the biological make up of living organisms from simple to complex and the impact they have on their environment.
• Our 8th grade science course is uniquely designed to prepare students for the rigor of high school science. Students study the foundations of chemistry and physics, through the investigation of the basic structure of matter.
• The course provides a blend of science concepts and skills culminating with a state assessment. Across all science classes, students are assessed in a variety of ways including practical examinations, multiple-choice, hands-on experiments and open ended writing prompts. All forms of assessment incorporate having students make a claim and use data and evidence to support and explain their reasoning.  

In Social Studies classrooms, students learn to read and write like historians, analyzing and annotating primary and secondary source documents to understand multiple perspectives and context, and asking questions to deepen learning about the world around them and how they contribute to it. Classes are hands-on and inquiry based. It’s not uncommon to find students engaged in a discussion protocol in small groups or circulating the room looking at primary sources in a “gallery walk.” Students foster awareness of larger communities (local, national, and global), and cultivate understanding of their roles and responsibilities as citizens. 

Our teachers follow the New York State Social Studies Framework for Grades 6-8, which places emphasis on the skills and dispositions needed for college, career, and civic life. The focus in 6^th grade is on ancient civilizations whereas in 7^th and 8^th grade the focus on American History. Across these contexts, students explore open ended questions to guide inquiry and teachers encourage student voice and choice by offering opportunities for self-paced and collaborative learning. Students build historical thinking skills through source analysis, recognize sequence of events, how events are interrelated, recognize patterns and themes in history, and understand how events impact or help explain one another. Teachers assess students through project-based assessments, claim-based and document-based writing assignments, and stimulus-based multiple-choice questioning.  The goal is to help students grow into global citizens who can solve problems, think creatively, and live as learners in an increasingly complex world.

Our World Language Department is committed to preparing our students for today’s increasingly global society. Students have the choice of learning Spanish or French over the course of three-years. The courses are communicative, designed to help students feel comfortable in the four essential language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. At each grade level, students are immersed in language and cultures through projects, games, conversations, hands-on activities, and technology. Whereas in 6^th grade there is  a heavier focus on speaking and listening and in 7^th and 8^th grade there is a heavier emphasis on vocabulary and grammar. Students who complete the three-year course and pass our local proficiency exam receive one high school credit. Our goal is to prepare students to become life-long learners and lovers of language, and to be able to compete in the global society. 

At BMS, core classes, while important, are just a piece of the whole. Students cycle through related arts classes throughout the year, providing a holistic and rich experience with the arts, technology, and career/life readiness. Courses include visual art, computer art, creative movement, health, computer science, design & modeling, home and careers, and music (students choose between chorus, band/orchestra or exploring music). All students take physical education at least twice a week. Most students also rotate through three cycles of enrichment each year, designed to enrich and extend academic learning and ranging from math games to creative writing, robotics, and Project Lead the Way classes around design and simulation.