The academic programs at French Hill are in alignment with the New York State Learning Standards and district curricula goals.  For detailed information about specific curriculum areas, the reader is invited to examine the curriculum maps which can be found on the district’s website.

Classroom Programs

French Hill students spend the majority of their school day with their classroom teacher participating in child-centered integrated learning activities which address the following curricula areas: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and Health.  Many of these learning experiences are differentiated in order to meet the developing abilities of students.

English Language Arts

With Language Arts, students have a wide range of opportunities to learn about literacy in a way that promotes reading, writing, speaking and listening in their daily lives.  For reading, instructional components of this balanced approach include the teacher reading a book or text to students (Read Aloud), students reading with the teacher (Shared-Reading), the teacher working with a small group of students who use similar levels of text (Guided Reading), students reading independently (Independent Reading), and phonemic awareness/phonics activities (Fundations program - grades 1 @ 2).  Teachers use a variety of appropriate, appealing and substantive literature and non-fiction books to involve students with reading.  For writing, the teacher models writing (Modeled Writing), works with students to compose a text (Shared Writing), works with individual students (Guided Writing) and has students write independently (Independent Writing). Students write for different purposes and by the end of second grade, most students are comfortable using the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading and editing).  The formal spelling program begins mid-year during first grade.  Handwriting is taught and emphasized throughout the students’ K-2 experience.  Sharing writings and insights about literature are also key components to the English Language Arts program.

Literacy Block

Exclusive of Primary Time, a daily uninterrupted 75 minute block of time is devoted to ready/writing for grade one and two.

Primary Time

Primary time is a one-hour period in the morning set aside to enable grade one and grade two classroom teachers to provide reading/language arts instruction in smaller, more homogeneous groups. This is accomplished by keeping half of the students in the classroom for 30 minutes while the other half attends a special area class (music, art, physical education, computer and library) or support services such as Academic Intervention Services. The groups are reversed for the second 30 minutes.

Mathematics

In the area of Mathematics, students participate in hands-on learning experiences that foster curiosity, basic mathematics skills and beginning problem-solving strategies.  Key to this is providing ample opportunities for students to explore, use manipulatives and practice, which enables students to begin the transition from concrete mathematical thinking to abstract thinking.  Five content strands (Number Sense, Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement) and five process strands (Problem Solving, Reasoning, Communication, Connections, Representation) are addressed at each grade level. Kindergarten teachers use the Harcourt Brace series while teachers in grade one and two use the Scott Foresman series.  

Social Studies

Social Studies instruction is often integrated with language arts.  For example, teachers sometimes select language arts reading materials which also address the social studies curriculum.  Each grade learns about patriotic holidays which occur over the course of the school year.  Some aspects of study specific to kindergarten include recognizing self, family relationships and the school community.  The first graders look at how one contributes to the classroom culture, how children’s lives change over time.  They also study the roles of workers in the community.  In second grade, teachers help students define friendship.  More sophisticated mapping skills are introduced and rural, urban and suburban communities are studied.

Science

Science instruction for kindergarten students occurs in the kindergarten classrooms.  For grades one and two, students participate in science lessons which take place in the science lab.  Some aspects specific to kindergarten science curriculum include basic concepts of magnetism, sink/float, the five senses and animal habitats.  First and second grade students learn about characteristics of a scientist, making observations and recording predictions and results.  Grade one studies attributes and properties of objects, states of matter and living things.  With grade two, tools to measure our world, observing and measuring changes in living things and the environment are examples of some units of study.

Health

Health instruction is often integrated with other curricula areas.  For example, the grade one science curriculum addresses the importance of maintaining a healthy body.  Certain aspects of the health curriculum are addressed on a school-wide level.  For example, Red Ribbon Week takes place during October and has our staff help teach children about growing up safe, healthy and drug free.  Good Touches/Bad Touches is a school-wide sexual abuse and abduction prevention program which is taught during the month of May.