Peninsula Preparatory Academy Charter School

REGULAR EDUCATIONCurriculum English Language ArtsOne of Peninsula preparatory Academy's primary goals is to ensure that all students become able readers and writers. When literacy instruction is matched to scholars' unique strengths and needs, scholars learn to effectively communicate their ideas and show what they know. Students are expected to meet the Common Core State Standards in ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS (ELA) at each grade level with instruction of a core curriculum for reading, writing, listening, and speaking.In kindergarten through grade 5, Peninsula Preparatory Academy uses a research-based approach, called The Comprehensive Approach to Balanced Literacy. Balanced Literacy stresses the essential dimensions of reading through explicit teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency and expressiveness, vocabulary, and comprehension. The explicit teaching of phonics is done through the Wilson FUNDATIONS program in kindergarten through grade 2. Daily read-alouds, independent reading time, reading workshop, writing workshop, and systematic word study instruction are key features of the approach. Teachers demonstrate the habits and strategies of effective reading and writing through a variety of structures: read-aloud, guided reading, shared reading, interactive writing, and mini-lessons in reading and writing. By coaching scholars in individual or small-group conferences, teachers allow students to successfully and independently apply those strategies to their own reading and writing. Classroom libraries are the centerpiece of Balanced Literacy. These libraries allow teachers to organize instruction around authentic literature. Extensive use of classroom libraries encourages students to read and write about a variety of topics they know and like. The libraries are designed so that each grade will have a common core of books that span a range of reading levels and cover all kinds of literature from picture books, chapter books, and novels to poetry and nonfiction. In conjunction the school utilizes Triumph Learning and Curriculum Associates to prepare scholars for the state assessments in English Language Arts.MathematicsPeninsula Preparatory Academy's Mathematics program takes a balanced approach, focusing on what students need to know, and the processes and skills necessary to reason, solve problems, and think critically. Beginning in September 2011, Peninsula Preparatory Academy implemented the Go Math! curriculum. Go Math! is a focused program designed to meet the objectives and intent of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The program is designed as such to support teachers as they transition scholars to the rigorous common core state based curriculum. Lessons begin with context-based situations and progress toward more abstract problems. Real world problems that are instructionally sound and relevant to the scholars are presented in each lesson. Problem solving is practiced in daily lesson sets that include application problems with embedded computation. Intervention for problem solving scaffolds to help scholars with reading word problems and uses graphic organizers. Communication and reasoning are also an important focus as scholars explain concepts verbally and in writing every day.Social StudiesPeninsula Preparatory Academy follows the City's Social Studies program has as its foundation the New York State Social Studies Core Curriculum. Through explorations of history, geography, economics, government, and civics, scholars learn about the people, places, eras, and events near and far that helped to shape our world. In grades K-2, scholars begin to develop awareness about self, family, neighborhoods, and communities large and small. In grades 3-5, they are introduced to the diversity of world communities, the historic development of New York State, and the similarities and differences among the nations that make up the Western Hemisphere (North, Central and South America and the Caribbean). We have implemented the Core Curriculum Initiative, a New York City standard program that aims to provide a common core of rigorous, high-quality curricula and instructional materials to NYC classrooms, as well as introduce core curriculum social studies materials Peninsula Preparatory Academy opted for the use of a text book and trade book program and supplements these materials with primary source kits, maps, atlases, and regalia. We rolled out this curriculum in Grades K through Five, utilizing the Macmillan McGraw Hill Textbook series. We follow the K-8 Social Studies Scope and Sequence, which went into effect for the NYC Department of Education during the 2008-09 school year. In addition, we link the Social Studies curriculum to the reading and writing instruction in each grade level on a regular basis. SciencePeninsula Preparatory Academy follows the New York City's science curriculum which is based upon the New York State Core Curriculum in Science. We focus on two major strands in kindergarten through fifth grade, the Physical Setting and the Living Environment. Science instruction provides scholars with opportunities to interact directly with the natural world and gives them the skills they need to explain the world that surrounds them. The school's approach allows students to practice problem-solving skills, develop positive science attitudes, learn new science content, and increase their scientific literacy. The elementary science program emphasizes a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to learning. Younger scholars learn effectively when they are actively engaged in the discovery process. Children's natural curiosity leads them to explore the natural world. We encourage our teachers to provide opportunities for their scholars to have direct experience with common objects, materials, and living things in their environments. We utilize the Macmillan McGraw Hill, Science: A Closer Look with hands on science experiments for every chapter. We follow the NYC K-8 Science Scope and Sequence for grades K through 5.