Curriculum Corner

Young entrepreneurs in the WINGS program brainstormed business ideas that would make a positive impact and made their pitch to investors during the annual Shark Tank event in February! Dressed in business attire, fifth grade students from Camp Avenue, Harold D. Fayette and Old Mill Road schools took to the stage at Fayette to present unique ideas. Guests were given $100,000 in “Shark Bucks” to distribute to the most convincing businesses after asking a series of questions. Each project – a culmination of research that involved lessons in marketing, economics and product development – featured an informational display with a visual demonstration of its product. The highly anticipated Shark Tank event puts students in the lead, as students work independently or in pairs to generate their own original ideas that would serve a purpose in people’s daily lives.

We are currently in our third year of the National Geographic program in K-5 classrooms, while sixth graders have implemented three new modules in science.

Over the past summer, teachers in grades 3-5 worked as curriculum writers and collaborated with science consultant Dr. Emily Kang to write unit plans that embed National Geographic and other high-level, interactive science practices. Dr. Kang also provided a professional development opportunity to all K-6 teachers on embedded science and engineering practices and cross cutting concepts into our lessons.

The work done this summer continues to be a force in the classroom as it informs new lessons and hands-on experiments, including the exciting NYS Investigations for grades 3-6, "Circle of Life," "Light It Up," "Cloud in a Bottle," "What's in a Bag" and "It’s Alive!"

First in Math is a mathematics program funded by a New York State grant designed to strengthen students' problem-solving and fluency skills through engaging, interactive digital activities. The program provides students with individualized practice while promoting math confidence and critical thinking. Aligned with state standards, First in Math supports teachers by offering data to track progress and areas for improvement, encouraging both in-class and at-home participation. Additionally, we have continued instruction with our Savvas program for math and further enhanced our math instruction with IXL, a digital tool that is aligned with NWEA benchmarks in math.

We are piloting several social studies programs this year to make an informed decision regarding the appropriate programs to support the social studies framework established by New York State. Teachers at each grade level met to discuss the framework and its related practices and analyzed the similarities with the Next Generation ELA standards. In addition, the pilot participants have engaged in professional development from their respective publishers to ensure that they are maximizing the experience for their students with the available resources. Stay tuned as we work toward making an informed decision.

Students in all three buildings reached a milestone as they celebrated the 100th day of school this month! Kindergartners and first graders engaged in 100th day-related activities and wore clothing covered in 100 items or dressed as centenarians.

Next month, look out for the latest edition of the North Merrick Library Media Voice to catch a glimpse at the exciting happenings in our Library Media Centers!

K-6 Public School District

Website: http://www.nmerrickschools.org
Location: 1057 Merrick Avenue, North Merrick, NY
Phone: 516-623-1906
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nmerrickschools/
Twitter: @NMerrickSchools