District Curriculum Team Update

As a district curriculum team, we are so excited to share some of the engaging student learning opportunities that are currently happening in Holliston! This newsletter is packed full, so please make sure to take the time to scroll down and click to open the rest.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Joanne Menard

Our K-5 teachers kicked off the school year with an inspiring professional development session led by the All Learners Network (ALN). ALN’s approach focuses on effective math instruction that engages all students while addressing the diverse needs in the classroom. Their methods align seamlessly with our new math curriculum, Eureka Math Squared, ensuring that our teaching practices are both rigorous and accessible. During this hands-on session, teachers explored the math content in depth and learned a variety of strategies to increase student engagement, making math both exciting and inclusive.

A special thank you goes to the Holliston Education Foundation for granting us the incredible opportunity to build on this work throughout the year. Thanks to this generous grant, we are providing our teachers with personalized coaching sessions to support our transition to the new curriculum. We’ve been focused on enhancing student engagement by offering more choices and expanding access to the math content. Thank you, HEF, for helping make this possible!

Eureka Math Squared is the new math curriculum resource teachers are using in grades PreK-5. This program utilizes a hands-on approach to solving math. In the younger grades it focuses on building a strong number sense and place value background so that students can build upon their math knowledge into other units such as fractions and decimals.

In the video above, you will see a sample of the counting instruction starting in Kindergarten that promotes a strong number sense that promotes explaining your thinking. Mrs. Bourque's class did an amazing job explaining how you count objects that aren't in a line to Mr. Elephant who is their classroom math mascot!

In the video below, you can see an example of a Eureka Math Squared lesson called a counting collection where small groups of students are given an unknown quantity of items and tasked with efficiently figuring out how many there are. This lesson is used across the curriculum in all grades and at different points of the year. Mrs. Creonte's class did an amazing job working as teams to efficiently count their items, even when they had to restart after trying more than one way to keep track of their count. Notice how they use cups, bags, or piles of 10 to efficiently and accurately count their item!

Eureka Math Squared focuses on students' ability to model math in a variety of ways. Students are encouraged to have flexible thinking when reasoning with numbers. These pictures show students working together to create various algebraic expressions to represent the figure presented.

Ms. DiGioia brings liquid measurement to life in this 3rd grade lesson! Students make connections with liquid measurement and Place Value.

In the pictures below you will see some other examples of how students in Placentino are using a hands-on approach to math and building a strong number sense! Number sense is a crucial skill for understanding and being fluent in math. It's the ability to have an intuitive understanding of numbers and their relationships, rather than just memorizing procedures.

Number sense is important because it helps children:

• Understand numbers

• Understand what numbers mean and how they relate to each other

• Perform mental math

• Estimate answers, spot patterns, and manipulate numbers to make calculations easier

• Build confidence

• Develop a relationship with numbers and be able to talk about math as a language

• Understand basic math

• Lay the foundation for understanding more complex math concepts in the future

In science K-2 students have been working hard to build their content knowledge!

Kindergarten Testing Out A Push/Pull Force

Students have experimented with various resources to see the effect of pushes and pulls on an object - from setting up a bowling alley to using a paper wrecking ball and guiding ping pong balls through a path they made out of playdough - Kindergarten students have fun in science special! (Physical Science Motion and Stability:Forces and Interactions K-PS2-1)

Grade 1 Investigating light

Students created their own paper fish puppets using tissue paper and aluminum foil to investigate how light can move through some materials (transparent/translucent). They learned that light rays cannot pass through the solid plastic engineering materials that are opaque but can reflect off of mirrors to create many hands and fingers! (Physical Science Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer 1-PS4-3).

Grade 2 October Tulip Bulb Planting

Students were excited to plant tulip and daffodil bulbs as part of a Life Science lesson in the Placentino courtyard. They had to dig out 7 inches of soil for the tulip bulbs and plant them in October so that the bulbs will grow tall and sturdy in the Spring. Thank you to the Placentino Courtyard group of parents for supplying the bulbs and trowels this year! They also worked on documenting what the bulbs looked like, the texture of the bulbs and what they could see and hear in the courtyard. (Life Science Ecosystems:Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics 2-LS2-3(MA)

In this unit we are working hard to develop a model that describes the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment. This photo captures students working hard to create unique food chain and food web models! (Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics 5-LS2-1)

Our 6th graders are wrapping up their Digital Tools unit with an exciting video creation project! This final assignment gives students the chance to combine creativity with the digital skills they’ve built over the past weeks. From planning their story to editing footage, they’re using a range of tools to bring their ideas to life. It’s been amazing to see their enthusiasm and progress!

In 7th-grade Digital Literacy and Computer Science, our students have been hard at work on an exciting group project focused on making a difference in their communities! Each team selected a local improvement idea and took on the challenge of designing, budgeting, planning, and developing a detailed proposal. They used digital tools like Google Maps, Google Sheets, and Canva to bring their vision to life, from designing 3D models to crafting engaging promotional materials. They presented their projects to classmates, showcasing their creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork. It's been inspiring to see their enthusiasm and dedication to real-world problem-solving!

This semester, our 8th-grade computer science students have been diving into programming with Karel the Dog on CodeHS! Karel helps students grasp essential coding skills, including writing commands, creating loops, and using conditionals in a fun, interactive way. Recently, students completed their first quiz, showcasing their understanding and progress in programming concepts. We're excited to see their skills continue to grow throughout the semester!

Math at Rams is undergoing some exciting developments. From adopting a new resource, Reveal textbooks, to training with All Learners Network to find ways to meet all our students where they are, Math classrooms are buzzing with activity. Reveal will provide teachers with a robust bank of learning materials as well as practice at different levels both in the classroom and online. All Learners Network is providing Professional Development centering student voice and choice and strategies for teachers to engage all learners. The ALN approach also emphasizes tailoring instruction to just the right challenge level for each student to push their learning to the next level.

In our 6th Grade classrooms, students are shown here working in teams to have their knowledge of Factorization put to the test in this fast paced "Jeopardy" challenge. They have also been working on using Math Menus in all 6th grade Math classes for students to choose independent work that is just right for their understanding and to challenge them when they've mastered the task.

7th Graders are seen here playing a "Hot Seat" review game on percents, markups and discounts, and percent change and error. They will be ready to apply their learning this coming season of big sales. Students have also been working using our new IXL program to improve the depth of their knowledge and receive individual instruction based on feedback the program receives from benchmark testing conducted 3 times a year. Students can work on these skills at home, anytime, anywhere using their IXL login.

8th grade Math classes are hard at work with our new text. Teachers are using the Reveal resources both online and in class to enrich content. They have worked hard on Operations with Exponents, Scientific Notation, and Square and Cubed Roots and are now moving into Two Step Equations as Fall moves into the Holiday Season.

Sixth grade Science is working on Geologic timelines, looking for patterns and trends in evolution and mass extinction in conjunction with Social Studies investigation of early man. The will be looking at the history of the earth and the Universe over the course of this year expanding their concept of time and space far beyond the boundaries of Holliston.

The 7th grade science classes have been participating in a research study run through Harvard University, analyzing the growth and changes in forests over time. Students every year measure and identify trees in the forests behind our school to learn about ecological succession and forest composition. This gives our students a chance to collect and analyze real world local data while contributing a larger data set to an ongoing scientific investigation.

8th Graders are moving from monitoring changing forests in 7th to looking at how climate and weather might affect our tree growth as they age on the Rail Trail. "Our Aging Trees" project has students describe the challenges and pitfalls of collecting data on living organisms in nature while having them compare the data they gather to climate and weather phenomena to identify patterns.

Students enjoyed a day out with their peers while using the tools of Science to measure and record their findings.

HHS AP Statistics students recently completed an engaging project that combined data collection and analysis with creativity. Each student selected two quantitative variables they believed had a linear relationship and analyzed them through a variety of statistical tools. From determining least-squares regression lines to exploring residuals and nonlinear models, students tackled real-world data analysis. The project concluded with a gallery walk, where other math students observed the posters, learned about basic statistics, and left feedback and comments using sticky notes. This interactive showcase highlighted students' analytical skills and fostered peer learning across grades.

HHS has a new Organic Chemistry course that was designed in response to student interest in a chemistry-focused elective. While our science department offers many options in biology and technology, this is our first "pure" chemistry elective, providing an introduction to Organic Chemistry—often known as the "gateway" course for future chemistry and pre-med majors in college.

This course, sometimes referred to as "baby orgo," is tailored to cover the foundational topics typically included in a college-level organic chemistry class for non-majors. Students will explore bonding and isomerism, alkanes and cycloalkanes, alkenes and alkynes, aromatic compounds, stereoisomerism, organic reactions, spectroscopy, and structure determination. In addition, students are gaining hands-on experience in the lab, learning key organic laboratory techniques such as melting point determination, distillation, separation by extraction, and chromatography. We are excited to offer this course as it provides a valuable head start for students interested in chemistry-related fields.

Across the building at Placentino, Structured Literacy practices can be seen. From our youngest learners in PreSchool to our Grade 2 students, Placentino students are actively engaged in their learning in phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency, and writing. Instruction is systematic and explicit, and students have multiple opportunities for practice to generalize these skills. Multisensory activities are both a powerful learning tool and a joyful experience for our youngest learners. In our classrooms, you will see hands-on, engaging learning activities and experiences that support students' progression towards becoming proficient readers and writers!

(MA ELA Standards: PK.RF.2, PK.RF.3, K.RF.1, K.RF.2, K.RF.3, 1.RF.2, 1.RF.3, 2.RF.3, 2.RF.4)

In the photo below, a student in a Montessori 3-6 classroom works with a partner to build and match CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words using Montessori letter blocks.

Phonological Awareness

In all PK-2 classrooms (Traditional, Montessori, and French), students participate in daily explicit phonological awareness lessons. Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds (ex: identifying initial sound, rhyming, substituting sounds, segmenting and blending sounds and syllables) and is a crucial foundational skill for early literacy. In the video below, students in Mr. Snyder's Grade 2 French classroom are segmenting individual sounds in words. This is a critical skill that students will practice in both French and English classrooms.

Students at Placentino learned about Diwali, including some of the customs and traditions and how families might celebrate. They compared a non-fiction video with a realistic fiction story and made connections between Diwali and other celebrations.

(MA History & Social Science Frameworks: PreK.T3.3, K.T3.2, 1.T2.5, 2.T3.4)

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Students participated in discussions about Indigenous People’s Day and its importance. They considered the perspectives of multiple groups and people represented in these historical events, including the Taino People and Christopher Columbus. They also learned about indigenous groups around the world, as well as the indigenous groups that live nearby.

(MA History & Social Science Frameworks: PreK.T3.3, K.T3.1, 1.T1.4, 1.T2.5, 2.T3.1, 2.T3.4)

In grades 3 through 5, teachers and students have been working on strategies for writing at the sentence level. This foundational work also helps students as they construct larger pieces such as paragraphs, summaries, and essays. We chose these sentence-level strategies during summer curriculum work to strengthen writing skills and stamina across all subject areas and grade levels. Students are identifying and rewriting fragments, unscrambling sentences, and expanding kernel sentences (simple and short) to be more specific and complex. Writing is often integrated into the literacy and social studies blocks as students respond to reading or conduct research that they will use to craft informational writing. In many Grade 4 classes, students are conducting animal research to learn about an animal of their choice. They will then organize their ideas and craft informational texts to teach others what they have learned. (MA ELA Standards W3.2, W3.4, W3.5, W4.2, W4.4, W4.5, W4.7, W4.9, W5.2, W5.4, W5.5)

All Grade 5 classes launched the year with a shared reading of Wonder by R.J. Palacio in September and October. Students participated in several community-building events that also served to support literacy goals. Students listened to their teachers read aloud the first chapters, with Mr. Keim voicing the role of the principal. Inspired by a character from the story, students collaborated to create precepts as reminders of positive ways to think and live, as well as character pennants to demonstrate character analysis. They have also been working on developing detailed responses to literature in addition to strengthening sentence structure. (MA ELA Standards RL5.1, RL5.2, RL5.3, RL5.4, RL5.6)

Our sixth graders dove into fall by studying plot development and static and dynamic characters. Students analyzed short stories to identify the different elements of plot, locate a character's meaningful change, aha moment, and impact on others, and synthesize how plot and character work together to build theme. Pictured here, students gather textual evidence to determine important (surprising) moments in a character's behavior. These moments help students infer a character's inner story and motivations for actions seen later in the text. (MA ELA Standards RL6.1, RL6.2, RL6.3, RL6.6; W6.2a-e, W6.4, W6.5).

In social studies, sixth graders ponder the essential question "What does it mean to be human?" and discover the factors that helped early man shift from surviving to thriving. Students pretend to be archaeologists by excavating evidence from cookies and observing artifacts and cave art to see what they can infer about those who lived in the past. Students also learn about the discovery of fire and its impact on humans' ability to settle in one location longer, develop community, and improve their way of life. (MA SS Standards: Topic 1: Studying complex societies, past and present; Topic 2: Human origins, the Neolithic and Paleolithic Eras).

Seventh graders started the year learning about oral traditions and Greek mythology, excellent sources for determining moral and theme and practice summarization skills. In October, fall weather and spooky Halloween stories allowed classes to study authors' word choice to develop mood. Classes are wrapping up their unit on mood by writing their own setting snapshots where they apply careful word choice and sensory details to develop the mood in their own pieces. (RL7.1, RL7.3, RL7.4, W7.3d).

Thus far this year, 7th grade social studies has been tackling the big ideas of how geography impacts how people live and their ability to thrive and how belief systems impact society. We've spent time mapping India, exploring the beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism, and creating billboards to advertise Ashoka's edicts as we've explored the first empire in ancient India. Pictured below, students participate in a mock election (L), and Mahika Gandhi and Mrs. Kulkarni (R) treat students to a presentation about the Diwali holiday and traditions. (MA SS Standards: HSS Practices 1 and 4; Standard 7.T1b.2b).

Eighth grade English starts the year off exploring the concept of maintaining and balancing individuality while being part of a larger community. Students read and analyze numerous narrative texts from diverse authors to identify ways in which we can express and honor who we are and the experiences that have shaped us. Using figurative language, sensory details, and focused moments, students craft a series of vignettes (short "snapshots" that capture meaningful moments) to revise and present in a final collection. (MA ELA Standards: RL8.1, RL8.2, RL8.3, RL8.4; W8.3a-e; W8.4, W8.5)

Eighth grade civics started the year learning about media literacy so that students could practice identifying and understanding media bias and locating balanced news sources. They then shifted to the philosophical foundations of government studying the social contract theory; nature and purpose of government; and the works of philosophers John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu in order to see the impact they've had in forming today's government. (MA SS Standards: 8.T1.1-5; 8.T7.1-5).

Holliston High School’s "Mock Election Day" took place on November 4, 2024, organized by students in the Elections 2024 class. The event aimed to deepen students' understanding of the U.S. electoral process and engage them in active citizenship. Highlights included an overview of the Electoral College, presentations on Massachusetts ballot measures, and guest speakers from local political groups. Following these presentations, students cast their votes in a schoolwide mock election. The project was entirely student-led, allowing them to take on key roles in planning, presenting, and tallying results, fostering skills in civic responsibility, teamwork, and critical thinking. This interactive day provided an educational and memorable experience for our future voters.

As the result of Placentino being a Label FrancEducation award winner, the French Consulate brings distinguished guests to the district to work with our students in the French language. This visit was for Grade 2 students with children's author Elisa Gehin. Here is a link to her work: https://elisagehin.fr/filter/atelier

Lifelong Learning Standards

7. Connections - In settings that students would find familiar and highly predictable, using the target language exclusively or almost exclusively, with appropriate linguistic scaffolding, students fully and consistently:

a. Incorporate age-appropriate, interdisciplinary vocabulary to recognize, exchange, and present information from across content areas. (NM.7.a)

b. Recognize, exchange, and present diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints from authentic age appropriate materials. (NM.7.b)

A local dental office sent every fourth grader a dental hygiene goodie bag for their upcoming Physical Health and Hygiene unit. Students receive a virtual tour of a dental office, and hear a guest speaker discuss proper techniques of brushing. Ultimately, students set their own hygiene goals at the end of the unit.

Physical Health and Hygiene

7. Set a goal related to personal health (e.g., tooth brushing, sleep, hydration, ergonomics, sun safety, limiting screen time, hearing protection, physical activity, wearing protective equipment), identify resources to assist in achieving it, and track progress toward its achievement. [HPE; SE]

Holliston's art teachers, Maureen De Bor and Michelle Poulos do an amazing job of introducing our students to the work of famous and influential artists and facilitating collaborative artistic projects.

Presenting

5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Refine a specific technique to produce a desired effect

Connecting

11. Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. Identify influential works of art from different periods and their impact on the artistic world.

Teacher, Christine Petersen, works with a group of students singing, arranging accompaniment and playing beat passing game.

Creating

2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Organize original musical ideas with clear beginnings, middles, and endings; using simple binary or ternary forms.

Mr. Weithman has incredible turnout for after school band rehearsal at Miller.

Performing

5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Perform with accuracy and expression works from the vocal or instrumental literature with a level of difficulty of 2, on a scale of 1 to 6; or a comparable scale. (N.M.P.05)

RAMS Wellness is diverse in the many types of hands-on and collaborative skills it builds in our students. It includes playing team sports together, researching the effects of drugs and alcohol, and finding a healthy balance for our social-emotional health.

Practice 1: Decision-making and Problem-Solving. Make health-promoting, informed, responsible decisions, and solve problems, in a variety of health-related situations.

Practice 2: Self-management and Goal Setting. Set goals, engage in health-promoting behaviors, and avoid risky behaviors.

Practice 6: Information and resource seeking. Access, evaluate, and use valid and reliable health information, products, services, and related resources.

Choral Director, Sean Campbell is preparing singers for their upcoming Winter Concert.

Performing

6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Match a musical performance with expressed intent

Band Director, George Weithman, takes his band on parade for their first performance of the year - Holliston Day!

Connecting

11. Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding.

The school is covered in student work - Me in a Jar Project, students told their story symbolically and "preserved" their cultural heritage in a jar. Artists learned about the art element of space and worked to create the illusion of three dimensions by overlapping and stacking objects in their jars. The collective group of Jars is a visual reflection of the diversity and vibrancy of our RAMS community. A link to student work: https://www.artsonia.com/teachers/members/showcases/slideshow.asp?id=56128

Connecting

10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Describe and demonstrate influences of personal artistic style and preferences in visual arts.

Senora Beltran brings her sixth grade to the MakerSpace to create their Dia de Los Muertos masks for their unit on the Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st.

Linguistic Cultures Standards

5. Cultures - In a variety of settings, using the target language exclusively or almost exclusively, with appropriate linguistic scaffolding, students minimally but consistently:

b. Investigate, explain, and reflect on how culture affects identity. (IL.5.b)

Students say a sad goodbye to teacher Zachary Shiff. Once again, Mr. Shiff inspires their creativity.

Creating

1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Create artistic ideas that reflect characteristics of different artistic movements from different cultures (e.g., study art by different individual 20th century Australian aboriginal artists and choose one as an inspiration for a composition. (F.V.Cr.01)

One of the Communication Modes is Presentation. Here HHS Spanish share their work with the school.

3. Presentational Communication - In presentations on a wide variety of topics that relate to students and their environment, in a variety of settings, creating series of connected sentences, sometimes relying upon clarification and circumlocution, in such a way that speakers/signers of the language who are accustomed to engaging with language learners easily understand, students

HHS French Exchange allowed for some cross district connections. Our French guests visited the elementary school and spent some time working with the students. Many thanks to Mme Nelson for making this exchange possible this year!

HHS Band, with Sean Bilodeau and Ben Lovell, participated in the University of Massachusetts Band Day with over 2000 other band members from UMass and schools around New England.

Performing

6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Modify a performance by anticipating audience responses to better align to student's artistic intent. (P.M.P.06)

What happens when Library and AP Literature collaborate? Adopt-A-Shelf is born! The program is an effort to connect young people with access to resources and programming, while exploring their interests. Student use materials and supplies from the Makerspace to design the shelf related to the theme, tone and story line of the book they have selected.

Standard 6. Participate in Collaborative Activities

Students participate effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

6.21 Work with others to create and evaluate complex information products that integrate information in a variety of formats.