CURRICULUM
Our district curriculum is reviewed and revised continually
to reflect best practice and meet the needs of our students.
District curriculum committees are charged with this responsibility,
working under the direction of the Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction.
The curriculum provides a framework for instruction in the classroom.
In this way, all students in a grade level receive a core of common
concepts, knowledge, and skills. A
variety of materials are provided for meeting the outcomes set forth in the
curriculum documents.
The curriculum for Batavia Public Schools is comprehensive and includes:
Language Arts
Language Arts includes instruction in reading, writing,
listening, and speaking. Also
included are instruction in spelling and handwriting.
Reading: The
adopted reading program for the district is Houghton Mifflin’s The Literature Experience (1991).
Other materials are used to supplement the series and meet the needs of
individual students.
Spelling: McCracken
Spelling is the adopted series for kindergarten and grade 1.
Houghton Mifflin Spelling and
Vocabulary is the adopted series for grades 2-5.
These materials are used on a daily basis along with appropriate
supplemental materials as needed.
Handwriting: The
D’Nealian handwriting program is the adopted format for the district.
Manuscript is taught in kindergarten through grade two.
Cursive writing is introduced in third grade and reinforced in grades 4
and 5. All grade levels teach
and/or reinforce handwriting skills.
Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum emphasizes a balance of
instruction for developing important mathematical concepts as well as skills.
Areas of study include: geometry
and spatial sense; number sense and
systems; operations;
probability and statistics; measurement;
patterns and relationships. Problem
solving, reasoning, mathematical connections and communication are an integral
part of all mathematics instruction. The currently adopted series for Kindergarten through fifth
graders is Everyday Mathematics.
Science and Health
Our district uses a hands-on kit system for delivering
science and health instruction. Specific
curriculum guides have been developed for each kit.
Kits include hands-on activities, demonstrations, and printed material to
explore and develop important scientific concepts, skills, and information.
Social Studies
The district uses the Houghton Mifflin social studies
series as our adopted curriculum. This program has several strands:
time, continuity and change; people,
places, and environments; production,
distribution, and consumption; individual
development and identity; individuals, groups, and institutions;
power, authority, and governance; civic
ideals and practice; American
history.
Fine Arts
Students in grades 1-5 receive 60 minutes of instruction in
visual arts and 60 minutes of instruction in general music by a specialist
teacher each week. Kindergartners
receive 30 minutes of visual arts instruction and 30 minutes of general music
instruction each week. Additional
art and music activities are often part of the regular classroom activities.
Students in grade 5 have the opportunity to learn instrumental music by
joining the band, orchestra, or chorus.
Physical Education
Students in grades 1-5 receive 60 minutes of physical
education instruction by a specialist teacher each week.
Kindergarten students receive 30 minutes of physical education
instruction each week.
Foreign Language
Students in grades 1-5 receive 60 minutes of instruction in Spanish by a specialist teacher each week. Students in kindergarten receive 30 minutes each week.