Renewed focus on teaching the whole child Reading Mathematics Information Literacy Social Studies Science Health Education Music Art Physical Education Renewed focus on teaching the whole child The Thinking and Academic Success Skills are the common thread that integrate content areas. Content areas still maintain their separate goals and objectives. Students learn more when making connections across content areas – natural areas for connections are provided. Curriculum 2.0 also renews MCPS commitment to focus on teaching the whole child. MCPS is accomplishing this by integrating the many curriculum areas through the Thinking and Academic Success Skills. This will allow teachers to make natural connections among the contents without breaking down the integrity of the individual content areas. For example when students are studying weather in science it will connect to collecting and displaying data in mathematics or studying geography in social studies. The Thinking and Academic Success Skills become the thread that tie all the content areas together.

Thinking and Academic Skills Using Thinking and Academic Success skills to learn content provides students opportunities to apply their learning to new situations. When we talk about Thinking and Academic Skills, we are referring to critical thinking, creative thinking, and Academic success skills such as motivation, persistence, and collaboration. These skills are integrated in all content areas but are not graded in kindergarten.

Counting and Cardinality Compare numbers between 1 - 10 Compare Objects in Two Sets greater than less than equal to Compare numbers between 1 - 10 2 4 1 3 5 4 3 2 1 5 less greater

Operations and Algebraic Thinking Solve Addition and Subtraction Problems Within 10 multiple representations word problems Compose and Decompose Numbers ≤ 10 Compose and Decompose Numbers 11 - 19 Fluently Add and Subtract Within 5 1 + 3 = 4 3 = 5 – 2 0 + 3 = 3 5 = 4 + 1 17 = 10 and 7 ones 7 + = 10 5 = 2 + 3 5 = 4 + 1 3

Compose Shapes create composite shapes Attributes Position above beside in front of behind next to below Geometry

Reading Literature Informational Text Informational text Write opinions, informative/explanatory text, and narratives by experimenting with beginning writing processes and traits. demonstrate command of grade-level conventions to use language effectively. Listen and speak effectively to share thoughts, ideas, and grade-level appropriate topics and texts. Reading Skills: Print concepts Phonological awareness + Phonics Sight words Vocabulary Comprehension

Writing Opinion Informative Narrative Think Draw Label Write Add Students need to be able to listen and speak effectively to share thoughts, ideas, and topics.

Adaptations in the Environment Life Cycles External Features Used For Survival beak Science and Engineering Identify Compare Classify Describe Adaptations in the Environment Weather Identify, compare, classify, and describe - these are the four skills that students will use to learn the science content in kindergarten Students will describe and compare how plants and animals grow and survive through a life cycle. Students will have the opportunity to experience the larva, pupa and adult stages of the Darkling beetle life cycle in their classrooms Students will classify plants and animals based on their external features and explain how animals use those external features, such as beaks and claws, to survive in an environment. How animals use camouflage to protect themselves from predators will be explored. Students will identify and describe attributes of weather conditions using senses and tools to collect observational data. Students will identify and describe weather patterns over time and weather’s impact on humans daily activities. camouflage

Social Studies In Kindergarten economics Symbols custom tradition culture Physical & Natural Features Human Made Feature Kindergarten students learn how rights, responsibilities and rules work together to help make effective decisions at home and in the classroom. By identifying and describing symbols, people and practices students learn the values and beliefs associated with the United States of America. Kindergarten students examine how thinking about the difference between needs and wants results in better decision making. Kindergarten students observe the unique characteristics of the environment and describe its features. Students examine how human-made features impact the natural environment. Describe how goods are made and acquired. Students study a variety of jobs in their community. They learn how customs, interests and skills make people and their families unique Community Needs Wants

Report Card Upgrades Kindergarten report card 4x per year Kindergarten Additional Reading Data Levels of Performance Overall Subject Grade Updated Learning Skills Reading Level Statement Enrichment and Acceleration Facilitator Notes: Copies of grade level report cards. Talking Points: These are the changes to the elementary grading and reporting. First, Kindergarten students will receive a report card 4 times per year. This change was based on feedback from parents and teachers. In the past, Kindergarten students received 2 report cards per year. There is also a new reading data section on the kindergarten report card that provides additional information on how your child is progressing in reading. We will take a closer look at these skills in a moment. The grading scale has also changed for student in Grades 1 to 5. We will also hear about those changes in a moment. Additionally, the report card will include an overall grade for each subject, updated learning skills, information on enrichment and acceleration and a reading level statement.

Kindergarten Additional Reading Data Facilitator Notes: Close up of Additional Reading Data appears on click Talking Points: The Additional Reading Data was also added based on feedback from parents and teachers. The additional reading data provides additional information on how your child is progressing in other areas of reading. These skills include High Frequency Words, Letter Identification and naming for both upper and lower case letters and Initial Consonant Sounds. These additional skills can be found in the box below the reading grades. The number in parenthesis represents the goal for that particular skill. The report card will report the number mastered at the end of each marking period. These additional skills will not be reported with a letter grade. Students will continue to receive a score until they reach the number in the parenthesis.

Kindergarten and Grade 1 Levels of Performance P- Proficient I- In Progress N- Not Yet Making Progress or Making Minimal Progress Facilitator Notes: Talking Points: As we mentioned earlier, the letter grades teachers use to communicate student performance has also changed. The levels of performance in kindergarten and Grade 1 are reported as: P, proficient I, in progress N, not yet making progress or making minimal progress toward meeting the grade- level standards taught this marking period. The ES is no longer available due to reporting inconsistencies. Kindergarten and Grade 1

End of Year Average How your student performed over the course of the year Average of the Overall Subject grades Facilitator Notes: Talking Points: The End of Year Average communicates how your child did over the course of the year. This is an average of the 4 Overall Subject grades for a subject.

Reporting Instructional Reading Level Your child is reading half year or more below the current reading target. Facilitator Notes: Talking Points: The report card will continue to communicate your child’s instructional reading level at the end of the marking period. The instructional reading level reported on the report card is the level your child is being instructed at the end of the marking period. In addition to reporting the instructional reading level, the gradebook will also generate a statement based on the instructional level entered. The statement will automatically appear in the box below the student’s reading level. On the screen are the statements that may appear on your child’s report card. There is no statement for a student reading between a year above and a half year below the current reading target.