English Language Arts

The New York City Department of Education is committed to empowering all students to become strong, thriving readers, and dedicated to ensuring that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and career readiness while engaged in Next Generation Learning Standards. In English Language Arts (ELA) students are expected to become effective readers and writers. P.S. 94 will be using the Into Reading Curriculum aligned to grade level standards which includes a volume and range of complex and culturally relevant texts, integrating the essential early literacy skills: phonological awareness, phonics/decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Each module is focused on a central topic, which students explore through carefully curated texts, media, and projects. Topics are developed and expanded within and across the grades.

Into Reading integrates social and emotional learning opportunities with module selections, module projects, and anchor charts with lessons targeted to nurture social and emotional development. Teachers will use a balance of complex fiction and non-fiction texts in the classroom and the teaching of reading, writing, and discussion with emphasis on Social Emotional Learning through the SEL CASEL core competencies to promote students’ social, emotional, and academic learning. English Language Arts has also integrated the Humane Education Resource Guide and the Kindness for all guide, and the Mood Meter. Students will explore and develop a deeper understanding and opportunities to strengthen their self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making through reading and writing experiences within the ELA component.
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We use the reciprocity between reading and writing during our teaching at P.S. 94. Writing is taught every day and focuses on a particular writing mode for three weeks per module. Students are guided through all the steps of the writing process, highlighting aspects of a writer’s craft, using a mentor text, and integrating instruction for grammar and conventions in the context of writing instruction. Teachers work one-on-one with small groups to provide students with targeted instruction, guided practice, checks for understanding, and immediate targeted feedback, teaching them strategies that will improve the quality of their writing. Students work independently or in partnerships. It is important to teach students a growing collection of tools and strategies for the different steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Writing instruction should include explicit instruction in different purposes for writing so that students recognize that they should take varied approaches to writing for different audiences. In addition, writing instruction should include models of good writing so that students can examine the organization, word choice, and other aspects of the form.

Social Studies

We will continue to use the Passports to Social Studies program in kindergarten through fifth grade. Our Social Studies curriculum has been enhanced in order to not only include the Passports to Social Studies curriculum, Civics for All, and Social-Emotional CASEL Competencies curriculum, but we have also integrated the equity framework from Cultivating Genius named the Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) Framework by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, which addresses students’ Identities, Skills, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy. The Passports to Social Studies program aligns to the NYC Social Studies Scope & Sequence and integrates the New York State Social Studies Framework to support effective and engaging social studies teaching and learning.  Most importantly, students use rich content, themes, and big ideas to learn history, geography, economics, civics, citizenship, and government.  They also use important skills to “think like historians.”  The Passports to Social Studies program units of study are guided by an essential question.  The essential question is multi-faceted and is designed for open discussion and interpretation and can be applied beyond the content of one specific unit.  Each lesson from the Passports to Social Studies program and Civics for All is guided by a focus question to direct students on developing the relevant skills, practices, and knowledge objectives that lead to historical understanding.  Students are challenged to think like historians and encouraged to raise questions, think critically, consider many perspectives, and gather evidence in support of their interpretations through the practice of chronological processing, decision-making, and historical research and analysis.  These real-world skills will serve students well as participating citizens of a democracy and as productive adults in the future.  Passports are translated to Chinese and Spanish, and we follow the 50 – 50 model for our dual-language programs.

P.S. 94 is a Civics for All partner school. Civics for All is a companion to the Passport to Social Studies, designed with the New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework, the New York State Next Generation English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies Learning Standards, and the New York City K-12 Social Studies Scope & Sequence in mind. Our teachers translate students' resources and instructional materials to Spanish and Chinese to teach our students in the dual-language programs.

The Civics for All initiative strengthens opportunities for students to develop skills and knowledge related to democracy.  The goal is for all our students to become engaged citizens who can think critically and are empowered to chart the course that our city and country will take.  Civics for All helps schools support students in making connections between history, current events, and democratic structures.  Civics for All lessons are incorporated into Passports to Social Studies units and lessons to cultivate civic responsibility and awareness in our students to become active and informed participants of our democratic society.

The Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) Framework from Cultivating Genius by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad is a universal teaching and learning model that helps teachers cultivate the genius within students and within themselves and teach in ways that create space for mutual empowerment, confidence, and self-reliance. The Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) Framework is an equity framework that believes every time children of color come together to read, write, think, and learn, they are making sense of who they are through Identity, developing their proficiencies in the content they are learning within through Skills, becoming smarter about something or gaining new knowledge and concepts in the world through Intellect, and developing the ability to read texts to understand power, authority and anti-oppression through Criticality. These five goals or pursuits are connected to the body of literacy research on cognitive and sociocultural perspectives of literacy development and what youth need to attain personal and academic success:

• Identity: It is composed of who we are, who others say we are, and who we desire to be. Youth need opportunities in school to explore multiple facets of selfhood, but also learn about the identities of others who may differ. Knowing about the cultures of other people teaches them how to respect, love, and live in harmony with others who don’t look or know the world as they do. As an educator, ask yourself, “How will my instruction help students to learn something about themselves and/or about others?”
• Skills: It is essential for today’s youth to read, write, and think about diverse sets of literature in multimodal forms in order to develop their literacy skills. It is important that students develop the skills necessary in not only literacy but in all content areas. In particular, the skill of writing development should be cultivated in each content area because it entails the act of reading something, thinking about the content, considering new ideas to set on paper, and then communicating those words to an intended audience. Skills give across areas of learning students access and tools for education. As an educator, ask yourself, “How will my instruction build students’ skills for the content area?”
• Intellect: Intellect or knowledge is what we learn or understand about various topics, concepts, and paradigms. Through the pursuit of Identity and Skills, the possibility is created for Intellect, and when students develop intellectualism, they can express their ideas, work through justice-centered solutions to the world’s problems and expand their mental capacities. Intellect is not only about academics, but also emotional intelligence and self-and social awareness. As an educator, ask yourself, “How will my instruction build students’ knowledge and mental powers?”
• Criticality: It is the capacity to read, write, and think in ways of understanding how power, privilege, social justice, equity, and oppression operate throughout society particularly for populations who have been historically marginalized in the world. It enables students to question both the world and texts within it to better understand the truth in history, power, and equity. Teaching criticality humanizes instruction and makes it more compassionate. It begins to give students the tools they need to respond to injustice in and around schools and to tell the difference between facts and truths. As an educator, ask yourself, “How will my instruction engage students’ thinking about power and equity and the disruption of oppression?”
• Joy: This is another aspect of the framework because it’s essential to maintain one’s journey. All the pursuits are collaborative and encourage others to participate. When we offer a variety of subjects to excite students’ interest, bring joy and pleasure from reading, and stimulate their minds to think and debate about significant issues, we create an environment that affords students the opportunity to shape their own ideas through acts of literacy. It is our job as educators to not just teach skills, but teach students to know, validate, & celebrate who they are. As an educator, ask yourself, “How am I elevating beauty in humanity?”

Arts

We are dedicated to providing all students with universal access to high-quality arts education. To achieve this goal, our teachers follow The Blueprints for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: PreK-12. The blueprint provides a standards-based, rigorous approach to teaching the arts. We currently have two Visual Arts teachers, one Dance Teacher, two theater teachers and two music teachers that provide opportunities for all students to participate in the Arts program. These programs consist of high levels of engagement through enjoyable and challenging learning experiences that are constructed around students' interests, learning styles and preferred modes of expression.

Computer Science

Computer science education engages students in the learning process through collaboration and project-based learning experiences to explore and create hardware and software. Students’ projects are inspired by their passions, what they are learning in other subject areas, and opportunities to improve their communities. Computer science is one component of an integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program in New York City schools.
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Students will learn the fundamental ideas behind computer science through experiences and projects involving computer programming or “coding”. Coding is a form of literacy and personal expression, valuable for everyone, much like learning to read and write. Coding is another way for students to organize, express, and share their ideas. Students will understand and apply computer science concepts to the other subject areas as a tool for problem-solving and self-expression. In the process they will develop an understanding of the structure, advantages, and limitations of using computers throughout their lives.

Students will focus on using a structured problem-solving process to complete computer science projects. Students will understand that computer program design is an iterative process that includes defining a problem, generating ideas, building a program, testing the program, and improving the program.

Students will use various programming languages to create digital projects using a structured engineering design process. Students will develop a practice of researching their audience’s needs, testing the functionality of their projects, and looking for ways to improve on their original ideas. Students from elementary may make digital animations, build and program robots, construct web pages, or design video games.

Students will collaborate with others to understand audience needs, to write code well, and to continually improve their work. By collaborating with their peers, students learn to define roles, share and expand on ideas, and develop a better understanding of computational processes. Students may pair programs, remix classmates’ projects, and rotate roles. Collaboration helps students build their relationships with their peers and their computer science skills at the same time.

Physical Education and Health

Wellness means being healthy in mind and body. P.S. 94 provides opportunities for and encourages all students to be physically active on a regular basis. Physical Education (PE) plays a vital role in the development and growth of all students. In PE, students learn critical concepts and develop attitudes, skills, and behaviors that lead to lifelong physical, mental, emotional, and social wellness. We follow the New York State Learning standards for physical education, which includes personal health and fitness, safe and healthy environment, and resource management. K-5 students must participate in PE for at least 120 minutes per week.

We also incorporate a health-related fitness education curriculum that allows students to learn why activity is important and how it benefits them today and for a lifetime. The curriculum that we follow is Physical Best. It is a comprehensive health-related fitness education program. The NYS Education Department’s “A Guidance Document for Achieving the New York State Standards in Health Education” specifies the components of comprehensive health education and includes standards, specific skills, topic areas, and what students should know and be able to do by the end of elementary school. We use it to guide or check alignment of any health curriculum to the standards.

The NYC FITNESSGRAM assessment tool was designed for NYC students and teachers. It is used to assess student fitness levels and learning in PE.

We are a Move-to-Improve (MTI) All Star School. This is a classroom-based physical activity program designed by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to increase physical activity among students in a K-5 elementary school. MTI as part of a comprehensive Physical Education (PE) program can also supplement PE minutes. It is our hope to become an MTI All-Star school.