Introduction to a Standards-Based Curriculum

The curriculum at CAS is based on standards, statements that define

what students should know and be able to do, for each subject area.

These standards have been adopted or adapted from the U.S. and

international agencies and help to guarantee our students’ learning.

Standards are divided into benchmarks, which describe the increas-

ingly complex content and skills that students address as they move

from one grade level to another. Standards and benchmarks help us

focus on the process, as well as the product, and break learning into

manageable steps that guide teachers and can be shared with stu-

dents.

How is the curriculum at CAS organized?

The curriculum at CAS is organized around units or topics. For each

unit, teachers develop Essential Questions from the core knowledge

standards and benchmarks that help bring us into the heart of the

learning and promote inquiry and intrigue. Throughout the unit,

students are given opportunities to practice skills and show their

knowledge in a variety of ways. At the end of the unit, teachers design

an assessment that can be any task that provides the teacher with

information about what a student knows or can do. An assessment

task is not always a test, in the traditional sense. It can also be a

project, a presentation, or a performance, depending on the standards

we are assessing.

You can find the CAS standards for Lower School

and more information about the report card later

in this booklet.

Literacy at CAS

At Casablanca American School, students will research, read, inter-

pret, discuss, write, and present according to the benchmarks and

standards designated in the Language Arts curriculum. Students must

communicate effectively, and apply the critical skills learned in the

study of literature, writing, and communication to all subjects.

Language Arts Overview

Reading

Jolly Phonics: an early systematic phonics program where children

are taught the main 42 sounds of English instead of just the alphabet

sounds. Children learn how to use the letter sounds to read and write

words in a fun and multi-sensory way.

Open-Court: a resource for short stories, spelling, and vocabulary

Reading A-Z & RAZ Kids: an online program that is used to promote

leveled reading

Novel Study: each grade-level team has chosen a novel that their

students will read

Reading Contests: the lower school will participate in a few reading

contests throughout the year

Vocabulary: each grade-level will participate in an independent study

of vocabulary 2-3 times per week

Writing

6 + 1 Traits: a writing program which provides teachers with a way to

guide, teach, and access writing

Writing Assessment: each trimester first to fifth grade students will

participate in a writing assessment

Spelling

Oral Language/ Communication

Oral Presentation- At each grade level, the students will participate

in some type of oral presentation. This will happen at least three times

a year

Oral Language- Each trimester the teacher will use an oral language

rubric to grade how well and effectively a student contributes to class

conversations, answers questions, responds to questions, and commu-

nicates important information and/or basic needs.

Thematic Units

Welcome to Pre-First

Essential Questions:

*How do rules help us get along together?

*How do rules help us to be safe?

*How do we show respect?

*How can different choices result in different consequences?

Enduring Understandings:

*We need rules to help us get along together and be safe as a community.

*It is important to show respect for ourselves and those around us.

*We are responsible for the choices we make.

Assessment:

Draw pictures demonstrating appropriate behavior "As a student, draw a picture of our class-

room community showing everyone following the rules"

Fabulous Fall

Essential Questions:

*How do seasonal changes affect the world around us?

*How do animals get ready for winter?

*In what ways can we sort animals?

Enduring Understandings:

*Fall changes affect the world around us.

*Fall is a season of getting ready for winter.

*Animals can be sorted by many characteristics.

Assessment:

Fall scene Visual Arts Project Create a fall scene using assorted materials. The scene should be scientifically correct, and should show fall weather changes (colored leaves, etc.) and include a variety of animals show-ing how they are preparing for winter. (ex: squirrels gathering nuts, birds migrating, etc.) What's my rule? game Dialogue/Interviews Students sort an array animals (toys, picture cards, their own drawings, etc.)according to a specific characteristic, and explain what the rule is for their group.

Thematic Units

All Around the World

Essential Questions:

*How can people from different places be alike?

*How can people from different places be different?

*What makes you unique?

*How can we communicate our stories?

Enduring Understandings:

*People may be alike or different but we are still part of a worldwide community.

*We communicate our stories by reading and writing.

Assessment:

Around the World Passport Student Portfolio Students will keep a "passport" wherein they record their own information (place of birth where they live, family members, family stories) and what they have learned about the differ-ent countries represented in the class, including stories, locations, and special holidays or celebrations.

Wonderful Winter Essential Questions:

*How do Winter changes affect the world around us?

*How do animals survive in Winter?

*What are the features of Winter?

Enduring Understandings:

*Winter changes affect many aspects of the world around us.

*Animals can be sorted by many characteristics.

Assessment:

Narrative Writing Assignment

*Write a story (book) in which you assume the role of a particular animal and describe your unique features (what you look like, what you eat, where you live, etc.), and why these fea-tures are important for your survival.: “As a _____________, write an autobiography describing and explaining the features that make you special. “ My Winter Wonderland Visual Arts Project *Create a Winter scene using assorted materials. The scene should be scientifically correct, and should show Winter weather changes (bare trees, snow, etc.) and include a variety of animals as well as the resources they would need to survive in a Winter environment. (ex: cave for the bear, berries under the snow for animals who stay active, etc.)

Thematic Units

Stuck on Magnets Essential Questions:

*What kinds of objects do magnets stick to?

*How do magnets make things move without touching them?

*How do scientists use experiments to get information?

Enduring Understandings:

*The earth is a giant magnet.

*Many things use magnets to help them work.

*We can experiment to find out about the world around us.

Assessment:

My Magnet Discovery Journal Student Portfolio Magnet Discovery Journal: Students will keep a journal in which they record observations of magnets, results of experiments, responses to literature, etc. Students will explain and discuss journal entries in a final conference with the teacher.

Splendid Springtime

Essential Questions:

*What are the features of Spring?

*How do spring changes affect the world around us?

*How do we depend on plants and animals for our daily needs?

Enduring Understandings:

*Spring is a season of growth.

*Animals can be sorted by different characteristics.

*We depend on plants and animals for our daily needs.

Assessment:

What's my rule? Dialogue/Interviews Students sort an array animals (toys, picture cards, their own drawings, etc.)according to a specific characteristic, and explain what the rule is for their group. My Farm Encyclopedia Student Portfolio Students will create a book that demonstrates how we rely on farms for daily resources such as food, clothing, etc. With words and/or pictures, pages will show a resources and it's origin and use. Letter to save the farm RAFT As a farmer, write a letter to a builder explaining why he should not destroy your farm to build a new office building.

Thematic Units

Explore Morocco

Essential Questions:

*What animals are usually on a Moroccan farm?

*What products do people use from farms?

*How do we depend on plants and animals for our daily needs?

Enduring Understandings:

*The student will understand that Morocco, past and present, has a rich and diverse culture,

people, and landscape.

Assessment:

Dramatization As a Moroccan storyteller, retell a traditional Joha story. RAFT As a Jma el Fna performer, write a description of who you are and what you do.

The Rainforest

Essential Questions:

*How do we depend on the earth's resources for survival?

*What is a food chain?

*What can we do in our own country to preserve the environment?

Enduring Understandings:

All living things depend on the earth's resources for survival.

We are all responsible for taking care of our environment.

Assessment:

Personal Project As an inhabitant of the rainforest, create a presentation explaining to the world why it is impor-tant to save the rainforests. (diagram, speech, song, poster) Writing Prompt Write a letter to someone you know explaining what you plan to do to help preserve our natu-

ral resources.

Math

Investigations Unit 1: Who is in School Today?

Essential Questions

What are strategies and how do we use them to accurately count?

Does it matter what order things are in when we count them?

What are some ways that we can organize a survey for collecting data?

Why do we use manipulatives, drawings, tools and numbers to record our strategies

and thinking?

Assessments:

Basic Counting 1-10 Informal checks for understanding Basic Counting 1-20 Informal checks for understanding Sorting pattern blocks by shape and buttons by color Informal checks for understanding

Investigations Unit 2: Counting and Comparing Essential Questions: What strategies can we use to organize our counting? What does equivalent mean and how to we show it when we write number sentences? What are some ways that we can measure lengths of objects? When and why do we sort things in our daily lives? Assessments: Counting Book Contextual Product Assessment checklist Observation Assessment Checklist Observation

Investigations Unit 3: What Comes Next?

Essential Questions: How do we know if it is a pattern? What are attributes and how do we use them to make patterns? Where do we see patterns in our world? Assessments: Cube trains Observation Cube Train Paper Assessment Written assessment

Math

Investigations Unit 4: Measuring and Counting Essential Questions: How do we measure different lengths using different objects? How many ways can we break up a number? What are the different ways to make a number? How do we measure lengths of objects and what can we use? How do we compare numbers? Assessments: Game: Let’s measure each other! Assessment checklist Observation Game: One More, One Fewer:

Investigations Unit 5: Make a Shape, Build a Block Essential Questions: How can we describe, identify, compare and sort shapes? How can we construct shapes? How can we combine shapes to make different shapes? Assessments: End of unit assessment Written assessment

Investigations Unit 6: How Many Do You Have?

Essential Questions: What strategies can we use to count objects to 20? How do measure different parts of our bodies? Can numbers be broken down into different combinations? Assessments: End of Unit Assessment Oral assessment Assessment checklist Observation

Investigations Unit 7: Sorting and Surveys

Essential Questions: What are strategies and how do we use them to accurately count? How can we sort objects by different attributes? How can we sort and classify data? Assessments: End of Unit Assessment Written assessment

Music

Students in pre-first music will explore the various elements of music through

singing, playing, creating, and listening. Pre-First students attend music class

once a week for 45 minutes throughout the school year. Students will be as-

sessed on the following standards: 1. SINGS, ALONE AND WITH OTHERS, A VAR-

IED REPERTOIRE OF MUSIC - Students will be able to sing simple melodies and

songs with correct technique and expression while responding to the cues of

the teacher; 2. PERFORMS ON INSTRUMENTS, ALONE AND WITH OTHERS, A

VARIED REPERTOIRE OF MUSIC - Students will be able to echo short rhythmic

and melodic patterns; 3. IMPROVISES MELODIES VARIATIONS, AND ACCOMPA-

NIMENTS - Students will be able to improvise "answers" and simple rhythmic

accompaniments to songs; 6. APPLIES APPROPRIATE CRITERIA TO MUSIC AND

MUSIC PERFORMANCES - Students will be able to identify various elements of

music, the sound of a variety of instruments, and his or her own personal pref-

erences in music; 7. UNDERSTANDS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND

HISTORY AND CULTURE - Students will be able to demonstrate appropriate

audience behavior for the context and style of the music performed. Students

in music are assessed using classroom observation, class projects and perform-

ances, and some written and oral assessments.

French

Over the course of the year, students will be introduced to basic

vocabulary of the French language through rhymes, songs, stories

and games on topics related to their age group (childhood, school,

family, animals, home).

Art

Over the course of the school year, twice weekly, students will be im-

mersed in the visual arts, engaging them in mixed media experiences

that introduce them to the basic elements of art. When appropriate,

projects will tie in or support their learning experiences with their

homeroom teachers. They will be assessed on the following standards:

1. CREATING ART Use the creative processes and the language of art to

communicate through a variety of media and techniques, 2. HISTORI-

CAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT Understand how art has shaped and

preserved history and culture in Morocco and the world, 3. PERCEP-

TION AND EVALUATION Using the language of art, students critically

analyze, derive meaning from, and evaluate artwork, 4. Knows how to

use structures (e.g., sensory qualities, organizational principles, expres-

sive features) and function of art specifically as it relates to other sub-

ject matter.

P.E.

The PE program is designed to develop mental, emotional, physical, and social aspects of living necessary for a happy and productive life. Students are introduced to the fun-damentals of team sports, which includes physical fitness. For the 2015-16 school year units will include gross motor skills, fitness, gymnastics, judo, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, and cooperative games. Students will be assessed on the following PE standards. The student:

1. Applies a variety of basic and advanced movement forms. 2. Applies movement concepts and principles in the development of motor skills. 3. Demonstrates an understanding of the benefits and costs associated with participation in physical activity. 4. Demonstrates knowl-edge of how to monitor and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness. 5. Demon-strates an understanding of the social and personal responsibility associated with participation in physical activity.

In PE students will be evaluated using skills checklists, classroom observation, class projects and performances, and some written and oral assessments. Students are also obliged to follow CAS expectations and dispositions: BE Respectful, Responsible, Creative, Ethical, Enthusiastic for learning, Reflective and Community-minded. Stu-dents are also expected to keep themselves and others safe at all times.

LLL Philosophy

Casablanca American School’s (CAS) Language Literacy and Learning (LLL) department aims to foster student well-being and success by creating holistic learning programs that help students to reach their academic, social, emotional and intellectual goals. By identifying and understanding personal and academic difference in each of our stu-dents, we strive to meet individual needs and to ensure success in the core classroom environment.

The success of each student is a responsibility shared by the student, the school and the family, and each has a role in maintaining strate-gies and goals to contribute to that success. The LLL Department supports student success through collaborative planning and prepara-tion, in-class differentiation and accommodations, push-in support, pull-out support, mentorship and guidance/counseling programs. We strive to keep students in the most inclusive setting possible at all times.

For students requiring LLL department services, an individual record including history, interventions, accommodations, goals, and progress is maintained and regularly evaluated in order to ensure the best pro-gram for each student.

LLL Program Description

The Language, Literacy, and Learning Department serves students with a variety of educational needs. The department is comprised of teachers specialized in the following areas:

• Learning Support (for students with diagnosed needs)

• Reading Intervention (RI)

• Talented and Gifted (TAG)

• English Language Learning (ELL)

Services include pullout and push-in instruction, mainstreaming, in-class support, and a student-centered professional coaching program for teachers. Specific criteria for entrance and exit from the service areas are used and strictly adhered to. Child Study Team (CST) and Student Study Team (SST) meet regularly to discuss students referred to LLL programs and plan services.

Learning Support and Reading Intervention in Lower School

In Lower School, Learning Support and Reading Intervention teachers work in conjunction with base teachers to serve the needs of specific students and classes through co-planning and collaborative teaching. Students may receive services in small groups or individually as needs dictate. Reading Intervention students receive services based on read-ing assessment and MAP scores. RI groups meet when the base class has regular reading instruction. Learning Support students receive services based on a diagnosed need. Learning Support instruction may take place in the regular classroom or in a separate space as needed, as part of core subject time, or during languages if additional time is necessary.

ELL (English Language Learning)

ELL services are available for students in Grades 1-5. Entrance criteria must be met for a student to qualify. The Year 1 and Year 2 ELL student experience at CAS is predominantly immersion in content area classes. Intensive ELL instruction for Year 1 ELL students takes place as a separate class during the regular base class time. In the Year 1 ELL class, the focus is on basic interpersonal communication vocabulary and structures. Remember that ACQUISI-TION takes time. As soon as possible, the ELL teacher integrates some of the content vocabulary. The students are provided with social, emotional and linguistic support. Year 2 ELL students are provided with additional support while remaining in their regular classes. All teachers at CAS share the job of helping our non-native English speaking students fill in the gaps. A variety of resources are used that assure that our ELL students are getting the foundational pieces (vocabulary, grammar, expressions, etc.) that they need.

TAG (Talented and Gifted)

Students qualify for TAG services beginning in Grade 2 based on mul-tiple measures including grades, academic achievement, standardized testing, parent surveys, and teacher surveys. Services are tailored to individual student needs and may include: differentiation support in the regular class, small group instruction with intellectual peers, and counseling.

About MAP tests…

“One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Each child learns differently. The MAP tests are computerized adaptive as-sessments that test differently, allowing teachers to see their students as

individuals – each with their own base of knowledge.”

http://www.nwea.org/products-services/assessments

At Casablanca American School, students in grades 2-5 take MAP tests three times a year. MAP tests are aligned with the standards that we teach at CAS and present students with engaging, age-appropriate content. As a student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down in difficulty. The result is a rewarding experience for the stu-

dent, and a wealth of detailed information for teachers and administrators.

How do we use MAP assessments in school?

MAP® assessments are used to measure your student’s progress or growth in school. You may have a chart in your home on which you mark your child’s height at certain times, such as on his or her birthday. This is a

growth chart. It shows how much he or she has grown from one year to the next. MAP® assessments measure your child’s growth in mathematics, read-ing and language usage using a scale called the RIT scale (Rasch unIT). The RIT scale is used to chart your child’s academic growth from year to year.

How do teachers and schools use the test scores?

MAP® tests are important to teachers because they help keep track of pro-gress and growth in basic skills of individuals and the whole class. Teachers find this information useful in helping them decide which skills to focus on

in future lessons, and to differentiate instruction in the classroom. For schools, MAP scores are one type of assessment data that we use to analyze

general patterns of performance against international standards.

How are scores shared with students?

Students review scores with teachers and set learning goals based on the information provided by the reports.

How do interpret the scores?

Although the test scores provide us with some useful data, it is important to remember that test scores show the performance of your child on a par-ticular day and in response to a particular set of questions. Therefore, we interpret your child’s score on the MAP test in the context of the other information we have about your child’s progress and achievement, and

over a period of time.

About the Report Card

At CAS, the report card is aligned with standards. Standards break down the knowledge, concepts and skills for each subject area into

statements that help us understand more about a child’s progress and achievement. A student is therefore no longer described as a ‘B’ student in math, but as a student who is functioning on grade level for number operations, etc. Report cards are therefore less ‘mysterious’ and teach-ers, parents and students can have conversations focused on the skills or knowledge that a student should aim to master before the end of a certain period. This grading system does not evaluate children against

each other. It assesses their journey towards meeting end of year expec-tations.

What does our numeric scale mean?

The Academic Key in Pre-First through Grade 5 consists of the follow-ing numeric scale:

The “3” is the target for all students—meaning they have met the grade level standards. Each content area is broken down into the individual

Standards. To determine a trimester grade, teachers collect evidence of student learning through daily work, observation, and assessment. This evidence is used to determine whether the student has fully mastered

the skill or needs additional time and re-teaching.

Are all standards assessed every trimester?

No, but over the year, all standards are taught and assessed once or several times.

Scale Descriptors

4 Exceptional performance at or above grade level

3 Consistently meets grade level expectations

2 Meets some grade level expectations

1 Does not meet grade level expectations

General Lower School Library Information

The Lower School Library aims to be an inviting, inclusive

center of inquiry and reading for work or pleasure. Resources

for class work, teacher professional needs and leisure activities

are accessible in various formats including print, subscription

databases and online encyclopedias.

The Lower School Library student and teacher hours are from

8:00am to 3:30pm. Parents are invited to come to the library

to check out materials for their child/children from 8:00am to

8:30am and 2:15pm to 3:15pm. We ask that parents do not

come outside of these times to minimize distractions from

learning.

Information Literacy in the Lower School

Library

The library operates on a hybrid schedule for Pre First to

Grade 5. Pre First and Grade 1 classes meet weekly and are

intended to develop lifelong readers and students who are

competent users of information. Grade 2 through Grade 5

check out materials weekly and meet in the library when the

librarian and base teacher are collaborative teaching.

The libraries of Casablanca American School have established

an information literacy skills continuum for Pre First to Grade

12. The purpose of the continuum is to have consistent skill

building throughout the school that is cross-curricular and

prepares the young learners for future research and inquiry

projects.

English Language Arts (ELA

READING LITERATURE

Students read a wide range of literature in many genres to build an un-derstanding of the many dimensions of human experience.

READING INFORMATIONAL TEXTS

Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an un-derstanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of soci-ety and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

READING FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS

Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.

WRITING

Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use differ-ent writing process elements appropriately to communicate with differ-ent audiences for a variety of purposes.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Students use speaking, listening, and information literacy to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Math

• Problem Solving

• Reasoning and Proof

• Communication: accurately and clearly present and justify

mathematical ideas

• Connection: the ability to use connections among mathematical

ideas and to interconnect ideas

• Numbers and Operations

• Measurement

• Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

• Geometry

• Data Analysis and Probability

Science

• Physical Science: concepts, models, theories, universal

principles, and facts that explain the physical world

• The Universe: the origin, evolution, and structure of the

universe

• The Earth: the structure, dynamics, and geophysical

systems of the earth

• The Living Environment: the basic concepts and princi-

ples of life science

• Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills: under-

standing of the nature of scientific inquiry

Social Studies

• Cooperation and Conflict: Students understand that

collaboration and competition effect different systems

• Research & Communication: Students understand that

research is based on credible information and clear ex-

pression is necessary to convey concise meaning

• Global Structure: Students understand the relationships

of different belief systems and cultures

• Governance and Citizenship: Students understand how

individuals function within communities/social groups

• Economic Production, Consumption and Distribution:

Students understand how people organize resources for

production, distribution and consumption of goods and

services

• Geography: Students understand how people impact the

environment

PE

• Applies a variety of basic and advanced movement forms

• Applies concepts and principles to develop motor skills

• Demonstrates an understanding of the benefits of participation in physical activity

• Knows how to monitor and maintain health and physical fitness

• Demonstrates an understanding of social and personal responsi-bility

Art • Uses media techniques, processes, elements and principles of art

• Knows a range of subject matter, symbols and potential ideas

• Understands the role of visual arts in history, culture and relig-ion

• Critiques works of art

Music

• Sings a varied repertoire of music

• Performs, on instruments, a varied repertoire of music

• Improvises melodies, variations and accompaniments

• Reads and notates music

• Applies appropriate criteria to music and music performances

• Understands the relationship between music, history and culture

French

• Understands the meaning of what is read

• Writes clearly and effectively

• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions

• Listens to gain understanding in a variety of situations

• Communicates clearly and effectively

Technology • Using IT Tools to enhance learning

• Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making

CAS students are expected to be:

Respectful

Responsible

Reflective

Ethical

Community-minded

Creative

Enthusiastic for learning