Woodlin Elementary School

Math and Literacy Curriculum

at Woodlin Elementary School

Math

Eureka Math 

The Eureka Math curriculum was created by Great Minds, a nonprofit that brought together teachers and experts to craft a program based on the world’s most successful math programs.  Eureka Math was built around the core principle that students need to know more than just what works when solving a problem – they need to understand why it works. 

Eureka Math is designed to support students in gaining a solid understanding of concepts, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply math to solve problems in and outside the classroom.  There is also an intentional coherence linking topics and thinking across grades.  Each lesson that students engage in is an extension of previous learning and foundational to future learning.  Eureka Math will also provide a high level of rigor for all students as they pursue deep, authentic command of mathematical concepts. 

As teachers and students work towards building a more conceptual understanding of mathematics you might notice that Eureka Math teaches math differently than how you were taught in school. The Eureka Math curriculum goes beyond facts and formulas by teaching students to think about math conceptually.  This helps students become not merely literate, but fluent in mathematics. 

Compacted Math Curriculum:  Grade 4 and 5

Fourth graders participating in 4/5 Math will experience the curriculum moving more rapidly to the next appropriate concept. Students who have been identified to participate in math 4/5 have demonstrated consistency and a high level of mathematical proficiency. UCARE describes the five intertwined strands that define mathematical proficiency which are understanding, computing, applying, reasoning, and engaging in mathematics. Students will have an entire curriculum taught in the same sequence, but in a shorter time span. For example, compacting Math 4, Math 5, and Math 6 into two years. These students will be on a path to learn Math 4/5 in Grade 4, and Math 5/6 in Grade 5.

Fifth graders participating in 5/6 Math will experience the curriculum moving more rapidly to the next appropriate concept. Students who have been identified to participate in Math 5/6 have demonstrated consistency and a high level of mathematical proficiency. UCARE describes the five intertwined strands that define mathematical proficiency which are understanding, computing, applying, reasoning, and engaging in mathematics. Students will have an entire curriculum taught in the same sequence, but in a shorter time span.

Literacy

Benchmark Advance & Adelante

Benchmark Advance and Benchmark Adelante is a comprehensive Reading/Language Arts program for Kindergarten through fifth grade.  These programs address key shifts in curriculum and instruction to meet the demands of the Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards. These standards require students to engage with more rigorous, complex text as well as dive deeper into the interpretation of the text.   

Students working through each unit,  engage with readings  centered on one topic. These topics include social studies and science content as well as literary subjects such as point of view, theme, and character. At the start of each unit, you’ll receive a school-to-home letter that will provide additional activities you can do at home with your student. These activities connect to the unit topic as well as the vocabulary, comprehension, and phonics/word study skills being taught during the unit. 

Students will continue to receive small group instruction to support them with the grade level texts, as well as read texts on their instructional reading levels. Writing instruction will include lessons that support process writing and writing in response to reading. Students will regularly engage in word study, including phonics, spelling, and vocabulary through reading and writing. 

Enriched Literacy Curriculum: Grade 4 and 5

The program was created using best practices in gifted education research utilizing components of Junior Great Books, William and Mary, and Lucy Calkins Unit of Study in Writing. The course is built around the core Grade 4 and Grade 5 reading language arts curriculum standard and is designed for students that need advanced, rigorous instruction parallel to the learning experiences of students in the Centers for Enriched Studies. The program provides instructional opportunities with complex literary and informational texts, and writing instruction based on developing the writer through the writing process and writing workshops. It establishes an instructional atmosphere that promotes critical and creative thinking.

Gifted and Talented Programs

Do you want to know how to get your child considered for the GT programs?  Check out the Gifted and Talented Criteria Based Admission Plan webpage.  Application due dates, meeting dates and general information about the process is available here.

Need more information?  Visit the MCPS Accelerated and Enriched website!

Understanding the GT Identification (2020-2021 Pandemic Plan)