Toppenish School District

English Language Arts(ELA)

Benchmark Advance 2022 is a comprehensive literacy program that offers teachers all elements of reading instruction with thematic units focused on Social Studies and Science. This program allows teachers to differentiate effectively and assess student growth throughout the year. English Language Arts instructional materials align to the Washington Learning Standards for ELA.

Components of Benchmark Advance:

• Whole Group Reading: Explicit instruction on specific reading skills or strategies which may include focusing on phonics, comprehension strategies, or literary analysis techniques. Students think critically about the text, make connections, infer meaning, and analyze author’s craft.
• Small-Group Reading: Differentiating instruction based on students’ reading levels, strengths, and areas for growth to accelerate student learning, address individual needs, and provide targeted instruction to support students in becoming proficient readers. 
• Phonics: A systematic and explicit approach to teaching students the relationship between letters and sounds, enabling students to decord words accurately and fluently. 
• Word Recognition/Study: Enhancing students’ fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills through focused exploration of word patterns, structures, and meanings. 
• Writing: Promoting a holistic approach to literacy instruction by integrating reading, writing and critical thinking skills deepening the understanding of texts and developing a comprehensive set of literacy abilities. 
• Speaking & Listening and Language: Students develop into effective communicators, active listeners, and engaged participants in literacy-rich environments by engaging in comprehension, vocabulary development, critical thinking, and language fluency activities throughout reading lessons.

 

As research and best practices of the Science of Reading continue to evolve, the Toppenish School District is committed to staying knowledgeable in research and instructional practices. Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a theoretical framework that encompasses the essential reading components based in the Science of Reading. Through systematic and explicit instruction in these components, students move towards skilled, accurate, fluent, and comprehensive readers.

 

Go to the family page for Benchmark Advance for ideas on supporting your learner.

 

Health

The purpose of health education is to give students the knowledge to engage in health-enhancing lifetime behaviors. The Health Education K-12 learning Standards provide teachers with a foundation for implementing standards-based, age-appropriate instruction for each student. The standards are organized into six core ideas that reflect learning standards for wellness, safety, nutrition, sexual health, social emotional health, and substance use and abuse.

 

Fourth and fifth grade receive instruction in Personal Growth and Development and fifth grade also receive instruction on HIV/AIDS using Puberty: the Wonder Years our adopted instructional materials. Parents may opt-out their child from these lessons. The instructional materials are aligned to the  Health Education K-12 Learning Standards.

 

Math

 

Eureka Math is designed to advance equity in the math classroom by helping students build enduring math knowledge. There is a focus on key concepts that build on previous learning, helping to create a deeper knowledge.  Students use the same models and problem-solving strategies from grade to grade, which helps build knowledge students will use in upper grades. Washington State Mathematics Learning Standards

 

• Focus: There is a focus on fewer topics of major work by grade band which helps students understand the why, not just the how of math.

 

• Rigor: Students develop conceptual understanding and practice procedural skills and fluency as well as make connections with real-life applications.

 

• Coherence:  Students build an enduring understanding of math as topics, concepts, and mathematical models are linked across the modules and grade levels.

 

Eureka Math family page

 

Science

Toppenish School District has adopted PLTW Launch a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum for teaching science. Students are immersed in hands-on activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the real world. They experience integrated learning that blends computer science, engineering, biomedical science, and more. PLTW Launch is aligned with the Washington State Science Learning Standards. The units in Benchmark Advance are Science and Social Studies units, our teachers work to integrate the units so students are reading about a concept and also doing hands-on learning in science.

 

K-5 PLTW Units

 

 

Social Emotional Learning

The Toppenish School District has adopted PurposeFull People as its K-5 grade instructional materials for Social Emotional Learning. PurposeFull People is intentionally designed to support the development of character and social emotional skills. The 10 traits taught include kindness, respect, responsibility, gratitude, empathy, perseverance, honesty, cooperation, courage, and creativity. PurposeFull People is aligned to the Washington State SEL Learning Standards.

 

Social Studies

Benchmark Advance 2022 is a comprehensive literacy program that offers teachers all elements of reading instruction and the units focus on social studies and science concepts. Our Native Education Department staff works closely with our teachers to implement Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State curriculum. The Social Studies Standards consist of Essential Academic Learning Requirements and Grade Level Expectations that describe what students should know and be able to do in social studies skills, civics, economics, geography, and history.

K-5 Reading and Social Studies Units