Reading
P.S. 29 is known as a model literacy school. We are also a Teachers College Reading and Writing Project School. Our Literacy program is embedded in a student-centered literature-based workshop curriculum. The structure of Reader’s Workshop, which takes place daily in kindergarten through fifth grade, includes a mini-lesson (brief whole class teacher-directed instruction which may be based on a read aloud or shared reading); a time when children are reading (independently, with partners, in reading centers, in book clubs or in guided reading groups) while teachers are conferring or meeting with small groups; and a shared time. Classroom libraries are filled with a variety of books organized in bins on shelves by topic, author, series and by level of difficulty. Teachers use a variety of tools to assess the abilities and needs of individual children throughout the course of workshop teaching. Reader’s Workshop is taught in units of study.
Writing
The structure of Writer’s Workshop, which also takes place daily in grades kindergarten through fifth, includes a mini-lesson; a time when children are writing and the teacher is conferring; and a shared time. From kindergarten through second grade, children keep their writing in folders. Starting in third grade, children keep writer’s notebooks. Writer’s Workshop, like reading, is taught in units of study, including some genre studies as well as other studies such as craft or a revision study. Each unit culminates in a publication/writing celebration.
Literacy work at P.S. 29 is supported through a collaboration with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. As a Project School, P.S. 29 benefits from two part-time staff developers, workshops throughout the school year, yearlong study groups for administrators and teachers, and summer institutes.
Mathematics
P.S. 29 uses a balanced mathematics approach that fosters deep understanding of mathematical concepts, and good problem-solving and computational skills. TERC Investigations, which uses hands-on learning, is our basic math program. This curriculum is supplemented with appropriate strategies and materials from a variety of sources such as Marilyn Burns and Everyday Math. Differentiation of math instruction will continue to be a focus for P.S. 29 in 2009-10, and staff will continue to engage in professional development to support the implementation of differentiated instruction
Social Studies
Social Studies is taught by our classroom teachers and over the past several years, teachers have come together to write, rethink, revise and revamp units of study. Our focus on diversity and multiculturalism continues to help teachers working on our social studies curriculum to think more about diverse perspectives. We align our Social Studies curriculum with New York State Standards using a workshop model that integrates reading, writing and research-based projects. The general topics by grade are:
- Pre-K—Myself
- Kindergarten—Family and School Community
- 1st Grade—My Neighborhood
- 2nd Grade—New York City
- 3rd Grade—Communities Around the World
- 4th Grade—U.S. History from Native Americans Through the American Revolution
- 5th Grade—U.S. History from Post-Revolution to the Present
