Our Academics

Pepper Academics

ELA Curriculum

Oak Park elementary schools utilize Journeys as a resource to support instruction aligned to the Michigan Academic Standards. The resource incorporates the Essential Literacy Practices to ensure students are being challenged and become lovers of reading. Journeys features rigorous anchor texts that build students’ reading capacity. Journeys assists teachers with planning lessons that are differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. Journeys provides an instructional system for reading both literature and informational texts for all students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The resource builds strong foundational skills for early literacy learners while cultivating mastery levels for reading, speaking, listening and writing. The leveled readers for Guided Reading allow students to benefit from individualized practice.

Journeys supports lesson planning and delivers instructional and assessment for Tiers I, II, and III. Scaffold interventions for students and instruction for English Language Learners are all a paramount component of the daily instruction. Journeys online assessments and student activities allow teachers and parents to keep track of their progress through Think-Central. Journeys online assessments mirror the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) questions to better expose and prepare students with the stamina for reading complex text and answering questions.

Link to Journeys Website and Research:

Math Curriculum

Oak Park elementary schools uses The Math Expressions resource to deliver instruction that is aligned to the Michigan Academic Standards and incorporates the eight mathematical practices. Doing so, ensures students develop strong mathematical critical thinking skills, reasoning skills, and problem solving algorithms through inquiry based hands on activities. Math Expressions promote teaching of efficient procedures while tapping into children’s natural solution methods. Each day, involves students engaging in early mathematical routines for our younger students incorporating calendars, money, number charts, and counting. The next component for all K-5 students is fluency activities and instruction introducing mathematical ideas. Students practice new skills and reinforce previously taught materials in pairs, small groups, or individually.

The online component provides Tier I, II, and III instruction through Math Personal Trainer. Using Think-Central’s Math Personal Trainer, students can reinforce secure skills, practice new skills, and enrich developing skills. The online assessments builds the stamina and know-how for solving multi-step problems much like the problems presented on the M-STEP.

Link to Math Expressions Website and Research:

Science Curriculum

Oak Park elementary schools uses Delta Educations’ FOSS Science Program to deliver instruction that is aligned to the Michigan State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). During each FOSS investigation students are continually exposed to science concepts that provide multiple exposures to science phenomenon. The online component allows students exposure to real-world concepts. The lesson design includes:

Active investigation, including some outdoor lessons
Note taking in their own science notebooks to answer the focus question
Reading FOSS Science materials
Assessment to monitor progress, motivate student reflection, and identify areas of mastery for students, teachers, and parents.

The chart below details FOSS Science Units of Study for our elementary K-5 students:

(Delta Education, 2019).

Link to FOSS Science Website, Parent Help Documents, and Research:

Social Studies Curriculum

Oak Park Elementary Schools uses My World Social Studies Program to deliver instruction that is aligned to the Michigan Academic Standards and College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework. My World Interactive encourages students to study the world, develop their thinking, and engage with social studies content. The program allows teachers to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of all students. The program Inspires Active Learning with a project-Based approach to learning. The rich experiences cultivate skills for active and responsible citizenship. The program allows students to become better analyzers of information and build critical thinking skills. The plethora of resources meet the needs of every student in the classroom through differentiation. The online component builds virtual real-world experiences for all students (Pearson, 2018).

Our third grade students in Oak Park elementary schools use the MAISA Social Studies units that are aligned to the Michigan Academic Standards and College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework. Third grade students in Michigan study Michigan History. Our students were the first in Michigan to pilot the newly improved MAISA Social Studies units created by our teachers through a partnership with Oakland Schools. Our third grade students have the opportunity to experience all of the richness Michigan History offers through studying; Michigan History, Michigan Geography, Michigan Civics, and Michigan Government, and Economics.

Link to My World Website, C3 Framework, and Research: