Learning

LITERACY

All students in K-6 grade have a minimum of 120 minutes of literacy instruction on a daily basis.

Curriculum Used: Stone Mountain uses Wonders by McGraw Hill. Wonders is designed to foster a love of reading in all children. Through the exploration of texts and the daily development of their skills as readers, writers, speakers, and active listeners, students experience the power of literacy. Our focus on teaching the whole child – and every child – prepares students to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers.

 

Important at Stone Mountain

  1.  Stone Mountain literacy instruction is grounded in the Science of Reading where we provide explicit and systematic instruction.
  2.  All literacy teachers use Wonders as their Tier 1 resource.
  3.  All literacy teachers use the Colorado Academic Standards and DCSD Priority Learning Outcomes to determine what a child needs to know and be able to do.
  4. All literacy teachers provide differentiated instruction based on assessment results and adapt instruction to meet students' needs. We recognize that one size doesn't fit all and are ready to adapt instruction, both content and methods.

Literacy

Math

All students in K-6 grade have a minimum of 70 minutes of math instruction on a daily basis.

Curriculum Used: Stone Mountain uses enVision by Saavas. enVision math focuses on deep conceptual math understanding aided by visual models, personalized learning, and 3-act tasks.

Important at Stone Mountain

  1. Teachers will use concrete, real-life examples that are meaningful and memorable as an introduction to key mathematical concepts.
  2. Teachers will give repeated exposures to mathematical concepts and skills to develop children's ability to recall knowledge from long-term memory.
  3. Students will frequently practice of basic computation skills to build mastery of procedures and quick recall of facts, often through games and verbal exercises.
  4. Teachers will use of multiple methods and problem-solving strategies to foster true proficiency and accommodate different learning styles.

Science

Science Curriculum Used: Stone Mountain uses STEMScopes. Teachers will provide the most effective and widely used digital STEM curricula and resources that empower teachers and enable students to develop problem-solving, innovation, and critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in the future. 

Important at Stone Mountain

  1. Authentic, hands-on experiences for students
  2. Connection to 21st-Century Skills
  3. Inquiry-based


Social Studies


All K-6 teacher access the Colorado Academic Standards to determine units for social studies.

 

Important at Stone Mountain

  1. Authentic, hands-on experiences for students
  2. Connection to 21st-Century Skills
  3. Inquiry-based

Differentiation

Differentiation is at the heart of what we believe at Stone Mountain. It ensures that all of our students receive the best education possible.

What is differentiation at SME?

Differentiation is how each and every one of our teachers meets the needs of ALL of our students. Every child is greeted with teachers who believe in helping each child to reach their fullest potential through instruction that is tailored to each student's need. Every child at Stone Mountain is expected to show at least a year's growth. Every teacher embraces each child and their current level of instruction and plans specific and individualized lessons to match and enrich the current level. This process helps all of our students to be successful, show growth and mastery, and set goals for improvement.

What does differentiation look like at Stone Mountain?

Differentiation begins at the very beginning of the school year. In order to meet the need of every child at Stone Mountain, teachers use a variety of assessments to determine both current strengths and areas for growth. We use a variety of assessments to accurately identify each student's needs. 

Once the assessments have been scored and strengths and areas for growth are identified, our teachers and students go to work. Our teachers work collaboratively together and with our students to create pathways for learning that are purposeful and meaningful to each individual. At SME, students are a part of the process.

How do we differentiate?

  • Small group instruction based on students' needs: These groups are flexible and change throughout the year as students progress through their own learning path. Once a skill or concept is mastered, students move on to the next skill in their learning path. This occurs in literacy and mathematics.
  • RTI: We also have two literacy specialists. They collaboratively work with teachers to provide extra support for students who have lagging skills.     
  • GT: In addition to the regular classroom instruction, we also have a GT facilitator who works collaboratively with teachers to extend the curriculum and challenge our learners who fall under the Gifted and Talented criteria.  
  • Pre and Post Testing: Teachers at SME utilize pre-tests to determine which skills/lessons are already known by each student in the class. Teachers can then group kids for instruction based on their needs. Students may be given extra support or enriched and extended based on the pre-tests. Post-tests help our students to see the growth and progress that has been made within a unit of instruction.

Differentiation for our students helps each child to reach their fullest potential. It is best practice in instruction. We strive to meet all of our kids' needs in these meaningful and purposeful lessons and units of instruction.