Petersham Center School
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Curriculum Overview

Curriculum overview for Kindergarten is coming soon.

Grade 1

Reading
First grade readers are developing early literacy skills such as blending and word segmenting and they are learning how to self-monitor their reading and to self- correct their errors. They are expected to read the words by applying phonetic strategies and to figure out unknown words by asking, “Does it look/sound right?”  Their second job is to understand what they read.  They have conversations about the characters and they learn about the differences between fiction and non-fiction text.

Writing
First grade writers are learning strategies to bring characters to life in their stories by making them move, talk, think, and feel.  They are writing how-to factual books and they are becoming confident and resourceful writers by using their skills to spell unknown words. 

Mathematics
Grade 1 students are developing their understanding of the Base Ten number system. They are using manipulatives, pictures, and numbers to add and subtract numbers through 20. They are developing an understanding of measurement and they are exploring the relationships between different geometric figures.

Science
First graders identify and examine seasonal patterns using weather-related data and they compare the ways plants and animals use their bodies and senses.

Social Studies
First grade students study true stories and folktales from around the world to explore concepts of history, geography, civics, and economics.


Grade 3

Reading
Third grade readers are improving their comprehension by reflecting on characters, theme, and author’s craft. They continue to explore the structural characteristics of informational text and they learn how to use text features to help them predict, infer, and summarize. Students extend their knowledge of English grammar and its conventions.


Writing
Third grade writers are learning how to write narratives, factual reports, and opinion pieces. They also learn how to respond to what they read in writing. They are increasing their writing stamina and independence and they are publishing longer pieces that require drafting, revising, and editing.


Mathematics
Grade 3 students expand their computational proficiency in addition and subtraction. Foundational knowledge of multiplication and division is established through making arrays and equal groups. Third graders are introduced to fractions and they explore two dimensional shapes and learn how to calculate area through the use of rectangular arrays.


Science
Third graders sharpen their skills at obtaining, recording and charting, and analyzing data in order to study the environment. Topics include extreme weather, life cycles, forces and motion, and the effect of changes in the environment on the survival of organisms.


Social Studies
Third grade students learn about concepts of history, geography, civics, and economics through the study of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Grade 5

Reading
Fifth grade readers are increasing their ability to draw conclusions and make inferences. They read increasingly complex texts and begin to compare and contrast the literary devices that are used (i.e. chronology, figurative language, dialogue) when two authors give different accounts on the same topic or event.


Writing
Fifth grade writers further increase their writing stamina and independence and they are publishing longer narrative, opinion, and informational pieces that require drafting, revising, and editing, using the computer as a writing tool.


Mathematics
Grade 5 students are deepening their understanding of the base-ten system to include decimals. They are generalizing whole number patterns, rounding, and using fraction models. They are also practicing their computational fluency in all four operations, with an emphasis on multiplication and division, to solve mathematical problems and they are developing an understanding of volume.

Science
Fifth grade students learn about ecosystems, and matter and its interactions. They learn about the effects of human activity on Earth and they study the relationships between Earth and nearby objects in the solar system.


Social Studies
Fifth graders learn about concepts of history, geography, civics, and economics through the study of early exploration through the U.S. Revolution (1400s-1700s)
.

Grade 2

Reading
Second grade readers are continuing to learn how to self-monitor their reading and to self- correct their errors. They are encouraged to use phonetic skills to decode unknown words. They are working on fluency and comprehension and they are learning different strategies for reading and understanding fiction and non-fiction text.

Writing
Second grade writers are learning to write narrative, opinion, and informational pieces. Students study literacy techniques that authors use (i.e. the use of descriptive language) and then try them out in their own writing. Students learn to revise and edit to improve the clarity and impact of a written piece. 

Mathematics
Grade 2 students are extending their understanding of the Base Ten number system by representing, writing, and comparing numbers to 1000. To strengthen their computational skills, they are exploring the relationship between addition and subtraction as well as the properties of operations.

Science
Second graders plan investigations, predict results, and gather and record data. Some topics that are studied include plants and animals and the environment they live in. Students also learn to classify materials based on their properties and functions.

Social Studies
Second grade students learn about concepts of history, geography, civics, and economics through the study of citizenship and family history.

Grade 4


Reading

Fourth grade readers are improving their comprehension by engaging in meaningful discussions with partners and the teacher. They maintain reading logs and record their thinking about reading and refer to the text while asking and answering questions. Students deepen their thinking by reading a variety of genres. They learn to summarize using main ideas, key details, cause/effect, and problem/solution.


Writing
Fourth grade writers further increase their writing stamina and independence and they are publishing longer pieces that require drafting, revising, and editing, using the computer as a writing tool.


Mathematics
Grade 4 students develop their rounding and estimating skills by generalizing their knowledge of place value patterns to make sense of larger numbers. They are increasing their fluency with factors and multiples, with a focus on problem-solving multi-digit and multi-step multiplication and division problems.


Science
Fourth grade students learn about energy- its motion, transfer, and conversion. They interpret patterns of changes over time related to deposition and erosion in landscape formation.


Social Studies
Fourth graders learn about concepts of history, geography, civics, and economics through the study of the regions of North America.
​

Grade 6

Reading
Sixth grade readers are taught to become increasingly independent in their ability to draw conclusions and make inferences. They read varied and complex texts; they analyze literary works and they learn how to identify and reference credible claims in digital and print sources.

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Writing
Sixth grade writers refine their writing by incorporating techniques such as the effective use of dialogue, transitions, and descriptions. They are publishing longer narrative, opinion, and informational pieces that require drafting, revising, and editing, using the computer as a writing tool.


Mathematics
Sixth grade students are learning number theory concepts including the study of relationships between fractions, decimals, and percent to refine problem solving skills. They are beginning to work with negative integers, as they graph points on a coordinate plane. They begin to explore concepts related to statistical variability and distributions.


Science
Sixth grade students learn about biological evolution through the study of molecules, plants, and animals. They study waves and the transfer of energy and they learn about the relationships between volume, matter, and density. Students learn about engineering concepts by creating and testing a model to solve a design problem.


Social Studies
Sixth graders learn about concepts of history, geography, civics, and economics through the study of world geography.
Petersham Center School
31 Spring St.
P.O. Box 148
Petersham, MA 01366
Ph. 978-724-3363
Fax: 978-724-6687
The Petersham Center School is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, disability or age.

Website accessibility statement
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It is the goal of the Petersham School District that the information on our website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing, or cognitive disabilities.

The majority of pages in our site are available in HTML format that can be deciphered by screen readers. We are currently working to ensure that all content on our website, including  PDF files, can be read by screen readers. If you are unable to access any page(s) in our site, please email Kate Arsenault with detailed information on the location of the page or document you were attempting to access. Be sure to include your name, email address, and phone number so that we may contact you to provide the information in another format.


Please note that some pages on the Petersham School District Website contain links to third party sites, which are not within our control and may not comply with accessibility standards. The district is not responsible for the content or accessibility of third party sites.