AN OVERVIEW OF THE K-6
IN MATH, SCIENCE,
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K |
In
kindergarten, students begin developing the concept of number by counting,
representing and ordering, combining, sorting, and comparing sets of
objects. They understand addition as
putting sets together. In describing
and identifying objects based on attributes and recognizing and describing
simple repeating patterns, students develop a beginning sense of geometry and
algebra. They also develop an
understanding of the relationship between data and picture representations of
the data. |
Students begin their scientific inquiry. They understand that
scientists observe carefully and ask questions. Students develop the skills
of observing, sorting, and identifying parts and begin using scientific tools
to understand the natural world. Essential Question: How do we
(as scientists) explore and observe our natural world? Investigative Skills: Exploring,
observing, and sorting |
In
kindergarten, students understand and apply concepts of print, phonological
and phonemic awareness, they expand their oral
language skills and gain meaningful vocabulary for reading. Students demonstrate comprehension by
participating in a variety of responses when listening to or viewing
informational and literary text. They
are interested in a variety of books. |
In kindergarten, students
use pictures and print to convey meaning. They realize that ideas and
thoughts are communicated in symbols. Students learn to form letters and show
increasing knowledge of letters, sounds, and patterns. They copy signs,
labels, names, and words in environmental print. They draft simple sentences,
often with the same structure repeated within a piece or used in several
pieces. As they choose to write for their own satisfaction, much of their
writing will be about themselves, their families, pets, and friends. |
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Gr. 1 |
In first
grade, students count, sort, and compare sets, understanding the relative
values of numbers. Students understand
subtraction as separating or undoing addition and expand their understanding
of number through application of basic addition and subtraction facts. Students read a clock, work with two-dimensional
figures and use nonstandard units to measure.
They also develop their understanding of statistics by organizing and
interpreting data. They recognize and
describe simple repeating and growing patterns to develop their algebraic
sense. |
Students learn to find patterns and ask their own questions about
their natural world, both living and non-living. For example, students may
learn to ask, “What do plant and animals need to live?”; “Why does weather
change?”; and “How is weather measured?” Students
develop skills with sorting, describing, comparing, and recording their
observations. Essential Question: How do we
ask questions about the natural world? Investigative
Skills Asking
questions, observing, describing,
comparing,
and finding
patterns |
In
first grade, students apply concepts of print, phonological and phonemic
awareness, oral language skills, and phonics.
They continue to expand their reading vocabulary and demonstrate
comprehension by participating in a variety of responses. Students choose and read a variety of books
for pleasure. |
In first
grade, students are able to develop an idea or item of information beyond one
sentence, adding some details of description or explanation. Simple sentences are sequenced with some
logical development. Students use some prewriting strategies with support
from the teacher. Although phonetic spelling is common, there is a marked
increase in the number of words spelled accurately, and students demonstrate
an awareness of some spelling patterns. As understanding of revising and
editing develops, students reread what they write, and the clarity and
accuracy of writing increases. Conventions of punctuation, directionality,
spacing, and letter formation ensure work is legible. |
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Gr. 2 |
In second grade, students
expand their understanding of number to include three-digit numbers. They continue to gain proficiency in the
basic addition and subtraction facts and expand concepts in measurement,
using procedures to find measures (time, weight). By interpreting and creating picture and
bar graphs, students further develop their early understanding of
statistics. Students also work with a
variety of patterns and use symbols to describe numerical relationships. |
Students expand their investigation skills. They use their prior
knowledge to begin making predictions and finding patterns based on careful
observation. A second grade student will look at and examine more closely the
natural world by classifying based on properties and describing
characteristics of living and nonliving things. They begin to
look for patterns in the natural world. Essential
Question: How do we find patterns within the natural world? Investigative
Skills Predicting, classifying, and describing in detail |
In
second grade, students become fluent as readers and apply comprehension and
vocabulary strategies to a wide variety of literary and informational
text. They demonstrate comprehension
by participating in discussions, writing responses, and using evidence from
text to support their thinking. |
In second grade, students
make significant progress as they move from single-idea and patterned
sentences to more detailed and sequential text, often including more than one
event or descriptive element. Students demonstrate a considered approach to
their writing by planning purposefully and working toward accuracy and
effectiveness by making some conscious word choices. Sentence structures are
varied within a single piece of writing. Students write in a variety of
forms, including nonfiction, while maintaining the basic conventions of
writing. Students notice mistakes while rereading and revise by adding
details. |
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| Gr. 3 |
In third grade, students develop their fluency with
addition and subtraction, while beginning to understand multiplication
and division as repeated addition and subtraction, respectively. Students use standard units of measure for
temperature, length, liquid volume, and weight. Students gain a broader understanding of geometry
by identifying properties of shapes and line segments. Algebraic sense grows through their understanding
of equality and by identifying missing numbers in addition and subtraction
expressions and equations. |
Students begin to explore more
complex systems and make inferences about their observations. Students
are developing an understanding of systems and are able to identify
individual parts and how they work together. In order to understand
how the connections between the parts interact, students begin to manipulate
one part and look for a change in the system. For example, students
may study a system of plant growth by observing what happens to plant
growth under different light conditions. Essential
Question: How do we use our understanding of patterns and connections interdependence) to describe systems in our
natural world? Investigative
Skills: Inferring,
analyzing, and quantifying observations |
In third grade, students select and combine skills
to read fluently with meaning and purpose.
They apply comprehension and vocabulary strategies to a wider
variety of literary genres and informational text.
Students demonstrate comprehension by participating in discussions,
writing responses, and using evidence from text to support their thinking.
They read for pleasure and choose books based on personal preference,
topic, or author. |
In third grade, students are writing longer texts,
especially narratives. They embed their ideas in time and place and
develop characters through detail and dialogue. Students organize around
a central idea and elaborate using complete sentences. Their writing
is often divided into sections through paragraphing or book parts (e.g.,
tables of contents, chapters). Information gathering as part of the
planning process is common, and students are becoming more selective
about vocabulary, especially when writing informational texts. They
listen to others’ writing, offer feedback, and begin to consider suggestions
from others about their own writing. |
Gr. 4 |
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Students use their developing investigative skills to begin to compare
systems. They examine cause and effect and ask what is a fact and what is an opinion. They are primarily exploring
more complex systems in a more complex manner, such as the changes of
earth systems over time. Essential Question: How do we investigate
cause and effect in the earth system over time? Investigative Skills: Determining
cause and effect; comparing and contrasting; recognizing fact and opinion;
and synthesizing |
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In fourth grade, students
write for a range of purposes, including describing, telling a story,
and explaining. They are able to produce writing that goes beyond the
formulaic. Because they are aware of the interdependence of the topic,
audience, purpose, and form, they are able to select and sometimes adapt
basic forms to meet specific requirements. Their understanding and use
of figurative language introduces imagery to their writing. Informational
writing reflects understanding of specific purpose, often requiring
gathering and synthesizing information from a number of resources to
express and justify an opinion. Students are more aware of the conventions
of writing as they reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and strive
to improve. |
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Gr. 5 |
In fifth grade, students
become proficient using non-negative rational numbers to solve problems. They apply procedures to measure a variety
of geometric figures and collect, display, and analyze data. Students examine the basis of probability,
and also the mean. They solve problems
involving area and perimeter and further develop algebraic sense through
variable expressions and open sentences.
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Students become more sophisticated in their analysis of the
interconnections within systems. When investigating, students use data to
support their conclusions and logical arguments. They begin to determine
factors that contribute to scientific bias. Essential Question How do we investigate cause and effect in
the earth system over time? Investigative Skills: Data analysis, detecting scientific bias,
and inquiry skills |
In
fifth grade, students broaden and deepen their understanding of informational
and literary text. Students reflect on
their skills and adjust their comprehension and vocabulary strategies to
become better readers. Students
discuss, reflect, and respond, using evidence from text, to a wide variety of
literary genres and informational text.
Students read for pleasure, choosing books based on personal
preference, topic, genre, theme or author. |
In fifth
grade, students have developed a strong personal voice in their writing. This
is demonstrated by the way they sometimes inject humor into their narratives
and how they add emphasis or opinion into informational and persuasive
writing. Students use precise, specialized vocabulary appropriately in
content-area writing. They experiment with sentence length and complex
sentence structures and vary leads and endings. Collaborative writing efforts
are taken seriously, often with assigned responsibilities and checklists.
Scoring guides, often student-initiated, provide criteria for critiquing
their own work and that of others. These guides are often detailed,
addressing content, organization, style, and conventions. |
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Gr. 6 |
In sixth grade, students begin developing their understanding of
negative numbers with the introduction of integers. Students also begin working with other
representations of rational numbers.
They examine the concept of volume, as well as collect, analyze,
display and interpret data, using a variety of graphical and statistical
methods. They find the probability of
events and analyze numerical and geometric patterns. Students also develop an understanding of
algebraic terms and solve algebraic equations in one variable. |
Students become more like scientists in their thinking and their
investigations. They learn how to identify the problems and generate
questions that can be answered scientifically. They learn the importance of
sound investigative practices. Students begin to apply their understandings
to designing solutions to real world problems. Essential Question: How do scientists use investigation to solve
real problems in my community? Investigative Skills: Designing solutions, decision making, and
hypothesizing. |
In
sixth grade, students are aware of the author’s craft. They are able to adjust their purpose, pace
and strategies according to difficulty and/or type of text. Students continue to reflect on their skills
and adjust their comprehension and vocabulary strategies to become better
readers. Students discuss, reflect,
and respond, using evidence from text, to a wide variety of literary genres
and informational text. Students read
for pleasure and choose books based on personal preference, topic, genre,
theme, or author. |
In sixth
grade, students approach writing with purpose and maintain their focus. They
use form, content, technique, and conventions flexibly to meet their own
purposes or assignment requirements. Competence is evident in skills of
paragraphing, summarizing, and synthesizing in exposition, persuasion, and
content-area writing, whereas fiction writing reflects an awareness of its
role to entertain, explore human relationships, and persuade. Students work
toward precision in spelling in all writing and evaluate honestly both their
own work and the work of others, making a concerted effort to improve weak
traits. Students consider writing to be an important and effective tool for
furthering their own learning. |
Source: OSPI
K-10 Grade Level Expectations