Curriculum & Instruction

The Wayzata Visual Arts Department prepares culturally responsive, life-long learners through a challenging, comprehensive art curriculum that focuses on the creative process, innovative thinking skills and by creating authentic learning experiences for each and every student.

Students will develop critical thinking skills and gain a personal voice and self-awareness to take on life challenges through the process of creating original artwork, presenting authentic ideas, responding to and interpreting the work of others and connecting to the Global Community.

The elements and principles of art and design are the cornerstone of our visual arts curriculum, anchoring each class with concepts of how to Create, Present, Connect, and Respond to art.

The Wayzata Elementary Art curriculum is a process based approach. We follow the Create Process map to guide our instruction. The curriculum follows the MN State Visual Arts Standards as well as the National Visual Arts Standards. We want our students to appreciate the art product, but our focus is on the art making process. Our goal is for students to find their creative voice by shifting our emphasis from art production to a well rounded art experience. In doing so our students are learning to problem solve, persevere, think critically, and play. Within the elementary experience, students will get the opportunity to have a real world art connection with our artist in residency program. To celebrate our students' hard work we showcase their work in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, community art shows, school displays,and  district-wide art shows.

Art Curriculum

Our district has adopted Being a Reader (K-2) and Making Meaning (K-5) from Collaborative Classroom as our Reading Curriculum.  We use Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Units of Study for Writing. 

Being a Reader helps children in kindergarten through grade 2 learn how to read.  In whole-class Shared Reading lessons, students read and re-read books and poems
together with the teacher, and discuss them with partners and the whole group.  In the whole-class Handwriting lessons, the students learn to write capital and lowercase letters.  During the first few weeks of Being a Reader, the students learn to work independently in reading, writing, and word work.  Teaching students to work independently allows the teacher to begin Small-group Reading within a few weeks of starting school.  Small-group Reading is targeted early reading instruction with groups of students who are working on similar reading skills.  The students in each group get individual instruction that they need, and they read books that are at their reading level.

Making Meaning is designed to help students build their reading comprehension.  The students hear books read aloud and discuss them with partners and the class.  They learn key comprehension strategies readers use to help them understand what they read, including retelling, visualizing, and wondering.  They also practice reading independently every day during Individualized Daily Reading (IDR).   Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) Support for Parents

In kindergarten, students are introduced to the four social studies disciplines of citizenship and government, economics, geography and history. They learn the importance of rules and demonstrate basic skills that reflect civic values. Students begin to identify things that define America’s civic identity, while also learning how cultures differ from one another. They use simple geographical tools and historical stories to explore various places and times. Students also develop an understanding of basic economic concepts related to scarcity—a key concept in the decision making process.

Based on the belief that all students can learn, the experience of mathematics in Wayzata will create flexible problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We believe...

• All students can learn.
• Math is about thinking and reasoning, not just getting the answer.
• Meaning and context is essential for learning mathematics.
• Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.
• It is critical for students to communicate their mathematical thinking.
• All students can learn mathematics and contribute to the math environment.
• All students will have access and contribute to high level mathematic discussions.
• In teaching students to be persistent, flexible and creative problem solvers.
• Students deserve to get feedback about their learning and progress towards mastery.
• Students deserve a safe learning environment.

Your child's classroom will use Bridges in Mathematics second edition, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5. Bridges is a rigorous program designed to address math standards in a way that's enjoyable and accessible to all learners.

Kindergarten students learn to differentiate between reality and make-believe and they learn about the parts of a book, including title, author and illustrator. Children also learn about choices for resources and how to locate and use information and resources.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.

Art Education Mission Statement

The Art Curriculum is designed to give art teachers freedom to deliver the curriculum in a personalized manner, while ensuring all elementary students throughout the district learn the same information. There are six Units, or Learning Target Packages, all students will experience in 1st Grade, which include the following:

• Cave Art: Students will earn about petroglyphs and pictographs of Minnesota and how to ‘read’ the symbols in cave art drawings using key. Students will create an artwork using cave art symbols to tell a story.
• Native American Artist Julie Buffalohead: Julie Buffalohead is a Native American artist, who creates artworks with personified animals. Students will use Ojibwe animal symbolism to ‘read’ the stories and draw their own animal stories using Ojibwe symbolism.
• Piet Mondrian: Students will learn about Piet Mondrian and the artwork he made. They will then create their own artwork inspired by Mondrian, using vertical and horizontal lines.
• Colors: Students will learn to find and use Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, BIue, Violet and mix the secondary colors. They will also explore mixing tints and shades.
• Textures: 1st Graders will explore textures by finding, naming and creating textures. They will also learn about the difference between textures they can see and feel.
• Observational Drawing: Students will practice observation drawing by drawing what they see with an outline.
  

Additionally students in all grade levels will create art on a computer or iPad and will also create a 3-Dimensional artwork.

Process & Product
The Art Curriculum works to balance the process of creating with the final product, by focusing on the Create Process Map created by The Perpich Center for the Arts.

Visual Literacy, or the ability to ‘read’ an artwork, begins in first grade and is used in all levels of the Wayzata Art Curriculum. Visual Literacy includes Visual Analysis and Critique and focuses on students making their own meaning by noticing, making connections, connecting feelings, analyzing, questioning, interpreting and speculating.

Our district has adopted Being a Reader (K-2) and Making Meaning (K-5) from Collaborative Classroom as our Reading Curriculum.  We use Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Units of Study for Writing. 

Being a Reader helps children in kindergarten through grade 2 learn how to read.  In whole-class Shared Reading lessons, students read and re-read books and poems
together with the teacher, and discuss them with partners and the whole group.  In the whole-class Handwriting lessons, the students learn to write capital and lowercase letters.  During the first few weeks of Being a Reader, the students learn to work independently in reading, writing, and word work.  Teaching students to work independently allows the teacher to begin Small-group Reading within a few weeks of starting school.  Small-group Reading is targeted early reading instruction with groups of students who are working on similar reading skills.  The students in each group get individual instruction that they need, and they read books that are at their reading level.

Making Meaning is designed to help students build their reading comprehension.  The students hear books read aloud and discuss them with partners and the class.  They learn key comprehension strategies readers use to help them understand what they read, including retelling, visualizing, and wondering.  They also practice reading independently every day during Individualized Daily Reading (IDR).   Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) Support for Parents

Based on the belief that all students can learn, the experience of mathematics in Wayzata will create flexible problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We believe...

• All students can learn.
• Math is about thinking and reasoning, not just getting the answer.
• Meaning and context is essential for learning mathematics.
• Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.
• It is critical for students to communicate their mathematical thinking.
• All students can learn mathematics and contribute to the math environment.
• All students will have access and contribute to high level mathematic discussions.
• In teaching students to be persistent, flexible and creative problem solvers.
• Students deserve to get feedback about their learning and progress towards mastery.
• Students deserve a safe learning environment.

Your child's classroom will use Bridges in Mathematics second edition, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5. Bridges is a rigorous program designed to address math standards in a way that's enjoyable and accessible to all learners.

Students will learn about a variety of authors and develop an understanding of what makes literature great. Students also develop information literacy skills and skills that enhance the inquiry process. Students learn to locate and use both print and digital information and resources, identify the topic of resources and formulate questions about a topic.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

Wayzata Public Schools has a comprehensive health education program to support the development of health literacy.

Each grade level addresses specific topics aligned to five units.

• Mental, Emotional, Family & Social Health
• Growth & Nutrition
• Personal Health & Safety
• Drugs and Disease Prevention
• Community & Environmental Health

The primary resources used to address these topics in the classroom are McGraw Hill's Health & Wellness curriculum and the Second Step Program published by the Committee for Children.

First Grade Scientists build on their experiences of observing the world around them as they begin to figure out questions related to plants, animals, lights and sounds, and the Sun, Moon and stars.   Students will engage in a variety of science and engineering practices, such as asking questions, developing models, and planning and conducting investigations to make sense of these mysteries of the natural and designed world.  Students will also be identifying themes in science throughout the year, such as patterns and cause and effect relationships. Students gain science and engineering understanding and skills through a variety of activities including hands-on investigations, reading passages, videos, class discussion and more.  The focus of instruction is on the development of transferable science and engineering skills and understanding.

Students in grade one learn basic concepts and skills related to the four social studies disciplines of citizenship and government, economics, geography and history. They expand their understanding of America’s civic identity, determine characteristics of effective rules and demonstrate ways for citizens to participate in civic life. Their exploration of the federal government begins with the elected office of president. Fundamental geography skills are introduced including making sketch maps of places and comparing their physical and human characteristics and identifying locations. Students practice basic historical inquiry skills by asking questions, constructing a timeline and examining simple records and artifacts. They build their knowledge of the past by comparing family life, buildings and other technologies from earlier times to today. Students acquire a basic understanding of the economic concepts of scarcity and trade and weigh the costs and benefits of simple alternative choices.

Wayzata Art Education Mission Statement

The Art Curriculum is designed to give art teachers freedom to deliver the curriculum in a personalized manner, while ensuring all elementary students throughout the district learn the same information. There are 5 Units, or Learning Target Packages, all students will experience in 2nd Grade, which include the following:

• African Art: Students will learn about the history of African Art, and look for repetition, exaggeration, and symmetry in African artworks. They will then use these three vocabulary works while creating their own artwork inspired by African Art.
• Native American Artist Jim Denomie: 2nd graders will be examining the animal artworks created by Jim Denomie, while connecting the artworks to Minnesota Native American animal symbolism. Students will create their own Denomie inspired animal using shapes and will use blended colors.
• Pablo Picasso: Students will learn about Picasso’s artwork and its impact on the world of art and will also connect his artwork to African Art. Students will create a Cubist artwork inspired by Picasso.
• Mixed Media: Students will create an artwork with mixed media with a color scheme, symmetry and texture.
• Composition: 2nd Graders will learn about the important of composition in creating a balanced artwork. They will show balance in artworks by finding shapes and colors, asymmetry and symmetry and will use overlap.

Additionally students in all grade levels will create art on a computer or iPad and will also create a 3-Dimensional artwork.

Process & Product
The Art Curriculum works to balance the process of creating with the final product, by focusing on the Create Process Map created by The Perpich Center for the Arts.

Visual Literacy
Visual Literacy, or the ability to ‘read’ an artwork, begins in first grade and is used in all levels of the Wayzata Art Curriculum. Visual Literacy includes Visual Analysis and Critique and focuses on student’s making their own meaning by noticing, making connections, connecting feelings, analyzing, questioning, interpreting and speculating.

Our district has adopted Being a Reader (K-2) and Making Meaning (K-5) from Collaborative Classroom as our Reading Curriculum.  We use Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Units of Study for Writing. 

Being a Reader helps children in kindergarten through grade 2 learn how to read.  In whole-class Word Study lessons, students learn about patterns and parts in words. They sort words and discuss them with partners and with the class.  Word Study lessons help students explore how words work.  During the first few weeks of Being a Reader, students learn to work independently in reading, writing and word work.  Teaching students to work independently allows the teacher to begin Small-group Reading within a few weeks of starting school.  Small-group Reading is targeted reading instruction with groups or students who are working on similar reading skills.  The students in each group get the individual instruction that they need, and they read books that are at their reading level.

Making Meaning is designed to help students build their reading comprehension.  The students hear books read aloud and discuss them with partners and the class.  They learn key comprehension strategies readers use to help them understand what they read, including wondering (questioning), using text features, and determining important ideas.  They also practice reading independently every day during Individualized Daily Reading (IDR).   Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) Support for Parents

Based on the belief that all students can learn, the experience of mathematics in Wayzata will create flexible problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We believe...

• All students can learn.
• Math is about thinking and reasoning, not just getting the answer.
• Meaning and context is essential for learning mathematics.
• Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.
• It is critical for student to communicate their mathematical thinking.
• All students can learn mathematics and contribute to the math environment.
• All students will have access and contribute to high level mathematic discussions.
• In teaching students to be persistent, flexible and creative problem solvers.
• Students deserve to get feedback about their learning and progress towards mastery.
• Students deserve a safe learning environment.

Your child's classroom will use Bridges in Mathematics second edition, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5. Bridges is a rigorous program designed to address math standards in a way that's enjoyable and accessible to all learners.

Students continue to learn about their choices in reading, viewing and listening and further their understanding of what makes literature great. Students will focus on various styles of illustrations and learn how they enhance text through the study of Caldecott Award winning books.

Students will continue to develop information literacy skills and skills that enhance the inquiry process. Students will compare and contrast print and online resources and learn to locate and use information and resources. Students will be introduced to the concept of copyright and plagiarism for print and non-print electronic resources.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

Students in second grade continue to build their foundational understanding in the social studies disciplines of citizenship and government, economics, geography and history. They learn the purpose and services provided by government, the principle of shared and separated powers, the importance of constitutions and the need for fair voting processes. They study indigenous people and the influence of a variety of cultures on our society, gaining an understanding of the United States’ common heritage and diverse roots. They use calendars and timelines to track the passage of time and chronicle events. By describing the trade-offs of a decision, students learn the concept of opportunity cost and its connection to scarcity of resources. They begin to understand how resources and physical features influence the distribution of people around the world and use maps and other geographic tools to explain the characteristics of places.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making.
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.

Wayzata Art Education Mission Statement

The Art Curriculum is designed to give art teachers freedom to deliver the curriculum in a personalized manner, while ensuring all elementary students throughout the district learn the same information. There are 4 Units, or Learning Target Packages, all students will experience in 3rd Grade, which include the following:

• Ancient Civilizations: Students will be learning about art from three Ancient Civilizations including Egypt, China and Greece and will be learning about these civilizations in Social Studies as well. They will learn about cultural symbols and create art inspired by the civilizations.
• Minnesota Native American Artwork: After exploring traditional Minnesota Native American designs students will create a 3-dimensional artwork that incorporates traditional designs.
• Alma Thomas: Students will be learning about Alma Thomas and the artwork she creates, and then will create an artwork inspired by her. They will be choosing a color scheme with emotion, using nature as their inspiration and create a title for their artwork.
• Elements Representation: After exploring the Elements of Art in 1st and 2nd grade, students will apply their knowledge by creating an artwork representing the seven Elements of Art: line, texture, color, value, shape, form and space.

Process & Product
The Art Curriculum works to balance the process of creating with the final product, by focusing on the Create Process Map created by The Perpich Center for the Arts.

Visual Literacy

Visual Literacy, or the ability to ‘read’ an artwork, begins in first grade and is used in all levels of the Wayzata Art Curriculum. Visual Literacy includes Visual Analysis and Critique and focuses on student’s making their own meaning by noticing, making connections, connecting feelings, analyzing, questioning, interpreting and speculating.

Our district has adopted Making Meaning (K-5) from Collaborative Classroom as our Reading Curriculum.  We use Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Units of Study for Writing.  Third graders continue to hone their writing skills. Their writing shows more complexity; e.g. using dialogue, varying sentence beginnings and using paragraphs.

Making Meaning is designed to help students build their reading comprehension.  The students hear books read aloud and discuss them with their partners and the class.  They learn key comprehension strategies readers use to help them understand what they read, including questioning, using text features, making inferences, and determining important ideas.  They also practice reading independently every day during Individualized Daily Reading (IDR).
Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) Support for Parents

Based on the belief that all students can learn, the experience of mathematics in Wayzata will create flexible problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We believe...

• All students can learn.
• Math is about thinking and reasoning, not just getting the answer.
• Meaning and context is essential for learning mathematics.
• Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.
• It is critical for students to communicate their mathematical thinking.
• All students can learn mathematics and contribute to the math environment.
• All students will have access and contribute to high level mathematic discussions.
• In teaching students to be persistent, flexible, and creative problem solvers.
• Students deserve to get feedback about their learning and progress towards mastery.
• Students deserve a safe learning environment.

Your child's classroom will use Bridges in Mathematics second edition, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5. Bridges is a rigorous program designed to address math standards in a way that's enjoyable and accessible to all learners.

Students continue to learn about their choices in reading, viewing and listening and further their understanding of what makes literature great. Students will choose something to read for personal enjoyment and learn about the Maud Hart Lovelace Award.

Students will continue to develop information literacy skills and skills that enhance the inquiry process. Students will use an electronic catalog to search by subject or keyword, access print and non-print resources, learn ways to locate information within resources, locate specific materials in the Media Center and begin to understand the Dewey Decimal system. Students will brainstorm possible resources for a topic, locate and select a limited number of resources related to a topic, evaluate the selected resources and record bibliographic entries.

Singing activities are the primary focus of instruction and include songs from our American folk music tradition, as well as songs from many other cultures. Both individual and group participation contribute to students’ development as music makers. Your child will also listen to music written in many styles and from many different periods of history. Other activities in music class include learning to play percussion instruments, studying music history, performing rhythmic exercises, responding to music through movement and reading music notation.

The elementary music department is dedicated to the development and maintenance of a positive classroom environment and to providing a thorough music education program that is relevant to the needs and interests of each child. Our goal is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to explore, appreciate and participate in the rich musical culture outside of the classroom throughout their lives.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

In grade three, students expand and deepen their knowledge in the four social studies disciplines of citizenship and government, economics, geography and history. By applying basic concepts in each discipline to complex communities and environments near and far, students begin to understand the social, economic, geographic and political aspects of life in the world beyond our state and nation. They create and interpret simple maps, using them to understand the physical and human characteristics of places around the world, from one’s neighborhood to vast regions of the earth. As students examine the world of long ago through historical records, maps and artifacts, they discover how geographic factors, technology and individual and group actions have shaped history. Students practice weighing the costs and benefits in making decisions and examine the economic forces that influence interactions among individuals in a community. They further explore the civic relationship between an individual and the community in the United States in which he or she lives, the three branches of government and the functions and funding of government.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making.
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.

Wayzata Art Education Mission Statement

The Art Curriculum is designed to give art teachers freedom to deliver the curriculum in a personalized manner, while ensuring all elementary students throughout the district learn the same information. There are 3 Units, or Learning Target Packages, all students will experience in 4th Grade, which include the following:

• Mexican Folk Art: Students will be learning about art from Mexico, and will be learning about Mexican culture and history in Social Studies as well. They will learn about cultural symbols and designs, and create art inspired by the Mexican Folk Art.
• Minnesota Native American artist Frank Big Bear Self-Portraits: 4th graders will examine the art of Frank Big Bear and create a self-portrait inspired by his style of artwork. They will learn how to draw a self-portrait using correct proportions and observation drawing.
• Landscapes: Students will learn about the 5 illusions of depth, compare and contrast traditional and urban or modern landscapes and analyze the elements and principles used in the artworks. Students will then create their own landscape.

Process & Product
The Art Curriculum works to balance the process of creating with the final product, by focusing on the Create Process Map created by The Perpich Center for the Arts.

Visual Literacy
Visual Literacy, or the ability to ‘read’ an artwork, begins in first grade and is used in all levels of the Wayzata Art Curriculum. Visual Literacy includes Visual Analysis and Critique, and focuses on student’s making their own meaning by noticing, making connections, connecting feelings, analyzing, questioning, interpreting and speculating.

Our district has adopted Making Meaning (K-5) from Collaborative Classroom as our Reading Curriculum.  We use Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Units of Study for Writing.  The pieces they write reflect more complex sentence structures, paragraphing, and a high level of correct punctuation and grammar. Fourth graders begin to choose words more deliberately when they write. They edit and proofread their writing.

Making Meaning is designed to help students build their reading comprehension.  The students hear books read aloud and discuss them with their partners and the class.  They learn key comprehension strategies readers use to help them understand what they read, including questioning, analyzing text structure, determining important ideas, and summarizing.  They also practice reading independently every day during Individualized Daily Reading (IDR).
Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) Support for Parents

Based in the belief that all students can learn, the experience of mathematics in Wayzata will create flexible problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We believe...

• All students can learn.
• Math is about thinking and reasoning, not just getting the answer.
• Meaning and context is essential for learning mathematics.
• Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.
• It is critical for student to communicate their mathematical thinking.
• All students can learn mathematics and contribute to the math environment.
• All students will have access and contribute to high level mathematic discussions.
• In teaching students to be persistent, flexible, and creative problem solvers.
• Students deserve to get feedback about their learning and progress towards mastery.
• Students deserve a safe learning environment.

Your child's classroom will use Bridges in Mathematics second edition, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5. Bridges is a rigorous program designed to address math standards in a way that's enjoyable and accessible to all learners.

Students continue to learn about their choices in reading, viewing and listening, and further their understanding of what makes literature great. Students will learn the purpose and criteria of book awards such as the Maud Hart Lovelace and Newbery Awards. Students will use the online catalog to find materials and manage their own accounts.

Students will continue to develop information literacy skills and skills that enhance the inquiry process. Students will use organizational tools in print and digital resources as they explore and evaluate these resources.

Students will be taking part in a variety of activities in 4th grade music class where they will be developing their attitudes and feelings about music. These ongoing experiences will continue your child's development of the following music skills: sing, move, create, read, perform, listen, and describe music.

Singing activities are the primary focus of instruction, and include songs from our American folk music tradition, as well as songs from many other cultures. Both individual and group participation contribute to students’ development as music makers. Your child will also listen to music written in many styles and from many different periods of history. Other activities in music class include learning to play percussion instruments, studying music history, performing rhythmic exercises, responding to music through movement, and reading music notation. Special emphasis will be placed on recorder performance.

The elementary music department is dedicated to the development and maintenance of a positive classroom environment and to providing a thorough music education program that is relevant to the needs and interests of each child. Our goal is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to explore, appreciate, and participate in the rich musical culture outside of the classroom throughout their lives.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility, and enjoyment of of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a life-time. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math, and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety, and fitness.
• Improved judgment -Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others, and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games, and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

In Fourth Grade Science, students use quantitative and qualitative data to formulate arguments and develop models, analyze and interpret maps and construct explanations about a variety of topics.  Students will engage in learning activities and investigations to allow them to make sense of phenomena related to magnets, the water cycle, Earth’s changing landscape and human’s use of natural resources. Practices such as constructing explanations, developing and using models and using computational thinking are embedded in the work students do.  The focus of instruction is on the development of these transferable science and engineering skills and understanding, not the memorization of facts.

Grade four departs from the approach in the primary years (an approach that placed equal emphasis on each the social studies disciplines) to a more discipline-centered approach. A “lead discipline” is featured in each of grades four through eight. In grade four, the lead discipline is geography, focusing on political geography and the cultural landscape of North America. Students master the understandings that lay the geographical foundation for the interdisciplinary Minnesota, United States, and Global Studies courses to follow in the middle grades. They create and use various kinds of maps to identify the physical and human characteristics of places, examine regions in different locations and time periods and analyze patterns and trends in the United States, Mexico and Canada. They learn about tribal government and develop a better understanding of the multiple players involved in the United States government (political leaders and the public) and the economy (buyers and sellers in a market). Students practice a reasoned decision-making process to make choices—an important building block for their understanding of personal finance that will be developed in later grades.

Students in fourth and fifth grade Spanish class will develop skills to allow them to communicate in Spanish. Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of other cultures and will develop insight into the nature of language and culture. In these beginning level Spanish classes, students will also reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the Spanish language.

Wayzata Art Education Mission Statement

The Art Curriculum is designed to give art teachers freedom to deliver the curriculum in a personalized manner, while ensuring all elementary students throughout the district learn the same information. There are 5 Units, or Learning Target Packages, all students will experience in 5th Grade, which include the following:

• Mayan and Aztec Art: Students will learn about the traditional Mayan and Aztec art forms, and will use an ancient medium (clay, metal, stone, paper etc) to create an artwork combining the student’s personal culture with Mayan and/or Aztec culture.
• Minnesota Native American Artist Star Wallowing Bull: 5th graders will be examining artworks by Star Wallowing Bull and connecting it to Pop Art. Students will then create an artwork inspired by the art of Star Wallowing Bull.
• Principles Representation: After learning about the Elements of Art in 1st- 4th grade, students will apply their knowledge by creating an artwork representing the eight Principles of Design: unity/variety, balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, repetition, proportion/scale, positive/negative space.
• 1-Point Perspective: Students will learn the difference between one and two point perspective and create a drawing suing 1-point perspective.
• Body Proportions: Students will learn how to draw the human body using correct body proportions.

Additionally students in all grade levels will create art on a computer or iPad and will also create a three-dimensional artwork.

Process & Product

The Art Curriculum works to balance the process of creating with the final product, by focusing on the Create Process Map created by The Perpich Center for the Arts.

Visual Literacy

Visual Literacy, or the ability to ‘read’ an artwork, begins in first grade and is used in all levels of the Wayzata Art Curriculum. Visual Literacy includes Visual Analysis and Critique, and focuses on student’s making their own meaning by noticing, making connections, connecting feelings, analyzing, questioning, interpreting and speculating.

Our district has adopted Making Meaning (K-5) from Collaborative Classroom as our Reading Curriculum.  We use Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Units of Study for Writing.  The pieces they write reflect a more conscious use of language structures such as transition words. Fifth graders choose words more deliberately to convey the meaning they intend. They edit and proofread their writing and identify simple parts of speech, e.g. nouns, verbs, etc.

Making Meaning is designed to help students build their reading comprehension.  The students hear books read aloud and discuss them with partners and the class. They learn key comprehension strategies readers use to help them understand what they read, including analyzing text structure, making inferences, determining important ideas and summarizing and synthesizing.  They also practice reading independently every day during Individualized Daily Reading  (IDR).
Individualized Daily Reading (IDR) Support for Parents

Wayzata Public Schools has a comprehensive health education program to support the development of health literacy.

Each grade level addresses specific topics aligned to five units.

• Mental, Emotional, Family & Social Health
• Growth & Nutrition
• Personal Health & Safety
• Drugs and Disease Prevention
• Community & Environmental Health

The primary resources used to address these topics in the classroom are McGraw Hill's Health & Wellness curriculum and the Second Step Program published by the Committee for Children.

Based on the belief that all students can learn, the experience of mathematics in Wayzata will create flexible problem solvers and critical thinkers.

We believe...

• All students can learn.
• Math is about thinking and reasoning, not just getting the answer.
• Meaning and context is essential for learning mathematics.
• Students must learn mathematics with understanding, actively building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge.
• It is critical for students to communicate their mathematical thinking.
• All students can learn mathematics and contribute to the math environment.
• All students will have access and contribute to high level mathematic discussions.
• In teaching students to be persistent, flexible and creative problem solvers.
• Students deserve to get feedback about their learning and progress towards mastery.
• Students deserve a safe learning environment.

Your child's classroom will use Bridges in Mathematics second edition, a comprehensive curriculum for grades K-5. Bridges is a rigorous program designed to address math standards in a way that's enjoyable and accessible to all learners.

Students continue to learn about their choices in reading, viewing and listening and further their understanding of what makes literature great. Students will learn the purpose and criteria of book awards such as the Maud Hart Lovelace and Newbery Awards. Students will use the online catalog to find materials and manage their own accounts.

Students will continue to develop information literacy skills and skills that enhance the inquiry process. Students will use organizational tools in print and digital resources as they explore and evaluate these resources.

Students will be taking part in a variety of activities in 5th grade music class where they will be developing their attitudes (perception) and feelings about music. These ongoing experiences will continue your child’s development of the following music skills: sing, move, create, read, perform, listen and describe music.

Singing activities are the primary focus of instruction and include songs from our American folk music tradition, as well as songs from many other cultures. Both individual and group participation contribute to students’ development as music makers. Your child will also listen to music written in many styles and from many different periods of history. Other activities in music class include learning to play percussion instruments, studying music history, performing rhythmic exercises, responding to music through movement and reading music notation. Special emphasis will be placed on introducing middle school music options.

The elementary music department is dedicated to the development and maintenance of a positive classroom environment and to providing a thorough music education program that is relevant to the needs and interests of each child. Our goal is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to explore, appreciate and participate in the rich musical culture outside of the classroom throughout their lives.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

In Fifth Grade Science, students formulate answers to questions such as: “When matter changes, does its weight change? Can new substances be created by combining other substances? How does matter cycle through ecosystems? How do shadows or relative lengths of day and night change from day to day? How does the appearance of some stars change in different seasons?”. By studying systems, your child will learn that objects and organisms do not exist in isolation and are connected to, interact with and are influenced by each other. Throughout the year students will continue to develop effective Science and Engineering practices and understandings, including engaging in argument from evidence and analyzing and interpreting data.  The focus of instruction is on the development of transferable science and engineering skills and understanding, not the memorization of facts.

In grade five, the lead discipline is history supplemented by a strong secondary emphasis on citizenship and government. Students explore the history of North America in the period before 1800. They learn about complex societies that existed on the continent before 1500, and subsequent interactions between Indigenous peoples, Europeans and Africans during the period of colonization and settlement. They examine regional economies and learn that profit motivates entrepreneurs (such as early American fur traders). They trace the development of self-governance in the British colonies and identify major conflicts that led to the American Revolution. They analyze the debates that swirled around the creation of a new government and learn the basic principles of democracy that were set forth in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Students become immersed in historical inquiry, learning to “think like a historian.” They weigh the costs and benefits of decisions (such as the decision of some colonists to sever ties with the British) and analyze the contributions of historically significant people to the development of American political culture.

Students in fourth and fifth grade Spanish class will develop skills to allow them to communicate in Spanish. Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of other cultures and will develop insight into the nature of language and culture. In these beginning level Spanish classes, students will also reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the Spanish language.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making.
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.

The Wayzata Visual Arts Department prepares culturally responsive, life-long learners through a challenging, comprehensive art curriculum that focuses on the creative process, innovative thinking skills and by creating authentic learning experiences for each and every student.

Students will develop critical thinking skills and gain a personal voice and self-awareness to take on life challenges through the process of creating original artwork, presenting authentic ideas, responding to and interpreting the work of others and connecting to the Global Community.

The elements and principles of art and design are the cornerstone of our visual arts curriculum, anchoring each class with concepts of how to Create, Present, Connect, and Respond to art.

The Wayzata Middle School Art curriculum is a process based approach. We follow the Create Process map to guide our instruction. The curriculum follows the MN State Visual Arts Standards as well as the National Visual Arts Standards. We want our students to appreciate the art product, but our focus is on the art making process. Our goal is for students to find their creative voice by shifting our emphasis from art production to a well rounded art experience. In doing so our students are learning to problem solve, persevere, think critically, and play. To celebrate our students' hard work we showcase their work in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, community art shows, school displays, and  district-wide secondary art shows.

Art Curriculum

Students will learn how to safely use many machines in the wood lab to make a small project. In an engineering unit the students will use NXT Mindstorm Robotics and software to build and program a robot. Two weeks of time will be keyboarding instruction. A final project will be to create an e-portfolio of all of their work this quarter.

Our English Language Arts Curriculum in sixth grade uses thematic units to meet and exceed the expectations of the Minnesota State English Language Arts Standards. Students are supported in developing critical thinking skills through careful reading, textual analysis, discussion and writing activities. The course includes both literature and content-rich informational texts. The texts and themes are found in the 2015 Collections series by Houghton-Mifflin/Harcourt Publishing.

The themes include:

1. "Facing Fear" – Through stories, poetry and scientific articles, students explore how people experience fear and how fear affects the brain and the body.
2. "Dealing with Disaster" – From reading about Hurricane Katrina to the sinking of the Titanic, students discover how people react in the face of disaster. This unit includes articles, short stories and poems related to disasters.
3. "Making Your Voice Heard" – Students explore the many ways people express their ideas – and themselves. They read short stories, poetry and editorials.

In addition, sixth graders read the novel Tangerine. They may read additional novels in literature groups.

Students are taught how to write a personal narrative and a literary essay plus they do research-based informational writing using the Units of Study: Writing, by Heinemann Publishing (2014). These three major writing projects plus smaller pieces of writings fulfill the Minnesota State ELA Standards for writing narratives, arguments and informational texts. Grammar and usage instruction is embedded during writing instruction. In addition, students study Greek and Latin roots to increase their vocabulary.

Core Connections Program Description

The math program that serves as the foundation for the middle school math experience is Core Connections, published by College Preparatory Mathematics.

CPM (College Preparatory Mathematics) teaching strategies focus on how students best learn and retain mathematics. Teaching strategies rely on the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and are based solidly on the methodological research in teaching mathematics. The research-based principles that guide the course are:

• Students should engage in problem-based lessons structured around a core idea.
• Guided by a knowledgeable teacher, students should interact in groups to foster mathematical discourse.
• Practice with concepts and procedures should be spaced over time; that is, mastery comes over time.

Resource Link for Parent Guide

Parent Guide by Chapter

• Chapter 1: Introduction and Representation
• Chapter 2: Arithmetic Strategies and Area
• Chapter 3: Portions and Integers
• Chapter 4: Variables and Ratios
• Chapter 5: Multiplying Fractions and Area
• Chapter 6: Dividing and Building Expressions
• Chapter 7: Rates and Operations
• Chapter 8: Statistics and Multiplication Equations
• Chapter 9: Volume and Percents

Sixth grade students participate in a music experience, choosing between band, orchestra and vocal music.

Band:

Band students learn the basics of playing their instrument, music reading, counting rhythms and will play small and large ensemble music. Students are placed in like-instrument groupings. Students practice at home and perform in two concerts per year. This is a beginning band experience.

Orchestra:

Orchestra is a beginning experience. Students and their parents meet with an orchestra teacher to determine proper instrument selection. Students will be introduced to the necessary skills for their development. Students are placed in one of two groups to further develop their skills.

Vocal Music:

Vocal Music students will sing music from various styles, eras and cultures. Class time will be spent studying singing, vocal pedagogy and instruction about music notation, sight-reading, composition and music history and music analysis. Students participate in two concerts each school year.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others, and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

The sixth grade curriculum focuses on the development of science and engineering practices through the study of topics related to  Earth and Space Science (Astronomy, Geology, Weather and Climate, Human Impacts on Earth Systems).  Students engage in making sense of real world phenomena and design challenges by practicing the skills of scientists and engineers such as designing investigations, developing and using models and constructing evidence based arguments.  Students learn to “figure out” not just “know about” science.   Further, students make connections to their new understandings by identifying cross-cutting concepts across different contexts, observing things like patterns or cause-effect relationships in each science unit, as well as in their own lived experiences, their community and in future learning opportunities.  This three-dimensional development of science and engineering practices, scientific thinking and core scientific and engineering concepts allows for continual growth, ensuring that each and every student is better able to make sense of their natural and designed world.

In the middle grades, the "lead discipline" approach continues, but with added emphasis on interdisciplinary connections (as the word "Studies" in the title"Minnesota Studies" suggests). Grade six features history as the lead discipline but the focus includes geographic, economic and civic understandings. Students study Minnesota history and its government, placing the state and its people within the context of the national story. They engage in historical inquiry and study events, issues and individuals significant to Minnesota history, beginning with the early indigenous people of the upper Mississippi River region to the present day. They examine the relationship between levels of government and how the concept of sovereignty affects the exercise of treaty rights. They analyze how the state’s physical features and location of resources affected settlement patterns and the growth of cities. Drawing on their knowledge of economics, students analyze the influence of a market-based economy at the local and national levels. They learn about the unique role Minnesota played and continues to play, in regional, national and global politics.

Students in Spanish class will develop skills to allow them to communicate in Spanish. Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of other cultures, and will develop insight into the nature of language and culture. In this beginning level Spanish class, students will also reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the Spanish language.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making.
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.

Seventh grade Engineering, Technology and Design students will design a CO₂ Dragster using Pro Engineer software. Once the design is finished, students will use their full size pattern to make their final dragster. A race will be held toward the end of the quarter to see how fast the design is. A CNC mill will demonstrate to you how something like this could be made in industry. We will also continue with keyboarding practice with a Business Letter.

Our English Language Arts Curriculum in 7th grade uses thematic units to meet and exceed the expectations of the Minnesota State English Language Arts Standards. Students are supported in developing critical thinking skills through careful reading, textual analysis, discussion and writing activities. The course includes both literature and content-rich nonfiction and informational texts. The texts and themes are found in the 2015 Collections series by Houghton-Mifflin/Harcourt Publishing.

The themes include:

1. "Bold Actions." Students read stories and articles in which the characters face challenges. This unit includes short stories, articles and Greek myths.
2. "Perception and Reality." Students explore how things in life are not always how we perceive them to be. In this unit they read a folk tale, poems, a drama and a science article.
3. "Guided by a Cause." Students explore the question, "What inspires people to take action to improve their world?" They read historical writings; both literature and nonfiction.

In addition, 7th graders read the novel The Outsiders plus additional novels in literature groups.

Students are taught how to write a realistic fiction story, a research-based argument and literature analyses with the Units of Study: Writing, a curriculum published by Heinemann Publishing in 2014. These three major writing projects plus smaller pieces of writings fulfill the Minnesota State ELA Standards for writing narratives, arguments and informational texts. Grammar and usage instruction is embedded during writing instruction. In addition, students study Greek and Latin roots to increase their vocabulary.

In this Family and Consumer Science course, students investigate concepts related to Careers; Consumerism; and Nutrition, Wellness and Food Preparation. Through a variety of learning experiences, students develop decision-making skills and technical reading and math skills. Students learn about personal money management, time management, goal setting and the importance of being an informed consumer. Students investigate career decisions. Students learn to prepare and plan nutritious foods, maintain a clean and safe food preparation environment and analyze the effects of food on the body.

Core Connections Program Description

The math program that serves as the foundation for the middle school math experience is Core Connections, published by College Preparatory Mathematics.

CPM (College Preparatory Mathematics) teaching strategies focus on how students best learn and retain mathematics. Teaching strategies rely on the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and are based solidly on the methodological research in teaching mathematics. The research-based principles that guide the course are:

• Students should engage in problem-based lessons structured around a core idea.
• Guided by a knowledgeable teacher, students should interact in groups to foster mathematical discourse.
• Practice with concepts and procedures should be spaced over time; that is, mastery comes over time.

Resource Link for Parent Guide

Parent Guide by Chapter

• Chapter 1: Introduction and Probability
• Chapter 2: Fractions and Integer Addition
• Chapter 3: Arithmetic Properties
• Chapter 4: Proportions and Expressions
• Chapter 5: Probability and Solving Word Problems
• Chapter 6: Solving Inequalities and Equations
• Chapter 7: Proportions and Percents
• Chapter 8: Statistics and Angle Relationships
• Chapter 9: Circles and Volume

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety, and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

Seventh grade features history as the lead discipline with a strong secondary emphasis on citizenship and government. The interdisciplinary "studies" approach is further enhanced with important economics and geography content that round out the study of United States history. Students learn about people, issues and events of significance to this nation’s history from 1800 to the current era of globalization. They examine the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and Supreme Court decisions for their lasting impact on the American people, economy and governance structure. Students study civics and economic principles in depth, drawing connections between these disciplines and history to explain the impact of various policies on how people lived, worked and functioned in society. They create and use detailed maps of places in the United States and conduct historical inquiry on a topic in the nation’s history.

Students in Spanish class will develop skills to allow them to communicate in Spanish. Students will gain a knowledge and understanding of other cultures and will develop insight into the nature of language and culture. In this beginning level Spanish class, students will also reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the Spanish language.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making.
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.

Art Mission Statement

Students can elect to enroll in 8th Grade art, where they will explore the theme of Identity. This theme will weave its way into all of the five Units during this semester course.

• Clay: Students will create a clay sculpture utilizing clay slab building techniques.
• Self Portraits: Students will study artwork done by Chuck Close and will create a self portrait using correct facial proportions.
• Graphic Art: Students will create an artwork using the computer or iPad, using layers and learning how to manipulate the digital tools.
• Mixed Media: Students will study artwork by Minnesota Native American artist Star Wallowing Bull and will create a mixed media artwork inspired by his artworks.
• Cast Jewelry: Students will have the opportunity to create a cast piece of jewelry, using casting techniques.

Process & Product

The Art Curriculum works to balance the process of creating with the final product, by focusing on the Create Process Map created by The Perpich Center for the Arts.

Visual Literacy

Visual Literacy, or the ability to ‘read’ an artwork, begins in first grade and is used in all levels of the Wayzata Art Curriculum. Visual Literacy includes Visual Analysis and Critique and focuses on student’s making their own meaning by noticing, making connections, connecting feelings, analyzing, questioning, interpreting and speculating.

In 8th grade English Language Arts, we use several anthologies to explore themes and genres of literature to meet and exceed the expectations of the Minnesota State English Language Arts Standards. Students read closely to examine text in an effort to deepen understanding of literary elements, author's craft and theme in literature. This understanding is extended through writing in several genres such as narrative, poetry and literary analysis. Students read both literature and informational texts.

Our common units encompass literature found in both anthologies by Perfection Learning as well as the study of three common novels.

The units are:

1. "Decisions, Decisions" in which students read stories, poems, and articles that focus on characters making difficult decisions and examine the factors related to decision making. The novel they read is Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen.
2. "The Sci-Fi Factor" with the accompanying novel The Giver by Lois Lowry.
3. "And Justice for All" in which students read literature that highlights social justice in a variety of settings and cultures.
4. "Mysterious Circumstances" study of the mystery genre.

Communications
8th Graders also take a half-year Communications course. This course is designed to support students in their ability to communicate effectively through various modes of writing and speaking as well as to critically analyze the texts they encounter through media literacy.

Using the Units of Study: Writing published by Heinemann Publishing, students study investigative journalism and write a factual news story. Also, after researching topics in-depth, they write position papers in which they advocate for themselves and others in their community. These fulfill the Minnesota State ELA Standards for writing narrative and informational texts for 8th Grade. Additional units of study incorporate the Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy standards. Students prepare and present a speech and design a marking campaign which includes visuals and a presentation.

In this elective family and consumer science course, students study teen nutrition, food preparation and regional and global cooking. Students have the opportunity to learn and practice advanced cooking techniques. Students investigate career options using a career interest survey.

The 8th grade health curriculum is designed to allow students to examine and explore the benefits of choosing a healthy lifestyle. Student investigation will focus around the risk and prevention, decision making, analyzing influences and life applications through the following units.

• Foundations of Health
• Mental Health
• Tobacco
• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Relationships and Sexuality
• CPR and Automated External Defibrillator

The math program that serves as the foundation for the middle school math experience is Core Connections, published by College Preparatory Mathematics.

CPM (College Preparatory Mathematics) teaching strategies focus on how students best learn and retain mathematics. Teaching strategies rely on the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and are based solidly on the methodological research in teaching mathematics. The research-based principles that guide the course are:

• Students should engage in problem-based lessons structured around a core idea.
• Guided by a knowledgeable teacher, students should interact in groups to foster mathematical discourse.
• Practice with concepts and procedures should be spaced over time; that is, mastery comes over time.

Resource Link for Parent Guide

Parent Guide by Chapter

• Chapter 1: Problem Solving
• Chapter 2: Simplifying with Variable
• Chapter 3: Graphs and Equations
• Chapter 4: Multiple Representations
• Chapter 5: Systems of Equations
• Chapter 6: Transformations and Similarity
• Chapter 7: Slope and Association
• Chapter 8: Exponents and Functions
• Chapter 9: Angles and the Pythagorean Theorem
• Chapter 10: Surface Area and Volume

8th grade students participate in a music experience, choosing between band, orchestra, vocal music and music exploration.

Band
8th grade band is a continuation of 7th grade band. Musical styles such as rock, jazz and traditional concert band will be explored along with more advanced musical concepts and performance expectations. 8th grade students have full band every other day. Students practice at home and perform in two concerts per year. Students have the opportunity to audition for jazz band and additional extra curricular ensembles.

Orchestra
8th grade Orchestra is designed as a continuation of the 7th grade Orchestra experience. Through appropriate repertoire and methods students will continue to develop and refine previously learned skills and develop fluency of playing. Students will explore advanced technique such as shifting and vibrato, while continuing to study a varied repertoire of solo and ensemble music. Students participate in two concerts and a solo/ensemble festival.

Vocal Music
Vocal music students will develop their skills in the choral area and will focus on higher level performing skills. Individual and group musicianship will be developed through small and large group performances. The 8th grade choir will perform two concerts singing various styles, eras and cultures. Extra Curricular Honor Choirs are available through an audition process during the middle school experience.

Music Exploration
Music Exploration invites students to live music through writing, reading, playing and studying music. Students participate in various classroom music experiences and interact with many musical instruments. Students will experience music from many perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of what makes music a universal language. Students will perform in class as well as have opportunities to perform outside the classroom setting.

Physical education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Quality physical education programs are needed to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime. Physical education programs can provide these benefits only if they are well-planned and well-implemented so that they include the following:

• Skill development - Physical education develops motor skills that allow for safe, successful and satisfying participation in physical activities.
• Regular, healthful physical activity - Physical education provides a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for all children and youth. It encourages young people to choose to be physically active and aware of the benefits of such a choice.
• Improved physical fitness - Quality physical education improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance and body composition.
• Support for other subject areas - Physical education reinforces knowledge learned across the curriculum and serves as a laboratory for application of content in science, math and social studies.
• Self-discipline - Physical education facilitates development of responsibility for personal health, safety and fitness.
• Improved judgment - Quality physical education influences moral development. Students learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others and accept responsibility for their own behavior.
• Stress reduction - Physical activity becomes an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety and facilitates emotional stability and resilience.
• Strengthened peer relations - Physical education is a major force in helping children and youth socialize with others successfully and provides opportunities to learn positive social skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of youth and peer cultures.
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem - Physical education instills a stronger sense of self-worth in young people based on their mastery of skills and concepts in physical activity. They become more confident, assertive, independent and self controlled.
• Experiencing goal setting - Physical education gives children and youth the opportunity to set and strive for personal, achievable goals. (National Association for Sport and Physical Education)

The eighth grade curriculum focuses on the development of science and engineering practices through the study of topics related to Physical Science (Structure and Properties of Matter, Chemical Reactions, Forces and Motion, Energy and Energy Transfer, Waves and their Applications).  Students engage in making sense of real world phenomena and design challenges by practicing the skills of scientists and engineers such as designing investigations, developing and using models and constructing evidence based arguments.  Students learn to “figure out” not just “know about” science.   Further, students make connections to their new understandings by identifying cross-cutting concepts across different contexts, observing things like patterns or cause-effect relationships in each science unit, as well as in their own lived experiences, their community and in future learning opportunities.  This three-dimensional development of science and engineering practices, scientific thinking and core scientific and engineering concepts allows for continual growth, ensuring that each and every student is better able to make sense of their natural and designed world.

8th grade features geography as the lead discipline with a strong secondary emphasis on contemporary world history. Content drawn from citizenship and government, and economics, enriches the study of world regional geography, and further develops the interdisciplinary "studies" approach. The Global Studies benchmarks pertain to four themes (listed below), offering students additional opportunities for integrated learning experiences.

Students in Global Studies explore the regions of the world using geographic information from print and electronic sources. They analyze important trends in the modern world such as demographic change, shifting trade patterns and intensified cultural interactions due to globalization. Students participate in civic discussion on contemporary issues, conduct historical inquiry and study events over the last half century that have shaped the contemporary world. They analyze connections between revolutions, independence movements and social transformations and understand reasons for the creation of modern nation states. They learn that governments are based on different political philosophies and serve various purposes. By learning economic principles of trade and the factors that affect economic growth, students understand why there are different standards of living in countries around the world.

Note: The geography benchmarks in grade eight are sequenced by region. However, the Global Studies benchmarks may be arranged in any order for instruction. Benchmarks from all four strands (disciplines) can be integrated into one seamless course arranged according to region, chronology, theme or other organizing framework determined by the school district.

The following regions are addressed by the geography benchmarks:

1. North America
2. Europe and Russia
3. Southwest Asia and North Africa
4. East Asia and Southeast Asia
5. South Asia and Central Asia
6. Africa South of the Sahara
7. Australia/Oceania

Each Global Studies benchmark relates to one of four themes (or a skills category):

1. Cultural Characteristics, Technology, and Ideas
2. Economic Development and Trade
3. Population and Migration
4. Human Interaction with the Environment
5. (Skills such as civic skills, economic reasoning skills, geographic inquiry and geospatial technology skills, historical inquiry)

Students will rely on their 6th and 7th grade Spanish skills to develop their language skills further. Students will expand their existing vocabulary by learning various new topics. They will learn all present tense verb forms and continue to learn proper sentence structure. A variety of activities will be used to promote listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Significant cultural events will be celebrated. This Spanish course is equivalent to Spanish 1 at Wayzata High School. Students who successfully complete this Level 1 Spanish course will be eligible to take Level 2 Spanish in 9th grade.

Wayzata Public Schools ensures that students will graduate with the necessary skills to be successful in careers and social interactions they will encounter in their futures.

In our work, we ensure:

• Digital citizenship - Help students understand the rights and responsibilities of their actions when using digital tools.
• Digital literacy - Help students learn how to most effectively and safely access information and tools online.
• Critical thinking, Problem solving and Decision making.
• Global Perspectives - Use technology to communicate and collaborate with people and places locally, nationally and globally.
• Technology Skills - Provide the basic foundational skills in order for students to effectively use current technologies.
• Personalized Education - Use technology to streamline the collection of data to determine student needs and to provide instruction based on individual student needs.