Osceola Science Charter School

Students in grades K-5 benefit from differentiated instruction in five areas at OSCS.

Content: Students will understand and master Florida’s benchmarks by being exposed to a variety of resource materials and challenging texts.  Content can be centered on problems and challenges, the level of complexity is more in depth and pacing is sometimes accelerated. The areas of study are cross-curriculum, where there is a seamless approach with the concepts.

Process: The various learning styles of the student are taken and nurtured to best suit his/her needs. The approach focuses on the multiple intelligences, flexible grouping and problem solving tasks.  It encompasses creative and productive thinking, an attitude of inquiry and creates opportunities to share meaningful research.

Product: Students choose to illustrate and demonstrate their understanding of the content and process. Products reflect the individual students’ talents and curiosities; be an actual product, presentation, performance, independent study, exhibition, essay or work of art.

Environment: The learning atmosphere is challenging and differentiated. Students can become a mentor; work with mentors and/or set reasonable goals with the teacher. Flexible time limits are considered. Students chose from a variety of after school clubs to attend (Science Olympiad, Math Olympiad, Junior FLL, Art Club, Drama Club, Newspaper and National Honor Society).

Assessment: Students adhere to the state and county formal assessments in the areas of Reading, Mathematics, Science and Writing. Students also demonstrate their understanding of mastery through teacher created rubrics, independent study and research projects and student portfolios.

Math

Students will conquer the dynamics of algebra, geometry, measurement, and numbers and operations in third grade.

Algebra

• Multiplication and division facts
• Solving multiplication/division fact problems
• Compare and order fractions
• Apply inverse operations
• Create and represent patterns using words and graphs

Geometry

• Classify 2-dimensional shapes using sides/angles
• Build and analyze 2-dimensional shapes by applying congruence and symmetry

Measurement

• Use correct units to solve area and perimeter problems
• Measure objects using fractional pats of linear units

Numbers and Operations

• Represent, compute, estimate, and solve problems using numbers through hundred thousands.

Reading

We will focus on the following reading standards in third grade:

• Use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• Compare and contrast elements, settings, and characters.
• Identify cause and effect relationships.
• Identify author’s purpose in a variety of texts.
• Listen to, read, and discuss both familiar and challenging test.
• Identify themes across fiction and nonfiction.
• Determine explicit ideas and information from texts.
• Use strategies to repair comprehension of texts.

Science:
Students will participate in and lead experiments, study scientists from a variety of cultures, participate in the annual science fair, be able to attend special presentations and events related to science, and work in collaborative groups to solve real world science problems.  A variety of curriculum and resources, like Interactive Science, The Great Water Odyssey, and Everglades K-12 are used so the students are able to think deeper about each benchmark and standard and apply their learning to their own life and future. 

• Practice of Science:Students will raise and explore their own questions about science and create explanations based on their own explorations, and learn how to keep detailed records as well as communicate their findings with other students.
• Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses, and Model: Students will understand and be able to communicate effectively using science terminology.
• Earth in Space and Time and Earth Structures: Students will learn and be able to explain about stars, the sun and its energy, the Law of Gravity, and be able to use telescopes.
• Properties and Changes of Matter: Students will measure and compare the temperatures, mass and volume of solids and liquids, distinguish between forms of matter, and describe the changes of matter. 
• Forms of Energy and Energy Transfer and Transformation: Students will identify the basic forms of energy, understand its ability to cause motion, demonstrate that light can be reflected, refracted and absorbed, and explain how heat is related to light. 
• Organization of Living Organisms: Students will describe the structures in plants and roles in food, and how plants respond to stimuli.
• Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms and Interdependence: Students will classify plants and animals into major groups by traits, describe how animals and plants respond to changing seasons, and how plants use energy from the sun, air, and water to make their own food. 

Writing:

Students write on a daily basis in all subjects using a variety of curriculum and resources, including Melissa Forney, 6 Trait, and The Write Track. Students will write narratives, expositories, persuasives, poetry, and in a variety of expressive forms. 

Students will work on their own pieces of writing through the writing process.

• Prewriting: Students will be able to generate ideas from multiple sources, determine purpose and audience, and use organizational strategies. 
• Drafting: Students will be able to develop main ideas with facts and opinions and organizing text in sequential order. 
• Revising: Students will be able to revise text by combining sentences, improve sentence fluency, and add supporting detail.
• Editing: Students will be able to edit their drafts for correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and types of sentences. 
• Publishing: Students will create hand written pieces of writing as well as creating digital pieces of their work.  They will share with a variety of audiences. 

Social Studies:

Students will learn about American history, geography, economics, and civics and government throughout the day, especially during reading by blending social studies content and reading skills. 

• American Government: Students will analyze primary and secondary sources, utilize the media center, and define terms related to social sciences.
• Geography: Students will understand, create, and use maps (and map features), tables, charts, and graphs; label the countries in North America and the Caribbean, states, continents, oceans, and regions of the USA; describe the climate, vegetation, landmarks, physical features, and cultures of the US, Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean; and complete their own investigations by conducting interviews, studying news, poems, legends, and songs.
• Economics: Students will understand and be able to apply the following economic terms to real life: scarcity, trade, money, buyer, seller, goods, services, and currency. 
• Civics and Government: Students will be able to explain the purpose and needs of governments; describe how governments gain power; the Constitution; the levels of government and how it is organized at the local level; and identify citizens with civic virtues.

The Reading and Language Arts:This course utilizes decodable stories to help students recognize spelling patterns and reinforce phonics skills. Students read weekly selection stories to familiarize themselves with new vocabulary and adjust reading rates based on purpose and text difficulty. Furthermore, the selection stories offer students the opportunity to compare and contrast different stories and identify various reading themes across literary genres like fiction and nonfiction stories. At times, Science and Social Studies disciplines are entwined within the text selection process, encouraging cross-curricular implementation and offering an enriched literacy experience; selection stories primarily focus on comprehension, predictions, critical thinking, author’s purpose, and main idea and supporting details. Finally, reading instruction most often engages students through current advances in technological software, making learning enjoyable and memorable.

Writing:The Second Grade curriculum comprises an array of core elements necessary for life-long success in the global environment. With this in mind, students learn to demonstrate legible printing skills and read and write legible cursive sentences. In order to master the art of writing, students begin the writing process by brainstorming a variety of topics with bubble maps. Students are continually trying to master the concept of editing for correct use of conventional spellings and punctuation. Furthermore, students use rough drafts to help maintain focus, and develop the supporting details of their writing piece. Lastly, final drafts add descriptive words and vivid detail in sentences. As students gain excellent academic writing skills through reading other works, they need to be exposed to a variety of literature including: rhyming poems, folktales, narratives, acrostic poems, essays and book reports.

Math:In second grade, using the Everyday Math and Go Math curriculums, students are challenged on a daily basis.  Every lesson is differentiated based on individual student needs through “Readiness”, “Enrichment”, “Extra Practice”, and “ELL Support” options.  Everyday Math is a cyclical curriculum, meaning children see the same topics many times throughout the year, with each exposure being more difficult and more in-depth than the last.  Everyday Math incorporates games throughout the units which help the students practice new concepts and review older ones.  Second grade covers numbers and routines, addition and subtraction facts, place value, money, time, shapes, number operations and stories, patterns and rules, fractions, and measurement. 

Science: Students learn the Interactive Science series in second grade at Osceola Science Charter School, covering many different units including “Living Things Grow and Change”, “Homes for Living Things”, “Exploring Earth’s Surface”, “Space and Weather”, “Exploring Matter”, and “Energy in Motion”.  The science text has many experiments that can be included with each lesson throughout the units.  In second grade we incorporate projects that supplement many of our science units. 

Social Studies:The second graders at Osceola Science Charter School use the My World series by Pearson for Social Studies: an interactive textbook where students stop, answer questions, draw pictures, and make connections .This allows for the student to check for comprehension and have a more personal experience with the text which leads to permanent content retention.

Fifth grade curriculum encourages and challenges students to learn in an environment which inspires a harmonious relationship between productivity and creativity.  Hands-on curriculum generates a student that attains all skills necessary to master 5th grade and be fully prepared for middle school.

The Reading curriculum involves a mixture of literature circles, centers, project-based learning, and essential test taking skills. Our Reach for Reading series provide students with reading comprehension strategies such as: comparison contrast, concept mapping, author’s purpose, similarities and differences, making inferences, and more.  Through our engaging stories and skill based reading assignments, students are able to learn about a plethora of subjects while adding to their reading abilities.

Language Arts is where students are inspired to build upon their written word through real-world inspirations.  For example, this school year students involved the presidential election into our studies and the students built upon research based skills, held debates, and wrote comparison-contrast essays on the political candidates while watching the live elections at home.  We even held a mock election in the classroom. The language arts curriculum teaches students linguistic abilities such as differentiating between antonyms and synonyms, homophones and homographs, deciphering the connotation and denotation of vocabulary plus utilizing context clues to create meanings for unfamiliar words.  These skills are applied to all subject areas and motivate students to express themselves through persuasive text, expository, narrative, poetic, and other creative venues.

Mathematics is problem-based and a cross-subject method is used to relate important skills to everydayFor example, while conducting experiments, students will gather personal data, graph it, and analyze the results through appropriate mean, median, and mode strategies as well develop an understanding of what these results mean.  We also provide an emphasis on solving fractions, geometry, integers, numbers and operations, and area in our curriculum.  Students will find ways to apply it to the world around them through our fun math problem solving and engaging lessons incorporating math relays, labs, and online assignments.

Science is a major part of the curriculum and we complete fun experiments on a weeklyScience Fair was a major accomplishment this year, and that was one of the many times students were able to engage in the scientific process.  Through experimentation and the Interactive Science Workbooks students were able to not only read about Science, but become Scientists by inquiring, gathering data, creating experiments, and analyzing and making conclusions.  We discuss Water Cycle, Energy, Force and Motion, Interdisciplinary, Earth Cycles, Disasters, the Human Body, and Weather through exciting presentations from OUC, doctors and nurses that visit, and our fun curriculum.

Social Studies takes a look at the history of the United States of America from its beginning stages on to Colonial America and the American Revolution toward the Western Expansion and more taking students through Civil Rights, World War II and beyond.  The students are challenged to relate their nation’s past to its current state of being and develop an understanding of how what we have experienced as a country, affect our behaviors and regulations today.

Overall, we provide a positive learning environment that welcomes inquisitive minds to explore their interests, develop themselves, and cater to their educational needs while inspiring them to invest in themselves as young adults.  We welcome you to Seminole Science Charter School.