Kindergarten through Grade 5

In District 68, we offer students a comprehensive educational experience that provides students with a range of programs and services to meet their educational needs. This information is designed to provide you with an overview of the curriculum we offer our students.

Reading/Language Arts Curriculum

Literacy Vision Statement: 

Literacy is one of the cornerstones of student success; it is the foundation upon which all learning is built.  In District 68, we strive to develop independent lifelong readers and writers who comprehend and communicate effectively.  Students need to be challenged to reach their highest level of proficiency.  It is the responsibility of all District stakeholders to provide a literacy‐rich environment.

  • We believe that students develop a love of literacy through interactions with authentic and culturally relevant texts. 
  • We believe students need many engaging opportunities to read and write every day in cross-content settings.  
  • We believe that effective literacy instruction includes modeling, student-led goal setting, responsive flexible groupings, and ongoing assessment to inform decision making. 
  • We believe effective, standards-aligned, balanced literacy instruction results in students who are active speakers, listeners, readers, and writers.  

Literacy Instruction in District 68: 

District 68 has historically followed a Balanced Literacy approach to literacy instruction.  This has included skill-focused and meaning-focused instruction in reading and writing as well as teacher-led and student-led activities such as guided reading, shared reading, and independent reading and writing.  While this approach is generally followed in District 68 to this day, the District emphasizes more so Responsive Teaching, that is identifying specific skills and strategies to teach based on the reading and writing behaviors of students.  

Teachers use the reading and writing workshop approach to the literacy block.  K-5 classrooms spend 150 minutes per day in the workshops. Essential components to District 68 Responsive Literacy Instruction includes the following: 

  • Establishing a Literacy Rich Environment
    • Purposeful use of classroom libraries
    • Teacher-guided student self-selection of independent reading books
    • Creation of a community of readers and writers
    • Use of a variety of texts and instructional models to develop language
  • Developmentally Appropriate Framework
    • Phonological and Phonemic Awareness (spoken words, syllables and sounds)
    • Phonics (sounds, multi-syllabics, word study)
    • Fluency (repeated exposure to language, reading aloud, using expression, intonation and pacing, choral reading, etc.)
    • Vocabulary (word meaning, acquired through reading a range of texts, engaging in discussions, applying context clues to infer meaning, etc.)
    • Comprehension (speaking and listening, reading and writing, complexity of texts and content-related texts)
  • Development of Reader and Writer Identities
    • Identification of students’ reading and writing preferences, their attitudes and habits, their confidence in their abilities to be a reader and writer, and their motivations/interests
    • Identification of students’ meta-cognitive processes when they become stuck
    • Use of Reader and Writer’s Notebooks as tools to build identity 
  • Fluid Instruction 
    • Use of assessments to monitor progress and make instructional decisions based on the current needs of students
    • Use of whole-group, small-group, partner and individual configurations for teaching and learning as appropriate to the purpose and students’ needs in the moment 
    • Explicit teaching of strategic skills and strategies as indicated for each student
    • Conferring regularly with students to engage them in thinking about their own learning, establishing goals for improvement
  • Quality Culturally Relevant Materials and Resources
    • A variety of resources are used by K-5 teachers, including: 
      • Classroom Libraries (curated collections by grade level)
      • Flyleaf Decodable books
      • Fountas and Pinnell Interactive Read Aloud books
      • Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading books
      • Fountas and Pinnell Shared Reading books
      • Fountas and Pinnell Book Club books
      • Fountas and Pinnell Reading Mini-Lesson teacher guide
      • Heggerty Phonics
      • Schoolwide Writing Fundamentals
      • University of Florida Literacy Institute Foundations
      • Words Their Way

 

Mathematics

Math Vision Statement: 

In Skokie School District 68, we strive to support students’ math growth by providing engaging, student-driven, inquiry-based mathematics instruction that provides entry points for all students.  Mathematics instruction is authentic to students’ experiences and encourages them to make connections, develop number sense, problem solve, and employ the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

District 68 Math instruction has focused for a number of years on preparing students to be mathematically proficient through a focus on student thinking and learning, through engagement in rich mathematical tasks and through peer collaboration.  Classroom teachers have had significant professional development in employing the Standards for Mathematical Practice while teaching the Standards for Mathematical Content.  Through a partnership with UIC's Metro Chicago Math Initiative (MCMI), teachers have gained invaluable knowledge and skills as related to math instruction.  Coaching with MCMI continues in the district to this day.  
 
K-5 classroom teacher and students use Bridges into Mathematics as their core curriculum.  Bridges is a comprehensive curriculum that fully addresses state standards in a rigorous, engaging and accessbile way.  The curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop a deep understanding of concepts while building proficiency with skills and problem solving.  There are three components to Bridges: Problems and Investigations, Work Places and Number Corner.  Students explore mathematics with one another and with their teacher through a total of 75 minutes per day. 

 

For more information on Bridges into Mathematics, please visit these links:

Family Overview of Bridges into Mathematics

Frequently Asked Questions

The National PTA also provides a resource for families:

Helping Your Child With Today's Math

 

Common Core State Standards

Illinois, along with 45 other states, adopted the Common Core State Standards to be used to guide teachers in what students at each grade-level need to learn in English/Language Arts. Each set of grade-level standards consists of literature, informational text as well as listening and speaking standards. The primary grades have standards for foundational skills. Grade-level standards build on knowledge and skills learned the previous year and create a stair-step progression across the K-8 instructional years.

Common Core State Standards Website

 

Elementary Learning Targets

We have created parent friendly learning targets that provide further explanation for what students will be learning throughout the school year in all subject areas: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music and Physical Education. The learning targets are aligned with the Illinois State Learning standards and are expectations for the end of the school year across subject areas.

Additional Programs and Services

    Reading Intervention Support (Response to Intervention info)
    Advancing Inquiry and Meaning (AIM)
    Psychologist/Social  Worker Services
    Speech
    English Language Learners
    Full Continuum of Special Education Services
    Library Media Center Instruction
    Before and After School Childcare (provided by Skokie Park District)

This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.