The visual art curriculum for kindergarten in a full-day setting is taught by a visual art specialist. This highly structured, sequential framework has been specially designed to provide developmentally appropriate skills and knowledge while honing creativity, appreciation, historical understanding, and the ability to discuss and analyze art. In kindergarten, students will develop an awareness of two- and three-dimensional forms, manipulate art tools, be exposed to famous works of art, and learn to use a wide array of art materials. Throughout the year, student art may be displayed in individual school buildings and throughout the community.

In first grade, the visual art specialist utilizes a sequential, discipline-based curriculum specially designed to expand the students' artistic creativity and knowledge base. First graders are formally introduced to the elements and principles of art, including: Color, line, form and shape, pattern and composition, space, and texture; the study of various cultures; and the awareness of famous art works. Students learn to use a variety of tools and materials in age-appropriate activities that stimulate the imagination and help develop problem-solving skills. Throughout the year, student art may be displayed in individual school buildings and throughout the community.

In second grade the elements and principles of art are reviewed, utilized, and expanded upon as students develop their knowledge of vocabulary, art production, appreciation, and critical judgment. Through a variety of activities and artistic media, students learn to compare and contrast different art styles, differentiate between cultural art forms, and distinguish between historical periods. Second graders further demonstrate their understanding by creating quality works of art, utilizing a variety of materials and techniques to express themselves.

The third-grade visual art curriculum continues to focus on the sequential study of the elements and principles of art, including color, line, form, shape, pattern, composition, space, and texture. Students are provided activities to stimulate their imaginations and refine as well as expand their artistic skills, visual acumen, and historic and aesthetic awareness. Students at this level can talk about and produce a high quality of art. They are able to discriminate and form artistic judgments about their art and the creative efforts of their peers.

During the year, student art may be displayed in individual school buildings and throughout the community.

In fourth grade, students employ the artistic elements and principles as their creativity, knowledge-base, interest, and enthusiasm for art are nurtured by an elementary visual art specialist. Based on the study of various cultures, historical periods, and famous works of art, the sequential curriculum focuses on challenging the students' problem-solving abilities.

Students are taught to manipulate an increasing variety of tools and materials and to utilize more complex artistic techniques. Throughout the year, student art may be displayed in individual school buildings and the community.

The visual art curriculum culminates at the fifth-grade level as students demonstrate their prior knowledge of the elements and principles of art; vocabulary; and cultural, historic, and aesthetic awareness through a variety of meaningful, artistic experiences. Fifth graders have the opportunity to respond visually, verbally, analytically, and creatively through the skillful handling of a wide variety of art media.

Throughout the year, student art may be displayed in individual school buildings and the community.

Elementary instrumental music is introduced at the fifth-grade level during the regular school day. This specialized music program focuses on the development of fundamental skills and concepts of playing a wind, percussion, or string instrument. Students learn instrument care, playing position, tone quality, music literacy, and vocabulary as they address the challenges of performing in a group ensemble. Stressed are concepts that will encourage students to play with confidence, enthusiasm, and enjoyment all the while fostering a sense of creativity, self- discipline, and personal achievement.

All students, in consultation with an instrumental music specialist, are given the opportunity to participate in either the elementary orchestra or band program. Instruments offered in the orchestra program include: Violin, viola, cello or string bass. Band instruments offered include: Flute, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, baritone or percussion.

Students go to Physical Education class for 35 minutes twice a week. During these classes students are given opportunities to develop Gross Motor skills and coordination. A variety of objects used in physical education will assist students’ development of eye, hand, and foot coordination. Students will be assessed on some locomotor skills, movements and actions. Students will also develop positive characteristics and attitudes conducive to physical fitness through exercise and activities. Through organized activities and game play, students develop a sense of fair play, and cooperation with others. Fitness components consist of but are not limited to endurance, upper body strength, core strength and flexibility. Students are introduced to the T.R.O.Y Fitness Program and are tested on two parts: Jump Roping and Continuous Jog.

Students go to Physical Education class for 35 minutes twice a week. During these classes students are given opportunities to develop Gross Motor skills and coordination. A variety of objects used in physical education will assist students’ development of eye, hand, and foot coordination. Students will be assessed on some locomotor skills, movements and actions. Students will also develop positive characteristics and attitudes conducive to physical fitness through exercise and activities. Through organized activities and game play, students develop a sense of fair play, and cooperation with others. Fitness components consist of but are not limited to endurance, upper body strength, core strength and flexibility. Students are introduced to the T.R.O.Y Fitness Program and are tested on two parts: Jump Roping and Continuous Jog.

Students go to Physical Education class for 35 minutes twice a week. Students continue to work with their Gross Motor skills, spatial awareness, and coordination. They will explore the principles of eye, hand, and foot coordination through a variety of activities. Students continue to develop traditional team sports based skills through culminating activities and game play.   They will be assessed in certain skills throughout the year. Students will develop positive characteristics and attitudes, a sense of fair play, teamwork concepts, and cooperation with others. At this level, there is an increased emphasis on cardiopulmonary fitness, muscular strength, flexibility and coordination through the T.R.O.Y. Fitness Program. Students are assessed twice a year in Continuous Jog, Jump Roping, Plank, Sit and Reach, and Flex-arm Hang. Every student will have a personal fitness log that they will set goals for themselves in each of the fitness tests. After every assessment, student will reevaluate their goals and set new ones.

Students go to Physical Education class twice a week, once for 25 minutes and once for 30 minutes. Students continue to work with their Gross Motor skills, spatial awareness, and coordination. They will explore the principles of eye, hand, and foot coordination through a variety of activities. Students continue to develop traditional team sports based skills through culminating activities and game play.   They will be assessed in certain skills throughout the year. Students will develop positive characteristics and attitudes, a sense of fair play, teamwork concepts, and cooperation with others. At this level, there is an increased emphasis on cardiopulmonary fitness, muscular strength, flexibility and coordination through the T.R.O.Y. Fitness Program. Students are assessed twice a year in Continuous Jog, Jump Roping, Plank, Sit and Reach, and Flex-arm Hang. Every student will have a personal fitness log that they will set goals for themselves in each of the fitness tests. After every assessment, student will reevaluate their goals and set new ones.

Students go to Physical Education class twice a week, once for 25 minutes and once for 30 minutes. Students continue to work and fine tune Gross-Motor skills, spatial awareness, and coordination. They increase their ability with the principles of eye, hand, and foot coordination through a variety of activities. Students continue to develop traditional team sports based skills through culminating activities and game play. They will be assessed in certain skills throughout the year. Students will develop positive characteristics and attitudes, a sense of fair play, teamwork concepts, and cooperation with others. At this level, there is an increased emphasis on cardiopulmonary fitness, muscular strength, flexibility and coordination through the T.R.O.Y. Fitness Program. Students are assessed twice a year in Continuous Jog, Jump Roping, Plank, Sit and Reach, and Flex-arm Hang. Every student will have a personal fitness log that they will set goals for themselves in each of the fitness tests. After every assessment, student will reevaluate their goals and set new ones.

Students go to Physical Education class twice a week, once for 25 minutes and once for 30 minutes. Students continue to work and fine tune Gross-Motor skills, spatial awareness, and coordination. They increase their ability with the principles of eye, hand, and foot coordination through a variety of activities. Students continue to develop traditional team sports based skills through culminating activities and game play. They will be assessed in certain skills throughout the year. Students will develop positive characteristics and attitudes, a sense of fair play, teamwork concepts, and cooperation with others. At this level, there is an increased emphasis on cardiopulmonary fitness, muscular strength, flexibility and coordination through the T.R.O.Y. Fitness Program. Students are assessed twice a year in Continuous Jog, Jump Roping, Plank, Sit and Reach, and Flex-arm Hang. Every student will have a personal fitness log that they will set goals for themselves in each of the fitness tests. After every assessment, student will reevaluate their goals and set new ones.

Troy School District's elementary Spanish program is intended to help children achieve a positive, successful experience in their exposure to learning another language. Elementary students in grades 3 through 5 receive 45 minutes of oral instruction per week. In third grade, the children will become more comfortable with reading and writing in Spanish. The students will begin independent oral activities, and will continue mastering listening comprehension skills. Some topics of instruction include greetings, colors, numbers, family, community, animals, alphabet, calendar and breakfast foods.

Troy School District's elementary Spanish program is intended to help children achieve a positive, successful experience in their exposure to learning another language. Elementary students in grades 3 through 5 receive 45 minutes of oral instruction per week. In fourth grade, the children will continue reading and writing in Spanish. The students will engage in independent oral activities as they focus on listening comprehension skills, which are a vital part of language learning. Some topics of instruction include greetings, colors, numbers, family, community, animals, alphabet, calendar, lunch foods, and adjectives.

Troy School District's elementary Spanish program is intended to help children achieve a positive, successful experience in their exposure to learning another language. Elementary students in grades 3 through 5 receive 45 minutes of oral instruction per week. In fifth grade, the children will continue reading and writing in Spanish. The students will engage in independent oral activities as they focus on listening comprehension skills, which are a vital part of language learning. Some topics of instruction include greetings, colors, numbers, family, community, animals, alphabet, calendar, lunch foods, and adjectives.

An elementary music specialist teaches Vocal/general music in a full-day kindergarten setting. Students learn to make and respond to music through age-appropriate songs, dances, and activities. Basic instruction includes: Exploring their singing voices and other sounds; keeping a steady beat utilizing physical movement, dances, games, and rhythm instruments; learning a variety of traditional songs; and creating cultural awareness through songs, instruments, and ethnic dances. (Students enrolled in half-day kindergarten have music taught by their classroom teacher.)

The Vocal/general music program at the first-grade level is designed to expose children to the enjoyment of making and performing music while developing basic musical concepts and skills. The curriculum is organized to include many opportunities for singing, listening, playing instruments, creating, and moving to music. Emphasis is on the total involvement of students as music specialists focus on age-appropriate, hands-on musical experiences and activities. First graders are introduced to the elements of music, including melody, harmony, form, rhythm, texture, timbre, expressive qualities, and style. They explore the expressive qualities of their voices, learn beginning music reading and vocabulary, and, in simple ways, how to listen to and analyze a variety of music. Through exposure to a wide variety of musical styles, beginning attitudes and values about music are formulated. A public performance is often a highlight of a first grader's formal experience with music education.

In third grade, students continue to build upon their musical knowledge-base as more complex songs, musical notation, and vocabulary are presented by the music specialist. Students actively demonstrate their awareness of the elements of music through their successful use of dynamics, tone color, melody, and harmony in the songs they sing and in the accompaniments and compositions they create. Students deepen their understanding of the world around them and hone their critical-thinking skills by tracing a song's geographic, historical and cultural roots, as well as listening to, analyzing, interpreting, and responding to a variety of songs and musical works.

Exposure to a variety of music allows students to formulate attitudes and values about music. A public performance is often an outcome of the third-grade curriculum.

In fourth-grade Vocal/general music, students continue to build upon their past information-base as they refine their understanding of musical elements and concepts. Musical literacy is stressed as students learn to read and sing standard musical notation, to analyze, move to, and to create more complex songs.

A strong correlation is made among the songs, instruments, and ethnic dances and their geographic, historical and cultural roots.

The media center is an exciting place for kindergarteners. They listen to stories and meet characters like Cat in the Hat, Clifford the Dog, Franklin the Turtle - characters who will remain friends for life. They learn how to care for books, and how to choose a book that meets their reading interests. They check out books and practice responsible behaviors by returning them on time. Alphabet and counting books coordinate with the language arts and math curricula. Students practice listening skills and begin to identify authors and illustrators.

In first grade, students learn about parts of a book and parts of a story. They can differentiate between fiction and non-fiction, and they can explain different types of fiction such as fairy tales, folk tales, science fiction and mysteries. They explore different non-fiction subjects, and see how books with the same subject are located on the same shelf. They are introduced to the Internet and Internet safety. First graders can explain that people around the world create different stories, and they participate in storytelling and dramatizations.

Second graders practice their alphabetical order by arranging books and materials according the letters on the spine. They are introduced to dictionaries and thesauri as they begin to explore a variety of reference tools. Non-fiction books are excellent resources for second grade research for science and social studies, so these students begin to discover how to find these books on the shelves. They continue reading various genre of literature to foster their appreciation of stories, folk tales and poetry. They read and evaluate Caldecott medal winners to discover different methods of illustrating books.

Third grade is a busy year in the media center. Students begin to use the computer card catalog to find their books. They practice searching by author, by title and by subject. They are introduced to the Dewey Decimal System, and use their alphabet skills, their math skills and their general subject knowledge to locate books. Encyclopedia, maps and globes in the media center are important resources. Students use these for classroom research on cities, countries and other curriculum subjects. Third graders are reading chapter books and poetry. Literature appreciation continues to be important as it is a lifelong skill. In many schools, biography is an important unit for third grade as these students find a variety of materials with information about the person of their choice.

Fourth graders expand their research skills adding more sophisticated encyclopedias, electronic resources, online databases, atlases and almanacs. They evaluate the resources to decide which are best for answering specific types of questions. In fourth grade, students begin to use selected sites on the Internet to find curriculum related information. This also allows them to practice their Internet safety lessons. Technology is an important component of fourth grade media as these students can create multimedia projects that integrate media skills with curriculum studies. Literature and reading are also important as students refine their skill in selecting books for enjoyment reading.

By fifth grade, students can identify different literary genre such as historical fiction, science fiction, sports stories and mysteries. They are encouraged to read to enhance skills, such as vocabulary, context clues, sequence of events and prediction, which they are learning in language arts classes. Fifth graders use both print and electronic resources as they develop their research skills in conjunction with language arts, social studies and science projects. Treasure hunts and Internet activities teach them to apply skills they will use on their MEAP tests. They learn to evaluate web sites and print resources in order to prepare for independent use of the media center in middle school and beyond.

The study of health in kindergarten is one of self-discovery and self-realization. It is an opportunity for children to explore what is valued by themselves and others and to grow socially and emotionally. The importance of the family and the interdependence of all people are identified.

Children begin to identify the individual health practices that promote good health and emotional well-being. Students identify common household products that may be unsafe or poisonous.

First-grade students learn to identify their feelings and to recognize that others have feelings. They identify the relationship between feelings and attitudes. Students recognize the importance of decision-making and the possible consequences of various alternatives. They look at the causes of behavior in themselves and others and identify more appropriate behaviors. Pupils in first grade become familiar with common household substances that may be harmful or poisonous. They also learn to recognize emergencies or potential emergency situations and review appropriate ways to react.

Students in third grade review and reinforce the decision-making steps and process in choices they make. The students are introduced to the various body systems. The major parts and functions of the skeletal and muscular systems are identified. Peer pressure in relation to smoking is discussed, and students learn to select the appropriate choice of behavior in a given situation.

In fourth grade, students become aware that the outcome of situations depends on the choices they make. Students recognize how health products can be used or misused and learn some common reasons for drug misuse. They learn how smoking and alcohol affect the body.

The students continue to study the human body and how it is composed of cells, organs, and tissues. Students gain an understanding of the structure and functions of the heart, circulatory system, respiratory system, and digestive system.

Fifth-grade students identify the physical and personal characteristics that make them unique, worthwhile, and valuable. Students study the nervous and reproductive systems while focusing attention on the physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence. They develop an awareness of the use and effects of drugs. They study how alcohol and tobacco affect the human body.

See the Math Placement Parent Communication for additional information.