Elementary Program: 1st - 5th Grades

Standards and Curriculum:

Nesbit School follows California State and Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary District guidelines. The school district has adopted content standards and Multiple Measures assessments. These assessments allow teachers, students, and parents to see where individuals are in reaching and/or exceeding District Standards. The measures will determine whether the student has successfully learned grade-level standards. The results of these measures will enable our teachers to teach to your child's individual needs and strengths. Copies of the State content Standards can be accessed at the links provided below. 

• Current California Standards for Language Arts

• Current California Standards for Language Arts

• General Information about California’s Common Core State Standards

• California’s Common Core State Standards- Language Arts, Science, Social Studies

• California’s Common Core State Standards - Mathematics

English Language Arts:

Our Balanced Literacy approach for reading and writing includes instruction in Phonics and Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Ensuring children are reading and writing at their individual levels is integral to literacy development. Students receive instruction tailored to their instructional level during Reading and Writing Workshop. Small Group Instruction assures that children receive what they need to advance their literacy. 

We use Units of Study published by Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in our ELA instruction. This genre based instructional format moves children through a series of units designed to increase their capacity to read and write effectively across all genres. Each Workshop begins with a whole class, explicit and directed "mini-lesson." These mini-lessons are designed to provide children with a repertoire of strategies they can use as readers and writers. After the mini-lesson, children then move into Independent Work where they build their skills as readers and writers. During this time, the teacher confers with children in either small group or individual sessions in order to build skills of specific learners not properly addressed during a mini-lesson. A Mid-Workshop teach to the entire class is often provided to the children based upon what the teacher notices in the readers and writers during the Independent Work session. Children then transition to Partner Share. The workshop model recognizes that children's work as readers and writers is enhanced when they are required to share their reading and writing with others. This act of "sharing" becomes, in effect, a way for children to further build and cement their understanding of reading and writing strategies. The workshop concludes with a celebration of the work that was accomplished during the workshop period. 

• Reading and Writing Units of Study 

• The Super Kids Reading Program (Phonics K-2)

• Nesbit's teachers receive hours of specialized literacy coaching from The Reading & Writing Project at Mossflower

Mathematics:

Depth, coherence, and rigor are key in our math standards, and our instruction focuses on conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and accuracy, and application. Our elementary math curriculum is Math Expressions. In addition to content standards for math at each grade level, we incorporate the Standards for Mathematical Practice at all grades. These include making sense of and persevering through problems, using appropriate tools, modeling, precision, constructing viable arguments, making use of pattern and structure. The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe how mathematicians should engage with content as they mature and develop expertise. 

Science:

Science is central to the lives of all people. A high-quality science education means that students develop an in-depth understanding of content and key skills—communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility—that will serve them throughout their educational and professional lives. The State of California has shifted to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with a framework for core content in each grade level, cross cutting concepts that span all grades, and science and engineering practices. Twig Science is our Elementary Curriculum. 

Social Studies:

Social Studies Alive from the Teacher's Curriculum Institute (TCI) is our social studies curriculum. It employs a standards-based inquiry approach to engage students in examining multiple perspectives and primary sources. It incorporates voices of historically under-represented groups and simulations that immerse students in the content.  

Physical Education:

All students receive PE instruction through classroom teachers and/or physical education specialists. In 1st and 2nd grade, the PE program focuses on basics and introduction to games and sports. In 3rd through 5th grade students learn to push the students out of their comfort zone and try to grow personally. In all grades our staff takes mastery approach that focuses on effort and learning. Mistakes are okay and something to learn from. 

Music and Art:

Students at Nesbit experience the fullness of visual and performing arts through programming offered by School Force and BRSSD. LEAP Art and Music is offered at all grade levels. 

Social Emotional Learning & Wellness:

• Second Step (K-3)

• Wayfinder (4-5)