Elementary Curriculum Overview

Kindergarten - Brochure

Kindergarten introduces children and parents to the public school experience. Setting the tone for all future learning, the kindergarten program encourages a positive self-image by providing age and developmentally appropriate learning experiences. Children enter kindergarten with different experiences and degrees of readiness. Using information from pre-kindergarten interviews, pre-school information and personal observation, the kindergarten teacher, in presenting the curriculum, selects and uses activities to meet individual differences and stages of developmental growth.

Kindergarten children learn by doing. They need to be actively involved in the learning process, using all their senses to collect and evaluate information, to manipulate objects, to compare and contrast what they observe and to make sense of the world around them. Kindergarten children enter school with eagerness and enthusiasm for learning, but their physical development may impact their ability to learn. Small muscles are still developing while the large muscles are more highly developed. Hearing and eye coordination may not be fully developed, making auditory and visual discrimination difficult.

Socially and emotionally, the kindergarten child is moving into a wider environment. The desire for independence blends with the need for structure and predictable routine. Attention span varies but kindergarten children generally want to please the adults in their lives.

Kindergarten activities that are age-appropriate and meet developmental needs help each child to succeed and to feel capable of learning. These activities result in social, emotional and academic growth.

Grade 1- Brochure

The Trumbull Public Schools are committed to the goal of providing each student with the learning experiences, understandings and skills needed to promote a successful learning experience. The educational program focuses on both intellectual and social growth, encouraging students to make positive contributions to our democratic society, while developing the abilities needed to adjust to a rapidly changing world.

The curriculum in Grade 1 focuses on the beginning learner. This new learner is eager to undertake the serious business of education, a life-long process of acquiring, organizing and using information. The grade one student is continuing to understand and develop relationships and beginning to plan, execute and assess new tasks.

When school “works,” first graders see themselves as competent and view school as a good place for them to be.The curriculum supports and encourages a balance of rich learning activities for each child and provides an excellent foundation for continued study.

Grade 2 - Brochure

The Trumbull Public Schools are committed to the goal of providing each student with the learning experiences, understandings and skills needed to promote a successful learning experience. The educational program focuses on both intellectual and social growth, encouraging students to make positive contributions to our democratic society, while developing the abilities needed to adjust to a rapidly changing world.

The curriculum in Grade 2 builds upon the skills and curriculum content of the previous grades. The grade two student is faced with new challenges and with opportunities to develop both academically and socially.

The curriculum supports and encourages a balance of rich learning activities for each child and provides an excellent foundation for continued study. Technology supports the curriculum, as students increase their research and reporting skills using on-line and school based resources.

Grade 3 - Brochure

The Trumbull Public Schools are committed to the goal of providing each student with the concepts and skills needed to promote a successful learning experience. The educational program focuses on both intellectual and social growth, encouraging students to make positive contributions to our democratic society, while developing the abilities needed to adjust to a rapidly changing world.

The curriculum in Grade 3 focuses on expanding students’ skills - academic, social and emotional. The curriculum supports and encourages a balance of activities for each child and provides an excellent foundation for continued study.

The skills introduced in prior grades are applied to an expanding range of content. Reading skills and strategies are applied in social studies and in science. Writing assignments may involve library research on specific topics. Interdisciplinary activities may relate mathematics to science, with the language arts used to report observations and conclusions. The emphasis is on the use of learned skills in authentic situations.

In addition to its use in review, enrichment and remediation, technology is used to support research and to provide a medium for the presentation of material.

Grade 4 - Brochure

The Trumbull Public Schools are committed to the goal of providing each student with the learning experiences, understandings, and skills needed to promote a successful learning experience. The educational program focuses on intellectual, emotional, and social growth, encouraging students to make positive contributions to our democratic society, while developing the abilities needed to adjust to a rapidly changing world.

The curriculum in Grade 4 engages students in a variety of learning experiences that integrate skills with content materials. Students increase their ability to communicate effectively and to use mathematical processes while researching and reporting topics from science and social studies.

Technology is used in research, with both Internet and software sources available to expand the traditional print sources of information. Presentation software may be used in reporting the results of research, with multimedia presentations becoming the common tool for reports. The computer laboratory is used for the reinforcement and review of mathematics and language arts skills.

Grade 5 - Brochure

The Trumbull Public Schools are committed to the goal of providing each student with the learning experiences, understandings and skills needed to promote a successful learning experience. The educational program focuses on intellectual, emotional and social growth, encouraging students to make positive contributions to our democratic society, while developing the abilities needed to adjust to a rapidly changing world.

The curriculum in Grade 5 engages students in a variety of learning experiences that integrate skills with content materials. The curriculum and strategies are intended to prepare students for the team-based middle school.

In order to provide a smooth transition to the middle school, students are expected to demonstrate an increasing degree of responsibility for their own learning and a greater accountability for their behavior. Assignments may be “long range” with students expected to plan their work and meet deadlines established at the beginning of the assignment.

Technology is used in conjunction with classroom assignments, with both Internet and software sources available to expand the traditional print sources of information. Presentation software may be used in reporting the results of research, with multimedia presentations becoming the common tool for reports. The computer laboratory may be used for the reinforcement and review of mathematics and language arts skills, or for instruction in word-processing programs.