North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of phonics - sounds, letter names, word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic text to model and guide the reading process in classroom and small group settings. Students have opportunities to read simple text with independence and to retell events in a story.

In kindergarten, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Know number names

• Know the count sequence

• Count to tell the number of objects

• Understand addition as putting together and adding to

• Understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from

• Work with numbers 11-19 to build the foundation for place value

• Identify and describe shapes

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Position of objects
  • Motion of objects
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Classify by physical properties
  • Compare objects by physical properties
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Understand change and patterns of weather
  • Summarize daily weather patterns
  • Compare weather in different seasons
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Compare different types of the same animal
  • Compare characteristics of living and nonliving things

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our early social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand change over time
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Use geographic representation and terms to describe surroundings
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand basic economic concepts
  • Understand interactions between humans and the environment
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the roles of a citizen
• Culture
  • Understand how individuals are similar and different

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of phonics - sounds, letter names, word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic text to model and guide the reading process in classroom and small group settings. Students have opportunities to independently read and make meaning of text.

In first grade, writing and grammar are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Solve problems with addition and subtraction.

• Extend the counting sequence, counting beyond 100.

• Understand place value.

• Measure lengths with non-standard units.

• Tell time to the hour and half hour.

• Identify coins.

• Build and identify shapes.

• Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares.

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • How pushes and pulls affect motion.
  • How pushes and pulls make things move without touching (magnets).
  • Predict how forces will affect motion.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Differences in the day or night sky.
  • Patterns of change in the moon’s appearance.
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Summarize the physical properties of earth’s materials (rocks, soil, water, etc.).
  • Compare the properties of soils.
• Ecosystems
  • Recognize that plants and animals get what they need from their environments (air, water, space, etc.).
  • Understand how human behaviors enable plants and animals to survive.
• Molecular Biology
  • Summarize the basic needs of plants.
  • Summarize the basic needs of animals.

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand that history tells a story of how people and events changed society over time.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Use geographic representations, terms and technologies to process information from a spatial perspective. 
  • Understand how humans and the environment interact within the local community.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand basic economic concepts.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the importance of rules.
• Culture
  • Understand the diversity of people in the local community.

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of advanced phonics - word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic text to model and guide the reading process in classroom and small group settings. Students are reading longer, more complex text while analyzing, comparing and contrasting along with other metacognitive skills. 

In second grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency.

• Solve problems with addition and subtraction.

• Work with equal groups of objects.

• Understand and use place value to add and subtract.

• Measure and estimate lengths.

• Work with time and money.

• Recognize and draw shapes

• Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, and four equal shares.

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Illustrate how sound is produced.
  • Summarize the relationship between sound and body parts that vibrate (ear drum, vocal cords).
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Give examples of matter that change from a solid to a liquid and from a liquid to a solid by heating and cooling.
  • Compare the amount of water in a container before and after freezing.
  • Compare what happens to water left in an open container over time as to water left in a closed container.
• Earth Systems, Structures, and Processes
  • Summarize how energy from the sun serves as a source of light that warms the land, air and water.
  • Summarize weather conditions (temperature, precipitation, etc.).
  • Compare weather patterns that occur over time and relate observable patterns to time of day and time of year.
  • Recognize the tools that scientists use for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes.
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Summarize and compare the life cycles of animals
• Evolution and Genetics
  • Identify ways in which many plants and animals closely resemble their parents.
  •  Recognize that there is variation among individuals that are related.

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand how various sources provide information about the past.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Use geographic representations, terms and technologies to process information from a spatial perspective. 
  • Understand the effects of humans interacting with the environment.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand basic economic concepts.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the purpose of governments.
  • Understand the roles and responsibilities of citizens.
• Culture
  • Understand how various cultures influence communities.

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of advanced phonics - word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom and small group settings.

In third grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Solve problems with multiplication and division.

• Understand place value and properties of operations.

• Develop understanding of fractions as numbers.

• Solve problems involving measurement.

• Understand concepts of area.

• Understand perimeter.

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Infer changes in speed or direction resulting from forces acting on an object.
  • Compare the relative speeds of objects that travel the same distance in different amounts of time.
  • Explain the effects of earth’s gravity on the motion of an object on or near the earth.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Recognize that air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space and has mass.
  • Compare solids, liquids, and gases.
  • Summarize changes that occur to the properties of materials when different degrees of heat are applied to them.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Recognize that energy can be transferred from one object to another by rubbing them against each other.
  • Recognize that energy can be transferred from a warmer object to a cooler one and the cooler object gets warmer.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Recognize that the earth is part of a system called the solar system that includes the sun (a star), planets, and many moons.
  • Recognize that changes in an object’s shadow indicate the changing position of the Sun during the day. 
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Compare Earth’s saltwater and freshwater features (oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and glaciers).
  • Compare Earth’s land features (volcanoes, mountains, valleys, canyons, caverns, and islands). 
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Compare the different functions of the skeletal and muscular system.
  • Explain why skin is necessary for protection and for the  body to remain healthy.
• Ecosystems
  • Remember the function of the following structures as it relates to the survival of plants in their environments: roots, stems, leaves, flowers. 
  • Explain how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow.
  • Summarize the distinct stages of the life cycle of seed plants.
  • Explain how the basic properties and components of soil determine the ability of soil to support the growth and survival of plants.

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand how events, individuals and ideas have influenced the history of local and regional communities. 
  • Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events, people and places. 
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand the earth’s patterns by using the 5 themes of geography: (location, place, human environment interaction, movement and regions).
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how the location of regions affects activity in a market economy.
  • Understand entrepreneurship in a market economy.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development, structure and function of local government.
  • Understand how citizens participate in their communities.
• Culture
  • Understand how diverse cultures are visible in local and regional communities.

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.

 Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom and small group settings.

In fourth grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Use the four operations with whole numbers.

• Generate and analyze patterns.

• Understand place value and properties of operations.

• Understand decimal notation.

• Build fractions.

• Understand concepts of angle and measure angles.

• Apply understanding of area.

• Classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles.

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Explain how magnets interact with all things made of iron and with other magnets to produce motion without touching them. 
  •  Explain how electrically charged objects push or pull on other electrically charged objects and produce motion.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Compare the physical properties of samples of matter (strength, hardness, flexibility, ability to conduct heat/electricity, etc.).
  • Explain how minerals are identified using physical tests.
  • Classify rocks as metamorphic, sedimentary or igneous.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Recognize the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, electrical, and magnetic) as the ability to cause motion or create change. 
  • Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from one medium to another, and that light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Explain the cause of day and night based on the rotation of Earth on its axis. 
  • Explain the monthly changes in the appearance of the moon, based on the moon’s orbit around the Earth.
• Earth Systems History
  • Compare fossils to one another and to living organisms.
  • Infer ideas about Earth’s early environments from fossils of plants and animals that lived long ago. 
  • Give examples of how the surface of the earth changes due to slow processes such as erosion and weathering, and rapid processes such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
• Ecosystems
  • Give examples of changes in an organism’s environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful. 
  •  Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.
  • Explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats 
  •  Explain how differences among animals of the same population sometimes give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in changing habitats. 
• Molecular Biology
  • Classify substances as food or non-food items based on their ability to provide energy and materials for survival, growth and repair of the body. 
  • Explain the role of vitamins, minerals and exercise in maintaining a healthy body.

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Analyze the chronology of key historical events in North Carolina history. 
  • Understand how notable structures, symbols and place names are significant to North Carolina. 
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand how human, environmental and technological factors affect the growth and development of North Carolina.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how a market economy impacts life in North Carolina.
  • Understand economic factors when making personal choices. 
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development, structure and function of North Carolina's government. 
  • Analyze the North Carolina Constitution.
• Culture
  • Understand the impact of various cultural groups in North Carolina.

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration. 

Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom  and small group settings.

In fifth grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Analyze patterns and relationships.

• Understand place value.

• Conduct operations with multi-digit whole numbers, decimals and fractions.

• Understand volume of rectangular prisms.

• Write and interpret numerical expressions.

• Understand conversions using multiplicative reasoning.

• Graph in the coordinate plane.

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects. 
  • Infer the motion of objects in terms of how far they travel in a certain amount of time and the direction in which they travel. 
  • Illustrate the motion of an object using a graph to show a change in position over a period of time. 
  • Predict the effect of a given force or a change in mass on the motion of an object.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Explain how the sun’s energy impacts the processes of the water cycle. 
  • Compare the weight of an object to the sum of the weight of its parts before and after an interaction. 
  • Summarize properties of original materials, and the new material(s) formed, to demonstrate that a change has occurred.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Explain the effects of the transfer of heat that occurs between objects at different temperatures. 
  • Explain how heating and cooling affect some materials and how this relates to their purpose and practical applications.
• Earth Systems, Structures, and Processes
  • Compare daily and seasonal changes in weather conditions and patterns. 
  • Predict upcoming weather events from weather data collected through observation and measurements. 
  • Explain how global patterns such as the jet stream and water currents influence local weather.
• Structure and Function of Living Organisms
  • Explain why some organisms are capable of surviving as a single cell while others require many cells that are specialized to survive. 
  • Compare the major systems of the human body.
• Ecosystems
  • Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems 
  • Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve.
  • Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem.
• Evolution and Genetics
  • Explain why organisms differ from or are similar to their parents based on the characteristics of the organism. 
  • Give examples of likenesses that are inherited and some that are not.

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Analyze the chronology of key events in the United States. 
  • Understand the role of prominent figures in shaping the United States.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand how human activity has and continues to shape the United States.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how a market economy impacts life in the United States.
  • Understand that personal choices result in benefits or consequences.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development, structure and function of government in the United States.
  • Analyze life in a democratic republic through the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
• Culture
  • Understand how increased diversity resulted from migration, settlement patterns and economic development in the United States.

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration. 

Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom and small group settings.

In sixth grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. Students will apply what they learn in elementary mathematics to middle school mathematics and beyond. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Ratios and ratio reasoning

• Fraction fluency*

• Use and apply rational numbers

• Reason with expressions, equations

• Calculate area of triangles and quadrilaterals

• Calculate surface area and volume of prisms and pyramids

• Statistical questions and univariate numerical data

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Compare the properties of waves to the wavelike property of energy in earthquakes, light and sound. 
  • Explain the relationship among visible light, the electromagnetic spectrum, and sight.
  • Explain the relationship among the rate of vibration, the medium through which vibrations travel, sound and hearing.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Recognize that all matter is made up of atoms and atoms of the same element are all alike, but are different from the atoms of other elements. 
  • Explain the effect of heat on the motion of atoms.
  • Compare the physical properties of pure substances including density, melting point, boiling point, and solubility to properties that are dependent on the amount of matter present to include volume, mass and weight.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Illustrate the transfer of heat energy from warmer objects to cooler ones using examples of conduction, radiation and convection and the effects that may result. 
  • Explain the effects of electromagnetic waves on various materials to include absorption, scattering, and change in temperature. 
  • Explain the suitability of materials for use in technological design based on a response to heat and electrical energy.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Explain how the relative motion and relative position of the sun, Earth and moon affect the seasons, tides, phases of the moon, and eclipses. 
  • Explain why Earth sustains life while other planets do not based on their properties and location to the Sun.
  • Summarize space exploration and the understanding gained from it.
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Summarize the structure of the earth.
  • Explain how crustal plates and ocean basins are formed.
  • Explain how the formation of soil is related to the parent rock type and the environment in which it develops. 
  • Conclude that the good health of humans requires: monitoring the lithosphere, maintaining soil quality and stewardship.
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Summarize the basic structures and functions of flowering plants required for survival, reproduction and defense. 
  • Explain the significance of the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration to the survival of green plants and other organisms.
• Ecosystems
  • Summarize how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars and is transferred within food chains and food webs from producers to consumers to decomposers.
  • Explain how plants respond to external stimuli to enhance survival in an environment. 
  • Summarize how the abiotic factors of biomes affect the ability of organisms to grow, survive and/or create their own food through photosynthesis.

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Use historical thinking to understand the emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions over time. 
  • Understand the political, economic and/or social significance of historical events, issues, individuals and cultural groups.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand geographic factors that influenced the emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions over time (i.e. Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas).
  • Apply the tools of a geographer to understand the emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how the physical environment and human interaction affected the economic activities of various civilizations, societies and regions.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development of government in various civilizations, societies and regions.
• Culture
  • Explain how the behaviors and practices of individuals and groups influenced societies, civilizations and regions.