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District 41 is in the process of developing this Curriculum website for parents and students. As curriculum in District 41 is revised, curriculum information for parents will be placed on the website. At this time, only the revised literacy curriculum is an active link. Please visit this site throughout the year to look for new information.
D41 offers Kindergarten (half-day only) through eighth grade. There is also limited pre-school for eligible children: Pre-K At Risk is a program for children who need early intervention to succeed in school, for example students who are English language learners. Early Childhood Education is a program for children age 3-5 with disabilities. |
Teaching and Learning in Glen Ellyn District 41
The following eight principles of best practice are grounded in constructivist learning theory and help guide our curriculum work.
1. Learning is meaning making.
2. Prior knowledge guides learning.
3. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model and Scaffolded Instruction facilitates learning.
4. Social collaboration enhances learning.
5. Learners learn best when they are interested and involved.
6. The goal of best practices is to develop high-level, strategic readers and writers.
7. Best practices are grounded in the principle of balanced instruction.
8. Best practices are a result of informed decision making.
(Morrow, Gambrell, Pressley, 2003) |
District 41 is working to align all core curriculum areas with the Illinois Learning Standards. These standards can be found on the Illinois State Board of Education website www.isbe.net
 Parent Guide --
» en espanol
Exploratory |
Fine Arts |
Gifted |
Information Literacy |
Literacy |
Math |
Physical Education |
Social Science |
Science |
Exploratory Curriculum Gr. 6-8
In addition to the core curriculum, Hadley students may choose from among a variety of Exploratory courses: French, Spanish, Band, Orchestra, cooking, art technology, performing arts and more.
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Fine Arts
Elementary students have
art and music weekly. In addition, fine
arts may be integrated with the academic
units, for example, students
may study the art and music of a region
they are learning about in their
academic studies. In music, students
learn about rhythm patterns, melody
and beat. In art, students learn different
elements of art such as line, shape
and color. They learn to compose skillfully
using observation, research and
imagination. Students learn to understand
and respond to art from other
cultures and times.
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Gifted
Students are identified
for gifted services through tests
and other factors. About 5% of our
students receive these services, which
are extensions of the literacy and math
curriculum. In grades K-2, services are
provided within the general classroom.
In grades 3-5, students receive services
in small groups in place of regular
instruction. In junior high, gifted reading
and math is in place of the general
classroom in those subjects.
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Information Literacy
The ability to
find and use information effectively, information
literacy helps students become
lifelong learners who succeed in a changing
world. Students learn these skills in
the classroom as well as in the Library Learning Center and Computer Lab. Our
youngest students begin with learning
what information is and how to find it. As
they progress through school, they become
more skillful “searchers” and learn
how to identify reliable information, whether it is in a book, on a Web site or
blog, or on TV. By the time they leave
eighth grade, they have mastered a
number of strategies to identify, locate
and use multiple sources that are appropriate
to a variety of purposes, and know
how to cite their references accurately.
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Literacy
Reading, writing, listening,
speaking and researching are the keys to
learning, and students spend more time
on literacy than on any other subject.
Teachers combine whole-class instruction
with small-group and independent work
to meet the needs of all learners. In the
early grades, students are learning the
fundamentals; as they progress in
school, their focus shifts to literature,
comprehension, writing, and using literacy
skills to learn content in other subjects.
They become more self-directed as
they learn to identify appropriate reading
choices and bring a variety of comprehension
strategies to more difficult material.
By the time they leave eighth grade,
students should be able to use more exacting
academic vocabulary; write effectively
using correct grammar,
punctuation and structure; use the editing/
revision process to do their best
work; and use strategic thinking skills.
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Math
Math instruction is based
on research about how kids learn math
and emphasizes real-life problem solving.
The goal? Confident math students who
who know a number of ways to solve
problems. Teachers use multiple methods
for basic skills practice, and over the
course of the year, students work repeatedly
with essential math concepts such
as: measurement; operations such as
addition, multiplication and division;
number sense, such as place value and
percentages; algebra and geometry;
data and probability; and problem solving.
In contrast to the one-unit-per-concept
approach, cyclical instruction builds
lasting understanding and retention.
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Physical Education
Daily physical
education emphasizes skills that support
lifelong fitness and address coordination,
endurance and strength.
Among the major units are: basketball
skills; bowling and rolling; dance; fitness
activities; football skills; juggling;
jump rope; pillow hockey; racquet
skills; soccer skills; team building, cooperative
activities; team handball;
track and field; volleyball; offensive
and defensive strategies; and cooperative
strategies. Hadley units include
the up-to-date fitness lab.
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Social Science
Social Science is the
study of human society and how human
behavior and activities affect the world.
Elementary social science instruction
may be incorporated into literacy and
can include history and current events. The elementary curriculum is in transition
as it is being more closely
aligned to state standards. In junior
high, social science covers the ancient
world and U.S. history from discovery
through modern times, including the
Constitution.
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Science
Students are taught to think
scientifically in everything they study.
This means learning how to make meaningful
observations, establish and test
hypotheses, and collect and analyze data
for patterns and meaning. Students learn
through experiments and activities
guided by the teacher. Among the subjects
studied in the early grades are the
five senses, animals and weather. By
eighth grade, students are studying challenging
material such as energy, light,
and simple machines.
View/Print Parent Guide
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