Curriculum Guides by Subject
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
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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.
View/Print Parent Guide 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.
View/Print Parent Guide GiftedStudents 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.
View/Print Parent Guide Information LiteracyThe 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.
View/Print Parent Guide LiteracyReading, 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.
View/Print Parent Guide MathMath 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.
View/Print Parent Guide Physical EducationDaily 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.
View/Print Parent Guide Social ScienceSocial 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.
View/Print Parent Guide ScienceStudents 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.
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