Program
| The curriculum at Pineland Learning Center is guided by the needs of the student, the student’s IEP, the NJ Core Content Standards and the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. Each campus has a full-time curriculum specialist and a resident LDT-C to assist teachers and to supplement classroom instruction. Classrooms are limited to a maximum of 12 students with a teacher and an aide. Each student has his or her own “office”, which is beneficial for organization, minimization of distraction and setting the boundary of personal space. Teaching staff and clinicians are instructed in the methodology of “differentiated instruction”, which starts with the immediate identification of each individual’s learning style upon their admission to PLC. At that time, the student’s unique strengths and weaknesses can be understood and addressed in the classroom, both in the delivery and assessment of knowledge. Educational activities include presentations, role playing, model building, demonstrations, cooperative learning, laboratory activities, technology integration and directed textbook activities. Evaluations include standardized tests, quizzes, laboratory reports, research papers, rubrics and special projects. Additionally, all academic instruction and curricular programming is presented and taught utilizing “executive functioning coaching”, which fosters the higher level brain development known as the executive functions. Collectively, these functions have been described as “a cornerstone for organized thinking”, and include self-monitoring, self-regulation, attention controls and planning ahead. Curriculum extension and infusion of NJ Core Content Standards are the vital components of the PLC curriculum programming. Programs such as Environmental Science, Archeology, Forestry, Coast Guard Boating Course, Animal Care, Study Island, Career Education and Consumer/Family/Life Skills also function to provide a vital medium for “hands on” and multiple intelligence instruction. Curriculum K-5 Language Arts Literacy The balanced Language Arts Literacy curriculum includes Guided Reading/Literature Study Reading, Self-Selected Reading, Word Work and Writing. In Guided Reading, teachers select the materials for children to read, along with a purpose for reading that is based on that student’s individual, developmental needs. The teacher then guides them to use specific reading strategies for that material and purpose. Teachers provide guidance in a variety of whole class, small group and partner formats. Reading levels are continuously assessed through the administration of the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). Materials and resources used include, but are not limited to, Rigby, Wright and Scholastic. In Literature Study Reading, teachers and students choose novels or trade books which incorporate themes that are included in Social Studies, Character Development and Social Issues. PLC takes a transdisciplinary approach to teaching strategies that enhances reading comprehension. Many of the materials used are Caldecott and Newberry Winners. Self-Selected Reading, as a component of the balanced literacy program, allows students to make choices about what they want to read. Opportunities are provided, using a workshop structure, for children to share and respond to what they have read. Teachers conference with students about their books. In Word Work, students learn to read and spell high-frequency words, and learn the patterns that allow them to decode and spell. Students practice new and old words daily by looking at them, saying them, chanting the letters, writing the words and self-correcting the words with the teacher. This program incorporates portions of the Sitton Program and Patricia Cunningham Big Word Resources. Writing includes both self-selected writing, in which students choose their topics, and teacher-focused writing, in which students learn how to write particular forms on specific topics. Students practice brainstorming strategies continuously throughout the year. Students are taught to use the writing process to improve their first drafts. All writing occurs during a workshop structure. Social Studies PLC utilizes the Social Studies Alive! Program, as developed by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute. This program is interactive and includes multiple intelligence teaching strategies and assessments. Learn more at www.teachtci.com. Mathematics This instruction is a combination of Everyday Mathematics and a traditional mathematics approach. Instruction is based on the individual needs of each student through on-going formative assessment. Science Elementary students learn about science through the FOSS Science program. This program was created to engage students as they explore the natural world. Students actively construct ideas through their own inquiries, investigations and analyses to appreciate science, learn new concepts and develop critical thinking. This hands-on, active learning program is experiment and experience based. If you have any questions about Pineland Learning Center’s elementary curriculum, please contact our K-5 Curriculum Supervisor, Lisa Lamb, at 856-451-1627, or by e-mailing k-5curriculum@pinelandschool.org. Curriculum 6-12 Language Arts Literacy Language Arts Literacy courses increase critical thinking skills in the areas of reading, writing and speaking. The reading unit measures, analyzes, discusses and expands the skills of rate, comprehension and vocabulary. The literature consists of short stories, contemporary novels, plays and poetry. Teachers have devised interdisciplinary units to include themes from character education, life skills and social studies in their literature choices. The Edmark Reading Program is used to support readers who require an intensive, sequential developmental program. The writing unit stresses the basic elements of grammar for more effective written communications. The Sadler-Oxford’s “Grammar for Writing” program has been implemented to build students’ confidence in narrative, informative and persuasive writing. Students receive a full course of instruction in grammar usage, mechanics, pre-writing, writing and revising skills with a strong emphasis on the application of these skills to writing. Students also study public speaking techniques. Vocabulary development is supported through the use of Sadler-Oxford’s Vocabulary Workshop series. Social Studies PLC utilizes the History Alive! Program, as developed by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute. The Ancient World, grade 7, introduces students to the beginnings of the human story. The Medieval World and Beyond, grade 8, explores the legacy of civilizations from Europe, Africa and the Middle East to Asia and the Americas. The United States through Industrialism, grade 9 and 10, immerses students in a powerful journey through the history of the United States from its earliest foundations to the age of industrialism. Pursuing American Ideals, grade 11, centers on the five founding ideals from the Declaration of Independence: equality, rights, liberty, opportunity and democracy. Government Alive! Power, Politics and You, grade 12, actively connects government to the everyday lives of high school students. Learn more at www.teachtci.com. Mathematics The Pearson-Prentice Hall Connected Mathematics curriculum helps students to develop an understanding of important concepts, skills, procedures and ways of thinking and reasoning in numbers, geometry, measurement, algebra, probability and statistics. Important mathematical concepts are embedded in engaging problems. Students explore problems individually, in a group or with the class. The High School program in grades 9 through 11 utilizes the Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) from Key Curriculum Press. IMP’s problem-centered approach helps students to learn to think creatively and critically. The IMP curriculum is designed so that students work with complex and realistic situations, construct new ideas by moving from specific examples to general principles and progress beyond simply finding numerical answers. Twelfth grade students participate in a Consumer Math course. Through real world activities, this course is designed for students to master crucial life skills such as money-management; how to spend wisely and create a balanced budget, getting a loan and establishing good credit, buying insurance and filing a tax return. Science Junior high students study the Diversity of Life and Chemical Interactions courses from the FOSS Science program. Diversity of Life emphasizes the use of knowledge and evidence to construct explanations for the structures and functions of living organisms. The Chemical Interactions course is an inquiry into the structure and behavior of matter. The Kendall-Hunt Insights in Biology curriculum emphasizes cellular and molecular biology, as well as genetics, ecology and evolution, with a focus on applying these understandings in everyday life. The third year science course, Ecology, explores ecosystems as the largest organization unit of life on Earth, as defined by its physical environment and the organisms that live in the physical environment. World Language This course focuses on the cultures and various uses of language in Spanish-speaking countries. Students communicate, understand and interpret written and spoken Spanish as well as participate in hands-on activities and projects that involve technology and real-life experiences. If you have any questions about Pineland Learning Center’s Jr. & Sr. High School curriculum, please contact our 6-12 Curriculum Supervisor, Mary Lou Pierce, at 856-378-5020, ext. 239, or by e-mailing 6-12curriculum@pinelandschool.org. |
       |