Elementary Curriculum Overview
What Your Child Will Learn: Kindergarten to Grade 5
In Roselle Park elementary schools, students in kindergarten through grade 5 learn English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies every day, along with Art, Music, Physical Education and Health, Technology and Spanish. Our curriculum follows the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. Select a grade below to see what your child will learn this year, unit by unit.
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English Language Arts
Kindergartners build a love of reading and writing: learning letters and sounds, listening to and retelling stories, and writing to share stories, information and opinions.
- Getting Started & Narrative Writing
- Informational Reading & Writing
- Opinion Reading & Writing
Mathematics
Students count, compare and work with numbers to 20, begin adding and subtracting, and explore measurement, data and shapes.
- Counting and Cardinality
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Measurement
- Data Literacy
- Geometry
Science
Young scientists observe weather and seasons, test pushes and pulls, and discover what plants and animals need to live.
- Weather Patterns
- Severe Weather
- Sunlight & Warmth
- Pushes & Pulls
- Plant Needs
- Animal Needs
Social Studies
Students learn what it means to be a good citizen, explore their world and country, compare life long ago and today, and learn about jobs in the community.
- Good Citizens
- Our World
- Our Country
- Life Long Ago and Today
- All About Work
Specials
- Art: line, shape and color, and how the elements of art work together
- Music: beat, tempo, melody and rhythm through singing, movement and instruments
- Physical Education & Health: movement and fitness, healthy habits, body safety, respect and feelings
- Technology: computer basics, using devices, beginning coding, design and engineering
- Spanish: greetings, colors, numbers, animals, weather and feelings
Support for Every Learner
Lessons in every subject include supports for multilingual learners, students with IEPs and 504 plans, and students who need extra help, along with enrichment for students ready for more challenge. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes build English through themed units that connect to what students are learning in class.
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English Language Arts
First graders grow as readers and writers through stories about friends and family, informational texts about the world, and daily practice building strong reading habits.
- Reading & Writing about Friends & Family
- Explore the World with Reading & Writing
- Developing as Readers & Writers
Mathematics
Students add and subtract within 20, understand tens and ones, measure length, and work with data and shapes.
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Measurement
- Data Literacy
- Geometry
Science
Students investigate patterns of the sun, moon and stars, light and sound, and how plants and animals survive.
- Day Patterns (Sun & Shadows)
- Night Patterns (Moon & Stars)
- Light, Sound & Communication
- Plant Traits & Survival
- Animal Traits & Survival
Social Studies
Students learn about citizenship, their community, American symbols and holidays, how life has changed over time, and how people use money.
- Being a Good Citizen
- Our Community
- Celebrating America
- Past and Present
- People and Money
Specials
- Art: line, shape, color and drawing
- Music: beat, rhythm, melody, dynamics and musical form
- Physical Education & Health: lifelong fitness, healthy habits, body safety, respect and social-emotional skills
- Technology: digital programs, coding with bots, design and engineering, and data
- Spanish: greetings, classroom words, numbers, colors, shapes, animals and weather
Support for Every Learner
Lessons in every subject include supports for multilingual learners, students with IEPs and 504 plans, and students who need extra help, along with enrichment for students ready for more challenge. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes build English through themed units that connect to what students are learning in class.
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English Language Arts
Second graders explore characters, settings and genres, and learn to analyze and respond to what they read in thoughtful writing and discussion.
- Literary Elements in Reading and Writing
- Exploring Genres in Reading and Writing
- Analyzing and Responding to Literature
Mathematics
Students add and subtract within 100, build place value to 1,000, measure, and work with data and shapes.
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Addition and Subtraction Within 100
- Place Value and Operations Within 1,000
- Measurement
- Data Literacy
- Geometry
Science
Students study animal habitats, the properties and states of matter, how plants grow, and how wind and water shape the Earth.
- Animal Biodiversity & Habitats
- Material Properties
- States of Matter
- Plant Growth & Interactions
- Erosion & Earth's Surface
Social Studies
Students compare life today and long ago, explore people and places, learn about goods and services and how government works, and meet people who made a difference.
- Today and Long Ago
- People, Places, and Environments
- Economics: Goods and Services
- How Government Works
- People Who Make a Difference
Specials
- Art: line, shape, color, space and the elements of art
- Music: rhythm, melody, notation and Orff instruments
- Physical Education & Health: lifelong fitness, healthy habits, body safety, respect and social-emotional skills
- Technology: keyboarding and word processing, coding, design and engineering, and data
- Spanish: getting to know each other, days of the week, seasons and weather, and the body
Support for Every Learner
Lessons in every subject include supports for multilingual learners, students with IEPs and 504 plans, and students who need extra help, along with enrichment for students ready for more challenge. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes build English through themed units that connect to what students are learning in class.
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English Language Arts
Third graders read and write across literature, informational texts and different genres, strengthening comprehension, vocabulary and writing.
- Literary Elements in Reading and Writing
- Exploring Informational Reading & Writing
- Exploring Genres in Reading and Writing
Mathematics
Students build fluency with multiplication and division, understand fractions, and solve problems with measurement, data and geometry.
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Number and Operations – Fractions
- Measurement
- Data Literacy
- Geometry
Science
Students explore weather and climate, fossils and changing environments, forces and magnets, heredity, and life cycles.
- Weather & Climate
- Fossils & Changing Environments
- Forces, Motion & Magnets
- Heredity, Survival & Selection
- Life Cycles
Social Studies
Students study communities near and far: their environments, people, change over time, government and symbols, and economics.
- Communities in Our Country and World
- The Community and Its Environment
- People and Communities
- Communities Change Over Time
- American Citizens, Symbols, and Government
- Economics of Communities
Specials
- Art: line, shape, color, space and composition
- Music: reading treble clef notes and playing recorder through Recorder Karate
- Physical Education & Health: lifelong fitness, healthy habits, body safety, respect and social-emotional skills
- Technology: digital citizenship, keyboarding, coding, financial literacy with the Stock Market Game, and micro:bit
- Spanish: all about me, family, school and celebrations
Support for Every Learner
Lessons in every subject include supports for multilingual learners, students with IEPs and 504 plans, and students who need extra help, along with enrichment for students ready for more challenge. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes build English through themed units that connect to what students are learning in class.
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English Language Arts
Fourth graders read novels and informational texts about young heroes, creativity and resilience, writing to analyze, inform and share opinions.
- Marvelous Abilities of Young Protagonists
- The Power of Creativity in Times of Grief
- Resilience and Sacrifice in Trying Times
Mathematics
Students work with multi-digit numbers, multiply and divide, extend their understanding of fractions, and solve measurement, data and geometry problems.
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Number and Operations – Fractions
- Measurement
- Data Literacy
- Geometry
Science
Students investigate energy, sound and waves, electricity and light, Earth's features, the human body, and how plants and animals adapt.
- Energy & Energy Transfer
- Sound, Waves & Communication
- Earth's Features and Processes
- Electricity, Light, and Heat
- Human Body, Vision, and the Brain
- Animal & Plant Adaptations
Social Studies
Students travel through the regions of the United States, including a study of New Jersey, learning about the land, people, history and economy of each region.
- The Land and People of the United States
- The Northeast, including the New Jersey State Study
- The Southeast
- The Midwest
- The Southwest
- The West
Specials
- Art: line, shape, color, space, composition and the principles of art
- Music: meter, melody, conducting, phrasing and reading rhythms
- Band (optional, grades 4–5): learning an instrument and performing in winter and spring concerts
- Physical Education & Health: lifelong fitness, healthy habits, body safety, respect and social-emotional skills
- Technology: internet safety, publishing and spreadsheets, coding, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence
- Spanish: describing myself and others, likes and pastimes, careers and interviewing our school community
Support for Every Learner
Lessons in every subject include supports for multilingual learners, students with IEPs and 504 plans, and students who need extra help, along with enrichment for students ready for more challenge. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes build English through themed units that connect to what students are learning in class.
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English Language Arts
Fifth graders read and discuss novels and informational texts about empathy, courage and loyalty, writing in-depth responses, research and arguments.
- Navigating Differences & Building Empathy
- Journeys of Courage, Resilience, and Strength
- Friendship and Loyalty in the Face of Danger
Mathematics
Students work with decimals and fractions, measurement and volume, data, numerical expressions and the coordinate plane.
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Number and Operations – Fractions
- Measurement
- Data Literacy
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Geometry
Science
Students explore patterns in the sky, stars and planets, the water cycle and Earth's systems, chemical reactions, and ecosystems and food webs.
- Earth & Space Patterns
- Stars & Planets
- Water Cycle & Earth's Systems
- Chemical Reactions & Properties of Matter
- Ecosystems & the Food Web
Social Studies
Students study early American history, from Native peoples and exploration through the American Revolution, a new government, a growing nation, and the Civil War and Reconstruction.
- The Land and Native Peoples of North America
- The Age of Exploration
- A Changing Continent
- The Road to War
- The American Revolution
- Forming a New Government
- A Growing Nation
- The Civil War and Reconstruction
Specials
- Art: line, shape, color, space, value, texture and the principles of art
- Music: rhythm, melody, harmony, form and style in performance
- Band (optional, grades 4–5): building instrument skills and performing in winter and spring concerts
- Physical Education & Health: lifelong fitness, healthy habits, body safety, respect and social-emotional skills
- Technology: digital citizenship, internet research, coding, spreadsheets, engineering and design, and artificial intelligence
- Spanish: describing myself and others, daily activities, identity and the Spanish-speaking world
Support for Every Learner
Lessons in every subject include supports for multilingual learners, students with IEPs and 504 plans, and students who need extra help, along with enrichment for students ready for more challenge. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes build English through themed units that connect to what students are learning in class.