Cornell Intermediate Curriculum
 
Reading
Cornell Intermediate School's reading program is designed to meet the needs of each child. We have a four level reading program that follows Pennsylvania's levels of achievement.

The advanced classes read upper level novels and participate in activities that enrich their curriculum. Novels being read this year include: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Anne Frank's Diary, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Holes, and many, many others. Ongoing assessments track student progress throughout the school year.

The proficient classes use the HARCOURT READING/LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM. It is a standards based, comprehensive program that provides the materials and support needed to help all students become fluent, lifelong readers. The program includes a variety of classic and contemporary works, including realistic fiction, folktales, informational nonfiction, biography, autobiography, plays, and poems. It also provides frequent listening opportunities to develop vocabulary and promote a love of literature. Harcourt Reading includes a systematic grammar and spelling instruction to develop proficiency in the conventions of writing. Throughout the year, students are assessed in a variety of ways. Some assessments used are portfolios, comprehension tests, ongoing informal assessments, and holistic reading assessments.

The basic classes use an intervention series that is part of the HARCOURT READING/ LANGUAGE ARTS program. The intervention reader provides reading selections for students reading below level who need practice and extra reading skills support. The goal of this program is to remediate students and eventually put the student into the Harcourt basal reader. Harcourt Reading includes a systematic grammar and spelling instruction to develop proficiency in the conventions of writing. Throughout the year, students are assessed in a variety of ways. Some assessments used are portfolios, comprehension tests, ongoing informal assessments, and holistic reading assessments.

The below basic classes are Corrective Reading which provides intensive intervention for students who are reading one or more years below grade level. This program delivers tightly sequenced, carefully planned lessons that give struggling students the structure and practice necessary to become skilled, fluent readers, and better learners. Three levels for decoding plus three for comprehension address the varied reading deficits and skill levels found among older students. This program includes a point system based on realistic goals to motivate students who are often expected to fail.
Math
Cornell Intermediate School's math program is SAXON MATH. Our students are exposed to a wide variety of mathematics activities throughout the year. Students learn through hands-on experiences, discussion, and exploration. The learning is reinforced through ongoing practice. Each day begins with "The Meeting" which involves students practicing a wide variety of everyday skills. The next part is "The Lesson." During the lesson, a new concept is presented through discussion and an activity. Concepts presented are computation, problem-solving strategies, pattern identification, measurement, geometry, money, time, fractions, graphs, and charts. All of these concepts correlate with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Mathematics.

For our struggling students, Cornell Intermediate School has implemented a program called Connecting Math Concepts. This program introduces ideas gradually and teaches students the connections between different concepts. Focusing on the "big" ideas of mathematics, Connecting Math Concepts teaches explicit strategies that enable students to master difficult ideas such as ratios, proportions, probability, functions, and data analysis. Detailed explanations and guided practice move students toward independent work, ensuring that students gain success and confidence as mathematical thinkers.
Social Studies
Cornell Intermediate School's Social Studies curriculum was designed by educators who worked with the Smithsonian Institution's curatorial staff to create lessons that incorporate images culled from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, National Air & Space Museum, National Museum of American History, National Postal Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The materials cover a range of subjects including geography, culture, civics, government and economics. The goal of the program is to help illuminate both America's past and its present for millions of social studies students.

The collaborative program includes museum gallery pages with full-color images of artifacts, and captions based directly on Smithsonian research. Special workbook activity pages encourage students to discover even more on their own.

Scott Foresman Social Studies looks and reads like the most compelling of trade books, but it has the rich content you need to meet each student's instructional goals. The program engages, inspires and allows for the development of a new generation of citizens. Students will learn how geography, economics, and government impact their lives and world while the comprehensive treatment of all the major social studies strands prepares them to become active, responsible, and informed citizens.
Science
Cornell Intermediate School has adopted FOSS, the leading inquiry-based science program in America as our Science curriculum. This program is based on the fact that students learn science best by doing science. Teachers and students do science together when they open the FOSS kits, engaging in enduring experiences that lead to deeper understanding of the natural world. FOSS provides for student motivated inquiries with materials to reinforce and extend concepts. This program is a hands-on experience with objects, organisms, and systems. Students investigate, experiment, gather data, organize results, and develop conclusions based on their own actions. The information gathered in such activities enhances the development of scientific ways of thinking. Hands-on science, where students collaborate in planning, action, and information processing, gives students opportunities to develop deep understanding and rich, thoughtful interactions with other points of view.

The second component of the science curriculum is supplemental books. Fourth and Fifth grade use Macmillan McGraw-Hill Science and Six grade uses Harcourt School Science. Both of these programs provide students with clear, logical, and systematic instruction through lessons that follow a consistent learning sequence. All science material at Cornell Intermediate School is new for the 2005 - 2006 school year.
Study Island
Cornell Intermediate School students use STUDY ISLAND that is a knowledge-based interactive multimedia computer course designed to develop and maintain Reading and Mathematics skills. During each individualized session, students are exposed to a variety of exercises. All exercises include the use of color illustrations and audio as a basis for highly interactive instruction. Students receive a mixture of instructional exercises, based on their previous performance on each of the skill objectives included in the course. The program distributes exercises appropriate to the student's level.
English as a Second Language
(click here for information)