Jose Marti School’s elementary and middle school teachers are dedicated to challenging each student not only academically, but also by providing them with multiple opportunities to grow socially and emotionally. Teachers are provided all necessary resources to meet the school’s academic goals and students’ needs. In addition, classroom ratios are purposefully maintained low in order to better provide individualized instruction as needed.

Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) provide new benchmarks to guide rigorous instruction and assessment to ensure that students are high school ready. They have been updated to address the increased levels of achievements registered by students on state and national achievement tests; are more focused upon higher order thinking skills; and challenge educators to strengthen their process, depth and the rigor of their instruction quality and lesson focus. These standards are available on the CPALMS website which is Florida’s official source for the standards, course information, assessment information, and serves as the dissemination platform for professional development and digital resources.

Jose Marti School’s individualized curriculum covers the required content area: English Language Arts, Literature and Vocabulary, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, World Language (Spanish), Fine Arts, and Health Education. Each Content area has state standards and benchmarks outlining specific content, knowledge, and skills that students are expected to learn in school by end of every grade level. Teachers plan lessons that provide students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of these standards and benchmarks throughout the year.

FOURTH GRADE CURRICULUM

ENGLISH

The English course covers the following:
Unit 1: Sentences and Personal Narrative.
Unit 2: Nouns and Writing That Compares.
Unit 3: Verbs and Persuasive Writing.
Unit 4: Adjectives and Explanatory Writing.
Unit 5: Pronouns and Story Writing
Unit 6: Adverbs, Prepositions, And Expository Writing.

Resource: Language Arts, Level 4 (McGraw Hill)

SPELLING/VOCABULARY

This book enriches the student’s vocabulary.. Breaking words into syllables is stressed in every chapter. The use of the dictionary is emphasized in finding stressed syllables, word meanings, and parts of speech and base words. Proofreading is mastered by connecting misspelled words incorrect capitalization and punctuation. It deals with antonyms and synonyms.

Resources: Sadlier, Vocabulary Workshop (Level Orange)

READING

In Fourth grade reading, a complete view is done. Emphasis is made in the literature; students are taught to look for author crafts such as, repetition, rhythm, rhyme, humor, exaggeration, dialogues, and flashbacks, formal and informal language. They are also exposed to different types of stories of literature such as, short stories, science fiction, journals, non-fictions, fables, legends, and interviews. In the language skills they learn about listening, speaking, oral rereading, and writing. The study and life skills are following directions, book parts, note taking, time lines, using resources and test taking.

Resource: Reading: Traditions (Houghton Mifflin)

MATH

The Mathematics covers:
1. Arithmetic:
     a. place value an exponents
     b. numbers to one million
     c. addition ,subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers
     d. fractions and mixed numbers
     e. addition ,subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions
2. Geometry:
     a. polygons
     b. measurements
     c. symmetry
     d. angles
3. Algebra
     a. Perimeter and area
     b. Comparative relational thinking

Resource: Go Math! Florida (Level 4)

SPANISH

The reading portion of the program teaches children to use their thinking skills by comparing the experiences read to their own experiences. Students are exposed to silent reading as well as to group reading and to explaining in their own words the material read. Their vocabulary is expanded by the use of crossword puzzles. They are also exposed to stories (fiction and non-fiction) and legends, poetry and prose. The grammar portion covers a review of the skills previously learned plus intensive studies adjectives, verb conjugations, superlatives, comparatives, interpretation, articles, pronouns, accents, infinitives, clauses, prepositions and interjections.
Resource: Amsco, Curso Primero

SOCIAL STUDIES

This course is divided into 7 units
Unit 1. Our Land and People.
Unit 2. The Southeast.
Unit 3. The Northeast.
Unit 4. The Midwest.
Unit 5. The Southwest.
Unit 6. The West.
Unit 7. “One Nation, One Globe.

Resource: This is My Country (Houghton Mifflin)

SCIENCE

This science course is divided into 5 units.
Unit A: Earth Land.
Unit B: Properties of Matter.
Unit C: Classifying Living Things.
Unit D: Magnetism and Electricity.
Unit E: Weather and Climate.

Resource: Discovery Works, Level 4 (Houghton Mifflin)

FIFTH GRADE CURRICULUM

ENGLISH

The English course is divided into two main components. The first component which is grammar, covers the following:
1. common and proper nouns
2. singular and plural nouns
3. possessives and abbreviations
4. subject and object pronouns and their usage
5. possessive pronouns
6. contractions and homophones
7. adjectives when following linking verbs
8. comparisons and superlatives
9. prepositional phrases
10. synonyms and antonyms
11. adverbs
12. sentences with simple predicates and subjects
13. sentences with compound subjects and predicates
14. run on sentences and conjunction and interjections.
In the composition component, the five steps in the writing process are taught while covering, personal narratives, instruction letters, fables, short stories, descriptive writing, book reports and research reports.

Resource: Language Arts, Level 5 (McGraw Hill)

SPELLING/VOCABULARY

This book covers seven components:
1. Sound letter patterns teaching short and long vowel sounds, other sound single consonants, diagrams.
2. The word structure covers regular and irregular verbs and plurals, prefixes, suffixes, endings, word parts, roots, and comparatives.
3. The third module covers word meaning using synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and analogies.
4. Proofreading covers correcting misspelling, punctuation and grammar errors, and proofreading symbols.
5. The dictionary skill covers alphabetizing, syllables division, definitions, part of speech, stressed syllables and multiple meanings. The handwriting portion covers extensive cursive writing. In the composition module, the skills covered are mechanics, description, explanation, imaginative writing, letters, research and reporting.

Resource: Sadlier, Vocabulary Workshop (Level Blue)

READING

In Fifth grade reading, a complete view is done. In the previously learned skill, however, emphasis is made in the literature, students are taught to look for author crafts such as, repetition, rhythm, rhyme, humor, exaggeration, dialogues, flashbacks, formal and informal language. They are also exposed to different types of stories of literature such as, short stories, science fiction, journals, non-fictions, fables, legends, and interviews. In the language skills they learn about listening, speaking, oral rereading, and writing. The study and life skills are following directions, book parts, note taking, time lines, using resources and test taking.

Resource: Reading: Expeditions (Houghton Mifflin)

MATH

The Mathematics covers:
4. Arithmetic:
     f. place value an exponents
     g. numbers to ten billion
     h. addition ,subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers
     i. fractions and mixed numbers
     j. statistics
    k. percent
5. Geometry:
     e. polygons
     f. measurements
6. Algebra
     c. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of integers
    d. writing expressions
    e. equations
    f. inequalities

Resource: Go Math! Level 5

SPANISH

The reading portion of the program teaches children to use their thinking skills by comparing the experiences read to their own experiences. Students are exposed to silent reading as well as to group reading and to explaining in their own words the material read. Their vocabulary is expanded by the use of crossword puzzles. They are also exposed to stories (fiction and non-fiction) and legends, poetry and prose.

The grammar portion covers:

• extensive sentences structure
• simple and compound predicate and subject
• verb and their compliments
• verb tenses
• word families
• gender
• singular and plurals
• adjective and adverb phrases
• interpretative reading
• synonyms, antonyms
• pronouns and contraction

Resource: Amsco, Curso Segundo

SOCIAL STUDIES

This course is divided into 7 units
Unit 1. America’s Geography deals with the physical regions of the U.S. as well as the U.S. today
Unit 2. A New World teaches about the first Americans, the Spanish exploration and conquest and conquest and settlements in North America, and the colonies.
Unit 3. Forming a New Nation focuses on the road to war, independence, and the forming of a new government.
Unit 4. Growth of the New Nation teaches about the move to the West and expansion
Unit 5. The Nation Divides and Reunites deals with the Civil War.
Unit 6. The U.S. Expands teaches about industrialization, openings of frontiers and wars.
Unit 7. “The U.S. In a Changing World” teaches about our searches for constant peace, the struggle for equal rights and the changes in our federal government.

Resource: America Will Be (Houghton Mifflin)

SCIENCE

This science course is divided into 4 units.
Unit 1: “Life Science” deals with the growth of living things and how the growth is affected. It covers animals without backbones, sponges, arthropods, their characteristics and behavior. It deals with plant growth and adaptations. It teaches students about the 6 biomes and their respective plant and animal lives.
Unit 2: “Physical Science” teaches students about matter, the properties of elements, changes in matter, motion and forces, and electricity and magnetism.
Unit 3: “Earth Science” focuses on the weather and the atmosphere. It teaches weather observations and predicting skills. The unit deals with energy resources and pollution. In the last chapters of this unit, it deals with the Solar System.
Unit 4: “The Human Body” teaches the students about the Skeletal System, the Muscular System, the Nervous System, the Endocrine System, and how to keep them healthy.

Resource: Discovery Works Level 5 (Houghton Mifflin)

SIXTH GRADE CURRICULUM

ENGLISH

The English course is divided into composition and grammar. In the composition portion the five basic steps of composition writing are covered in descriptive writing, research and reports, persuasive essays, and story. The grammar portion of the course covers complete sentence structure, parts of sentences, run-on sentences, denotations and connotations. It covers prepositional phrases, adverb phrases and adjective phrases. It teaches subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns and their antecedents. It deals heavily in vocabulary skills as well as life skills.

Resource: Writing and Grammar Communication in Action, Copper Level

VOCABULARY

This book enriches the student’s vocabulary. It teaches how the meaning of the words change according to parts of the speech. It deals with antonyms and synonyms. It reinforces new words by use them in sentences.

Resource: Sadlier, Vocabulary Workshop, Level A

LITERATURE

At this reading level, the program deals heavily in reinforcing comprehension and thinking skills, literature language as well as study and life skills. In order to improve the thinking skills, students are taught to recall, analyze, synthesize, infer and evaluate. In the literature aspect, they are taught to monitor author crafts such as description, rhyme, rhythm, mood, tone, humor, and flashback. The types of literatures that are heavily dealt with are plays, myths, legends, folk tales, short stories, fiction, journals, diaries, speeches and interview. In the language aspects, they learn to speak, listen, write, and to orally reread. In the study life skills students are taught to make use of the resources.

Resources: The Witches by Roald Dahl
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

EARTH SCIENCE

This course is divided into 6 units:
Unit 1 deals with exploring the Universe. It deals with stars and galaxies, the solar system, and Earth and its Moon.
Unit 2 deals with the Planet Earth. It teaches about the atmosphere, oceans, landmasses, fresh water and the Earth’s interior.
Unit 3 teaches about the movements of the Earth’s crust, earthquakes and volcanoes, plate tectonics, rocks and minerals, weathering, soil formation, erosion and deposition.
Unit 4 focuses on the different components of the weather, climate changes and zones, and the land biomes of the U.S.
Unit 5 deals with the Earth’s history in fossils and rocks, the Geologic Time Scale, and evolution.
Unit 6 deals with the Earth’s natural resources and pollution

Resource: Earth Science (Prentice Hall)

U.S. HISTORY

The History book is divided into ten units. The following concepts are covered:
I. Beginning of our country, the first Americans, the opportunities of the New World and the English settlement.
II. Colonial society winning freedom, forming a Union, and the Constitution.
III. The testing of the new government, the growth of nationalism, and the Age of Jackson.
IV. Reform of the American society, rise of the industry, transportation and the changing of the population.
V. Slavery and politics.
VI. Rebuilding of the Nation.
VII. Expansion of America through the use of War, the effects and history leading up to World War I.
VIII. America in the twenties, Roosevelt and the New Deal, World War II.
IX. America’s growth during the post-war era, the Cold War, the fight for the Civil Rights, Nixon and the development of foreign policy through the Reagan years.
X. Reagan’s economic policy and discusses governmental policy through the Clinton years.

Resource: American Nation (Pentice Hall)

MATH

In this course the students learn:

• Place value
• Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and integers
• Introduction to solving equations and inequalities
• Statistics and probabilities
• Ratios, proportions, and percents
• Geometric figures

Resource: Middle School Math Course 1 (Foresman & Addison, Wesley)

WORLD GEOGRAPHY

This course is divided into 11 units.
The first 3 units are taught to 6th grade.
Unit 1 covers the study of geography, land climates and vegetation, population, and culture, and resources, and land use in general.
Unit 2 deals with the United States and Canada.
Unit 3 covers Latin America in general. It teaches about Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Brazil and other countries of South America.

Resource: World Geography, Building a Global Perspective (Prentice Hall)

SEVENTH GRADE CURRICULUM

ENGLISH

The English composition portion of this course covers the five basic skills of composition writing in personal narratives, new articles, descriptive writing, persuasive essay, book review, research report, letter, and short stories. The grammar portion covers parts of the sentences, sentence structure, kind of nouns, abbreviations, action verbs, linking verbs, main and helping verbs, past, present, and future tenses, progressive forms, irregular verbs, direct and indirect objects, transitive and intransitive verbs, predicate nominative and adjectives, using compliments, subject and object pronouns, antecedents, interrogative, demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns. It teaches adjectives, adjective phrases, adverb phrases, comparisons, word roots, conjunctions, interjections as well as independent as subordinate clauses, adverb clauses and adjective clauses.

Resource: Writing Grammar: Communication in Action Bronze Level (Prentice Hall)

PRE-ALGEBRA

The Pre-Algebra book provides the students with a strong base in mathematics skills, which enables them to have readiness for next level of course. This book is divided into 13 chapters, which covers the following:
1. Integers and Expressions
     a. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
     b. Evaluating Expressions
2. Solving equations
     a. Properties of operations
     b. Addition and subtraction equations
     c. Multiplication and division equations
     d. Writing equations
3. Decimals and Equations
     a. Estimating with decimals
     b. Addition and subtraction equations with decimals
     c. Multiplication and division equations with decimals
4. Number theory
     a. Exponents
     b. Scientific notation
     c. Prime factorization
5. Rational numbers and expressions
     a. Fractions
     b. Addition and subtraction equations with rational numbers
     c. Multiplication and division equations with rational numbers
6. Ratios, proportions, and Percent
7. Equations and inequalities
8. Graphing in the coordinate plane
     a. linear equations
     b. slopes and y-intercepts
     c. system of linear equations
     d. linear inequalities, solving and graphing linear inequalities
9. Geometry
     a. Angles
     b. Polygons
     c. Circles
     d. Perimeter and circumference
10. Area (surface area) and volume of
     a. rectangles
     b. circles
     c. triangles
     d. space figures
11. Right triangles in Algebra
     a. square roots
     b. trigonometric ratios
12. Statistics and probabilities
     a. mean, median, and mode
     b. counting principle
    c. probability
13. Polynomials
     a. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of polynomials

Resource: Pre-Algebra & Tools for a Challenging World (Prentice Hall)

VOCABULARY

This book enriches the student’s vocabulary. It teaches how the meaning of the words change according to parts of the speech. It deals with antonyms and synonyms. It reinforces new words through exercise.

Resource: Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Level B

LITERATURE

Throughout the Reading program. Students learn to improve their reading skills by working and achieving understanding of the following:

• Author’s craft (description, mood, tone, repetition, rhyme, rhythm, symbolism, irony)
• Genre’s (reality vs. fantasy, plays, myths, legends, fables, autobiographies vs. biographies, fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, historical fiction)

Language skills are improved by being attentive, critical, appreciative and informational. Oral presentations, group discussions, fluency and dramatization achieve the speaking portion. The written presentation such as reports and creative writing helps the writing portion of the program.

Resources:
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Alborn
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

This course is divided into 6 units
Unit 1 deals with the properties of matter, physical and chemical changes, mixtures, elements, and compounds, and the periodic table
Unit 2 deals with atoms, chemical reaction, chemical compounds, petrochemical technology, radioactive elements.
Unit 3 deals with motion, forces of nature and in fluids, work, power and simple machines, forms and charges.
Unit 4 deals with heat energy
Unit 5 deals with electric charges, currents, and magnetism
Unit 6 deals with sound waves, lights and its uses.

Resource: Physical Science (Prentice Hall)

CIVICS

This book is divided into 6 units
Unit 1 deals with government, citizenship, the beginning of our nation, the Constitution, and the rights and responsibilities of the government and people
Unit 2 teaches about policymaking, Congress, the Presidency, the Judicial System, and taxation.
Unit 3 focuses on the State and local governments, urban problems, and city planning and finding solutions.
Unit 4 explains to students the role of the media, public opinion, and how political parties are formed and function. It teaches also about the role that interest groups play and their influence
Unit 5 teaches students about economics and government. It deals with government business and labor as well as their regulations. It teaches about consumers, using budgets, credits, saving, and borrowing.
Unit 6 focuses on government and world affairs. It deals with the making foreign policy. It ends with the role of the United Nations and human rights.

Resource: Civics: Participating in Government (Prentice Hall)

SPANISH

The reading program has a dual purpose, to teach students to master their Spanish reading skills as well as learn more about the great Cuban patriot Jose Marti. The grammar portion of the program covers the history of the Spanish language, syllables, accents, sentence parts and structures, verb and subject agreement, reading interpretation, adjective and adverb.

Resource: Amsco, Spanish: Two Years (Nassi & Levy)

WORLD GEOGRAPHY

In this grade the next three units of the book is covered
Unit 4 deals with Western Europe, the British Isles, the Nordic Nations, Central Europe, Mediterranean Europe.
Unit 5 covers the countries of Eastern Europe.
Unit 6 focuses on Northern Eurasia, Russia, and other independent countries.

Resource: World Geography Building a Global Perspective (Prentice Hall)

EIGHTH GRADE CURRICULUM

ENGLISH

The English program is divided into two main segments. The composition segment is made up of the planning, composing, revising, proofreading, and presenting. These five skills are use in personal narratives, feature stories, letters, persuasive essays, descriptive writings, reviews, research reports, and short stories. In the grammar portion, subjects, predicates, simple as well as compound sentences, avoiding fragments and run-ons as well as dictionary and thesaurus skills are covered. In addition it shows the history of language while teaching how to use it in everyday life.

Resource: Writing and Grammar: Communication in Action Silver Level (Prentice Hall)

ALGEBRA I
This book deals with symbols of equality and inequality, areas and surface areas, absolute values, reciprocals, algebraic expressions, terms and distributive properties, exponents, power of negative numbers, product rules for exponents, greatest and least common denominator, fractions, solving multivariable equations. addition of abstract fractions, percents, polynomials, cylinders, cones, pyramids, prisms, square roots, trinomials, scientific notations, integers, factoring, factoring by group, quadratic formulas and probability.

Resource: Algebra I (Prentice Hall)

LIFE SCIENCE

This course is divided into 6 units
Unit 1 deals with the scientific method. It teaches about the nature of life, cells, tissues, and organs.
Unit 2 focuses on classification, viruses and monerans, protists, fungi, and plants with and without seeds.
Unit 3 teaches about sponges, worms, mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms, fish, and amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Unit 4 goes into human biology. It deals with the Skeletal, the Muscular, the Digestive, the Circulatory, the Respiratory, the Excretory, the Nervous, the Endocrine, the Reproduction, and Immune Systems. It also deals with Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs
Unit 5 deals with genetics, plant and animal breeding, and evolution.
Unit 6 focuses on the interaction among living things, cycles in Nature, the Earth biomes, and the conservation of living things

Resource: Life Science (Prentice Hall)

VOCABULARY

This book enriches the student’s vocabulary. It teaches how the meaning of the words change according to parts of the speech. It deals with antonyms and synonyms. It reinforces new by use them in sentences.

Resource: Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Level C

WORLD HISTORY

This book covers 9 units
Unit 1 covers early people of the Middle East India and China.
Unit 2 deals with Greece, Rome, and the rise of Christendom.
Unit 3 deals with the Byzantium, the rise of Islam, Western Europe, and the Medieval Society
Unit 4 focuses on India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Latin America, and Africa
Unit 5 deals with the journey into Modern Times. It focuses on the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Discovery, and the Age of Absolution.
Unit 6 deals with the French Revolution and Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna and its aftermath.
Unit 7 deals with the dominance of Europe, Nationalism people, money, and machine. It covers the Age of Democratic Reform, and imperialism in Africa and Asia.
Unit 8 teaches about WWI and its aftermath, dictatorships, WWII, and its aftermath.
Unit 9 deals with the world today. It covers Europe and the former Soviet Union, the Western Hemisphere, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Resource: World History: Connections to Today (Prentice Hall)

SPANISH

The reading portion of this book serves a dual purpose, to teach students about the Cuban private school system as well as practicing sound reading skills. The grammar portion covers a review of the skills previously learned plus intensive studies an adjectives, verb conjugations, superlatives, comparatives, interpretation, articles, pronouns, accents, infinitives, clauses, prepositions and interjections.

Resource: Amsco Spanish: Three Years

LITERATURE

Students will continue to develop their reading and analytical skills through the use of age appropriate novels that incorporate the required elements of literature and are engaging for students to read. Writing skills are further developed with essays and projects that also allow for creative expression. Theater is introduced as a new genre of study.

Resources: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
For One More Day by Mitch Albom
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

WORLD GEOGRAPHY

In this grade the last 5 units of the book were covered.
Unit 7 deals with the Middle East and North Africa.
Unit 8 covers Africa South of the Sahara, West and Central Africa, and East and Southern Africa.
Unit 9 focuses on the countries of South Asia.
Unit 10 deals with East Asia, China, Japan, Korea, and South Asia.
Unit 11 covers Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica

Resource: World Geography Building a Global Perspective (Prentice Hall)