Curriculum for Specialists
ART
Art is a required course of study for students kindergarten through fifth grade. The program is organized around units that provide the students with knowledge building experiences using the elements and genres of art. Learning is enhanced by the hands of manipulation of basic 2-D and 3-D art materials.
COMPUTER (INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION)
The computer education program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop an appreciation for the capabilities of computers and to develop skills in the use of computers.
In Kindergarten through grade five, students participate in three major types of computer activities. Students have an opportunity to use computer-assisted instructional software to learn curriculum-related mathematics, science, social studies, language arts and other concepts. Students also use a word processor to facilitate their writing activities. IN addition, students use the computer for problem-solving activities by writing programs in a computer language or working on introductory multimedia projects.
MUSIC
Music education at Morley nurtures each student’Äôs innate musical abilities and potentials through a sequential development of music skills. It also furnishes challenging, enjoyable and creative musical experiences that will expand each student’Äôs personal identity and enrich his or her present and future life.
In all grades at Morley, general music is taught by general music specialists. Chorus supplements classroom instruction for grades four and five. Instrumental music instruction on band and orchestra instruments is, also, begun at the fourth or fifth grades.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education is an integral part of the educational process for all students. It provides for the achievement of educational goals through movement activities. Students participate in a comprehensive, progressive program of physical activity taught by a specialist. This sequential program contributes to the total development of students and promotes health, active life-styles.
The unique contribution of the physical education is the part it plays in the students’Äô physical development. Since individual function as whole beings, the program also addresses other aspects of development, including intellectual, social, and emotional.
In Kindergarten through Grade Three students participate in physical activities which help them learn to manage and control their bodies in a variety of situations. These movement experiences include large muscle activities such as running, skipping climbing, rolling, throwing, catching and kicking. Opportunities are provided for learning and practicing social skills and intellectual skills in a physically active setting and in a manner appropriate to the child’Äôs development level.
In Grades four and five, body management skills are refined as children mature. Participation in activities in the areas of games, sports, physical fitness, dance and gymnastics provides opportunities for students to practice a variety of physical skills. Guided instruction allows children to improve skills in a supportive environment. Acceptable social behavior is encouraged through group participation.
SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM
The Library Media Program at Morley is essential to teaching and learning and to achieving educational excellence. The library media program encompasses all the print and nonprint resources, activities and services needed in schools to support the curriculum. It is the learning laboratory where students and staff have physical and intellectual access to ideas and information that are essential for the teaching and learning process.
In Morley’Äôs library media center, students acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to be lifelong learners and effective, independent users of information. Using the K-13 LPS Guide to Integrated Information Literacy skills, teachers and library media specialists help students to better understand the curriculum content introduced in the classroom and to answer questions that emerge from their own natural curiosity about the world.
Information that is supplied in our center, meets individual learning needs by being developmentally appropriate for students at all levels. It is available in a variety of learning formats, such as books, videos, audiocassettes and pictures. Technology provides exciting, multimedia access to electronic information in the library media center and in resources located outside the school via the Internet.
Morley is staffed by a library media specialist who is also a teacher, information specialist and instructional curriculum specialist. The library media program is jointly delivered by the library media specialist and teachers who collaborate as teaching partners to integrate resources into the curriculum. Through flexible scheduling, all Morley students and staff have daily access to the library media center and all its resources and services.