Introduction to the Elementary School’s Curriculum At A Glance
At ACS Athens Elementary School, students build the necessary skillsets for the years ahead. The elementary curriculum is based on interdisciplinary methods and materials supported and guided by the U.S. State Board of Education. At the heart of the interdisciplinary method is literacy, which is woven throughout all subject areas, such as in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, including conceptual connections to Mathematics.
Language Arts - The Elementary School Language Arts curriculum is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts, which establish rigorous, research-based expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language strands that are closely connected and mutually reinforcing. Our program reflects this integrated vision alongside a commitment to structured literacy: foundational skills including phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency are taught explicitly and systematically, while comprehension, writing, and language work develop alongside them. Students engage with a wide range of literary and informational texts, apply reading strategies, write for varied purposes and audiences, participate in collaborative discussions, and build vocabulary and language conventions across grades. Instruction emphasizes critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and effective communication, supported by carefully selected programs and resources. Our classroom libraries, Elementary School Library, and digital literacy resources further expand students' access to diverse texts nurturing each student as a curious, confident reader, writer, and lifelong learner.
Mathematics - The curriculum structure is provided by the AERO Standards. Students learn the importance of both conceptual understanding and procedural methods through a variety of materials and programs. AERO explains that “most problems that students will encounter in the real world are multi-step or process problems. For example, ACS Athens’ unique Dogs in Learning Program, provides students with ample real-life problem-solving opportunities to apply recently learned mathematical strategies.
Science - The Science curriculum is guided by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Every NGSS standard has three dimensions: disciplinary core ideas (content), scientific and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. The aim of the Elementary School Science Program is for the students to be scientifically literate and to be knowledgeable about the important concepts and theories of the three main branches of scientific study: earth, life and physical sciences.
Social Studies - The Elementary Social Studies curriculum is guided by the AERO (American Education Reaches Out) Social Studies Standards, which promote inquiry, critical thinking, and global understanding. In the primary years (K-2), students develop an understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world around them. They explore concepts of past and present, learn how people cooperate and resolve conflicts, and begin using maps and geographic tools to understand places and environments. Students examine culture, identity, citizenship, leadership, and community responsibilities while learning basic economic concepts such as needs, wants, goods, and services. Through stories, inquiry, and real-world connections, they build foundational skills for understanding how people, places, and societies are connected. In the upper elementary years (3-5), students deepen their understanding of history, geography, culture, government, economics, and the impact of science and technology on society. They investigate how people, events, and ideas shape communities and nations over time; explore global connections, trade, migration, and cultural diversity; and examine rights, responsibilities, and systems of
government. Through the use of primary and secondary sources, students develop critical thinking skills as they analyze cause-and-effect relationships, compare perspectives, and better understand their role as informed and responsible global citizens.
Kindergarten Language Arts Curriculum at a Glance
Reading Kindergartners build foundational literacy skills including print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency through emergent reading experiences With prompting and support, they ask and answer questions about key details, retell familiar stories, identify story elements, and engage with both literary and informational texts. Students use illustrations to deepen understanding, explore different text types, and actively participate in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Selected CCSS Anchor Standards
• RF.K.1 / RF.K.2 – Demonstrate understanding of print concepts and spoken words, syllables, and sounds.
• RF.K.3 / RF.K.4 – Apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills; read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
• RL.K.1 / RI.K.1 – With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
• RL.K.2 – With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
• RL.K.3 – With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
• RI.K.2 – With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Writing Students use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion, informative/explanatory, and narrative pieces With guidance from adults, they respond to feedback, add details to strengthen their writing, and explore digital tools to produce and publish. Students participate in shared research and writing projects and recall or gather information from experiences and provided sources to answer questions.
Selected CCSS Anchor Standards
• W.K.1 – Use drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces stating a topic and preference.
• W.K.2 – Use drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts naming a topic and supplying information.
• W.K.3 – Use drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or loosely linked events in order.
• W.K.5 – With guidance, respond to questions and suggestions and add details to strengthen writing.
• W.K.6 – With guidance, explore digital tools to produce and publish writing in collaboration with peers.
• W.K.7 – Participate in shared research and writing projects.
Speaking & Listening Students participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts. They confirm understanding by asking and answering questions, describe familiar people, places, things, and events with detail, and enhance their communication through drawings and visual displays. Students speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Selected CCSS Anchor Standards
• SL.K.1 – Participate in collaborative conversations about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults.
• SL.K.2 – Confirm understanding of a text read aloud by asking and answering questions about key details.
• SL.K.3 – Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify something not understood.
• SL.K.4 – Describe familiar people, places, things, and events with prompting and support.
• SL.K.5 – Add drawings or visual displays to descriptions to provide additional detail.
• SL.K.6 – Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Language Students demonstrate command of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling at the kindergarten level. They use strategies to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words, explore word relationships and nuances with adult support, and build vocabulary through conversations, reading, and responding to texts.
Selected CCSS Anchor Standards
• L.K.1 – Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• L.K.2 – Demonstrate command of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
• L.K.4 – Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words based on kindergarten reading and content.
• L.K.5 – With guidance, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
• L.K.6 – Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading, and responding to texts.
• RL.K.10 / RI.K.10 – Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
• W.K.8 – With guidance, recall or gather information from experiences or provided sources to answer a question.
Kindergarten Math Curriculum at a Glance
PROBLEM
SOLVING
Students will be able to:
● Identify questions to be answered when solving a problem
● Identify what is known and unknown in a problem and recognize when information is missing
● Choose from a variety of problem-so lving strategies such as drawing pictures, manipulatin g objects, using
Process Content
REASONING AND PROOF
COMMUNICATION AND REPRESENTATION
CONNECTIONS
Students will be able to:
● Draw logical conclusio ns about math problems
● Discuss the steps used to solve a math problem
● Justify and explain the solutions using physical models
Students will be able to:
● Use inquiry techniques to solve mathematical problems
● Use physical materials, models, pictures, or writing to represent and communicate mathematical ideas
● Identify and translate key words and phrases that imply mathematical operations
● Explain what they did to solve a problem
Students will be able to:
● Apply math thinking and modeling to solve problems that arise in other discipline s, such as rhythm in music and motion in science
● Identify math used in everyday life
COUNTING AND CARDINALITY
Students will be able to:
● When counting objects, say the number names in order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object
● Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.
● Understand that each successive number name refers to quantity that is one larger
● Count to answer “how many?”
● Identify whether one group of objects is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group
● Compare two numbers
NUMBERS AND OPERATIONS In BASE TEN MEASUREMENT AND DATA
Students will be able to:
● Make or break apart numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some more ones Use objects or drawings, and record each with an equation (e.g., 18 = 10+ 8)
Students will be able to:
● Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight
● Compare two objects with a common measurable attribute to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter
● Organize objects into categories; count the numbers of
OPERATIONS AND ALGEBRAIC THINKING GEOMETRY
Students will be able to:
● Represent addition and subtraction in many ways
● Solve addition and subtraction word problems within 10
● Break apart numbers into pairs in more than one way (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3, 5 = 4 + 1, and 5 = 5+ 0)
● Find the number that makes 10 when added to a given number (e.g. If you have 6, what number is needed to make 10?)
● Fluently add and subtract within 5
Students will be able to:
● Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and tell positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to
● Correctly name shapes regardless of their size or orientation
● Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, “flat”) or three-- dimensional (“solid”)
● Compare two-- and three-dimensional shapes describing their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices/“corners”)
numbers, or acting out the situation
between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals
objects in each category ● Model shapes in the world by building and drawing shapes ● Put together simple shapes to form larger shapes
Kindergarten
Science Curriculum at a Glance
Students in kindergarten engage in interdisciplinary thematic units of study in both science and social studies. The focus of these units is on building understanding and vocabulary in the content area, and understanding the relationships and connections to everyday life and the world around us.
Forces and Interactions: Pushes and Pulls (Physical Science)
Students will be able to:
● Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object
● Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull
● After completing the Pushes and Pulls unit, kindergarten students can identify pushes and pulls, investigate how forces affect the movement of objects, compare the effects of different strengths and directions of forces, and use observations as evidence to explain changes in motion
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants and Their Environment (Life Science)
Students will be able to:
● Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive
● Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs
● Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live
● Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment
● After completing the Plants and Animals unit, kindergarten students can identify the needs of plants and animals, describe how living things grow and change, recognize that organisms live in habitats that meet their needs, and communicate observations about the living world
Weather and Climate (Earth Science)
Students will be able to:
● Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time
● Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather
● Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface
● Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area
● After completing the weather unit, kindergarten students can observe, describe, record, and communicate daily weather conditions, recognize simple weather patterns, and explain how weather influences people's everyday choices
Kindergarten
Social Studies at a Glance
Students in kindergarten will engage in learning about themselves, their families, and their communities as they explore themes about the past and present, cooperation, culture, citizenship, and the world around them through stories, discussions, and hands-on experiences.
My Community and the Helpers in it
Students will be able to:
●5.2a Identify connections between who they are as a person and their place in the world
●5.2c Recognize that individual people are part of a group.
●5.2e Explain why people live in social groups (families, communities, nation).
●4.2b Describe how people in different types of institutions and organizations (families, schools, etc.) interact with each other
●6.2d Describe the impact of families and schools on their lives
My World begins with Me
Students will be able to:
● 6.2a Identify and explain rights and responsibilities of the individual in relation to his or her social group, including the characteristics of good citizens
● 6.2b Identify sources and purposes of authority in various settings (e.g., mayor, principal, teacher).
● 6.2d Describe the impact of families and schools on their lives.
● 2.2a Give examples of conflict and cooperation among individuals and groups.
● 2.2b Identify and describe factors that contribute to cooperation and factors that may cause conflict
● 2.2c Identify that some ways of dealing with disagreements work better than others
● 5.2e Explain why people live in social groups.
Different Places, One World
Students will be able to:
● 3.2b Explain the concept of location.
● 3.2c Use maps, graphs, tables, and diagrams to read and display geographic information.
● 1.2a Identify stories about past events, people, places, or situations.
● 4.2b Describe how people in different types of institutions and organizations interact with each other.
● 7.2a Distinguish between needs and wants.
● 8.2a Distinguish between "tool" and "technique."
Kindergarten
Specialist Classes Curriculum at a Glance
Students in grades K-5 develop competencies in demonstrating knowledge and understanding of forms, styles, ideas, and functions of art and applying skills, techniques, media, and processes to create and present art. They also use the language of art to critique, assess, analyze, and communicate and make connections between art and other disciplines, personal experience, world history, and cultures.
Students will be able to:
● Identify and explore the elements of art, including line, shape and form, color, value, and texture
● Understand that art can convey ideas and serve different functions
● Use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner
● Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories
● Use a variety of materials and media and demonstrate an understanding of how to produce various visual effects
● Use their senses to make observations about works of art. Describe what they see in a work of art
● Classify artworks into general categories, such as painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture, pottery, textiles, architecture,
Students will be able to:
● Begin to identify low and high pitch, loud and soft dynamics, and fast and slow tempo
● Begin to develop the ability to follow/match tempo
● Sing from memory and variety of songs
● Begin to develop the ability to match dynamic levels
● Respond to cues from conductor,
● Maintain a steady tempo with the help of musical accompaniment
● Follow call and response
● Begin to control how sounds can be made louder, quieter, faster, and slower
● Identify different ways sounds can be made
● Begin to develop an understanding of timbre
● Recognize and use changes in timbre, tempo, and dynamics,
● Use untuned percussion instruments
● Begin to develop an understanding of rhythms
● Respond physically to music
● Use actions whilst singing
● Choose and order sounds to achieve an effect/image
● Compose and perform simple effects /rhythms
● Read graphic notation,
● Recognize rhythmic patterns
● Talk about music (dynamics, tempo, rhythm, instrumentation, etc.) within an aural example and/or a class
Students will be able to:
● Perform loco--motor and non/loco--motor moves to verbal and non/verbal cues
● Move, stop and start on signal, change direction, level, speed and pathway
● Maintain balance in a variety of positions
● Skip
● Roll a ball underhand
● Throw a ball overhand and underhand
● Catch a bounced ball
● Kick a stationary bal
● Keep balloons in the air using different body parts
● Mirror movement of a leader or partner
● Move on, over, under and around equipment in a variety of ways
● Transfer weight by rocking and rolling on curved body surfaces
● Perform movements in flight: hop, jump and leap
● Jump over a self/ turned rope or a rope turned by others
● Move with self/ control, avoiding collisions.
● Identify body parts
● State rules for safe use of equipment
● Use correct terms to describe equipment
● Demonstrate knowledge of movement vocabulary (i.e. roll, dodge)
● Understand the meaning of the term “best effort”
● Participate in a variety of loco--motor and non/loco--motor activities during
At this level, students develop competencies in Mouse and Keyboard use, Graphics, Word processing, Content area reinforcement (reading and writing), and Simulations.
Students will be able to:
● Use a mouse to click and double click
● Access programs
● Use directional prompts for beginner coding skills
● Use simple drawing tools
● Use simple text tools
● Use programs for reinforcement of subject area content in science, and reading
Students will be able to:
● Be exposed to pre--writing and pre--reading skills in Greek
● Comprehend common expressions and structures used in everyday situations as spoken by teachers and native speakers accustomed to dealing with language learners
● Participate in limited oral exchanges on familiar topics to develop proficiency in the target language
photography and film
● Use basic art concepts and vocabulary when making observations about art
● Identify the elements of art in the work
● Describe similarities and differences in works
● Use basic art concepts and vocabulary when communicating ideas and feelings about work
• Present personal responses to subject matter, materials, techniques and use of design elements in artworks
● Using vocabulary learned in class, critique their own work
● Identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines
● Recognize that all cultures produce art and can identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places
● Create art based on personal observation and experience
performance, using some music vocabulary
● Use brainstormed criteria and appropriate terminology to evaluate the quality of a composition or performance recess
● Identify activities that are active and inactive
● Explore self and general space in a variety of ways
● Perform basic loco--motor skills without tiring quickly
● Participate in vigorous physical activity in physical education class
● Travel on, over, under apparatus with increasing control
● Work independently and safely in self and shared space
● Stop on the signal and keep equipment still
● Demonstrate cooperation with a partner
● Enjoy participating in physical activity
● Try new movement tasks (i.e., log roll)
● Continue to participate when not successful on the first try
● Identify physical activities that they consider to be fun
