Richland Curriculum
Gull Lake Community Schools, Richland and Kellogg Elementary's have aligned curriculum their with national standards. You may click on the following links to understand the individual content areas that will be addressed throughout the school year. If you have further questions please contact your child's teacher or the Richland office at 269-548-3900.
- Course Catalog
- Young 5's Course Offerings
- Kindergarten Course Offerings
- 1st Grade Course Offerings
- 2nd Grade Course Offerings
Course Catalog
Young 5's Course Offerings
OVERVIEW
Young Fives is a program designed for our younger students to provide opportunities for guided growth before experiencing Kindergarten. This is a full day, five days per week program with smaller class sizes. Students have opportunities to learn through play, experience small and large group interactions with peers to develop social emotional skills, and gain exposure to academic curriculum to help develop literacy and math skills.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Students engage in literacy through the use of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. When speaking and listening, students use appropriate voice volume and follow directions. Reading skills include recognizing and identifying letters of the alphabet, answering questions from read alouds, producing letter sounds, developing print concepts, retelling a story, and participating in phonics, rhyming, and sequencing activities. Writing skills include participating in shared and independent writing experiences, using a picture to tell a story, dictating a complete thought, brainstorming ideas, and using writing tools.
MATHEMATICS
Math concepts include identifying and describing shapes, identifying positions of objects in space (beside, inside, next to, close to, above, below, behind, apart, etc.), comparing sizes of objects, counting to 50 by ones, counting to 100 by tens, writing numbers from 0-10, demonstrating 1:1 counting upto 10, and adding or subtracting within 5 using manipulatives.
SCIENCE
Students explore science concepts through inquiry and hands-on activities.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students are engaged in lessons pertaining to social emotional learning and includes topics such as problem-solving, stewardship and leadership, kindness and thinking outside of themselves, and responsibility.
ART
The elementary art program provides a hands-on experience in producing art, enhanced by the integration of art history, art criticism and aesthetic critiques. Kindergarten art introduces a variety of concepts and ideas. Students learn art vocabulary and procedures during the creative process that helps describe and talk about their work.
MUSIC
In elementary music classes, students learn music experientially through singing, movement and basic rhythmic and melodic instruments. Students will be exposed to other cultures and languages throughout the year.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education helps students develop the knowledge, fitness levels, motor skills, and personal and social skills to obtain the goal of a lifetime of physical activity and health. At the Young Fives through 2nd Grade levels, the focus is on body awareness, spatial awareness, locomotor movements, educational gymnastics, dribbling, kicking, volleying, throwing and catching, physical fitness, creative movement, and sport stacking.
SPANISH
Students learn to read, write, speak, and listen to introductory Spanish vocabulary and also explore Spanish-speaking cultures around the world.
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW) SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATH (STEAM)
Students are immersed in energized, hands-on activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the real world.
They experience integrated learning that blends computer science, engineering, science, and apply their math and English Language Arts (ELA) across disciplines.
GULL LAKE VIRTUAL PARTNERSHIP
The Gull Lake Virtual Partnership is a program of Gull Lake Community Schools and is available to all students residing within Kalamazoo County and all school districts that are contiguous to Kalamazoo County. All classes in the traditional school, Gull Lake Virtual Partnership and Gateway Academy are available to all students enrolled in Gull Lake Schools.
Gull Lake Virtual Partnership Course Catalog
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
All Young Fives students will be assessed using a variety of grade level, district and state assessments. Academic progress is shared through report cards and discussed at conferences.
Kindergarten Course Offerings
OVERVIEW
Kindergarten is a wonderful time of exploration where students learn and develop in the areas of academic skills, social awareness and emotional growth. Students have opportunities to learn through play, participate in individual and small group activities and interact with other children to help develop strong social/emotional skills and positive self-esteem.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Students engage in literacy through the use of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. When speaking and listening, students speak in complete sentences, retell stories, and use age-appropriate vocabulary. Reading skills include identifying parts of a book, working from left to right, recognizing basic sight words, demonstrating sound, syllables and spoken words. Writing skills include forming legible letters, recognizing and using lowercase and uppercase letters and their sounds when writing to convey meaning, and dictating stories. Students are introduced to the three writing genres of personal narrative, informational, and opinion.
MATHEMATICS
Math concepts include identifying and describing shapes, comparing the lengths and weights of two objects, counting by 100 by 10s and 1s, demonstrating one-to-one correspondence, fluently adding and subtracting within 5, and adding and subtracting within 10 using manipulatives.
SCIENCE
Students explore the following units: Weather and Climate, Living Things, and Motions: Pushes and Pulls, Lessons are taught using inquiry and hands-on activities.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students are engaged in lessons that relate to the following concepts: communities, current events, holiday celebrations, multicultural studies, families and traditions, and self-awareness.
ART
The elementary art program provides a hands-on experience in producing art, enhanced by the integration of art history, art criticism and aesthetic critiques. Kindergarten art introduces a variety of concepts and ideas. Students learn art vocabulary and procedures during the creative process that helps describe and talk about their work.
MUSIC
In elementary music classes, students learn music experientially through singing, movement and basic rhythmic and melodic instruments. Students will be exposed to other cultures and languages throughout the year.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education helps students develop the knowledge, fitness levels, motor skills, and personal and social skills to obtain the goal of a lifetime of physical activity and health. At the Young Fives through 2nd Grade levels, the focus is on body awareness, spatial awareness, locomotor movements, educational gymnastics, dribbling, kicking, volleying, throwing and catching, physical fitness, creative movement, and sport stacking.
SPANISH
Students learn to read, write, speak, and listen to introductory Spanish vocabulary and also explore Spanish-speaking cultures around the world.
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW) SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATH (STEAM)
Students are immersed in energized, hands-on activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the real world.
They experience integrated learning that blends computer science, engineering, science, and apply their math and English Language Arts (ELA) across disciplines.
GULL LAKE VIRTUAL PARTNERSHIP
The Gull Lake Virtual Partnership is a program of Gull Lake Community Schools and is available to all students residing within Kalamazoo County and all school districts that are contiguous to Kalamazoo County. All classes in the traditional school, Gull Lake Virtual Partnership and Gateway Academy are available to all students enrolled in Gull Lake Schools.
Gull Lake Virtual Partnership Course Catalog
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
All Kindergarten students will be assessed using a variety of grade level, district and state assessments. Academic progress is shared through report cards and discussed at conferences.
1st Grade Course Offerings
OVERVIEW
First grade is an amazing year to see educational, physical, and social growth! Students have opportunities to make choices, work independently, and engage in small and large group activities.
LANGUAGE ARTS
First grade is a time when reading blooms for the students. They work on phonemic awareness activities, specific phonics instruction and comprehension skills. First graders go from reading readiness to active readers. Students continue to work on the three genres of writing: narrative, informational, and opinion. Creating pieces of writing with good leads, details, and endings are the main focus along with some mechanics such as ending marks and spelling.
MATHEMATICS
First grade students work on fluently adding and subtracting facts thru 10, place value concepts, and solving word problems and missing partner equations. They further explore shapes, including combining them to make new shapes. Non-standard units of measurement as well as time and fraction concepts are also introduced.
SCIENCE
Students explore the following units: Waves: Light and Sound; Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles; Life Science: Plants and Animal Traits-Structure, Function and Information.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students are engaged in lessons that relate to the following concepts: communities, current events, holiday celebrations, families and traditions, school rules, maps, long ago and today.
ART
The elementary art program provides a hands-on experience in producing art, enhanced by the integration of art history, art criticism and aesthetic critiques. Kindergarten art introduces a variety of concepts and ideas. Students learn art vocabulary and procedures during the creative process that helps describe and talk about their work.
MUSIC
In elementary music classes, students learn music experientially through singing, movement and basic rhythmic and melodic instruments. Students will be exposed to other cultures and languages throughout the year.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education helps students develop the knowledge, fitness levels, motor skills, and personal and social skills to obtain the goal of a lifetime of physical activity and health. At the Young Fives through 2nd Grade levels, the focus is on body awareness, spatial awareness, locomotor movements, educational gymnastics, dribbling, kicking, volleying, throwing and catching, physical fitness, creative movement, and sport stacking.
SPANISH
Students learn to read, write, speak, and listen to introductory Spanish vocabulary and also explore Spanish-speaking cultures around the world.
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW) SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATH (STEAM)
Students are immersed in energized, hands-on activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the real world.
They experience integrated learning that blends computer science, engineering, science, and apply their math and English Language Arts (ELA) across disciplines.
GULL LAKE VIRTUAL PARTNERSHIP
The Gull Lake Virtual Partnership is a program of Gull Lake Community Schools and is available to all students residing within Kalamazoo County and all school districts that are contiguous to Kalamazoo County. All classes in the traditional school, Gull Lake Virtual Partnership and Gateway Academy are available to all students enrolled in Gull Lake Schools.
Gull Lake Virtual Partnership Course Catalog
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
All first grade students will be assessed using a variety of grade level, district and state assessments. Academic progress is shared through report cards and discussed at conferences.
2nd Grade Course Offerings
OVERVIEW
Second grade incorporates engaging and creative lessons that include technology and hands-on activities which promote teamwork and reaching all learners. Curriculum focuses on mastery and continuous practice of both new and previously taught skills. The goal for 2nd grade is to take students' skill sets to the next level in the most engaging way possible, while fostering their social and emotional growth as a student.
LANGUAGE ARTS
English Language Arts focuses on reading for meaning, understanding and applying decoding skills, and mastering both fluency and expression. Students learn skills and strategies to improve comprehension. Second graders write personal narratives, work on writing their opinions, and researching and writing informational pieces. In addition to writing across the genres, students study grammar skills, write complete and compound sentences, and develop strong leads and endings for their writing pieces. They also study spelling words with letter patterns and are expected to apply the words in their writing.
MATHEMATICS
Foundational skills include mastery of addition and subtraction fluency with sums and differences to 20, and understanding of place value to 1,000. Using the foundational skills, students work on story problems, as well as addition and subtraction of two- and three-digit numbers with new groups and ungrouping. Students also work with measurement, time, and counting money.
SCIENCE
Students explore the following units: A Plant's Life, Changing Earth, Today and Over Time, and Structures and Properties of Matter, Science lessons are delivered through hands-on inquiry-based learning, observation, and design of investigations.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Social studies concepts include developing a classroom community, digital citizenship, mapping, and the study of current events and how they relate to us.
ART
The elementary art program provides a hands-on experience in producing art, enhanced by the integration of art history, art criticism and aesthetic critiques. Kindergarten art introduces a variety of concepts and ideas. Students learn art vocabulary and procedures during the creative process that helps describe and talk about their work.
MUSIC
In elementary music classes, students learn music experientially through singing, movement and basic rhythmic and melodic instruments. Students will be exposed to other cultures and languages throughout the year.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education helps students develop the knowledge, fitness levels, motor skills, and personal and social skills to obtain the goal of a lifetime of physical activity and health. At the Young Fives through 2nd Grade levels, the focus is on body awareness, spatial awareness, locomotor movements, educational gymnastics, dribbling, kicking, volleying, throwing and catching, physical fitness, creative movement, and sport stacking.
SPANISH
Students learn to read, write, speak, and listen to introductory Spanish vocabulary and also explore Spanish-speaking cultures around the world.
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW) SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ARTS, AND MATH (STEAM)
Students are immersed in energized, hands-on activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the real world.
They experience integrated learning that blends computer science, engineering, science, and apply their math and English Language Arts (ELA) across disciplines.
GULL LAKE VIRTUAL PARTNERSHIP
The Gull Lake Virtual Partnership is a program of Gull Lake Community Schools and is available to all students residing within Kalamazoo County and all school districts that are contiguous to Kalamazoo County. All classes in the traditional school, Gull Lake Virtual Partnership and Gateway Academy are available to all students enrolled in Gull Lake Schools.
Gull Lake Virtual Partnership Course Catalog
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
All second grade students will be assessed using a variety of grade level, district and state assessments. Academic progress is shared through report cards and discussed at conferences.
