Back-to-school in Hartford Public Schools now includes a new customized science program for first- and second-graders. The new curriculum, developed with the education and technology company Pearson, aligns to state standards, incorporates locally developed content, and meets the academic priorities identified by the school district.
“I believe very strongly that our instructional resources should match exactly what our district considers important in terms of what students are learning. That’s why I worked with my teachers and Pearson to make a unique program available to Hartford’s students that utilizes Pearson’s content and our home-grown resources to fit our needs,” said Dr. Sandra Inga, District Director for K-12 Science.
The curriculum is derived from the Scott Foresman Diamond Edition elementary science series, but is streamlined and organized to meet the precise curriculum covered in Hartford.
Dr. Inga added, “It’s really crucial from my standpoint to have what’s important in Connecticut -- what we feel is important for our students to learn -- represented in their instructional materials. The custom edition allows us to do that.”
For example, the science curriculum integrates the district’s unique literacy strategies created by Hartford’s Literacy Director, Dr. Beryl Bailey. By adding these strategies into the framework of the program, first- and second-graders will be able to reinforce their reading and writing skills while learning in the science classroom.
Dr. Inga noted that the new curriculum also will help teachers focus clearly on the priority concepts that all students should know at the end of a given grade level. “For teachers, Hartford’s customized science program really pinpoints what they should be teaching and gives them strategies for making the content accessible to students.”
“This project has been a great joint venture with the Hartford teachers," said Pearson’s Connecticut representative Mike Parent. "We’ve created a program that makes science more meaningful to young students by incorporating Connecticut-specific information and by offering multimedia learning activities.”
