Kyrene Instructional Minutes for Kindergarten – Fifth Grade

(Updated April 2015)

Purpose

provide teachers with information about the revised weekly instructional minutes for kindergarten through fifth grade students.

Key Characteristics to support student achievement

strategic use of instructional time

integration of content areas

Model

promotes growth in developing teachers’ abilities to integrate multiple content areas into ELA and Math

creates flexibility in the overall schedule

Content Area M/T/TH/F Wednesday WeeklyDevelopmental Reading

*50% informational text,integration of Social Studies/Science/Health

*50% literary text

90 minutes 90 minutes 450 minutes

Developmental Reading IFG 30 minutes

 

  120 minutes

Language Arts

* writing instruction

*integration of literary and informational text

30 minutes 30 minutes 190 minutes

Mathematics 60 minutes 60 minutes 300 minutesMath IFG 30 minutes   120 minutesExtended Learning Experiences

*Science Labs

* S.S

*Health

 

30 minutes   * Project Based Learning

* Extended math instruction

*S.T.E.M

 

 

Recess (optional) 15 minutes    Music 45 minutes   45 minutesArt   45 minutesPhysical Education   45 minutesLibrary   45 minutes

PRIMARY GRADES (K-3)

Content Area M/T/TH/F

 

Wednesday Weekly

Developmental Reading

*50% informational text,integration of Social Studies/Science/Health

*50% literary text

60 minutes 60 minutes 300 minutes

Developmental Reading IFG 30 minutes

 

  120 minutes

Language Arts

* writing instruction

*integration of literary and informational text

60 minutes 50 minutes 290 minutes

Mathematics 60 minutes 60 minutes 300 minutesMath IFG 30 minutes   120 minutesExtended Learning Experiences

* Project Based Learning

* Extended math instruction

*S.T.E.M

30 minutes   * Science Labs

* S.S and Health

 

Recess (optional) 15    Music 45 minutes   45 minutesArt   45 minutesPhysical Education   45 minutesLibrary   45 minutes

INTERMEDIATE GRADES (4-5)

K-5 Recommendations to instructional minutes

All students are engaged in core instruction.

Planning for instruction should happen as a collaborative team.

K-3 only

Reading instruction for grades K-3 should be a minimum of 90 minutes.

60 minutes must be an uninterrupted block of time.

The additional 30 minutes of core reading instruction can be scheduled at another time during the day.

Flexibility will be given to kindergarten scheduling.

Kindergarten uninterrupted blocks can be shorter in length while still maintaining the number of instructional minutes identified for core areas.

K-5 ELA

Speaking and listening standards should be embedded into all content standards

50% of reading instruction should be split between literary and informational text. The informational & literary text component is a source for writing during the writing block.

Writing instruction should be planned and explicit based on grade-level standards.

Social Studies, Science and Health standards can be integrated with the ELA standards and taught during core reading and writing minutes.

This can be done through a year long integration map or stand alone as separate units of instruction.

K-5 Social Studies, Science, and Health

Social Studies, Science, and Health cannot be solely integrated into the Reading and Language Arts blocks and will require stand alone time to meet all grade level standards.

K-5 Extended Learning Experiences

Extended Learning Experiences consist of learning experiences that:

incorporate science, social studies, and health standards through Project Based Learning, STEM, and STEAM as well as providing Extended math instruction.

Teachers may exercise flexibility into the schedule based on:

data driven student needs or based on concepts that would benefit from further exploration, deepening student understanding.

K-5 IFG

IFG will support the implementation of structured levels of intervention and support for students (RTI).

IFG is not additional minutes of core content instruction.

A master schedule that includes time for differentiated instructional groups is essential.

Instructional Focus Groups (IFG) are developed to support instruction of students at all levels – at risk, progressing, on grade level, above grade level, and gifted.

IFG grouping is data driven and supported through:

the collaborative PLC model, drawing on expertise of all team members (gen ed, resource, gifted resource teachers, coaches, SEI coach).

Teachers can implement IFG within the classroom OR with a group of teachers.

The best practice and recommendation is that certified teachers:

utilize their high level of content knowledge and skill to close achievement gap by providing direct intervention during IFG time to students most at-risk.

K-5 Special Areas

For scheduling special areas, please reference special area scheduling considerations.