Elementary Curriculum

Baldwin UFSD’s elementary curriculum encompasses the core subject areas of:

• English Language Arts (reading, writing, word study)
• Mathematics
• Social Studies
• Science
• Health

These subjects are instructed by the classroom teachers on a daily basis.

Weekly specials include:

• Art
• Music
• Physical Education
• Instructional Media (formerly library) 

Specials are instructed by teachers certified in each specialized academic area.

In addition, each of the elementary schools have incorporated Yale’s RULER program—a systemic approach to mindfulness and emotional intelligence. RULER, which stands for Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating, aims to infuse the principles of emotional intelligence into pre-K-12 schools. The development of these five RULER skills relies on four core tools: the Charter, Mood Meter, Meta-Moment, and Blueprint. These skills and tools are introduced to all active participants of our school community—our administrators, principals, teachers, staff, students, and Baldwin families.

All areas of the curriculum are supported by state-of-the-art educational technology. including interactive whiteboards and ChromeBooks. Elementary buildings also have laptop carts and teachers use a course management system to enrich and extend learning opportunities and enhance student collaboration. These technologies are used as part of the daily ongoing instructional program in an effort to better equip our students with 21st Century skills.

For more information, visit our Instructional Technology section.

As we move to provide more instruction and resources for each level of learner, our teachers and staff undergo extensive professional development each year, embracing the opportunity to learn new instructional models that foster verbal and cognitive engagement as well as collaborative work. For instance, teachers continue to enhance their writing instruction with Columbia University’s Teachers College Writer’s Workshop.