We will meet five times a week for  90 minutes a day to cover all the core curriculum and more. We are excited to offer this pod opportunity to really get to know our families and learners. These pods are capped at eight learners to ensure small-group instruction and interaction.

*** Week of January 8, 2024 *** 0.1
- Assessments and get to know you in each subject 
Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Spanish, Personal Finance
(details below for each subject)
	
* Social Studies
Unit 1 Foundations of Government 
     Lesson 1.1 Why Government?

* Math
Chapter 1 - Tools of Algebra:
     Lesson 1.1 Using a Problem-Solving Plan
     Lesson 1.2 Number and Expressions
     Lesson 1.3 Variables and Expressions
     Lesson 1.4 Properties
     Lesson 1.5 Variables and Equations
     
* Science
     Lesson 1.1 Molecules Matter
     Lesson 1.2 Molecules in Motion

* Spanish
Lesson 1.1 “Hola”, Ways to say your name, memory match game, cooperative class book activity

* Language Arts
     Lesson 1.1 Short Story with Vocabulary, comprehension check, character, setting, and plot
     Lesson 1.2 Read a passage from the novel “The Summer of the Swans” 
     Lesson 1.2a Vocabulary, story map, fluency, etc.
     Lesson 1.2b Vocabulary strategy, phonics short vowels with variant spellings

* Music
     Theory Lesson: Tempo
     Appreciation Piece: Classical

* Personal Finance
     Lesson 1.1 What exactly is money?
     Lesson 1.2 The history of money
     Lesson 1.3 Who decides the value?


*** Week of January 15, 2024 *** 0.2
- Social Studies, Math, Science, Spanish, Language Arts, and Music
(details below for each subject)
	* Social Studies
	     Lesson 1.2 The Sovereign State

* Math
Chapter 1 - Tools of Algebra
     Lesson 1.6 Ordered Pairs and Relations
     Lesson 1.7 Scatter Plots
     Graphing Calculator Lab
     Assessment of Chapter 1

* Science
     Lesson 1.3 The Ups and Downs of Thermometers
     Lesson 1.4 Moving Molecules in a Solid 

* Spanish
	Lesson 1.2 Vocabulary greetings, “My name is” activity, class game

* Language Arts
     Lesson 1.3 Short Story “Storm Surprises Maine Students” Connect and Compare exercise 
     Lesson 1.3a Research Project with Broadcasting Reporter Project
     Lesson 1.3b Personal Narrative Writing 

* Music
     Theory Lesson: Rhythm
     Appreciation Piece: Jazz Scatting

*** Week of January 22, 2024 *** 0.3
- Social Studies, Math, Science, Spanish, Language Arts, and Music
(details below for each subject)
	* Social Studies
     Lesson 1.3 Who Rules?

	* Math
	Chapter 2 - Integers
	     Lesson 2.1 Integers and Absolute Value
                 Lesson 2.2 Adding Integers
	     Lesson 2.3 Subtracting Integers
	     Lesson 2.4 Multiplying Integers

	* Science
     Lesson 1.5 Air, It’s Really There
     Assessment of Chapter 1	

	* Spanish
Lesson 2.1 Spanish alphabet and letter sounds, song, and class activity

	* Language Arts
    Lesson 1.4 Short Story “An Inca City” with Comprehension Check
    Lesson 1.5 Read a passage from “Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu”
    Lesson 1.5a Vocabulary, Comprehension Check, Fluency, etc. 
    Lesson 1.5b Vocabulary Strategy of Compound Words
    Lesson 1.5c Phonics - Long Vowels

	* Music
      Theory Lesson: Time Signature
      Appreciation Piece: Bluegrass

*** Week of January 29, 2024 *** 0.4
- Social Studies, Math, Superhero Science, Spanish, Language Arts, and Music
(details below for each subject)
	* Social Studies
     Lesson 1.4 A Dive into Democracy

	* Math
Chapter 2 Integers
     Lesson 2.5 Dividing Integers
     Lesson 2.6 The Coordinate System
     Assessment of Chapter 2

	* Superhero Science
Study of the Supervillain Character Molecule Man and compare and contrast between Molecule Man vs. Chapter 1 - Matter
	
* Spanish
Lesson 2.2 Spanish alphabet review and letter sounds, matching game, cooperative class book activity

	* Language Arts
     Lesson 1.6 Read a passage from “Empire in the Andes”
     Lesson 1.6a Connect and Compare
     Lesson 1.6b Write a Friendly Letter - Personal Narrative

	* Music
     Theory Lesson: Pitch
     Appreciation Piece: British Invasion

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This class is intended to build a learner community while covering a full semester's curriculum. We will share additional links for future months upon enrollment. 

*Social Studies: Middle School US Civics
Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.9
Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

*Math: Pre-Algebra Overview
- The Number System
Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.
Multiply and divide multi-digit numbers and find common factors and multiples.
Apply and extend previous understandings of numbers to the system of rational numbers.
Apply and extend previous understandings of operations with fractions to add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers.
Know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate them by rational numbers.
- Ratios and Proportional Relationships
Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.
Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.
- Expressions and Equations
Apply and extend previous understandings of arithmetic to algebraic expressions.
Reason about and solve one-variable equations and inequalities.
Represent and analyze quantitative relationships between dependent and independent variables.
Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
Solve real-life and mathematical problems using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations.
Work with radicals and integer exponents.
Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations.
Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations.
- Functions
Define, evaluate, and compare functions.
Use functions to model relationships between quantities.
- Geometry
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, surface area, and volume.
Draw, construct and describe geometrical figures and describe the relationships between them.
Solve real-life and mathematical problems involving angle measure, area, surface area, and volume.
Understand congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software.
Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem.
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume of cylinders, cones and spheres.
- Statistics and Probability
Develop understanding of statistical variability.
Summarize and describe distributions.
Use random sampling to draw inferences about a population.
Draw informal comparative inferences about two populations.
Investigate chance processes and develop, use, and evaluate probability models.
Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data.
- Mathematical Practices
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
 
*Science: Middle School Chemistry
Key Ideas and Details:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.5
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.6
Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.8
Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.9
Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

*Foreign Language: Spanish 1
ACTFL Standards: 
1. Students will communicate in languages other than English. 
1.1. Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. 
1.2. Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. 1.3. Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics. 
2. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures. 
2.1. Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied. 
2.2. Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied. 
3. Students will connect with other disciplines and acquire information. 
3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language. 
3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures. 
4. Students will develop insight into the nature of language and culture. 
4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own. 
4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through the comparisons of the cultures studied and their own. 
5. Students will participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. 
5.1 Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting. 
5.2 Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

*Language Arts: Middle School Overview 
Conventions of Standard English:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A
Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.B
Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.C
Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.D
Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.A
Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.B
Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.C
Spell correctly.
Knowledge of Language:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.3.A
Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.A
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.B
Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.C
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.D
Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.A
Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.B
Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.C
Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

*Music: Music Theory and Appreciation 1
MU:Cr1.1.6 - MU:Cr1.1.8
Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. 
Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.

 Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. 
Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work
 Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Standard 10: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding
Standard 11: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. 

*Personal Finance: Once a month, project-based lessons for real-life skills
National Standards for Personal Financial Education
EI:1.6-8 Earning Income
EI:2.6-8 Spending
EI:3.6-8 Saving
EI:4.6-8 Investing
EI:5.6-8 Managing Credit
EI:6.6-8 Managing Risk

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*** Weeks OFF for holiday breaks are as follows:
Off Week of March 25, 2024
Off Week of May 27, 2024
Off Week of July 1, 2024
*Next POD STARTS on July 8, 2024
Off Week of November 25, 2024
Off Week of December 23, 2024
Off Week of December 30, 2024
*Next POD STARTS on January 6, 2025
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***Google Classroom will ONLY be used during LIVE class time***