Curriculum+Updates

Curriculum Review Cycles for Van Meter Schools
With the implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum, all curricular areas will be looking at their curriculum through early releases. There will be a need for additional, more in-depth work with content areas on a small group basis as well. This multi-layered approach to curriculum will help us assess the differences between the rigorous and relevant curriculum that the Iowa Core mandates us to have and what is currently in place.

As our district learns about the Iowa Core, most of the curriculum review cycles will be on hold. Through the work of the School Improvement Team (SIT) an updated curriculum cycle will be generated as part of our Iowa Core Implementation Plan that is due July 1, 2010.

1. ** **Digital Citizenship Curriculum** is well underway. The first draft of the Internet safety curriculum has been written for grades K-5 so far. We are also aligning the work with the library curriculum to make sure we support cross curricular applications. Next meetings: October 28th at 9am [|Technology Literacy in the Iowa Core Curriculum] [|ISTE NETS for students] 2. ****Social Studies** Teachers on the committee: Brent Jorth, Kent Miller, Stacy Peterson, and Tracy Ferguson Notes from meetings **
 * Curriculum Cycles Moving Forward:
 * Internet Safety Curriculum embedded into computer classes - Diana Mandernach and Shannon Miller
 * We will move forward with revamping social studies curriculum for the district. This curriculum area has strong teacher leadership, little guidance from the field, one of the best content areas to integrate cross curricular approaches to learning, and an under developed potential given it's enormous role in our district vision for student learning (Responsible Citizen and Civic Literacy).

3. **Library Sciences The district's library curriculum is being reviewed because of the need to coordinate curriculum and the increasing access to information through the 1:1 initiative. Three standards have emerged for this curriculum: Information literacy, technology literacy, and lifelong reading. Shannon Miller is the teacher leader for this curriculum. It will build off of the Digital Citizenship Curriculum as well. **