MONROE - Juniors at Monroe High School will be required to take a revamped social studies course starting in the fall.
Juniors will be required to take Choices in American Democracy. The revamped course is a combination of a former senior course, American Democracy, and a former elective class, Economics. The Monroe Board of Education approved the $30,080 purchase of a digital text, a six-year license for students and additional teacher learning resources at a meeting Monday, July 8 at the high school. The board also approved spending $10,561 for 72 writing workshop kits that will be used in kindergarten through fifth grade.
"(Choices in American Democracy) is a capstone course for students before they turn 18," said Dan Keyser, the district's director of curriculum and instruction. "They will learn about what their role is as an American citizen for democracy. They will learn about being a good U.S. citizen as they are coming of age as an adult."
Choices in American Democracy is the last of the Align by Design social studies courses. Align by Design is a educational framework that offers the same course at three different levels based on ability. The course will have three levels, and juniors will be placed in one of the three levels of the course based on their ACT Plan exam score and teacher recommendations, Keyser said.
Keyser said he is excited about the writing model the elementary schools in the district will implement. Keyser was one of seven who attended a Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop training at the Teacher's College Writer Institute at Columbia University in New York City in June. All three elementary school principals and three teachers attended the training, and the district plans to send 11 teachers to the writing workshop training at Columbia University in August.
Calkins is the founding director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing project at Columbia University. Elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade will have one-hour blocks of writing time starting in the fall.
Keyser said the district has been researching various writing programs that can help students grow more as writers and readers.
"This will increase their writing stamina and quality of writing and reading growth," he said. "This, by far above anything else, met Monroe's philosophy of being student-centered and about the growth of the students."
Juniors will be required to take Choices in American Democracy. The revamped course is a combination of a former senior course, American Democracy, and a former elective class, Economics. The Monroe Board of Education approved the $30,080 purchase of a digital text, a six-year license for students and additional teacher learning resources at a meeting Monday, July 8 at the high school. The board also approved spending $10,561 for 72 writing workshop kits that will be used in kindergarten through fifth grade.
"(Choices in American Democracy) is a capstone course for students before they turn 18," said Dan Keyser, the district's director of curriculum and instruction. "They will learn about what their role is as an American citizen for democracy. They will learn about being a good U.S. citizen as they are coming of age as an adult."
Choices in American Democracy is the last of the Align by Design social studies courses. Align by Design is a educational framework that offers the same course at three different levels based on ability. The course will have three levels, and juniors will be placed in one of the three levels of the course based on their ACT Plan exam score and teacher recommendations, Keyser said.
Keyser said he is excited about the writing model the elementary schools in the district will implement. Keyser was one of seven who attended a Lucy Calkins Writing Workshop training at the Teacher's College Writer Institute at Columbia University in New York City in June. All three elementary school principals and three teachers attended the training, and the district plans to send 11 teachers to the writing workshop training at Columbia University in August.
Calkins is the founding director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing project at Columbia University. Elementary students in kindergarten through fifth grade will have one-hour blocks of writing time starting in the fall.
Keyser said the district has been researching various writing programs that can help students grow more as writers and readers.
"This will increase their writing stamina and quality of writing and reading growth," he said. "This, by far above anything else, met Monroe's philosophy of being student-centered and about the growth of the students."