Topsfield Schools
K-6 Curriculum

Topsfield Schools'
Curriculum

Social Studies

The Core Values of the Topsfield School District include the beliefs that “the strongest possible instructional program for children and adults is based on quality research, world-class standards, and high expectations.  Life long learning is achieved in partnership with the home, school, and community.” (Topsfield Public Schools Handbook.)

The information contained on the curriculum web pages provide you with an overview of our curriculum.   We hope you find this information helpful in understanding the philosophy, content and the skills of our instructional program.   The pages are fluid documents, in fact, a work in progress.  As such, it is not meant to be exhaustive in terms of what we want our students to know and be able to do.  However we hope the curriculum pages provide a positive framework for your reference, when used in concert with regular teacher contact and individual teacher’s classroom web pages. 

Several of the links on the curriculum web pages include learning standards for each grade level, or across grade levels.  The performance standards were reviewed and refined by Building Action Teams (BATS).  They reflect our efforts to align Topsfield’s curriculum with state frameworks.  As we continue to delineate what we want our students to know and be able to do additional links will be added to the curriculum web page.

Essential Questions

  How can we use state standards to align curriculum and engage learners?  Over the past few years, Topsfield teachers have been researching how to effectively align curriculum and engage learners through the use of essential questions. 

Topsfield teachers have begun using essential questions to design curriculum and engage students in thinking critically.   Essential questions help teachers to define specific insights about what they want their students to know.  What are key concepts we want students to make?  What generalizations can be made about concepts to help integrate ideas?  What knowledge and skills need to be acquired?  Essential questions help integrate activities with outcomes, give a unit structure and help hook learners.  It is the essence of what we believe students should examine and know by embracing the appropriate standards from the State's curriculum frameworks.

Some examples include:
Weather:
How does weather affect our everyday life?
How does the suns’ energy affect weather?
Why is weather a pattern?
How do scientist use the scientific process?

These questions match state learning standards and allow the teachers to target specific learner outcomes.   Teachers have also partnered with the technology team to pursue the use of essential questions and apply them using technology resources.

If you see essential questions in your child's curriculum, discuss what they mean.  As we continue to design essential questions for units, we will post them on the web page.

Last Updated: J. Crounse 8-27-09

Links to Resources by Curriculum Area or Topic

MCAS Info and Help

MCAS Math Vocabulary

Links From the Publisher of Trailblazers

Interactive Math

The Institute for Math and Science Education Home Page (IMSE)


The ARC Center for Rebuilding Math Curricula

Impact Math  Gr. 6 Online Study Tools for Students

Impact Math
Glenco Site