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Elementary Curriculum

Home → Departments → Teaching & Learning → Elementary Curriculum
students working together on a STEM activity with their teacher

Library & Information Literacy

Students kindergarten through fourth grade spend forty minutes a week in the library with a teacher-librarian. In addition to checking out books, students engage in lessons related to locating, organizing and making sense of information from a variety sources. That may include print or electronic books, magazines, primary sources, maps, data bases, and pre-selected websites. They participate in grade-specific lessons related to digital citizenship, age-specific book award nominees, and genre studies.

Throughout the year, librarians encourage in all students the development of a broad literacy base as well as work on a variety of thinking skills, including but not limited to making claims, finding evidence, drawing conclusions, correcting misconceptions, and connecting ideas. Several lessons are tied to classroom science and social studies units.

The dual purposes of the information literacy curriculum are to insure that students are effective users of ideas and information, and that they develop a life-long disposition to seeking new knowledge through literature or research.

Literacy Curriculum

Journeys book cover

Journeys

The elementary literacy curriculum in the Bellevue School District is designed to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners by allowing teachers access to a wide range of research based instructional materials. This provides our teachers the flexibility they need to use their professional judgment as they support and extend the learning of each individual student. Through the curriculum, students will achieve the goals of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy and develop the foundations necessary for a successful academic future.

Elementary literacy courses promote skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Our curriculum encourages connections to the real world and promotes the use of reading and writing in everyday life. In Bellevue, literacy courses require that all students generate and receive information in order to make sense of print and that they actively participate by engaging independently as well as in collaborative settings.

Our curriculum employs a balanced literacy approach and includes instruction in the following areas: phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics/decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. This structure provides us with a road map for helping all students achieve and reach beyond the standards. The K-5 Literacy Curricula strive to ensure that students develop literacy competencies as early as possible. With this solid literacy foundation, all students will be able to continue their pursuit of a world class education and the skills needed to be successful in college, career and life.

Illustrative Mathematics - Learn Math For Life

To affirm and inspire each and every student to learn and thrive as creators of their future world requires that every student receives an equitable education. A cornerstone of educational equity is high-quality instruction through grade-level standards access. In order to serve each and every student academically, it is critical that curricular content is standards-aligned and educators are offered opportunities to deepen their knowledge of standards.

Beginning March 2021, Bellevue’s Teaching and Learning Department engaged interested educators in professional dialogue and learning regarding Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. A depth of knowledge in the standards set the stage for authoring a shared instructional vision for Mathematics, P-12. This work necessitated analysis of current core and supplemental instructional materials.

In partnership of our educator colleagues, students and families the Bellevue School District convened the  Elementary Math Adoption Committee.  This committee recommended Illustrative Mathematics using the LearnZillion platform for use during the 2021-2022 school year.

Kindergarten

The big ideas in kindergarten include: representing and comparing whole numbers, initially with sets of objects; understanding and applying addition and subtraction; and describing shapes and space. More time in kindergarten is devoted to numbers than to other topics.

The mathematical work for kindergarten is partitioned into 8 units:

  1. Math in Our World
  2. Numbers 1–10
  3. Flat Shapes All Around Us
  4. Understanding Addition and Subtraction
  5. Composing and Decomposing Numbers to 10
  6. Numbers 0–20
  7. Solid Shapes All Around Us
  8. Putting it All Together

1st Grade

The big ideas in grade 1 include: developing understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for addition and subtraction within 20; developing understanding of whole-number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and ones; developing understanding of linear measurement and measuring lengths as iterating length units; and reasoning about attributes of, and composing and decomposing geometric shapes.

The mathematical work for grade 1 is partitioned into 8 units:

  1. Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data
  2. Addition and Subtraction Story Problems
  3. Adding and Subtracting within 20
  4. Numbers to 99
  5. Adding within 100
  6. Length Measurements within 120 units
  7. Geometry and Time
  8. Putting it All Together

2nd Grade

The big ideas in grade 2 include: extending understanding of the base-ten number system, building fluency with addition and subtraction, using standard units of measure, and describing and analyzing shapes.

The mathematical work for grade 2 is partitioned into 9 units:

  1. Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data
  2. Adding and Subtracting within 100
  3. Measuring Length
  4. Addition and Subtraction on the Number Line
  5. Numbers to 1,000
  6. Geometry, Time, and Money
  7. Adding and Subtracting within 1,000
  8. Equal Groups
  9. Putting it All Together

3rd Grade

The big ideas in grade 3 include: developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and division within 100; developing understanding of fractions, especially unit fractions (fractions with numerator 1); developing understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays and of area; and describing and analyzing two-dimensional shapes.

The mathematical work for grade 3 is partitioned into 8 units:

  1. Introducing Multiplication
  2. Area and Multiplication
  3. Wrapping Up Addition and Subtraction within 1,000
  4. Relating Multiplication to Division
  5. Fractions as Numbers
  6. Measuring Length, Time, Liquid Volume, and Weight
  7. Two-dimensional Shapes and Perimeter
  8. Putting it All Together

4th Grade

The big ideas in grade 4 include: developing understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends; developing an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers; understanding that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry.

The mathematical work for grade 4 is partitioned into 9 units:

  1. Factors and Multiples
  2. Fraction Equivalence and Comparison
  3. Fraction Operations to Fractions
  4. From Hundredths to Hundred-thousands
  5. Multiplicative Comparison and Measurement
  6. Multiplying and Dividing Multi-digit Numbers
  7. Angles and Angle Measurement
  8. Properties of Two-Dimensional Shapes
  9. Putting it All Together

5th Grade

The big ideas in grade 5 include: developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, developing understanding of multiplication and division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions), extending division to two-digit divisors, developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, developing fluency with whole number and decimal operations, and developing understanding of volume.

The mathematical work for grade 5 is broken into 8 units:

  1. Finding Volume
  2. Fractions as Quotients and Fraction Multiplication
  3. Multiplying and Dividing Fractions
  4. Wrapping Up Multiplication and Division with Multi-digit Numbers
  5. Place Value Patterns and Decimal Operations
  6. More Decimal and Fraction Operations
  7. Shapes on the Coordinate Plane
  8. Putting it All Together

Social Emotional Learning

Social emotional skills are the skills that allow us to understand ourselves and to form healthy relationships with other people.  These skills include the ability to recognize and manage emotions, to take the perspective of others, and to effectively resolve conflicts.  Social emotional skills are developed through the experiences of daily living, and can also be taught and practiced.   Research has shown that acquiring social emotional skills supports academic achievement and prevents risky behaviors.  These competencies serve as a foundation for making responsible decisions that support individual well-being, and more broadly, support healthy communities. Learn more…

Social Studies Curriculum

a kid hugging a globe and smiling

Kindergarten

Social Studies Alive! Me and My World

ISBN: 978-1-58371-034-0

Social Studies Alive! Me and My World explores the relationships in students’ lives with their families, friends, teachers, and neighbors. Students explore ways to get along with others and how to solve problems. They learn that people live differently in different places and that they can help care for the world. Students practice the lessons they learn in activities such as creating “Who Am I?” books and identifying ways to help reduce waste in the environment.

a photo of kids running through hopskotch

First Grade

Social Studies Alive! My School and Family

ISBN: 978-1-58371-089-0

Social Studies Alive! My School and Family introduces the structures of schools and families. Students learn how to get along with classmates, follow school rules, and identify people who work at a school. They learn about family traditions and the ways in which family members interact and change. They apply their learning in hands-on activities such as categorizing photographs of family members and acting out the roles of school staff.

a photo of kids hands on top of each other

Second Grade

Social Studies Alive! My Community

ISBN: 978-1-58371-801-8

In Social Studies Alive! My Community, 2nd graders learn more about the world in which they live. They begin to learn how important it is for people and groups to work together and to peacefully resolve problems. Children’s expanding sense of place and spatial relationships provides readiness for more in-depth geographical studies.

Third Grade

Social Studies Alive! Our Community and Beyond

ISBN: 978-1-58371-826-1

Third grade students will learn about historical and contemporary people who made a difference. Students are introduced to people of various races, cultures, and regions who have made a positive contribution to society. Students have the opportunity at this grade to develop an appreciation for history through factual presentations, autobiographical and biographical studies, and historical fiction.

Geographical investigations begin with the familiar local regions and expand to locations around the world. Students are also introduced to how our economy works, exploring the world of buyers and sellers, supply and demand, and the world of global trade.

Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade Social Studies focuses on the human experience in the geographic region that became the state of Washington. The year consists of lessons from Washington Our Home and two StoryPath units (Early Northwest Coast People and Oregon Trail).

Students will also complete the Washington State Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) entitled People on the Move connected to their study of pioneers traveling to Washington via the Oregon Trail. The fourth grade program is based on the state recommended grade level expectations.

a photo of a red building

Fifth Grade

Social Studies Alive! America’s Past

ISBN: 978-1-58371-994-7

Fifth grade Social Studies presents the development of the United States from colonial beginnings through the founding of our nation.  This study includes European exploration, Colonial development, the face of slavery, the American Revolution and the basic documents of the United States government, especially the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, along with the central concepts embedded in democracy.

Students learn about the diverse influences of different people and ethnic groups that shaped early American development. Students will also complete the Washington State Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) entitled You Decide! connected to their study of the stakeholders positions (Loyalist, Patriot, Neutralist, Disenfranchised) held prior to the American Revolution.

Science & STEM Curriculum

The Elementary STEM Initiative has been a multi-year, interdisciplinary effort beginning in the 2013-14 school year. The initiative has been scaled to all 17 elementary schools over a three-year period.  The broad impact of Bellevue’s STEM initiative is a significant feature in that it provides STEM education for all students rather than limit the impact to a single magnet school.

The elementary STEM initiative is focused on:  

  • Strategies to intentionally engage females and students of color in STEM
  • Evidence-based reasoning within science, engineering, math, and literacy
  • Inclusion of students in special education
  • Scaffolding for language learning through the integration of ELL strategies
  • Support for students to be successful in working in teams (collaboration) by applying the tools from the social/emotional learning curriculum

Components of the K-5 STEM Initiative include: 

  • Classrooms across the district are piloting Code.org and other coding courses (e.g. Scratch) to help shape the future of coding experiences for Bellevue students.
  • Two engineering challenges in every grade level
  • Resources to fully support K-5 robotics at every elementary school at no cost to families
  • Support for each elementary school to host a Family Engineering Night for their community
  • Participation by every elementary school in Hour of Code
  • Every elementary summer school class participated in an engineering unit
  • All elementary schools have a 3-D printer and art specialists are receiving professional development in 3D modeling
  • Ongoing professional development to support teachers in implementation of NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, with emphasis on engineering and evidence based reasoning

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten, students investigate three FOSS science units focusing on concepts in life science, earth science, and physical science.

STEM Initiative

In kindergarten science, two engineering design challenges have been added to the kindergarten curriculum replacing content from the FOSS Investigations.

During Wood and Paper, students complete an engineering design challenge titled Move It! Designing Ramps, in which students learn that a force is a push or pull and apply that knowledge to solve a challenge involving ramps.

In Fabric, students engage in an engineering design challenge titled Fabric Shelters in which they design a cover for an outdoor play space in Seattle using their knowledge of fabric properties.

In both engineering design challenges, students apply their understanding of the science unit concepts to solve an engineering problem.

First Grade

In First Grade, students investigate three FOSS science units focusing on concepts in life science, earth science, and physical science.

STEM Initiative

In first grade science, two engineering design challenges from Engineering is Elementary(EiE) have been added to the first grade curriculum replacing content from the FOSS Investigations.

During Air and Weather, students complete an engineering design challenge titled Catching the Wind – Designing Windmills, in which students design and improve wind-powered machines.

In Solids and Liquids, students engage in an engineering design challenge titled A Work in Process in which they design a better process for a playdough recipe.

In both engineering design challenges, students apply their understanding of the science unit concepts to solve an engineering problem.

Second Grade

In Second Grade, students investigate three FOSS science units focusing on concepts in life science, earth science, and physical science.

STEM Initiative

In second grade science, two engineering design challenges from Engineering is Elementary (EiE) have been added to the second grade curriculum replacing content from the FOSS Investigations.

During Balance and Motion, students complete an engineering design challenge titled To Get to the Other Side, in which students apply their understanding of balanced forces to build and test different types of bridges.

In Pebbles, Sand, and Silt, students engage in an engineering design challenge titled A Sticky Situation in which they design a mortar utilizing properties of earth materials to build a rock wall that can withstand varying degrees of force.  In both engineering design challenges, students apply their understanding of the science unit concepts to solve an engineering problem.

Third Grade

In Third Grade, students investigate two FOSS science units focusing on concepts in earth science and physical science.

STEM Initiative

In third grade science, two engineering design challenges one from Engineering is Elementary (EiE) and one embedded in Motion and Matter, have been added to the curriculum.

During one trimester, students complete an engineering design challenge titled A Long Way Down:  Designing Parachutes, in which students apply their understanding of air resistance to design, create, and test a parachute meeting the criteria of the challenge.

In Motion and Matter, students engage in an engineering design challenge applying their knowledge of balanced forces to design, build, and test a model car that will travel the greatest distance.

Fourth Grade

In Fourth Grade, students investigate three FOSS science units focusing on concepts in life science, earth science, and physical science.

STEM Initiative

In fourth grade science, two engineering design challenges from Engineering is Elementary (EiE) have been added to the fourth grade curriculum replacing content from the FOSS Investigations.

During Magnetism and Electricity, students complete an engineering design challenge titled The Attraction is Obvious – Designing MagLev Train Systems, in which students apply their understanding of magnetism to design, build and test a maglev train system.

In Structures of Life, students engage in an engineering design challenge titled Just Passing Through – Designing Model Membranes in which they study properties of membranes and design a membrane to regulate water in a frog’s habitat.

In both engineering design challenges, students apply their understanding of the science unit concepts to solve an engineering problem.

Fifth Grade

In Fifth Grade, students investigate two FOSS science units focusing on concepts in earth science and physical science.

STEM Initiative

The fifth grade science curriculum has been enriched through the addition of  two engineering design challenges. During the life science trimester, students complete an engineering design challenge titled A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill, in which they design, create, and test cleanup methods to minimize the impact of oil spills on the ecosystem. In the same trimester, students apply their knowledge of ecosystem dynamics by completing algae investigations in which they explore factors that influence algae growth.

They also explore the impact of algae growth on the Puget Sound Ecosystem. During the earth science trimester, students complete the redesigned FOSS Landforms unit titled The Skokomish River Challenge.  In this unit, students engage in an engineering design challenge applying their knowledge of erosion and deposition to design, build, and test an erosion mitigation solution.

Family Life and Sexual Health

Each year, 5th grade classroom teachers instruct students on the topics of Family Life and Sexual Health (FLASH) and HIV/AIDS. As a parent or guardian, you have the right to request that your student be excluded from these lessons but you must first preview the HIV/AIDS lesson at a parent information meeting in order to exclude your student. Your teacher will send you an invitation to an information meeting before your child receives this instruction.

You may view the written curriculum by following the directions below. Videos that are shown in class will be previewed at the information sessions.

  1. Visit www.bit.ly/healthpreview
  2. Login with your student’s BSD email account ([email protected]). For example, Jane Doe would use [email protected]
  3. The password is s# and the student’s ID. For example: s#123456
  4. Select grade level 5 to preview the curriculum
  5. Scroll down to select different pages to preview lesson materials

If you have trouble with your student’s username and password, please contact [email protected]

Learning Resources by Grade

Our master course notebooks allow families to access an overview of different curriculum materials for each grade by subject. The following links will open in OneNote Online. Once in the notebook, use the sections on the left to navigate.

Choice School Options

The Bellevue School District recommends that all students study a World Language to prepare for college, career and life.  Bellevue World Language courses equip students with the skills to communicate effectively across multiple cultures. Students use the World Language to explore global challenges and analyze possible solutions. The Bellevue School offers the following world language programs at the elementary level:

Teaching & Learning
The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.