Brookside's Academic Program

We are proud of the strong academic program we have here at Brookside. We have a hard working, talented staff that care about students. Our kindergarten students, first grade students and second grade students enjoy a traditional day. This includes one teacher teaching all subjects. Our third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade students enjoy the 'enriched curriculum model' explained below.

Brookside Enriched Curriculum Model
History:
Sixteen years ago Nebo School District officials challenged schools to investigate different teaching models, looking for effective ways to help students learn. Brookside school staff spent two years studying many different systems being used at various schools. They designed a plan that resembled an 'extended day' model. Over the years Brookside staff has made improvements and changes, making our model unique.

The Plan:
Every second through fifth grade student has the following classes each day:
3-hour Language Arts block, which includes reading and writing
1-hour math class
Day 1
40-minute specialty class (science, social studies, learning lab)
40-minute specialty class (science, social studies, learning lab)
40-minute specialty class (science, social studies, learning lab)
Day 2
55-minute specialty class (art/music, PE)
55-minute specialty class (art/music, PE)
10-minute recess

The specialty classes alternate every other day throughout the year.

All of our students start at 8:30. Half of them will begin in their language arts class. They stay in that class until 12:00. They have a 35-minute lunch break during language arts. At 12:00 they go to their one-hour math class. Math may be taught by the same teacher they have for language arts, or it may be taught by one of their specialty teachers. Students' language arts and math teachers are the same each day. After math students will do specialty rotation. Day 1 will be science, social studies, and computer rotation. These classes have the same students that are in their reading and math classes and will be approximately 20-27 students. The next day these students will go to art/music and PE for specialty. These two classes are larger in size (around 30-38) and may include third and fourth graders or fifth and sixth graders.

The other half of our students begin with the specialty rotation mentioned above. They finish that rotation at 10:30 and go to their one-hour math class. They have a 35-minute lunch break during math. From 12:00 to 3:00 students attend language arts. Students' language arts teacher is the same each day, and their math teacher is the same each day. As stated above, math may be taught by the same teacher they have for language arts or it may be taught by one of their specialty teachers.

Class Sizes:
Language arts, math, social studies, science and learning lab sizes are between 20 and 26. The district staffs these classes.

Art/Music and PE classes taught every other day have between 35 and 40 students. Some of these classes may have third and fourth grade students and some may have fifth and sixth grade students.

Curriculum:
Curriculum in language arts, math, social studies and science in third through sixth grade is as stated in the Utah State Core Curriculum for each grade level. In art/music and PE classes we alternate curriculum. One year we teach the third grade curriculum to our third and fourth grade students, and the next year we teach the fourth grade curriculum to our third and fourth grade students. One year we teach the fifth grade curriculum to our fifth and sixth grade students, and the next year we teach the sixth grade curriculum to our fifth and sixth grade students. This curriculum rotation only takes place with art, music, and PE.

Why do we do it?
" This model provides students with a strong well-rounded education with teachers who can focus on one or two content areas. Every workshop or conference attended by our teachers is focused on their subject area(s).
" Students receive consistent instruction in all subject areas. There is dedicated time to each subject.
" Students enjoy working with different teachers, and they show academic progress. Brookside's test scores are always strong.
" Because of the larger class sizes in art/music and PE, we are able to save money. With this money we buy technician time. Technicians work in our math and reading classes and in our computer lab. All grade levels receive technician time during reading and math. Our first and second grades are not on the model, but they receive technician time to help their students during reading. A stipend is also paid to our teachers who work full time in the model because they teach a longer day and have different classes of students throughout the day.
We are proud of our work at Brookside. We are constantly striving to improve our educational program. We hope that if you have problems or concerns with any aspect of your child's educational experience you will visit with the Principal, Mr. Hicks 489-2830.