Eaton's Curriculum: The Basis of Our Students' Success for Over 100 Years
Eaton's flexible groups are at the core of how we teach and have allowed our students to thrive in all curriculum areas. Teachers and resource specialists collaborate to create smaller groups of students within each grade, especially for reading and math, so that students can receive the individualized attention that better meets their educational needs. These smaller groups allow teachers to continually assess students' progress, strengths, and challenges, and students move in and out of groups as their needs change.
The Office of Family and Public Engagement and the Office of Teaching and Learning collaborated to create grade specific Parent Guides. These guides gives you the tools you need to support your child’s learning at home. In this booklet, you’ll find strategies based on the DCPS curriculum to help your child meet his or her learning goals. You’ll have a better understanding of what your child is learning in school and how you can further learning at home.
Mathematics
While Eaton takes a traditional approach to the mathematics children learn in each grade, such as numeracy in pre-K and multiplication and division in third grade, our teachers, in concert with our mathematics resource specialist, use flexible groupings to address children's remediation needs as well as their needs for more challenging work. Our mathematics specialist, our in-grade teachers, and our administration work together to determine the best curriculum resources and supplements for each grade, and utilize a variety of resources, including First in Math, Dreambox Learning, Investigations, and Big Math for Little Kids, to help children develop a love of math. We additionally use math manipulatives to provide children a concrete way to understand mathematics. As part of DCPS, Eaton follows the Common Core standards for mathematics
Science
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English Language Arts
Eaton students vary in their ELA educational needs, and Eaton's teachers and reading specialists work tirelessly to help students progress regardless of their starting point. Eaton uses dynamic, just-right tools like RAZ Kids and in-class leveled readers that help students gain confidence in their reading abilities. We sponsor reading buddy programs, where children in upper grades work with children in lower grades to help develop their reading skills. Children in 2nd through 5th grades can participate in the Junior Great Books program that lets students read common materials and learn to talk about what they read with their peers. We also have a dedicated librarian who helps students select age-appropriate books that appeal to their interests and foster their love of reading. As with math, Eaton follows the Common Core standards for English Language Arts.
Eagle Time
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We often say at Eaton that science is baked into the curriculum. A class's reading time, for example, might focus on characteristics of mammals versus reptiles. Children learn firsthand about the plant lifecycle through regular visits to Eaton's gardens, and they learn about fish and their ecosystem through programs like Trout in the Classroom. For the 2014-15 school year, however, and in response to feedback from parents, our administration created a science coach position to further augment our students' science learning. Today, our science coach works with teachers to help them integrate science lesson planning into their teaching and visits with classrooms to conduct hands-on scientific experiments with students.
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Eagle Time is a weekly enrichment opportunity for all students in grades 3-5. Each year students participate in three 8-week sessions. At the beginning of each school year students are given the opportunity to rank a selection of enrichment classes based on their personal interest. The Eagle Time electives explore a range of topics like the arts, economics, fitness, geography, science, and culture. Eagle Time class sizes are generally smaller than regular classes which allows the teachers and students to build stronger relationships and explore the subject matter in a more interactive way. Eagle Time classes meet on Friday mornings. Twice a year we host Eagle Time open houses or showcases for parents to experience this much-loved program at Eaton.
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