The Lion Experience » Academics

Academics

At the Louis Armstrong Elementary School, we want our scholars to feel comfortable taking intellectual risks, embracing the power of their ideas, and engaging collaboratively with their peers on a daily basis.  It is our charge, to instill in them a love of learning and thirst for exploration. To support that, our students and teachers bring a vast array of experiences, knowledge and cultural awareness, which adds to the tapestry of PS 143.

 

Our academic programs, which are aligned to the Next Generation Learning Standards, support our students in getting prepared for the next steps in their academic lives across all disciplines. Furthermore, to cultivate bi-literacy, we have a long-standing, robust dual language program for all grades.

 

Our English Language Arts Curriculum

 

Journeys – ELA

 

With Journeys, readers are empowered by skill mastery; inspired by authentic, award-winning text; and confident that they are building the skills needed for college and careers. Backed by proven results, Journeys is the most widely-used reading program in the country. Journeys is a research-based, comprehensive English Language Arts program designed to provide solid instruction that is clear and focused with realistic pacing and manageable resources. 

Explicit phonics instruction, direct academic vocabulary preparation, close-reading skills, guided reading, and systematic reading strategies are applied to complex texts. Integrated language arts components and writing activities complement the curriculum. Differentiated instruction and scaffolding ensure every student is given an opportunity to succeed.

Senderos - Our language arts curriculum for the dual language program

 

Senderos is a companion program to Journeys that we use in our bilingual classes so scholars can become bileterate.  Senderos is a comprehensive Spanish Reading and Language Arts program that has been specifically designed for use in dual-language and bilingual instructional programs to enable Spanish-speaking students to master rigorous standards.

 

Mathematics

enVisions- The enVision math program that combines problem-based learning and visual learning to deepen students’ conceptual understanding. enVision is used by classrooms across the country and around the world. enVision packs a unique one-two punch. Lessons start with Problem-Based Learning (PBL), where students must think critically about a real-world math problem, evaluate options, collaborate, and present solutions. This is followed by Visual Learning to solidify the underlying math concepts. It’s the best way to help kids better understand math ideas.

 

To learn more about our science curriculum, check out Amplify Science.