Resources

Academic Instruction 

Instructional Programs

Reading / Language Arts

It is the goal of the Pleasant Valley School District to provide students with rigorous instructional
opportunities aligned with the Pennsylvania Core Standards. PVE and PVI uses HMH IntoReading as our
core reading program for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. IntoReading is a comprehensive
program designed to build strong readers and writers.

This curriculum resource aims to foster confident readers who possess strong foundational skills and a rich
vocabulary, enabling them to comprehend complex texts effectively. The program focuses on:

● Phonemic Awareness and Phonics: Systematic and explicit instruction to build strong decoding skills.
● Fluency: Strategies and practice to help students read accurately, quickly, and with expression.
● Vocabulary: Direct instruction and opportunities to expand word knowledge.
● Comprehension: Engaging texts and activities to foster deep understanding and critical thinking.
● Writing: Through writer's workshops, mentor texts, and integrated grammar practice, students develop
critical thinking and writing skills.
● Differentiated Instruction: Resources and approaches to meet the diverse needs of all learners based
on diagnostic assessment data and classroom performance.
● Benchmark Assessments: Every student receives a benchmark screening assessment three
times per school year. This data, combined with classroom performance and ongoing
assessment, helps teachers and administrators identify each student's instructional needs.

Mathematics

● The Pleasant Valley elementary schools implement the Ready Classroom series by
Curriculum Associates. This instruction is designed to meet the needs of all students while
aligning with the Pennsylvania Core Standards.
● Differentiated Instruction: Our highly differentiated instruction targets specific student
needs based on diagnostic assessment data and classroom performance. Through iReady,
every student receives a benchmark assessment three times per year, used in conjunction with
classroom performance and ongoing assessment to identify instructional needs.

Eight Practices of Mathematics:
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Science

● Grades K-2: Science instruction focuses on inquiry-based learning opportunities integrated
into literacy and math instruction.
● Grades 3-5: Science instruction reflects the Next Generation Science Standards and the
Pennsylvania Department of Education Framework, studying Life, Physical, Earth, and Space
Sciences, as well as Technology. Students engage in practices to deepen content knowledge
and apply learning in an inquiry and experiential-based environment.

Eight Practices of Science and Engineering:
1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering).
2. Developing and using models.
3. Planning and carrying out investigations.
4. Analyzing and interpreting data.
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking.
6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering).
7. Engaging in argument from evidence.
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

Social Studies

The overall goal of the Social Studies program is for students to achieve a greater understanding of themselves and others in the global society we live in. This instruction occurs through the content and process delivered in Social Studies class and through reading and writing in the core Reading/Language Arts program. All social studies instruction aligns with the “Big Ideas” identified in Pennsylvania Core Standards.  

Special Areas 

Third	Fourth	Fifth
Art	1 period per 6 day cycle	1 period per 6 day cycle	1 period per 6 day cycle
Health	1 period per 6 day cycle	1 period per 6 day cycle	1 period per 6 day cycle
Library	By Appointment	By Appointment	By Appointment
Music	1 period per 6 day cycle of Music or Band	1 period per 6 day cycle of Music or Band	1 period per 6 day cycle of Music or Band
Physical Education	2 periods per 6 day cycle	2 periods per 6 day cycle	2 periods per 6 day cycle
Technology	1 period per 6 day cycle	1 period per 6 day cycle	1 period per 6 day cycle