Our academic enrichment programs here at PS 217 allow students to gain advanced knowledge within their discipline, which in turn raises their confidence. These programs are known to increase critical-thinking skills and problem-solving skills, which can reduce anxiety during exams.
To the left you will find our grade newsletters which keeps you informed with what your child is learning. You will also find our cluster pages and in-school programs we offer.
Clusters
Greetings friends, families, and members of the PS 217 community! Allow us to introduce ourselves to you. We are your child’s Physical Education teachers. Our names are Ms. Baron and Mr. Heaney. The children at PS 217 all experience a vigorous physical education program which focuses on exercises (Warm-up calisthenics), sports (soccer, football, basketball, tennis, floor hockey, and volleyball), floor games (Castle & Warriors, Plank Challenge, and Switch), nutrition (healthy eating habits), and social and emotional learning.
This year we are very excited to have the library open! For Kindergarten, students who visit the library will be learning how the library is organized, looking at various story elements and will be doing an author study! First grade students will also be learning about library organization and story elements but in addition will be doing a research project and will be studying nonfiction text features! Second graders will be doing a cultures and traditions project, looking at biographies, a research project, and an author study. For third grade, students will be studying series of books, doing a genre study and project, and will be looking at biographies and research. Fourth grade students have made wordless picture books, will be doing a genre study with a project and will be studying book awards. Overall the goals for the library is to encourage a love of reading and to get students interacting with all of the various books we have!
Kindergarten
The Needs of Plants and Animals
In this unit we discuss the needs of plants and animals as well as how we as humans can help the animals live a safe and healthy life through research and hands on opportunities.
Pushes and Pulls
In this unit, students take on the roll of engineers as they explore the focus of motion. Students are given the opportunity to explore the scientific method using a hands on approach.
Weather and Seasons
As we wrap up the school year, students become meteorologists studying weather and the instruments they use. We discuss why it can be hot in some places while it is cold in other areas.
First Grade
Plant and Animal Defenses
In this unit we discuss the needs of plants and animals as well as how we as humans can help the animals live a safe and healthy life through research and hands on opportunities.
Light and Sound
In this unit light and sound through shadow puppetry. Students explore various light sources. With a solid understand of light we move into sound. Students hunt for sounds and explore how they are made.
Spinning Earth
In this unit students explore the why the sky looks different around the world and deepen their understanding of day and night. They research and learn about the seasons and how that impacts the length of the day.
Second Grade
Plant and Animal Relationships
In this unit students build on their knowledge from k/1 and take an in depth look at habitats to understand how plants and animals live and work together. They will also explore seed structure
Properties of Matter
In this unit students explore how various properties of matter interact with each other. During this unit students are involved in many hands on investigations using the scientific method.
Changing Landforms
In this unit students become geologists studying the Earth’s surface. They will participate in an in depth study of the 3 types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary as well as explore weathering and erosion.
The music curriculum for PS 217 is aligned with the benchmarks in the blueprint for Teaching and Learning in performing arts. The Blueprint is grounded in the New York State Learning Standards for performing arts and are addressed in every facet of the Blueprint. The benchmarks provide a pathway for excellence and engagement in the arts for all students beginning in early childhood and continuing to fifth grade.
Kindergarten-2nd grade:
Music making
-Students engage in activities to experience elements of music.
-Students develop awareness of human expression through music making.
-Students express control over their voice by building singing technique, vocal response, playing and engaging in varied ensembles with voice and instruments.
-Students show respect for their instruments, music materials, and learning environment
-Students learn routines that contribute to positive music-making experiences
Music literacy
-Students explore, make connections, recognize, describe, compare/contrast, create and draw music elements, notation and vocabulary
-Students recognize, describe, identify and illustrate different genres and styles
-Students identify and categorize the various instruments, voices and ensembles
-Students demonstrate, describe, identify and share ways in which we produce music and strengthen learning through technology
Making connections
-Students recognize parallel problem-solving strategies across disciplines.
-Students realize that music reflects composers’ emotions, ideas, imagination, and cultural context.
-Students perform and value the music of diverse cultures
-Students make connections between music and personal feelings
Community and cultural resources
-Students identify music makers in their families, schools, and communities.
-Students attend live performances in their communities.
-Students share their musical experience with the school community
Careers and lifelong learning
-Students identify the ways in which people engage in music (performer, listener, teacher, administrator, tech staff, etc.)
-Students identify the ways in which music is made available (live performance, recorded performance, CDs, downloads, etc.).
-Students explore various roles that music can play in their lives.
3rd-5th Grade
Music making
-Students apply understanding of elements of music through performance activities.
-Students develop self-awareness as musicians through performance, improvisation, and composition.
-Students build and apply vocal and instrumental technique.
-Students take responsibility for their instruments, music materials, and learning community
-Students follow established routines that contribute to positive music-making experiences
Music literacy
-Students demonstrate, articulate, apply, recognize and examine various musical elements, notation and vocabulary
-Students compare/contrast, describe and analyze various genres and styles
-Students recognize, compare/contrast the instruments, voices and ensembles
-Students describe, participate, identify and use production and technology
Making connections
-Students recognize and apply parallel problem-solving strategies across disciplines.
-Students describe how music reflects composers’ emotions, ideas, imagination, and historical context
-Students perform and value the music of diverse cultures
-Students describe personal connections with a variety of musical styles
Careers and lifelong learning
-Describe in detail—orally or in writing—at least three different careers in the field of music.
-Students describe in detail—orally or in writing—at least three different ways of accessing music.
-Students use appropriate tools (musical instruments, technology, school enrichments/activities, partnerships, and online resources, etc.) to evaluate careers and lifelong learning through academic and social growth to internalize next steps beyond elementary school.
Students explore a variety of art materials and techniques, exercise imagination, construct meanings, and depict their experiences; work in two-dimensional and three-dimensional art forms, use basic art tools, and gain knowledge of media and compositional elements.
Through observing, discussing works and art making, students develop visual arts vocabulary. Students read, write, and respond to works by famous artists and reflect on their own work as well as others.
Students examine images in the classroom, on museum websites or the internet and discuss how community sites are depicted. Using these observations, discussions and prior knowledge, students will recognize the societal, cultural, and historical significance of art; connect the visual arts to other disciplines; apply the skills and knowledge learned in visual arts to interpreting the world.
By working in the art room, students access primary resources on the internet that are available in the community, the borough, and the city to extend their learning beyond the classroom
Through various units, students will gain an awareness of careers in visual arts; learn to work independently and in teams; set goals for themselves and gain an appreciation of art as a source of enjoyment and lifelong learning.
Students begin sequential unit projects in painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, and 2D/graphic Design. They will extend knowledge of art media and compositional and design elements: choose new ways of using familiar tools and materials: and deepen imaginative capacities, observational and expressive skills.
Students hone observation skills and discuss works of art; develop visual arts vocabulary to describe art making, the tools and techniques used to produce art, and the elements and principles of design. Students interpret artwork by providing evidence to support assertions.
Students recognize the societal, cultural and historical significance of art; connect the visual arts to other disciplines; apply the skills and knowledge learned in the visual arts to interpreting the world.
Students will learn that primary resources are available to them in the borough, the city and all over the world via cultural institutions, public art and design and the Internet.
Students gain an awareness of careers in the visual arts, learn to work independently and in teams and gain an appreciation of art as a source of enjoyment and lifelong learning.
