Curriculum and Instruction
District 75 Department of Curriculum and Instruction consists of the following offices: STEM, the Arts, Health & Wellness, Early Childhood, PBIS/TCI, Transition Services, Teacher Effectiveness, Inclusive Education, Autism, MLL/ELL and Travel Training.
We are committed to providing instruction which is culturally relevant and responsively taught for students from cross-cultural and multicultural environments, by using a student-centered approach based on the belief that every student brings unique cultural strengths to the classroom and those strengths should be celebrated. We promote instructional approaches which are developmentally and ability appropriate for each student.
District 75 curriculum offices offer asynchronous professional learning opportunities and office hours in support of schools. To ensure accessibility, teachers learn to employ multiple, ongoing opportunities for students to experience literacy through text, print, digital, using words, visuals and graphics. Instructional approaches include the use of assistive technology, picture symbols and visual cues, interactive manipulatives and other virtual resources to support the development of students’ academic skills.
School-based support is provided as a means to maintain, sustain and build capacity. Our goal is for every district school to have nurturing, supportive and safe environments for students to acquire, develop and utilize literacy skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking across all content areas. We encourage teachers to implement engaging, effective strategies to get students to think about, write about, read about and talk about their life experiences and topics which are meaningful and relevant to them.
We want all students to acquire academic growth, proficiency, and/or mastery in any and all academic, functional and social areas. Our goal is to maximize each students full potential before they transition into post-school life!
Links and Resources
WeTeachNYC
Explore the Library Search for lessons, professional learning resources, and more!
60 Books about Disabilities and Differences for Kids
Curated in conjunction with Mary Anne Prater, the author or co-author of seven books and dozens of academic journal articles on teaching students with developmental difficulties as well as special and general education topics, this search tool contains information and synopses of children’s and young adult literature about or having to do with people with disabilities. This information includes the name of the author and illustrator, year of publication, publisher, appropriate grade level, and award status.
Books About Embracing Disabilities and Differences
How we treat children and others often influences how they feel about themselves. Teachers face classrooms daily that are filled with children with a variety of backgrounds and needs. Some young learners have very special needs. As educators we need to create classrooms that are inclusive and provide an atmosphere of acceptance and sensitivity that will maximize the success of all students.
Smithsonian Magazine
Smithsonian magazine places a Smithsonian lens on the world, looking at the topics and subject matters researched, studied and exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution—science, history, art, popular culture and innovation—and chronicling them every day for our diverse readership.
SORA
Sora is an award-winning digital reading app that empowers K-12 students to discover age-appropriate ebooks, audiobooks and more from their school library. Backed by the largest, most diverse catalog of digital books available to schools, Sora provides students and educators unified access to curriculum titles, leisure reading, professional development books and the public library.
PBS Kids apps for STEAM
Play with shadows, control the weather, roll and slide objects down a ramp, choose the best materials for an umbrella – all while building science inquiry skills and learning core science concepts. The games in the app encourage kids to see the science in their world. They are intentionally designed to serve as catalysts for real-world exploration by modeling real-world locations and experiences. The related hands-on activities and parent notes prompt families to “try it” at home and provide tips for engaging in conversations.
Bookshare
Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.
Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library provides free accessible reading material for patrons who are blind, visually impaired, or are otherwise physically unable to read standard print. Heiskell Library offers materials to borrow in a wide range of formats, including braille, talking books, and magazines, for users of all ages, as well as players and apps. Patrons can also find accessible programming and events, individual coaching in assistive technology, group workshops, braille study groups, the Dimensions Lab for tactile creation, and more.