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Providing a guaranteed and viable Curriculum (what is taught) and Instruction (how it’s taught), ensuring that teaching and learning are consistently Rigorous, Inclusive, Meaningful, and Engaging (RIME) for all students that we serve.
The Office of Curriculum and Instruction at the School District of Philadelphia is dedicated to fostering academic excellence and equitable educational opportunities for all students. Our office plays a crucial role in shaping instructional programming across the district.
In the 22-23 SY the Office of Curriculum & Instruction led a 5-phase process to adopt new core instructional resources as one of the evidence based strategies to accelerate academic achievement in ELA, Math, Science, English Language Development, and Supplemental Special Education.
Since then, the School District of Philadelphia has committed $70M toward implementing new, high-quality core instructional resources over the next five years. We will use a phased approach to implementing these new resources, starting with new K-12 math resources for the 2023-2024 school year. Visit the Math tab (on the left) to find more information and resources. Find more details about our commitment to new core instructional resources here.
The Office of Curriculum and Instruction (OCI) supports and empowers teachers and leaders to provide a high-quality education for every student.
We utilize a collaborative process of:
Our goals:
Primary Responsibilities:
Our curriculum elevates the 5 Pursuits named in Dr. Muhammad’s text, Cultivating Genius. Educators teach in ways that create spaces for celebrating our differences and building self confidence.
Provide and enforce instructional time per subject for maximum impact. Click Here to download the below chart.
English Language Arts (ELA) instruction is guided by standards for each grade level that determine what students should be taught in reading and writing.
In ELA, our approach is grounded in the “Science of Reading” which is an evidence-based approach to how the brain learns to read. To develop strong oral and written language skills, we focus instruction and assessment on:
Students begin their literacy development with a focus on language development. This age group:
These students grow as independent readers and writers. They:
Students continue to focus on developing their reading skills by engaging in a wide and diverse range of challenging fiction, informational texts, and more. They also:
During middle school, students refine their skills in analyzing, defining, comparing, and evaluating ideas through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They also:
At this level, students are expected to comprehend written materials more deeply and use a broader range of textual evidence to support their inferences. They focus on:
These literacy practices extend beyond English Language Arts and find relevance in other disciplines such as science, technical subjects, history, and social studies, allowing students to acquire knowledge and skills through the careful study of texts and topics.
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Our math classrooms are spaces that foster curiosity, critical thinking, and joy. We are all mathematical thinkers, and we learn math by doing math – by solving problems and engaging in rich discourse with our peers. Students engage in sense-making and develop conceptual, procedural, and applied mathematics understandings.
New Core Instructional Resources
In 2023, Imagine Learning LLC/Illustrative Mathematics (IL/IM) became our primary high-quality instructional material. Learn more about IL/IM. Find additional resources below.
We approach common core state standards for math in a new way, that lets math become more than just numbers; it becomes a way to think and understand the world around us. In our classrooms, we:
Students will work to:
Students will represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction. They will:
The most critical work in mathematics requires students to represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction, solidify their fluency of addition and subtraction within 20, and understand place value and use it to add and subtract. These big buckets of work can be taught together and a number line is one of the most powerful models to support this work.
Students are working in 4 major skill areas:
Students will learn to use the four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, with whole numbers to solve problems and generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
They also:
Students will understand the place value system and perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.
They also:
Students will understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.
They also:
Students will analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve real-world and mathematics problems.
They also:
Students will work with radicals and integer exponents.
They also:
In Algebra I, students formalize and extend what they learned in the middle grades. This course offers more challenging content as well as strengthening the development of critical thinking skills. Students will:
In Algebra II, students focus on expanding their knowledge and skills with linear, quadratic, and exponential functions. They also:
In Geometry, students focus on formalizing and extending their geometric experiences from the middle grades. Important differences exist between this Geometry course and the historical approach taken in Geometry classes. For example, transformations are emphasized early in this course.
Students also:
In the School District of Philadelphia, every student, every year, will work as a scientist to make sense of the world, so they can change it for the better. Students will be prepared to imagine and realize any future they desire.
Instruction is equitable and responsive: Science classrooms are culturally and linguistically responsive, leveraging the brilliance and diverse experiences of our students as resources to help everyone learn science.
Studies show that family involvement is one of the biggest predictors of success in school.
Click Here to check out the National Science Teaching Association’s parent page. You’ll find tips to support science learning at home, links to student competitions, recommendations for science trade books, and much more.
The Nutrition Team (a.k.a. Eat Right Philly) is fully funded through a federal grant – Pennsylvania Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (PA SNAP-Ed). We use a Collective Impact approach alongside six external organizations in order to reach as many schools as possible. Our goal is to help students and families make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA’s MyPlate.
The Eat Right Philly Program supports schools in creating a healthy environment for students to learn and grow. Programs offered include engaging nutrition lessons that support the School District of Philadelphia’s Academic Framework; Project-based learning initiatives; Nutritious food tasting opportunities; Hands-on gardening experiences; and health and wellness promotional school-wide events. Eat Right Philly staff ensure that students are learning the importance of making healthy food and physical activity choices that lead to behavior change in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Find free food in Philly – Use this link to for the City of Philadelphia Food Finder
Our program isn’t just for students – we also work to engage parents and caregivers to improve their knowledge and skills around eating healthy and being active.
Our Family Wellness Site has a Recipe Index, which we are adding to all the time. Check out our Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas – one of our favorites. Then, explore our Families Move Together page for ideas to get your whole family up and moving.
Schools are a key environment for encouraging healthy student behaviors, which in turn impact academic achievement. That’s why a large part of our work involves supporting schools and staff in improving wellness for their students.
Our School Wellness Site has plenty of fun and interactive resources staff can use – including lessons on nutrition, materials for movement break activities and information on farm field trips available for classroom and schools.
The Eat Right Philly team includes School District of Philadelphia staff within the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, as well as staff from the six community organizations. We all work collaboratively to serve as many schools and students as possible. Although there are unique aspects to how we each deliver programming, we all work toward the same goals by performing similar activities – educating students and families, supporting schools in creating healthier environments, and improving access to healthier choices in communities.
To find out which organization provides programming in your school – click on the “Find Your School’s Provider” section. You can access each organization’s contact information by hovering over their logo below.
The Office of Health, Safety & Physical Education exists to support the students and staff in The School District of Philadelphia by providing curricular and instructional guidance and supports. Physical Education works to advance physical literacy through use of the thoughtful practice of movement related activities. Health Education focuses on content and skill development to create health literate individuals.
GRADE |
K |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
HEALTH |
30min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk |
PE |
30min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk | 45min 1x/wk |
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PE= Physical Education
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coming soon
*These are suggestions and not intended to limit the variety offered to students. Offerings may vary based on individual school resources and facilities.
The Health, Safety and Physical Education (HSPE) Office works closely with our Offices of Nutrition Education, and Student Health Services to focus on development of the Whole Child (CLICK HERE for Centers for Disease Control explanation of Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model). We work to expand understanding and implementation of the SDP Student Wellness Policy.
The goal of STEAM is the development of literacy in individual subjects as well as in specific transdisciplinary competencies necessary to empower students to tackle the challenges of today and build our tomorrow.
As we live in a continually evolving science and technology-based society, the District must help students develop
The STEAM office is focused on developing systems of support for schools and networks that are interested in growing STEAM opportunities for their students. This includes curriculum development collaboration, professional learning, resource sharing, makerspace development, and extracurricular programming.
STEAM – an acronym encompassing science, technology, engineering, the Arts, and math – is an interdisciplinary approach to education grounded in the development of identity, intellect, criticality, skills, and joy. The goal of STEAM is the development of literacy in the individual subjects as well as in specific transdisciplinary competencies necessary to empower students to tackle the challenges of today and build our tomorrow. While the District has no standardized structure for a STEAM program, many schools have developed STEM or STEAM classes, built makerspaces, or developed interdisciplinary projects across classes.
The primary goal of SDP STEAM is to develop STEAM literacy in order to create successful, fully engaged citizens of the world. The SDP defines STEAM Literacy using Ghouldy Muhammed’s Historically Responsive Literacy framework including the following five dimensions: identity, criticality, skills, intellect, and joy.
STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics
STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Makerspace – According to Diana Rendina of Renovated Learning, a makerspace can be defined as “a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials.”
Math
Select your student’s grade level to view Math Family Support Videos
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Social Studies
Social Studies
Guiding Principles of Social Studies Instruction
Social Studies in Our Classrooms
5. Inclusive & Equitable Practices. Creating a classroom where every student feels respected and included, where fairness and equal participation are emphasized, regardless of appearance or background.
Grade/Course Specific Overview:
K-5: Elementary
Grades K-3
In the early grades (K-3) social studies classes, students discover important ideas like geography, culture, history, civics, and economics. Students:
Grades 4-5
In grades 4-5, students explore the big ideas of culture, geography, history, civics, and economics by studying the history and culture of Pennsylvania and the United States up to 1860.
This in-depth study allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural aspects of their state and country during this significant time period.
6-8: Middle School
In grades 6-8, students learn about geography, culture, civics and economics of different parts of the world:
High School U.S History (Reconstruction to Modern Era)
In high school, we learn about the events and ideas that made America what it is today. We explore important history topics and practice thinking critically and communicating effectively.
Quarter 1:
Quarter 2:
Quarter 3:
Quarter 4:
African American History
The new African-American History lessons want to take students on an exciting trip through history. Coursework begins with ancient African civilizations and continues to modern times. With activities including essays and discussion, we’ll learn about sustaining culture, standing up for what’s right, and how people saw the world back then
World History
In our studies, we explore important topics like culture, resistance, and conquest. We talk about economics and what makes an economy good or bad, delve into war and ask if it’s something that humans always have to do, and look at the challenges our world faces today, like climate change and inequality, and how we can make a better system for a sustainable planet
The themes and essential questions are:
Beliefs, traditions migrations and resistance
War and militarization
Capitalism, Imperialism and Struggles for Liberation
Confronting the new world disorder: human rights and social movements and the challenges for climate change, fascism, economic inequality, and globalization
Social Sciences: Civics and Economics
Civics
We explore the history of democracy in the United States and the struggles against unfair systems. We learn about how to be active in our communities and understand democracy.
Economics
We learn about how money and resources work, how some people have more than others and how this affects the world. We explore:
Resources
Resources for Families
(coming soon)
Resources for Students
(coming soon)