All of our programs have been reviewed to ensure their relevance to state and national standards.
(See School Program descriptions.)

Below are the ties to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks standards.

Change in the Making

History and Social Science:

Grade 3 Massachusetts and its Cities and Towns: Geography and History Concepts and Skills: Observe visual sources such as historic paintings, photographs, or illustrations accompanying historical narratives, and describe details such as clothing, setting, or action.
Observe and describe local or regional historic artifacts and sites and generate questions about their function, construction, and significance.

Learning Standards: New England and Massachusetts: On a map locate the Merrimack River. Summarize the life and achievements of Francis Cabot Lowell. Learning Standards: Cities and Towns of Massachusetts: Identify historic buildings, monuments, or sites in the area and explain their purpose and significance. Identify when the studentÕs own home town or city was founded, describe the different groups of people who have settled in the community since its founding, and explain how objects of every day life in the past tell us how they lived and how everyday life has changed.

English/Language Arts
Grades 3-4 Learning Standards:
8.12 Identify sensory details and figurative language.
8.18 Summarize main ideas and supporting details.
9.3 Identify similarities and differences between the characters or events in a literary work and the actual experiences in an authorÕs life.
12.2 Identify and analyze the elements of plot, character, and setting in the stories they read and write.
19.11 Write brief summaries of information gathered through research.
19.13 Write an account based on personal experience that has a clear focus and sufficient supporting detail.
24.2 Identify and apply steps in conducting and reporting research.

Science and Technology/Engineering
Grade 3 Skills of Inquiry: Ask questions and make predictions that can be tested. Life Science (Biology) Learning Standard 7: Give examples of how changes in the environment (drought, cold) have caused some plants and animals to die or move to new locations. Technology/Engineering Learning Standard 2: Identify a problem that reflects the need for shelter, storage, or convenience. Compare natural systems with mechanical systems that are designed to serve similar purposes (canals v. river) (assuming we add a waterwheel activity to the pre/post) Skills of Inquiry: Ask questions to make predictions that can be tested. Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) Learning Standard 4: Identify the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, electrical, and magnetic). Recognize that energy is the ability to cause motion or create change. Learning Standard 5: Give examples of how energy can be transferred from one form to another.