Academics
Academic programs at Broadalbin-Perth Intermediate School, which includes grades 3-5, reinforce and build foundational skills and provide students with gradually increasing academic challenges while taking into account individual student learning needs.
Teachers and students at BPIS take a cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning. For instance, English language arts classes include books on social studies and science topics, so students touch on multiple curricula throughout the day.
Students in grade 5 have a homeroom teacher who provides one subject area of core instruction. They travel as a homeroom class to other grade-level teachers for instruction in their other core subjects. This not only provides variety in their days, but also prepares them for the format of the secondary schools.
English Language Arts
English language arts instruction focuses on helping students continue to develop their literacy skills to ensure they are reading at grade level. Students read in small groups and participate in guided reading sessions. Teachers encourage students to make connections between the content of what they are reading and their own lives.
Mathematics
Students gradually build on math concepts, which helps encourage them to deepen their understanding. The mathematics curriculum includes whole number concepts, whole number computation, mental math, problem-solving, patterns and functions, measurement, geometry, fractions, decimals and probability.
Science
The science curriculum helps students develop foundational skills, including observation, hypothesizing, experimenting, measuring, recording, and interpreting scientific data.
Social Studies
The social studies curriculum includes the history and culture of New York state, the United States, Canada, and South America. Social studies faculty format instruction to incorporate a variety of learning experiences, recognizing the value of individual research, literature, dramatic presentation, field trips, art, group research, class discussions, and cooperative learning.
Beyond the Core
Intermediate school students participate in art, music, computer, and physical education classes taught by teachers certified as subject area specialists.