Welcome to Humanities! 

At Norwalk Public Schools, Humanities is comprised of Literacy/English Language Arts, Social Studies and World Languages. 

Based on the Connecticut Core Standards, local curricula have been developed for these disciplines with clear expectations of what a student should know and be able to do at each grade level.  Engagement with texts, world languages, history, culture, and civics is essential for students to become informed and active citizens of our diverse society. 

Students learn to read, write, grapple, interpret, and form opinions through their learning as they develop the skills and knowledge to think critically alongside their teachers and peers. 

Through the humanities, students explore a range of opportunities that will help lead to success at the completion of their academic career at Norwalk Public Schools.

For more information, please contact:

Stacey Bergin

Education Administrator for Curricula and Professional Development

bergins@norwalkps.org

203-854-4154

Literacy/English Language Arts

The K-12 Literacy/English Language Arts program is designed to develop our students’ proficiency as readers, writers, listeners, speakers and viewers in alignment with the Connecticut Core Standards, the International Reading Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English.  Our district literacy promise is characterized by the following principles:

• Engage all learners in supportive environments where academic discourse is encouraged.
• Ensure that resources and instructional practices are culturally responsive to our diverse student body.
• Adhere to a coherent common language of instruction that includes core instructional strategies across content areas to meet the needs of all students, including multilingual learners and students with special needs in whole group, small group, and individualized instruction. 
• Differentiate tier 1 instruction in accordance with the diverse strengths and areas for growth of our learners as evidenced by a data-driven decision-making process. 
• Provide intervention when students require additional support beyond core instruction to accelerate achievement and close gaps in their literacy development. 
• Utilize our vertically articulated ELA curriculum that is aligned with the Connecticut Core Standards with matched formative assessments to support rigor and relevant learning.
• Set high expectations for all learners through a gradual release of responsibility model within a multi-tiered system of support.
• Monitor the delivery of high-quality instructional practices through support from school and district administrators. 
• Strive to prepare all students to be successful in the 21^st century digital world to be self-reliant and effective in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity that will serve them well in college and career while fostering a lifelong love of literacy and learning.  

Strive to prepare all students to be successful in the 21^st century digital world to be self-reliant and effective in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity that will serve them well in college and career while fostering a lifelong love of literacy and learning.

Social Studies

Social Studies is an integrated K-12 program that includes the study of history, civics and government, geography, economics and social sciences to develop responsible, informed, and active citizens in our culturally diverse society. Students engage in their studies at the elementary level with the individual child and move through family, school, community, state, region, and country. The middle and high school curriculums promote student engagement through an inquiry-based approach and are aligned with the Connecticut Core Standards, National Council for the Social Studies, Connecticut Social Studies Framework, and the National C3 Framework for College, Career, and Civic Life.

World Languages

The World Language program at Norwalk Public Schools is aligned with the standards of the Connecticut State Department of Education, The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and the Connecticut Core Standards.   

Our curriculum standards have been prioritized to emphasize the communication skills that will prepare our students for success in many endeavors including school, work, travel, recreation, and relationships throughout their lives. World Language education supports the development of the essential literacy skills outlined in the Common Core Standards, as well as critical 21st century skills that students need to have for productive careers and to function effectively as members of a global society.

We are dedicated to developing our students' proficiencies as speakers, listeners, readers, writers, and viewers of the language they study, along with a profound appreciation and understanding of the various cultures where the language is spoken. The rigorous program focuses on students as active classroom participants whose primary goal is to learn how to function and communicate in a variety of real-life situations within different cultural contexts.

The experience of studying a World Language will enrich the lives of our students, enhance their skills and broaden their perspectives as citizens of the world!  We wish them every success and encourage you to contact your child’s school for ongoing communication to enhance world language learning for your child.