Academics Overview

It is the mission of Woodland Elementary School to provide a high-quality education for each student and an optimum learning environment that will aid in the development of the total child through a cooperative effort among the home, school, and community. Woodland proudly provides exemplary education from Pre-K through fifth grade and meets the needs of diverse learners by offering multiple services such as Talented and Gifted (TAG), Continuous Achievement, Special Education, English Language Learners (ELL), Art, Music, Physical Education, Career Guidance lessons, STEM and Media/Library lessons. Students also have access to multiple gardens and STEM related locations throughout the campus.

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English Language Arts (ELA) & Reading

High levels of literacy are an expectation for all students to achieve. At Woodland, students are individually assessed and instructed on their just-right reading level. Students are taught how to read and then move to reading to learn. We want all students to have a passion and love for reading! Every classroom comes equipped with an abundant classroom library, so students have choice in selecting rich literature driven by their own interests. This promotes high levels of engagement. Additionally, direct instruction is given in small, guided reading groups and book clubs so students can continue to grow as avid readers.  ​

Writing Workshop is designed to help students understand the craft of writing and is part of every classroom. Teachers supplement the workshop model by incorporating instruction on techniques, while also keeping a strong emphasis on the style and organization of the writing process. Students learn to express their ideas in written form and to convey a message through their words. Teachers regularly meet with students in small groups or individually to improve writing based on that student’s needs.  ​

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Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEM)

In 2016, Woodland became the 16th elementary school in the state of Georgia to become Science, Math, Engineering, and Math (STEM) certified.  In March 2023, Woodland earned state recertification.  To have obtained and continue to maintain this high honor, Woodland offers a unique approach to curriculum through STEM subject integration while also incorporating the arts. We provide students with multiple opportunities to learn in various hands-on settings including a Data Investigation Lab, Prototyping Lab, Aquaponics Lab, Technology/Robotics Lab, and various gardens located on the campus. Field experts are invited to share their knowledge with students throughout all the phases of the Design Thinking Process (DTP). Students use this knowledge to solve problems in a real-world context.  We believe that it is our mission to help students become patient, proficient problem solvers equipped with the 21st century skills needed to be successful in later years.​

For standards-based math instruction, teachers identify specific learning goals and teach the mathematical concept, as opposed to a series of steps.  A natural progression of mathematics learning is concrete to representational to abstract.  By incorporating hands-on learning, students gain access to deep conceptual understanding that leads to knowing the how and the why of abstract algorithms. The focus in elementary grades is to lay a strong foundation by slowing down the learning process so that students may work efficiently in more complex mathematics courses. In addition, the process of learning mathematics in a slow progression promotes critical thinking and flexible problem-solving.