Magnet Education

At PS 349, we have a strong partnership with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) at Columbia University. As a Project school, we receive the benefit of cutting edge research and best practices with the support of a staff developer from the TCRWP. This positively impacts the reading and writing achievement of our students. Participating in this program allows our teachers to prepare our students to be accepted into specialized programs in Middle and High school with the goal of being college and career ready. Students also use literacy skills in all aspects of learning at PS 349.

Throughout the school year, students in grades K-5  discover the joys of reading and writing units in narrative, opinion, and non-fiction. Students will also participate in units in poetry, test-prep, speech writing, essays, book reviews, word solving, science writing, and more depending on their grade level. In addition, students in grades K-2 have phonics instruction with the new TCRWP Phonics program. 

Science classes at PS 349 have real-world applications. Amplify Science blends digital experiences with hands-on lessons that inspire students to think like scientists and engineers to solve real-world problems. This effective and engaging curriculum was developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science. Multimodal instruction ensures students “do, talk, read, write and visualize.” They learn to actively engage with science books, build visual models of their understanding of scientific phenomena, use digital simulations to collect evidence and share their ideas with their classmates.

​In addition to the Amplify Science curriculum, students participate in hands-on learning through visits to our in-house Hydroponics LabOpens in a new browser tab. Students have first-hand experiences with growing vegetables and herbs in a non-traditional way. The food grown in the hydroponics lab is distributed to our families and to local food pantries.

Eureka Math and iReady provide our students with the benefit of hands-on programs designed to highlight the importance of math in everyday life. To deepen our understanding of the standards for mathematical practice, teachers collaborate with the National Training Network (NTN). This math network provides our teachers with professional development on the best practices for mathematical instruction. Students use math skills to create projects such as prototypes, inventions, and inspirational group art projects.

Students in grades K-5 receive daily small group instruction in math through the implementation of Math Centers. Students rotate to a Teaching Center, Independent Work & Game Center, and Technology Center. Through these centers, students engage in academic discussions, collaborative work, and build on their knowledge of mathematics.

The NYC DOE Passport to Social Studies Core Curriculum was developed by the DOE in collaboration with a wide-ranging group of teachers, historians and cultural partners. It builds on the New York City K-8 Social Studies Scope and Sequence, a roadmap of key standards.

​The Passport helps students think like historians by raising questions, thinking critically, considering many perspectives, and gathering evidence; it also supports students making connections between history and their own lives, and seeing themselves as active members of a global community. It features hands-on activities and a variety of primary and secondary source documents and resources for each unit of study and lesson.

​Students at PS 349 discover photographs, paintings, original songs, maps, websites, technology-based programs, field trips, read alouds, art projects, research projects and other hands-on activities that prepare students to be knowledgeable about the world as responsible citizens.

At PS 349, students learn about music around the world. Students in Pre-K through 3rd grade listen to and sing songs, conduct research and perform songs and dances for an audience to celebrate how different music is across different countries and cultures. Students have studied music in Nigeria, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, and more!

​Students at PS 349 also participate in keyboarding instruction through the Music and the Brain initiative. Music and the Brain is a neuroscience-based program that brings music literacy curriculum and classroom keyboard instruction to schools, helping them build cognitive, attention, and fine motor skills to succeed academically and in life. Our music classroom houses a keyboard lab to use as part of our music curriculum across all grade levels. It’s a fun way to build skills like reading music, playing the piano, and learning songs from all over the world. Students get to experience many of the benefits of a private piano lesson in school among their classmates as part of their core education.

​In addition, students participate in visual and performing arts through programming provided by Marquis Studios, Studio in a School, and S'Cool sounds. Students engage in various dance, yoga, ceramics, architecture, and painting classes.

Physical Education at PS 349 goes beyond just playing sports. Not only does physical education help students understand the importance of being active and healthy, it also gives them the opportunity to work on the social skills, thinking process, and the ability to learn new skills that they can use in their later life. Physical Education is a place where all students are given an opportunity to participate to reach their highest potential and enjoy themselves as they do so. All activities are age and skill appropriate for the students so that they are consistently engaged. Students develop their locomotor skills, balance, visual tracking, manipulation, health related components, and much more.

​It is important that physical education is fun and exciting for the students. Physical education class is the only opportunity where students can learn new thing but don’t have to be stuck behind a desk. Being enthusiastic around the students will not only help make the lesson more enjoyable, it will also help gain the student’s attention and make them more willing to participate.

​At PS 349, all students participate in the Rising New York Road Runners program, the NYCDOE Move to Improve program, and the Reebok BOKS Kids program. Rising New York Road Runners was developed to give all kids the opportunity to experience the transformative power of physical activity, so they have the tools to be physically literate and the confidence to be active for life. Elementary school teachers use Move-to-Improve to add physical activity into their classroom lessons. During a math lesson, students might do an aerobic activity to compare two numbers. During a literacy lesson, they might practice yoga movements to identify certain words. Any Kindergarten–5th grade student can participate in Move-to-Improve activities, no matter what their physical ability. Reebok BOKS Kids allows PS 349 to engage students in an after-school physical education club. Students in grades 3-5 also have the opportunity to participate in Girls on the Run, an after school non-profit program that works to encourage the development of self-respect and healthy lifestyles in pre-teen girls through dynamic, interactive lessons as well as through running games, all of which culminates in a celebratory 5k run.