Curriculum
Our Mission
To provide students with knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be lifelong learners and responsible citizens.
The Arizona Department of Education provides the academic standards that we teach. CUSD has broken those standards into performance objectives so that students can demonstrate benchmark competencies. This progress is monitored quarterly. In addition to language arts and mathematics objectives, science and social studies are regular parts of the curriculum. Students receive physical education weekly and participate in general music, library and technology classes. Fifth and sixth grade students may take band or orchestra in lieu of general music.
View CUSD Curriculum and State Standards by content area
Why are Thinking Maps Effective?
In the area of cognitive science, Dr. David Hyerle has synthesized the research on cognitive skills development by identifying eight fundamental thinking skills and describing how these skills work in unison (Hyerle, 1992). These eight cognitive skills are used together by students for life long learning across disciplines and with greater complexity as students move through each grade level. By clearly defining these cognitive skills, students quickly become aware of the thinking skills that drive their learning, giving them explicit pathways for thinking about their thinking and improving their performance.
