Curriculum Map 2018

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) acts as an umbrella for all of the learning happening in the Beginning School and is integrated throughout our curriculum. Major goals of the Beginning School include helping children become their individual best selves and, concurrently, a community of learners.To that end, we continuously work on five SEL competencies: •Self-awareness•Self-management•Social awareness•Relationship skills•Responsible decision-makingSEL competency descriptions based on the work of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning: http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning/core-competencies/

The Beginning School Woodworking Curriculum Philosophy and Overview•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students.•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product.•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work.•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities.•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision.•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity.•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques should generally precede machine work.•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing.•Foster students finding and working from their passions.

The Lower School Arts Curriculum Philosophy and OverviewArts Dept values that span grades preschool through grade 12•All art is greatly immersed and evaluated on the rich and varied processes that are used throughout each year.•Expansion of concepts and techniques are encouraged with most art projects•Risk taking is valued and encouraged•Creative ideas, creativity, innovation, are all encouraged•Collaboration with other children when appropriate•Craftsmanship•Respect of others and their work•Giving all media, concepts, techniques, and ideas one’s best effortThe Lower School children are in the Art Barn for five consecutive years (1st-5th)Because of this, the curriculum builds gradually each year on previously learned concepts and techniquesThere are four main areas of study in the Art Barn:•Drawing, Painting and collage•Clay/Ceramics/glazing, and other 3-D procedures•Textiles (weaving, sewing, basket making etc.)•Print makingThe Elements and Principles of design are introduced as they relate to units of study.NOTE: When collaboration takes place between the Art Barn and the Home Room, the projects may change from year to year. Similarly, the art curriculum projects may change from year to year, depending on many factors. The essential concept and technique attainment, however, remains similar throughout the five years. The units are examples of what can happen in a given a year in the Lower School art curriculum.

The Lower School Library Curriculum Philosophy and Overview•We offer a warm and welcoming environment to serve the developmental needs of preschool through 5th grade students and their families. •We invite community use of the library space for a wide variety of purposes.•We strive to create lifelong library users.We foster love of language and development of reading skill. •During storytime, we highlight the joy of sharing books together. •We are partners with the family and encourage use of library resources for pleasure reading at home. •We develop students’ awareness of the elements of fiction, text features in all genres, and teach strategies for searching and previewing non-fiction. •We provide advice and counsel to parents as each child moves along a unique developmental path to independent reading. •As students gain skill as independent readers, we provide reader’s advisory support for selecting “just right” reading materials. •We guide students to examine the powers of the imagination shared by authors and illustrators, and the impact on the reader their choices make. •We encourage students to explore multiple perspectives, develop geographic knowledge, exercise critical thinking, expand curiosity, increase cultural competence and make connections between themselves and the world through the stories and information they peruse.  We help students explore resources representing diverse perspectives develop historical, cultural and artistic awareness; place ideas in a larger context; acquire the skills needed to meet the challenges of information access in the 21st century.

Students attend either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish language class three times a week for 40-minute lessons. For the first six weeks of the school year, 1st grade students are introduced to both languages offered by the Lower School. After this six-week period, students and their parents decide which language class they want to join for the rest of the year. Students may switch languages in 2nd or 3rd grade if the class has openings. By 3rd grade, we ask that students remain in either Mandarin or Spanish for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to develop a strong second language underpinning.Our goal in Mandarin and Spanish is language proficiency. In the early years, students learn vocabulary for concepts such as colors, food, body parts, seasons, and numbers.As children move through the Lower School their language skills extend from short dialogues to authentic conversations. Writing, literature, and grammar are introduced and practiced along the way. Mandarin Chinese- or Spanish-speaking cultures are explored through singing and acting, holiday celebrations, and storytelling.

We view mathematics as a developmental pursuit, just as we do reading and writing. We recognize that children develop mathematical understandings across a broad continuum and thus need to be challenged in a just-right fashion in order to continue to develop with full and flexible understandings. We provide a workshop model for math instruction, which allows for plenty of independent practice on projects and problems designed specifically for small-group instruction. The groups are arranged so children facing similar challenges or making use of similar strategies in their problem solving are together.Math GoalsSupport students to make sense of mathematics and learn that they can be mathematical thinkersFocus on computational fluency with whole numbersProvide substantive work in important areas of mathematics—rational numbers, geometry, measurement, data, and early algebra—and connections among themEmphasize reasoning about mathematical ideasCommunicate mathematics content and pedagogy to teachersEngage the range of learners in understanding mathematicsMath TopicsNumbers: The ability to read, write, and understand the meaning, order, and relative magnitudes of whole and fractional numbers. This is foundational for all future mathematics and is a “never-ending” process.Operations: Building an understanding of the meaning, use, and connections between addition, multiplication, subtraction, and divisionCalculations: Choose and use a repertoire of mental, paper, and calculator computational strategies for each operation, meeting needed degrees of accuracy and judging the reasonableness of the resultsGeometry: Visualize, draw and model shapes, locations, and arrangements in order to predict and show the effect of transformations on them, solve problems, and justify solutions.Measurement: Develop confidence and proficiency in using direct and indirect measurement and estimating skills to describe, compare, evaluate, plan, and constructData analysis (probability and statistics): Understand and use the everyday language of chance and make statements about how likely it is that an event will occur based on experience, experiments, and analysis. Collect, organize, summarize, and represent data in order to draw conclusions, taking into account data collection techniques and chance processes involved

All Lower School students have a 40-minute music class three times a week. First through 5th graders participate in an Orff-Schulwerk curriculum that combines instrumental work, singing, speech, drama, dance, creative movement, and improvisation. Through these experiences students develop an understanding of the elements of music and gain an increasingly sophisticated level of skill. The Orff-Schulwerk Music for Children volumes provide the foundation for skill development. Exposure to music from many cultures gives students a window into understanding how music reflects the lives and values of other people. During a child's journey through the Lower School, they learn to improvise in all curricular areas, read music, compose, and perform using their voices, recorders, pitched and unpitched percussion instruments, and movement. Children have many opportunities throughout the years to perform for the community, including the annual fall Harvest Festival, winter Revels concert, and Spring Festival, as well as community meetings and casual recitals and sharings.  

Physical activity is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Lower School students have PE class 3-4 times a week. We foster fitness, motor skill development, coordination, and sportsmanship. In the early years of Lower School we work on balance, rhythm, ball handling, throwing, and correcting movement errors. As children mature, we introduce a variety of competitive and non-competitive activities including various team sports and movement experiences. Competition is kept in check to ensure that students of all skill levels are encouraged by each other and everyone is reaching for their personal best.

An effective literacy program offers a balance of challenge and support while building children’s confidence in their emerging abilities as readers and writers. Our goal is to develop fluent, capable readers who enjoy the process and learn from it, drawing from a diverse array of literature. We view reading and writing as a developmental process and understand that a child’s progress is seldom even or linear. It is common, for example, that a student’s leap ahead in learning is followed by a consolidating phase or an apparent plateau. We also find that students cannot be easily placed in a single category along the learning continuum. Rather, students often exhibit a range of skills and understandings. While no two developmental journeys are identical, the following reading continuum describes the basic path to literacy in the Beginning and Lower Schools.

The Lower School Science Curriculum Philosophy and OverviewThe Lower School science program’s experiential approach cultivates a sense of wonder and inquiry. A primary goal is for students to understand, appreciate, and become stewards of the natural world. In this way, students may better understand the various roles humans play in local and global communities.To fully understand the process of science, students practice the actual skills and behaviors of being a scientist. We focus on asking questions, making observations, planning and carrying out investigations, interpreting results, and sharing information. Students work collaboratively to formulate scientific arguments and explanations through direct experiences. In younger grades, students practice asking testable questions, designing and conducting group inquiries, and engaging in scientific discussions. By 5th grade, students are prepared to develop their own independent scientific investigation.Grade-specific courses of study focus on building understanding of scientific phenomena that tie directly to the students’ experiences. We strive to understand both the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of the world around us. Students do this through a variety of ways, including direct experience, modeling, and research.

Social studies involves looking at how people solve problems. Our goal is the promotion of civic competence— the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life.

Students attend either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish language class three times a week for 40-minute lessons. For the first six weeks of the school year, 1st grade students are introduced to both languages offered by the Lower School. After this six-week period, students and their parents decide which language class they want to join for the rest of the year. Students may switch languages in 2nd or 3rd grade if the class has openings. By 3rd grade, we ask that students remain in either Mandarin or Spanish for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to develop a strong second language underpinning.Our goal in Mandarin and Spanish is language proficiency. In the early years, students learn vocabulary for concepts such as colors, food, body parts, seasons, and numbers.As children move through the Lower School their language skills extend from short dialogues to authentic conversations. Writing, literature, and grammar are introduced and practiced along the way. Mandarin Chinese- or Spanish-speaking cultures are explored through singing and acting, holiday celebrations, and storytelling.

Our students have access to a wide range of digital technology and infrastructure to provide rich experiences to enhance learning. While the world of technology moves swiftly, we thoughtfully consider how to integrate digital tools that deepen, enhance and support:•Critical thinking•Creativity•Communication•Connection•CollaborationWe are inspired by the potential of digital tools and prepare our students to critically use the robust technology we have in the Lower School. It is within the context of curricular work that students learn skills necessary to dig deeper into the potential technology has to offer.We continually integrate digital work with the physical world and build skills such as:•Digital and online literacy•Media literacy•Online search and research•Citizenship•Resilience•Resourcefulness•We provide a dedicated set of iPads for each grade. Additionally, 4th and 5th grades have mobile laptop carts in their classrooms.

The Lower School Woodshop Curriculum Philosophy and Overview•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students.•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product.•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work.•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities.•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision.•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity.•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques should generally precede machine work.•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing.•Foster students finding and working from their passions.

An effective literacy program offers a balance of challenge and support while building children’s confidence in their emerging abilities as readers and writers. Our goal is to develop fluent, capable readers who enjoy the process and learn from it, drawing from a diverse array of literature. Our goal is to help students become writers who can express their ideas cogently, clearly, and creatively. We view reading and writing as a developmental process and understand that a child’s progress is seldom even or linear. It is common, for example, that a student’s leap ahead in learning is followed by a consolidating phase or an apparent plateau. We also find that students cannot be easily placed in a single category along the learning continuum. Rather, students often exhibit a range of skills and understandings. While no two developmental journeys are identical, the following writing continuum describes the basic path to literacy in the Beginning and Lower Schools.

The Middle School Woodworking Curriculum Philosophy and Overview•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques should generally precede machine work•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing•Foster students finding and working from their passions

The Upper School Woodworking Curriculum Philosophy and Overview•Make the shop physically and creatively safe for all students•Emphasize safety over speed and process over product•Cultivate an appreciation for physically challenging work•Teach traditional, time-tested techniques while remaining open to new possibilities•Provide students with a vocabulary of skills in order to allow them to fully realize the projects they envision•Nurture an appreciation for handmade objects of all kinds, and a recognition of quality over quantity•Competence and understanding of hand tool techniques, which should generally precede machine work•Developing an appreciation and reverence for our primary material (wood) as a living, breathing thing•Foster students finding and working from their passions