Program Objectives
Thinking Skills
Convergent / Deductive Thinking: use clues to find one right answer
Divergent / Inventive Thinking: brainstorm to find lots of answers
Convergent / Analytical Thinking: study the parts of things
Divergent / Creative Thinking: use your imagination
Visual / Spatial Perception: look for patterns to find one solution
Evaluative Thinking: consider possibilities to find the best answer
Convergent / Deductive Thinking: use clues to find one right answer
Divergent / Inventive Thinking: brainstorm to find lots of answers
Convergent / Analytical Thinking: study the parts of things
Divergent / Creative Thinking: use your imagination
Visual / Spatial Perception: look for patterns to find one solution
Evaluative Thinking: consider possibilities to find the best answer
Critical Reading Skills
Using short stories, poetry, and nonfiction resources, we practice critical analysis of text by determining implications and consequences, making generalizations, identifying main ideas, and synthesizing our thinking.
Using short stories, poetry, and nonfiction resources, we practice critical analysis of text by determining implications and consequences, making generalizations, identifying main ideas, and synthesizing our thinking.
STEAM
STEAM represents science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
We conduct STEM/STEAM challenges where students have a task to accomplish using limited resources and time. We also utilize STEM based materials such as robotics (Ozobot, Dash, RobotMouse Cubelets, LEGO WeDo, and Sphero), circuits (littleBits, Squishy Circuits, MakeyMakey and homemade circuits), engineering kits (K’Nex, LEGOs, Keva Planks), drones, VR goggles, GoPro camera, and 3D printing
Design Thinking
There are five steps in the design thinking process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. We begin by identifying problems in our school building and designing solutions for them. We then branch out to problems we notice at home, in the community, in our country, and in our world
There are five steps in the design thinking process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. We begin by identifying problems in our school building and designing solutions for them. We then branch out to problems we notice at home, in the community, in our country, and in our world
Computer Science
We begin with CS First courses from Google. Other coding experiences are available in Bloxels, Dash and Dot Robots, Ozobot, Construct 2, and coding languages such as Java and Python
Independent Study
Each student identifies areas of personal interest to investigate further. Topics students have selected over the years include writing poetry, plays, and novels, studying foreign languages, filming movies, studying art techniques, and conducting science experiments
Each student identifies areas of personal interest to investigate further. Topics students have selected over the years include writing poetry, plays, and novels, studying foreign languages, filming movies, studying art techniques, and conducting science experiments
Advanced Grade Level Content
Kindergarten - The World Before Us -- holidays, Seven Wonders, virtual tours of world biomes
1st Grade - The World Before Us -- ancient cultures, archaeology, outer space & oceans, animal species
2nd Grade - How Our World Works -- earth cycles, geography, simple machines, natural disasters
3rd Grade - The Art of Storytelling -- cartoons w/ stop motion, tall tales small tales & fairy tales, mythology, e-books & podcasts
4th Grade - The Future -- computer science, coding, robots, green screen
5th Grade - Legends -- Atlantis, Fountain of Youth & El Dorado, Stonehenge & Crop Circles & Bermuda Triangle, cryptozoology
6th Grade - Reading Skills -- the basics, not obvious, right there, poetry, drama, author’s decisions, change, movies of books, research, technology
7th Grade - Great Minds -- famous figures, philosophy, famous artists, ethics/debate
8th Grade - Let’s Try It -- Latin, book genres, physics, sports/game play
Affective Skills
Topics include: identifying personal areas of interest for in-depth study; managing feelings and emotions; building self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, and leadership capacities; reflecting on attitudes, beliefs, and morals; enhancing curiosity, imagination, and risk-taking; developing persistence and independence
Topics include: identifying personal areas of interest for in-depth study; managing feelings and emotions; building self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, and leadership capacities; reflecting on attitudes, beliefs, and morals; enhancing curiosity, imagination, and risk-taking; developing persistence and independence