Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences

 

 

 
Winner of the Walt Willey Trip to New York

 
Academic Excellence, Respect & Diversity

Elementary School Curriculum

INTRODUCTION

The elementary school curriculum at the Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences is designed to support a community-involved learning environment that is sensitive to the individual strengths, interests, needs and learning styles of the children. The classroom is a community in which parents and teachers work together to create a caring, safe environment where all of the students learn from one another and develop respect for each other and an acceptance of individual differences. Our goal is to help each child develop a sense of responsibility toward one another, for the environment, and for the community at large.

  • In a carefully structured classroom students learn that questioning, thinking, risk taking and trying are treated with encouragement and respect. Through hands-on activities, group projects and open discussions the teacher and students create a positive classroom environment that encourages the development and individuality of each child. By providing a wide range of intellectual, artistic, physical and social activities, every child is provided with an opportunity to show his or her areas of strength.
  • We are an Expeditionary Learning school which emphasizes learning by doing, with a particular focus on academic excellence, respect and diversity. We connect high quality academic learning to adventure, service and character development through a variety of student experiences including interdisciplinary, project based learning expeditions. Basic concepts and skills from each subject area are woven into each expedition unit. We use a wide variety of multicultural arts and up to date technology to enliven and support each subject.
  • We also strive to ground every academic skill and subject in the real life concerns, interests and activities of the students. Children experience a greater sense of meaning and purpose, and learn best, when they are actively involved and are able to make connections between what they are learning and "real life", between what they learn in math and what they learn in social studies, and between the methods of conducting a science experiment and the strategies of staging a play. All subject areas become avenues for developing creative and critical thinking skills through the use of open-ended questioning and problem solving.
  • We offer a supportive and safe educational environment which provides opportunities for individualized curricula and challenges each student to reach their highest potential. We have high academic and behavioral standards, along with personalized support and guidance to help students achieve their goals.
  • We integrate technology as a tool for learning, communicating and augmenting classroom instruction.
  • We build a global perspective into the curriculum by establishing relationships with local international organizations and by building partnerships with international schools.

Our goal is for each child to become highly self-motivated. We have found that teaching in this way leads the children to find challenge, reward and enjoyment in the very act of learning itself. A student may not see the purpose in filling out a math worksheet, but could see the purpose of doing math calculations in order to determine how many corn seeds to buy for our garden, or to estimate how many pencils our class will need for the year - especially when we actually use the calculations to purchase the materials needed. We relate the work we do in class to "real life", knowing that children will then be motivated from within to apply the full energy of their effort to the task at hand.


THE BASIC SKILLS

The ability to use language well and thoughtfully. This skill involves developing speech that is sensitive to the weight and meaning of words, acquiring the habit of reading intelligently and critically; learning to write coherently; knowing and saying what one means; and attending to the meaning of other people's words.

The ability to think through a problem and experiment with solutions. This skill involves learning how to observe, question, listen, and experiment. It also requires that modes of thinking should be taught explicitly in school and not just implied through different school subjects.

The ability to understand scientific and technological ideas and to use tools. This involves learning to use numbers, computers, and hammers, and having opportunities to apply language and thinking skills to scientific, technical, and mechanical problems.

The ability to use the imagination and participate in and appreciate different forms of personal group expression. This requires that serious attention be given to the arts from historical, performance, and technical perspectives.

The ability to understand how people function in groups and to apply that knowledge to group problems in one's own life.

The ability to go about learning something yourself, and the skill and confidence to be a learner all your life. This involves both learning how to deal with new situations, and establishing a habit of developing new skills and interests throughout your life.

Excerpted from The Discipline of Hope by Herbert Kohl


CURRICULUM SUBJECT AREAS

Language Arts

Emergent readers and writers use invented spelling to express their thoughts and ideas. As students mature, more conventional spelling develops and writing activities become more complex. We use a process-writing approach utilizing the steps of pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing. The computer is available for use at all stages in the process (especially the publishing stage).
We employ a wide range of language activities including;
- Discussion groups, large and small
- Screenplays for movies
- Radio programs
- Reading for a variety of reasons
- Stories written, edited, constructed into books and read at publishing parties
- Game playing
- Shared reading
- Letter writing
- Journals
- Individual reading conferences
- Study of specific authors
- School newsletters
- Writing individual and group books for the preschool class
- Wide range of international literature
- Acting out skits and plays
- Writing poetry
- Storytelling
- Sustained silent reading
- Lots of creative writing!

Mathematics
The 1-6 math curriculum adheres to the National and State Standards and Benchmarks of Mathematics.

The most effective way for students to learn mathematics is through gentle development of concepts and the practice of those concepts extended over a considerable period of time. We use a combination of math curricula which utilize incremental development and continual review. Incremental development involves the introduction of topics in easily understandable pieces, permitting the assimilation of one facet of a concept before the next facet is introduced. Both facets are then practiced together until another is introduced. Previously learned material is continually reviewed and practiced throughout the year. As concepts become familiar and the requisite skills become automatic, learning becomes a game at which students can succeed and through which they find satisfaction and self-worth. The mastery of fundamental skills frees students minds to consider the topics on a more abstract level. Genuine learning is demonstrated not only through the understanding of a concept, but also through the ability to apply that concept to new situations. The mathematics curriculum not only helps the students master concepts and skills, but it also helps them learn to be mathematical problem solvers and to reason and communicate mathematically.

In the first-second grades we focus on the use of active exploration and manipulatives to learn about the rhythm and pattern of numbers in the everyday world, counting, structures, sorting, classifying, predicting, computing, gathering, reporting and reading data, adding and subtracting and their relationship to multiplication and division.

In the 3rd-4th and 5th-6th grades the focus shifts gradually from the use of concrete objects to mathematical modeling and problem solving. Students begin to master fundamental concepts such as long multiplication and division, ratios, area, perimeter, proportions, decimals, fraction work, pre-algebra and percents.

The Sciences and Social Studies

The elementary school Science and Social Studies program follows a comprehensive, expeditionary learning approach and develops the appropriate process skills and concepts targeted for each grade. These programs are interdisciplinary; integrating history, geography, language arts, math, etc. The curriculum offers a hands-on, active learning approach with a culturally integrated global outlook. We also have a strong focus on sustainability and work with our students to find ways in which they can have a positive impact on our planet.

The sciences are taught experientially; students learn to observe carefully, hypothesize, ponder, analyze, discuss and share results. All students participate in an inquiry based approach as the key to understanding scientific processes. Our students participate in a wide range of field trips which center on student involvement with science topics. Our students study geology in the field, astronomy at planetariums, and wildlife and plant studies at Nature Preserves. Our students learn from visiting guest scientists, in addition to learning how to do their own research and scientific inquiry. All subjects are infused with creative and critical thinking skills through open-ended questioning and problem solving. The students are encouraged to place emphasis on the exploration of concepts, rather than on the memorization of facts.


COMMUNITY OUTREACH

We believe that learning to be an active part of a larger community is an important aspect of the curriculum. Ours is a school that collaborates in a rich way with our community and takes advantage of the many resources that exist in our town. One of our core values as a community school is an acceptance of multiculturalism and a respect for diversity. We want the children to acknowledge and embrace differences, to strive to understand what motivates others, and to be interested in how someone else thinks and why they might act the way they do. We are dedicated to service activities that the students find meaningful. Our school will be continually learning about and connecting with the world and our local community through;
. Study of the various cultures and languages
. Community speakers
. Parent volunteers in the classroom
. Field trips to build on classroom activities
. Service projects
. School partnerships

We have already established a collaborative relationship with the following organizations;
· New Mexico School for the Deaf
. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
. The Food Depot
. Challenge New Mexico Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program
. Moving People Dance Company and Foundation
· Cesar Chavez Public Elementary School and Capital High School
· Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
· The Ark Veterinary Clinic and Gruda Veterinary Clinic
· Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
. Santa Fe High School Theater Department
. Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary
. Pandemonium
· IAIA (Institute of American Indian Art)
. Bradbury Science Museum
· Wheelwright Museum
· Museum of Fine Arts
· Santa Fe Institute
· Los Golondrinas
. New Vistas Early Childhood Center
· Santa Fe Pro Musica
· Lodestar Planetarium

ASSESSMENT

We utilize focused portfolios in all of our classes. A focused portfolio is a way to observe and document each student's growth and development. The portfolio provides information about the child's strengths and current challenges. The portfolio includes;
. academic work samples and final papers
. artwork
. projects
. photos
. progress reports

In our classrooms, students are responsible for:
. working to their potential
. producing quality work
. sharing ideas and assisting each other
. knowing the classroom, where and how to access materials and return them after use
. composing class rules and assisting in upholding them
. completing assigned tasks
. using conflict resolution skills to resolve conflicts


WHY WE USE MULTI-AGE CLASSROOMS

The multi-age classroom has been used successfully for generations and had its beginnings in the one-room schoolhouse where teachers had to regularly deal with teaching multiple subjects to students of different ages.

This approach requires adapting the same subject to different children's abilities. For example, if we are teaching U.S. History and we have a 2nd grader and a first grader- the teacher may share a story about a particular event in history with both children (e.g. the Boston Tea Party). The 2nd grader may write a paper comparing that event to a current event while the first grader practices writing some words from the story with accompanying pictures.

Mixed age groups allow children to learn from each other as well as adults. This "peer tutoring" gives students a chance to experience the challenge of being a teacher, which helps them develop more patience as learners. Peer tutoring also provides an opportunity for children to use their talents to help others, which builds their own self-confidence and strengthens their sense of competence. Classes with a range of ages provide a setting where all children can see themselves as relating to and supported by a group of peers at different levels of skill, mastery and exploration. By encouraging the children to share what they have mastered with others, as well as utilizing their peers as sources of knowledge, the multi-age classroom develops strong social skills and flexibility.



WHY WE EMPHASIZE SUBJECT INTEGRATION

Integrative teaching involves combining several subjects in one lesson. The teacher may begin by telling a story. One child may choose to write (language arts) their own version of the story, another child may be involved in solving a math problem related to the story, while another is drawing a map (geography) illustrating the locale of the story. Or all of the students might write and produce a play reenacting the story or read and write poetry about it. Subject integration accomplishes several goals; it makes learning more meaningful by relating specific skills to broader areas of student interest; it increase retention of content by embedding facts in a matrix of learned material; it deepens the child's understanding of the world by highlighting the interconnections between the various fields of knowledge; it encourages a habit of curiosity by encouraging students to seek out relations and connections in the environment.

Integrated learning is natural; our world is complexly interconnected. A learning style that compartmentalizes the different disciplines removes learning from our own natural experience of the world and creates a distaste for learning in children. Integrated learning simply models the way children naturally experience and explore their world.


WHY WE INTEGRATE THE ARTS INTO EVERY THEME UNIT

The Arts Education Partnership, a private, non-profit coalition of more than 100 national education, arts, business, philanthropic and government organizations has demonstrated the essential role of arts education in enabling all students to succeed in school, life and work. The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities along with the Arts Education Partnership have researched the effect of arts education over the past seven years. The researchers found that learners can attain higher levels of academic achievement through their engagement with the arts. They found compelling evidence that student achievement is heightened in an environment with high quality arts education offerings and a school climate supportive of active and productive learning. The arts engage student's minds, hearts and bodies and use multiple intelligences and skills. Engagement in the arts- whether the visual arts, dance, music, theater or other disciplines- nurtures the development of cognitive, social and personal competencies. The arts also provide new challenges for those students already considered successful.


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