Curriculum Guide

Transcription

Curriculum Guide

CURRICULUM GUIDE
74 South San Gabriel Boulevard • Pasadena, California 91107 • Tel: 626 792 6166 • Fax: 626.792.1335 • www.waldenschool.net
Teaching that we all
have stewardship for the
world in which we live.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I
OVERVIEW
Letter from the Director of Studies
6
The Walden Mission Statement
7
The Walden Philosophy Statement
7
The Walden Learning Outcomes
8
The Walden Agreements
9
Core Groups
10
Multi-Age Classrooms
11
Teaching Methodologies
12
DEVELOPING VOICE
14
15
Partners in Learning
II
COREGROUPS
A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON NATURAL WONDER
Lower Core Skills and Concepts
19
20
A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON CHILD LED-INQUIRY
Middle Core Skills and Concepts
23
24
A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE
Upper Core Skills and Concepts
27
28
III SPECIALTY CLASSES
IV
THE “SPECIAL”IST RELATIONSHIP
33
Music
34
Visual Arts
36
Physical Education
38
Dance
39
THE IMPORTANCE OF READING ALOUD
41
Library
42
Storytelling
43
Spanish
46
Technology and Science
48
Appen d i x
Learning Math at Walden School
55
Writers Workshop at Walden School
59
Reading Workshop at Walden School
62
|
4
D
ear Walden Families,
At Walden School we believe that everybody has a story, that this story has meaning, and that it needs to be told. We are pleased
to share with you the work that we do with this story in the Walden classrooms through our curriculum guide. Our guide, developed
through the collective work of our faculty, is a fluid document that exists to highlight the distinctive qualities of a Walden education
from Pre-K to 6th grades. The work presented here helps to illustrate a value we hold dear in the Walden community, using the story
of our past to inform, develop, and change the story of our future.
An education at Walden enables students to examine the world and question in an informed and reflective manner. Through studies
in the traditional academic disciplines,Walden students develop skills not to maintain society , but to better the human condition
and make progress. It is a deliberate intention of the faculty at Walden not to simply have our students merge into society at large,
but to develop skills and a disposition to actually improve the world in which we live.
This commitment to improvement is reflected in the partnerships and choices we make when developing and implementing
curriculum. Considering the child’s social, emotional, and academic growth, we have adopted programs that reflect our mission and
values like Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP), Singapore Math, Responsive Classroom, and the
Orff Schulwerk.
Also guiding our practice are the interests, talents, and skills of each child, as deep understandings and connections are key
attributes in a progressive environment. Based on John Dewey’s philosophy that education begins with the curiosity of the learner,
we utilize a spiral path of inquiry: asking questions, investigating solutions, creating new knowledge as we gather information,
discussing our discoveries and experiences, and reflecting on our newfound knowledge.
We deliver our program in multi-year groups called “cores” that offer children the opportunity to grow and develop at their own pace
without being held to a specific age or grade level. There are four core groups that make up the Walden experience: Lower, Middle,
Upper, and Specialty. Each core’s focus, skills, an dconcepts are highlighted throughout this guide, combined with narrative
descriptions of student life.
It is our goal that this guide provides a framework for conversation, access to underst anding, and an invitation to the Walden story.
Terra Toscano
Director of Studies
6
|
THE WALDEN MISSION
THE WALDEN PHILOSOPHY
STATEMENT
|
7
THE WALDEN LEARNING OUTCOMES
As a result of mission-consistent practices and expectations, the faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees have
established the following school-wide learning outcomes:
A Walden graduate will be:
8
|
THE WALDEN AGREEMENTS
The student body and faculty wrote the nine agreements below collectively during the beginning years of Walden School. They
are found throughout the school and provide a daily context for our whole community on guiding the quality of relationships we
expect at school. The faculty and staff revisit, explore, and explicitly teach them each year and use these as a foundation to work
on community and conflict resolution with students.
1. I cooperate with all of the adults at school.
2. If I get mad, I solve it without hurting anyone or anything.
3. I stay with my group unless my teachers give me permission to be somewhere else.
4. I try to keep myself and others safe.
5. I give my best effort and attention to my school work.
6. I respect other people’s rights.
7. I respect my environment and all the living things in it.
8. I’m responsible for my own feelings, my own actions, my own learning, and for using
my Wise Mind to help me do my best.
9. I try to help others keep these agreements by setting a good example.
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9
CORE GROUPS
10
|
MULTI-AGE CLASSROOMS
|
11
TEACHING METHODOLOGIES
12
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|
13
DEVELOPING VOICE IN THE WALDEN CLASSROOM
14
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PARTNERS IN LEARNING—PARENT/TEACHER COMMUNICATIONS
|
15
CORE GROUPS
| CURRICULUM GUIDE 17
Nurturing a child’s
natural wonder and
personal dignity
A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON
LOWER CORE SKILLS AND CONCEPTS—PRE-K THROUGH K/1 CLASSES
“A WALDEN EDUCATION IS BASED ON BALANCE”
As READERS and WRITERS, Lower Core students will:
• Demonstrate an understanding and organization
of the basic features of print
• Recognize and understand rhyming words
• I d e n t i fy and write upper and lowercase letters of
the alphabet
• Practice inventive spelling using phonic skills
• Strengthen decoding and reading comprehension skills
• Participate in daily silent, guided, or partner reading
• Work on fine motor skills (tracing, cutting,
pencil grip, and left-to-right orientation)
• Use tri-pod grip independently
• Dictate, draw, and represent personal stories
• Develop basic sight-word vocabulary
• Demonstrate mastery of letter -sound
correspondence
• Differentiate between consonants and vowels
• Write and recognize first and last names
• Write for meaning and clarity while becoming
published authors
• Identify elements of a book such as title, author,
and illustrator
• Actively participate in the writing process multiple
times (generating,drafting, revising, editing,
including work with writing partners and conferencing,
and publishing)
• Build reading fluency and the development of
expressive language
• Use proper sentence structure, syntax, and
grammar
• Identify plot, character, and setting in a story
PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, and RITES OF PASSAGE
•
Establishing life-long identity as a reader through integrated reading units using books with repetitive
patterns, an emphasis on phonological awareness, and work with leveled emergent texts (A-1).
- Personal and family reading logs,
guided reading groups, reading buddies and nooks, author studies, an exploration of chapter books and morning messages.
•
- Up” days, Individual and
shared writing experiences, “Small Moment” stories from personal narrative, inquiry-driven non-fiction research and “All About”
writing, persuasive and opini
20 CURRICULUM GUIDE |
As LISTENERS and SPEAKERS, Lower Core Students will:
• Follow simple one- and two-step oral directions
As MATHEMATICIANS, Lower Core students will:
• Participate in collaborative conversations about
diverse Lower Core topics
Explore Numbers and Operations in Base ten by:
• Sustain a conversation focused on one idea
• Practice and use eye contact
• Using concrete and pictorial models to create a set
with a given number of objects (Up to 100)
• Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get
information, or clarify something that is not understood
• Practice and use explicitly taught conflict-resolution skills
• Learning to recognize and write numbers 0–100
• Studying multiplication by learning
to count by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s
forward and backward to 100
• Understanding1-to-1correspondence
• Explore presentation skills
• Comparing and ordering whole numbers
• Speak audibly to express thoughts, feelings, and
ideas clearly
• Understanding and working with addition and
subtraction equations by exploring number bonds
• Describe personal strengths and abilities
• Understanding place value
• Understanding and creating addition and subtraction
number stories
In SOCIAL STUDIES, Lower Core students will:
• Learning and using developmentally appropriate mental
math strategies to add and subtract
• Explore concepts of citizenship (interpersonal,
social, self-awareness, community, service
learning, and environmental stewardship)
• Explore and discuss the Walden Agreements as a
community norm
Explore Algebra by:
• Develop the classroom community by creating rules
together as a class
• Understanding the relationship between numbers in fact
families
• Engage in cultural exchange and empathy though
personal stories
• Modeling and writing number sentences
• Identifying even and odd numbers
• Understanding the difference between equality and
inequality
• Understand and develop emotional vocabularies
• Participate in mindfulness activities
• Understand geography (continents, landforms,
landscape, climate, lifestyle, and maps)
Explore Geometry by:
• Explore individual and classroom topics
according to student interest
• Developing an initial understanding of symmetry and
congruence
• Reasoning with shapes and their attributes
PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, and RITES OF
PASSAGE
• Class/Endangered Animal Study
• Core-wide study of the Universal
Concepts of Patterns and
Relationships
• Introduction to the icons of Depth and
Complexity
• Lower Core Book Drive
Explore Measurement and Data by:
• Measuring lengths indirectly
and seasons of the school year
• Introducing the clock and concepts of time
As
• Collecting and organizing data through interdisciplinary
units
A developmentally
appropriate program
that encourages
responsibility, initiative
and child-led inquiry
A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON CHILD-
MIDDLE CORE SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
As READERS and WRITERS, Middle Core students will:
• Keep a reading log and practice fluency in their
daily independent reading
• Remain active participants in the writing process multiple
times (generating, drafting, revising, editing, including work
with writing partners and conferencing, and publishing)
• Set personal reading goals using a predictable structure
• Investigate how published writers use English language
conventions and begin using them in personal writing
(e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs)
• Read, comprehend, interpret, make connections,
and reflect on a series of ideas within a text
• Generate book reviews by developing ideas and
referring to text to support ideas and opinions
• Participate in their first literature circle/book clubs
• Intentionally explore character development and
plot through shared reading and writing experiences
• Distinguish different literature genres through
author study
• Develop reading for information skills using context clues
• Choose “just-right” books for themselves
• Follow written directions
• Develop a beginning understanding of how purpose,
audience, and context can influence the substance of
writing
• Begin work on the Developmental Spelling Continuum to
construct and deconstruct words using common
phonograms, prefixes, suffixes, and word origins
• Know and use periods, commas, question marks, exclamation
points, and quotation marks to communicate ideas
• Construct a paragraph through the development of a topic
sentence, supporting details, and a closing sentence
• Practice dictionary skills and alphabetical ordering using
personal dictionaries
• Practice printing and be introduced to cursive
PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND RITES OF PASSAGE:
•
: Reinforcing reading habits and life -long identity as a reader, emphasis on reading with fluency and
automaticity, transition from picture books to chapter books, reading for information, independent work with leveled
texts (D-P), personal
reading logs, author and genre studies through guided reading groups, partner reading, and reader’s theatre
activities
•
“Lessons from the Masters” personal narrative study, inquiry-driven information writing, writing
,
about reading, developing opinion pieces to change the world, and personal expression
As LISTENERS AND SPEAKERS, Middle Core students
will:
• Follow multi-step oral directions
As MATHEMATICIANS, Middle Core Students will:
• Follow agreed-upon guidelines for discussions
(e.g., getting attention in respectful ways,
listening to others with care, and speaking one at
a time about Middle Core topics)
Explore Numbers and Operations in Base Ten by:
• Participate in organizing, planning, making
decisions, and taking action in a group
• Practice and deliver an oral presentation at the
conclusion of each year
• Use explicitly taught conflict-resolution skills with a
focus on persuasion, compromising, debating, and
negotiation
• Explore the give and take of peer editing and partner
work
• Developing simple mental math strategies and learning
the habits of a mathematician
• Using concrete and pictorial models to create a set
with a given number of objects (Up to 10 0,000)
• Recognizing, writing, and learning equivalent forms of
numbers (0–100,000)
• Understanding place value to 100,000
• Modeling and understanding regrouping in addition and
subtraction
• Practicing estimation and mental calculations up to
10,000
In SOCIAL STUDIES, Middle Core students will:
• Solving real-world problems involving all four operations
while identifying and explaining patterns in arithmetic
• Interpret and discuss the Walden Agreements as a
community norm
• Continue character and social development,
emphasizing independence, emotional regulation in
groups, considering multiple perspectives, and
etiquette
• Identify examples for freedoms, rights,
and responsibilities of a community
• Developing an understanding of fractions as
numbers through modeling, comparing, and
making equivalents
• Practicing word problems and problem solving using a
bar model
Explore Operations and Algebra by:
• Engage in focused study of cultures and traditions
• Participate and lead mindfulness activities
• Think critically, make inferences, and draw
conclusions to explore individual and classroom
topics and ideas
• Modeling, representing, and solving
problems involving multiplication and
division within 100
• Understanding the properties of
multiplication
• Read, label, and interpret charts, maps, and
graphs
• Studying, examining, and applying the inverse
relationships in all four operations
• Understand and engage in the research
process (find resources, take notes, outline
and write) for self-directed inquiry
PASSAGE
• The Learning Adventure
• Core-wide study of the Universal
Concept of Structures
• Cultivating Walden Garden beds
• Service Learning Project using Garden
materials
• Full-day field trip to the Flower Fields
• 3rd grade overnight camping in Joshua Tree
• Reasoning with 2D and 3D shapes and their attributes
AS
MA T
HEM
ATICI
ANS,
Midd
le
Core
stud
As
• Developing a foundation for the understanding of area and
its relationship to multiplication and addition
• Selecting appropriate tools and units to estimate, measure,
and record length, intervals of time, liquid volumes, and
masses of objects
• Journaling about mathematical ideas and observations
Learning
academic skills
through experience
and Socratic
discussion
A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON LEARNING ACADEMIC SKILLS AND CONCEPTS THROUGH EXPERIENCE
UPPER CORE SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
Collectively known as “The Ponderers,” the Upper Core consists of the fourth through sixth grade classes. The question of
“How is this information useful to me and others?” is central. Upper Core students are forced to wrestle with the
knowledge that learning is not just something that happens at school, but every moment of their lives, Emphasis is
placed on discovering what type of learner they are, how to grow their strengths, weaknesses, and mindset.
Fourth and fifth grade students participate in a workshop approach to teaching and change classrooms based on the
subject matter (Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies). This model relies heavily on the involvement of the learner to
- small group, and individual explorations with guided practice, and gradual
construct knowledge through hands-on,
release. The model continues in sixth grade with the homeroom teacher taking over the core subjects. Upon graduation
from Walden in sixth grade, students will have been exposed to all of the skills and concepts below.
As READERS and WRITERS, Upper Core students will:
• Comprehend, interpret, and connect with texts
exploring prediction, inference, drawing
conclusions, cause/effect, opinion, and
summarizing
• Compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction texts
• Identify elements of a text and author’s point of view
(plot, character, setting, theme, mood, and conflict)
• Make inter-textual connections (text to text, text to self,
text to the world)
• Recognize and understand the characteristics of
different genres of literature
• Receive explicit instruction to nurture independent,
life-long reading habits
• Become active members of literature circles/book clubs
that provide opportunities to examine, read, write, and
talk about books
• Use topic, supporting, and closing sentences in
paragraphs
• Construct, understand, and write a structured essay
(personal, literary, and research)
• Become practiced and independent with the writing process:
• Study and use pre-writing strategies to organize
ideas in writing
• Develop purpose in writing for an audience
Write with stamina and fluency within the genre
being studied
• Work within the context of a normed writing community
to give and receive feedback
• Proofread, revise, and edit written work for content,
organization, style, word choice, spelling, and mechanics
• Publish and share work with an audience
• Focus on root words and study vocabulary
• Continue work on the Developmental Spelling Continuum,
and learn to consult references, as needed
• Identify parts of speech and study grammar
• Develop consistent, legible penmanship
PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND RITES OF PASSAGE:
•
: Focus on life-long identity as a reader, reading for information and analysis, independent work with
leveled texts, strategy and “thinking” post-its,
independent reading logs and reading inventories, author and genre studies in
literature circles
•
Emphasis on living life as a writer, writer’s notebooks as resources, narrative craft study, realistic fiction
“Boxes and Bullets” personal essay study, information writing through a historical lens, literary essay writing, inquirydriven research-based -argument essays, poetry study memoir writing for the Walden 6th grade speech
As LISTENERS AND SPEAKERS, Upper Core students will:
• Refine oral presentation skills and develop an
awareness of audience, voice, emphasis, articulation,
body posture, and eye contact
• Follow and create agreed-upon guidelines for
discussions (e.g., getting attention in respectful
ways, listening to others with care, and speaking
one at a time about Upper Core topics)
• Practice asking thoughtful questions, making
relevant remarks, and building on shared ideas in a
group
• Practice coming to a discussion prepared, having
read or studied required material
• Report on a topic, sequencing ideas logically, and
using relevant facts or ideas to support themes or the
main idea
• Understand and give multi-step oral directions
• Use explicitly taught conflict-resolution skills
with a focus on active listening, empathy,
perspective, compromise, and choice
In Social Studies, Upper Core students will:
• Study local, national, and global history and geography
• Read and discuss current events
• Read, interpret, and label: maps; charts; graphs;
diagrams; images; and primary source documents
• Read material, highlight key terms,and
apply note-taking and outlining skills
• Extract, summarize, predict, and organize information
from non-fiction resources
• Prepare a bibliography
• Continue to engage in the spiral of inquiry (find resources,
take notes, outline, and create a product to represent
learning)
• Discuss and analyze media influence and bias
• Analyze topics from multiple perspectives
• Develop self-awareness skills to understand how
we fit in the global society
PASSAGE
AS MATHEMATICIANS, Upper Core students will
Explore the Number System by:
• Practicing mental math strategies and developing
and applying the habits of mathematician
• Recognizing writing and equivalent forms to trillions
and thousandths
• Understanding place value to trillions and thousandths
• Understanding, applying, and extending work with
fractions, decimals, percents,
,
ratios, proportions
and their congruent relationship
• Applying the previous understanding of numbers to the
system of rational numbers
Explore Operations and Algebra by:
• Using numerical expressions, the basic four
arithmetic operations, and converting
between base 10, exponential, and repeated
factor notations
• Computing fluently with factors, primes, multiples,
order of operations, and negative numbers
• Developing facility with fractions and decimals
(add, subtract, multiply,tand divide)
• Using mathematical properties in 4 operations to
solve equations in estimation and mental math
• Understanding area and perimeter
• Applying the properties of plane geometry
• Working with congruen t and symmetric figures
• Plotting points on a coordinate graph
• Determining experiential probability of an outcome
• Analyzing data sets by finding mean, median, mode, and
range
• Keeping a math journal to express mathematical ideas and
vocabulary
•
Quests, and The Inquiry Project
• Annual Field Studies in Science
• Overnight Camping in Malibu
• Mentoring younger classes
Develop and refine reasoning and problem solving
skills by:
• Making important decisions about approach, materials and
using strategies such as manipulatives
• Making connections among patterns to solve problems
SPECIALTY CLASSES
to encourage the
Spirit of Renaissance
learning
MUSIC—SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
Music classes at Walden, though centered in the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy and pedagogy, challenge the status quo
by first calling everyone a musician and encouraging every student at each Core level to actively explore all the
musical elements through sound, speech, singing, improvisation, and the playing of instruments.
Balancing choice with guidance, the coursework is geared toward the student's interest. Over time, a creative and
supportive musical community is formed with children learning that, with patience and practice, everyone gets to
create something meaningful.
Our program builds upon concepts and skills established in Kindergarten, which increase in depth. diversity, and
complexity in the higher grades.
As MUSICIANS, Lower Core Students will:
• Develop basic music literacy (fast/slow, low/high, loud/soft, steady beat, and singing vs.
speaking voice)
• Work towards finding on - pitch singing
• Explore ways to listen and respond to music
• Experience a variety of locomotor movements through traditional singing games and
dramatizing songs and folk tales
• Begin to develop rhythmic dexterity by echoing rhythmic and melodic patterns
• Transfer “body percussion” to instruments
• Introduce playing on barred and un-pitched percussion instruments
• Begin to recognize and demonstrate quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes
As MUSICIANS, Middle Core Students will:
• Continue to develop basic music literacy (orchestral instrument families, verse/chorus, AB
form, and rhythmic notation)
• Work towards on - pitch singing voice through the use of two-part rounds
• Transfer text to “body percussion” to un-pitched percussion using pentatonic patterns
• Create instrumental accompaniments with pitched and un-pitched instruments
• Explore meters, rhythmic, and melodic patterns through songs and musical games
• Compare and contrast music from different cultures
• Read simple songs and exercises to play the recorder
As MUSICIANS, Upper Core Students will:
• Continue to develop music literacy (exploring the give elements of music: beat/rhythm; melody; form;
and expression)
• Continue exploration of rhythmic notation
• Distinguish treble clef pitch notation, question and answer phrases, and form (ostinato, canon, and rondo)
• Differentiate singing canons in two, three, and four parts
• Develop an appreciation for multi-cultural
music styles (folk music world music, classical, folk, pop, and
jazz)
• Explore ways to set poetry to music and create instrumental pieces with a group
• Play pitched and un-pitched percussion instruments in instrumental and ensemble pieces
• Review and enhance recorder technique
• Receive introductory guitar instruction as part of the music curriculum
PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, and RITES OF PASSAGE
• LOWER CORE - Students participate as an active audience member at the Walden Winter Sing and
practice and perform with their class at the Spring Sing at the Lanterman Theatre in March or April and
on Grandparents/Grand Friends’ Day.
• MIDDLE CORE - Bands and ensembles are often formed with students self-selecting instruments that
they want to become more proficient at. Both formal and informal performances are created as a
concerted effort between teacher and students during assemblies and lunchtime. Students also practice
and perform with their classes at the Spring Sing and on Grandparents/Grand Friends’ Day.
• UPPER CORE - Bands and ensembles are continued, and students are offered extra practice time as a
recess option. All Upper Core students participate in the Ponderer’s Choir and collaborate to produce and
perform at the Walden Winter Sing, Grandparents/Grand Friends’ Day, and Spring Sing.
VISUAL ARTS-SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
In the Art Studio, each student is considered to be an artist and
an treated with respect for his or her talents.
The program
r
is designed to provide
i
manydopportunities for personal proficiency and self-expression.
Through a- developmentally appropriate structured program, students are afforded the opportunity
to experience mastery in art at their age level. Students learn that the responsibility of the artist is to
push oneself towards execellence. The creative experience is a time for exploration and for the child to
celebrate his or her imagination and individuality.
As ARTISTS, Lower Core Students will:
• Understand that artists gather ideas from personal expreiences, resources, other
artists’ work , and art materials.
• Understand that art making requires effort and planning
• Understand that artists show respect for materials and tools by cleaning up
• Be introduced to self-reflection about work created through dictation and documentation
• Differentiate between 2-D and 3-D
- representations
• Work in gradually released, choice - based art centers throughout the school year,
including Drawing, Painting, Clay, Collage, 3-D construction and Fiber Arts
As ARTISTS, Middle Core Students will:
• Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning and follow
a line of thought overtime
• Know the differences between materials, ideas, and processes
• Understand that artists show respect for materials and tools by cleaning up
• Continue to practice self-reflection and introduce feedback
• Be introduced to relevant art vocabulary
• Be given multiple opportunities to revisit media techniques or materials to refine their skills
• Further their work in gradually released, choice-based art centers throughout the
school year, including Drawing, Painting, Clay, Collage, 3-D construction, and Fiber Arts
• Invite artists within our diverse community to present their work
• Understand artistic presence and influence in the world
As ARTISTS, Upper Core Students will:
• Continue to select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate
meaning, follow a line of thought over time, and go deeper with a preferred medium or
technique
• Improve facility with various materials, techniques, and processes
• Expect studio safety and responsibility for materials and care of art work
• Develop preparatory sketching, drafting, and preplanning skills
• Further investigate observational drawing skills with a focus on persepctive, proportion, contour,
positive and negative space, shadow, and shading
• Study artists and movements to understand artistic presence and influence in the world
• Continue to practice self-reflection and introduce collaborative feedback and constructive critique
• Refine their work in gradually released, choice -based art centers throughout the
school year, including Drawing, Painting, Clay, Collage, 3-D construction and Fiber Arts
• Collaborate as 6th graders to design the yearly Walden t-shirt, Yearbook cover, and Mural
• Identify themselves as artists that present their work as a contribution to the global art community
• Visit museums and galleries
PHYSICAL EDUCATION—SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
Physical education and play are integral parts of students’ learning and development at Walden. Our program offers
activities for play, recreation, and a balanced outlook on an active life. Students’ physical capabilities grow as they
develop in age and maturity. The P.E. curriculum is developmentally appropriate and streses execellence and
ethical behavior. Underlying all games, ideas, concepts, and activities is an understanding of respect, trust, and
cooperation. Positive conflict-resolution skills are practiced in a safe environment in which competition is deemphasized. This highly structured physical education program promotes lifelong healthy habits and facilitates
the joy of games and activities.
As ATHLETES, Lower Core Students will:
• Warm-up with simple stretches
• Practice basic motor skills, including running, kicking, throwing, and catching
• Demonstrate developmentally appropriate body control, spatial awareness, balance, motor planning,
and sequencing
• Use sports equipment and vocabulary for individual play and exploration
• Begin to participate in noncompetitive partner and group games
• Introduce benefits of physical play (strong muscles, healthy heart, and personal enjoyment)
• Understand the roles of respect, trust, and cooperation within a group or game setting
As ATHLETES, Middle Core Students will:
• Practice basic motor skills, including stretching, jogging, ,running, kicking, throwing,
,
and catching
• Focus on appropriate body control, spatial awareness, balance, motor planning, and sequencing
• Move from single-skill-based instruction to multiple-skill
instruction for organized games
• Play sports games using basic rules and skills (kickball, basketball, soccer, etc.)
• Practice cooperation and sharing, as well as recognizing and accepting personal differences
• Continue practice in coordination, balance, speed, flexibility and accuracy
• Develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes that encourage lifelong habits of physical fitness
• Understand the roles of respect, trust, and cooperation within a group or game setting
As ATHLETES, Upper Core Students will:
• Use personal warm-up and cool-down activities, including running and stretching, to improve mobility and
protect from injury
• Continue to refine multiple skills used in diverse organized games: football; basketball; volleyball; cricket;
lacrosse; and kickball
• Improve on coordination, balance, speed, flexibility, and accuracy
• Focus on structure of game and game play in organized sports and activities
• Develop facility with working cooperatively and taking responsibility for rules andprocedures
• Practice positive conflict-resolution skills and celebrate personal successes and those of others
DANCE—SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
Walden’s dance program lays the foundation for an appreciation and understanding of the art form, as well as
instilling in each child the numerous benefits of moving rhythmically and expressiely to music. Children are
encouraged to freely experience the joy of movement and awaken their personal expression while introducing classical,
percussive, folk, and jazz music to their musical awareness. Increasing coordination, dexterity, flexibility,
balance, knowledge of left and right, rhythm, and ability to remember a sequence of movements are also
emphasized. Dance empowers children to become self-reliant, grounded, and integrated movers and learners.
As DANCERS, Lower Core Students will:
• Warm up with a “Brain Dance”
• Learn to move to a steady beat
• Learn about body awareness, balance, control, and coordination
• Dance to songs, poems, music, and sounds
• Relate to a central theme: the cycle of seasons
• Be introduced to dancing with a partner
• Participate in group and community dances
• Learn a dance with up to four steps
• Explore performance opportunities in class
As DANCERS, Middle Core Students will:
• Warm up with a more complex “Brain Dance” and stretching regimen
• Continue development of coordination, control, balance, flexibility, and sequencing
• Be introduced to various dance forms (e.g. folk , colonial, story, and modern adapted dance forms)
• Work with guest dancers and community members
• Study advanced dance vocabulary
• Practice universal dance steps
• Develop the imaginative perspective to create movement interpretations
• Continue to practice presentation skills in assemblies and school-wide performances
• Reinforce partner and group etiquette
As DANCERS, Upper Core Students will:
• Create a warm-up routine and discuss how it prepares the body and mind
• Apply kinesthetic awareness in development of movement skills and dance techniques
• Combine the elements of space, time, and energy to create dance sequences with a variety of
themes and concepts
• Demonstrate the following partner skills: copying; leading and following; and mirroring
• Demonstrate the reproduction of dance sequences from verbal and visual cues
• Identify and use improvisational techniques in dance sequences
• Demonstrate the ability to work alone and cooperatively
• Observe and describe the various elements of dance using appropriate dance vocabulary
• Define and explain the role of an audience and a performer
• Explain aspects of dance in various cultures and historical periods
• Engage with guest teachers
• Participate in the Los Angeles Children’s Festival at the Music Center
child
to
THE IMPORTANCE OF
READING ALOUD
LIBRARY—SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
The Library program is designed to teach students how to effectively and independently use the library for
research and to find books for pleasure reading. The program provides developmentally appropriate challenges
to students at each Core level, teaching skills of increasing difficulty. Students are encouraged to become
mature borrowers through a series of steps with increments in both privilege and responsibility. Each year’s
skill set and concepts are coordinated with the classroom curricula,so that the content the students are learning
in the classroom is supported by what they learn in the Library.
As RESEARCHERS, Lower Core Students will:
• Explore and pursue books of interest
• Borrow and return Library books
• Practice Library etiquette
• Read aloud weekly and participate in book discussions
• Learn library terminology (checkout desk, book return, browsing, return
cart, browsing stick, and fiction/nonfiction)
• Discuss the parts of a book (cover, back, spine, title, illustrator, and author)
• Be introduced to literary genres
• Read American and world folktales
• Read and vote for California Young Reader Medal nominees
• Read and identify Caldecott Medal winners
As RESEARCHERS, Middle Core Students will:
• Be introduced to the online Library catalog
• Develop dictionary and research skills and introduce encyclopedias
• Practice Library etiquette
• Differentiate literary genres
• Discuss parts of a book (table of contents, title page – full and half – index, and glossary)
• Browse and practice using the Dewey Decimal System for independent book selection
• Identify story elements (plot, setting, and characters)
• Discuss Junior Great Books as a study in third grade
• Read and vote for California Young Reader Medal nominees
• Read Caldecott Medal winners
RITES OF PASSAGE
• Upper Core Students do not participate in weekly Library classes but have the freedom to use the Library as independent
researchers and to find books for pleasure reading. Students also rotate through monthly book shares with the Librarian to
learn about new books and vote for the California Young Reader Medal nominees.
• Students in the Upper Core may also check out as many books as they can reasonably care for and use.
STORYTELLING — SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
As STORYTELLERS, Lower Core Students will:
• Increase listening skills
• Explore the passage of oral traditions through nursery rhymes, folktales, myths, and
legends
• Learn about different worlds, countries, cultures, and value systems
composed of
• Explore sequencing through recounting stories and tales
• Dramatize narrative text to explore words, plot, and intention
As STORYTELLERS, Middle Core Students will:
• Acknowledge and understand differences and similarities in diverse cultures and value systems
• Increase awareness of personal values, principles, and ideas through the telling and reflection of
stories
• Relate information heard to personal experiences
• Participate in discussions by alternating roles of speaker and listener
• Retell stories from writing, reading ,and books with greater detail
• Explore problem solving through a unit on how-to stories
• Learn about the creation and negotiation of boundaries, healthy competition, and fairness through unit on
urban legends
• Explore story structure, interpretation, plot development, characterization, and authorial intention
As STORYTELLERS, Upper Core Students will:
• Share personal thoughts, values, and world views with confidence
• Provide peers with constructive feedback and praise
• Acknowledge differences between themselves and others including peers and classmates
• Study cultural philosophies in stories that emerge from the human condition
• Discover a level of expertise in the understanding of story structure and character analysis
• Select, use, and adjust listening strategies based on the purpose of the conversation
• Consider purpose, audience, and format when preparing a conversation
• Demonstrate creativity and originality in speaking presentations
• Speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard in both large and small groups
• Recognize the kind of listener interaction that is appropriate for different purposes
SPANISH — SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
planted at this stage and will continue to grow as students continue their Walden studies. Focus is placed on the
language of the discipline of Spanish and the details that encompass traditions in Latin American and Spain.
As LINGUISTS, Lower Core Students will:
• Be introduced and practice Spanish vocabulary related to classroom interests and topics
(e.g., colors, shapes, numbers1–20, clothing, animals, calendar, body parts, classroom objects, family and food)
• Be introduced to pronunciation to listen and develop accent
• Share songs, poetry, and picture books to support and reinforce concepts being studied
• Listen to and recite simple conversational phrases and exchange essential information
• Begin to write words, phrases, and short sentences
• Observe seasonal celebrations
• Participate in a school or community-wide presentation
The Middle Core is our “puente” (bridge), and students have the opportunity to expand on previously learned vocabulary.
During the spring, a traditional field trip is made on public transportation to Olvera Street, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes and
downtown Los Angeles. By the time students leave this Core, they should have a comfortable accent developed and a
deeper understanding of the patterns and rules found in the language.
As LINGUISTS, Middle Core Students will:
• Practice using definite and indefinite articles
• Practice reading and writing vocabulary and basic phrases
• Practice advanced nouns, articles (singular and plural), adjectives, verbs, and pronouns
• Read stories and picture books with appropriate expression
• Learn numbers (1–100) in both verbal and written language
• Introduce simple readings and present basic biographical information about self and others
• Identify parts of the world where Spanish is spoken and compare cultural differences
Los Consideradores (The Ponderers) best demonstrate the culmination of Spanish instruction at Walden.
In this Core, students study the etymology and impact of Spanish in our history and what it means for
our future. Students take local community field trips and study murals to develop a deeper and complex
understanding of the Spanish language, how it surrounds them, and how they can best use it in their future
endeavors.
As LINGUISTS, Upper Core Students will:
• Develop grammatical foundation (subject/noun agreement and adjectives)
• Conjugate verbs (-ar, -er, and -ir) in present tense
• Conjugate the verbs -ser and -estar in present tense
• Use a bilingual dictionary to write dialogues and descriptions
• Recognize that words are borrowed from one language to another by exploring origins
• Research and present a topic related to class studies
• Follow simple written instructions and complete assignments independently
• Continue to develop personal proficiency with reading, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on
good speaking and writing skills
• Compare and contrast a variety of Spanish art forms (e.g., visual arts, music, dance, and drama)
TECHNOLOGY — SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
The goal of the Walden School Technology program is to provide students with instruction and experiences
that promote learning, intellectual stimulation, empowerment, and Socratic dialogue. Technology is and will
continue to be an integral part of our students’ future. Digital technology, in particular, is a powerful research
and presentation tool that students must be proficient using. Students at Walden School learn to use technology
in a responsible, critical manner to research information in a variety of academic areas. They learn to locate,
critically evaluate, and use information from a variety of resources. Students also learn to use a variety of
software application store cord, create, and present child-led inquiry.
In the Technology Lab, Lower Core Students will:
• Work with input and output devices (mouse, keyboard, monitor, printer, etc.)
• Use a variety of media and technology resources for direct and independent activities
• Work cooperatively and collaboratively with peers when using technology
• Practice responsible use of technology and software
• Speak using correct technology terms
• Introduce use of technology resources for problem solving, illustrations, thoughts, ideas, and
stories
In the Technology Lab, Middle Core Students w ill:
• Begin to practice word-processing skills within the context of project-based learning
• Continue development of technology resources for problem solving, illustrations, thoughts,
ideas, and stories
• Speak using correct technology terms
• Discuss media literacy and basic issues related to responsible use of technology and
information on the Internet
In the Technology Lab, Upper Core Students will:
• Continue discussion on basic issues related to responsible use of technology and information on
the Internet
• Use technology resources as a tool to help enhance self-directed learning and
extended-learning activities, including child-led inquiry projects
• Evaluate bias, relevance, and source information
• Become more efficient in word-processing skills within the context of project-based learning
SCIENCE — SKILLS AND CONCEPTS
At Walden, we focus on science literacy rather than a curriculum emphasizing rote remorization of facts, terms, algorithms,
and generalizations. Science is not only an intellectual endeavor, but a social one as well. Students using their
science intellect to understand how natural and designed worlds work are learning to think critically and consider
multiple explanations. They are learning to apply themselves methodically and thoughtfully to problems requiring
patterns, logic, uncertainty, evidence, and empirical data. They are also developing a natural sense of wonder that
causes them to have the impulse to ask why and how about their observations of the world around them.
As SCIENTISTS, Lower Core Students will:
• Explore lab safety and develop an awareness of different scientific materials
• Develop an understanding of the steps of the scientific method
• Construct and organize data in charts and tables
• Conduct inquiry and student-driven experiments
• Engage in careful, targeted observation
• Record and share findings in their science notebooks
• Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements
Units of Study:
Field Study: Walden Garden and Pond, Campus Observation
As SCIENTISTS, Middle Core Students will:
• Explore lab safety and develop an awareness of different scientific materials
• Explore approaches to background research and the steps of the scientific method
• Differentiate evidence from opinion
• Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements
• Engage in careful, targeted observation
• Construct and write lab reports
• Repeat observations to improve accuracy and understand the need for multiple experiments
Units of Study: Habits of a Scientist, Biology-Life Cycles, Simple Machines, Renewable Energy, Urban
Ecosystems
Field Study: 2-day study of desert ecology, biology, and geology at Joshua Tree National Park
As SCIENTISTS, Upper Core Students will:
• Become proficient in lab skills and safety
• Conduct a scientific investigation based on a student-developed question
• Gather background knowledge and relate research to the global scientific community
• Conduct experiments in an organized way using the steps of the scientific method
• Record findings in science journal
Units of Study:
Ecological Relationships, and Bio-Diversity
Field Studies: AstroCamp in Idyllwild, CA, Catalina Island Marine Institute, Teton Science School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
FIELD STUDIES
Field Studies guide and compliment our science instruction with a progression of overnight outdoor education
trips arranged each year beginning in third grade. These trips are experiential in nature, underscore content
imperatives at each grade level, and provide opportunities for leadership and risk taking. We are also
intentional partners with organizations that share our values in promoting environmental sustainability .
•
To culminate their study on habitat and biomes, in May of each school year, third graders and one of their
parents travel to Joshua Tree National Park for two days. The Boojum Institute for Experiential Education
hosts this study. Students and parents camp in tents at the base of amazing rock formations in Joshua
Tree. All participants learn about desert ecology, biology, and geology through activities like studying
native plants, examining the local ecosystem, and tracking animals. They also participate in adventure-based activities, such as rock climbing and scrambling.
•
After a 3-month study of astronomy, in early February, Walden fourth grade students travel by bus to
AstroCamp in Idyllwild, California, for a three -day/two-night
n
study of Physical Science and Astronomy.
Students stay in dorm rooms in groups of three or four. The program is run by Guided Discoveries, a nonprofit founded in 1978 with the goal of making a difference in children's lives through science. Through the
varied use of materials and unique educational settings, students will experience rocketry, rope courses,
telescopes, electricity, and magnetism.
•
Marine Biology is an emphasis in fifth grade. In late April, usually after Spring Break, the fifth grade
students travel by ferryboat to Catalina Island, Cherry Cove, for a five-day/four-night marine science
study. The students stay in permanent tents on the CIMI campus. This program is also directed by Guided
Discoveries. The program focuses on experiential science utilizing hands-on labs and equipment, expert
instructors, and the natural land and sea environments of Catalina Island. A few of the activities the
students participate in are snorkeling, dissection of a squid, evening hikes, kayaking, classification of
vertebrates and invertebrates, and Island ecology.
•
In January, our sixth grade students fly to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to attend the Teton Science School for a
full six days. The Teton Science School was founded in 1967 as a non-profti
educational organization with
the goal of teaching students from all over the United States about natural and cultural history, while
exploring the Greater Yellowstone Geo-ecosystem. Walden students stay in modern, dormitory-style
buildings on the Jackson Campus. Each day, they travel throughout the Jackson area to hike, ski, and
snowshoe in Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. The students have hands-on
experiences in field ecology, including animal tracking, wildlife observation, ecological field research,
alpine ecology, field journaling and sketching, and leave-no-trace backcountry ethics.
APPENDIX
LEARNING MATH IN THE WALDEN CLASSROOM
What about fact fluency and repeated practice?
Fact fluency is carefully crafted into lesson structure. The expectation for Walden students is that automaticity will not only be
developed with facts but also a deep understanding of number properties. An understanding of key number relationships
provides students with strategies to quickly learning facts based on unknown ones. Mental math is practiced at every grade level
systematically. With that said it is not new nor is it a result of any mathematics program that some children have trouble
learning basic facts. This is always been the case. If your child struggles with basic facts, their teacher can help provide
additional opportunities to learn through games and activities or other resources.
Adapted from the Singapore Math Research Base by Marshall Cavendish
WRITERS WORKSHOP AT WALDEN
WRITERS WORKSHOP AT WALDEN SCHOOL
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT
READING WORKSHOP AT WALDEN
Q. Why change reading instruction? What was wrong with the old model?
A. In a traditional model, teachers taught literature. Envision a classroom in which students sat in rows. Everyone was reading the
same book, and the teacher was explaining the plot of the book. Are students all engaged in books that are challenging, but not too
challenging? Are they taking responsibility for their won study of literature? Are they developing confidence as readers?
Research indicates that reading for pleasure begins to decline among children towards the end of elementary school and continues to
decline until the age of 17. Similarly, we know that what was once considered “basic reading competence” isn’t sufficient for 21st
Century demands. Students need to be able to navigate difficult texts, to think critically, and to evaluate what they are reading. In a
differentiated reading workshop model, children are reading books at their independent level so they gain confidence and
independence as readers. The emphasis is on skills and strategies for reading, not the content of the book.
Q. Where does the instruction happen in a workshop model?
A. Every workshop begins with explicit instruction of a strategy or skill. Often teachers gather students on the floor in a meeting area
in the room. The goal is for maximum engagement during the teaching time with a minimum of distractions. Teachers may also read
aloud to students and “think out loud” to demonstrate how proficient readers think. During independent reading time, students
are practicing their reading strategies through silent reading or by writing reading responses. Teachers circulate among students
Conferring with them about their reading. As teachers identify specific needs in groups of children, they hold small group
instructional sessions called strategy groups. The instruction is more strategic in meeting the needs of individuals learners than in
a traditional model of teaching reading.
Q. Do students discuss their books?
A. Most children do not automatically know how to have a book discussion other than to say whether they like or disliked it. During the
first quarter of the year, teachers build a community of readers where it is safe to discuss ideas. They begin small with reading
partners who are at about the same stage on the developmental continuum. As the year progresses students learn how to move their
literary discussions from their reading logs to book clubs. While teachers will conduct mini-lessons on how to conduct a book club,
they do not “run” the book clubs. This is another place where children develop confidence and independence as readers. The teacher
“coaches in,” but ownership belongs to the participants.
Q. Why do children choose their own books? Isn’t that the teacher’s role?
A. It is a joint responsibility. The research indicates that choice is a key component in whether children develop the habit of reading
(and whether they become competent readers), but it should be guided choice. Teachers begin every year by teaching students how to
choose books. If students don’t choose books that are within their reading level, the teacher will intervene. Similarly, as teachers
come to know their readers, they recommend books that match the students’ interests. As the year progresses, they may suggest
students to explore other authors, topics, or genres to build a varied reading life.
Q. I see that there seems to be a lot of assessment at the beginning of the year. How is it used?
A. In the beginning of the school year, it is important that we get to know your child as a reader... what are their strengths, what kinds
of skills and strategies are they using to problem-solve tricky parts, how are they comprehending when they read, what challenges
are they facing that they need support to overcome...? We use a variety of tools to gather this information including observations
during whole group instruction, 1:1 conferences, listening to them read from unfamiliar text, reviewing their reading logs and
journals, etc. Knowing your child well helps us plan the most effective instruction for him or her individually, as well as the whole
class.
Q. I see that this book has a letter level on it. What does that mean?
A. The classroom library is organized in many ways. You will find categories for genre, author, topic, series, nonfiction, etc. Leveling is
one other way we organize books. Leveling can help readers at the beginning of the year with finding just-right books until they have
learned more sophisticated ways of finding books over the year. At any one time, a child may be reading books from a range of levels
based on the instructional purpose and their background knowledge of a topic.
Ÿ Books are leveled along a continuum. Each level is characterized by a set of challenges that the reader may have to
tackle in books at that level. Each challenge in a level helps to prepare a reader for the challenges that will be faced in
another level. Some readers will have strengths in particular skills, such as making predictions or reading with fluency
and expression, but struggle with others such as synthesizing ideas or evaluating character motives. The needs of each
child are always considered and teachers and students work together to match him or her to just-right books for
building those skills.
Ÿ Each child is different. If we were to all run a race, we would not all finish at the same time, but we would all likely follow
the same overall path, perhaps stopping for a time to take a breath or sprinting faster at points to try to gain more
ground. We don’t compare students to each other. Instead, we look at where each child is along the path and together,
set goals for making progress over time. There may be places in a student’s reading work where they need to spend
more time and others that we can quickly work through and move forward.
Q. What are “just-right” books?
A. We define “just-right” books as those the child can read with about 96% accuracy, with good fluency and strong comprehension. We
teach students over the course of the year many ways to choose just-right books.
Q. What can I expect my child to be bringing home for reading homework?
A. We believe independent, purposeful reading is extremely valuable for developing reading abilities. Therefore, we spend at least 30
minutes a day reading with little interruption. During that time, teachers meet with small groups for strategy instruction or 1:1 to
conference with kids. At night, your child should be bringing home his or her book to continue reading. Nothing more.

Curriculum Guide

Transcription

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