8th Grade Science: Learning From the Experts (the Lumber Primes!)
The 8th grade Uppers class, in addition to their study of chemistry, are doing an ongoing co-learning class with the Lumber Primes. Each week, we go out to the forest, do our weekly data collection on the two beech trees we're monitoring for a Harvard study on climate change, and then join the Lumber Primes for an exploration and investigation.
Cross-Pollination and Community Service: Electives in the Uppers (6th-8th)
Electives play an essential role in developing middle school students by allowing them to explore their interests, learn new skills, and expand their perspectives beyond core academics. In the Uppers, active engagement in our school community has been a large part of our focus this fall.
The Documentation, Interpretation, and Reflection Cycle of Inquiry in the Forest Primes (K/1)
“Documentation helps to ensure that individual and group learning are interdependent and tightly correlated, while simultaneously retaining the unique qualities of both. When their learning is documented, children can revisit and thereby interpret their learning experiences and also reflect on how to develop these experiences further. Interpretation and reflection become fundamental aspects of documentation that are not only retrospective, but also are projected toward the creation of future contexts for learning.
Art in the Middles (4th/5th)
Art happens on Friday mornings in the Middles. We believe art should feel accessible and enjoyable. We sit around the big conference table together where art materials and concepts are introduced. Currently, we are learning about color theory through monochromatic paintings.
Woods Recovery Zones in the Super Primes (4-5 Yr.-Olds)
In the first few days in the woods with the children, we introduced the concept of Woods Recovery Zones. We started by defining the words in Super Primes style. A definition should give information about the word without using the word itself. Woods are “a place where trees are growing close together.” Recovery is “a time when you are getting better from being sick.” A zone is “a place or area.”
Creating Norms Within Our Uppers (6th-8th) Community
What is a Norm? In Uppers we think of our Norms as a guideline for how we want to hold each other accountable, how we are able to trust each other, and how we can feel supported and seen at school.
Embracing Playful Learning: A Constructivist Perspective on Games in the Mups (2nd/3rd)
We play games everyday in the Mups. Whether in our Morning Meeting, during Outside Time or in our afternoon Choice, we know that games are a critical part of learning and development. At the Center School, constructivism is at the heart of our educational philosophy.
Dancing Primes Move Together (Toddlers)
This is a phrase we use a lot in the Dancing Primes, especially during the first several weeks of school when we are still learning how to be a community together. We teach the Dancing Primes the importance of us all moving together as a group so we can be safe, teachers can effectively take care of kids, and the smallest/slowest friends are not left behind.
Wild Edible Investigations in the Lumber Primes (K/1)
During the past few weeks the Lumber Primes have been busy getting to know each other and forming a community in the forest. We have also been taking time to get to know the land that makes up our base camp classroom, and all of the living things that we share this space with. Much of this curriculum is emergent, as we take time to study the salamanders, mushrooms, caterpillars, worms, and flowers we encounter throughout our days.
Uppers (6th-8th) Electives: Band
Middle schoolers, potentially the most self-conscious cohort of humans alive, are also some of the most vulnerable and heartfelt people. At least in band practice. This week, out of the 9 students in band, 7 got up to sing, play instruments, and share ambitions, each solo and unplanned.
Self Portraits in the Mups (2nd/3rd)
In the Mups, the pedagogy of art education is not just about creating beautiful images; it's about fostering creativity, embracing diversity, and nurturing academic resilience in our young learners. In a recent art project, our students delved into the world of self-portraits, a journey that involved not only honing their artistic skills but also addressing important themes of racial justice and celebrating individuality.
Universal Design in a 3 Year-Old Preschool Classroom
In preparation for the upcoming school year, the preschool and K-1 teams met to discuss the role of visual aids within a Universal Design framework. How can we best utilize visuals as a tool to make the classroom environment, materials, routines, and expectations more accessible to our students?
Building Mathematicians in the Middles
In the Middles, we love math. We believe that every student has a math brain and every student can be successful in math. We know that every brain learns differently and we engage with numbers in as many different ways as possible.
Developing Community Agreements in the Forest Primes (K/1)
During the first few Morning Meetings of the school year, we asked the Forest Primes questions as a way to develop some common language for how to BE in community with one another. Here are some of their responses…
Building Community Through Field Trips in the Mups
Establishing a community within our classroom is not only a part of the first few weeks of school, it is the foundation for everything that we create and build on as a class. In the Mups classroom, we believe that before children can truly focus on academic learning, they need to feel safe and seen by their classmates and their teachers.
Introducing Uppers (6th-8th) Projects Class at the Green River
In 6th, 7th, and 8th grade (Uppers) we have a class called Projects Class. In this class students are required to engage in the creative process, responding to open-ended and structured prompts. The course is designed to enhance these qualities: passion, ambition, initiative, perseverance, and collaboration.
Emergent Curriculum in the Dancing Primes
Anyone who is familiar with the Center School preschool curriculum knows (or may have heard) that it is an "emergent curriculum" and thus, is based upon the needs and skills of the children attending the program during any given year. You may ask, what does an emergent curriculum look like for the Dancing Primes, the youngest of all Center School students?
Three Pillars of the Super Primes (4 year-olds)
With school beginning only a week and a half ago and the weather finally showing signs of the season’s end, it's been nice to watch things begin to “fall into place”. Here in Super Primes we have begun to fill our 3 “ships'' for the year. These ships are our three main pillars of what it means to be a Super Prime: Friendship, Stewardship, Allyship.