Fourth grade students participate in two overnight study trips, one to the Gold Country and one to Fort Ross.
Fifth grade students participate in a three-day study trip to the Marin Headlands, a program that complements their studies in humanities and science.
Sixth grade students participate in a four-day study trip to the Live Power Community Farm, a program that complements their studies of history, culture, and science. Students learn to apply lessons about individual and group responsibility at the farm to the greater world.
Seventh grade students participate in a five-day study trip to Yosemite National Park with the Yosemite Institute. The students travel throughout the Valley and beyond. They engage in group challenges and environmental stewardship activities involving scientific lessons that reinforce the seventh grade science curriculum. The program focuses on balancing individual and group responsibility.
Eighth grade students travel to Arizona for a five-day trip down the Colorado River with the Boojum Institute. Students canoe downstream on this expedition-style trip, making and breaking camp each day. This "coming of age" trip is designed to encourage self-identity, responsibility, and appreciation of the outdoors.
In Kindergarten, the focus is on creating a community of learners who honor each other's similarities and differences, show respect for each other's ideas and thoughts, and care for each other's feelings. Students learn to work constructively together as they gather information, contribute to class projects, and develop their individual skills.
Kindergartners weave together their developing skills (in math, language arts, science, and humanities) through their study of the transformation and growth of pond life. They also explore the interdependence between plants and animals through their study and restoration of nearby Canyon Trail Park.
Books are at the heart of the Language Arts program whose goal is to foster a love of literature, language, and communication. Through immersion in words and books, kindergartners come to understand and appreciate the world of print and the process of writing. Many genres of reading and writing (e.g. poetry as well as real life and imaginary narratives) are explored throughout the year. Kindergartners are developing authors who express themselves through pictures, words, and sentences.
Kindergarten is the place to build a strong foundation of language skills such as letter-sound associations, rhyming words, high frequency words, concepts of print, sequence in story-telling, and comprehension. Singing, chanting, and dramatizations are some favorite ways of bringing literature to life.
First graders explore a variety of communities, from the school itself to the Bay Area and its watershed. They begin by studying the people and jobs that support school life on a daily basis. The scope of study expands to the neighborhoods, starting with the adjacent creek. Using local markets, gardens, and farms as extensions of the classroom, first graders take a focused look at the community that produces and supplies our food. Students are encouraged to recognize the interconnectedness of the many communities they study, and most importantly, their role within these communities.
The Language Arts program incorporates a wide variety of activities in order to ensure a balanced literacy program consisting of a Reading Workshop, a Writing Workshop, and a Word Study program. The development of life-long reading is a top priority in first grade. Emphasis is placed on developing strategies for decoding words (phonics), understanding text (comprehension), and concepts about print. The students read and write every day — independently,in small groups, and as a class. The craft of good writing is taught in mini-lessons as the class explores the writing process and various genres. The Word Study program focuses on the relationships between spelling patterns and their corresponding sounds, high frequency words, and other strategies based on the specific learning styles of students.
Students undertake an in-depth study of various cultures and their ways of life. Through the study of geography, customs, art, and stories, they are introduced to different societies in Nigeria, China, and Bali, and are encouraged to find similarities and to celebrate differences. Special guests with primary knowledge of these cultures personalize the learning experience for the students. Individual writing, group activities, art projects, discussions, musical performances, and a guided research project accommodate a range of skill levels and learning styles and allow students to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways. The year culminates in a study of our ancestors.
The balanced literacy program continues. Students read individually, in pairs, and in small groups using a wide variety of children's literature. Mini-lessons in Reading Workshop continue to offer strategies for decoding, but begin to focus more and more on comprehension, making connections, asking questions, making predictions, charting character traits, and visualizing. Students study different genres in both reading and writing. Examples include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and memoir. Writing is on-going and varied, and includes revising, editing, and publishing. Work on phonics and spelling continues. Students also make oral presentations, recite poems, and perform simple plays to enrich their literacy experience.
Students develop an awareness of different lifestyles within the American continent through a comprehensive examination of various groups of people, beginning with the first people of California and subsequently studying the peoples of Alaska or Mexico. They acquire a deeper understanding of these cultures by examining their histories, ways of life, and stories, both past and present. Primary sources and real life models help students make concrete discoveries. Diversity of cultures, folk tales, and numerous celebrations are studied. In addition, students study geography and maps in depth.
Chapter books are an integral component of the curriculum. Students compare and contrast texts with personal experience, other texts, and the world around them. The emphasis is on reading for comprehension, developing analysis and inference skills, and responding to texts orally and in writing. Students engage in reading groups, read-alouds by the teacher, and independent reading.
Writing Workshop focuses on the process of writing. Students use a writer's notebook and work through drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Different genres studied include poetry, fiction, personal narrative, and writing for other subjects. Crafting techniques include character description, plot development, main idea, and adding details. Writing mechanics and spelling instruction become increasingly more important throughout the year. Cursive is introduced in handwriting.
The fourth grade humanities curriculum concentrates on teaching California history from the time of the first European exploration through the Gold Rush period. The focus is on natural as well as cultural history, and how the two are interwoven. There is an additional concentration on geography, both world and local. An interdisciplinary approach is used in the teaching of the history of California involving art, science, music, literature, geography, social science, and math. Underlying themes which relate to the students’ own lives are those of exploration, ecology, diversity, and codes of behavior for living in a community.
Students read and write in many genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and journals), and across all subject areas. Reading takes place in Literature Circles in which students are encouraged to recognize and discuss the deeper meanings. Students look at plot, character, theme, and emotional content of the literature, as well as literary styles and conventions. Increased emphasis is placed on gleaning information from non-fiction texts in conjunction with the humanities curriculum. A major research project is undertaken mid-year.
In 4th grade, the students participate regularly in Writers Workshop where the emphasis is on writing as a process– "prewriting" to organize ideas, rough drafts, conferencing, editing, and rewriting for final drafts. In addition to generating their own topics on which they wish to write, students are assigned more structured writing tasks, often having to do with the humanities curriculum. Through whole-class mini-lessons, individual conferences, teacher modeling, and their own work, students further learn the conventions and mechanics of writing. More sophisticated grammar and punctuation rules are introduced and practiced. Students become more competent at self-editing for both content and mechanics.
Making a New Nation: United States History and Geography
In the first major theme of immigration, students connect world geography with significant migrations to the U.S.A., and a study of fairy tales—stories people bring with them on leaving their native lands. They focus on the reasons different peoples have immigrated to America, the contribution of immigrants to American cultural life, and some of the challenges they have faced. Students then follow the emergence and growth of a new nation, beginning with the first Americans (native peoples) and their encounters with Europeans. As they study the shift from colonies to country, they consider the experiences and contributions of various racial, religious, and ethnic groups. Students use a variety of texts, documents and excerpts, and various audio-visual resources. Projects include interviews, informational posters, timelines, role-playing, a colonial day, and historical first-person journals.
Literature
Class texts are selected for their connection to the study of American History whenever possible. In addition, students are introduced to a wide range of literature in the classroom and school library. Activities include independent reading, partnered reading, and directed whole-class readings. Students participate in class discussions, reflection, and sharing, focusing on genre, main idea, vocabulary, setting, plot, characterization, point of view, theme, and literary devices.
Writing
Students gain experience in a variety of genres, including personal narrative, poetry, essay, and fiction, with an emphasis on fluency and clarity in form and expression. They begin to use introductions, transitions, and conclusions as they work through the writing process. Writing assignments within and outside the context of studies in American history, including writing from research and in response to literature, provide opportunities for students to develop skills. Grammar and punctuation are emphasized in final drafts.
Through in-depth exploration of literature, geography, social and political structures, religion, and mythology, students study a number of ancient civilizations including those of the ancient Mediterranean and ancient Asia as a basis for understanding how cultures evolve. Students reflect upon ways in which culture can both connect and create conflicts among people, and the ways in which ideals influence the development of societies. Projects include a class museum of Ancient Asian life, a Power Point project on one of these cultures, and a Greek Festival. In addition, students participate in an introductory integrated unit on food and farming which serves as a bridge between modern and ancient cultures.
Literature
Literature study serves a dual purpose. In addition to teaching reading and literature appreciation and analysis, it enhances the homeroom program because it is linked wherever possible to the themes or historical time period being studied. Class texts and discussions serve as the training ground for independent reading and analysis in the "reading buddies" program.
Writing
Students participate in a daily Writers' Workshop, in which they learn to collect material, focus their ideas, write a draft, use revision strategies, use editing strategies, and ready their pieces for publication. Types of writing include memoir, short fiction, poetry, literature response/analysis, and thesis-driven paragraphs. Writing skills and mechanics including punctuation, capitalization, grammar, spelling, note taking, and organization of ideas are taught both formally and in the context of the students' own writing.
Students examine the histories and beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, then trace the interactions between the practitioners of these religions during the Middle Ages. They follow the growth and spread of Islam into the Golden Age and investigate Christianity's influence on the development of medieval European culture. As Christians and Muslims clash in the Crusades, students are able to see the positive and negative effects of cultures in contact. Students follow Arab traders across the Sahara to the West African Empire of Mali, studying the impact of Islam on that culture. Finally, the course returns to Europe to study the influence of the contact during Crusades in the High Middle Ages.
Literature
Class literature is selected both for its relevance to the historical framework of the humanities course and for its literary value and appeal to seventh graders. Guided reading and extensive class discussion encourage understanding, critical analysis, and the appreciation of story and language. Students also select books for independent reading projects, during which they write reflections and create a digital story in conjunction with the technology department.
Writing
The writing program for seventh graders includes opportunities for creative writing in support of the history and literature study. The curriculum emphasizes the development of academic writing skills, using textual evidence to defend a thesis. Students learn to develop a thesis idea, identify supporting evidence, and incorporate that evidence effectively into their writing. Seventh grade writing instruction also includes review and practice of the proper citation of sources and the use of conventional writing mechanics.
Finding a Voice: Standing up for Self and Others: Topics in U.S. History
Students begin with an examination of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as the foundation of our nation. Major areas of study include the Jazz Age and the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Social Justice Movements of the 1960's and 1970's. The course is designed as an inquiry into the conditions under which individuals are willing to take a stand for what they believe in. The aim is to familiarize students with significant events from American history while investigating the concepts of integrity, courage, and right action. Students also develop their research skills and practice using primary sources in preparation for high school history classes.
Literature
Class literature is selected both for its relevance to the theme of taking a stand and for its literary value and appeal to eighth grade students. Works are selected from a variety of genres, including short stories, novels, plays, and poetry. Students explore literary concepts, especially theme and style, mostly by preparing for and participating in group and whole class discussions.
Writing
The writing program for eighth graders continues the work begun in the seventh grade on the development of academic writing skills. Eighth graders practice writing short essays in defense of a thesis on various literature and history topics. Writing instruction and practice includes pre-writing (note taking, outlining, and mapping), drafting, revising, and editing. Elements of conventional writing mechanics and grammar are also taught.
The eighth grade Final Project is the culminating activity of the humanities course. Students research an event from recent American history. Then they write an oral history of a first-hand witness of that event. The project requires students to use the research and writing skills they have mastered in both seventh and eighth grades.
