From the Classroom

  • A Design Challenge that Goes Deep

    September 7, 2017

    Collaborating in groups is daily work at Prospect Sierra. But before students dive in, they think about how they’d like to collaborate and together, define a shared set of expectations for this group work. At the start of the school year, new groups are formed and this week students conducted a design challenge as part..

  • Abby’s Corner: Are You Ready for the Eclipse?

    August 15, 2017

    Almost Welcome Back… It’s almost time to say, “Welcome to the new year!” When August 1 hits, I am always ready to see students. It’s just too quiet these days, and I cannot wait to welcome all of you back onto the Tapscott campus. We are hard at work getting our campus and classrooms ready..

  • Congratulations Estella, National Medalist!

    June 7, 2017

    We are thrilled to announce that our very own seventh grader, Estella Zhou, has earned national medals in the 2017 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Estella’s short story, China Bird, received a gold medal, and her flash fiction piece, The Sunbirds, received a silver medal. Both..

  • Abby’s Corner – News from Tapscott!

    May 12, 2017

    A Peek into Program Each year our Tapscott Green Committee works to ensure that we celebrate and deepen our commitment to being a Green School all year long, and especially during our annual Earth Week in April. This year, a few fun traditions continued such as daily Earth Week Poetry read aloud by students over..

  • The Path To Global Citizenry in Fifth Grade Humanities

    February 22, 2017

    How do people’s differences keep them apart, and what strategies can be used to bring them together? These are the essential questions that guide our 5th grade humanities classes. By studying past and present events, 5th graders are introduced to real world problems. We aim to create projects and experiences for these students that allow them..

  • From Simple Addition to Multiplicative Thinking – How Our Curriculum Spans the K-8 Years

    January 26, 2017

    A comprehensive K-8 curriculum map had long been a goal for Prospect Sierra. Our teachers excel in their planning, implementing, and evaluating of their curricula, and Abby Guinn, Heather Rogers, and Katherine Dinh shared a vision of an interactive virtual document that would serve as a glimpse into the scope and sequence of Prospect Sierra’s..

  • Peer Education and Waste Sorting – A Cyclical Relationship

    January 9, 2017

    Can you recycle plastic containers if they still have a little yogurt in them? Do paper plates go in the compost? What does “plastic film” mean? These are some of the everyday questions that Prospect Sierra students ponder as they finish lunch and dispose of their waste.   In order to collect data about how well..

  • Third Graders Take the Stage

    November 28, 2016

    I know it’s the beginning of the school year when I see my third graders, standing in the music room, ready to rehearse. The year always begins with the third grade play. At Tapscott, drama cycles through the second, third, and fourth grades, each culminating in their own public performance. The third graders are lucky; they have a year of drama..