Vol. 7, No. 1

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The core curriculum is an interdisciplinary study utilizing artistic communication, language arts, and technological, mathematical, and scientific inquiry skills. We have designed our core curriculum to help students develop the skills necessary to participate as informed, responsible citizens in an era of rapidly changing technology. They will do so by exploring and studying the world around them. Each classroom has a library with literature and nonfiction books as well as many project supplies and computer resources to provide each student with multiple opportunities to explore the classroom theme at their individual level of development.

Each day the classes have an extended period of study, research and reading. The curriculum themes build upon each other from year to year. Students study material on increasing levels of complexity and sophistication. The core curriculum also to integrates City and State Standards into the daily inquiry-based learning of the children. This means that their work is a balance of hands-on exploration, skill acquisition and subject material.

In Kindergarten students start in present

Curriculum Night at MSC Meet the Teachers Upper School: Sept. 30th Lower School: Sept. 23rd 6:30 to 8:30 Pre-register for Child Care at the School

time with an exploration of the "Self and Family". By studying and sharing about themselves, their families and homes the children begin to develop an understanding of self and others, learning to appreciate their similarities and differences. They begin to appreciate that families follow different traditions and customs. They explore the seasons and environment through gardening, learning concepts such as weather, temperature, and growth. Their program teaches the skill of observation through the use of the five senses to observe, describe and understand the environment. They begin to understand the properties of objects: size, shape, color, texture, weight, movement, motion and position. Families are encouraged to talk with the teacher about sharing their family traditions, customs and foods.

In the First Grade the theme is "Our School Building and the Neighborhood." Students look at their school and begin to learn about measuring, graphing and mapping, representing the school and the neighborhood in both concrete and abstract ways. They continue to develop scientific inquiry skills through investigations and classroom discussions. During the second half of the year the curriculum moves onto "Tools and Transportation," examining concepts such as density, magnetism, function, purpose, and geography. Families are invited to share in the classroom about their jobs, hobbies as well their experiences with transportation.

In the Second Grade the theme is "New York City." The study of the neighborhood is extended to the City, exploring other neighborhoods and communities in the city. They will develop research skills using books and encyclopedias, gathering information from other people and using library and computer resources. In this process they will come to understand how geography influences an area and how communities provide services to people. They end their year with a study of themselves both in personal histories and in understanding of their bodies and personal health. Families are invited to share their experiences as members of different cultures, communities and neighborhoods.

In the Third Grade students focus on "Family History, Immigration and Native Americans" as they observe New York and the Eastern region within a historical context. They explore adaptations of people and cultures based on the types of resources available in their environments. The children work cooperatively to solve problems using a variety of inquiry skills including observing patterns, predicting, designing and testing experiments. They develop extended time lines, to compare modern day New York to that of 500 years ago.

The Fourth Grade theme centers on the study of the "Age of Exploration," extending their previous study of history and culture. As they study early colonial America, the students look at what happens when two cultures come together and how communities form. They continue to use and develop their research skills and tools in order to understand life cycles and ecosystems around the country and world. In the process, they study mechanical energy and simple machines, geography, astronomy and weather. In the Fourth Grade the students begin to take on the more complex levels of research and project development, integrating several disciplines into one project presentation.

The Fifth Grade core theme is the Middle Ages, which continues to deepen their historical understanding of time while exploring another part of the world -- Europe. Their work includes understanding the creation and operation of social systems, social roles and values. The curriculum studies change, with students exploring the effects of both internal and external forces on society. Developments in technology, architectural structures and science are discussed as students develop and write research topics using multiple resources to answer a series of research questions.

This year's sixth grade core curriculum will focus on "Ancient Civilizations." They will begin the year with Greece and Rome and then travel east to Japan and China, and then on to study Native American, African and Middle Eastern cultures. This will be a comparative study of these cultures and societies. They will look at the emergence of language and the beginnings of communication within and between cultures. The history study will include geography, research skills, and current events. Science and the arts will also be integrated with the history curriculum. Grammar, writing skills, and reading comprehension will be central to the English component of Core.

The Seventh Grade Core is the first half of a two-year sequence of "American History." The seventh graders will begin the year with a study of the roots of democracy from Ancient Greece. From there, students will examine the beginnings of America, the evolution of American democracy and the Revolutionary Period. There will be a strong focus on using primary source material such as the Mayflower Compact, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. Writing skills conventional research, and communication techniques will continue to be developed.