| Curriculum |
| Math |
The curriculum has become more individualized,
ensuring that each student learns the requisite skills at her/his
own pace. The present curriculum places more emphasis than ever before
on the systematic sequence of skills. It is in accord with the
New York State Standards and presents detailed expectations for each
student. Greater emphasis is on the use of computer technology.
Christian values are integrated in this area and the Math curriculum
is coordinated with other areas from grade to grade. On the
most general level, the cognitive skills of our students are
addressed with a view toward their developmental growth. For
example we would move into symbolic thought in algebra at the same time
that we are asking students about movements and motives in history.
Concurrently we would be asking them about character and
atmosphere in literature.
On a more specific level, the teachers are encouraged to use the
thematic approach/strategy to incorporate math into different subject
areas. For example, the integer lesson in math can be integrated to the
following subject areas:
Geography - Negative numbers and sea level, latitude and longitude, distance and area.
Lanuage Arts - Temperature outside and inside
Real Life - Using integers to record profit and loss, shopping
Science - Gather data about local temperatures for analysis or the use of timelines
Inherent in the nature of mathematics is a growing challenge to higher
and higher thinking skills. We start off in the lower grades with
the standard computations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division. By the 4th grade they should be getting exposure to
the basics of geometry, and we are in arrears here. As we move
into the higher grades, we ask our students to engage in the more
abstract exercises of word problems and the symbolic methods of
algebra. We need to build our strength with the students in the
upper grades, which would entail a more aggressive and timely
presentation of the higher level skills.
|
| Science |
The Science curriculum now place more stress on manipulatives
so that students gain a better awareness of the experimental nature of
science.
Science is an excellent arena for our students to progress for the
concrete to the theoretical. They must learn terminology and they must
commit to memory theoretical information. They also must perform
experiments and demonstrations with manipulatives. These are all
activities that can be appropriately undertaken in the lower grades.
To move, for example, from the tilt of the earth’s axis to
the basis for the seasons requires a higher level of spatial and
conceptual awareness and would come under consideration in the higher
grades (6,7 and 8).
Christian values are integrated in this area in a spontaneous occasion
for introducing a religious perspective. For example, in the study of
the seasons of the year, there is occasion to mention Christmas and
Easter as occasions of spiritual birth and spiritual rebirth. In
the study of the physical world, the many miraculous aspects of nature
come under scrutiny such as the infinite extent of time and space, the
endless extinction and regeneration of stars and solar systems.
Students are engaged on hands-on work involving equipment such as
scales and microscopes requiring students to master basic
concepts, terminology, and theories. They are given the
opportunity to draw their own conclusions using both the theoretical
knowledge they have gained in connection with their discoveries
obtained through observation and experimentation. |
| Social Studies |
In the past years, Social Studies has been de-emphasized in
the lower grades so that students can catch up on their ELA skills. In
the upper grades teachers are integrating DBAs into the curriculum more
and more.
The school provides a sound training in social studies in the
tradition of the liberal arts. We try to get the students to
question the meaning of the facts they learn and we also try to present
material from the arts and literature that illustrate the events of the
past.
Christian values are integrated in this area when students study world
history. The role of the church is always emphasized.
Students are also challenged to ask themselves what a Christian
would do in various situations: war, public debate, protest, classroom,
home and community.
Many assignments involve reading and writing. Social studies and
religion reinforce state standards in ELA, in addition to meeting the
subject matter state standards. This becomes particularly
significant when students from the upper grades must read documents
from earlier periods of history and determine their meaning and
significance in the time for which they were written.
As students learn about the struggles of the American people in
history, they take pride in their country and themselves. This
hits especially close to home when we study the history of New York
City and the many waves of immigrates whom found homes for themselves
here.
Students also gain confidence by being exposed to topics in current
events and being asked to form and defend opinions. This permits
them to become aware of their world and their place in it.
|
| Language Arts |
Over the past year emphasis has changed to analyzing data
from documents and writing summaries based on given subject matter.
There has been more emphasis on reading, both to develop oral
language and reading fluency. There has been more emphasis on
preparing for the ELA exam.
Christian values are integrated in this area, especially in the
lower grades where there is often crossover among religion, language
arts, and social studies. How to conduct yourself in the
community of your school, your home, and your church come up in this
connection. Writing assignments are often developed around
religious or biblical themes. Students are asked to retell
biblical stories in their own words. Students are asked to maintain a
“spiritual diary” that they share with God.
Language Arts curriculum coordinated with other areas from grade to
grade. Composition and report writing are deployed both in
Language arts and in Social Studies. Social Studies brings in
poems, myths, and folk tales. Math and Social Studies force the
students to deal with verbal material in graphs and timelines.
Through reading and writing students are asked to make their
greatest strides from concrete to figurative and symbolic thinking.
Thus, when they read a story, they will step into an empathic
relationship with the characters and events of the story. Then if
they are asked to write about the story, they must stand back from the
initial experience and extract meaning and significance from it.
This is never easy for the students, but if it were easy, it would not
be so essential to their intellectual growth.
Students are encouraged to write imaginative literature and even
poetry. Last year, in fact, one of our students had a poem
accepted for publication on an Internet poetry site. Students
are encouraged to read newspapers and materials that pertain to current
events. This is done with an aim toward introducing relevance
and involvement into the experience of reading and writing.
Students in the upper grades are asked to do more sophisticated writing
assignments where they must make contrasts, look for the writer’s
intention, and be sensitive to atmosphere and nuance.
Students are encouraged to write. This practice needs to start in
the earliest grades and be implemented consistently throughout all
grades. |
