Curriculum
The Blended Learning Model
We believe in blending learning models…no one model fits every child. Our educational philosophy mirrors a traditional approach to learning which includes teacher–guided activities and instruction within a structured environment. We focus on teaching math, letters, numbers, sounds, shapes, problem-solving, listening, and more. Because we also value play-based learning, we provide opportunities for children to explore and learn through imaginative play, art, and block-building. Our classes feature a variety of centers where learning can take place using open-ended materials. With our Blended Learning Model, we use four methods to differentiate instruction and engage children in developmentally appropriate activities.
1 Teacher-Led Instruction
2 Independent Exploration
3 S.T.E.A.M. Implementation
4 Technology Integration
Our Curricular Programs
To successfully implement our Blended Learning Model, we utilize several curricular programs to meet the needs of our young Scholars.
A Beka Curriculum
A Beka is a nationally recognized curricular program that offers comprehensive high-quality educational materials allowing our teachers to provide a strong foundation in both academics and character development. With hands-on activities, challenging exercises, repetition, and reinforcement of concepts in phonics and language development, numbers, letters, shapes, colors, and reading comprehension, students are engaged in fun learning throughout the day.
Character Building
We use A Beka’s materials to teach character development. Our teachers use children’s stories and colorful picture cards to teach character. Our students will understand the importance of being kind and loving their teachers, classmates, family and friends.With the use of literacy, puppet animations, dramatic play, role playing, and positive redirection, we support families in instilling moral values that will create a solid foundation now and years to come.
S.T.E.A.M. for Preschool
Beginning with our Pre-Scholars (age 3), we implement weekly S.T.E.A.M. projects (science, technology, engineering, art and math). Our goal is to promote critical thinking and problem solving skills through S.T.E.A.M. lessons. Young children are natural explorers and why not tap into their curiosity in a positive manner. Our STEAM lessons, simply put, allow students to “learn by doing.” A sample S.T.E.A.M. lesson would include students singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat as a precursor to building boats to learn about buoyancy. They then test their boats to see if their boats will float across our Tupperware-made streams.
We utilize a plethora of resources to aid teachers in selecting S.T.E.A.M. lessons that are just right for their students. Such resources include: “Teaching STEM in the Early Years” by Sally Moomaw, “Year Round Project-Based Activities for STEM” by Kathryn Kurowski, and Blaze and the Monster Machines activities created by Nickelodeon and Young Minds Inspired. Each of these resources offers a variety of age-appropriate lessons with step-by-step teacher directions to lead children from questions, to predictions, to testing their predictions, to finding answers to their questions and then asking even more questions!
To effectively implement S.T.E.A.M. with fun and excitement, our teachers engage students in “What” questions rather than “Why” questions. Why questions imply that there is only one right answer and sometimes are difficult to answer. “What” questions are great for observations and discovery. During our weekly S.T.E.A.M. projects, students work to answer “What” questions such as those listed below. During observations and discovery, we ask questions like:
What do you see happening?
What do you notice about ____?
What is the difference between ____ and ____ ?
To further assist teachers in implementing our S.T.E.A.M. initiative, we provide 1-hour training each week where teachers experiment with the S.T.E.A.M. lessons before conducting them with the children. By doing so, teachers have the opportunity to think through the activity, consider the right questions to ask, and determine any accommodations needed to help their students successfully complete the weekly projects.