core

The backbone of each academic year is an integrated theme-based course called “Core”. This team-taught course addresses the essential content, state academic standards, and skills in the core subject areas of Social Studies, English, and Science through the study of naturally integrative themes and topics which are different for each grade. Within “Core” students also study the themes and state academic standards through projects they choose, design and complete independently.


Core 9: Year-long theme - Active Citizenship (English 9, Civics, Physical Science)
Sub-themes Planning and Construction
Citizenship
Communication
Analysis and Inquiry
Human Studies

Core 10: Environmental Studies (English 10, US History, Biology)
Sub-themes Diversity
Equilibrium
Change
Capacity
Sustainability

Core 11: International Studies (English 11, World History)
Sub-themes Natural Resources
Globalization
Conflict
World Religions
Cultural Perspectives

Core 12: Individual Inquiry (English 12, Senior Social Studies)
Sub-Themes The Individual and Civilization
Anatomy of Self
Frontiers
Applications

Core's goal, in addition to covering essential content, is to create discerning, independent learners with self-awareness and an ability to articulate who they are. This is accomplished through intentional skill-development starting in Core 9 and building to Core 12. Students in Core 9 & 10 learn project management, public speaking, research methods, and team-work. They also begin to discover how their individual passions in life can motivate and guide their learning.

In Core 11 and 12 there is an increased expectation of independent, “out of the box” thinking to develop the skills and perspectives of life-long learners. The Core teachers work to empower students to control their own futures, and to realize, through self-empowerment, their obligations to others. To this end Core 11 & 12 takes a broad world view to ask big questions:

What is humanity?
What is compassion?
What are the complex underpinnings of how gender and race function?
What are globalization's impacts?

Those any many other huge questions and concepts are explored through historical and literary analysis of events. Authentic learning, beyond the textbook, makes history and it's implications real to students and prepares them for college level requirements.