Structured literacy practices are utilized to deliver English Language Arts, ELA curriculum within a reading/writing workshop model of instruction which encompasses the five core elements of reading as established by the National Reading Panel, NRP report: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

• Fundations: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Reading, Fluency, Spelling
• IMSE OG: Multi-Sesnory Approach
• Cafe/Daily 5: Read to Self, Listen to Reading, Read to Someone, Word Work, Work on Writing 
• Literature Circles

Bridges to Mathematics

The Bridges to Mathematic Curriculum focuses on developing students’ deep understandings of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve complex and novel problems. Bridges blends direct instruction, structured investigation, and open exploration. It taps into the intelligence and strengths of all students by presenting material that is as linguistically, visually, and kinesthetically rich as it is mathematically powerful.

 3-5 Content Overview

Discovery Education

Discovery Education is a curriculum grounded in research based instructional strategies that allow our students to take deep dives into scientific investigations using creative collaborative tools.

• Inquiry based
• questioning
• data collection
• analysis

*Creative Solutions for real world problems.

 

Third Grade:

In third grade, students begin to explore more complex concepts and ideas from civics, economics, geography, and history as they study the varied backgrounds of people living in the United States. Emphasis is on cultures in the United States, including the study of American Indians. Students examine these cultures from the past and in the present and the impact they have had in shaping our contemporary society. They begin to look at issues and events from more than one perspective.

Fourth Grade:

In fourth grade, major topics include Colonial Pennsylvania, History and Geography of the States and Regions of the United States.  Students learn about Pennsylvania, studying the regions, making salt dough maps representing those regions and landforms.  students learn about the Native Americans, early settlers of Pennsylvania along with English settlements. Students then study United States Regions. Using graphic organizers, post-its, foldables, and choice boards, students continue to practice geography and map skills, increase understanding of cause and effect and develop note-taking and study skills.  

Fifth Grade

Students are ready to engage in a more global perspective and begin to study world regions.  Units focus on North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, which leads into an exploration of cultures.  Note-taking and study skills continue to develop using graphic organizers and other strategies.  Students use resources for research and cite resources used n a bibliography.  

At the Campus Laboratory School, STEAM is integrated into all aspects of the curriculum and across grade levels.  Students are engaged in solving real word problems using 21^st century skills.  There is also a strong emphasis put on linking STEAM projects to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  Students are challenged to think critically and be creative problem solvers as well as change makers.  Our students are also provided with unique opportunities to collaborate and communicate with each other, members of the school community as well as organizations that have partnered with CLS.  The goal of the STEAM program is to provide students with meaningful and authentic experiences that will empower them to make a difference in the world by being good stewards of the Earth. 

The Empowering Education Curriculum (SEL) utilizes five core competencies for social emotional learning.

• Self-Awareness: Understanding one's emotions and thoughts and how they influence your behavior
• Self-Management: The ability to regulate one's emotions and behaviors in different situations while setting and working towards individual goals
• Responsible Decision-Making: The ability to make positive choices and take responsibility for one's actions
• Social Awareness: The ability to take the perspective of another and show empathy
• Relationship Skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and meaningful relationships with others

As students advance through the grades, their academic performance relies heavily on the ability to organize, prioritize, shift flexibly while accessing their working memory and self-monitoring. Executive function is an umbrella term for these complex cognitive processes which are critical to ensure success in school!​

The SMARTS Curriculum empowers children by helping them recognize their strengths and weaknesses while teaching critically important Executive Function Strategies, such as:

• Motivation
• Awareness
• Resilience
• Talents
• Success

Our visual language and skills grow as we continue to explore materials and artists. Creative expression in art materials through learning about artists, concepts an themes presented.

Build on students’ growing interests in details, space, use of color, techniques, as well as on skills and concepts from previous grades. Students develop visual imagery through themes and topics and increased focus on the art elements and principles of design in individual and collaborative projects. Work from observation and imagination to create forms using contour and value, into showing space in 2D, and into 3D, creating a sculpture.  Repurposing and upcycling objects to create art. Explore visual arts from various cultures and eras, including Impressionism, Cubism, Harlem Renaissance, American art, Expressionism, and Pop Art, increasing our understanding of style, genre, and medium as well as cultural context in which art is created.  How is art used to inform or change beliefs, values, and behaviors? How can we effectively communicate our own ideas?

 

Content

Extend knowledge of art material

Compositional design

Use of art tools and materials

 

Skills

 

Exploration of directional lines such as horizontal, vertical, and diagonal

The ability to observe and then combine shapes to represent a subject

identification and rendering of detail

One and two-point perspective

Use of contour line to define a figure or object

An imaginative interpretation of an observed subject

Inventive use of pencil, color pencils, and pastels through blending, mixing, and layering

Ability to create a variety of visual textures through mark making

Composition

 

Mixing tints, shades, and tones of primary and secondary colors

Expressive use of paint media such as tempera and acrylic, oil pastel and pastel

Observation of detail and inventive solutions to design problems

Basic organization of space such as foreground and background

Use of large and medium brushes to make a variety of marks such as dabbing and dry brush

Digital art resources for creating and designing

In Primary and Intermediate  Music (grades 1, 2, 3, and 4), we build on students’ “musical muscles,” adding xylophones/metallophones/glockenspiels, keyboards, and in grade 4, recorders to the instrumental repertoire.  Students continue singing, moving, playing,  notating, creating, analyzing, and exploring in our 2/6-day-cycle classes.  They learn the art of choral singing in Ensemble (grades 3 & 4).

Our curriculum for these grades is based on “Gameplan: An Active Music Curriculum” by Jeff Kriske and Randy Delelles.

When we discuss the music that we listen to, move to, perform, and create, we consider many questions.  

Why does this sound this way?  How do our ears process sound?  What happens on a molecular level to create sound?  What patterns do you notice in this notation?  How can you create your own notation to represent your creation?  Why did the composer choose these chords to accompany these words?  Why did the lyricist choose these words instead of others?  How do you personally connect with the message of this song?

We listen to a wide variety of musical compositions in our classes.  This year, we have focused on Schumann, Prokofiev, J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Henry Mancini, Hans Zimmer, Ari Pulkkinen, and John Williams.

Students perform informally during the year, leading Mass and preparing songs for school-wide celebrations.  All students in K-8 perform in a School-Wide Concert in December.  They sing, dance, and play songs in this evening event. 

The students of the Campus Laboratory School of Carlow University participate in Physical Education classes beginning at age three and continue through 8th grade.  Each level stresses the importance of physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Children are exposed to team sports, lifetime sports, and recreational activities. The students are encouraged to explore them, and decide which activities are most enjoyable.  We hope the children will find activities suited to them leading to a lifelong healthy lifestyle. 

Some of those activities include:

• TEAM SPORTS:  Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Football, Volleyball                                                                
• LIFETIME SPORTS: Tennis, Fitness, Aerobics
• RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES:  Races, Tag Games, Chuteball, Creative Movement

Students are taught to work together as groups and in teams. Good sportsmanship is taught at the pre-primary level, and is practiced at all levels.

The students are taught to be aware of their surroundings, and to recognize safe environments to play or compete.

The S.T.E.A.M initiative is also incorporated into the Physical Education curriculum.  The students study human anatomy, physics, physiology, kinesiology, math, and music during their physical activities.

Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience. The United States must educate students who are linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad. This imperative envisions a future in which ALL students will develop and maintain proficiency in English and at least one other language, modern or classical. Children who come to school from non-English backgrounds should also have opportunities to develop further proficiencies in their first language.

The purposes and uses of foreign languages are as diverse as the students who study them. Some students study another language in hopes of finding a rewarding career in the international marketplace or government service. Others are interested in the intellectual challenge and cognitive benefits that accrue to those who master multiple languages. Still others seek greater understanding of other people and other cultures. Many approach foreign language study, as they do other courses, simply to fulfill a graduation requirement. Regardless of the reason for study, foreign languages have something to offer everyone. It is with this philosophy in mind that the standards task force identified five goal areas that encompass all of these reasons: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities—the five C’s of foreign language education.

Students in grade 5 are able to choose to study French or Spanish for the remainder of their time at The Campus Lab School.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." 

—Margaret Mead, Anthropologist

 

Service and mercy are at the core of our mission at The Campus School. Throughout both daily interactions and large events held at Carlow, it is evident that children and teachers alike promote the notion of service and respect for each other. 

Preparation for Catholic students to receive Sacraments

Global Religion and Spirituality: How are the religions alike and different: Understanding, tolerance and respect for a pluralistic society

Critical Concerns/Corporal Works of Mercy

 

Pie Day

Be The Kind Kid

Out of Eden

Library of Congress

Discovery Science

Gardening

Art Journaling

Finch Robots

Coding

Humming Birds

Maker Space Challenge