Our 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
• Heggerty Phonemic Awareness probes: Rhyming, Sound Isolation, Sound Manipulation, Sound Blending 
• IMSE OG: Multi-sensory approach 
• Cafe Daily 5: Read to Self, Listen to Reading, Read to Someone, Word Work, Writing
• Reading/Writing Workshop

Bridges to Math

The Bridges to Mathmatics 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.

K-2 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.

The Campus Lab School social studies teachers are committed to enriching the lives of their students with a strong social studies curriculum. They foster learning experiences in social studies that reflect the diverse interests of students using creative strategies and teacher developed content. Students are guided and challenged through developmentally appropriate social studies content and activities that build their knowledge base, develop their skills, and enhance their understanding of themselves and their world.

The Campus Lab School social studies program is a rigorous program that develops a strong knowledge base, historical thinking skills, inquiry, depth, and understanding. It connects students to the content with a focus on the big ideas of social studies, essential questions to help students reflect on their learning, literature connections and primary documents that help students relate to the material, and engaging learning activities. The social studies curriculum at The Campus Lab School also includes reading skill development, skills based lessons, leveled readers, hands on engagement, integrated technology, differentiated instruction options, and current event explorations.

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

Beginning in 2nd grade 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.  

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

Perceptual development is intense at this age, and experiences that stimulate multiple senses are effective

When looking at a work of art, students are able to: Observe relationships in work of art Talk about artwork: subject and theme Discuss artwork from various world cultures Point out clues in artwork that help understand art Observe relationships in works of at   Understand that images re-present things and ideas just as letters and words, numbers, Create lines shapes with variety of materials and tools See themself as an artist Understand their own ideas are unique to them Create art inspired by personal experience/ selected theme Create art emphasizing one or more art element Combine Materials in new or inventive ways Select and use subject matter and symbols ideas to communicate Use pictures to tell a story Understand symbols can communicate different meanings Think about objects/ ideas in relation to one another Participate in group discussion Brainstorm independently or with peers  to create ideas Verbally express ideas thoughts feelings

●     pick out an object that is different from the rest. ●     distinguish between bright and light, as well as dull and dark, colors. ●     recognize basic shapes such as squares, triangles, and circles. Organic and geometric shapes ●     identify types of lines, such as long and short, thick and thin, and straight and curved

Art elements, how artists work, formulate personal responses

Mentally recall people places things, activities, events to create images in variety of materials, connect visual images and personal experiences express individual unique ideas feelings thoughts thru art understand that paper has edges

Understand and apply media, techniques, use tool safely, appropriate to developmental skills

Create 2D and 3D art in variety of materials

Use color to express thoughts feelings

Mix colors to create new colors

Discover color “families” (color theory)

Develop fine motor and manual dexterity through techniques

Identify relationships of space: above/below; beside, overlapping, close/far; right/left, front/back,over/under

Reflect on own art- communicate meaning of finished work, create a title for finished work, able to discuss their art

“Reading” art like text- interpret characters, events, sequencing,main idea

Use art vocabulary to discuss art

Be able to express preference for a work of art and provide reasons why

How do artists work?

How can I act on and change these materials?

Our music program begins at age 3 and continues through all grades.

These activities (the foundation of the First Steps in Music curriculum by John Feierabend), which begin in Early Childhood, are designed to prepare children to become musical in three ways:

1. Tuneful--to have tunes in their heads and learn how to coordinate their voices to sing those tunes
2. Beatful--to feel the pulse of music and how that pulse is grouped in either twos or threes
3. Artful--to be moved by music in the many ways music can elicit an emotional response

We build our musicianship in Early Childhood (PS, PK, M, K)  by Musical Workout activities twice every 6 day cycle.

• Pitch Exploration (vocal warm-ups)
• Song Fragments (short, easy-to-sing pieces)
• Echo Songs
• Call-and-Response Songs

• Simple Songs
• Arioso (child-created tunes)
• SongTales (songs that tell a story, sung expressively)
• Movement Exploration (movement warm-ups)
• Movement for Form and Expression
• Movement with the Beat

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.

"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

• Yoga
• Gardening
• Cooking

• Pi Day
• Buddy Program
• Be The Kind Kid