Thematic Cycle Year A
Each year there are five cycles of work. At the beginning of each cycle and week, students receive study guides identifying the work they will accomplish during that cycle. The cycle format is designed to help students develop organizational, decision-making and time-management skills.
Connections
How am I connected to the world and my community?
Thinking critically and discussing the “why” questions, seeking solidarity with peers
Explorations
What have people invented and discovered?
Exploring aspects of human welfare and dignity; igniting the urge for transcendence; creatively express thoughts and interests.
Language Arts
UNIT 1: Blood on the River
Interdisciplinary social world connection to the explorer guiding question and Jamestown studies, practice note-taking and answering text-dependent questions
UNIT 2: Time Machine
Explore the genre of science fiction, the author’s take on scientific technology and the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England
UNIT 3: Writing fantasy stories
Writing in-scene, using dialogue and action effectively, writing a well-developed main character who faces a central conflict that is resolved in a way that makes sense, writing a plot on a narrative arc
Natural World
Social World
Personal World & Health
Math
Identity
Who am I?
Exploring identity, self-awareness, self-criticism, and susceptibility to peer pressure.
Systems
How are things arranged?
Student-led service learning and social welfare initiatives.