The philosophy of learning and teaching at BNS is a belief that children learn naturally by connecting events and experiences. In the classroom, we capitalize on the children's natural ability to make connections by using an interrelated (integrated) curriculum. The literature based curriculum features a thematic approach in which language arts is the focal point that binds together all aspects of the program. For example, a past Yellow Room (second grade) unit on dinosaurs included:

  • creating an adventure story which includes a dinosaur (writing, language arts)
  • calculating eras and dinosaur populations; graphing actual sizes and weights of different dinosaur species (math)
  • designing posters depicting favorite dinosaurs; constructing models (art)
  • learning to spell the names of the various dinosaurs and related topics (e.g., paleontologist, Jurassic, etc.) (spelling)
  • locating where various species lived and the sites of fossil finds on the map (geography)
  • describing the habitats of various species, constructing a sand table in which simulated fossil excavations were done, and learning technique for making plaster molds of "finds" (science)
 
 
 

Academic lessons are presented to individuals or small groups based on readiness, ability, and interests of individual students. Hands-on activities, projects with a purpose, research, peer tutoring, individualized curriculum through the contract system, and manipulatives are the basis of our teaching-learning philosophy. Workbooks may be used to supplement these integrated activities.
 
A Yellow Roomer shares her
alphabet book with Red Roomers
 



The social studies and science programs consist of a curriculum which emphasizes a process and discovery approach through questioning, experimenting, experiencing, and concluding. Subject matter is presented by the teacher and is enriched through group or individual projects, field trips, research, films, speakers, experiments, and more.

     
   

Middle School Science Experiment
 
 
Blue Room volcano project
presentation
  
     
   

Basketball is a favorite PE activity
 The basic academic program is supplemented by a variety of topics that are included in the weekly schedule: physical education, art (crafts, appreciation, creative art), literature (in addition to their own reading, most students are read to for one half hour each day), foreign language, and music. Furthermore, BNS occasionally offers special mini-courses which are taught by parents, teachers, and others in the community with special skills and interests. Examples include poetry, basket weaving, song and dance, creative dramatics, and marine biology.  
 
 
Red Roomers enjoy music class
Purple Room poetry slam at
More Than Coffee
Painting a self-portrait
 
This page last updated on February 11, 2008
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