Private K-12 School in Putnam County, NY

Longview School, Brewster:
Situated in Brewster (50 miles north of NYC) in Putnam County, Longview School is a state recognized private K-12 school offering Pre-K, Elementary School, Middle & High School programs. Because of our small size—25 to 35 total students—we are able to customize our program based upon each student's educational needs.

Course Offerings​

Middle School / High School Programs

Humanities
English

Debate
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  Mark

Being able to persuade others and to argue effectively is a skill that  applies to all aspects of your life.  In this class you will have the opportunity to hone your debate skills both by arguing with other students and the teacher on a range of interesting and controversial topics. 

Does It Translate?  Poetry in English from Other Languages
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Sharon

This class will be especially fun if you have some knowledge of another language, like Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, or another.  Even if you don’t, discover the huge puzzle of trying to transfer one language to another and how poetry rendered in English from another language, no matter how twistedly, has changed the English lit and English itself.

Ethical Questions in Philosophy
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  Mark

How can we tell what is the right and wrong ways to act?  Is there such a thing as good and evil, and if so, how can we be sure?  These will be some of the questions covered in this philosophy course on ethical questions.  This course will start by covering ethical systems as laid out both by philosophers and various religions.  Then we will discuss and argue about solutions to some difficult ethical questions such as: Are zoos unethical?  Is happiness the highest good?  What punishments should be used to deal with crime?   Should we develop cloning technology?  Should you turn in a friend who does something illegal?  Come join the discussion and in the process, you may be able to come up with your own answers.

Post Apocalyptic Literature (Zombies on Parade)
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Keith

From Jack London to Cormac McCarthy, this course investigates the frailty of the stability of society through the poetry, short stories, novellas, screenplays and novels of twentieth century writers.

SAT Preparation--Verbal
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mark

Many colleges still require applicants to take the SAT in order to be admitted.  Research has shown that students who prepare for the test improve their score.  This class will prepare students to take the verbal sections of the SAT including reading comprehension, short passages, error correction, and short essay writing.  There will also be a focus on using test-taking strategies to raise test scores.  Much of the material taught in a Princeton Review SAT Prep course will be covered.

Short Stories That Might Kill You
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mark

If you enjoy getting caught up in the action, then this class is for you.  You might die laughing, you might die of fear, or you might die of heartbreak.  Regardless, your survival is not guaranteed as you read some of the best short stories ever written. 

Shoot Your Own Movie
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mark

Making movies has become possible for anyone with the ease of a flip cam and modern video editing software.  If you are interested in writing, directing, acting and/or filming, then this class is for you.  We will start by watching some short films.  Then we will read some screenplays.  After that, each student will write her/his own movie script.  Then we will start filming.  The goal is to end up with some short films that can be submitted to film festivals. 

Some Eccentric Poets and Oddball Ways of Making Up Poems
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Sharon

A look and try class introducing poets who have devised ways to present poetry that are clearly off the beaten path. Some are visually all over the place, some use words as though they came out of an eggbeater.  Let’s have some fun with these whether you write poetry yourself or not.

Storytelling as an Art  
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Sharon

Can You Tell a Story?  Can You Tell a Joke?

There is an art to telling a story; the art of storytelling has been around as long as humans have sat around campfires. Starting with jokes, tall tales, scary stories, and fairy tales, we will explore the tricks to getting your audience by the throat or by the funnybone.  We will play storytelling games and create stories to share with the group in an informal and relaxed way so everyone gets used to taking the stage in front of others. 

This is a perfect class for aspiring writers, role players, film or drama aspirants, or for anyone who just wants to play with spinning a good yarn.  (It should help with class participation and test questions in your heavier academic classes too.)  Input by experienced students welcome.

Writing Research Papers
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  Mark

Taking this class is required for graduation (for academic track students).  Whether it’s in high school or college, writing research papers is an essential skill.  There is a fine line between solid note-taking and plagiarism.  This class will teach you all aspects of research paper writing from start to finish so that you can apply these skills in your other classes.

Writing Workshop
1-2 classes per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mark

Writing is a creative skill that should be nurtured, not taught.  In this class, students will have the opportunity to write in a variety of genres without the pressure of teacher-chosen prompts.  The class will become a true writing community in which all participants share their work, and give and receive constructive feedback on their writing.  In addition, individualized teacher instruction will enable students to improve their technical writing skill without wasting time on aspects of grammar that the student already understands.

History

American History
3 classes per week   Full Year       Teacher:  Emily

American History is not your “typical” history course. Here we will focus on what the common man saw in his country as it evolved from its inception. It will include what the real dreams of the founding fathers were and all the ups and down that we have been through that landed us where we are today. Some hot topics of interest that we will be discussing include the take over of most of North America, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, Slavery and the Civil War, Westward Movement,  the World Wars, the Cold War, Basic Politics and Economics, Becoming a World Power, the 1960’s and much more.  Our text will be “The Mental Floss History of the United States: The (Almost) Complete and (Entirely) Entertaining Story of America.”  Students will also be required to read a few short books about the common man’s view of life-changing events that took place in our country.

Anthropology
1 class per week   Full Year**       Teacher:  Emily/Keith

In this class we will take a look at cultures that are “strange” to us. We will compare and contrast those cultures to our own.   Spanning the period from the dawn of civilization to the settling of all the continents, we will look at the journey of the human race through bones, genetics, mythology, religion and fossils.

Current Events/Social Issues
1 class per week   Full Year**        Teacher:  Mark

Do you like watching and talking about the news?  If not, would you like to get course credit for doing so?  Too often there is not enough time in social studies classes to talk about what is going on in the world right now.  The sheer quantity of material in ancient and modern history results in a rush to even mention events in the 21st century and forget talking about 2012.  In this course we will follow the news, learning the background we need in order to understand and evaluate what’s going on in our town, state, country and the world.  This will be a discussion-based class.

The Vikings
1 class per week   1 Trimester       Teacher:  Emily

This class is based on the History Channel Series “The Vikings.”  Each week you will be required to watch part of the series at home and then we will discuss the topic that was in the program.  We will also be learning about the religion of the Vikings and where their ancestors live today.

Art and Foreign Language

Foreign Language

Japanese 
2 classes per week   Full Year     Teacher:  Sharon

Students who have been working for a while will fully master the writing systems and begin reading.  They will continue to learn basic conversations through use of the textbook of course and also through interactive games.  We will watch some videos with conversation they are now able to hear.  We will also enjoy some of the seasonal activities and festivals that make Japan such a fun country to visit.  If students are interested we can plan some field trips too, such as a visit to a real Japanese restaurant, to the Hammond Japanese Gardens, etc.

New students of Japanese will receive some special introductory instruction at first so they can begin to follow what the more advanced students are doing.  Since we will be coming back from the summer it will certainly benefit the old students to review and they can help in instructing the newcomers.

Spanish or Portuguese
2 classes per week   Full Year     Teacher:  TBD

Art Classes

If you sign up for Art with Sharon you can choose to focus on an area for each trimester in your regular art class (except for the Clay Class, which will be offered separately), or you can pursue art as we have in the past, following your own path.

3D Modeling
1 class per week   Half Year `       Teacher:  Mike

This course will introduce the student to Maxon’s Cinema 4D and the world of 3D modeling and basic animation. Cinema 4D is a premiere 3D application. Concepts learned in this class will cover polygon modeling, deformations, keyframe animation, basic dynamics, basic Mograph, splines, NURBS generators, shader creation, rendering techniques, camera animation, type animation. (We will not cover character animation.)

Adobe Illustrator
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Mike

This course is for the student who wants to continue her/his education in graphic design. Students will explore Adobe Illustrator and develop the skills needed to create, manage, and edit vector artwork. Students will get a solid introduction to the concepts of vector graphics and their implementation within the design process, and learn the best approaches.

Adobe Photoshop
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Mike

As an aspiring graphic designer, photographer or artist you should familiarize yourself with image creation and editing using this software. Understanding the different tools and features available in Photoshop will help you to maximize your creative potential. In this course, you'll use the several tools and features of Photoshop to work with images.

Art/Craft Objects for Sale
1 class per week   Full Year**     Teacher:  Sharon

Use this period in Art to develop art or craft objects--like jewelry, small boxes, hair decorations, place mats, decorated clothing, anything you can come up with--to sell. (It would not be used to sell fine art.)

Art for Creativity
1-2 classes per week   Full Year**     Teacher:  Sharon

A series of art games and some slightly quirky prompts to set you off in new directions and get you to think outside the box.  We will be looking for new materials (or old old ones) to use for art.

Art Projects
1-2 classes per week   Full Year**     Teacher:  Sharon

Focus on more involved projects of your choosing and be prepared to spend several or more classes completing them.

Arts and Crafts
1 class per week   1 Trimester       Teacher:  Emily

In this class you will be working on taking what some may consider “junk” and turning it into art. We will also be making soap, candles, eye pillows, air fresheners, and much more. Each student will get a chance to choose one project they want to complete.

Clay Projects
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Sharon

By popular demand, we are offering a class one day a week in clay sculpture and hand-building.  We will be using air or oven-drying clay only. Note that students will be working with clay in this particular class only, not while other types of art classes are going on.  Using air drying clay will allow us to incorporate other materials besides clay, like sticks, netting, googly eyes or whatever anyone can come up with.

Clothing Redesign
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  Jessie

Take your worn out clothes and turn them into something new! Ties into skirts? That old t-shirt into many different types of tank tops and other adorable cut shirts! Jeans into bags?  In this class you will learn how to transform that old wardrobe into something new!

Desktop Publishing
Prerequisites - Graphic Design and Teacher Approval
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

This class will focus on more complex creative problem-solving abilities. Students will also develop an understanding of prepress terms and operations, and the effect of technology on those operations. It will also provide the knowledge and skills necessary to enable students to make appropriate prepress decisions regarding more complex projects.

Digital Photography
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  Mike

This course will teach students to become well-rounded in the fundamentals of digital photography.  Four areas of instruction will be emphasized: How cameras work, how composition works, how lighting works, and how to use photo editing software.

Drawing Techniques
1 class per week   Full Year**     Teacher:  Sharon

For those who want to master particular drawing skills, this class will present in a more classical manner ways of improving skills in drawing specific subjects of the student’s choosing.

Graphic Design
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

Focusing on the creative process, the course will also introduce the student to the language, tools, principles and techniques of the professional graphic designer. Classes will incorporate traditional hand-rendering methods, as well as, use of the computer. In this class the fundamental principles and elements of design are identified and applied to two and three dimensional projects. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of communication problem-solving, such as typography, concept and design development, and will be exposed to the basic concepts of graphic design, including specialties such as advertising, corporate design and packaging.

Major Periods In Art
1 class per week   Full Year**     Teacher:  Sharon

We will take a look at particular periods and styles of art and then create our own works in a hands-on consideration of some important movements in the history of art.

You, Poet-Writer and Artist:  Making Your Own Book
1 class per week   1 Trimester    Teacher:  Sharon

For the writers in the art class or the artists in the writing class:  design and construct your own book by hand with your poems or stories along with your artwork on the pages.  This will be helpful for graphic design students because you manipulate the elements on each page directly, helping to see them in a variety of ways.

Typography 
1 class per week   1 Trimester        Teacher:  Mike

This course is an introduction to the creative use of typography in design and will provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to design with type. This course covers the selection, styles, terminology, classifications, spacing, layout, and history of typography. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving skills and concepts to solve typographic problems. Traditional hand rendering skills and computer software are used to develop effective typographic design.

Science

Computer Science
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

This class is a study of current personal computer hardware and software including personal computer assembly and upgrading, setup, configuration, and troubleshooting. The class begins with an introduction to the basic computer hardware components, such as the CPU, RAM and motherboard.

Electronics
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

Everyone is exposed to electronic devices in some way.  The computer revolution is a good example.  Everyone can benefit from additional knowledge of electronics. A study of electronics starts with electricity, magnetism and basic electronics.

Engineering
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

Students will use various materials and tools, and are exposed to the safe operation of the major hand and power tools used. This course is designed to provide the student with the problem-solving activities related to scientific and engineering principles. The students will construct individual and group projects dealing with construction and transportation. Emphasis is placed on applying current technology applications to everyday problems and situations.

Environmental Science
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Keith

This a laboratory-based course investigating ecology and the effect that changes in nature and human activity have on the biosphere. Students will explore the history of conservation as a function of private and public advocacy, discuss issues (past and present) related to the environment, perform experiments to learn about forms and pathways of pollution and research aspects of ecology.

Physics
3 classes per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Keith

This is a high school level laboratory science course.  Instruction is done by lecture, demonstrations and laboratory experiments. Units of study include: mechanics, wave theory, light, optics, sound, thermodynamics, relativity and quantum mechanics.

Totally Awesome Health
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Stephanie

In this class we will be covering many aspects of your health. The subjects that we will cover include, but are not limited to the following:  Nutrition, Tobacco, Mental and Emotional Health, Alcohol, Building Healthy Relationships, Drugs, Resolving Conflicts and Preventing Violence.  The goal is for each student to come  out with a better understanding of their health and surroundings.

Math

Conceptual Math
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Keith

This is a non-number driven approach to different and interesting areas of math. Topics covered include fractal art, chaos theory, logic, topology, tessellation,  patterns, conjectures and symmetry.

Create a Business
2 classes per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mark

Many people get jobs working for companies large and small.  An entrepreneur is someone who organizes and runs a business, very often working for her/himself.  This is a person who starts with an idea and turns it into a way of making money.  In this course, we will start and run a small business.   We will choose and design a product, decide how to market it, create appropriate advertising, maintain bookkeeping records and sell, sell, sell.  If there are profits, students in the class will be able to keep a percentage of the profit.

Introduction to Programming with C++
1 class per week   Full Year/Half Year       Teacher:  Mike

This course introduces students to object-oriented programming and design, coding and testing using a modern software development environment. Students learn how to write programs in an object-oriented high level programming language. Topics covered include fundamentals of algorithms, flowcharts, problem solving, programming concepts, classes and methods, control structures, arrays, and strings. Throughout the semester, focus will be on problem solving skills applied to solving computing problems.

Living Math
2 classes per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Barbara

You will create your individual life as an adult.  You will look in the newspaper for a job, decide on where to live and find an affordable place, figure how much money you will have after expenses such as heat, electricity, phone, internet, food, clothes, fun activities, etc.  This course will require you to use the newspaper and other means to find prices.  You will learn how to form your own budget, how to use your own bank account.  Who will you be?  This should be fun to discover.

Masterminds
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Jessie

Challenge those brains with some brain-teasing board games, card games and logic puzzles.   This class will focus on learning while we’re having fun.

Pre-Calculus
3 classes per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Keith

This is a three trimester high school level Math class dealing with extensions of Algebra II topics and units of study to facilitate the understanding of calculus.  Topics covered include: Inductive and deductive methods dealing with simple quadratics, higher order polynomials and graphing techniques, the fundamental theorem of algebra, extensions of inequality and absolute value to polynomials, a review of functions and their operations and compositions, inverse functions with coordinate transformations, periodic functions, trigonometric applications, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, polar coordinates and their graphs, series equations and sequences and the study of matrices.

SAT Preparation--Math
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mark

Many colleges still require applicants to take the SAT in order to be admitted.  Research has shown that students who prepare for the test improve their score.  This class will prepare students to take the math sections of the SAT.  There will also be a focus on using test-taking strategies to raise test scores.  Much of the material taught in a Princeton Review SAT Prep course will be covered.

Physical Education

Physical Education
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Jessie and Mike

The best part of this class is getting outside in the fresh air and getting your heart racing. We will do a range of activities from baseball, kickball, basketball, capture-the-flag and more. When we are inside we will play dodgeball and even do some exercise workout routines.

Other Possible Requirements

Academic Skills
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  TBD

Taking this class is required for graduation (for academic track students).  Learn all of the skills necessary to be an effective student.  So many of the smartest kids do not meet their potential because they lack some of the basic study skills necessary to succeed in difficult courses.  This class will cover it all, from organization to note-taking to outlining to citing sources.  It includes anything and everything to help a person become a master student. 

Study Skills
1-2 classes per week   Full Year        Teacher:  TBD

Some students need ongoing support in order to juggle all aspects of their class load.  This class will help students organize their materials, keep on top of homework assignments, and stay focused even when the work seems overwhelming.  This class will be required for some students.

Other Electives

Beauty 101
1 class per week   Half Year        Teacher:  Jessie

Learn how to pamper yourself and feel great. From how to style your hair to doing your nails and toes. this class will cover a range of beauty techniques.  A mix of full-body skin care and makeup will be studied as well.


Cooking
1 class per week   Full Year**        Teacher:  Jessie and Stephanie

Slice, chop, stir, bake, sauté, season and serve! That is everything you will do in cooking class.  From fun unique seasonal treats to yummy and delicious meal ideas.  Wash your hands and roll up your sleeves.  It’s time to get messy!

Cooking for Daily Survival
1 class per week   1 Trimester       Teacher:  Emily

We will all need to learn to cook once we are on our own. This class will teach you what you need in your fridge and pantry in order to live a healthy life on a tight budget. We will be cooking simple meals that are quick and easy with up to 5 ingredients. Once we get the basics down, the students will choose what meals they want to cook.

Go Carts
1 class per week   Half Year (2nd half)       Teacher:  Keith

GO CARTS is a construction class dedicated to designing and building a motorized go cart out of junk and cannibalized materials.

Video Editing
1 class per week   Half Year (2nd half)       Teacher:  Mark

Modern video editing software makes editing video footage a breeze.  Using VideoPad, students will learn about all aspects of video editing including creating special effects, inserting music, making smooth transitions, styling interesting credits, etc.  After learning basic techniques, students will work on editing the movies created in the Shoot Your Own Movie class.

Video Game Design and Development
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike
Prerequisites - Video Game Programming and Teacher Approval

This class will take you through the ins and outs of creating a video game from scratch. You’ll learn how to maneuver your character around in 3d space; shaping and painting your environments, effects, and weapons; creating menus and user interfaces, and enemies; generating large worlds; and much more. The main software package used is Unity3D.

Video Game Programming
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

This is an introduction to computer game development, including, but not limited to, game programming. The software used is Game Maker, a framework for PCs.  We learn about the foundational concepts of two-dimensional (flat) games: graphics, sound, objects, actions, rooms, scores, levels, multiplayer support, artificial intelligence, and more. Game Maker has an intuitive interface that makes game development approachable for everyone, including those who have never written a single game or a single computer program. All games created by Game Maker can be saved as standalone applications and can be shared freely with classmates, friends, and family. This is not a course in graphics design, audio editing, or scriptwriting. Students are encouraged to use their creativity and imagination to design games, and the correctness of game implementation is stressed throughout the course.

Web Design
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

Have fun designing web pages using Dreamweaver and Photoshop. Learn the dos and don’ts of web design by evaluating existing web pages. Let your creative side show with the designing/editing software Photoshop. Students learn how to evaluate website quality, learn how to create and maintain quality web pages, learn about web design standards and why they're important, and learn to create and manipulate images. The class goes from introductory work on web design to projects in which students design and develop their own websites.

Woodshop
1 class per week   Full Year        Teacher:  Mike

The students will have a variety of areas to select from. During this course students will learn to plan a project, and select and use materials, including tools and machines, to produce a finished product.  Emphasis will be on safety and quality of workmanship.

Elementary School

Art and Storytelling
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

Hear and read good stories together and then you do the rest.  All kinds of fun ways to illustrate stories or let them suggest ways to do your own  art.  If you want, you can make a book, all different kinds of books in this class.  Or a diorama.  Or anything.

Art to Play With:  Making Toys and Games
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

Make art and then play with it---toys that move, fold, can be thrown, board games and paper games.  Let's see what we can come up with.

Basic Electricity and Magnetism
1 class per week           Teacher:  Mike

Electricity starts with the electrons moving around atoms. Electricity is the movement of electrical charge from one place to another. This class will introduce students to many of the basic concepts involved with electricity and magnetism. 

Basic Electronics
1 class per week           Teacher:  Mike

Basic electronics is all about electrical components and the circuits consisting of those components . Learn about common components and how they work, and then learn about how to interconnect them to make useful end products.

Build It!
1 class per week            Teacher:  Keith

This is an introduction to the safe use of tools to make interesting and useful wooden projects.

Clay and 3-D Art
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

Get your hands in some gooey clay and see what those hands can create!  We will use air-drying clay and we'll also make some other sculptures, things that stand up and stick out.  Boxes, cartons, bottles, anything goes to make 3-d art.

Cooking
1 class per week            Teacher:  Jessie

Slice, chop, stir, bake, sauté, season and serve! That is everything you will do in cooking class.  From fun unique seasonal treats to yummy and delicious meal ideas.  Wash your hands and roll up your sleeves.  It’s time to get messy!

Cool Stuff You Can Make a Computer Do
1 class per week            Teacher:  Keith

This is a how to do it beginning instruction class.  Internet research, saving pictures and other files, finding files, etc. will be taught along with computer use and shortcut tips.

Dawn of Civilization
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Emily

Did you ever wonder where we all come from? In this class we will take a journey back to find out. We will learn how the human race populated the earth and how long it took them to do so. We will walk in the steps of the ancient civilizations that were brave enough to take the leap of faith to move on. In this social studies class, we will also be using science and examining fossils.

Digital Photography
1 class per week            Teacher:  Jessie

Students may come with DSLR or digital point-and-shoot cameras. Fundamental principles that apply to every camera will be covered while also covering visual and aesthetic concepts to focus on while shooting.

Dinosaurs, Rocks and Volcanoes
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Keith

We will hunt for and study about rocks and minerals, look at fossils, make earthquake machines and make 3 different types of chemical volcanoes.

Ew, You’re Going to Eat That?
1 class per week            Teacher:  Emily

There are gross out foods that taste better than you think.  How about some nice baked frogs? Or some candy coated pencils? Mmm, stink bug eggs!!!  In this class we will be cooking to gross out the eater. Let’s see who the first to try it is!

Exploring Our World through Maps
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Emily

In this class we will be exploring our world through maps. We will learn what the purpose of a map is, why in this day and age we still need them and how to make our own maps.  We will explore the oceans and continents that cover our Earth.  We will also learn a bit about the people and animals that live here and how their daily lives differ from ours.  This class will be taught with the use of role plays, arts and crafts and beginner reader stories.

Gym
1 class per week           Teacher:  Jessie and Mike

Kids need nothing more than to burn off their energy. In gym class we will do fun activities from relay races to good old tag. On beautiful days we will take the students to a local park and teach them games such as baseball, soccer, kickball, etc.

How Cool Were They?
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Emily

In this class we will immerse  ourselves in the lives of the ancient and mysterious Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. We will study the most exciting aspects of these cultures from their buildings (architecture) to their religions.  We will do so through hands-on activities, movies, stories and imagining what we would do if we lived during that time.  We will answer questions such as:   What games did they play? Did they have school? What kind of sports did they have?  We will find this out and more.

How Do You Draw the Thingamajig?
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

Want to draw a clock, a racing car, a dinosaur, a scary tree, a nighttime scene?  In this class you will learn some secrets to drawing things you want to draw.

If It Creeps, Crawls, Gallops, Flaps Wings or Fins, Let’s Get It on Paper
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

Paint, draw, cut out, collage, tear out, stick on all kinds of critters.  You ask for it, we'll make it!

Japanese:  An Introduction
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

Most Americans, even young people, have had some exposure to Japan through anime, manga, or samurai characters in the popular media.   Many ES/PS students come to Japanese class with at least some idea of Japan as a different place from America,

In this class, primarily through games, the younger ones are introduced to basic Japanese phrases and vocabulary (greetings, counting and telling time, names of animals and foods and colors and clothes and objects used in school, etc.) and to some of the ways Japan is different from what they know. We read folktales and learn about things that are unique to Japan, like its animals and sports.  It is a special opportunity for them to encounter, often for the first time, language they have no familiarity with and customs that reflect different ways of interacting.  Japan is an especially good country for this experience since respect and harmony are so intrinsic to the language, and students often come away from the class with a willingness to bring some of the politeness and forms of respect into their own lives.  They certainly remember the games!

Let’s Pretend!
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Emily

This trimester we will learn what our responsibilities are in our community. We will start with our school—why we are Democratic, what it means to be a democratic school and finally how it affects us in our lives outside the school.  Also we will pretend we are the earliest settlers in our continent, the native Americans, and see what their lives were like.  This class will be taught with the use of role plays, arts and crafts and beginner reader stories.

Masterminds
1 class per week           Teacher:  Jessie

This class is a great way to expand those little minds and learn to see what letters and numbers are all about while playing fun brain-teasing games that also teach math and reading.  Logic and strategy puzzles will be included as well.

Math
2 classes per week           Teacher:  Barbara

ES Younger – Use manipulatives, games and math materials.    Learning to understand number words and concepts is vital.  Learn to transfer knowledge gained by using manipulatives to paper and pencil.  Gradually learn to add and subtract.

ES Older – Review  the basic math operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  As you are ready, learn how to work with fractions, decimals and percentages, as well as study basic geometry.  Apply what you learned to solve every day problems in real life.

Matter
1 class per week           Teacher:  Mike

Matter is physically everything that exists that we can touch and feel.  Matter consists of atoms. Now we will introduce you to the structure of atoms, talk about electrons and static charge, moving charges, voltage, resistance, and current. You  will learn about the properties of magnets and how magnets are used to produce electric current and vice versa.

Music
1 class per week           Teacher:  Stephanie

This course is designed to teach the children to enjoy music and to encourage them to move to the music.  The students will have an opportunity to listen and interact with all types of kids songs.  This class will also include some crafts and musical movies and cartoons.  Students will also learn to move to music. Much of the course will encourage children to interact through hands-on activities including watching age appropriate videos and making crafts.  Some field trips will be taken.

Northern Adventurers
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Emily

This class will continue the study of Ancient civilization. We will add Mesopotamia into the mix as well as Africa. The closer we get to the modern times, the closer we get to those scary Barbarians from the north like the Vikings and the Visigoths.  What about the Huns and the Mongolians?  They too played a major role in the creation of modern times. We will continue our adventure north from Africa to the northernmost settled point in Asia.

Outer Space
2 classes per week           Teacher:  Keith

We will find out about the planets and stars in this class, and will build a school size diorama of the solar system.  Students will also learn how to use a telescope and build rockets.

Painting This and That and What and Who
1 class per week            Teacher:  Sharon

All kinds of ways to use paint and things to paint and things to paint with.

Reading
2 classes per week           Teacher:  Barbara

ES Younger – Learn the beginning sounds of words and basic sight words. Learn rhyming words.   Read books.    Read a book to your classmates.   Make pop-up books.  Play letter and word games.

ES Older – Read books of different genres you choose, i.e. science fiction; mystery; non-fiction such as a war, country, state, science topic; fiction; auto-biography; biography; poetry; plays; current events; etc.
Learn more advanced reading & interpretation skills.

Sticky, Slimy Gross-Out Science
1 class per week            Teacher:  Emily

Where does mold on your bread come from? Why can’t we eat it? How about edible SKIN—YUCK!!!  What about snot? How about a fart journal? We will be doing experiments and leaning about so much more of how and why things work the way they do.

Thunderstorms, Blizzards and Tornadoes
2 classes per week           Teacher:  Keith

Let’s explore the weather. We will build a weather station and fly a weather balloon. We will also visit a TV station to see their weather equipment.

Typing
1 class per week           Teacher:  Mike

Did you ever realize that a lot of text you will write during your life will be done on a keyboard?
Touch typing is the skill to type with all ten fingers and the ability to find all keys blindly, without having to look at the keyboard. Once you learn touch typing you will enjoy and benefit from it for the rest of your life.

Welcome to America
2 classes per week            Teacher:  Emily

What was life like for colonial children? Did they go to school? What were their chores? Did they have toys? What games did they play?  We will be learning about the first European settlers and how they survived the first decades in the New World.  This class will be taught with the use of role plays, arts and crafts and beginner reader stories.

Writing
2 classes per week           Teacher:  Barbara

ES Younger – You will draw pictures and make up stories about them which you may dictate to a teacher or write yourself.  Then you or a teacher will read the stories to the class.  You get to choose any kind of story to write, i.e. real, silly, scary.  You will also learn to make your own books.

ES Older  – Create and write increasingly more complex stories and many other types of writing,  i.e. poetry, songs, plays, outlining, multi-paragraph writings, speech in writing, etc.