What We Learn
Meaningful integration across disciplines
The School will use as guidelines for curriculum development the Common Core State Standards and the recently approved NH Common Core-aligned Math, ELA, Science, and Arts Competencies. In particular, the LEAF Charter School will emphasize the Work-Study Practices (WSPs) developed by the NHDOE in June of 2014 (See Section (g) below). School faculty will utilize the California Center for College and Career’s ConnectEd resources – “Designing Multidisciplinary Integrated Curriculum Units” and “Performance-Based Curriculum Mapping” – to aid in meaningful integration across disciplines.
English Language Arts
English Language Arts (ELA) integrated into all areas of study. Specific foundational skills in reading and writing will be assessed upon admission to the School, to determine areas of intervention and acceleration for all students.
Mathematics
Faculty will use the Core-Plus Mathematics Program to integrate essential math concepts into the wider curriculum. Specific foundational skills in computation, logic, structures, and functions will be assessed upon admission to the School, to determine areas of intervention and acceleration for all students.
Social Studies
The Social Sciences offer a broad array of intellectual content for exploration in the Humanities. Threads of Inquiry for each year of study will be largely drawn from history, with in-depth investigation into the geo-political contexts of cultures worldwide.
Science
Sciences are at the core of STEM-centered learning and integral to student success in the 21st century. Scientific inquiry – forming hypotheses, making predictions, collecting data, experimenting and analyzing – is analogous to the creative process of learning at the LEAF Charter School.
Arts
The Arts (Dance, Music, Visual Arts, & Theater) will be integrated into all areas of study. Specific foundational skills in movement, public speaking, and visual expression will be developed in the first year of attendance. Subsequent years will allow for more individual exploration.
Technology
Technology will be integrated into all aspects of School culture. Many students have smartphones or other devices that can be leveraged for educational purposes; for example, smartphone sensors (camera, GPS, accelerometer, etc.) can be used for a wide variety of data collection.
Health & Wellness
Issues of health, wellness, and physical education will be explicitly addressed during quarterly “Skills Intensives,” and will include such topics as CPR/First Aid, Nutrition, and Healthy Relationships. Guest speakers and healthcare professionals will be invited to participate and lead workshops during the Intensive week.
Electives
Elective options are vast and limited only by the student’s interest and imagination. Time is available each week for guided and independent pursuit of topics of interest. This may take the form of a traditional independent study, in which a student outlines in advance, with the assistance of a mentor, the curriculum that he/she wishes to study.