Curriculum
Additional Reading
Curriculum
Introduction
Nurturing, Educating, and Transforming: An Educational Model
The Village School believes in the preservation of childhood by creating the space and time for each child to find his or her own natural strength, talents and voice. In this setting, learning is engaging, exciting, and safe. When these children enter secondary schools, they enter as leaders, able to chart their own course with self-reliance and confidence.
Curriculum
At the Village School Curriculum are hands on. A central theme extends over the school year providing students with continuity and the opportunity to study specific topics in great depth, such as Ancient Greece, thus integrating academic disciplines. For source materials, classes use original translated texts and secondary texts, eliminating the need for textbooks. Students express their knowledge and understanding by writing, creating artwork, acting in drama productions, and singing. At the end of the year, students write an original play based on their theme study and perform it at the Royalston Town Hall. This thematic model serves all children and all learning styles.
Cooperative learning connects students with each other. Children sit at small tables to work together on class projects and engage in group discussions. They share their new found knowledge and work in teams to address arising questions and build understanding together.
Scientist Cathy Szal designed the school's science program to inspire the next generation to contribute creatively to the field. Students don't just read about wetlands—they slog through a wetland, meticulously record their findings, observe under the microscope, draw and share their new learning with each other. This hands-on approach to learning also creates a connection to nature that nourishes the compassionate concern so essential to the future health of the earth.
The award-winning math program, Investigations, is similarly hands-on, building on a foundation of algebra, geometry, and number sense concepts that expands and spirals through the grades, from kindergarten through the 6th grade.
Additional Links to Great Resources:
Please be patient while we add information to our new site.
