Grades K-3 Academics

A strong foundation of learning in the primary grades leads to life-long learning success. We provide a strong foundation by providing high quality instruction aligned to the rigor of the state standards grades kindergarten through three. Classroom lessons are planned and implemented for reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies with an expectation of high student engagement. Opportunities for collaboration and conceptual understanding of learning are incorporated into the lessons and assessments. Teachers frequently check for understanding to ensure every child is learning and achieving.

Our K-3 Benchmark Advance Program is comprehensive in all realms of learning to read and includes embedded writing components. Investigations Math and FOSS Science are used and both are inquiry-based programs.

Our core mission is to ensure that every child is achieving either at or above grade-level in each subject area. Our programs are designed to quickly and effectively identify remediation and enrichment opportunities through database, decision-making. Through math and literacy academies, instruction is customized to meet the needs of each child.

To continue building and sustaining our collaborative learning community, teachers meet regularly within and across grade levels and participate in professional development. Teachers drive their professional development in the true spirit of collaboration by meeting across grade levels and by content area to grow professionally and in turn drive student achievement.

Grades 4-6 Academics

High-quality instruction aligned to the rigor of the state standards continues in grades four through six. Classroom lessons are planned and implemented for reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies with increasing expectations for student engagement.

Opportunities for collaboration and presenting conceptual understanding of learning in multiple ways are incorporated into the lesson and assessments. Teachers frequently check for understanding to effectively meet the needs of all students. Our 4-6 classrooms are departmentalized: reading and social studies instruction are provided by one teacher in each grade level; inquiry based mathematics and FOSS Science are taught by a second teacher in each grade level.

Students read both quality literature and informational text. The emphasis is on critical thinking skills to make connections to and across texts as well as citing text to justify responses. Writing is embedded in all content areas. Our core mission is to ensure that every child is achieving at or above grade level in each subject area. Our intervention programs are designed to quickly and effectively identify remediation and enrichment opportunities for each and every child through data-based, decision-making. We believe that with strong, effective instruction children will grow. 

Our core mission is to ensure that every child is achieving at or above grade level in each subject area. Our programs are designed to quickly and effectively identify remediation and enrichment opportunities through database, decision-making. Through math and literacy academies, instruction is customized to meet the needs of each child.

To continue building and sustaining our collaborative learning community, teachers meet regularly within and across grade levels and participate in professional development. Teachers drive their professional development in the true spirit of collaboration by meeting across grade levels and by content area to grow professionally and in turn drive student achievement.

Grades 7-8 Academics

The Emerson Middle School program is based on research of best practices for middle level students ages 11-15. Our program promotes a sense of self-actualization, the realization of one’s own talent and potential that serve as a motivation for success. We promote this through the development of the whole child: physical development, cognitive-intellectual development, moral development, psychological development and social-emotional development. 

Program highlights include: 

Student-Led Conferences 

Students hold student-led conferences with their guardians to share their growth three times per year. Conferences last from 30-45 minutes. Throughout the school year students build an electronic portfolio that consists of work in all classes. The work is evidence of their strengths, needs for refinement, growth and mastery. Their portfolios include short-term and long-term goals for high school and beyond. The process of student led-conferences develops a student’s cognitive-intellectual development by increasing authentic responsibility for their learning. Most importantly, the process of building the portfolio builds the capacity in students to be reflective about themselves as students, which traditionally was the role of the teacher. At Emerson, we prepare and empower our middle school students to organize, plan and facilitate these conferences themselves. 

Advisory 

Five days a week students have a class called Advisory. The advisory period is an opportunity for students to establish a meaningful relationship with an adult at school in a different capacity than in an academic class. It is also a chance to build relationships with other students in our middle school community. Students have the same advisor for their two years in middle school. Their advisory teacher (advisor) will lead them in lessons and activities that address their transition to middle school (7th grade) and high school (8th grade), community building, and community and service learning projects. Advisors help students track their grades and academic progress and make plans for completing work. The Advisory period serves as a catalyst for many aspects of a student’s growth, particularly their moral and social-emotional development. Themes for advisory curriculum may include the following topics: identity, maintaining healthy relationships, peer-pressure, bullying, stress and anxiety, and how students fit into the school, local and global community. 

The purposes of our advisory program: 

1. To ensure students have time and opportunity to build positive relationships with the school community. 
2. To ensure students develop a sense of responsibility through learning organizational skills and personal academic monitoring with an adult. 
3. To explore each student’s personal interests through high school and career preparation. 
4. To ensure all students develop personal responsibility through awareness of their individual identity and responsibility to a larger community. 

Exploration 

Over the course of a student’s two years in middle school, they will be required to participate in all of the different non-core classes that we offer (i.e. art, choir, world drumming, physical education, coding). Research shows that middle level students need an opportunity to explore, as they may not know exactly what their passions and talents are. Students select one elective class for the full year and another elective class is assigned and they switch every trimester. 

Also, in both 7th and 8th grade, middle school students participate in out of town fieldtrips that provide an opportunity to explore content as it applies to the real world. 

Project-Based Learning 

The middle school teachers are committed to implementing project-based learning (PBL). PBL is a teaching methodology that allows students to acquire a deeper knowledge of content through exploration of real-world challenges and problems. This approach to teaching is very student-driven and promotes teaching and learning that crosses multiple content areas. 

Block Scheduling 

We are committed to block scheduling. This means that students will have their core classes (math, science, language arts and social studies) for two-hour blocks. The benefit of the block schedule is that it provides a more in-depth exploration of concepts. Additionally the blocks allow for projects, science experiments, social studies simulations and time for students to explore content and work independently. Our block schedule also includes a physical activity break daily to help students get active and jump-start their brains in the mid-morning.