|
|
Gabriella Charter School is committed to providing an elementary program that builds
on a child’s natural curiosity and promotes joy in both the learning process and in the
mastery of skills and content. The standards−based curriculum employs dance to
enhance creative and critical thinking and to develop motivation, discipline and a strong
work ethic.
- The
reading and writing program, a combination of traditional phonics and
constructivist, hands−on activities, promotes
meaningful English language
development through daily reading (literature and non−fiction), writing (including a
Writer’s Workshop program) and discussions that target listening and speaking
skills. Kindergarten and first graders kinesthetically reinforce phonics instruction
through their Reading In Motion classes. Students in all grades fortify reading,
writing and comprehension skills in dance classes where they listen to directions,
follow examples, build vocabulary and interpret stories and music in the context
of exercises, practices and performances.
- Social
studies and language studies are integrated thematically at GCS. Students
learn about themselves, families, communities, other cultures and governments,
now and in the past. Supplementing classroom instruction, dance enriches
students’ understanding of diverse cultures and historical periods. For example, in
addition to their classes in classical ballet, tap, modern dance, jazz and hip−hop,
students learn African tribal dances, Latin dance, Irish jigs, minuets and the Roaring
20’s Charleston.
- Mathematics,
science, music and dance have a natural relationship. Whole number
and fraction sense, computation, graphing, geometry and word problem solving skills
are essential to the study of science. GCS teachers use Foss, Linda Poore, and
GEM materials to integrate math with a hands−on
science curriculum that
introduces students to basic scientific processes: observing, classifying, comparing,
measuring, questioning and predicting. Dance teachers enrich skill−building and
content in the studio where children count, form shapes, tap multiplication tables,
represent fractions, listen to and create patterns and move to a beat. Students
improve graphing skills by plotting points to choreograph a dance. They explore
orbiting and the relationship of planets through movement and improvisational
dance.
- English
Language Development is woven throughout all content areas and is taught
specifically three periods a week. Teachers continuously introduce vocabulary,
varying sentence structures, grammar and idioms. They employ scaffolding and
SDAIE strategies to make grade level content accessible to students with
developing English language skills. Teachers use pictures, games, language
modeling and cooperative learning to boost English language skills. In dance,
English vocabulary is introduced regularly and systematically −− parts of the body,
directions, places in the room −− and is modeled by the teacher and peers.
|
|
About Us
