Theme

Theme-based learning is one of the principal tools we as progressive educators use to help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills and to encourage them to make complex connections across disciplines. The goals of our curricular sequence are to achieve greater thematic coherence and to broaden multicultural awareness through in-depth studies of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The thematic curriculum is divided into four phases.

"Here and Now” begins in preschool and continues through second grade. It is designed to offer our youngest learners first-hand experience with topics they can see and touch through in-depth studies of our families, our school, our community, and the City of Philadelphia.
The second phase, “Long Ago,” begins with a foundational look at the history of the United States in third grade and then broadens to encompass the “Far Away,” as fourth and fifth graders study ancient Greece and China.
The third phase examines “Cultural Interdependence.” It begins with a year-long study of Africa, during which sixth graders bridge the ancient and modern worlds through a curriculum that focuses on rites of passage. In seventh grade, the thematic curricular journey continues with the study of cultural interdependence between Europe and the Americas in the late 15th century, looking specifically at the impact that Columbus’s discovery had on both the "old" and "new" worlds.
The fourth and final phase represents the culmination of our thematic studies with a return to the “Here and Now” in the eighth grade. Students will conduct a detailed investigation of the United States, focusing specifically on civic ideals and practices of citizenship in a democratic society.

Theme Cycle

Preschool	“We, the Preschool”:  We & Our Families
Kindergarten	Our School, Our Community
1st & 2nd grades	Neighborhood & City : The City of Philadelphia
Junior Unit B  (3rd grade)	Foundations of Philadelphia & the United States
Junior Unit A  (4th & 5th grades)	Foundations of Societies : Ancient Europe &  Ancient Asia (2-year rotation)
Middle School B  (6th grade)	Intercultural Awareness:  Africa
Middle School A   (7th & 8th grades)	Interdependence & Citizenship:  Europe & the Americas, Circa 1492;  “We, the People” in the United States today

All-School Theme
Each school year opens with a topic of study that draws us together as a community of learners. Mixed-age groupings enable students and faculty from different classrooms to get to know each other early in the year.

The 2009-2010 all-school theme was Rhythm and Rhyme. Past all-school themes have included Earth Day Every Day, The Forest, 1492, Games We Play, and Homer's Odyssey.