Lower School

• Fours Theme: Who Am I?

Social learning is central to the Fours program as children grow both individually and as members of their class. With teacher guidance, they consider differences and similarities among classmates and discuss meaningful ways to build an authentic sense of community. The Fours begin the year learning classroom routines and what it means to be a member of a group. Compromising, sharing ideas and recognizing other children’s opinions are emphasized. The Fours also learn about each other through a study of feelings. In this study, children explore ideas such as identifying feelings (ours and those of our friends), constructive ways to express our feelings, and having an awareness and understanding that how we feel about something may differ from our friends. They next begin a study focused on learning about each other’s families. Teachers bring small groups of children on Home Visits in order to learn more about each child and notice commonalities that students have with each other. In the spring, the Fours venture out again into the world beyond the walls of our classroom, to explore social studies themes inspired by their own interests and play. They use observational skills, ask questions, and then recreate in the classroom what they noticed and learned. The experiences are integrated into classroom work in the forms of the arts, writing, block building, math and dramatic play.

• Kindergarten Theme:  Who are the People in my Community?

Kindergartners begin the year by focusing on creating a cooperative classroom community. Discussions and activities highlight commonalities such as: We all have a family; We all have a favorite book; We all enjoy special meals. Opportunities to discuss and listen to the variety of ways we experience these commonalities are enhanced by books and writing projects. Students also study the fall and apples. In the winter, they focus on the school community. Kindergartners explore questions such as, “Who works in our school and what are their jobs?” and “How do they work together?” Through visits and interviews, the children gain more familiarity with our school building and the people who help our school function. They demonstrate what they learn by writing books, building with blocks, and engaging in dramatic play. As a way of appreciating all the people they’ve met and learned about, children bake treats and make cards for the school’s workers. In the spring, Kindergartners study birds and change through the hatching of duck and chick eggs.

• First Grade Theme: What is Community?

Building on the work of Kindergarten, first graders examine the question, “What makes a neighborhood?” They begin with an investigation of safety, looking to the people and places in the neighborhood around LREI that keep us safe. As first graders take these trips, they notice the many other types of businesses and buildings around the school. They study the places and the people  who help the neighborhood function and thrive. As they visit, observe, interview, and learn about these neighbors, they begin to make connections, understanding the wants and needs of the people that live in each neighborhood In addition, because each individual building is part of the greater block city, children are expected to work together toward a common end, resolve conflicts, make compromises and recognize each other’s needs and abilities.
Expanding beyond the school community kindergartners study, first graders examine the question, “What makes a neighborhood?” They begin with an investigation of safety, looking to the people and places in our neighborhood and the tools they use to keep us safe. Visitors come into the classroom and the students go to meet them in their work environments. As first graders take these trips, they notice the many other types of businesses and buildings around the school. Back in the classroom first graders begin to make connections as they extend and process their learning through discussions, block building, and further investigations. Through open-ended materials such as blocks, clay, paint and paper, first graders express their understandings, work together toward a common end, resolve conflicts, make compromises, and recognize each other’s needs and abilities — all efforts that help a neighborhood function and thrive.

• Second Grade Theme: How do People in a Community Work? Listening to others in my many communities.

Second graders study the rich, diverse fabric of New York City as well as its unique geography. In the fall the physical layout of New York City is studied. The boroughs and their physical relationship defined by islands, rivers, bridges, and transportation systems impact how various people live and get their needs met. With first grade’s school neighborhood study as a foundation, second graders study and celebrate their own neighborhood communities where they live. Field trips to Chinatown, and Harlem, as well as several museums, enrich our study and provide inspiration for several creative and writing projects. Through block building, field trips, discussions, and literature, children begin to deepen their understanding of the different communities that make up New York City, where they are located and what makes them unique. Mapping skills, which have been integrated throughout, are an essential and ongoing part of this study.  The year ends with an urban planning project. Children work collaboratively to create their own city with an emphasis on meeting the needs and wants of fictional residents.

• Third Grade Theme: Learning the “Me” in my Community: My Multiple Identities as Ally & Activist

Dutch colonists, and then drawing from what is learned about the past to understand current events and  create a blueprint for the future of New York. Students are first introduced to the concept of “long ago,” and then dive into a study of the indigenous people who lived on Manhattan. Students study the habitats of Mannahatta and how the Lenape people interacted with the environment and each other for survival. Students learn and demonstrate their understanding of the unit through non-fiction research, written responses, creative writing, art projects, constructing models, drama, and field trips.
In the second half of the year, students continue to learn about life on Manhattan in the 1600s. In addition to studying the Native Americans, students also learn about the European exploration and colonization of New York, specifically Henry Hudson and the Dutch colonists in New Amsterdam. They explore the development and daily life of the colony. Emphasis is on learning about the coexistence of diverse groups of people living in and around the colony. Reading and analyzing nonfiction texts, historical fiction, maps, and images are components of this study. Students dramatize aspects of life on Mannahatta and in New Amsterdam, role-playing the various people who lived there, and solving authentic problems. They demonstrate their understandings of the unit through written responses and creative writing. Field trips and projects create opportunities for experiential learning. To culminate the study, students then develop a plan for a future Manhattan based on the best practices from each time period and culture studied this year.

• Fourth Grade Theme: Mine and Yours – Our Voices and Perspectives Make a Difference

Fourth graders engage in a yearlong investigation into immigration, both contemporary and historical. They start the year inviting contemporary immigrants into the classroom to share their stories. These units of inquiry serve as a valuable context as they delve into the past and explore the formulation of immigrant communities on the Lower East Side, at the turn of the twentieth century. Essential to understanding how history is constructed and remembered, students learn how to read and analyze various primary documents such as photographs, newspapers, artifacts, letters, oral history, and written narratives. Within this survey of immigrant life in New York City in the early 1900s, fourth graders visit and participate in simulations at both Ellis Island and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

 

Students demonstrate their understanding of the unit through written responses, participation in simulations, historical role playing, and a musical that they write and perform at the end of the year.Their written responses are also often in the form of news articles in conjunction with the newspaper study (see Language Arts description). Integrated into the immigration curriculum is a practice of considering social justice issues in conjunction with the movement of people throughout history. Students take on the role of activists as they develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between immigration and social justice. These activist roles vary from year to year depending upon issues with which the students connect.
As fourth grade is the culminating experience for Lower School students, fourth graders take on leadership roles – especially in their roles as emcees for Lower School Gatherings on Friday afternoons.

Middle School

• Fifth/Sixth Grade Theme: Moving from Mine and Yours to Ours – Supporting Our Community Through Our Actions

In the fifth grade, students begin to develop the research skills of the archeologist/anthropologist through their study of ancient civilizations. By digging into the past, students work to understand the particular value systems that defined the culture being studied. As they move beneath the surface of this history, they also realize that this inquiry is necessarily filtered through the particular perspective of our own culture and time; in this way students come to see how the past speaks to and with the present.

Fifth grade social studies begins with a hands-on “Civilization Simulation” based on the book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.Through this project, students discover the role of geography on the rise and development of civilizations. Students also focus on the important role played by the domestication of plants and animals and the impact of epidemic diseases on civilizations. The simulation culminates in a study of a few specific ancient civilizations, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece.

These civilizations are examined through the lense of a set of “cultural universals.” Readings and activities focus on helping students to gain an understanding of the geography, history, culture, society, arts, science, religion and mythology of these civilizations. Students learn how ancient civilizations’ contributions in technology, science and government affect life today. They read and discuss texts, create timelines, make maps, illustrate key concepts, write research reports and take field trips. The study of ancient food production at the beginning of the year also leads to a study of modern food production and the complexities surrounding its impact on our civilization.

The fifth grade literature program includes assigned novels, short stories, and non-fiction. Students also track and reflect upon their independent reading throughout the year. The reading selections have a connection both to social studies and a social justice theme. In Reading Workshop, students go beyond the story line, reaching a deeper understanding of character, plot, description, dialogue and other writing techniques and subtleties. Small group, student-led reading discussions further enhance students’ personal connections to and understanding of the texts.

Through independent writing projects, students develop research skills, organizational strategies, and expository writing techniques. Students are taken step-by-step through the process of completing research papers and literary essays throughout the year. Writing workshop lessons help students generate ideas and organize personal narrative pieces, fiction, and memoir. In addition to vocabulary and spelling programs, students focus on a range of writing mechanics fundamentals through formal study. Writing mechanics are also developed through class exercises connected to authentic writing assignments and through the editing of student writing. Class presentations help students improve their oral communication skills.

Some selected readings: Omnivore’s Dilemma (Michael Pollan), Chew on This (Eric Schlosser), The Breadwinner (Deborah Ellis), The Circuit (Fransisco Jimenez), and The Adventures of Ulysses (Bernard Evslin).

 

In the sixth grade, students study the middle ages through a careful investigation of Europe and the Middle East. In doing so, they explore the idea of simultaneity and how culture is transmitted across and through civilizations. Through their inquiries, students explore how ideas are transmitted between cultures and how the infusion of these ideas informs a particular culture’s world view. In this manner, a strictly linear view of history gives way to one that is dynamic and regularly contested.

Social Studies: In sixth grade, students study medieval Europe and the Islamic empires. These two societies are examined from several points of view – the influence of religion, governing systems, daily life and the cultures’ lasting impact. Students participate in activities that help them understand these cultures and their interrelationships. They analyze the cultures’ differences and similarities, drawing conclusions that help them better understand how civilizations evolve.

Language Arts: Sixth graders read materials to reinforce the cultures studied in social studies. Other readings include selections from award winning young adult literature, historical epics, poems and short stories. Students are challenged to read at least 25 independent reading books in 6th grade. They are encouraged to read a variety of genres. Writing workshop assignments are guided and designed to incorporate students’ topic choices. Students build on their fifth grade experience as they explore more formal approaches to essay writing and research skills. Students’ grammar, vocabulary and punctuation skills are developed through directed lessons and writing assignments. Some past class readings include the following: Beowulf, Shabanu, Arabian Nights, and Arthurian Legends.

• Seventh/Eighth Grade Theme: Ours is Mine – Taking Action in the Larger Community

In the seventh grade, students explore pre-colonial America up to the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Their exploration is driven not by a rote study of important dates and events, but by the various perspectives that inform our understanding of these events as European, Native American, and African cultures come into contact. The question is regularly raised as to whose view is being represented and, perhaps more crucially, what views are missing. As they begin to synthesize these often conflicting views, a more nuanced sensitivity to the challenges of the American experiment in democracy emerges. In this way, the idea of “cultures in contact” informs the students’ study of colonization and independence.

Seventh graders cover the colonization of North America, early exploration, European settlements, interactions with Native Americans, Africans in the Americas, development of communities, growth of the independence movement, and the creation of a new nation with a formal government. Their study is guided by the essential questions:  What makes an individual a member of a community? And, why is tolerance necessary in a pluralistic community?

Some culminating projects include: a research paper and interactive project for a Colonial Museum;·a comparative study of Puritan intolerance and the McCarthy era; and a Supreme Court role-play that requires students to use the Constitution to craft their arguments.

Seventh graders read books to reinforce the cultures studied in social studies, including historical fiction, novels, and plays. Students learn the significant elements of each genre and are able to make more sophisticated literary analysis. They also engage in literature circle work, responding to prompts from teachers and to each other on a digital platform. Each of these texts connects with some of the themes we explore throughout the year: individual identity; community; and utopia versus dystopia. As the year progresses, students rotate texts. Throughout the year, students are assigned structured and unstructured expository writing exercises and creative writing projects.

Students have multiple experiences throughout the year to work on formal essays and research paper writing skills. Students also continue to work on drafting, editing, and revising their writings as they develop a more sophisticated approach to the writing process. Students’ grammar and punctuation skills continue to be developed through directed lessons and writing assignments. Texts used include Joy Hakim’s Making Thirteen Colonies and From Colonies to Country, Howard Zinn’s A Young People’s History of the United States, and numerous primary source materials (documents, texts, photographs, paintings, etc.). Some selected readings include: Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains, and William Shakespeare’s “Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.”

 

In eighth grade humanities, students wrestle with issues of social justice that are the legacy of our nation’s journey. They begin with an exploration of school segregation and the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, which serves as a critical lens for their subsequent investigations of civil and human rights. They then turn back in time to understand the precursors for the modern Civil Rights Era by learning about slavery in North America, the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the Progressive Era, WWI and WWII. As they examine each time period, they consider how individuals and groups have pushed for equality, and freedom. In addition, students identify trends in present-day events, ideas and institutions so they may understand the history’s relevance.

In order to not just learn about social justice, but to take action themselves, students participate in a five-month long endeavor, the Social Justice Project. Students select a civil and/or human right that they believe is important and embark on research and action on behalf of that issue in collaboration with New York City social justice organizations. Students learn to do real activist work in the field. They volunteer, conduct interviews, attend meetings, conferences and demonstrations, host speakers, write blogs and opinion editorials, and, finally, teach their peers about taking action.

In addition to their social justice work, students develop their skills in reading comprehension, literary analysis and writing by exploring a wide range of genres, including short stories and poetry. Their appreciation of literature is enhanced by class discussions and Socratic Seminars. Students become active thinkers and effective communicators through daily and long- term writing assignments. Their expository skills are developed through writing editorials, critical book reviews, and persuasive essays. Students write in a variety of other styles as well – literary analysis, biography, poetry, and research papers – with increased expectations regarding style, voice and argument. Students’ grammar and mechanics continue to develop through directed lessons.

Some selected readings: Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Beals, To Be A Slave by Julius Lester, Lincoln: A Photobiography and FDR by Russell Freedman, Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution by The American Social History Project, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Night by Elie Wiesel, and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

High School

• Ninth/Tenth Grade Theme: Who am I in the Community? Developing Personal Voice as a Social Justice Activist

9th grade

World Voices, Individual Stories: What do a shape­shifter, a werewolf, and an adolescent have in common? All experience significant transformations that alter them both physically and emotionally. In this world literature course, students will read texts that span genre, region and time period to explore the theme of transformation through multiple lenses, examining characters’ internal transformations and those that occur in the world around them. Students will be asking themselves questions such as: How do transformative experiences change our understanding of ourselves and the world around us? In what ways do our relationships ­­with family, with friends, with ourselves, with the world­­ shift as we ourselves change? What power does the individual have to change themselves and their communities?

10th grade

American Dreams, American Experiences: This course explores literary representations of the American Dream and the American Experience. The course pairs texts from literature, art, and media to examine how students’ lived experiences compare to their dreams of America. As they read, they ask themselves: What is our definition of the American Dream and the American experience? What in our lives has informed those definitions? Who has access to the American Dream and why? What is Americanness, its qualities and attributes, if any? Do we all share those qualities? Given our ideas about the American Dream and the American experience, what is American literature? What concerns, themes, images, and approaches make this literature uniquely American? This course builds on the skills emphasized in English 9 – close reading, annotation, and analytical writing, among others. Throughout the course, students express their views, ideas, and interpretations through a variety of channels. Writing assignments, including analytical and creative pieces, are key modes of expression and places for students to develop and strengthen their writing skills. One of the key goals for the year is to put texts in conversation with each other for the purpose of understanding how pieces of literature, while seemingly different, actually speak to each other across themes, concerns, and questions. To explore these complex ideas, students regularly write in their Writer’s Journal, a place for them to question and examine the readings of the course and their own worldviews.

• Eleventh/Twelfth Grade Theme: Living the Life of a Social Justice Citizen

Eleventh graders are developmentally poised to take an increasingly sophisticated approach to their learning. This is true not only in each of their classes but also in the creation of their program. As the majority of their classes are electives, students begin to specialize in certain areas of interest, working with their advisors to balance interests, the need for continued challenge and growth, and the looming requirements of college applications.  

One of the goals of eleventh grade is for students to sustain specific strands of inquiry, deepen their knowledge in particular subject areas, and practice critical thinking. They also deepen their understanding of and reflect on personal experiences in their communities and the larger world. This happens daily in eleventh grade classes, as well as in their class on the college admission process. For example, students take a New York studies course in which they examine the city through a variety of lenses, including immigration, crisis and renewal, and art and architecture. The year culminates with a trip experience, where students engage in place-based research to understand their relationship to and capacity to have an impact on challenges facing our society. This trip experience is unique in that students and faculty form small groups based on student interest and plan each group’s experience collaboratively over the course of the year.

In the third trimester, students in advanced science classes demonstrate creativity by designing and implementing their own independent labs to test out and explore particular questions they want to pose, using the knowledge and skills they have gained in the course. Citizenship in eleventh grade is incorporated in assemblies that are often student-led and emerge from a desire to share thinking, ideas, and initiatives inspired by electives. Some highlights include the economic inequality assembly (led by students in the economics class, and the International Day of the Girl assembly (led by students in the feminism class). Student performances from the music and dance classes courageously showcase collaborative projects and individual compositions.

 

The twelfth grade year at LREI focuses on final preparation and reflection, as seniors are poised to move independently into the wider academic world. Seniors hone necessary skills and continue to follow their passions. They take on leadership roles in the classroom and the larger school community as peer leaders, members of the executive branch of student government, and by leading X-block classes, clubs, and minimester workshops.
In the twelfth grade, students engage in deeper specialization, pursuing strands of inquiry through more personalized and passion-based projects and initiatives, culminating in the senior project. In elective classes, which are shared with eleventh graders, seniors are expected to take on the role of modeling critical thinking for their eleventh grade peers, drawing on their own eleventh grade experiences to inform participation in class discussion, collaboration, and creative expression.

A major component at the start of their senior year is the college admission process. While it is a stressful process for many, students are encouraged and supported by a dedicated team in the college admissions office to make choices that reflect themselves, their needs, and their interests. Students engage in self-exploration and focus deeply on who they are, both within our community and beyond.

The twelfth grade year concludes with the senior project, which builds on the more scaffolded eleventh grade trip. Senior project provides an opportunity for students to pursue their ideas and realize them in the larger world, still tethered to and grounded by the School but free to move independently in the larger community.

The senior project has three major components: experiential, written, and intellectual. The experiential component can take many forms, including internships, independent projects, or hybrids of the two. All senior projects demonstrate connection to the outside world, self-led learning in an area of passion, and demonstration of that connection and learning through presentations done to the entire high school community at the end of senior year.