Uniquely Studio
Every new school year provides
the opportunity for teachers and staff to reassess
the curriculum, and consider its impact on student
learning. In
this way, an organic and constantly evolving
educational environment, in which students can
consistently move forward by integrating their
emotions and intellect and reach their maximum
potential, is firmly established. Over
the years, the following unique programs have
become integral parts of Studio’s core
curricula.
Morning
Group
Each
morning, children ages six to thirteen, led by
the Head of School, along with their teachers,
participate in Morning Group and talk together
as a whole school. This meeting sets a
tone for the day and reminds us that we are part
of a group and a community. As each person
makes his or her contribution to the group, others
listen; in this way students learn about themselves
as both the speakers and the listeners. They
begin, when they are ready, with acknowledging
their presence when their name is called for
attendance, and then decide for themselves when
to speak up and share their thoughts and feelings
with their fellow classmates. In turn, their
classmates listen and respond to what they hear
or whatever else moves them. A great deal
is explored in morning group about human development,
fantasies, ideas, conflicts, and desires. The
process of talking, without an agenda, allows
the students the freedom to discover their inner
lives and that we are all connected. Our approach
to the group and the individual reveals itself
most vividly in this class.
Literary Discovery
Literary
Discovery is a weekly writing workshop for the
Elementary School classes. Throughout
the year, students are introduced to different
literary genres, such as poetry, (including haiku,
the limerick, free verse, lyrical, and nonsense
poems) short story, descriptive writing, fables,
myths, folk tales, fairy tales, memoir, autobiography,
biography, news reporting, editorials, and personal
essay. In this class, children begin with
learning pre-writing techniques, and how to organize
and structure their ideas into a first draft. Later
they revise, edit, and proofread their written
material, and ready it for publication, oral
presentation, or simply to display their completed
work for all to see. Each student is carefully
guided to find his or her own voice, and develop
a confidence that comes from knowing and accepting
the self. Children in Literary Discovery
also learn to write as members of a community,
become comfortable sharing their writing with
their fellow classmates, and are able to give
and hear constructive criticism about written
work.
Kitchen Science
Kitchen Science
is an inquiry-based program that has been a part
of The Studio School since its founding in 1971. This
innovative curriculum incorporates concepts from
all subject areas: science, geography, history,
art, reading, and mathematics. Each day,
a rotating team of four to six children, aged
4 – 13 years,
work with a teacher to prepare and serve a lunch
that emphasizes healthy food and balanced nutrition.
There are times the students have the opportunity
to work with visiting chefs from the professional
world. Besides discussing the origins of ingredients
and recipes, and studying how chemical reactions
alter the properties of foods, students in Kitchen
Science learn about their environment, the cultural
origins of certain foods and dishes, and how
to convert measurements within recipes. They
gain respect for the environment and are responsible
for a recycling plan for the entire school. The
experience of preparing, setting up, and serving
lunch, as well as cleaning up afterward is a
life lesson and a real job for their community.
A
remarkable aspect of our lunchtime is that students,
of varying ages, eat together, family style,
with a teacher at each table, who helps them
to get what they need and want. The
teacher encourages the children to try a variety
of food from all the food groups, make requests
in advance for what they would like, regulate
what their body needs versus wants, and practice
their social graces and engaging conversation.
The delicious menus include foods from other
cultures, the popular standards, as well as Kitchen-Science
teams’ invented recipes. Lunchtime at Studio
is not to be missed!
Tutorial: Ways of Seeing
Tutorial:
Ways of Seeing is a vehicle through which students
learn to understand and accept the myriad ways
of perceiving the world and one’s
role in it, and to love learning for its own
sake. They are led to investigate various
subjects, such as literature, art, ethics, and
current events, and are asked to look both inside
themselves and outward to society, as they begin
to formulate their own ideas about the world
and how to view it. This class was designed
to address the importance of character as well
as intellect in the formation of an educated
person, and to sharpen elementary and middle
school students’ critical, analytic, and
abstract thinking. It is also meant to
help them take charge of their own learning,
by integrating their knowledge and experience
so that they can organize their thoughts, feelings,
and ideas. While guiding students to express
themselves in the group, Tutorial: Ways of
Seeing also helps them appreciate their own and their
fellow students’ unique contributions to
the whole. The individual’s responsibility
to be an informed, compassionate, and active
participant in today’s society is explored
fully.
Work Period and Assignments
Work
Period is one of the fundamental experiences
at The Studio School – it is a foundation
for learning how to work: to have one’s
vision and carry it through to completion, with
thinking, creating, problem solving, and persisting
all being called into play along the way. Through
the use of unstructured materials, a child is
free to explore his own thoughts, feelings, and
ideas, and the teacher is able to observe and
understand the student more fully. Students work
with a variety of materials
such as paint, water, sand, clay, paper, pencils,
wood, collage materials, books, blocks, Students
are asked to generate an idea, gather materials,
work alone or with others, and bring their idea
to fruition. Working on one’s own in the
midst of the class group is an experience that
paves the way for doing assignments and homework
independently.
As students mature, they become
ready in Work Period to do assignments, not just
of their own devising, but from the teacher. Assignments
cover all curriculum and subject matter, and
are specifically designed to promote the students’ cognitive
development and emotional growth. We have designed
an assignment card that has a three-fold purpose. First,
it encourages dialogue between students and teachers.
Second, it keeps students motivated about what
they want to learn as well as what they need
to learn. Lastly, it acts as a record of
a student’s mastery over a project, and
provides information about his/her reactions
to various learning experiences.
Each month, the
number of weekly assignments is chosen by the
student with the teacher’s
agreement, thus encouraging students to become
self-evaluative. After ascertaining the
meaning behind the student’s request, the
teachers ask appropriate questions, which will
invariably lead to a better understanding of
the student’s developmental needs. There
are many times when a student does not like or
want to do a particular assignment. If students
agree to have assignments they also agree to
do them whether they like it or not, and to the
best of their ability. This is a very important
idea for the student to develop and a difficult
one, too.
Assignments are an intricate
part of initiating the learning process. They are not “contracts” to
get students to complete their work. Assignments
class is important because it encourages a child
to express his inner life and to connect it to
the world outside him/herself.
Studio Players
Studio Players
is a weekly class in which middle school students
develop their skills in, and appreciation of,
the dramatic arts. Through
oral play reading, they practice listening and
speaking, creating accents or changing their
vocal range to breather life into the characters
they are portraying. Along with an annual
reading of a Shakespearean play, students have
read Our Town, I Remember
Mama, Inherit the Wind, Cyrano de Bergerac, 12
Angry Men, and The Miracle Worker. In this class, they have studied
a variety of texts, including poetry, monologues,
dialogues, and speeches in order to work on memorization,
recitation, and elocution. Once they have
honed their speaking skills, students engage
in various debates, taking sides on historical,
political, or social issues, or on a topic that
may be under discussion within the school community
or the classroom. In the spring, middle
schoolers work together with elementary students
to perform a drama or musical for the entire
community. They work on every aspect of
the production, including directing, acting and
singing, script writing, set design and construction,
and costumes. Oral reading offers students
a different experience with texts. Powerful
words spoken aloud require acute listening skills
and a sense of timing, which is often developed
through rereading and preparation beforehand. Students
work together to prepare scenes, as well as research
the historical context of the play, in order
to better understand the author’s intent
and meaning.
Philology and Rhetoric
Studio’s class in Philology and Rhetoric
focuses on effective communication through the
study of words, including their origins, roots,
and uses, with emphasis on synonyms, antonyms,
syntax, and grammatical adaptations of words
within the English language. Etymology
is further explored through an Introduction to
Latin course, which is part of the overall curriculum. The
study of rhetoric extends this to the use of
words in effectively expressing facts, ideas,
concepts, and feelings orally, and in writing. Novels,
short stories, essays, poems, news reports, editorials,
and plays are read aloud, discussed in a group,
and serve as catalysts for students’ own
writing. Each student is required to complete
five written assignments each trimester, and
have a portfolio of 15 written pieces by the
end of the school year. Students are expected
to show initiative in making and executing suggestions
for improving their own work, and to persevere
in revising written work with the teacher’s
guidance. Their literary and communication
skills are further refined, as they critique
each other’s work in peer review sessions. Students
come away from this class with an appreciation
for the written word, a deeper understanding
of the significance of choosing the right word
to express a thought, and a strong desire to
communicate well with others.
The Mentor Program
The
Mentor Program was created to address middle
school students’ changing cognitive, social,
and emotional needs as they approach adolescence,
and guide them through this critical time in
their development. Set up to foster self-awareness
and self-evaluative skills, this program is also
meant to nurture students’ unique selves. In
mentoring, they are encouraged to explore individual
interests and abilities further, identify areas
they may need or want to work on, strengthen
their personal independence of body and mind,
and learn about things that may fall outside
of the prescribed curriculum. Providing
middle school students with the opportunity to
talk one-on-one with a mentor enables us to accompany
them on their journeys of self-discovery, and
in the process, meet them where they are in the
moment.
Reach Out
Through their work
in Reach Out class, middle school students learn
how they can promote changes in society and experience
the impact of their services in “real world” situations. This
program requires that students move outside of
school, and become aware of what it entails to
be in a public setting. By having actual
experiences in the field, in a variety of workplace
areas, they develop an understanding of how to
find out what others’ needs are, and discern
the impact of their work on themselves and others. Since
class composition is evaluated yearly, and teachers
are always seeking new ways to grow with their
students, new projects for Community Service
are discussed and chosen at the start of each
new school year. Last year, students volunteered
once a week at the West Side Campaign Against
Hunger (WSCAH). They helped bring in food
deliveries, stock shelves, bag bread, assist
customers, and work the checkout line.
