In the elementary grades, the class teacher brings lessons alive through vivid characterizations and absorbing activities that heighten students’ curiosity and engage them both intellectually and emotionally.
In two-hour main lesson blocks of three to four weeks each, children create their own subject books that reflect the diversity and breadth of the curriculum through essays, scientific observations, illustrations, wet-on-wet paintings, hand-drawn maps, and form drawings. Math and language arts practice are woven into the main lessons that focus on everything from botany to local geography to grammar.
Starting with first grade, the class teacher usually stays with the class for eight years. The teacher and students come to know and understand each other in a deep way. The security from these long-term relationships enhances learning, confidence, and social and emotional skills, while ensuring that each child gets his or her individual needs fulfilled.
