Curriculum

In addition to daily time spent outdoors, we use well-researched curricular approaches for literacy, math, science,  and social studies,

Language Arts We take the process of learning to read very seriously and make ample daily time for it. We use a structured literacy curriculum that is based in the science of reading. We also read and respond to quality literature. As students master decoding, they are encouraged to read and write about their individual interests and about what they are encountering during our daily nature-integrated lessons.

Math We use a math curriculum that ties to The Common Core standards.  Our learning progression focuses on making sense of math in order to foster a deeper understanding of mathematical processes, rather than merely finding the right answer through algorithms. We tie our curricular learning to natural phenomena and patterns that we observe on our school property.

Science and Social studies are integrated. We organize our learning into broad concepts and months-long units that allow our students to deeply explore their individual and collective interests. Instructors design prompts, lessons, and explorations for these units that teach explicit skills while giving students the time and opportunity to build upon their own curiosities and inclinations. Our units engage our students in field studies, surveys of species on the property, dramatic play, free play, collective storytelling, nature-based art, phenological journaling, and other deep explorations of our school grounds.  

These units may vary from year to year. 

Specials We integrate art, music, movement, and physical activity into our program on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis. We are currently looking into possibilities for incorporating practical skills and primitive skills. Our organization is hoping to incorporate a foreign language element in the future.

Free Play Children’s play is not merely an extension of their learning: through play, students structure and interpret their encounters with the world. At Wheatlands, we believe that play is central to social growth, academic growth, and the well-being of the child. We make daily time for free, outdoor play and we treat it as an integral part of our program. Time outside encourages our students to take ownership of their learning, cultivates an empathy with the more-than-human world, creates community, builds resilience, and fosters an understanding of reasonable risk.

Practical Skills and Independence

Children in the early elementary years are striving for independence and are eager to develop their capacities for practical skills. In addition to daily routines in and out of the classroom that encourage students to steward their materials and our shared spaces, we take time to teach a variety of practical skills, including cooking, fire-making, spinning wool, building shelters, and foraging. 

Our well-rounded, hybrid program is designed to cultivate the passion and skills to help our students become and remain active agents in their chosen paths of learning and contribution.