BRIDGES ACADEMY
Phoenix Curriculum Guide 2025-2026
CORE CURRICULUM
REDWOODS HUMANITIES (4-5TH GRADES)
Over the course of the year, we will engage in writing short and long-form pieces, focusing on aspects like plot progression, character development, and literary devices. Students will learn the history of California from its first inhabitants to the present day. We will discuss the significant events and individuals that shaped California, its government, and its culture. Synthesizing this history with an understanding of mapping skills, we will gain a better understanding of the city of Los Angeles.
REDWOODS STEM (4TH-5TH GRADES)
This year in science, Phoenix Redwoods students will engage in a study of life sciences, including scientific investigation and engineering design; history of life: heredity, evolution and fossils; plants and animals (structure and reproduction); the human body and its systems; and ecology: habitats, interdependence, and resources. With respect to mathematics, students will be exploring a continued study of ratios, proportions, and percents (unit rates and prices); a continued study of geometry (three-dimensional shapes and properties); a continued study of expressions and equations
(properties and factoring); statistics and probability; and the coordinate plane and its functions. Wherever possible, crossdisciplinary connections and relationships will be identified. Further, real-life and practical applications will be extrapolated and investigated.
SEQUOIAS HUMANITIES
(5TH-6TH GRADES)
Students will explore big idea concepts such as cooperation, social contracts, and justice through the study of the shift from hunting and gathering to the civilizations of the Ancient Middle East. Students will learn the importance of rhetoric and critical thinking, applying their knowledge of logical fallacies to media literacy and other exercises. Language arts, grammar, and geography are embedded within historical study, in conjunction with complementary short stories and novels. By weaving together history, literature, logic, and language, we reinforce skills in ways that feel authentic to students as they learn to express themselves verbally and think critically about past and present parallels.
SEQUOIAS STEM
(5TH-6TH GRADES)
This course is designed to empower students with a comprehensive understanding of key STEM concepts, ranging from ratios and proportional relationships to the number system, algebraic expressions, geometry, statistics, and the scientific method. By exploring these areas, students will uncover the underlying patterns and structures in our environment. Through a variety of hands-on activities, realworld applications, and collaborative projects, students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The course integrates technology and interactive tools to enhance learning and facilitate data analysis, ensuring students are equipped to tackle modern STEM challenges. These experiences will allow students to demonstrate their ability to analyze data, make predictions, and communicate
their findings effectively, showcasing their proficiency in both mathematics and scientific inquiry.
PHOENIX ENGINEERING
The Phoenix Engineering Special will focus on exposing students to a wide range of sub-disciplines within Engineering such as Structural, Mechanical, Automotive, Aeronautical and Industrial Engineering. We will talk about the real-world relevance of each of these types of Engineering to their lives, look at many examples, and then dive into projects that target core aspects of each of these disciplines, while still being accessible and fun. The kinds of skills we will explore this year are: research, analysis, creative problem solving, drawing, hand-built model making and 3d model making. Students will hopefully leave the Engineering Special with a deeper understanding of how to utilize the creative problem solving process and how to apply it to scenarios in their own lives.
PHOENIX FILM
This hands-on filmmaking course introduces students to the art of creating “movie magic” entirely in-camera, without CGI or AI. Over eight weeks, students will explore historical and contemporary practical effects, from forced perspective and stop motion to miniatures and Pepper’s Ghost illusions. Through weekly challenges, they will learn how camera placement, light, timing, and teamwork can transform everyday materials into cinematic illusions. The unit culminates in a short collaborative film that integrates at least three different effects into a cohesive story, showcasing creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.
PHOENIX FITNESS
This fitness class is designed to be fun with dynamic activities that promote physical health and teamwork. Students will participate in a variety of exercises, including games, sports and strength-building activities. The course aims to enhance their coordination, endurance, and overall fitness while encouraging a positive attitude toward exercise. By the end of the class, students will have a solid foundation in basic fitness and certain sports principles and enjoy a lifelong appreciation for physical activity.
PHOENIX HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Human Growth and Healthy Living unit is a rotation in advisory. The topics discussed are: sex assigned at birth vs. gender; family units; puberty; hygiene; and internet safety. The lessons, discussions, and activities are age appropriate and the topics introduced what will be discussed in greater detail in Middle School.
PHOENIX VISUAL + PERFORMING ARTS
This year, Phoenix students will explore identity, nature, narrative, and pattern through a variety of projects. They will create personal flags, nature-inspired texture collages, illustrated story sequences, and cultural or invented pattern prints, while also studying influences such as Faith Ringgold, Andy Goldsworthy, and global textile traditions. Later projects will expand into storytelling and abstract expression, concluding with a student-directed piece that demonstrates growth and creative voice. Throughout the course, students will strengthen their technical skills in drawing, collage, and printmaking while building a portfolio that reflects both
personal meaning and artistic development. When focusing on the Performing Arts, Phoenix students will explore identity, character, storytelling, and collaboration through a series of activities and improv games. They will create monologues, write and perform short scenes, and experiment with improvisation. Throughout the course, students will strengthen their skills in voice, movement, and character development while cultivating confidence and collaboration.
ENRICHMENT CLUSTER OPTIONS*
AVIATION BOARD GAMES
BRIDGES JAM BAND
BRIDGES PODCAST
COOKING
JAPANESE CULTURE + LANGUAGE
NEWSPAPER
PASSION FOR PETS
*Options change each semester based on student interests
INTERSESSION
Intersession is a two week long, project-based learning experience designed around students’ interests and strengths. Students deeply explore topics while developing their skills in core academics like research, science, and writing as well as social emotional arenas like self awareness, social awareness, and conflict resolution.
Former Phoenix Intersession projects have challenged students to design a colony for a new planet, create and staff a restaurant that serves lunch to hungry parents, build a model home showcasing environmentally sustainable products and innovations, transform discarded materials into art and useful objects, interview people with different lived experiences and create a museum showcasing their perspectives, and find ways to support animals in need.
ADVISORY
Advisory is a daily Phoenix class in which students receive explicit social-emotional instruction to help them develop selfawareness and self-advocacy, practice social interactions and perspective taking, learn emotional regulation strategies, and reflect on their school experience. Advisors guide students through a series of Starting with Strengths activities to begin the school year and introduce concepts such as identity, community, and neurodiversity. With support from the counseling team, advisors also teach life skills. Topics include physical boundaries and personal space, eye contact and tone of voice, human growth and development, and organization and time management. Each advisory curriculum is unique and based on the needs of its members. Additional possible advisory topics include civic participation, personal finance, nutrition, etiquette, teamwork, public speaking, and technology use.