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BRIDGES ACADEMY Phoenix Curriculum Guide 2026-2027

CORE CURRICULUM PATHWAYS (3RD-4TH GRADES) Throughout this year, each unit of study in our project-based Discovery class will center on the essential question: How can people use creativity, empathy, and problem solving to strengthen communities and care for our world? Literacy and Math courses will align with these themes as often as possible while also focusing on strengthening reading, writing, and mathematical skills. Upcoming unit themes include: Community — Discover what makes a community strong and explore how our actions can help people feel connected, valued, and supported; students will also explore geography and government. Time — Investigate how people understand, measure, and experience time while considering how the past, present, and future shape our communities and world. Food — Explore where food comes from, how it connects people and communities, and how our choices can contribute to a healthier and more sustainable world. States of Matter — Investigate the properties and behaviors of solids, liquids, and gases through observation, experimentation, and creative problem solving.

Leadership — Examine what it means to be a leader and how empathy, collaboration, responsibility, and creativity can help us positively in uence others. Conservation — Explore our relationship with natural resources and investigate ways people can protect, preserve, and care for the environment. Engineering — Apply the engineering design process to identify problems, develop creative solutions, test ideas, and improve designs that can help people and communities. Across every unit, students will have opportunities to ask questions, think creatively, collaborate with others, solve authentic problems, and take meaningful action. The goal is not simply to learn about the world, but to empower students to see themselves as capable thinkers, compassionate community members, and creative problem solvers who can help make the world a better place.

REDWOODS HUMANITIES (4-5TH GRADES) Throughout this humanities course, students will explore the development of the United States, beginning with the diverse Indigenous peoples of North America and continuing through European colonization, the American Revolution, and the creation of a government by and for the people. Students will examine how individuals, communities, ideas, con icts, and innovations shaped the nation while considering events from multiple perspectives.

The course integrates history with reading, writing, speaking, and creative expression. Students will read literature, informational texts, maps, and primary sources to identify themes, determine main ideas, evaluate evidence, and better understand historical contexts. Through discussions, research, and project-based learning, students will strengthen their ability to communicate clearly, support claims with evidence, and demonstrate their understanding through

4TH MATH In Grade 4 mathematics, students build on their understanding of place value and operations to develop uency with multi-digit multiplication and division. Students deepen their knowledge of fractions, learning to compare, add, subtract, and understand equivalence, while also being introduced to decimal notation. The course strengthens students' ability to solve multi-step word problems involving the four operations and interpret remainders in context. Geometric concepts are expanded through the classi cation of shapes based on properties of lines and angles, along with measurement of angles using a protractor.

5TH MATH

In Grade 5 mathematics, students extend their understanding of the place value system to include decimals, learning to read, write, compare, and perform operations with decimals to the hundredths place. Students develop uency with fraction operations, including adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions and mixed numbers. The course introduces the coordinate plane, where students graph points and interpret real-world and mathematical problems using ordered pairs. Students also build foundational understanding of volume as it relates to multiplication and addition, applying these concepts to real-world geometric measurement problems.

written reports, presentations, podcasts, video diaries, artwork, and other creative products. By the end of the course, students will have a stronger understanding of how the United States came to be, how its government functions, and how stories and sources shape our understanding of the past.

4TH-5TH SCIENCE This science course will be a hands-on and engaging experience for all science students. Subject matter will include physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, and engineering. The focus will be on experimentation and projects rather than high stakes testing and rote memorization. The idea of the science class is to learn by doing and become excited about the study of science. Students will also be encouraged to share an area of scienti c interest so that we may study it as a class. “Science is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”—Albert Einstein

SEQUOIAS HUMANITIES (5TH-6TH GRADES)

Students will explore the big-idea concepts of justice and freedom through the study of ancient China and the foundations of Western civilization in ancient Rome. The course delves into the class strife of the Roman Republic and how it shaped the tripartite government system on which our modern government is based. Additionally, learners will examine the broader patterns and cycles of empires— including cultural di usion, methods of control, and the critical role geography plays in an empire's formation and survival. Language arts, media literacy, and geography are deeply embedded within this historical study, complemented by historical ction and short-story units. By weaving together history, literature, and language, we reinforce skills in a way that feels authentic, helping students learn to express themselves verbally and think critically about the parallels between the past and the present.

5TH MATH In Grade 5 mathematics, students extend their understanding of the place value system to include decimals, learning to read, write, compare, and perform operations with decimals to the hundredths place. Students develop uency with fraction operations, including adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions and mixed numbers. The course introduces the coordinate plane, where students graph points and interpret real-world and mathematical problems using ordered pairs. Students also build foundational understanding of volume as it relates to multiplication and addition, applying these concepts to real-world geometric measurement problems.

6TH MATH

In Grade 6 mathematics, students make the transition from arithmetic to algebraic thinking, learning to write, interpret, and evaluate expressions and solve one-variable equations and inequalities. Students deepen their understanding of ratios and rates, applying ratio reasoning to solve real-world problems involving percentages and unit rates. The course extends operations with fractions to include division of fractions by fractions, along with uency in all operations with multi-digit decimals. Students are introduced to the concept of negative numbers and the coordinate plane, along with foundational statistics concepts such as measures of center and variability.

5TH-6TH SCIENCE This science course will be a hands-on and engaging experience for all science students. Subject matter will include physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, and engineering. The focus will be on experimentation and projects rather than high stakes testing and rote memorization. The idea of the science class is to learn by doing and become excited about the study of science. Students will also be encouraged to share an area of scienti c interest so that we may study it as a class.

“Science is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”—Albert Einstein

PHOENIX SPECIALS

STUDENTS ROTATE THROUGH ALL THESE COURSES

ART + STORYTELLING

In Phoenix Art & Storytelling students will explore how artists experiment with materials, transform ideas, create texture, tell stories, and work collaboratively. Through a variety of handson projects, students will create Artist Trading Cards, develop collaborative creatures into three-dimensional sculptures, design miniature food sculptures using air-dry clay, and contribute to a large-scale collaborative rainbow collage. They will also nd di erent entry points to creative storytelling and learn about story structures and conventions. Throughout the course, students will experiment with drawing, sculpture, collage, clay, color, pattern, texture, and mixed-media techniques while developing creative problemsolving skills and con dence with unfamiliar materials and processes. Students will be encouraged to make individual creative choices, revise ideas as their work develops, and learn from both independent and collaborative experiences.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Human Growth and Healthy Living 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.

FILM Sound is Storytelling explores how lmmakers use sound to create action, emotion, setting, and meaning. Students listen closely to the world around them and discover how Foley artists use everyday objects to make sounds for movies. They record sounds, build a sound library, and practice matching sounds to on-screen actions. Students also explore how music, sound e ects, and silence can change the way a scene feels. The course concludes with groups creating a complete soundtrack for a short scene without dialogue.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Developing foundational movement skills builds physical literacy. When students understand how and why their bodies move, they gain con dence, improve coordination, and are more likely to engage in lifelong physical activity. Students will understand that:

There are many di erent ways the body can move. Movement requires control, balance, coordination, and awareness of space. Practicing movement skills improves tness and con dence. Working cooperatively enhances learning and enjoyment. Movement is important for lifelong health and well-being.

PERFORMING ARTS

In 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 con dence and collaboration.

ENRICHMENT CLUSTER OPTIONS* ARTS + ARGUMENTS ATHLETICS BRIDGES BROADCAST NEWS JAMMING, MUSIC TECH, + MUSIC APPRECIATION POKEMON DEVELOPMENT: FROM IDEA TO DECK PHIDDLER NEWSPAPER ROBOTICS URBAN AGRICULTURE *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 con ict resolution.

Former Phoenix Intersession projects have challenged students to design a colony for a new planet, create and sta 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 di erent lived experiences and create a museum showcasing their perspectives, and nd ways to support animals in need.

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 re ect 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 nance, nutrition, etiquette, teamwork, public speaking, and technology use.

ADVISORY