Curriculum Guide 2023-24

Introduction

Harlem Academy inspires excellence with a rigorous curriculum wrapped in a joyful and ethical school culture. We foster confidence by setting up real challenges for all of our students, nurturing their talents, and supporting them to meet their goals. We work with focus and determination but take time to celebrate each other’s achievements and share in life’s special moments.

Harlem Academy graduates remember seeing or participating in the first-grade puppet show, where classic fables are reimagined with a modern and diverse twist, curating their own exhibit of ancient Egyptian artifacts in fifth grade, presenting original works of poetry in sixth grade, and highlighting the success of a fellow classmate at their graduation ceremony. Learning to speak publicly is part of every Harlem Academy student’s journey. We are very

intentional about skill development, and our students get the chance to present in front of a group of people a minimum of 24 times over the course of their Harlem Academy career.

We take advantage of opportunities in our neighborhood, city, and broader world to extend classroom learning and expand students’ horizons. We visit the Schomburg Center, Harlem DNA Lab, New York Hall of Science, American Museum of Natural History, and other New York City institutions. Middle schoolers start the year with a three-day trip to the Princeton-Blairstown Center for outdoor adventure challenges and team building. They also have opportunities to visit boarding schools and universities to extend their learning and explore future paths. Middle school students design their own day-long field trip exploring the five boroughs and cultures of New York City and take a three-day

leadership trip to Washington, D.C. These experiences always stand out among the many special moments in a student’s final year.

Skill development is the foundation of a Harlem Academy education. We believe that core academic skills (reading, writing, and critical thinking in math and science) and strong character habits (initiative, integrity, compassion, and determination) are the key ingredients students need for success at top secondary schools and as contributing members of the community. To build these skills, our approach combines depth, practice, challenge, and engagement in every curricular area.

The vision for character education at Harlem Academy is expressed in our School Creed and four community pillars. It serves as the foundation for learning, reflection, and improvement; a springboard for discussion in advisory; and a touchpoint for lessons in every academic area.

I am bold and creative. I take opportunities to lead. I seek help when I need it.

I am honest and reflective. I choose to do what is right Even when it is hard or no one is watching

I listen carefully. I speak kindly. I care for my community.

I make the most of each day. I learn from my mistakes. I don’t give up.

Students learn the School Creed in their first year, and it remains a focus of weekly community meetings throughout their time at Harlem Academy.

Community meetings are one of our most treasured traditions. Held weekly for each division, they are anchored by a message that examines an aspect of the School Creed, emphasizing the habits most critical to students’ success. Our meetings also include commendations, where teachers share stories that recognize a student’s demonstrated growth or other action that lived up to our pillars and creed. This positive recognition is something that all students

look forward to and serves as a strong driver of our values and an example for other students’ growth. Each meeting also includes a recitation of our School Thanksgiving and School Creed, as well as a guided mindfulness reflection and informal greeting time.

VINCENT DOTOLI, HEAD OF SCHOOL

During the final year of middle school, pairs of eighth grade students work with their teachers to prepare a community meeting message as an opportunity to give back and offer near-peer examples to younger students for living our School Creed. This process challenges students to internalize the core habits valued at Harlem Academy. They must engage in thoughtful planning, consider a message that will challenge their peers to reflect on the school’s pillars of initiative, integrity, compassion, and determination, and practice public speaking.

“Celebrations of Learning offer repeated opportunities for students to step out of their comfort zones, make mistakes in a safe environment, and come out having conquered their fears – accomplishing something they maybe didn’t realize they could do.”

Primary School

OVERVIEW

The primary school (grades K-2) uses a homeroom model. Students can arrive as early as 7:15 a.m. and may stay until 6 p.m., with required programming running from 8:05 a.m. until 3:40 p.m. Students work with a variety of adults on the team but most closely with a core team of two teachers who take lead responsibility for advancing learning, holistic growth, and family partnership.

Throughout the week, students participate in a variety of activities focused on building habits for community contribution aligned with the School Creed. Each day begins with a morning meeting where students practice greeting one another, public speaking, listening carefully to others, and mindfulness. At the end of each day, students complete any remaining classroom jobs, prepare to go home, and organize for the next day. The class gathers for a closing circle on the rug to celebrate what they’ve learned, share commendations, and say goodbye.

LITERACY

Primary students spend more than two hours each day focused on literacy, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Our goal is to provide students with a literature-rich environment that offers many opportunities to learn and practice reading skills and strategies. Through our literacy program, we seek to build confidence, independence, and a foundation for long-term academic success.

The primary literacy program is based on the Benchmark Advance reading program. Our accelerated program uses materials developed for

the following grade level and focuses on non-fiction reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and phonics within integrated units. Read-alouds from the Benchmark program or the teacher’s choosing are incorporated into each day, generally with an effort to connect back to our School Creed, prompt a whole class discussion, or just bring smiles to students’ faces. Teachers are always working to ensure students are being challenged at a high level and everyone in the class is engaged in above-grade-level materials by the spring trimester, if not before.

Complementary components to our core literacy program include:

Independent Reading and Library

Teachers help students to find books they will enjoy and foster a love of reading. Primary students read texts many times to practice fluency, gain comprehension, and develop an understanding of story patterns. We use Accelerated Reader to help determine a student’s reading level, to log book titles students have read, and assess reading comprehension. Students work towards consistent 90% comprehension achievement. At least one day per week, primary students go to the school’s library to browse and find additional independent reading books.

Personal Learning

Students have a daily opportunity for differentiated, technology-based literacy practice using the IXL learning platform. This work may relate to whole-class lessons, guided reading, or serve as an opportunity for extra practice or extension to above-grade-level skills, depending on the individual student’s needs.

MATHEMATICS

The Math in Focus Singapore math program teaches fewer concepts with greater depth and more complex problem solving than typical programs in the United States. Each new concept is concretely introduced with physical manipulatives, such as linking cubes or teddy bear counters. After mastering the concrete, students move to pictorial representations, such as drawing pictures or symbols. Finally, students make the connection to abstract representations such as algorithms. Students use the online personalized learning tool, IXL, to support their learning.

Kindergarten

Kindergartners focus on counting numbers up to 20, addition and subtraction stories, lengths and weights, shapes, months, patterns, and money.

First Grade

Math units covered in first grade include addition and subtraction of numbers up to 100, mental math strategies for addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, length and weight, shapes and patterns, picture graphs and bar graphs, time and calendar, and money.

Second Grade

Second grade math begins by building on previously learned topics, such as place value and addition and subtraction, extending to numbers up to 1,000 with regrouping. They also learn multiplication and division, using multiple pictorial models to represent each problem and reinforce the concept of equal groups. Additionally, there is a strong focus on measurement with topics such as length, time, mass, and volume.

SCIENCE

We use the inquiry-based FOSS curriculum to guide lessons as students develop an understanding of the world around them and hone skills in inquiry, investigation, and analysis.

Kindergarten

In the animals unit, young students observe differences in structure and behavior between common land and water animals and learn about basic needs of animals. The materials and motion unit introduces the study of natural resources and properties of materials and how those properties determine their use. During the trees and weather unit, students observe day-to-day changes in weather over the year, as well as the impact weather has on living things.

First Grade

The year begins with an earth science unit that introduces the scientific method, which students will use throughout their time at Harlem Academy. In the air and water unit, students explore how objects interact with air. During the sound and light unit, students use musical instruments such as the xylophone to explore sound. The year ends with a unit focused on how plants and animals grow and survive in their habitats.

Second Grade

Students start the year studying rocks and soil using simple tools such as screens and handheld magnifying

glasses to observe, describe, and analyze these earth materials. Students then explore solids and liquids, comparing properties of each state, observing the effects of heating and cooling, and even making slime! Students end the year exploring how insects and plants interact. They see the life cycle of several insects unfold right before their eyes and build on what they learned in first grade to grow their plants in their classroom.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Our physical education program (four days per week) gives students a sound understanding of the foundational skills that apply to organized sports, so they are prepared to participate in competitive athletic environments as they grow older. We value teamwork, sportsmanship, responsibility, and the opportunity for all participants to grow from their experiences.

LUNCH AND RECESS

Free play is an important component of the daily program. Primary students have a 40-minute recess in the school yard each day to play soccer, basketball, or four square, make up their own creative games, or just relax with friends.

After recess, the primary school gathers as a community for lunch. Our meals focus on lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables, always with some choice and toward an effort to build healthy eating habits.

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

In partnership with Harlem School of the Arts, primary students take arts classes twice per week. The program allows students to explore percussion, dance, improvisational theater, and visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture). Celebrations of learning include a dance and arts showcase and a theater performance.

CHESS

Our chess program offers students in kindergarten through fourth grade weekly instruction with a chess coach and time for independent play. Students in any grade are welcome to join the chess club and team, which meets weekly for 90 minutes.

STUDY HALL, CHOICE, AND MENTORING

As an optional block at the end of each day, we provide a quiet study space for students to complete their homework. Even in the youngest grades, we encourage independent completion of homework. However, teachers are available to answer questions, give additional practice work, guide students in choosing independent reading books, and help students organize their desks.

After the quiet hour of homework and personal learning is finished, students have choice, which is a period of self-selected, educational play. Students can choose from activities such as block building, mancala, chess, and more.

During this time, some students work with a mentor (either an older student or adult volunteer) on a weekly basis. Mentors are assigned based on teacher recommendations and parent interest. They don’t focus on homework or remediation but can be terrific in offering academic extension activities and additional engagement around independent reading.

TECHNOLOGY

Each primary student has a tablet or laptop and an email account, with devices remaining at school. Significant time is taken to teach basic operations, web navigation, typing and word processing, and digital safety and citizenship. Technology is incorporated into each subject, giving students many opportunities to practice with these tools in a safe environment. Students leave primary school able to create and share documents, investigate topics on the internet, and communicate via email.

Elementary School

OVERVIEW

The elementary school (grades 3-5) uses a homeroom model. Students can arrive as early as 7:15 a.m. and may stay until 6 p.m., with required programming running from 8:25 a.m. until 3:40 p.m. Students work with a variety of adults on the team but most closely with a dedicated lead teacher.

Throughout the week, students participate in a variety of activities focused on building habits for community contribution. Each day begins with a morning meeting focused on how students can integrate the School Creed into their daily decision making, and students have time set aside for informal greeting. At the end of each day, “check out” is dedicated to organizing planners, putting away materials, gathering materials for homework, and preparing for the next day of school. This time is also used for reminders, celebrating small wins, and ensuring that each student gets an individualized moment with the teacher before they leave for the day.

LITERACY

Elementary school students spend more than two hours each day focused on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Our goal is to continue fostering a love of reading and a mastery of skills, with students leaving elementary school with confidence, independence, and a foundation for long-term academic success.

The elementary literacy program serves as a bridge from the approach in primary school to a novel-driven study in middle school. Third graders use the fourth grade Benchmark Advance program, focusing on nonfiction reading and skill development. In fourth and fifth grade, students move from foundational reading skills to analysis of longer texts and more complex writing assignments. All three grades continue with integrated lessons in grammar, vocabulary, and writing.

In fourth and fifth grade, students learn strategies for monitoring comprehension, developing vocabulary, and practicing reasoning skills by making inferences and using the text to support their opinions. Speaking and listening skills are supported by literature circles, class discussions, and celebrations of learning where children recite stories, poems, and speeches.

Novel studies intertwine the continued advancement of reading skills (e.g., theme, character analysis, etc.) with topics about friendships, families, race, and social class. Novels are intentionally selected to include authors and protagonists of color. Fourth grade texts include: “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Muñoz Ryan, “Rules” by Cynthia Lord, and “Clayton Byrd Goes Underground” by Rita Williams-Garcia. Fifth grade texts include: “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio, “The Parker Inheritance” by Varian Johnson, and “Harbor Me” by Jacqueline Woodson.

Teachers continue to make time for read-alouds, selecting texts to model habits and strategies of good readers, foster a love of reading, and amplify an inclusive tapestry of voices, with a particular elevation of Black, Latinx, and other authors and characters of color.

Complementary components to our core literacy program include:

Independent Reading/Library

Our independent reading program is driven by Accelerated Reader, which helps students select appropriate texts. After completing an assessment at the beginning of the year, students are assigned a reading level. Students take computerized quizzes to demonstrate their comprehension of books they have independently chosen and read, working toward consistent 90% achievement before advancing to the next level. At least one day per week, elementary students go to the school’s library to browse and find additional independent reading books for their classroom.

Independent Practice

Students have a daily opportunity for differentiated, technology-based literacy practice using the IXL online learning platform. This work may relate to whole class lessons, guided reading, or serve as an opportunity for extra practice or extension to above-grade-level skills, depending on the individual student’s needs.

MATHEMATICS

Students develop a broad understanding of mathematical concepts and an in-depth knowledge of mathematical operations and procedures. Concepts are taught using the Math in Focus Singapore math program. This challenging curriculum focuses on teaching fewer concepts with greater depth and more

complex problem solving than typical U.S. programs. By beginning with concrete examples, moving to pictorial demonstrations, and then connecting to abstract concepts, students acquire skills to tackle increasingly difficult problems. Students also use the online personalized learning tool, IXL, to support their learning in the classroom and at home.

Third Grade

Third-grade math begins by building on topics such as place value and addition and subtraction, with students learning to solve real-world addition and subtraction problems with numbers through 10,000. Students also learn how to make and interpret data from various graphs and identify fractions. Lastly, students explore measurement, including length, mass, volume, time, and temperature.

Fourth Grade

The fourth-grade curriculum continues the pattern of building on previously learned topics with place value and addition and subtraction being extended to 100,000. Students focus on strengthening their long division skills and practicing multiplication facts to ensure fluency. Students are introduced to decimals and practice converting fractions to decimals and adding and subtracting decimals. The year ends with geometry, including measuring angles, calculating perimeter, and tessellations.

Fifth Grade

Students explore number notation and place values, multiplication and division, approximation and estimation, and the order of operations. They continue to convert fractions and decimals and to add, subtract, multiply, and divide them in real-world situations. Geometry begins with an exploration of angles and the properties of different geometric shapes. Students also work on foundational concepts for ratios, rates, percentages, and algebraic expressions.

SCIENCE

Our goal is to engage students in the process of scientific investigation and inquiry, preparing them to succeed in middle school science and beyond. In elementary school, we focus on the development of scientific and engineering skills, non-fiction reading and writing skills, and content knowledge. We use the inquiry-based FOSS curriculum to guide our lessons as students develop an understanding of the world.

Third Grade

Third grade starts with a unit on plants and animals, with a focus on observing and comparing life cycles and how they adapt to their environments. The winter unit, motion and matter, is a physical science unit focused on how things move and how we measure mass. Students investigate gravity and magnetism to explain what

causes objects to move. Students end the year studying the water cycle, conservation and protection of water, and water’s impact on the climate.

Fourth Grade

Students begin the year studying geology and how natural occurrences impact the surface of Earth’s landscapes over thousands of years. They then explore energy and how it is transferred between systems. They end the year with a unit focused on the interaction between plants and animals and their environments. Each unit consists of experiments, reading sessions, and math extensions.

Fifth Grade

Fifth graders build on their knowledge of matter, exploring what happens when samples of matter interact in mixtures, solutions, and chemical reactions. Students then learn how the different spheres of the Earth interact to provide an environment that sustains

life. The unit explores the Earth’s position in the solar system and its interaction with the sun and the moon. In the final unit, students learn more about the interaction between organisms and their ecosystems and how the Earth’s biosphere interacts with other parts of the Earth.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Held three times a week, our elementary physical education program includes general fitness, sportspecific training, and fun games. The program gives students a sound understanding of the foundational skills that apply to organized sports, so they are prepared to participate in competitive athletic environments as they grow older. We value teamwork, sportsmanship, responsibility, and the opportunity for all participants to grow from their experiences.

LUNCH AND RECESS

Free play is an important component of the daily program. Elementary students have a 40-minute recess in the school yard each day to play soccer, basketball, or four square, make up their own creative games, or just relax with friends.

After recess, the elementary school gathers as a community for lunch. Our meals focus on lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables, always with some choice and toward an effort to build healthy eating habits.

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

In partnership with Harlem School of the Arts, elementary students take arts classes twice per week. The program allows students to explore keyboards, dance, improvisational theater, and visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture). Celebrations of learning include a dance and arts showcase and a theater performance.

CHESS

Our chess program offers students in kindergarten through fourth grade weekly instruction with a chess coach and time for independent play. Students have the option to join the chess team, which meets for roughly 90 minutes per week and incorporates monthly competitions.

STUDY HALL, CHOICE, AND MENTORING

This optional, two-hour block at the end of each day includes a quiet hour during which students focus on completing their homework. As the volume and complexity of homework begins to increase in elementary school, we encourage independence and the development of strong organization and time management skills. However, teachers are available to answer questions and help as needed.

After the quiet hour for homework, the day usually finishes with an optional choice time where students select from a variety of enrichment activities such as chess and crafts.

During this time, some students work with a mentor (either an older student or adult volunteer) on a weekly basis. Mentors are assigned based on teacher recommendations and parent interest. They don’t focus on homework or remediation but can be terrific in offering academic extension activities and additional engagement around independent reading.

TECHNOLOGY

Each elementary student has a laptop and an email account, and significant time is taken to teach basic problem solving, web navigation, typing and word processing, and digital safety and citizenship. Technology is incorporated into each subject, giving students many opportunities to practice with these tools in a safe environment. Students leave elementary school demonstrating responsible technology use and the ability to use technology for research, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

SAMPLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Middle School

OVERVIEW

The middle school (grades 6-8) is designed around subject-based specialists, challenging students to navigate a schedule, multiple environments, and different class structures. Students can arrive as early as 7:15 a.m. and may stay until 6 p.m., with required programming starting at 8:45 a.m. and generally ending at 4:30 p.m. As our students move into classes by subject, we aim to continue strengthening the sense of community.

Students end the day restoring their homeroom space, checking their planners, and gathering all their materials for homework and afternoon electives. The day ends with a handshake between the students and their advisors.

ENGLISH

The middle school English curriculum builds on character analysis work that students practiced in both primary and elementary school. With each text, students focus on character motivation, the impact of actions on self and others, and analyzing their personal beliefs in the context of the story. Students are encouraged to reflect on who they are, what they value, and how their identity is shaped by ethnicity, gender, race, class, ability, and other identifiers. They share their personal stories through discussion and writing poetry, personal narratives, short stories, personal statements, and more.

Each grade level has at least one unit focused on poetry. Through a six-week collaboration with the Poetry Society of America, poets work one-onone and in small groups with students, leading them through the creative process of writing, revising, critiquing, and performing original works. The program culminates with the students and professional poets presenting their poems side-byside in front of the school community.

Through a partnership with the Classical Theatre of Harlem, each grade either has a unit focused on Shakespeare or writing an original play. The Shakespeare program opens with a weeklong workshop, where actors work with students to explore a play’s themes and the use of language to express character and plot. During the playwriting program, visiting actors guide seventh grade groups as they

write one-act plays over the course of five weeks. The unit culminates with the selection of one play for a staged reading by professional actors.

Sixth Grade

Sixth graders begin the year practicing habits and strategies of good readers, including identifying how an author develops an idea over the course of a text. They then become authors themselves, starting with stories about their names and begin to craft constructed responses as an introduction to literary analysis. Sixth-grade texts include:

• “Refugee” by Alan Gratz

• “My Family Divided” by Diane Guerrero

• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare.

Seventh Grade

Students continue to develop their personal voice and share their stories. Students are introduced to a specific literary analysis response we call LASA, or literary analysis short answer, that they will use as the foundation for essays moving forward. Then, they explore historical fiction through traditional novels and graphic novels. This is followed by two poetry units, one examining cultural expression through the works of Harlem Renaissance poets and various hip-hop artists and the other exploring the concept of home through free verse poems. Preparing for high school,

students will participate in Lyceum Week, dedicated to the art of persuasion. Seventh-grade texts include:

• “Bronx Masquerade,” Nikki Grimes

• “We Are Not Yet Equal,” Carol Anderson

• “Show and Prove,” Sofia Quintero

• “Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet,” Terrell Alvin McCraney

Eighth Grade

Eighth-grade English is the culmination of all the skills and strategies students have practiced during their time at Harlem Academy. They draw on small moments to craft autobiographical personal statements and biographical small moments narratives based on extensive interviews from a family member. They return to analysis to examine classic texts through new and varied lenses. They build on conversations and readings about resistance, politics, and social identifiers to craft original works of poetry. Students end the year by developing a thesis essay on a topic of their choosing. Eighth-grade texts include:

• “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee

• “Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice,” Phillip Hoose

• “Romeo and Juliet,” William Shakespeare

• “The Poet X,” Elizabeth Acevedo

MATHEMATICS

Students develop a thorough understanding of mathematical concepts and advanced problemsolving skills. Content is presented using the Math in Focus Singapore math program, a rigorous and challenging curriculum that teaches fewer topics in greater depth compared with typical math programs. Courses help students develop confidence, master techniques, and employ reasoning skills to solve realworld mathematical problems.

All students complete a full algebra I curriculum. To differentiate instruction, students who demonstrate strong mathematical foundations cover advanced topics in pullout math lab sessions.

Sixth Grade

Sixth grade students begin to make the transition from arithmetic to algebraic operations. We start the year exploring positive and negative integers on the number line, including prime numbers and introductory number theory. Students develop nuanced skills to work with challenging word problems, connecting fractions, ratio, rates, and percents. Students learn to simplify algebraic expressions, solve one-step algebraic equations through balancing, and graph linear equations on

the coordinate plane. Students continue their study of geometry with a deeper exploration of twodimensional shapes and three-dimensional solids, including the area and circumference of a circle as well as composite geometric figures. The geometry curriculum uses one-step equations to reinforce the algebraic foundation built earlier. Students end the year with a comprehensive statistics unit, covering methods of data collection and the measures of central tendency.

Seventh Grade

Students begin with a thorough study of all real numbers, classifying rational and irrational numbers before an in-depth exploration of operations with positive and negative rational numbers. Algebraic expressions and multi-step equations are explored in depth, including distance and coin word problems and algebraic inequalities. The ratio-based reasoning built in previous years is connected to direct and inverse proportions and the corresponding graphs. Students work on an advanced statistics and probability unit, including mean absolute deviation, interpreting quartiles, and developing probability models before exploring angle properties and the Pythagorean Theorem.

Eighth Grade

All eighth graders complete a high school level algebra I course and receive credit depending on program-based and nationally standardized assessments. Students learn all exponent operation properties and how to calculate with scientific notation. Students then delve into a deep study of

linear equations, finding the number of solutions of an equation, graphing on the coordinate plane, and solving systems of linear equations. Students learn to identify linear and nonlinear functions, including the quadratic function, quadratic formula, and graphing parabolas. Students conclude their study of algebra by studying number sequences, their patterns, and their relationship to linear and exponential functions.

SCIENCE

Harlem Academy’s middle school science program was designed to (1) build the skills students need as they progress in the sciences, (2) offer rigorous and engaging academic content for adolescents, and (3) make connections between scientific concepts and future career paths.

Students hone the skills of scientists through scientific inquiry, analysis, and validation of experimental information and data. Each year, students focus on eight core scientific practices aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards developed by the National Academy of Science. Practices, for example, include “planning and carrying out investigations,” “constructing explanations and designing solutions,” and “engaging in argument from evidence.” Teachers place particular emphasis on three practices per grade level, intentionally incorporating them into lessons 8-10 times per year using tools and rubrics provided with the curriculum.

In addition to science-specific skills, the curriculum strongly emphasizes non-fiction reading and writing. Students receive explicit instruction on reading challenging scientific texts, and they practice strategies for identifying important terms and summarizing shorter sections. Rubrics are used to evaluate paragraph writing as well as lab reports, ensuring students understand expectations and receive consistent feedback. The curriculum aligns with the Common Core State Standards for literacy

in science. By introducing these skills explicitly, in a logical sequence, and with ample opportunity for practice, the program prepares students not just for high school science, but also to read, write, and think like a scientist.

Trips to museums, other educational institutions, and outdoor spaces are integral to our work. Each spring, eighth grade students participate in a science fair, designing and conducting independent investigations to address a scientific question.

Sixth Grade

Students start the year with a study of geology, exploring the connection between Earth’s structure and the forces that shape Earth’s surfaces. They then study water and weather, focusing on meteorology, including an exploration of Earth’s atmosphere and the special role water plays in creating the planet’s unique climate. The year ends with a study of astronomy, beginning with the scientific revolution. Students learn about the Earth within the context of the solar system while exploring its potential origins and how the current celestial orientation evolved. Students conduct an independent research project on a celestial body and concludes with a trip to the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium for a guided tour and session with an astronomer.

Seventh Grade – Human Biology

Seventh grade science is divided into two units: cells and human body systems. In the cells unit, students trace how DNA drives anatomy and physiology. Students look at different types of cells under the microscope and conduct several labs to understand how cells function. Students then work in peer groups to explore cutting-edge applications of biotechnology, such as genetic engineering, stem cell research, and genetically modified foods, and the implications of these technologies. During the second unit, students study many of the organ systems that work together to help the body function. Students gain an understanding of how the body works through wet lab dissections and online virtual labs. There are also guest lectures with neuroscientists and cancer biologists from research universities in the New York City area.

Eighth Grade – Applied Science

We begin the year delving into emergency medicine, which connects students’ extensive knowledge of body systems from seventh grade science to the appropriate response to emergency situations. Students analyze a patient to determine the injury, and study wound management, shock, fractures, and heat-induced ailments. The second unit focuses on

“Harlem Academy helped me gain confidence and pushed me to challenge myself in ways that have made me who I am today.”

MORTON-ALEXANDER, CLASS OF 2016

’20, TUFTS ’24

independent research. Students develop a research paper and oral presentation on a topic of research, honing critical skills in formal scientific research and writing. Students also develop a hypothesis-driven question, conduct an experiment that helps to answer their question, present their findings at our in-house science fair, and summarize their findings in a paper. Students then dive into physics, beginning with basic concepts of speed and motion and extending to the Newtonian laws of motion and physics of flight, and end the year with an introduction to chemistry, which offers excellent preparation for high school science.

HISTORY

To prepare for daily work and larger projects, all lessons in the history curriculum emphasize the following skills: (1) Using evidence to construct and evaluate historical arguments; (2) Using primary and secondary sources to analyze point of view and context, and to understand and interpret information;

(3) Assessing continuity and change over time and over different cultures and geographic regions; and

(4) Understanding diversity of interpretations through analysis of context, point of view, and frame of reference.

Sixth Grade – World History

Sixth graders study the interactions that took place between and within different societies from roughly 600 to 1800 CE. The first unit focuses on the rise and spread of Islam from Arabia west across Africa and east through much of Asia. This unit is an introduction to the forces that unify societies and ways empires can develop, which are recurring concepts throughout

the year. Our study of the Mongols includes a careful examination of different narratives about their conquests and governance. During our unit on West Africa, we read excerpts from a transcription and translation of Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali to examine the way griots have preserved the history of the founding of the Mali Empire. Our study of Medieval Europe focuses on the forces that helped lead to the expansion of European empires beginning in the 1400s. The unit on Mesoamerica and South America includes our first document-based question, which will be a consistent feature of history class for the remainder of middle school. The final unit focuses on the interactions between societies of the Atlantic world from about 1450-1800. The unit concludes with a careful look at the Haitian Revolution that requires students to use the content and skills they have learned and honed to write interpretations of what fueled the revolutionaries throughout this event.

Seventh Grade – American History (Prehistory-1865)

Seventh-grade history explores British colonization of North America through the Civil War using Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America in addition to our history textbook. Supplemental primary and secondary texts are used throughout the year to allow students to analyze the content through different perspectives. Our first unit focuses on the territory that eventually becomes the United States. The unit begins with a look at North American societies before European contact and ends with the start of the French and Indian War in 1754. Our study of the colonial era emphasizes the experiences of different groups of people during these 150 years in North America.

The next unit is an examination of the American Revolution and its meanings to different groups of people from 1754-1783, followed by a study of the creation and content of the Constitution. During the next two units, students examine the way the United States developed and expanded from 1789-1861 with a focus on how slavery pushed the nation toward the Civil War. We conclude the year with a study of the Civil War that asks students to determine what led to the end of slavery during that conflict.

Eighth Grade – American History (1865-present)

Eighth graders continue to pair our textbook with Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America as anchor texts as they examine the way Americans have both pushed to expand freedom and resisted that push within and outside the United States. Supplemental primary and secondary sources continue to be an essential component, as they provide different narratives and perspectives on the content our anchor texts introduce. We begin the year with students writing an essay on the Civil War using primary sources from Free at Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom, and the Civil War. After a study of Reconstruction, we shift from a chronological narrative to a thematic study of the years 1865-1920 with a look at the ways industrialization, immigration, imperialism, and progressivism affected the United States. We switch back to a chronological narrative for our next two units: first the United States during World War I, the Roaring Twenties, and Great Depression and then an exploration of the nation’s experience in World War II. For our final unit of the

year, we take a thematic approach to the Postwar Era (1945-1975) using journalism, social movements, and America’s role as a superpower as lenses. Students end the year with an essay about the way the Great Migration has been remembered in important texts over the past 60 years.

GROWTH BLOCK (INCLUDING ADVISORY)

Growth block is a special, flexible time that has been built into the middle school schedule. Students have guidance and support but also increasing agency to take initiative in a variety of ways that support excellence in learning, wellness, and contribution to community.

• Time is taken to set and monitor their individual goals through self-reflection and in collaboration with advisors during weekly individual check-in meetings.

• While some students are meeting with their advisors, others have self-directed time to collaborate with a peer, check in with a teacher, engage in technologybased independent learning, including the study of a world language.

• Class meetings are called whenever events within or beyond our school walls present a need or whenever the class has a goal they want to work on as a group. As part of this work, we use restorative circles and other proactive problem-solving techniques and discuss current events.

• We also use these blocks to prepare for special events in the calendar, including our three-day outdoor adventure trip and a special day where each advisory group plans their own field trip to explore our city!

In eighth grade, the transition to secondary school is supported by several innovative initiatives. High School Week offers an introduction to life in high school, including a changed schedule, increased workload, new privileges, and higher expectations. It offers a chance for students to learn where they may struggle and develop strategies to overcome those challenges. Harlem Academy alumni and secondary school leaders work with our eighth graders to understand and prepare for the challenges and opportunities related to the transition to ninth grade.

ELECTIVES

The middle school schedule includes choice and flexibility to allow students to take initiative and pursue their interests and goals, with advisors supporting them in making choices that support growth, excellence, and wellness. Electives include theater (e.g., Shakespeare, musical theater); athletics (e.g., soccer, basketball, running, general fitness); and arts (e.g., comic book drawing, print making).

Our elective block runs from 3:25-4:25 p.m., followed by study hall from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Students also have the option to join our chess team, which meets weekly after school and participates in weekend tournaments. Participation in the elective block is generally required, as is at least one trimester of arts and one trimester of athletics each year.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH

Each year of middle school, students take a health unit held weekly for two months. Harlem Academy uses two curricula to anchor student learning related to sexuality, healthy living, and peer relationships.

• The Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School Program is a research-based substance abuse and violence prevention program that includes drug and alcohol education that supports positive youth development. It focuses on self-management skills, such as problem-solving and stress reduction; social skills, such as communicating clearly and avoiding violence; and drug and alcohol education.

• The Planned Parenthood “Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education that Works” curriculum emphasizes social skills as a key component of healthy relationships and responsible decision-making. Topics discussed include relationships; puberty, anatomy, and reproductive health; abstinence, sexually transmitted infections, and protection methods; and sexuality and gender identity.

LUNCH AND RECESS

Free play is an important component of the daily program, even in middle school, so students continue to have a 40-minute daily recess block to play games or just relax with friends in the school yard. Some students will also use this period for informal clubs or to work in small groups with our school counselor.

After recess, the middle school gathers as a community for lunch. Our meals focus on lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables, always with some choice and toward an effort to continue building healthy eating habits.

Additionally, students can take advantage of an extended day option from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. to have extra time for recess or in the library.

KYLE

BLAIR ’21, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

“I’m so thankful that Harlem Academy had High School Week because it taught me time management. That’s the number one thing you need at boarding school, and Harlem Academy definitely helped prepare me for the challenge; I was ready.”

CUFFE, CLASS OF 2017

’25

STUDY HALL

During study hall, some students work with a mentor, generally an adult or recent alumnus working as a volunteer, on a weekly basis. Mentors are assigned based on teacher recommendations and parent interest. They don’t focus on homework or remediation but can be terrific in offering academic extension activities and additional engagement around writing or independent reading.

TECHNOLOGY

In middle school, each student has a laptop for which they take responsibility. Students often use their laptops as a primary tool for writing, homework, and research, and they regularly incorporate slideshows, spreadsheets, and other applications into their work. Students also have opportunities to explore technology-related interests during elective periods.

SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACEMENT PROGRAM

Our goal is to ensure that every student is positioned for continued growth with a placement at a secondary school that will challenge and support them toward the full realization of their potential. The right school will push students with high expectations, provide new opportunities for exploration and learning, and open a door to college.

Harlem Academy’s secondary school placement process begins with the premise that admission to and success at a top secondary school is a shared responsibility among students, parents, and the school. Our program begins in sixth grade and includes the following key components:

Family partnership information and training sessions

We hold grade-wide information sessions, one-on-one meetings, and drop-in sessions to help students and their families navigate the financial aid and application process.

School visits

In eighth grade, our team provides transportation and accompanies eighth graders to boarding school tours and interviews.

Standardized test preparation

In seventh grade, all students take a benchmark ISEE to help determine academic skills that may need extra work and develop an initial list of target schools. Seventh graders receive standardized entrance exam preparation on Saturdays in the spring along with an online testing program and curriculum that provides them and their teachers with real-time feedback and resources. Tutoring sessions continue in the fall of eighth grade to ensure everyone is prepared.

Interview preparation

In seventh and eighth grade, students develop interview skills in class and work with trained volunteers who conduct practice sessions and provide constructive feedback using a detailed rubric.

Essay support

Eighth graders work with their English teacher throughout the fall to hone their personal statements. Additional support for supplementary essays is also provided.

ALUMNI SUPPORT

Harlem Academy’s alumni support program leverages strong relationships and consistent communication to guide students toward the fullest realization of their potential. This includes:

Ongoing advising

We share relevant email updates and regularly check in with all graduates to hear how they are doing and to collaborate on problem-solving as needed.

College and career access

We provide support throughout the college application process, including identifying a strong target list of schools and standardized test preparation. We continue to support students as they begin their careers, including in finding summer jobs and internship opportunities.

Annual events

We host meaningful events each year for students to stay connected to peers and teachers.

Volunteering

Our volunteer program provides regular opportunities for alumni to continue to contribute at Harlem Academy.

School Creed

I am bold and creative. I take opportunities to lead. I seek help when I need it.

I am honest and reflective. I choose to do what is right Even when it is hard or no one is watching.

I listen carefully.

I speak kindly. I care for my community.

I make the most of each day. I learn from my mistakes. I don’t give up.

info@harlemacademy.org

For more information, please visit www.harlemacademy.org.