The Seven Hills School Method Statement

THE SEVEN HILLS SCHOOL

Portrait of a Seven Hills

Methods Statement

TSHS METHODS STATEMENT

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WE POSE ENGAGING QUESTIONS THAT FOSTER STUDENTS’ PASSION FOR LEARNING. In their study of literature, we encourage students to direct their own inquiry, ask worthy questions of texts, and trust their own responses to the works they read.

In world languages, we design situations to ensure that students engage in culturally authentic dialogues in class and exchange information, opinions and ideas, both formally and informally.

In the arts, we provide them with a safe environment and the confidence to trust themselves to discover and express the best of what makes them uniquely human.

We encourage students to pose and answer scientific questions arising from everyday experiences.

We emphasize the structure and beauty within mathematics.

We encourage students to find the sources of recent or current situations around the world in their study of history and culture in order to link the present and the past.

We provide a variety of sports and lifetime physical activities so that our students develop a love of physical activity through participation in both team and individual sports.

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EXAMPLES: Lower School: In the Challenge 20/20 Project, 4th and 5th graders use Skype, wikis and blogs to work with children in other countries, forming debate teams to look for solutions to problems caused by deforestation, global warming, and water deficits.

Middle School: In an interdisciplinary English/social studies unit, 8th graders examine the use and abuse of power, analyzing The Lord of the Flies at the same time that they study World War II Germany, ultimately also exploring the use and abuse of power in social groups.

Upper School: Freshmen and sophomores compete in the Tournament of Greatness, choosing a leader from their World History studies and debating each other according to an NCAA-like bracket system, winners debating winners until the freshman victor debates the sophomore victor for the Greatest Leader of All Time title.

WE DESIGN COMPLEX TASKS THAT BUILD LOGIC, CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS. In world language classes, we teach students to analyze many dimensions of language and to recognize various cultural contexts in order to use appropriate expressions, idioms and gestures.

In visual art, music and theater, we encourage divergent thinking, providing opportunities for students to challenge the parameters and possibilities of questions and problems.

Our mathematics teachers encourage students to ask openended questions so that they discover different ways to solve problems and learn to explain how and why certain concepts work.

In English classes we encourage students to draw on prior knowledge and to employ inferential and critical thinking as they make meaningful connections in reading, writing, and speech.

In science, our teachers require students to create and use models to represent natural phenomena and to analyze the strengths and limitations of those models.

In social studies, students explore the causes and effects of historical events and compare societies and events to one

another. They examine evidence from the past, looking for patterns, biases and points of view in order to construct clear and insightful narratives of the past.

EXAMPLES: Lower School: First graders create hypotheses to explain how and why popcorn pops, then test their hypotheses in class, learning what happens when one element is added to another and recording the results of their experiments.

Middle School: Seventh graders use a weather station to investigate the effect of climate change on polar regions.

Upper School: Algebra students use Excel and graphing calculators to examine “what if” questions, such as “What if we change the leading coefficient in an equation? How does that impact the algebraic values? How does it impact the graph of the equation? What changes? What stays the same?”

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WE STRUCTURE LEARNING ACTIVITIES THAT REQUIRE CREATIVITY, INDEPENDENT THOUGHT AND INNOVATION. In math, students create drawings or graphical representations to accompany algebraic, geometric or numerical relationships and to demonstrate the connections among those forms.

In social studies, students formulate their own questions about the past and design their own research plans. Teachers promote debate and open discussion in the classroom, encouraging varying interpretations of historical episodes and assigning projects that encourage students to think in original ways about history.

In world language, students design and create projects to show their understanding of language and their appreciation of culture, film and literature.

In science, students pose their own questions and design methods for investigation and data collection.

In the arts, students are encouraged to explore their curiosity and inquisitiveness, and to expand their perceptions through the use of their senses.

In English, we design projects to help our students wake to the wonder and rigor of literature. We invite them as readers,

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critics, and writers to join us in a lively and ongoing conversation about literature.

EXAMPLES: Lower School: Students explore inventors and inventions before creating their own invention: for example, transforming a wire coat hanger into a unique utensil for eating spaghetti or for picking up objects from the floor.

Middle School: Math students design their own stained glass windows. They learn geometric terms as they are introduced to examples of mosaic tiling and other art works. They then incorporate specific geometric shapes into their individual projects.

Upper School: History students create commercials to “sell” the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers, researching their topics, composing ad campaigns to promote their appeal, and creating iMovies for their presentations.

WE FOCUS ON CONTENT THAT ENGAGES STUDENTS IN COMPELLING GLOBAL ISSUES. In English and social studies, we ensure that students read sources and perspectives from across the globe.

a civility and respect for others that is essential to navigating a complex world.

In world language, our students learn that speaking a second language is not just about using different words but also about understanding the important issues faced by native speakers of the language.

EXAMPLES:

In history, our students explore a wide range of societies, from ancient China to modern Afghanistan to 21st-century America.

In science, our students examine the scientific principles basic to global and local issues in areas such as the environment, health, biotechnology and ethics.

In language arts and visual and performing arts, we inspire empathy and curiosity by introducing our students to literature, art, music and drama from a range of cultures and eras.

Throughout the curriculum, we provide an open-minded classroom atmosphere and materials that offer windows and mirrors to all our students. We encourage students to debate different points of view in class discussions while still maintaining

Lower School: First graders explore life in India, beginning with a consideration of the differences in the ways people think about daily decisions--such as who they’ll play with—ultimately discovering reasons for differences in perspectives.

Middle School: “Global Explorations” invites 6th graders to examine the impact of natural resources. They choose a country and a specific natural resource, research the ways it is produced, how it impacts the country’s economy, and whether it also influences the country’s politics.

Upper School: Students choose to study one or more of three modern and one ancient language. They immerse themselves in the language and culture of their choice during schoolsponsored trips to France, Spain, China, Italy, and Greece.

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WE DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEANINGFUL COLLABORATION. Our science classes engage students in reflective discussions, lab reporting and the use of technology to join in collaborative efforts with other students and scientists from around the world.

to learn teamwork, practice good sportsmanship, be productive team members, and learn to cooperate and accept responsibility for their own behavior.

Our English classes encourage students to work together on such activities as peer editing, joint research projects, and Skype discussions with students in other countries.

In the arts, students collaborate frequently under the guidance of their music directors for ensemble work, their visual art teachers for murals and sculpture, and their theatre directors for improvisation, scene work, and full-scale productions.

In social studies, students frequently work in small groups, engaging in discussions about everything from the laws and holidays in a self-created country, to civil rights in America, to the upheavals that led to the Arab Spring of 2011 that are still playing out in the Middle East.

In math, we design small group and pair work opportunities in which students work together to solve problems and to create solutions. Students collaborate to find the most efficient methods to solve open-ended problems.

With the world language department’s strong emphasis on competence in spoken language, students collaborate daily in pair and small group activities, communicating with each other using only the target language.

Physical education classes provide opportunities for students

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EXAMPLES: Lower School: Students collaborate on grade-level visual arts projects that they then auction off to benefit Unified for UNIFAT, a student-driven organization dedicated to providing education for students in Uganda.

Middle School: Earth Science students collaborate with field scientists in the Arctic as they study the effect of global climate change on arctic ecology, sharing data, video conferencing via Skype, and hosting classroom visits by scientists.

Upper School: Technical Theater students collaborate in the design and construction of sets for several major school productions, learning to transform written text into live performances.

WE CRAFT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SKILLED AND CONFIDENT COMMUNICATION IN A VARIETY OF MEDIA. In English, we want our students to write with confidence, clarity, substance, depth, and precision, so we ask them to write often and in various modes and genres, mindful of audience, elements of craft, technique, and voice.

In social studies and language arts, we teach them that writing is a multi-step process from prewriting to drafting, revising and editing, so we teach and model a writing process that encourages students to value its struggles and celebrate its triumphs.

In science and math classes, we encourage students to communicate the process they used in solving problems and completing assignments, using appropriate vocabulary and active listening.

In world language, creative writing and journalism classes, we routinely work one on one with students and coach them through the process of rewriting and rethinking.

We craft projects that require students to use such tools as satellite maps, spreadsheets, iMovie, and blogs. They Skype with other students in this country and abroad; they become skilled researchers, learn sophisticated techniques to evaluate sources, and take advantage of opportunities to present their ideas on important issues and events. In the process, they learn to listen,

reflect, and respond in ways that are at once informed, clear, meaningful, and purposeful.

In every discipline, we help our students develop the language to intelligently describe, analyze and interpret what they experience; we provide opportunities for them to use their voices, both orally and in writing.

EXAMPLES: Lower School: 5th graders engage in Literature Circles, talking and writing about American history from the perspective of women and minorities; they also produce a classroom newspaper and blog.

Middle School: In addition to their English classes, Middle School students take two years of Writing Workshop in which they hone their own writing craft and develop a distinctive voice as they compose personal essays, letters to authors, opinion pieces and editorials.

Upper School: Journalism students collaborate on case studies involving journalistic ethics and publish an online newspaper focusing on school news and personalities.

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WE EMPHASIZE THE USE OF TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, AND COMMUNICATION. In world language, our students use a wide variety of technological tools to enhance and reinforce their language learning. They also use multiple online resources to access authentic materials and to communicate with students in the target cultures.

In math, we encourage students to formulate questions that can be addressed with data, and we provide opportunities for them to collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer these questions.

In English, we encourage students to use technology to research material for papers and oral projects, to communicate with each other and their teacher, to read, to write, to edit, even to document what they’ve produced.

In science, we provide opportunities for students to use a variety of technologies and laboratory equipment to obtain, record, analyze and present quantitative information.

In social studies, we engage students deeply and often with primary as well as secondary sources, teaching them to look at sources from many perspectives and to find reliable information in order to construct narratives about the past.

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In music classes, our students explore and experiment with sound, using Pandora, iTunes, YouTube, iPods and iPads.

Throughout the curriculum, we use age-appropriate projects and technology to teach students how to find, evaluate, and use information, ensuring accurate details, correct sequence, creative conclusions, and effective presentations.

EXAMPLES: Lower School: Before they read the novel Number the Stars, lower school students use Google Earth to “visit” Copenhagen, locating the path that led to concentration camps as well as the routes some Jews used to escape.

Middle School: Earth Science students monitor water quality in the Little Miami River, using sensors to measure pH and conductivity, probes to measure dissolved oxygen, and chemical tests to identify phosphates.

Upper School: In Film & Animation, a visual arts elective, students use sophisticated applications to create moving images that tell a story.

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