Social Studies & Science



Our curriculum emphasizes social studies and science, and these subject areas provide the focus for our learning expeditions. We have aligned the New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies; Science; Technology; and Career Development & Occupational Studies with the topics of investigation contained in our curriculum framework.

Our curriculum centers on the development of the Genesee River Valley through time. Children build conceptual understandings, learn information, and develop skills as they embark on three learning expeditions per year. As they learn how our community developed over time, they come to understand how natural, economic, and human resources interact and shape life all over our world. Our learning expeditions are designed so that they require high academic achievement, critical thinking, essential skills and habits, personal development, and high-quality work.

Children conduct original scientific or social research in many of their expeditions. They work with experts to define problems, formulate hypotheses, and design protocols for gathering information, then they learn to analyze their data and develop conclusions. A fifth grade class conducted a water quality study of a stream in a nearby suburb, analyzing the stream's stability, dissolved oxygen, pH, phosphorous, salinity, alkalinity, chlorine, fluorine, E. coli, and fecal coliform. They also measured the quantity of benthic macroinvertebrates found in the stream. They wrote a scientific report which was presented to the Water Education Collaborative.The sixth grade class conducted social research by interviewing over 800 residents and tourists and analyzing their data based on various demographics. They present their findings to Rochester's Mayor and other city officials. By framing new questions, designing new experiments, and collecting new data, our students are able to experience the successes and failures that adult scientists encounter every day.

Classes incorporate service into many expeditions. Service projects require that children learn a great deal of content and build their academic and social skills as they create a product, perform a service, or plan an event to benefit other members of our community. For example, a second grade class responded to a need communicated by the Landmark Society. During their study of life in the 1790's, they focused on the Stone-Tolan House. Their research culminated in the creation of a coloring book about the historic home to replace one that had gone out of print. A fifth grade class created a children's guide to accompany a new museum exhibit on Frederick Douglass. A sixth grade class researched the merits of the Grasso-Zimmer proposal to re-water the Erie Canal downtown and wrote a white paper that they presented to Rochester's Mayor. These projects give students a real audience for their work, which motivates them to learn the content, build necessary skills, and produce high-quality products.