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Writing Prompts/Writing Skills

  This fall, a group of 3rd and 4th graders were assigned to two writing classes during journal time. Writing Prompts was designed to help these reluctant writers develop creative ideas and to get their ideas on paper. At our school children have a half hour of writing each day, during which time they can Read More >>

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Vanessa Johnson Griot

We were thrilled to invite Vanessa Johnson back to our school as a mystery guest in late October 2018.  Vanessa introduced herself as a griot, which is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, or musician. Griots consider themselves as a repository of oral tradition. Her story telling talents are extraordinary. We invited her in Read More >>

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Legacies

  One of the many empowering experiences at The New School happens during Investigations in the afternoon. For an hour, all children have the opportunity to teach what we call a “Legacy.” The tradition was started many years ago when we initiated a discussion that focussed on two questions, “How do you want to be Read More >>

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Mystery Guest: Dan Stricker

On Monday, October 1, we welcomed Dan Stricker, Syracuse resident, to our school as our second mystery guest of the yearner our Make the World A Better Place unit. Dan came representing the many volunteers who have transformed the end caps along Meadowbrook Drive over the past few years. Dan shared with us how the Read More >>

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Highland Forest Fall 2018

Twice a year, for the past 20+ years, teachers have taken students camping to Highland Forest. These two days in the fall and spring are so important to building community. There is something magical that happens to groups of children when you provide them with the opportunity to play outdoors and engage with each other Read More >>

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Al-Amin Muhammad Mystery Guest

  At The New School we are working on a project called Making the World a Better Place.  It is school wide and year long. Making the World a Better Place began with reading books about people or groups who have contributed to the well being of people and/or the environment.  As we do this Read More >>

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Water Cycle

In our science class with students in grades 3 and 4, we studied the water cycle. This unit focuses on how water exists in our world and how it transforms from phase to phase.We explored how water exists in nature as a solid, a liquid and a gas. In this unit we have read two books Read More >>

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Raisin in the Sun

The oldest group of students were part of a book club where they read Lorraine Hansberry’s play, “Raisin in the Sun.” Over a period of a month, the students met once a week to discuss. Students were instructed to prepare a Discussion question. The resulting conversations showed high levels of insight and understanding. For the second half Read More >>

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Silk Road

This spring the oldest students started a unit on the Silk Road. The four objectives of this unit included being able to identify the major physical features that hindered travel between China and Europe. To discover how ideas, cultures and goods were exchanged through the Silk Road. Relate the ideas of trade and globalization to today. Compare Read More >>

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Sewing

Six of the oldest students just completed an exciting sewing project! First the children had to get certified by the Fayetteville Free Library’s staff. An hour long course taught them the parts of the sewing machine and how to thread it, fill a bobbin and more! Our second class involved designing a bargello patchwork quilt. The children selected fabric, donated by Read More >>