We Challenge Minds
Independent schools offer challenging academics and engaging programs to help children develop a life-long love of learning.
Independent schools offer challenging academics and engaging programs to help children develop a life-long love of learning.
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Burke’s Takes Hour of Code Offline for a Full Week of Activities
A week-long Hour of Code in December got Burke’s students thinking about the elements of computer programming — but in many cases, without a screen in sight, or through a blend of the plugged and unplugged. Those activities included: • Kindergartners creating symbols for dance steps, stringing them together in a line of code on […]
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Learning to Code by Breaking it Down: Lower and Middle School Students Enhance Problem-Solving Skills with Coding and Programming
Shipley places a strong emphasis on teaching computer science skills from the time students enter Lower School. But the goal is not to prepare all students to pursue computer science in college and beyond. Shipley helps students translate coding skills into valuable skills for all subject areas and life situations. Students in Kindergarten through first […]
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J-Term—A Novel Approach to Learning at St. Luke’s School
St. Luke’s School’s freshman class recently had the exciting opportunity to be the first students to experience J-Term, or January-Term—a novel approach to learning that moved students out of the traditional classroom setting and into a project-based, student-led learning experience. According to Head of Upper School Liz Perry, J-Term began with this question: “What is […]
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Glass Classrooms
Turning Point School recently launched a new “Glass Classrooms” project. Glass Classrooms allows anyone, from any location to virtually “sit in” on a lesson or activity and learn more about the research-based methods that inform the curricula and inspire truly successful learning. Glass Classrooms is housed and archived on YouTube, with a corresponding page on […]
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Kent Place Middle and Upper Schools Celebrate STEM Week
During the week of February 23 through February 27, Kent Place Middle and Upper Schools celebrated STEM week. The students participated in hands-on activities and listened to special guest speakers in honor of science, technology, engineering and math. Students participated in activities such as making two-minute DIY stylus pens, gum drop domes and egg drop […]
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Gilman’s Parade of Presidents
Gilman’s first graders represented our country’s leadership at the annual Presidential Parade. All 43 American presidents took oaths of office, sang patriotic songs, and presented their research on American leaders to a crowd of families, faculty, and staff.
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Analyzing Data, Maximizing Power: Science in the Real World
At Kentucky Country Day School, eighth graders are designing solar batteries, writing disaster response plans for cities around the world, and disassembling electronics to evaluate their environmental impact. These hands-on units are part of their Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences (E3S) curriculum, which focuses on projects that put learning in a real world context. In […]
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Fourth Graders Become Journalists in New Video Series
Effective communication is a critical competency for the modern learner. In Flint Hill’s Lower School, students are given multiple opportunities during each day to develop and refine their oral, written and visual communication skills, including: in Morning Meetings, conferences with their teachers, participating in class discussions, and presenting during Inspiration. Earlier this year, some of […]
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Gilman’s Living Wax Museum
Gilman’s third graders presented a living wax museum full of famous faces from the past and present. Visitors press a button and the statues come to life, sharing facts and details about the lives of historic men and women – this annual project is a great way for students to present their research and practice […]
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How sweet it is: The candy election
How is the president of the United States elected? The answer to this question is complex, and it addresses concepts that 5th graders have little experience with, such as “caucus” and “electoral college.” Oftentimes, the best way to learn a concept is to relate it to something that interests you. A common passion among most […]
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Inaugural Hockaday Brain Bee – Upper School Area Competition
On January 17, 2015, The Hockaday School successfully hosted its inaugural Hockaday DFW Brain Bee with 14 competitors from three local area schools. It marked Hockaday as the third official regional Brain Bee competition site in Texas, in addition to Baylor Medical School in Houston and UT San Antonio Health Center. After an intense and […]
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Learning About Physics With a Roller Coaster Challenge
As a fun way to wrap up a unit on the laws of motion, Mr. Bill Earley’s second grade science students have been building roller coasters. Students have been learning about three major physics concepts in particular – motion, energy, and forces. Students have learned the definition of key terms such as motion, speed, velocity, […]