Philosophy
Students at Community Roots Charter School are part of an educational community where rigorous curriculum is made engaging and accessible and where students meet high expectations by being given the support they need and deserve. Community Roots provides educational experiences which address the individual needs of students and ensure that all students meet their potential.
We believe that people learn best by doing things embedded in meaningful and interesting contexts and that children need direct instruction in the content area in order to develop the skills necessary to be active participants in learning experiences. Community Roots students receive direct instruction in all content areas and participate in literacy experiences (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) while being engaged in the study of their world through three in-depth social studies-based units each year.
Collaborative Team Teaching
Collaborative teaching takes advantage of the fact that there are two adults in the classroom rather than one, and capitalizes on that to make the class more effective. Co-teaching requires joint problem solving, co-planning, co-presenting, and co-processing. In order to promote positive and effective collaboration between teachers, Community Roots professional development includes: establishing and maintaining a scheduled time for communication, discussion of role responsibilities, sharing of expectations, modeling of language in order to communicate effectively, knowledge of collaborator’s strengths and weaknesses, and planning time.
Integrated Studies
Integrated studies engages students through social studies content and allows them to experience reading, writing, listening and speaking as well as exploring concepts through art, music, math and science in a context that is rich and meaningful. Literature is used to compare and contrast our own experience with a wide range of experiences that will be unlocked through reading. Through social studies meetings, writing and responding to readings, and experiences, students learn to question and persuasively communicate their own ideas as well as respect and understand those that are different. Through integrated studies students and teachers develop a classroom culture that engages students in cultural awareness.
The Community Roots integrated studies curriculum begins with concepts that are close to students such as home and family. Students then use what they have learned about their own cultures, neighborhoods, and belief systems to learn to look outward to far away places as well as events, places and people in history. Students are taught the skills to formulate meaningful questions and look for answers that lead to deeper understanding of content knowledge.
English Language Arts (ELA)
The largest part of the day at Community Roots is devoted to developing literacy skills necessary to gain understanding and to develop communication skills. Community Roots uses a balanced literacy approach, a researched and proven method which recognizes the need for both the explicit teaching of skills and the opportunity for children to participate in activities that are designed to build comprehension and meaning. The fundamental components of literacy; reading, and writing, listening, and speaking are the foundation of Community Roots' education. Students learn to read, write, listen, and speak for a variety of purposes and practice these skills in all curricular areas. Community Roots believes that students need intensive instruction in reading and writing in order to develop the skills they need to be literate members of society.
Math
Community Roots has three components to its math curriculum: TERC Investigations of Number, Data, and Space, which is aligned with NY State Standards and National Council of Teachers and Mathematics (NCTM) standards, supplemental skills work, and daily math practice. This program teaches students at each grade level to explore theories and functions through investigation, to develop a variety of strategies to solve problems and share their solutions, and to see math in the world around them. Students work in depth on a small number of problems, actively using mathematical tools and consulting with peers as they find their own ways to solve the problems. Significant time is allowed for students to think about the problems and to model, draw, write, and talk about their work. Each investigation is divided into several class sessions, one hour long, and grouped together to reflect the continuity and flow of the activities as they actually happen in the classroom. During each investigation students work a number of activities that include pair and small-group work, individual tasks, and whole-class discussions.
Skills building will take place during the math period and through homework. Skills building ensures that children have the skills necessary to solve problems quickly and be fluid and efficient in mathematical computation.
Science
Community Roots uses the FOSS science curriculum, which is aligned with New York State Standards. FOSS provides an inquiry-based, hands-on approach to science consistent with the Community Roots mission. This approach guides teachers in teaching children important scientific concepts while developing the habits of mind or skills of real scientists, including meaningful observation and exploration, testing hypotheses, and analyzing new information, while learning about the natural world.
Students investigate, experiment, gather data, organize results, and draw conclusions based on their own actions and scientific experiences. These processes enhance the development of scientific thinking. FOSS inquiries ask students to make use of all five senses for observation. This multi-sensory approach makes content accessible for all learning styles. Collaboration is central to the enterprise of science. In kindergarten through 2nd grade, FOSS teaches students to work together but investigations allow for each student to have everything they need to work independently. Beginning in 3rd grade, students work in groups of four with each member contributing to management, data collection, data analysis and reporting of results.
Visual and Performing Arts
At Community Roots the arts are seen as enrichment as well as integrated throughout curriculum in order to make learning experiences rich and accessible to many different types of learners. There are visual arts classes during the regular school day and we also partner with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) to provide the highest quality music, theatre, and dance instruction.
Technology
At Community Roots technology standards are deliberately integrated into Math, Science, English Language Arts, Visual Arts, and Integrated Studies curricula. Technology is reflected in the schedule in Math and Science due to the fact that the curriculums for these two content areas directly align with the New York State Technology Standards. Students learn the practical application of using technology in every day living. Through integrating technology into curriculum, students learn to engineer designs, use technological tools, materials, and resources to illustrate hypothesis, test plans, and produce work. Students also use computers as a tool for design, modeling, processing information, communication, and system control.
Physical Education, Health, and Family, Consumer Sciences
Community Roots understands the importance of health and physical education. The goals of the health curriculum are to give students the information they need to make informed choices to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Physical education is a time for students to learn and practice fine and gross motor skills, to learn how to actively participate in large group games and to develop habits that lead to staying physically fit. At Community Roots health instruction is a part of integrated studies units, the science curriculum, and applicable Enrichment Programs. In addtion to weekly African Dance (taught by Brooklyn Academy of Music teaching artisits) and Capoeria (taught by instructors from the Allied Capoeira Arts Initiative), Classroom teachers incorporate physical education into their instruction, through classroom and outdoor games at least once a week.
Conflict Resolution
It is through the study of people and different cultures, traditions, and daily living that students gain a sense of varying points of view. Conflict resolution is one way in which groups of students learn to work together collaboratively and how when an argument arises, to come to agreement on a suggested outcome. Students develop communication skills, the ability and willingness to listen to their peers, to take turns, and to share responsibilities in order to accomplish a project greater than one person could do alone.