Curriculum Standards and Resources

  • Curricula is centered around interdisciplinary themes so students learn to see the interconnectedness of social, cultural, and natural systems and understand the importance of systems thinking when solving real-world problems and issues.

  • Students learn to use history, science, math, reading, writing and the arts as tools to make sense of the world.

  • Students’ questions and ideas are valued and guide the learning process. They build and revise their ideas using evidence from their learning experiences.

  • All lessons are aligned to national standards like the Next Generation Science and Common Core standards.

  • Curricular topics spiral each year to review and deepen learning.

The following are examples of curricular themes:

Theme: Climate Change

Essential Questions:

  • How can social, cultural, and natural systems help us explain present-day climate change?

  • What alternative models (ecological and economic) exist to imagine new possibilities?

Social Studies

Topics focus on the role of colonialism and war, technological advancements, and capitalism on human-made climate change.

Main Topics

  • Doctrine of Discovery

  • Columbus and American Indians

  • Transatlantic Slave and Global Trade

  • Industrial Revolutions

  • The Greenhouse Effect

  • The Berlin Conference and Colonization of Africa

  • Labor Movements

  • The Great Depression

  • War and the American Empire

  • Environmental Disasters and Fossil Fuel Industry Misinformation

  • People’s Resistance and Environmental Justice

Reading & Writing

Students read (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) and write in all subject areas including creative writing for storytelling and poetry and technical writing for community-based research and lab reports.

Examples of Texts for Group Study:

Science

Science emphasizes the building of knowledge to explain the greenhouse effect and climate change phenomena and solve problems related to environmental destruction.

Units

  • Light & Matter

  • Thermal Energy

  • Weather, Climate, & Water Cycling

  • Plate Tectonics & Rock Cycling

  • Natural Disasters

Math

In additional to developing students’ individual math knowledge and skills, students will use math to solve questions related to their social and natural studies like,

  • Calculating the carbon footprint of war and the fast-fashion industry

  • Data analysis, graphing, calculating percentages, ratios, and basic geometry to analyze climate data including temperature trends, carbon emissions, and impact on specific ecosystems

Theme: Migration, Borders, & Belonging

Essential Questions:

  • How and why do living beings migrate? What factors can facilitate migration? What factors can restrict or prevent migration?

  • What is a border? What kinds of borders exist in the world? What purposes do borders serve?

  • What forces keep borders in place? What forces can break down borders? 

  • How do we know borders exist when many borders are invisible to the naked eye? 

  • How can borders, both real and imagined, shape individuals’ sense of belonging?

Social Studies

Topics focus on why humans and other living beings migrate and the creation of borders,

Main Topics

  • Removing the “Savages” and the Reservation System

  • The War Against Mexico

  • Angel Island: Immigration and Detention

  • The Great Black Migration

  • Immigration and Restrictions WWI-WWII

  • Central America

  • Redlining: Housing Discrimination & Segregation

  • Present-Day Gentrification

  • Climate Refugees

  • Palestine-Israel

Reading & Writing

Students read (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) and write in all subject areas including creative writing for storytelling and poetry and technical writing for community-based research and lab reports.

Examples of Texts for Group Study:

Science

Science emphasizes the building of knowledge to explain phenomena like the movement of matter and ecosystems and solving problems related to human impact and extinction.

Units

  • Chemical Reactions & Matter

  • Chemical Reactions & Energy

  • Metabolic Reactions

  • Matter Cycling & Photosynthesis

  • Ecosystem Dynamics & Biodiversity

  • Earth’s Resources & Human Impact

Math

In additional to developing students’ individual math knowledge and skills, students will use math to solve questions related to their social and natural studies like,

  • Using maps to measure the total square miles of land that the United States took from Mexico following the war of 1848 including price per acre.

  • Using math to address immigration myths like “Immigrants increase crime and violence” and “Border walls stop immigrants from entering the US”.

Theme: Normal?

Essential Questions:

  • What is “normal”? Does “normal” exist in society or nature? Who gets to decide who and what is “normal”?

  • How do classification, hierarchical, and binary systems impact society, cultures, and nature?

  • How does nature and society resist these systems and embrace diversity?

Social Studies

Topics focus on the creation of classification, hierarchical, and binary systems, their impact on society and nature, and people’s resistance of those systems.

Main Topics

  • Native Peoples: Different Genders and Sexualities

  • Carl Linnaeus and Scientific Classification Systems

  • The Invention of Race and Racism

  • Women’s Rights - Seneca Falls

  • The Abolition Movement

  • Darwin and Natural Selection

  • American Eugenics Movement

  • WWII - LGBTQ+ and Disability Rights

  • Civil Rights Movement

  • LGBTQ+ Rights - Stonewall Riots

  • Americans with Disabilities Act

  • The Importance of Intersectionality

Reading & Writing

Students read (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) and write in all subject areas including creative writing for storytelling and poetry and technical writing for community-based research and lab reports.

Examples of Texts for Group Study:

Science

Science emphasizes the building of knowledge to explain forces and change, genetic and ecological diversity, and the resiliency of living beings.

Units

  • Contact Forces

  • Sound Waves

  • Forces at a Distance

  • Earth in Space

  • Genetics

  • Natural Selection & Common Ancestry

Math

In additional to developing students’ individual math knowledge and skills, students will use math to solve questions related to their social and natural studies like,

  • Covid-19: Calculating health inequalities

  • Calculating the pay gap (gender, race, ability)

  • Using geometry to design accessible public spaces.

Additional Reading & Writing Opportunities

  • Students are encouraged to explore their own unique interests during weekly visits to Kansas City’s Central Library.

    During these visits, students read and check out books, graphic novels, and magazines on topics that pique their interest. Students practice using public transportation like the KC Bus and Streetcar systems (with adult supervision) to navigate the city.

  • Students share meaningful stories from Pendleton Heights and the broader community by creating a monthly community zine. Their writing is shared at local zine distros and coffee shops like PH Coffee.

Additional Learning Opportunities

In additional to learning typical school subjects like history and science, students engage in topics around identity, anti-racism/oppression, sexuality education, and restorative justice practices. All materials are age-appropriate and meant to give participants a more comprehensive middle school learning experience.

  • Students develop restorative justice practices through curriculum developed by the Center for Conflict Resolution in Kansas City. Dialogue is practiced in our community circle and teaches us how to handle conflict and difficult conversations, repair relationships, and hold ourselves accountable when harm takes place.

  • Our Whole Lives (7-9th grade) is a sexuality education program for youth that models and teaches caring, compassion, respect, and justice. It’s a holistic program that moves beyond the intellect to address the attitudes, values, and feelings that youth have about themselves and the world.

    In an inclusive and developmentally appropriate manner, it addresses sensitive topics like body image, hygiene, social media/internet, bullying/bystander responsibilities, sexuality and disability, communication, and consent education.

Weekly Schedule*

  • Monday/Wednesday

    8:30-9am Morning Circle

    9-11am Science

    11am-12 pm Lunch & Free Play

    12-1pm Reading & Writing

    1-2pm Math

    2-3pm Nature & Play

    3-3:30pm Closing Circle

  • Tuesday/Thursday

    8:30-9am Morning Circle

    9-11am Social Studies

    11am-12 pm Lunch & Free Play

    12-1pm Reading & Writing

    1-2pm Math

    2-3pm Arts & Making

    3-3:30pm Closing Circle

  • Friday

    8:30-9am Morning Circle

    9-11am Central Library

    11am-12 pm Lunch & Free Play

    12-3pm Field Trip or Community Project

    3-3:30pm Closing Circle

    *Everyday is flexible with students’ questions and interests guiding the work.