Areas of Study
Reading/Language Arts
The Harbor School program cultivates a love of reading from Preschool age through Second Grade by giving the individual child many opportunities to hear good literature and by allowing each child to move at his or her own pace in developmentally appropriate ways. Each classroom provides a print-rich environment and reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are emphasized throughout the day.
Reading readiness is a focus from Preschool through Junior Kindergarten. From the youngest age, reading occurs throughout the day through shared reading - an interactive process where children respond as a group to songs, poems, and stories, through reading aloud and through daily writing activities - both interactive and independent. Reading and writing readiness are also developed through auditory and visual discrimination games, patterning and sequencing work, and dictation of the children’s stories to the teachers. Children are given many opportunities for literacy growth in the writing centers and listening areas throughout the classrooms.
As the children mature, reading instruction becomes more formalized. Starting in Kindergarten, reading is taught through guided reading groups, shared reading as well as through the use of stories, songs, and poems. Children are assessed by our Reading Specialist at the beginning of the school year, at the mid-year point, and at the end of the year to monitor their reading progress and to provide guidance to teachers for meeting student needs. Guided reading groups are small and fluid, allowing children to move easily from one group to another.
The reading program at Harbor is a balanced program that emphasizes phonics, meaning, and the structure of our language. To assist the students in developing strategies to decode new and more sophisticated vocabulary, the K-2 language arts curriculum uses Phonics Lessons: Letters, Words and How They Work. This program helps develop literary skills, spelling, vocabulary and written language as part of the broader reading program.
For Kindergarten, First and Second Graders, reading is not just a discrete subject taught once a day; reading occurs in every subject area. Reading instruction is also linked closely to writing as the children are given the chance to respond to their books through a variety of writing activities. This link between reading and writing is essential to enhancing comprehension and critical thinking skills. As the children mature, their literacy skills are honed. Higher level comprehension is the goal as students learn to predict, summarize and evaluate what they have read.
Language Arts/Writing
It is never too early to begin helping children learn to write. A wide range of manipulatives are available in each classroom beginning in Preschool that help children hone their fine motor skills. Children also experiment with various writing instruments such as crayons, paints, pencils and markers. The mechanics of handwriting are taught through Jan Olsen’s Handwriting Without Tears program beginning in Preschool.
Language Arts instruction begins at the very earliest ages as Preschool children participate in a variety of activities designed to encourage children to express themselves. From early on, the children are encouraged to “write” their own stories by dictating stories to accompany their own illustrations. By Kindergarten, children begin writing in their own journals using “invented spelling” which helps children see that each letter or combination of letters have a sound that together form words.
In First and Second Grade, students are given daily opportunities to write. There is a balance of open-ended writing, such as journal work, and directed writing where the students write on a particular topic or theme. Children also are given opportunities to write creatively and to write nonfiction. Teachers provide opportunities for the children to brainstorm as a class on various topics before writing and they are introduced to the concepts of editing. Paragraph structure and form, and conventional spelling are important features of the Language Arts instruction. Cursive writing is introduced in Spring semester of Second Grade.
Library
The Harbor School has a wonderful collection of over 7,000 books which can be enjoyed by children from Preschool age through Second Grade. Starting in Junior Kindergarten, children may select and check out books from the collection. This wonderful collection supplements the libraries in each classroom. Teachers are also welcome to utilize the school library to supplement the materials in their classrooms.
Each class meets with the librarian once a week to hear stories and to discuss the care and selection of books. The librarian teaches a continuum of library skills that begin with listening and discussion skills and progresses to more sophisticated knowledge of book classification and use of reference resources.
Mathematics
The primary source of the mathematics program at The Harbor School is the University of Chicago program “Everyday Mathematics.” This program recognizes and builds on children’s individual capabilities with activities that are primarily hands-on, with a mixture of teacher-guided, partner and small group activities which allow students to make conjectures and conclusions about mathematics.
Mathematics instruction begins in Preschool as the children are exposed to math concepts through play. As the children mature, they explore mathematics through hands-on activities, such as cooking projects and the use of manipulatives.
Teaching goes beyond basic arithmetic to include mathematical thinking in other areas such as geometry, fractions, and problem solving. Children are encouraged to develop an awareness that mathematics is rooted in everyday life and to see the everyday uses for mathematics. Daily routines in the classroom including attendance, calendars, dates, and counting all lend themselves well to mathematics instruction.
Science
Scientific inquiry is integrated throughout the curriculum. The science program is intended to encourage children to appreciate their own environment, to develop communication skills and extend their vocabulary, to channel curiosity in order to stimulate learning, to develop the ability to make critical judgments when using acquired skills, and to extend problem solving skills.
Scientific processes have been identified for study at each grade level with an expectation that each class will touch upon each process, either alone or in combination with others throughout the school year. Observation, communication, classification, investigation, hypothesizing, measurement and prediction, recording of data, and application of knowledge are the processes studied.
Social Studies
Social Studies at The Harbor School is a much loved subject. Students begin to develop an understanding of their place in the world and discover other cultures and how each culture shapes the world around us. In an effort to understand, appreciate, and celebrate cultural diversity, students explore geography, history, current events, and participate in community service. The aim is to educate students to become more knowledgeable, responsible and caring members of the community.
Spanish
Students in Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade participate in Spanish class twice a week. The goal of the program is to provide an introduction to the Spanish language in a lively, interactive and fun atmosphere. Lessons emphasize the development of communicative competency and focus on familiar surroundings and people such as the home, the school, the classroom, friends, family, and the community. Children practice and review vocabulary through games, songs, puppet play, pantomime, and role-playing activities that combine speaking skills, physical movement and creative drama techniques.
Physical Education
All Harbor children have physical education opportunities taught by a specialist. Preschoolers are engaged in formal movement activities, while Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade have an organized program to build gross motor skills, cooperative play, and team-building in a non-competitive atmosphere. Physical fitness, strength, flexibility, and endurance are a focus as children grow older. Good sportsmanship, decision making, perseverance, and issues of health and safety are important components of the program. Whether inside or out-of-doors, Harbor children build self-confidence, good judgment, and leadership skills at all levels.
Visual Art
The Art program at Harbor School is designed to stimulate creativity, develop motor skills, and instill in children an appreciation of the fine arts. Throughout the school, art is integrated into the daily classroom routine. Classroom art activities are theme and literature-based and occur each day. Children learn through creation in two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional media, with paints, paper, pastels, clay, markers, crayons, and collage materials. Students learn the proper use of art materials and tools, how to explore a variety of media, and how to express their feelings and thoughts through art. Constant exposure to drawing, tracing, and cutting helps to strengthen fine motor skills. The display of finished art products both inside the classroom and in the halls of the school helps to increase the children’s sense of pride and self-accomplishment.
In addition to classroom art activities, children in Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade attend lessons in the art studio with a professional art teacher twice each week.
Music and Performing Arts
Music is a large part of the classroom activity. Children become acquainted with musical sounds and develop rhythmic response to music. They respond to music dramatically and with body movements. Children acquire a large repertoire of songs, learn to use a variety of musical instruments, and learn dances from different cultures. Preschool children attend a Music and Performing Arts class once each week with the music specialist. Children in Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade have a separate Music class twice a week and Performing Arts once a week. The goal of the program is to allow the children to achieve harmony with a variety of instruments, to express themselves creatively, and to take pleasure in listening to music. Singing and dance is an important part of the program. Fall and year-end musical presentations are enhanced with the help of the music specialist.