Highland Community School Adolescent Program

rners who produce work that is beautiful, intellectual, and substantial. The Adolescent Program Learner Profile is designed both as a gauge of student potential and development in Highland Community School’s adolescent program and as a set of principles to inform, define and measure the efforts of students and teachers. Students at Highland Community School’s adolescent program will be:

Independent Communicators

Self-motivated Creative Interested Curious Open-minded Reflective Collaborators
Students are able to work on their own and are willing to pursue ideas, research topics, and complete tasks. Students are able to confidently share knowledge and discuss big ideas and topics. They are able to work through problems as a community and are able to persuade others and be persuaded by sound logic. Students are driven to learn and will seek to do so even without the immediate presence of a teacher. Students are able to apply knowledge to solve problems in new ways. They are able to express themselves confidently. Students enjoy learning and desire to add new tools, skills and disciplines to their existing base of knowledge. Students are interested in a variety of disciplines and are able to use available resources to satisfy their interests. Students are able to suspend their own way of thinking to consider a situation from an alternative perspective. Students are able to self-assess their own performance and derive learning from experience. Students are able to respectfully work with students of different ages and backgrounds, working together to define goals in order to create a product or outcome. Curriculum Overview
! The educational curriculum of Highland Community School’s Adolescent program is firmly rooted in over a century of Montessori history, including nearly 45 years of Montessori Education at Highland Community School. Located at Highland’s campus at 1706 W.Highland Ave., the adolescent program is composed of a 7th and 8th grade, multi-aged classroom. Highland Community School’s course of study consists of mathematics, science, humanities, language arts, foreign language, and electives. This curriculum is carefully designed to prepare students to succeed at the secondary level while maintaining the characteristics of a Montessori education. Highlights of the core components of the curriculum are stated below:

• Language Arts - The language arts curriculum of the early adolescent program emphasizes grammatical structure and writing as a means of both communication and self-expression. Literature will be chosen from both fiction and nonfiction genres. Some selections will be made on based on their ability to support the Humanities curriculum.

• Mathematics - The mathematics curriculum will originate from the rich tradition of Montessori mathematics and the integrated relationship between the mathematical disciplines of arithmetic, geometry and algebra. Emphasis will be placed on mathematical problem solving with a concentration on procedure and process.

• Humanities - The humanities curriculum at Highland Community School’s Adolescent program builds upon the curriculum of the Montessori elementary with a focus on economic geography and the spread of human civilization and culture from the cradles of civilization and their roles in defining the cornerstones of modern society.• Science - The science curriculum will contain an occupation-based study of earth and life sciences. Designed around a principles of urban agriculture utilizing a hands-on environmental science approach, this curriculum will be focused on real-world applications of scientific principles. Advanced students will also be exposed to an algebra-based physics course, taught in conjunction with the mathematics curriculum.

• Foreign Language - Spanish will be taught at the seventh and eighth grade levels, with an emphasis on the relationship between language and cultural. Value will be placed on speaking, reading and writing in Spanish.

• Electives - Electives play a crucial role in the school’s curriculum. Art will be experienced primarily as a mode of self-expression, while personal and community health will be grounded in scientific principles. A kitchen and physical education program will emphasize healthy choices. Through the study of homo faber (Latin for “man the maker), students will invent, design, build and market a product. In addition, Highland Community School hopes to provide a high-quality Spanish program.