Special Subjects

Head Teachers in art, music, physical education, science, social-emotional learning (SEL), Spanish, and technology teach all grade levels in their area of expertise.

Art

The foundation of the art curriculum is the five elements of art: color, line, form, shape and texture. Art history and an introduction to a wide array of artists and artistic styles are incorporated into lessons. Each month, classes work on a collaborative “Community Art” piece, in which each child contributes and the final work is then hung in the lobby for all to enjoy. Students’ art work is constantly on display within the school as a rotating art gallery.

Music

The school’s music program includes music theory, composition, and many opportunities to make music, with instruments, by singing and by composing. All students sing in the school’s chorus and perform several times a year. Units teaching the ukulele, keyboarding and digital music creation give students opportunities to apply their music knowledge.

Physical Education

Physical Education at The Learning Project not only helps children to develop gross motor skills, but also to learn and practice fair play and respectful competition, while also building physical fitness. Individual and team sports are included in the curriculum, and healthy habits are encouraged through all kinds of movement. Physical education classes are held at the Clarendon Street Playground, the Commonwealth Mall, or the Esplanade and, when indoors, take place in the school’s large multipurpose room.

Science

Science instruction is based on the scientific method with many opportunities for learning by doing and for collaborating with classmates. Students are exposed to topics in biology, chemistry, physical science, and geology, as well as learning about experiment design and research skills. Students learn the basics of computer science and robotics, as well, and select grade levels engage in the school’s unique L.A.B. (Learn. Apply. Better the World.) Program, in which students delve into a 10-week design-thinking course to solve real-world problems in collaborative and innovative ways.

Social-Emotional Learning

The Learning Project’s full-time school counselor meets with classes weekly to teach social-emotional learning lessons based on the Random Acts of Kindness curriculum. These lessons are intended to support the work of the classroom teacher in building respectful and healthy classroom communities, as well as helping children to further grow their sense of self and to develop their relationships with others.

Spanish

The focus of the Spanish program at The Learning Project is building fundamental speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Through songs, games, and plays, students build their confidence in their Spanish language skills. Frequent classes in the younger grades helps to leverage a natural inclination for language acquisition, while the upper grades focus on building skills for language study in middle school and beyond.

Technology

As technology becomes increasingly present and important in our world, it is essential that we teach technological literacy in elementary school in order to prepare students for middle school and build healthy lifelong habits. While The Learning Project articulates for children the pitfalls of technology, it also empowers its students to embrace the many positives that come with it. The school provides 1-to-1 iPads for all students, and the Technology Teacher instructs children in grades K-6 in digital media literacy and creation, coding, ethics, keyboarding, and robotics. The Learning Project has always been focused on instilling core values that guide children in their everyday interactions. Teaching our students to use technology in a skillful and ethical way, both inside and outside the classroom, is a natural and necessary extension of this mission.