2015-16 Curriculum
Students will engage in experiences enabling them to recognize and organize the natural world and the human creative endeavor in terms of the concept Patterns. Our studies will be based on interdiscliplinary units designed by the College of William and Mary that develop the concept of a pattern as a complex of integrated parts functioning as a whole. All patterns have certain properties:
- A pattern may be constructive, destructive, or neutral.
- The end of a pattern causes it to begin again; a pattern may appear to have no beginning or end.
- Patterns may be broken.
- Patterns may be added to or diminished as they continue to repeat.
- Repeating patterns provide structure for our passage through time.
- Patterns may occur naturally or may be imposed by human behavior or understanding.
We will begin our GT studies this year with Who Belongs Here? This unit will explore the United States system of immigration by examining patterns of immigration beginning with the Colonial period and extending to the present. What contributions did famous immigrants such as Albert Einstein, Irving Berlin, and Alexander Graham Bell make to the United States and to the world? What would it be like to leave one's home and move to another country? What conditions would cause families to emigrate? How can immigrants find their way in a strange land? What are some issues surrounding immigration today? Students will participate in documentary and scientific research activities as they explore this fascinating topic.
Our second unit of study, Our Town, will focus on patterns in architecture and town planning. What elements are common to architecure of various cultures and eras? How do city planners determine where roads, neighborhoods, shopping, and government facilities should be located? Students will look for patterns over time as they determine how needs change as towns grow.
We will end our year together with On Your Own: Independent Study. Students will have the opportunity to explore an area of personal interest in depth. They will brainstorm ideas generated from the concept of patterns, develop questions to guide their research, conduct appropriate research, and create a product to serve as an aid in presenting the results of their research to the class.
Students will engage in experiences enabling them to recognize and organize the natural world and the human creative endeavor in terms of the concept Patterns. Our studies will be based on interdiscliplinary units designed by the College of William and Mary that develop the concept of a pattern as a complex of integrated parts functioning as a whole. All patterns have certain properties:
- A pattern may be constructive, destructive, or neutral.
- The end of a pattern causes it to begin again; a pattern may appear to have no beginning or end.
- Patterns may be broken.
- Patterns may be added to or diminished as they continue to repeat.
- Repeating patterns provide structure for our passage through time.
- Patterns may occur naturally or may be imposed by human behavior or understanding.
We will begin our GT studies this year with Who Belongs Here? This unit will explore the United States system of immigration by examining patterns of immigration beginning with the Colonial period and extending to the present. What contributions did famous immigrants such as Albert Einstein, Irving Berlin, and Alexander Graham Bell make to the United States and to the world? What would it be like to leave one's home and move to another country? What conditions would cause families to emigrate? How can immigrants find their way in a strange land? What are some issues surrounding immigration today? Students will participate in documentary and scientific research activities as they explore this fascinating topic.
Our second unit of study, Our Town, will focus on patterns in architecture and town planning. What elements are common to architecure of various cultures and eras? How do city planners determine where roads, neighborhoods, shopping, and government facilities should be located? Students will look for patterns over time as they determine how needs change as towns grow.
We will end our year together with On Your Own: Independent Study. Students will have the opportunity to explore an area of personal interest in depth. They will brainstorm ideas generated from the concept of patterns, develop questions to guide their research, conduct appropriate research, and create a product to serve as an aid in presenting the results of their research to the class.
