Curriculum

Overview

Lessons allow for children of varying skill levels to participate and work in a supportive yet challenging way. Subjects include phonics, math, spelling, writing, reading comprehension, science, social studies,life-skills, physical education, and field trips. In addition, we are excited to include classes of French, music, drama, and fine arts. These classes are also used to inform and deepen the exploration of the other core subjects in the curriculum.

The daily routine is guided and structured to provide a balanced atmosphere of fun and focus. The inclusion of various ages in the same class brings in a wonderful sense of mentorship and role modeling.

We bring this mentorship in from the community as well, inviting professionals, guest artists, and musicians in for special instruction events.  At Urban Academy your input and involvement is valued and welcome. Your child’s experience at our school can only benefit from a strong partnership between you, the teacher, and the Urban Academy Society.

Mathematics

Our program is based on the text Math Makes Sense. This program is structured in a way that allows for multiple ways to arrive at an answer. Our mathematics program also includes elements of The Power of Ten learning system. This learning system helps students to visualize numbers in a structured way rather than counting on their fingers. Urban Academy students quickly master their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills and gain an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of mathematics. Older students use their solid knowledge of mathematic fundamentals to understand complex mathematical concepts.

Language Arts

We have a balanced language arts program that includes spelling, phonics, grammar, reading strategy, reading comprehension, and writing composition instruction. Students are tracked throughout the year to see how well they are meeting the BC Performance Standards in writing and reading. Parents and students receive regular feedback that includes specific strategies to help them improve their reading and writing. All the teachers are trained in Smart Reading, a world class reading comprehension and spelling program. Our students are powerful readers, writers, and communicators.

Science

At Urban Academy we believe that a science program should be "hands on" and involve higher level thinking (predicting, comparing, contrasting, analyzing, synthesizing). In science class our students learn to use scientific tools, vocabulary, and methods. Students conduct teacher-designed experiments and think deeply about the results they see so that they can draw accurate conclusions about how the world works. In older grades, students are taught to be critical of experimental design so that their experiments can reveal accurate information.

Social Studies

Our view is that all cultures, both ancient and modern, can help us to understand our world. Students need many "lenses" with which to view the world in order to gain a deep appreciation for what it means to be human. Younger children study themselves and their communities as prescribed by the BC curriculum. Older students study modern and ancient civilizations (also as prescribed by the BC curriculum). Teachers plan social studies lessons with their students in mind. They always ask the question, "How can I make this topic personally relevant to my students?"

French

Every Urban Academy student receives two hours of French instruction each week. Our program is a gesture-based program that helps all learners, including kinesthetic or movement-orientated learners, to learn the French language at a rapid pace.

Conflict Resolution and Emotional Intelligence

Students at Urban Academy learn to effectively resolve their own conflicts. They learn a model of conflict-resolution that involves deep listening and an appreciation for different points of view. They take responsibility for how their actions are affecting others. Students work together with teachers and parents to create a school culture based on justice, peace, and consideration for all. The result is an empowering school environment where students gain the skills to be peacemakers throughout their lives.

Our emotional intelligence program is part of every course we offer. At Urban Academy we value and coach children in the following skills:

• delaying decisions until emotions subside
• validating emotions that others have by being curious about what is causing them
• restating the view points of others and asking for clarification
• reflecting on our decision making processes and looking for patterns
• appreciating good deeds and actively expressing the attributes that they admire in their classmates
• making "I" statements (these are statements that lend themselves to expressing ideas without blame)
• going for "win-win" solutions

The goal is to produce a culture of acceptable justice and peace for all students to freely learn without threat or intimidation, creating rewarding relationships and the ability to deal responsibly with conflict for a lifetime.