Integrated Thematic Units
At CCS our students become well informed life long learners. Each grade level progresses through several integrated thematic units which are all part of a meaningful, global year-long theme. "They study the various fields of knowledge, which are organized, thematically, within a framework called 'the Core Commonalities.' These eight commonalities, based on shared human experiences, integrate the traditional subjects, helping students see connections across the disciplines and relate what they learn to life. Within these eight themes, every traditional subject or academic discipline can find a home." (Dr. Ernest Boyer, The Basic School) Science and Social Studies topics are used as the main vehicles for the integrated thematic units while all subject areas are woven throughout each unit.

These Core Commonalities include the following:

• The Life Cycle
• The Use of Symbols
• Membership in Groups
• A Sense of Times and Space
• Response to the Aesthetic
• Connections to Nature
• Producing and Consuming
• Living with Purpose
   

Reading
At Children's Community School, literacy is the first and most essential goal. All children are expected to become proficient in the written and spoken word. Language at Children's Community School is defined broadly to include words, numbers, and the arts. We consider all of these to be critical areas of development for students to be truly communicative, and we expect our students to have a deep understanding of all three areas. Language is the means by which all other subjects are pursued.

Reading instruction in an elementary school is one of the biggest concerns for both parents and educators. Success in reading is directly related to later success and achievement in life. At Children's Community School we adhere to a balanced literacy approach which focus on reading for meaning. We incorporate the five major areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, explicit phonics instruction, fluency, vocabulary development and comprehension into our balanced literacy program. We teach students to access all of the cueing systems (phonemic, phonetic, semantic, syntax) to gain meaning from the printed word. Our reading instruction is heavily influenced by the work done by Marie Clay in relation to the "Reading Recovery" instruction program.

Emergent and beginning readers spend time in guided reading groups where they receive direct reading instruction while reading text that is appropriately leveled to their ability. They also spend time working on phonics skills with the "Making Words" model developed by Pat Cunningham. This model focuses on word chunks (ick, ock, ain), word patterns, and the blending of sounds. Students spend time on systemized phonics rules, but these activities are done in short mini-sessions and then students are expected to transfer and apply these newly learned skills to their reading and writing. We do not adhere to a workbook/worksheet style of teaching students of any age.

We use a set of approximately 70 phonograms that are based on the phonetic work of Spalding to address spelling and the complex system of letter/sound rules in the English language. Students not only learn the phonograms but they also actually study the make up of words to assist them in understanding the reasons behind the spellings of words. They are actively engaged in the study of words. Although all students work on some similar spelling/word/phonogram activities, we also use an individualized spelling program so that students are also working on words specifically chosen with/for them each week. We also incorporate word walls into all of our classrooms beginning in kindergarten to quickly imprint the correct spellings of high frequency words for our students.

Students have periods of intensive reading instruction, but they also read across the curriculum, which allows them to experience an entire day of reading instruction rather than limiting instruction to a short block of time. Instead of restricting reading to basal textbooks, students read a variety of genres including non-fiction, poetry and songs.

Writing
Writing is the counterpart of reading, and at Children's Community School writing is also woven through the entire curriculum. Writing is not copying words. It is not just penmanship, although we do value well-formed letters. "Writing is an act of both discipline and discovery, one that allows children to be wondrously self-expressive while teaching clear thinking, too. Every child is expected to write, write, write." (Boyer) There is an emphasis on the writing process though out our elementary program which includes brainstorming, drafting, editing, revising and publishing. Students experience extensive mini craft lessons to stimulate growth in the very complex act of writing.

Mathematics
Children’s Community School utilizes the CAMMP mathematics program developed by leading elementary education experts from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.  CAMMP is an acronym for “Comprehensively Applied Manipulative Mathematics Program” and provides a framework for CCS to present math in a fun and meaningful manner. CAMMP emphasizes learning through hands-on manipulatives and problem solving. The CAMMP approach integrates five essential learning processes: 1) problem solving, 2) reasoning and proof, 3) connections, 4) communication, and 5) representation. Our approach to math instruction is based on a diagnose and prescribe technique.  We actively study what developmental level a child operates from for a given math objective and then prescribe the correct math instruction and manipulatives to assist the child in his/her learning for that math objective. 

Other essential components of the CAMMP approach center on
teacher behaviors and include the following:
-Math objectives taken from North Carolina’s Standard Course of Study
-Small, developmentally appropriate instructional groups
-Developmentally appropriate math manipulatives (concrete, representational, transitional, symbolic)
-Math software introduced first at the representation level and continued upward through manipulative levels
-Problem solving context for teaching and learning mathematics
-Calculators and computer software incorporated into math instruction at the representational level)
-Estimation (reasonableness) and checking solution for accuracy
-Student assessment checklist to track growth and adjust instruction
-Pacing guides for sequencing and timing mathematics instruction throughout the academic year

Handwriting
We use the widely acclaimed writing program, Handwriting Without Tears. This program was developed by an occupational therapist and is perfectly developed for young learners. There is an emphasis on the readiness skills necessary to ensure handwriting success. This program was also developed to have as few opportunities for letter reversals (the most common early writer mistake) for students. This makes handwriting easier and less frustrating for young children.

The Arts
"Art, too, is a universal language perhaps the most evocative form of human expression. Through singing and painting and dancing it is possible for people of different backgrounds to communicate powerfully their feelings and ideas. For young children, art is not a frill, it is an essential language that makes it possible to communicate feelings and ideas words cannot express." (Dr. Ernest Boyer, The Basic School) We weave the arts throughout our entire curriculum giving the students the opportunity to explore and respond to content through aesthetic experiences. We focus on art history, art appreciation and art making. Students have opportunities to explore both visual and performing arts. Each year, students will participate in a number of classroom performances so that they have extensive age appropriate experiences with dramatic presentations.

Foreign Language
Children's Community School understands the importance and benefits of foreign language instruction at early ages. Therefore, we have incorporated Spanish instruction into our curriculum. Each class receives one formal session of Spanish instruction each week.

Technology
CCS is aware that this is the age of technology. As students grow and develop, they will be taught fundamental computer skills such as keyboarding and word processing. Students in upper grades will learn to use the Internet as a tool for learning and research. Each classroom has one dedicated internet connected computer and attached printer and classrooms utilize a mobile laptop center that can turn any classroom into a computer lab. We also are committed to teaching students the responsibility of using the variety of technological resources available to them. "Television can take students to the moon and videotapes transport them to the bottom of the sea. Calculators can solve problems faster than the human brain. Computers can instantly retrieve millions of information bits and connect teachers and students to classrooms all around the world. Word processors can help children write and edit. But there are times when the switches should be turned off. Technology cannot make value judgments. It cannot make students wise or able to distinguish the beautiful from the vulgar. For this we need teachers." (Dr. Ernest Boyer, The Basic School)

A Commitment to Character
CCS is concerned with the ethical and moral dimensions of a child's life. "The goal is to assure that all students, on leaving our school, will have developed a keen sense of personal and civic responsibility. Seven core virtues (respect, compassion, honesty, responsibility, kindness, self-discipline, giving, and perseverance) are emphasized as we promote excellence in living, as well as learning. These core virtues are taught both by word and deed. Through the curriculum, through the school climate, and through service, students are encouraged to apply the lessons of the classroom to the world around them. They will have discovered that what they learn in school really does make a difference in their lives, that it will touch their deeper selves and help them become more knowledgeable, responsible human beings." (Dr. Ernest Boyer, The Basic School)

Virtues take on meaning when they are lived. CCS is also committed to developing relationships across the generations. For too long, our society has separated the generations and created a horizontal culture. We strive to bring senior citizens into our school on a regular basis and we also reach out to the seniors in the community. Every class will visit a nursing home/retirement facility once a month. They will participate in a variety of art, music and learning activities with the seniors. We want our students to not only learn from these people who bring so much from the past but to also experience the joy of giving back to the community and its older generation.

Assessment and Testing
At CCS, ongoing assessment constantly drives our instruction, thereby enabling teachers to individualize instruction and promote student learning at the highest level.  All assessments are authentic in nature, meaning that students do not “prepare” for a test.  Rather, assessment is used as a tool to inform and guide teachers as they make instructional decisions.  CCS teachers utilize a variety of assessment techniques in order to cover the various domains of learning.  Therefore assessments take on many forms such as performance based tasks, teacher anecdotal notes based on oral discussions and/or written responses, cooperative group work, portfolios, and also, the more traditional paper-and-pencil “tests.”  Along with administering high-quality assessments that target the “whys” and “hows” not just the “whats”, teachers promote student ownership of their learning by providing specific feedback to students as they learn.  By working together as partners in the teaching and learning process, teachers stay informed of their students’ learning, and students are thereby empowered and motivated to reach their full potential as learners.
          Being a public charter school in North Carolina, CCS follows the curriculum mandated by the state.  As a result, CCS students take End-of-Grade tests beginning in Grade 3.  While we acknowledge standardized test-taking as a component of our balanced assessment program, we do not teach to the test.  Rather, we engage the students in meaningful hands-on learning experiences linked directly to the curriculum all year long, and then six weeks before the test, we teach our students test-taking strategies and skills in order to promote their best performance on this particular mode of assessment.  All in all, our assessment program is about balance, so parents and students can expect to see a variety of assessment techniques utilized, with specific feedback given to both students and parents, in order to maximize the learning potential of each individual student.

Individualized Instruction and Differentiation
Individualized instruction means meeting the needs of individual learners as they move along their learning journey.  This does not mean a one-to-one teacher/student ratio, but rather it’s a way of viewing each student as a unique human being consisting of distinct and specific learning needs.  At CCS, teachers use the method of differentiation as a means of teaching essential content in a way that addresses the varied needs of each individual learner.  This student-centered, instructional approach is built on volumes of research that indicate people differ as learners, and teachers are most effective when they connect with their students, study their students’ learning needs, and adapt instruction accordingly.  It is rooted in key principles such as classroom community, high-quality curriculum, respectful tasks for all students, and on-going assessment to inform instruction.  Through differentiation, teachers are able to attend to individual students’ differences in readiness, interest, and learning profiles.  Teachers achieve this by implementing a wide variety of instructional techniques that address content, process, product, affect, and the overall learning environment.  On top of allowing students to take greater responsibility for ownership of their own learning, another outcome of differentiated instruction is that multiple pathways to learning are established, thereby maximizing the possibility that all students will experience success and reach their full potential as learners.

Hands-On Learning         
At CCS, we believe that students learn best when they gain knowledge through exploration and active learning.  Therefore, we do not rely on text books and lectures to teach content.  Rather, we engage students in meaningful, hands-on, real-life experiences that challenge them to think and explain their reasoning instead of memorizing and reciting facts.  This allows students to make connections among and between the different disciplines, thereby enabling them to construct deep, conceptual understandings of over-arching themes and concepts within our world.  As a result of this type of learning, passions are ignited and student motivation soars.  Students fulfill their brain’s innate desire to make meaning of information, while also learning how to think critically about the learning process, as well as the experiences, themselves.