DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Teachers differentiate content, product, and process based on each student's academic levels and learning styles. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.
Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile:
- Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information;
- Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content;
- Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and
- Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels.
WHOLE CHILD TEACHING
SSFC believes in the importance of the spiritual needs, social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being of each individual child. Connecting education to the social and emotional development of a child creates an environment where the student can flourish academically because their emotional needs are being met.
Whole child instruction approaches teaching with a focus on supporting and nurturing all areas of students’ development and learning. It understands that a child must have their social, emotional, and personal health needs met before cognitive skills, like critical thinking, can be developed. It encourages learning by making lessons approachable and capitalizing on students’ existing understandings, interests, and abilities. It leverages curiosity and every child’s natural eagerness to discover. It takes advantage of the intrinsic “need to know” mindset we’re all born with.
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
In Project Based Learning, teachers make learning come alive for students.
Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.
As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.
And in case you were looking for a more formal definition...
Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge.
Teachers are encouraged to plan learning activities with a focus of the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning. Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication.
Past examples of some of our Project-Based Learning Activities
Habitat Shoe Boxes (2nd grade), Bridge Building (4th grade), City Projects with Volume (5th grade math), Mock D.C. Monuments (8th grade).
FAITH IN ACTION
Service of others is instilled in our students from a very young age. Through monthly faith in action service projects, SSFC students are able to live their faith within our school day.
Harvest Food Pantry, United Way Christmas Angels, Shoeboxes for Romania, Pop Tabs for Ronald McDonald House, Gabriel Project, No Sew Blankets for the Homeless.
WEEKLY SCHOOL MASSES
All School Masses, Mondays at 8am.
Our SSFC School family gathers together each Monday morning for all-school Mass. All homerooms K-8 assist by leading the parts of the Mass: opening, readings, psalm, petitions, and carrying the gifts. Additionally, some students are trained to serve at Mass and cantor to lead our music. Parishioners and school families are welcome to join our worship!
ELECTRONIC TEXTBOOKS
The world today is changing quickly. At Saints Francis & Clare of Assisi School, we promote lifelong guidelines that will prepare our students for life beyond our walls, both spiritually and academically. Our classrooms challenge our students to develop skills in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and innovation.
We are preparing our students to be leaders in a global setting. With that in mind, we embrace technology as one of our most important instructional tools.
