Curriculum
Our rigorous curriculum and thoughtful leadership empower students to become creative, collaborative problem solvers ready to take on any challenge.
Science
Our Kindergarten through 5th grade Science curriculum, Project Lead The Way (PLTW), engages students in hands-on activities, projects, and problems reflective of real-world scenarios and careers. PLTW introduces students to computer science, engineering, and biomedical science principles and helps them develop skills as they solve relevant problems in the real world. Students engage in critical and creative thinking, build teamwork skills, and develop a passion for and confidence in STEM subjects. PLTW taps into students’ exploratory nature, engages them in learning that feels like play, and encourages them to keep discovering – now and for years to come. By challenging themselves to rework and refine their projects, PLTW students learn that both failure and persistence are key to learning and innovation.
Amplify Science introduces our 6th through 8th grade students to the rigorous skills that scientists depend on to conduct the research and develop the studies that drive the innovations and discoveries that keep our world healthy and safe. Students learn to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers. From geology on Mars to microbiomes to thermal energy, students will engineer solutions to real-world problems with digital tools and hands-on labs.
Math
Edison School of Innovation offers a math curriculum that challenges all students at their ability level. The Illustrative Mathematics curriculum incorporates the best instructional practices that engage students in developing number sense and mathematical reasoning skills. Teachers lead daily number talks where students develop proficiency in operations through conjecture, critique, and analysis. Students apply math concepts daily through collaborative problem solving and discussion that leads them to multiple strategies.
Students also use Khan Academy to practice independently. This provides immediate feedback and progress monitoring, allowing students to set goals and monitor themselves.
English/ Language Arts
The ELA curriculum incorporates foundational reading and writing skills with high interest texts and purposeful writing applications. Students in kindergarten through 3rd grade follow the EL Education curriculum which incorporates integrated stories and texts from great literature, science, and social studies.
The 4th through 8th grade Wit & Wisdom curriculum by GreatMinds continues developing deep reasoning skills and elevates students’ writing skills through literature studies and analysis of science, social studies and the arts. Students become critical readers of all materials, engaging with stories and texts and using their background knowledge to construct solutions to problems.
Social Studies
Preparing students to be informed, caring, innovative citizens of their world, ESI focuses on developing the mindset to read, think, and question like a historian. Instructional texts concentrate on primary source documents and biographies of influential personalities, and student writing responds to and expands the ideas of history and current events. Students study the past with the intent to make sense of today, working to create a positive future.
Physical Education
The students of ESI will discover their inner athlete when they arrive at PE. Through a comprehensive physical education program, students will be introduced to individualized, developmentally appropriate instructional programs that allow them to gain confidence and engage in activities that promote a healthy, active lifestyle. Students gain essential qualities for growth personally and socially. They will learn the importance of grit and self regulation while developing self-esteem through teamwork, sportsmanship, and competition.
Music
The ESI music program includes several multi-tiered, developmentally-appropriate modules that are designed to provide students with a wide overview of music as a whole. The curriculum includes such topics as melodic and harmonic theory, rhythm applications, sight reading, composition, and music as culture (ethnomusicology). Students have access to guitars, ukuleles, pianos, and drums and may use personal instruments if they so choose. Lower grade activities include learning Solfege (Do, Re, Mi, etc.), singing songs, and hand clapping rhythm games. As students progress through upper grades, application of basic musical concepts begin to be realized. Upper grades learn and master major and minor scales, read notation, and apply sight reading to any instrument. Grades 7 and 8 play and perform short prepared pieces in small group settings, displaying competence in the application of all previously learned musical concepts.