English Vision

Barrington 220 students will develop the ability to independently create meaning from a wide range of sources and texts and will use these new understandings to become more skillful, confident, and critical readers, writers, and communicators.

Guiding Principles

1. Literacy includes all of the skills necessary for effective reading, writing, critical thinking, and communicating in a variety of contexts.
2. Effective literacy instruction should occur in all classrooms with students practicing reading, writing, critical thinking, and communicating skills specific to each subject.
3. Guiding students toward independence in their literacy skills and tasks through a standards-aligned, cross-curricular approach is a priority.
4. Students should engage with a wide variety of texts and topics that stretch their comprehension skills.
5. Students should read and write every single day.
6. Adept writers are able to appropriately tailor their messages to a variety of audiences and purposes
7. Independent, self-selected reading is an essential part of any high-quality literacy program and will increase the motivation to read and foster a life-long love of reading.
8. Explicit modeling of effective reading, writing, and communication skills for students on a continual basis and providing students with regular formative feedback on their progress are non-negotiable instructional practices.
9. Literacy is a collaborative endeavor and students should engage with each other and other authentic audiences to enrich their literacy experiences.
10. Effective readers, writers, and communicators employ meta-cognitive skills that make them aware of their own thinking in order to demonstrate a critical stance about and from a text.

Links

• Middle School Curriculum
  
  
• High School Curriculum 

Mathematics Vision

A successful Barrington 220 mathematics student will be able to use mathematics content and mathematical habits of mind to become confident critical thinkers and persistent problem solvers.

• Middle School Curriculum
• High School Curriculum

Science Vision

Barrington 220 students will cultivate scientific habits of mind and engage in meaningful scientific inquiry that requires them to develop solutions to complex problems and reason in a scientific contexts.

Guiding Principles:

1. Adept student scientists are able to effectively critique the claims of others using evidence and reasoning and can think critically and logically to create their own explanations based on evidence. Scientific inquiry is a powerful way of understanding science content. Inquiry is central to the learning of science and reflects how science is done.
2. Effective science instruction balances experimental investigation with other scientific and engineering practices like posing questions, developing models, analyzing and interpreting data, designing solutions, and communicating findings.
3. Effective science instruction should implement a research-based model for developing students’ conceptual knowledge over the course of a unit, like the 5E Model:
   
   

• Engage: Create a teachable moment
• Explore: Recognize students’ current understandings and abilities
• Explain: Develop new understandings and abilities
• Elaborate: Transfer concepts and abilities to new situations
• Evaluate: Assess students understandings and abilities

1. Explicit modeling of effective scientific, engineering, and communication skills for students on a continual basis and providing students with regular formative feedback on their progress are non-negotiable instructional practices.
2. Guiding students toward independence in their scientific skills, tasks, and inquiries through a standards-aligned approach is a priority.
3. Student scientists engage in meaningful opportunities for discussion, debate, and written reflection. They also share their learning and findings with a larger, authentic audience.
4. Effective student scientists employ meta-cognitive skills that make them aware of their own thinking, preconceptions, and misconceptions and that allow them to reconstruct their understanding of the natural world as new learning occurs.
5. Effective science instruction engages students in meaningful field studies that connect them with scientific experts who guide them to solve real-world, local problems.
   
   

• Middle School Curriculum
• High School Curriculum

Social/Global Studies Vision

Barrington 220 students will develop the ability to independently read, write, think, and speak through rigorous and authentic learning experiences that incorporate a wide range of sources and texts. Students will become active and informed citizens of a democratic society who understand multicultural, national, and global perspectives.

Guiding Principles

In an effective Social/Global Studies classroom:

1. Students have informed and productive discussions on controversial issues and the teacher models how to have a civil and respectful conversation.
2. Students engage in meaningful research and written reflection to form their own perspective and share their findings with a larger, authentic audience.
3. Students explore multiple perspectives in both historical and current issues so they can develop informed opinions.
4. Students are critical thinkers who question, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary sources and evaluate them for accuracy, relevance, perspective, and bias.
5. Students make their own claims supported with evidence and critique the claims of others using compelling evidence and sound reasoning.
6. Students participate in decision-making processes and engaging simulations of democratic processes that connect them to the local or global community.
7. Students work toward independence in the inquiry process.
   
   

• Middle School Curriculum - coming soon
• High School Curriculum