Theme Based Curriculum

Theme-based learning enables students to make connections between content areas so they can apply their knowledge to real-life situations. Saratoga Independent School incorporates this concept to all levels of its curriculum, starting with an annual theme that provides a framework for the major concepts students explore.

For example, one curriculum over the course of a particular school year was guided by the theme “Relationships, Environment and Change". One unit of study under that theme was colonial life. Saratoga Independent School children learned about this period by planting a vegetable garden that replicated the gardens of the early settlers. This project incorporated math (graphing and working to scale), science (plant life cycles and fertilization/decomposition), social studies (relationship of survival to environment and the influence of Native Americans), and geography (climate and natural resources). Connections to the colonial period were also made with activities in language arts (reading biographies and historical fiction, writing articles or first-person accounts, and recognizing contemporary phrases with roots in colonial times), art (colonial artists and crafts), music (period songs, instruments and dance), and gym (games played by colonial and Native American children).
 

"Ellis Island Experience"

Instruction at Saratoga Independent School takes the form of meaningful learning activities as opposed to textbook passages and memorization of facts. A small sampling of the techniques used by Saratoga Independent School educators includes group simulations (reenacting the immigrant experience at Ellis Island), individual research projects (determining a family’s carbon footprint), debates (pros and cons of animal research), and collaborative projects (developing a child’s guide to Saratoga). Through active engagement in the learning process, Saratoga Independent School students sharpen their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.