Curriculum Overview

Art

The art program at Robert Louis Stevenson is designed cater to the needs of neophyte art students as well as students with more artistic experience. The program allows students to explore a variety of materials and processes including painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. Through the exploration of a variety of materials and processes, students gain confidence which allows them to express their ideas visually. The art program also provides students with the vocabulary skills needed to critique their own work and the work of others.

Creative Writing

Creative writing courses at Robert Louis Stevenson give students the opportunity to develop their creativity through writing. Teachers encourage students to take on a variety of writing, including journals, poetry, short stories, plays, etc. Students learn various writing techniques to improve their creative writing such as imagery, dialogue and character development. Throughout the course, students practice their writing skills, in addition to learning to share their work with their peers. Creative writing teachers at Stevenson place emphasis on encouraging students to read their work to their peers, allowing students to help each other improve their writing.

English

English courses at Robert Louis Stevenson help students develop both reading and writing skills. The Literature offered is expansive and includes work from various time periods and cultures including Shakespeare, American literature, contemporary literature and British literature. Students are encouraged to become lifelong readers and are given the opportunity to read literature that is not only required as part of the curriculum, but they are also asked to choose their own books as part of independent reading. In addition to the rich literature that students are introduced to, they also develop their writing skills. Teachers work with students to help them become better analytical writers, putting emphasis on the five paragraph essay. Students also learn other writing styles, such as self reflective pieces.

Health and Human Body

The Health and Human Body curriculum includes subjects such as drugs and alcohol, smoking, AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases, sexuality and many health-related concerns. Each area is designed so that students feel comfortable asking questions and discussing current issues pertinent to their lives. All students attend an outdoor education program. We currently use the most modern equipment to aid in a thorough examination of health issues including laboratory and computer activities, PowerPoint presentations, and demonstration lessons. The goal of this course is to inform students so they can make the best possible decisions throughout their life.

History

Through the study of history, government and geography, students come to understand societies and cultures of the past and the present. The teaching of critical-thinking skills is paramount and emphasis is placed on helping students to develop empathy for people in different times and places. Students also learn how to analyze and evaluate both primary and secondary sources. In all history classes, students learn to express their ideas fluently in research papers, projects and during oral presentations.

Mathematics

Mathematics has presented difficulty for many of our students. A small, though increasing, number are formally diagnosed with learning disabilities in Math. A much larger group struggle in Math because their weaknesses in studentship skills seem to have a proportionately greater impact in that subject. Difficulties with homework, study skills, and memorization cause students to fall behind in Math, and the cumulative nature of the subject often means that a student who falls behind is in danger of being lost. Many of our students have decided early in their school careers that based on these problems, they “can’t do Math,” a perception that can easily become self-fulfilling. In the past, our experience has been that some students desire to drop Math entirely once they have met the minimum requirement for graduation. Over the years, we have made several modifications to the Math program resulting in a larger number of students persisting in Math. We believe it is a reasonable expectation that students with the ability to do so will continue their study of Math until graduation.

The initial goal of the Mathematics program is to help students change their attitudes about both their ability and their interest in Mathematics. A significant portion of the first quarter of every academic year is spent on review and on providing an introduction to basic topics of the course. As students see themselves succeed, their attitudes begin to change. Students are encouraged to persist and to acknowledge that what they accept and easily express as inability is instead confusion or frustration and, in most cases, difficulty identifying and expressing the source of trouble. Teachers work with students to help them develop the language and skills they need to be self-advocates in every Math class.

As students begin changing their attitudes about Mathematics, we seek to continually challenge them. Stevenson has always offered the traditional sequence of Pre-Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra/Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus. It is our goal to engage our students in a study of Mathematics that intrigues them and fosters in them a desire to continue their study after leaving Stevenson. For those students who we identify as having severe difficulties or major gaps in mathematics, we have developed skills classes in Algebra and Algebra II. The goal of these skills classes is to fill gaps and strengthen skills so that students can rejoin the traditional sequence of courses. Regular use of scientific calculators, graphing calculators and online interactive math resources are integrated into all coursework.

Music

There are many opportunities to learn music at Stevenson. We offer a music composition class where students learn the fundamentals of how to compose music, and then to use these concepts and skills to create, mix and record their own songs. This includes learning music theory, piano, virtual instruments, audio recording, lyric writing, and other aspects of songwriting. We use FL Studio XXL as our main software digital audio workstation and the students learn how to operate a midi controller piano (M-Audio Oxygen Midi Keyboard) as a means of composing and playing virtual instruments.

We also offer group lessons in drums, saxophone, bass, vocals and guitar. In addition to these offerings, students can join the Stevenson rock/blues/jazz band that performs regularly.

Physical Education

The goal of this course is to provide students with knowledge, skills, values, and the enthusiasm to maintain a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. Activities are designed to promote physical fitness, to develop motor skills and to instill knowledge and understanding of rules, concepts, and strategies. Through participation, students learn the benefits of individual and team activities. Physical Education at Stevenson is also designed to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to self-assess, create and conduct personal fitness programs. Students become proficient in the use of a variety of measurement devices and exercise equipment. The teacher directly supervises participation in the gymnasium or in the field and serves as both facilitator and instructor working to individualize programs for students. Fitness testing is used to establish individual baseline levels for designing fitness programs, to show improvement, and to provide students with personal information. Scores on fitness tests are not used as the primary or only measure of success. Physical activities and team sports offered are safe and developmentally appropriate, ensuring the physical and emotional safety of all students. Physical Education classes meet daily.

Robotics: Engineering and Programming

This class is taught primarily within a workshop structure. Students research the many different kinds of robots in our world and how they aid humans. They design, build and program robots using various programming environments, mainly Robolab and NXT-G. The students learn engineering techniques which allow them to use their understanding of simple machines to build functional robots. Students develop a thorough understanding of how robots use different kinds of sensors to interact with the environment, and then the students deploy this understanding in their robotics designs. Numerous programming concepts are learned and then used to create autonomous robots.

Science

The science program is activity and laboratory-based to enable students to learn from experiencing the effects of their manipulations on the world. Students learn to identify and solve problems, to recognize and use scientific methods, to be observant and make models to replicate an analogy, idea, or structure. They develop and improve skills essential in science, pursue research, record work appropriately and relate science to the world in which they live. Students learn to work efficiently on their own and in teams with peers. Our science curriculum currently includes Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental Science and Physics.

 Yoga

The yoga program at Stevenson aims to provide the tools for a lifelong yoga practice. This course is designed to increase students’ strength, balance, flexibility and focus while helping to alleviate the effects of stress through breath and the mind-body connection. Students also learn Sanskrit terms and phrases and the history and philosophy of yoga. Like PE, Yoga meets daily and satisfies an elective requirement.