In October 2026, we took a small group of our students to Artrage Gallery to see an inspiring show: Katie Mulligan – No Man’s Land: Reimagining the Myth of Cicero Swamp. The gallery invited Kate Mulligan to join us, and we sat for close to an hour talking about her…
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Immigration 2026
Immigration was the focus for the whole school at the stary of the year. Our goals were for children to understand that the United States is a nation of immigrants and people came to the US for lots of different reasons, at different times and from different…
States of Matter
Life Cycles Class
When students were first asked what they knew about the life cycles of living organisms, they shared a variety of thoughtful ideas and prior knowledge. Although each child could initially identify at least one stage or concept related to life cycles, students became…
Engineering and Robotics
The students in 2nd and 3rd grade participated in these classes. At the beginning of class, students were asked what they knew about coding, and they shared a wide variety of thoughtful and creative responses. It was interesting to see that, even though students knew…
Genetics
After exploring microscopes, students moved on to genetics. Students learned about Gregor Mendal and the genetics he discovered in his garden with yellow and green peas. By doing surveys and questionnaires, students explored traits of themselves and their classmates….
Mapping
Our K-2 group has moved from studying explorers to studying maps and mapping. We read several books about maps. We thought about what maps are for and why they are important. We looked at maps that showed many different types of information. We studied the…
Fossils
This spring the K-2 group studied fossils. We looked at the layers of the earth and learned about the Law of Superposition that states that, unless disturbed, oldest rocks,and fossils are further down in the layers. We learned about the main types of fossils including…
Poetry & Freedom of Speech
While we were preparing for a mock trial on the 1969 Tinkercase, the oldest students explored music and poetry that changed the world! As we listened and read songs by John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke we asked ourselves ‘What is a lyric?” “How are…
Bill of Rights and Tinkercase
This spring after learning about the Constitution and the three branches of government, we turned our attention to the Bill of Rights. Next we focused on the 1969 Supreme Court ruling on the Tinker versus Des Moines School District case. At issue was whether freedom…
Snake and Lizard Book Club
Starting in late January, four of our second and third graders began a small-group “book club” focusing on the story “Snake and Lizard” by Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop. We began our group by examining the front and back covers, book jacket, and illustrations to…
Microworld Continued
This winter and spring of 2026, students in grades 6th, 7th and 8th have been learning about plant and animal cells. We started our cellular exploration by looking at many parts of the cell and learning about the most important parts that help the cell function. …
Book Subject Study – Friendship
Starting in late January, the first and second graders at The New School began a new Subject Study reading books focusing on friendship. Throughout the course of the study, we are reading stories with underlying themes that demonstrate appropriate social interactions,…
13 Colonies Continued
In the winter and spring of 2026, the third and fourth graders continued their study of early American history. We delved into information about Plymouth, Massachusetts, Manhattan Island, Jamestown and more. Students have read and responded to questions based on the…
Water Cycle
In Science class, students learned about the water cycle. In the first experiment, they observed how collected water evaporates and condenses inside a glass jar representing our earth and its atmosphere. We observed how the water droplets pull together and become…
Listening Center
First- and second-grade students have been participating in Listening Center. During this class, children listen to a story without looking at the pictures. While listening, they draw a picture related to what they hear in the story. They may begin drawing at any time…