Special Programming
Because our mission has a particular view of education and
character development, we have found it important to
supplement our core curriculum with a variety of special
programs. A teaching staff, dedicated to our mission, enables us
to carry out these programs. We use a combination of enhanced
efforts within the core curriculum, some of our own program
designs, and an array of commercial academic programs. Due to
these efforts we are able to provide our students with
exceptional opportunities and experiences.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
While providing an outstanding academic program, we believe that solid
personal character, the composite of achievement ethics combined with a
sense of social responsibility, can become the most vital factor in the
success and satisfaction of an adolescent. Character, according to its
Greek root, means “enduring marks.” It describes the human virtues that
are engraved into an individual through education and training.
Research has shown that the earlier students can develop the habits of
mind and action that lead to personal success and compassion for
others, the greater will be the proliferation and benefit of these virtues
throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. To this end, we
have developed a comprehensive curriculum to address this need.
Character development requires two components - teaching and training.
We teach children about character and virtue in classroom settings and
within the day-to-day events and interaction between teacher and
student.
We dedicate the beginning of each day in each class to read stories,
poems, and essays about the lives of great men and women in history
who exemplify the attributes we hope to instill. From important events in
history and from the pages of today’s newspapers we help students
identify the attitudes, behaviors, and accomplishments of exemplary lives.
Such stories make indelible impressions upon children’s consciences,
and these illustrations have the power to speak to the children again and
again, moving students’ lives toward similar ends.
Furthermore, we make it our responsibility to always discipline with
teaching. That is, in the course of normal classroom discipline, we not
only maintain a firm standard of behavior, but more importantly, when
young children misbehave, we take the time to instruct their reasoning
and their conscience concerning what are appropriate attitudes and
behaviors.
In addition, in order to train character, children need real-life academic
experiences that give them a chance to learn the ethics of achievement.
Teachers attempt to place each child at an instructional level where work
is neither too easy nor too hard, but most importantly challenges their
ability. In this setting, regardless of children’s academic potential, they
learn the ethics of goal-setting, hard work, self-discipline, perseverance,
and success. We call this the “cycle of success.” Children discover again
and again, that the wonderful feeling of success, the satisfaction found in
achievement and accomplishment, is the result of good work habits.
We also conclude each day with a character class appropriate for grade
level objectives, in which teachers help students with study habits,
attitudes toward work, organizational skills, and planning.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
The Leadership Program for seventh and eighth graders gives students
at Birchwood an opportunity to learn and exercise leadership skills. It has
two components –learning about leadership in the classroom, and
practicing leadership under teacher direction.
The classroom-learning component is designed to present models of
great leadership. Under the guidance of their homeroom teachers,
students study the characteristics and accomplishments of great leaders
in history presented. In the eighth grade, during a year-long series of
short talks from the Head of School, students learn about the Greek
cardinal virtues and are shown how to develop their own innate potential
in order to become great young men and women.
The second component of the leadership program focuses on
opportunity and practice that follow several guiding principles.
First, we understand that children learn responsibility by having
opportunities to practice responsibility. Teachers have created “fields of
practice”, realms of meaningful school responsibility - librarians, office
helpers, aids in primary classrooms, indoor recess helpers, managers of
inspirational hallway bulletin boards, even chances to be inspirational
speakers to younger children by reading stories and poems. Students
also help organize school-wide service projects such as gathering and
boxing materials to send to the poor.
Next, we believe that as students learn elementary levels of responsibility
they can be entrusted with greater responsibilities. Students first learn
how to be responsible for themselves; then they learn how to be
responsible for things; and finally they learn how to be responsible for
people. The school understands that learning responsibility takes time
and there will be mistakes. But under patient and kind adult supervision,
leadership can flourish.
The third principle understands the relationship between responsibility
and privilege. As students become more responsible, they are given
greater privilege within the school setting to arrange, manage, and use
their time.
Fourth, because roles of leadership vary, we provide different
opportunities to lead. Some students can head up committees or lead
programs that require leading and organizing people. Other students
shine when they are asked to organize and manage data or produce a
new school program.
Fifth, contrary to popular belief, middle school students thrive when given
a chance to lead and be of service to others. When they understand the
importance of what they are doing, and they are given the nod of
confidence from respected teachers, young teens innately respond to the
respect and responsibility given to them. Such opportunities can place a
very big part in affirming self-esteem and self-confidence.
Sixth, compassion and empathy are synonymous with personal
responsibility. Young leaders need to understand their responsibility to
younger students and their own peers. Therefore, our leadership
program gives each middle school student opportunities to serve the
other children at school. Sometimes they help with school functions; other
times they conduct school wide campaigns like Harvest for Hunger. We
also ask all our middle school students to help younger children at the
end of the school day with organization of backpacks and preparation to
go home. On a larger scale, these students participate in community
services that benefit people in need.
Finally, we try to leave these students with a lasting impression that it is
their duty and responsibility to “give back.” They should recognize the
people and institutions that have benefited them, and in turn, young
people should seek to find something that they can do in return to show
their appreciation.
STUDY SKILLS
Success in school requires not only learning, but also knowing how to
learn. Students need an arsenal of study skills and study habits that will
equip them to attack any subject on any level. They also need to build up
intellectual stamina and focus, habits of self-discipline, self-control,
dedication, and perseverance. Regardless of children’s intellectual
endowment, these skills and habits will greatly enhance their success in
school and adulthood.
For this reason, we systematically teach study skills across the
curriculum. Students learn how to study a textbook. They learn various
devices to memorize and recall important information. Teachers in each
subject show students how to approach learning in that subject: how to
organize their work, how to organize their assignments, how to be
efficient, how to focus and concentrate. Students receive lessons on how
to study at home and how to approach their homework. Year after year,
subject-by-subject, similar study lessons are taught again and again. It
takes time and commitment to cultivate good study habits, and we make
these lessons a part of the overall curriculum.
As these skills and habits develop, students are better able to think
critically and creatively because they can draw upon a strong knowledge
base and a disciplined intellect.
RESEARCH SKILLS PROGRAM
Beginning in the third grade, we develop research skills systematically
through each grade level and subject. Students start by learning how to
locate books in the library, take notes, organize note cards, write outlines
and prepare their work to display to others. This ground work enables
them to do real world research in science and social studies.
Fifth and sixth grade students complete an in-depth science experiment,
requiring choosing a topic, researching the related literature,
constructing a hypothesis, conducting research, collecting data, and
reporting their findings.
Also starting in the sixth grade, students prepare to enter National History
Day competition which requires students to do primary and secondary
research using libraries, archives, museums, the internet and interviews.
They hone their skills in collecting and organizing data while making
some of their own analysis of their findings. Final projects may be in the
form of historical papers, multi-media productions, exhibits, or
performances.
CREATIVE THINKING AND CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
True creativity is born from a combination of synthesis and creative
thinking strategies. Synthesis is the ability to draw information from a
broad knowledge base and then to rearrange it, combine it, adjust it,
modify it, or substitute one component with another. The history of great
discoveries tells the story of creativity through synthesis. Whether
through breakthrough discoveries in science and technology, new
developments in literature and the fine arts, fresh insights into the study
of history and famous people, we can see the process of synthesis.
Experts in respective disciplines draw upon their wealth of knowledge in
respective disciplines and then apply an array of thinking strategies like
analysis, evaluation, and manipulation of data. The result is that they are
able to attain breakthrough insights and/or accomplishments.
With this understanding, we have made creative thinking and creative
problem solving a part of the curriculum for all students. In weekly
classes, students learn the rudiments of brainstorming, piggybacking,
fluent thinking, and flexible thinking, combined with subject content. They
also learn the six-step problem solving process used in many business
and government think tanks.
FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING
In grades 5-8 students have the option of joining the Future Problem
Solving Program which trains students in the six-step problem solving
process used by most government and business think tanks. Working on
a team of four students, and addressing real world problems, students
learn to search for problems, identify central issues, brainstorm possible
solutions, evaluate their best solutions and elaborate on a workable
solution.
Students can compete at the local, state and national levels.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All students in grades 1-8 study Spanish. In grades 1-4, students are
introduced to various Hispanic cultures and they learn songs, poems,
vocabulary, and simple conversations. In grades 5-8, instruction
becomes more formal and students have the opportunity to study
Spanish with a view to reading, writing and speaking fluently. Students in
grades 7 and 8 have the option to study Spanish at a level that will
enable them to pass out of high school Spanish 1. At the end of the year,
the Spanish program concludes with an all-school performance
displaying the children’s learning and work.
Beginning in the sixth grade, students who have shown strong ability and
interest in developing their vocabulary may also take one or two years of
high school Latin through by Northwestern University online LINKS course
system.
JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS
The Junior Great Books Program is modeled after the Great Books
Program originating from the University of Chicago. The program teaches
students reading and questioning strategies for interpretive reading and
shared inquiry. While reading outstanding literature, students learn to
think analytically and critically. All students in grades 1-8 participate in
this program. Furthermore, to those students with keen interest and
ability in reading, we provide the Avid Reader’s Club where students read
and discuss classical literature.
POETRY PROGRAM
Because of the important place poetry has in language and literature
appreciation, we place special program attention here. Children learn to
read, share and memorize all forms of poetry from master poets.
Students learn to declaim (speak) poetry, and each year they participate
in an all-school poetry and choral speaking evening production open to
parents and community. Original poetry written by Birchwood students
has been published in a number of anthologies and journals.
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
Research in education has shown that learning, thinking and writing are
integrally related. When writing, students must clarify what they know.
This process trains students to think about their knowledge carefully and
thoroughly. As a result, students deepen their knowledge and
understanding. Furthermore, when students are asked to articulate their
ideas clearly and logically, they are being asked to function on higher
levels of thought: the students must synthesize information to write
summaries, analyze information to write expository essays, and evaluate
information to write persuasive essays.
As a part of our overall writing program, we have developed a scope and
sequence of these writing skills across the curriculum.
ART
Following the national standards for art education, our art program 1)
develops the individual’s creative potential, nurturing visual and aesthetic
qualities, 2) develops an attitude of respect and appreciation for art
heritage and personal art experiences, and 3) develops an aesthetic
attitude toward art in the environment. Accordingly, our program enables
students to:
1. Use a wide range of media, techniques, and processes, to express
ideas, concepts, and feelings by visual means.
2. Develop skills of observation, interpretation, evaluation, and reflection
to respond to their artwork, their peers’ works of art, and other artists.
3. Understand the visual arts in relation to history and culture.
4. Realize how artists express ideas and feelings in works of art.
5. Become aware of how many facets of the visual arts are related to
other fields.
The art teacher also works with classroom teachers on interdisciplinary
projects.
MUSIC
The Birchwood School music program provides students with
opportunities to develop:
1. An understanding that music is a powerful tool to define and express
meaning in life.
2. An aesthetic appreciation of various types of music, through personal
participation as a performer.
3. An understanding of the relationship between music and other
disciplines.
4. An appreciation of music heritage and the role of music in other
cultures.
5. An ability to translate traditional notation into musical sounds, both
vocal and instrumental, and to translate musical sound into notation.
6. A knowledge of classical literature, both composers and their works.
A distinctive feature of our music program is the abundance of singing
and active enjoyment of music through Orff instruments.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The Birchwood School physical education program stresses good health
and developing habits of a healthy lifestyle. Students learn about diet,
the importance of physical exercise, and basic skills of individual and
team sports. To support our efforts, we prepare our students throughout
the year to participate in the President’s Physical Fitness.
ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS EMBEDDED IN THE CURRICULUM
We have found that quality academic competitions can be an excellent
addendum to our core curriculum. They provide both academic and
affective value. When we discuss quality academic competitions, the
operative word is “quality,” and it describes the features that make
competitions valuable to all students, regardless of winning or
losing.
We do not enter competitions simply for the sake of competing. Our
selection of competitions has the benefit of the children in view. For more
than twenty years, we have carefully reviewed the value and potential of
academic competitions to see whether or not they meet our criteria - the
benefit of our students.
Quality academic competitions accomplish four objectives. First, they
immerse children in the essential structure of a discipline. For example,
the process these quality competitions follow teaches children how real
scientists, historians, and mathematicians think and work. Regardless of
how students fair in the competition, they have learned valuable lessons
simply by being a part of the competition.
Second, they allow for children (in particular bright and/or gifted
students) to discover higher standards of excellence in achievement and
effort. In these competitions, our students often compete against the top
students in Northeast Ohio, and even against the best students in Ohio
or the United States. Our students come to know the levels of
achievement, and the levels of effort, that are required for superior
achievement. This understanding not only helps them to develop respect
for other students, but also to draw inspiration, perspective, and
standards for their own work.
Third, quality competitions help teachers and parents guide students
through the experience of success and failure. In success children must
learn humility and magnanimity. In failure, they must learn how to reflect
upon their performance, how to learn from setbacks, how to improve their
effort and work, and how to respect others who have won. These are
lessons that foster maturity in young people. They are hard lessons, but
we believe it is far better that students are introduced to these lessons
under the watchful and caring eye of teachers and parents who can help
them reap the benefits that competition affords.
Understanding the value of academic competitions, we have located a
number of quality competitions in each subject area and we weave them
into our curriculum. You can view a list of these competitions on our
Awards and Achievements page.
MIDWEST ACADEMIC TALENT SEARCH
or MATS (formerly known as MTS and MTSY)
Sponsored by Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development,
the Midwest Academic Talent Search offers testing, resources and
opportunities for academically talented students in grades 3 through 8.
The program offers above-grade-level testing for students who score in
the 95th percentile of standardized achievement tests.
Student achievements in 2006, based upon test scores on the SAT, ACT
or Explore Test:
For the 2007-08 school year, 73% of Birchwood students qualified for
participation in the MATS based upon their Iowa Achievement scores.
character development, we have found it important to
supplement our core curriculum with a variety of special
programs. A teaching staff, dedicated to our mission, enables us
to carry out these programs. We use a combination of enhanced
efforts within the core curriculum, some of our own program
designs, and an array of commercial academic programs. Due to
these efforts we are able to provide our students with
exceptional opportunities and experiences.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
While providing an outstanding academic program, we believe that solid
personal character, the composite of achievement ethics combined with a
sense of social responsibility, can become the most vital factor in the
success and satisfaction of an adolescent. Character, according to its
Greek root, means “enduring marks.” It describes the human virtues that
are engraved into an individual through education and training.
Research has shown that the earlier students can develop the habits of
mind and action that lead to personal success and compassion for
others, the greater will be the proliferation and benefit of these virtues
throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. To this end, we
have developed a comprehensive curriculum to address this need.
Character development requires two components - teaching and training.
We teach children about character and virtue in classroom settings and
within the day-to-day events and interaction between teacher and
student.
We dedicate the beginning of each day in each class to read stories,
poems, and essays about the lives of great men and women in history
who exemplify the attributes we hope to instill. From important events in
history and from the pages of today’s newspapers we help students
identify the attitudes, behaviors, and accomplishments of exemplary lives.
Such stories make indelible impressions upon children’s consciences,
and these illustrations have the power to speak to the children again and
again, moving students’ lives toward similar ends.
Furthermore, we make it our responsibility to always discipline with
teaching. That is, in the course of normal classroom discipline, we not
only maintain a firm standard of behavior, but more importantly, when
young children misbehave, we take the time to instruct their reasoning
and their conscience concerning what are appropriate attitudes and
behaviors.
In addition, in order to train character, children need real-life academic
experiences that give them a chance to learn the ethics of achievement.
Teachers attempt to place each child at an instructional level where work
is neither too easy nor too hard, but most importantly challenges their
ability. In this setting, regardless of children’s academic potential, they
learn the ethics of goal-setting, hard work, self-discipline, perseverance,
and success. We call this the “cycle of success.” Children discover again
and again, that the wonderful feeling of success, the satisfaction found in
achievement and accomplishment, is the result of good work habits.
We also conclude each day with a character class appropriate for grade
level objectives, in which teachers help students with study habits,
attitudes toward work, organizational skills, and planning.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
The Leadership Program for seventh and eighth graders gives students
at Birchwood an opportunity to learn and exercise leadership skills. It has
two components –learning about leadership in the classroom, and
practicing leadership under teacher direction.
The classroom-learning component is designed to present models of
great leadership. Under the guidance of their homeroom teachers,
students study the characteristics and accomplishments of great leaders
in history presented. In the eighth grade, during a year-long series of
short talks from the Head of School, students learn about the Greek
cardinal virtues and are shown how to develop their own innate potential
in order to become great young men and women.
The second component of the leadership program focuses on
opportunity and practice that follow several guiding principles.
First, we understand that children learn responsibility by having
opportunities to practice responsibility. Teachers have created “fields of
practice”, realms of meaningful school responsibility - librarians, office
helpers, aids in primary classrooms, indoor recess helpers, managers of
inspirational hallway bulletin boards, even chances to be inspirational
speakers to younger children by reading stories and poems. Students
also help organize school-wide service projects such as gathering and
boxing materials to send to the poor.
Next, we believe that as students learn elementary levels of responsibility
they can be entrusted with greater responsibilities. Students first learn
how to be responsible for themselves; then they learn how to be
responsible for things; and finally they learn how to be responsible for
people. The school understands that learning responsibility takes time
and there will be mistakes. But under patient and kind adult supervision,
leadership can flourish.
The third principle understands the relationship between responsibility
and privilege. As students become more responsible, they are given
greater privilege within the school setting to arrange, manage, and use
their time.
Fourth, because roles of leadership vary, we provide different
opportunities to lead. Some students can head up committees or lead
programs that require leading and organizing people. Other students
shine when they are asked to organize and manage data or produce a
new school program.
Fifth, contrary to popular belief, middle school students thrive when given
a chance to lead and be of service to others. When they understand the
importance of what they are doing, and they are given the nod of
confidence from respected teachers, young teens innately respond to the
respect and responsibility given to them. Such opportunities can place a
very big part in affirming self-esteem and self-confidence.
Sixth, compassion and empathy are synonymous with personal
responsibility. Young leaders need to understand their responsibility to
younger students and their own peers. Therefore, our leadership
program gives each middle school student opportunities to serve the
other children at school. Sometimes they help with school functions; other
times they conduct school wide campaigns like Harvest for Hunger. We
also ask all our middle school students to help younger children at the
end of the school day with organization of backpacks and preparation to
go home. On a larger scale, these students participate in community
services that benefit people in need.
Finally, we try to leave these students with a lasting impression that it is
their duty and responsibility to “give back.” They should recognize the
people and institutions that have benefited them, and in turn, young
people should seek to find something that they can do in return to show
their appreciation.
STUDY SKILLS
Success in school requires not only learning, but also knowing how to
learn. Students need an arsenal of study skills and study habits that will
equip them to attack any subject on any level. They also need to build up
intellectual stamina and focus, habits of self-discipline, self-control,
dedication, and perseverance. Regardless of children’s intellectual
endowment, these skills and habits will greatly enhance their success in
school and adulthood.
For this reason, we systematically teach study skills across the
curriculum. Students learn how to study a textbook. They learn various
devices to memorize and recall important information. Teachers in each
subject show students how to approach learning in that subject: how to
organize their work, how to organize their assignments, how to be
efficient, how to focus and concentrate. Students receive lessons on how
to study at home and how to approach their homework. Year after year,
subject-by-subject, similar study lessons are taught again and again. It
takes time and commitment to cultivate good study habits, and we make
these lessons a part of the overall curriculum.
As these skills and habits develop, students are better able to think
critically and creatively because they can draw upon a strong knowledge
base and a disciplined intellect.
RESEARCH SKILLS PROGRAM
Beginning in the third grade, we develop research skills systematically
through each grade level and subject. Students start by learning how to
locate books in the library, take notes, organize note cards, write outlines
and prepare their work to display to others. This ground work enables
them to do real world research in science and social studies.
Fifth and sixth grade students complete an in-depth science experiment,
requiring choosing a topic, researching the related literature,
constructing a hypothesis, conducting research, collecting data, and
reporting their findings.
Also starting in the sixth grade, students prepare to enter National History
Day competition which requires students to do primary and secondary
research using libraries, archives, museums, the internet and interviews.
They hone their skills in collecting and organizing data while making
some of their own analysis of their findings. Final projects may be in the
form of historical papers, multi-media productions, exhibits, or
performances.
CREATIVE THINKING AND CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
True creativity is born from a combination of synthesis and creative
thinking strategies. Synthesis is the ability to draw information from a
broad knowledge base and then to rearrange it, combine it, adjust it,
modify it, or substitute one component with another. The history of great
discoveries tells the story of creativity through synthesis. Whether
through breakthrough discoveries in science and technology, new
developments in literature and the fine arts, fresh insights into the study
of history and famous people, we can see the process of synthesis.
Experts in respective disciplines draw upon their wealth of knowledge in
respective disciplines and then apply an array of thinking strategies like
analysis, evaluation, and manipulation of data. The result is that they are
able to attain breakthrough insights and/or accomplishments.
With this understanding, we have made creative thinking and creative
problem solving a part of the curriculum for all students. In weekly
classes, students learn the rudiments of brainstorming, piggybacking,
fluent thinking, and flexible thinking, combined with subject content. They
also learn the six-step problem solving process used in many business
and government think tanks.
FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING
In grades 5-8 students have the option of joining the Future Problem
Solving Program which trains students in the six-step problem solving
process used by most government and business think tanks. Working on
a team of four students, and addressing real world problems, students
learn to search for problems, identify central issues, brainstorm possible
solutions, evaluate their best solutions and elaborate on a workable
solution.
Students can compete at the local, state and national levels.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All students in grades 1-8 study Spanish. In grades 1-4, students are
introduced to various Hispanic cultures and they learn songs, poems,
vocabulary, and simple conversations. In grades 5-8, instruction
becomes more formal and students have the opportunity to study
Spanish with a view to reading, writing and speaking fluently. Students in
grades 7 and 8 have the option to study Spanish at a level that will
enable them to pass out of high school Spanish 1. At the end of the year,
the Spanish program concludes with an all-school performance
displaying the children’s learning and work.
Beginning in the sixth grade, students who have shown strong ability and
interest in developing their vocabulary may also take one or two years of
high school Latin through by Northwestern University online LINKS course
system.
JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS
The Junior Great Books Program is modeled after the Great Books
Program originating from the University of Chicago. The program teaches
students reading and questioning strategies for interpretive reading and
shared inquiry. While reading outstanding literature, students learn to
think analytically and critically. All students in grades 1-8 participate in
this program. Furthermore, to those students with keen interest and
ability in reading, we provide the Avid Reader’s Club where students read
and discuss classical literature.
POETRY PROGRAM
Because of the important place poetry has in language and literature
appreciation, we place special program attention here. Children learn to
read, share and memorize all forms of poetry from master poets.
Students learn to declaim (speak) poetry, and each year they participate
in an all-school poetry and choral speaking evening production open to
parents and community. Original poetry written by Birchwood students
has been published in a number of anthologies and journals.
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
Research in education has shown that learning, thinking and writing are
integrally related. When writing, students must clarify what they know.
This process trains students to think about their knowledge carefully and
thoroughly. As a result, students deepen their knowledge and
understanding. Furthermore, when students are asked to articulate their
ideas clearly and logically, they are being asked to function on higher
levels of thought: the students must synthesize information to write
summaries, analyze information to write expository essays, and evaluate
information to write persuasive essays.
As a part of our overall writing program, we have developed a scope and
sequence of these writing skills across the curriculum.
ART
Following the national standards for art education, our art program 1)
develops the individual’s creative potential, nurturing visual and aesthetic
qualities, 2) develops an attitude of respect and appreciation for art
heritage and personal art experiences, and 3) develops an aesthetic
attitude toward art in the environment. Accordingly, our program enables
students to:
1. Use a wide range of media, techniques, and processes, to express
ideas, concepts, and feelings by visual means.
2. Develop skills of observation, interpretation, evaluation, and reflection
to respond to their artwork, their peers’ works of art, and other artists.
3. Understand the visual arts in relation to history and culture.
4. Realize how artists express ideas and feelings in works of art.
5. Become aware of how many facets of the visual arts are related to
other fields.
The art teacher also works with classroom teachers on interdisciplinary
projects.
MUSIC
The Birchwood School music program provides students with
opportunities to develop:
1. An understanding that music is a powerful tool to define and express
meaning in life.
2. An aesthetic appreciation of various types of music, through personal
participation as a performer.
3. An understanding of the relationship between music and other
disciplines.
4. An appreciation of music heritage and the role of music in other
cultures.
5. An ability to translate traditional notation into musical sounds, both
vocal and instrumental, and to translate musical sound into notation.
6. A knowledge of classical literature, both composers and their works.
A distinctive feature of our music program is the abundance of singing
and active enjoyment of music through Orff instruments.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The Birchwood School physical education program stresses good health
and developing habits of a healthy lifestyle. Students learn about diet,
the importance of physical exercise, and basic skills of individual and
team sports. To support our efforts, we prepare our students throughout
the year to participate in the President’s Physical Fitness.
ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS EMBEDDED IN THE CURRICULUM
We have found that quality academic competitions can be an excellent
addendum to our core curriculum. They provide both academic and
affective value. When we discuss quality academic competitions, the
operative word is “quality,” and it describes the features that make
competitions valuable to all students, regardless of winning or
losing.
We do not enter competitions simply for the sake of competing. Our
selection of competitions has the benefit of the children in view. For more
than twenty years, we have carefully reviewed the value and potential of
academic competitions to see whether or not they meet our criteria - the
benefit of our students.
Quality academic competitions accomplish four objectives. First, they
immerse children in the essential structure of a discipline. For example,
the process these quality competitions follow teaches children how real
scientists, historians, and mathematicians think and work. Regardless of
how students fair in the competition, they have learned valuable lessons
simply by being a part of the competition.
Second, they allow for children (in particular bright and/or gifted
students) to discover higher standards of excellence in achievement and
effort. In these competitions, our students often compete against the top
students in Northeast Ohio, and even against the best students in Ohio
or the United States. Our students come to know the levels of
achievement, and the levels of effort, that are required for superior
achievement. This understanding not only helps them to develop respect
for other students, but also to draw inspiration, perspective, and
standards for their own work.
Third, quality competitions help teachers and parents guide students
through the experience of success and failure. In success children must
learn humility and magnanimity. In failure, they must learn how to reflect
upon their performance, how to learn from setbacks, how to improve their
effort and work, and how to respect others who have won. These are
lessons that foster maturity in young people. They are hard lessons, but
we believe it is far better that students are introduced to these lessons
under the watchful and caring eye of teachers and parents who can help
them reap the benefits that competition affords.
Understanding the value of academic competitions, we have located a
number of quality competitions in each subject area and we weave them
into our curriculum. You can view a list of these competitions on our
Awards and Achievements page.
MIDWEST ACADEMIC TALENT SEARCH
or MATS (formerly known as MTS and MTSY)
Sponsored by Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development,
the Midwest Academic Talent Search offers testing, resources and
opportunities for academically talented students in grades 3 through 8.
The program offers above-grade-level testing for students who score in
the 95th percentile of standardized achievement tests.
Student achievements in 2006, based upon test scores on the SAT, ACT
or Explore Test:
- • Five Birchwood students scored among the top 10% of 2507
students in Ohio.
• Shulamite Chu received the Outstanding Achievement Award as
a national top scorer from among 21,500 students.
For the 2007-08 school year, 73% of Birchwood students qualified for
participation in the MATS based upon their Iowa Achievement scores.
Birchwood School
A private elementary school serving grades 1 through 8
| 4370 West 140th Street Cleveland, OH 44137 Office: 216.251.2321 Fax: 216.251.2787 |
