2021–2022 CURRICULUM GUIDE 2 MISSION Maret is a vibrant, K–12, coeducational, independent school in Washington, DC. We ignite our students’ potential; foster their academic, artistic, and athletic talents; and promote their well-being. We develop the mind, nurture curiosity, welcome challenge, embrace joy, and build community that is equitable and inclusive. PHILOSOPHY Maret provides a vigorous and dynamic curriculum, created by a skilled faculty of lifelong learners. We instill a devotion to academic excellence and a love for discovery and exploration. From our inception in 1911, Maret has adopted proven educational tenets while pursuing innovative approaches to learning. At every grade level, our students receive a broad and deep educational experience that allows them to cultivate individual strengths and interests. Maret believes that social and emotional development is central to students’ well-being and success. We encourage our students to tackle challenges in a culture of nurtured risk taking. We want them to push beyond their comfort zone so they can build resilience, character, and robust problem-solving skills. We understand the need for balance in our lives and seek opportunities to infuse our school day with moments of laughter and surprise. Maret is an inclusive community that embraces diversity of perspective, experience, identity, circumstance, and talent. Our size and close-knit community foster meaningful connections among students, faculty, and parents. Our historic campus and its location in the nation’s capital are integral to our program. We engage in service opportunities that enhance students’ sense of civic responsibility and leadership. Students graduate from Maret well equipped to excel in future academic endeavors and to lead confident and fulfilling lives in an ever-changing world. CORE VALUES Maret’s core values are respect, integrity, excellence, creativity, the individual, connectedness, and joy. Maret School stands firmly behind the principle that the admission of students, the employment of faculty, the orientation of programs, and the governance of the School be open to all who are qualified regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or creed. We believe that this principle is both firmly grounded in the spirit of American democracy and in keeping with the civil responsibilities of an independent school. 1 Contents ESSENTIAL SKILLS . 2 MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL Community Engagement ACADEMIC SEQUENCE CHARTS . 25 and Partnerships ..........................3 Mathematics.............................26 Science .................................27 LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM . 3 Classics.................................28 Language Arts ............................4 Arabic..................................29 Library ..................................6 Chinese.................................29 Mathematics..............................7 French .................................30 Performing Arts ..........................8 Spanish .................................31 Physical Education . 9 Science ..................................9 UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM . 32 Social Studies ............................10 2021–2022 Course Listing .................35 Technology/Computer Science .............11 Humanities .............................38 Visual Art...............................11 Mathematics.............................54 Wellness ................................12 Performing Arts .........................57 World Languages: Spanish ................14 Physical Education/Athletics...............58 Science .................................59 MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM . 15 Technology/Computer Science .............63 Community Engagement Visual Art...............................64 and Partnerships .........................16 Wellness ................................68 Humanities .............................17 World Languages ........................68 Library Studies ..........................19 Mathematics.............................19 STUDENT SUPPORT . 74 Performing Arts .........................20 Physical Education/ Athletics . 21 Science .................................21 Technology/Computer Science .............22 Visual Art...............................22 Wellness ................................23 World Languages ........................23 2 ESSENTIAL SKILLS Understanding that change is inevitable and fast-paced, we recognize that it is important to move beyond the traditional canon of content to concentrate on the cultivation of essential skills. These skills are carefully woven throughout the entire K–12 program with the goal that our students will become good stewards of the world. Collaboration Leadership • Explore, understand, and grapple with • Act courageously and honestly, set and multiple perspectives across differences and achieve goals, engage with others, and practice effective listening and responsible positively impact our community and the cooperation. world. Communication Problem-Solving • Effectively express, receive, and engage with • Gain the capacity and confidence to engage a range of ideas and information, develop the critically and analytically with open-ended, ability and confidence to advocate for oneself complex questions, using diverse research and others, and master multiple languages and methods. forms of expression. Technology, Information, and Media Literacy Creativity and Innovation • Engage competently with our rapidly • Construct knowledge and original evolving technological world, participate solutions through the iterative process and respectfully online, and exercise the ability to experimentation, both independently and in analyze, interpret, and leverage quantitative partnership with others. and qualitative data. Cultural and Global Competence Wellness • Study and experience global cultures and • Learn how to best take care of one’s histories in order to understand, empathize, emotional, social, and physical well-being in and constructively engage in our immediate order to promote a healthy sense of identity and broader world. and thoughtful decision making. MARET 2021–2022 CURRICULUM | LOWER SCHOOL 3 LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM THE JOY OF LEARNING grades or include parents, grandparents, and special friends. Some of our recent lower school special events A joy of learning permeates Maret’s Lower School. include: The curriculum inspires students to take risks, think creatively, and work collaboratively. Teachers value • Biographical Character Day their students’ backgrounds and experiences and create • Environmental Spirit Week a meaningful and dynamic context for learning. • Fictional Character Day • Fun Run The lower school curriculum is thoughtfully integrated; • Grade 4 Greek Musical academic content is sequenced from one grade to • Grade 4 Camping Trip the next, and curricular connections are made across • Grandparents and Special Friends Day subject areas when there is a natural overlap of skills, • Intensive Study Week content, or concepts. Language arts, mathematics, and • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service social studies are taught in the homeroom. Science, • Pajama Day—A Celebration of Reading Spanish, visual art, music, physical education, library, • Publishing Party technology, and wellness classes are taught by • Pumpkin Parade and Eighth Grade Carnival specialists in classrooms designed for those subjects. • ROY G BIV Week • Science Week Lower school students benefit from the full range of • Winter and End-of-Year Music Performances Maret’s K–12 campus facilities, including a playground, two libraries (one designated for the Lower School), two fully equipped gymnasiums, a theater, a movement studio, a lower school makerspace, and a cafeteria. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Teachers take advantage of Maret’s location in Washington, DC, by planning field trips throughout AND PARTNERSHIPS this historically significant and culturally diverse city, as well as to surrounding locations in Maryland and Lower school children engage with the wider Virginia, to enhance students’ learning experience. community in a variety of ways to develop the skills and passion necessary for a lifetime of community- Maret welcomes children with a range of interests, based action. Each grade level is working to develop a talents and passions. The small size of the lower school partnership with an organization in which the work is classes helps teachers support children at different age-appropriate and connected to the curriculum. stages of development. A lower school learning/reading specialist and a part-time math specialist provide All lower school families are invited to participate in additional support for students and faculty. the second-grade partnership with McKenna’s Wagon (a mission of Martha’s Table) by bringing in a “veggie of the month.” The students chop the vegetables for LOWER SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS AND EVENTS a dish to serve to the hungry, as part of their study of hunger, food insecurity, and community gardens. Children develop confidence and deepen connections through the Lower School’s many special events In partnership with the Anacostia Watershed Society and activities. These include annual traditions, and Upper School science students, first graders raise demonstrations of academic or artistic achievement, and release shad into the Anacostia River. This project or activities focused on community service. Some helps increase the population of shad, an important celebrations are class-specific while