At the early childhood levels, students explore learning through self-paced guided play, multi-sensory learning, and natural opportunities for independence and accountability.  These aspirations are based on how children learn, continue to influence learning through all levels of the program, and become more structured as children grow through the higher levels. 

Every student learns along an individualized Skills Development Pathway (SDP).    Our SDP chart has been developed with in-house experts and curriculum consultants. 

Teachers leverage the SDP to tailor learning to every child’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and adapt pacing accordingly so that students learn at a pace that motivates them toward further learning.

The content that is taught is child-centered and collaboratively selected by the students, educators, and parents.  Chippingford’s content includes literature, history, science, and other topics and content maps lay out the themes and subjects through which the skills from the skills chart will be learned at each level    

For example, the October Content Map for the primary grades shows that students are studying archeology and biographies.  The map lists certain tools, books, stories, and songs that are used to teach these subjects. The map also lays out specific activites that are incorporated into the students’ Project-Based Learning, as laid out below. 

While Montessori approaches constitute the “how” our curriculum is delivered at the earliest learning levels and continues to play an influence throughout the later levels and the skills charts and content maps define “what” Chippingford’s students learn, the primary vehicle of “how” in the primary levels and beyond is project-based learning.   

Chippingford has adopted the PBLWorks Gold Standard Project design for all projects which incorporates into each project a challenging problem or question, sustained inquiry, authenticity, student voice & choice, reflection, critique & revision, and a public product.  Throughout each multi-session or multi-day project in which multiple students are working toward a common goal, each student practices skills at his or her specific learning level alongside other students who are working on their own sets of skills. 

Arts and Music are an essential part of every school day.

• Students learn to sing a body of songs including songs about God, songs related to the themes or topics of each month, and songs for performances.

• Students perform in productions for parents twice each school year.

Experts in their fields teach both Art & Music lessons to all students.

The Art program includes:

• elements of art

• ceramics

• drawing

• painting

• glaze

• Special projects

Our Music program includes:

• musical activities that focus on concepts of movement, playfulness, community, and celebrations

• singing together and solo.

• beat

• tempo

• rhythm

• rhyme

• instrumentality (currently introducing guitar with others to be introduced in the future)

Our approach is to let songs teach us about music while also teaching us about the subject of the song as a written piece. Three lesson examples:

1.  “The Star Spangled Banner” as a history lesson, as much as a music lesson. 

2.  A class of first graders learn “Let It Be”, and we counted how many times Paul McCartney wrote the phrase “Let It Be” (I think it was 41 times) and joked about how we hoped the Beatles would do well with such a lack of creativity. 

3.  “My Favorite Things” as a lesson in great poetic writing as well as a fantastic song in a fantastic movie.

Students use drums, shakers, melody instruments (xylophones, bells), scarves, shapes, whatever is available - to add hands-on experiences for the students as they bring music to life.

Chippingford Student are actively involved in outdoor play for nearly four hours each week.

Outdoor physical play includes daily free play, three-times-weekly physical education lessons where students learn skills and practice them through games, weekly gymnastics lessons and once or twice weekly participation in our Sportball Multisport program.

• Sportball Multi-Sport programs include 8 different sports: Soccer, Basketball, Football, T-Ball, Hockey, Volleyball, Golf & Tennis.

• One of the best things about Sportball’s Multi-Sport programs is that it allows kids to try many different sports and identify their favorites at a much younger age than most young athletes!

• Sportball programs are designed to develop appropriate skills for each age group from toddlers to tweens. Learn more about the Sportball Methodology to find out why our programs have been chosen by generations of parents and children!

As Chippingford “grows older” and adds higher grade levels, we expect to grow out a small-school athletics program where students can participate in competitive sports programs both against and sometimes alongside students from other small learning communities.

Chippingford students engage in a wealth of co-curricular programs each semester.

Current and previous electives have included:

• Gymnastics

• Chess

• Art

• Music

• Cooking

• Martial Arts

• BolllyPop dance

• Multi-genre dance

• Introduction to Foriegn Languages

Electives that are in planning to be introduced in the future are:

• Coding

• Drama

• Engineering

• Entrepreneurship

• Faith-based electives

• Gardening

• Robotics

• Woodworking

Elective choices are based on student and parent interest.