English Language Arts
Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, Fry’s Sight Words and Words Their Way spelling build strong readers with a confident writing voice, and those skills transfer to the other two languages.
Academics
Our Trilingual Approach
A challenging, joyful curriculum in Mandarin, Spanish and English, from TK (age 4) through 8th grade.
How it works
Three languages, connected by big ideas
We use International Baccalaureate (IB) themes lasting six to eight weeks to connect our language and STEAM programs throughout the year. Students learn through inquiry and hands-on projects, designing and building as they go, so understanding sticks and connects to the real world.
- Mandarin: Mandarin language arts, math and science taught in Mandarin and English, and Mandarin enrichment classes.
- Spanish: Spanish language arts, social studies taught in Spanish and English, and Spanish enrichment classes.
- English: English language arts, plus math, science and social studies alongside the other two languages.
Every child, every level
Cohorts instead of grade levels
Prior language experience is not needed at any grade. Students are grouped into cohort levels in Mandarin and Spanish so they can grow through challenges and build on strengths. Individual Learning Plans, reviewed with parents after assessments three times a year, make it possible to meet every child where they are.
Subjects
Mandarin & Spanish Language Arts
Through total immersion, students become fearless Mandarin and Spanish communicators. Organic World Language (OWL) gets students using their languages through movement, games and role-play, and they apply their Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop skills to build literacy in all three languages. We use My First Chinese Reader and Meizhou Chinese for Mandarin and a teacher-created, IB-aligned curriculum for Spanish. Progress is measured against the California World Language Standards and the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
Mathematics
Singapore Math, taught in English and Mandarin, moves from hands-on manipulatives to pictures to equations, building a deep understanding of how and why math works that meets and exceeds Common Core standards. Math Circles and real-world projects round it out.
Creative STEAM Lab & Trilingual Library
Students code robots, run science experiments and design engineering projects in our MakerSpace. The lab’s green screen hosts film and language projects: students have played Mandarin weather forecasters and reenacted historical figures in Spanish. Our trilingual library lends books to take home or read at recess.
Social Studies
Taught in English and Spanish. Students read, write, debate and present as young social scientists, exploring immigration, California’s Chumash people, branches of government, geography and financial literacy with Junior Achievement, through projects from historical plays to growing and cooking the foods of the era.
Social-Emotional & Service Learning
Built on Responsive Classroom, each day begins with Morning Meeting to build community, emotional understanding and accountability. Students learn conflict-resolution skills and to reflect on their actions and emotions.
Culture
Cultural celebrations all year
For Lunar New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival, students host night markets, perform dragon dances and píyǐngxì (Chinese shadow puppet plays), cook dumplings and tangyuan, and make lanterns, red envelopes and calligraphy scrolls.
For Día de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo and Hispanic Heritage Month, they make tortillas, tamales and salsa, study Latin American history, sing and dance, build ofrendas, paint murals and cut papel picado. Parents are always welcome to join the festivities.
Programs
Find your child’s program
The same trilingual approach, shaped for each stage.
See the curriculum in action
Visit a class and watch three languages at work.