Curriculum
English Language Arts: We meld the love of English and strong literary skills through the Lucy Caulkins’ Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop curriculums. The philosophy of these workshops cultivates learners who have a strong voice in their writing and know how to use their reading skills to understand and contribute to the world.
Mandarin and Spanish Language Arts: Through full language immersion, students learn to be fearless Mandarin and Spanish communicators following the framework of the California World Language standards and tracking student growth on the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. Combining Organic World Language (OWL) with rigorous and relevant themes across disciplines, students are able to apply their English language arts skills into Spanish and Mandarin reader’s and writer’s workshop to develop their literacy skills.
Math: Using Singapore Math, our mathematics curriculum is taught in both English and Mandarin. This curriculum focuses on a deep understanding of how math works and why math works with a natural progression from hands-on to algorithmic work that aligns with and exceeds Common Core Standards.
Science: Students dig their hands deep into discovery through science experiments and projects aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. We cultivate learners who ask thought provoking questions and a drive to find out more about how the world works with a progressive and hands-on approach to the sciences.
Social Studies: Our Social Studies curriculum, aligning with Common Core Standards, helps students acquire the knowledge, skills, and values of both the past and the current world climate necessary to make informed decisions as active citizens in a culturally diverse and interdependent community, country, and planet.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): At Oasis, our mission is to educate and inspire our students to be respectful, compassionate, and resilient humans. With a foundation built on Responsive Classroom, our teachers, staff, and parents are supported to facilitate this crucial part of character development. We start off our day with a Morning Meeting, designed to foster deep community connection, emotional understanding, and accountability and to ‘center’ ourselves to start the school day right. Students as young as four are taught conflict management skills and how to reflect on their actions and emotions actively.
Oasis’ trilingual program allows students to explore language at their level! Students take classes in Mandarin through their Mandarin language arts class and bilingual math and science courses. They participate in English through English language arts and bilingual math, science and social studies. Students learn Spanish through a Spanish language arts class and bilingual social studies course. Through our differentiation model, no prior language experience is needed for any grade level!
Individual Learning Plans make it possible to meet every child where they are at in their learning. We believe that providing a challenge academically is essential for learning and must be balanced with developmental milestones. At the beginning of the year and periodically throughout the year, students are placed in core classes based on assessments. We believe in cohort levels instead of grade levels, to allow students flexibility to to grow through their challenges and access their strengths.
Our focus on STEM and the Arts ensure a progressive and rounded extracurricular schedule. We tap into our current staff’s expertise to offer courses such as MakerSpace/Coding, Music, Art, Film, Drama, Dance, Engineering, and so much more to keep our students exploring the world in three languages.
Exploratory and hands-on learning allows our students to make connections in their learning to both the real world and their existing wealth of knowledge and interests. Understanding academics through inquiry, building and developing projects, and seeing their work have deep meaning with an authentic audience ensures a heartfelt and long-term connection to learning.