Green Acres School

Learning About Other People, Places, and Times

The Green Acres social studies program enhances each student’s sense of individuality and self-awareness while emphasizing meaningful connections to other people, cultures, environments, events, and time periods. It incorporates many of the tenets of the Green Acres philosophy: respect for others, respect for the natural world, critical thinking, independent thought, problem solving, and risk taking. It introduces social justice issues and encourages students to develop social responsibility.

Within each grade, themed studies link each student’s learning to a broad understanding of culture, world history, human impact on the environment, and the relationship between individual choices and the environment. The integrated themes allow students to build understanding through reading, writing, science, math, art, music, creative movement, computer, and physical education as they explore such broad subjects as families, weaving, shelters, oceans, Japan, Mexico, Native Americans, Colonial America, celebrations around the world, rain forests, and deserts. As part of the Spanish program, students explore the cultures of countries where Spanish is spoken.

Our students learn by discovery at all grade levels. They apply academic skills in imaginative and practical ways as they draw on information gleaned from field trips, independent research, classroom projects, and creative art assignments. As students progress through the grades, they expand their critical thinking and research skills through reading, observation, interactive discussions, films, presentations by peers and visitors, and collection of data and information. We encourage and challenge our students to broaden their perspective of the human experience as it relates to themselves, their families, their school community, and the world beyond.