Elementary (K-5)

Friendship Public Charter School offers elementary education for grades kindergarten to five at three of its five campuses: Chamberlain Elementary, Woodridge Elementary and Middle, and Southeast Elementary Academy.

Reading

Reading is taught in small classes of students all working at the same level. We emphasize cooperative learning and provide individual tutoring for students requiring additional training. Phonics, word-attack, comprehension and study skills are taught through the literature-based approach of the Open Court Reading curriculum. The Wilson Reading System is used for students in grades 3 to 5 who are behind grade level.

Science

Active, hands-on explorations help students build their understanding of key scientific concepts and big ideas that explain our world. Through the curriculum package Teaching Relevant Activities for Concepts & Skills (TRACS), students regularly work on topics related to physical science, earth and space science, life science and technology.

World Language

Beginning in kindergarten, students acquire a second language by learning conversation and culture with the long-term goal of being able to communicate fluently in Spanish.

Writing and Language Arts

The writer’s workshop approach enables teachers to instruct students through the stages in which writers advance: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading and publishing. Utilizing the Step Up to Writing & Writing Source textbook, we teach writing in all subject areas. As students become more fluent writers, they hone their skills in the mechanics of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Mathematics

We use the Everyday Mathematics program. Students study important concepts over consecutive years, each grade level extending conceptual understandings established in prior grades. The curriculum builds on fundamental mathematical strands such as numeration and order; measures and measurement; reference frames; operations; patterns, functions, and sequences; data and chance; elementary concepts related to geometry and spatial sense; algebra and the use of variables. The curriculum integrates mathematics into other subject areas, classroom routines, outdoor play and the transitional moments that occur every day.

History and Social Science

Our project-based, proprietary program emphasizes the use of children’s literature in social studies instruction. Utilizing the Social Studies Alive textbook, projects and activities are often cross-curricular and guided by a multicultural perspective. Character and ethics lessons occur several times a month through a literature-based curriculum developed by the Heartwood Institute.

Fine Arts

Music and visual art are presented as a combination of history, performance, appreciation and practice.