GENERAL CURRICULUM

The Betty Shabazz International Charter School curriculum explicitly defines how methods of instruction are to be applied across all grade levels and content areas to achieve curriculum objectives. For example, all classroom teachers - including those in the arts and humanities - are required to provide students with opportunities to explore, manipulate, question, monitor his/her own learning/understanding, make and record observations, weigh evidence, consider alternative perspective, and make, test and adjust predictions. In addition to materials developed by the teaching faculty, the school utilizes published curricula in all content areas. Trade books and novels are used across all grade levels

The Arts & Humanities form the center of the school's interdisciplinary approach to instruction. Through writing, oral tradition, history, art, music, dance, drumming and literature, the Arts & Humanities program inspires students to uncover, develop and nurture their individual and creative gifts/talents.

Classroom teachers are required to develop unit/lesson plans that sequence instruction within and across basic content areas. Benchmark assessments are conducted regularly and are used to inform teacher's decision to review, re-teach, introduce new information, etc. Benchmark assessments are aligned to performance standards that are established by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Chicago Public Schools.