Learning Pathway for
HTS Families
Big Ideas: Overarching Concepts That Frame Our Learning
Belonging to a Community
We know the importance of our students feeling like HTS is their second home, and the bond they form with their teachers allows for amazing learning to transpire. In these first two years, students explore what it means to be a community and who they are within that space. Our dedicated Kindergarten teachers use this idea to design learning activities that yield an incredible space where our youngest learners flourish as they develop a growth mindset.
Enduring Understandings
What students will learn & understand in-depth? Overarching questions that students will explore:
• I can show respect to myself and others
• I can show respect to classroom materials
• I can show respect to my learning space
• What does it mean to be part of a community?
• What is my role as an individual within a community?
• What are my responsibilities within a community?
• What is respect as it relates to myself, others, materials and the environment?
Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
Making connections in students’ lives and the world around them
Students use seasonal changes (animals, plants, weather, food) as a backdrop for experiential learning. Making use of our full campus, skill development in literacy, numeracy, physical literacy, and artistic expression are leveraged. The various life cycles of apples, pumpkins, butterflies, and worms are some student-driven inquiry topics that provide an authentic connection to what students are exploring and discovering.
The Learning Experience
• Full class circle time
• Small group instruction
• 1:1 instruction
• Digital and traditional tools
• Inquiry and self-discovery time
• Learning in nature
• Class leadership opportunities
HTS follows the Ontario curriculum and enhances our student experience with expert visits, field trips and additional learning materials and resources which expand our students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum. The K-5 Literacy. Program is aligned with the new research on The Science of Reading and utilizes dynamic and personalized approaches.
Grade 1
Learning Pathway for HTS Families
Big Ideas: Overarching Concepts That Frame Our Learning
Identity
In order to build a strong sense of community, Grade 1 uses the idea of the ‘identity of self and others’ to help students begin to discover their strengths, understand how to tackle challenges, and uncover developing interests and passions. Two key aspects of this focus are; understanding and learning to value perspectives, and developing empathy for others. This helps create a natural learning pathway to developing positive relationships and understanding what it means to be a global citizen and stewards.
Enduring Understandings
What students will learn & understanding in-depth?
• I understand that identities are diverse
• I understand that identities are valuable
• I understand that identities can change
Overarching questions that students will explore:
• Who am I? What is the story of my life?
• What can we learn about other people’s identities (rules, responsibilities, relationships) that help shape us, influence our identities and develop a sense of self?
• How can our personal identity and story help us understand our place in this world?
• Why is it important to respect others?
• How do we show respect for others?
Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
Making connections in students’ lives and the world around them
Grade 1 students explore the magic that happens when mathematics and visual art are combined. With a focus on identifying and creating patterns, this work has a strong connection to developing both strong numeracy and literacy habits.
To connect to the big idea of identity, Grade 1 students explore ways to answer the question, “Who am I?” and “What stories do I have to tell?” Literacy and inquiry skills are used to drive this learning experience.
A student favourite is the study of materials, objects and everyday structures. Here students explore science, mathematics, literacy and tech integration as they navigate a curated self-discovery inquiry path and play the role of scientists.
The Learning Experience
• Full class circle time
• Small group instruction
• 1:1 instruction
• Learning in nature
• Digital and traditional tools
• Inquiry and self-discovery time
• Technology and design opportunities
• Class leadership opportunities
HTS follows the Ontario curriculum and enhances our student experience with expert visits, field trips and additional learning materials and resources which expand our students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum. The K-5 Literacy. Program is aligned with the new research on The Science of Reading and utilizes dynamic and personalized approaches.
Grade 2
Learning Pathway for HTS Families
Big Ideas: Overarching Concepts That Frame Our Learning
HTS students arrive to their Grade 2 year understanding the concept of community, who they are within it and beyond. The Grade 2 year uses four main ideas to help students expand in their thinking and risk-taking. Learning from mistakes and how to apply learnings to future attempts helps these learners believe that they can do hard things to build confidence and skill-set in facing and overcoming challenges.
• Acknowledging diversity
• Problem-solving
Enduring Understandings
• Building curiosity • Effective communication
What students will learn & understanding in-depth? Overarching questions that students will explore:
• I know that I have to try new things to build my knowledge and understanding
• I understand that respecting diversity takes many forms
• I understand that I can contribute to our community
• I can demonstrate my understanding effectively in many forms of communcation
• How can I positively impact my community? My classroom? The larger community? Our world?
• How can I effectively communicate with my audience? (written/orally)
Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
Making connections in students’ lives and the world around them
Our Grade 2 students go above and beyond in their Heritage and Culture unit. To fully develop an understanding of diversity and introduce key skills at an early age, Grade 2 students use coding and mapping, alongside non-fiction reading and writing, to explore and create in a way that allows them to find deeper meaning in their learning.
With a focus on global communities, the skill development of coding, art, and technology design help students understand the importance of diversity. This learning experience also supports and reinforces the concept of iteration and trying new ideas.
The Learning Experience
• Full class circle time
• Small group instruction
• 1:1 instruction
• Sharing with peers
• Learning in nature
• Digital and traditional tools
• Inquiry and self-discovery time
• Technology and design opportunities
• Class leadership opportunities
HTS follows the Ontario curriculum and enhances our student experience with expert visits, field trips and additional learning materials and resources which expand our students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum. The K-5 Literacy. Program is aligned with the new research on The Science of Reading and utilizes dynamic and personalized approaches.
Grade 3
Learning Pathway for HTS Families
Big Ideas: Overarching Concepts That Frame Our Learning
Power of Choice
The big ideas in Grade 3 work together across courses to ensure that learning activities reflect student experiences. They guide students to understand the power of choice, examine with a critical lens, discover new perspectives and apply their learning to everyday life. Social skills development is fostered to support good decision making for community safety and friendships. A few of the big ideas that Grade 3 students examine include:
• We are all interdependent with our world
• Systems are everywhere and actions have reactions
• Concrete experience is a necessity
• Learning is accessible to everyone
• Communication is done with clarity and purpose
• One must choose resources and strategies with a critical lens while considering potential bias
• Physical activity is important for health, enjoyment challenge, self-expression and social intercation
Enduring Understandings
What students will learn & understanding in-depth?
• I can demonstrate what it means to be a flexible thinker
• I can analyze and adapt to situations in order to effectively solve problems
• I have developed my unique potential as a learner and can connect my learning experiences to daily life
• I inquire. explore, question, and make judgements
• I appreciate diversity, equity, and inclusion and a stronger understanding of other cultures & languages
Overarching questions that students will explore:
• How can I use what I know to solve problems in other subjects?
• How might I use what I have learned in my everyday life?
• How can I best explain my thinking so that everyone might understand?
• How can I perservere through academic challenges?
• What strategies can I use if I am stuck? (persistence, resilience, thinking through another lens)
• What are the different ways I can communicate? (words, gestures, tone, expression)
Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
Making connections in students’ lives and the world around them
Our Grade 3 students have many learning experiences that intertwine multiple topics, subjects and skill development together.In a social studies unit, “My Place in Ontario”, we make direct connections to student experiences using maps, prior cultural knowledge, and data and measurement. This experience combines social studies, language, arts, and physical education while students explore and study the various communities in Canada.
The Learning Experience
• Small groups
• Individual conferencing
• Whole group activities
• Inquiry projects
• Direct instruction
• Teacher modelling
HTS follows the Ontario curriculum and enhances our student experience with expert visits, field trips and additional learning materials and resources which expand our students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum. The K-5 Literacy. Program is aligned with the new research on The Science of Reading and utilizes dynamic and personalized approaches.
Grade 4
Learning Pathway for HTS Families
Big Ideas: Overarching Concepts That Frame Our Learning
Explore and Discover
Exploring with curiosity drives the Grade 4 learning experience. The big ideas in Grade 4 revolve around the idea of looking beyond oneself in order to understand others, identify problems, and creatively discover solutions. Some of the key big ideas for Grade 4 are:
• We are global citizens that think critically about the world around us
• Language is power
• Ideas, strategies and solutions can be represented in multiple ways
• Problem-solvers make connections to other challenges, disciplines and the real world
• Wondering, questioning and analyzing will lead to perserverance and a greater understanding when solving problems
Enduring Understandings
What students will learn and understand in-depth?
• I believe science allows us to be connected to every aspect of the world around us
• I believe that it is the process of exploration that engages me in my learning
• I believe we have one planet which we call home and we need to care for it
• I believe if you understand more about something, you are more willing to care about it
• I know that structures are all around us, and they need to be strong and stable to be useful
• I have a strong understanding of other cultures and languages
What students will learn and understand in-depth?
• Why do we study the past and why is it important?
• How does learning about the past help us understand our place in the world?
• How can writing develop our voice and individual expression?
• Why is critical literacy important?
• How can I communicate my understanding?
• Why is it important to be able to communicate and interact effectively?
• In what ways can I connect my learning to the real world?
• How can I become more comfortable taking risks when learning another language?
• How does understanding (something) help make you a better citizen/guardian/human?
• How are we connected to all things; including all past, present and future?
Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
Making connections in students’ lives and the world around them
Canada’s physical and political regions are the focal point for one of their interdisciplinary learning experiences in Grade 4. This unit of study weaves together social studies, language arts, music, and visual arts. In addition, in their study of Early Societies, students center their learning around historical readings and research skills. They use what they learn during this process to develop themselves as opinion writers.
The Learning Experience
• Direct explicit instruction
• Teacher modelling
• Shared and guided instruction
• Opportunities for student practice
• Small group and individual conferencing
• Applying skills and strategies and making choices
• Student-led inquiry projects
• Student self-pace learning
• Learning through song
HTS follows the Ontario curriculum and enhances our student experience with expert visits, field trips and additional learning materials and resources which expand our students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum. The K-5 Literacy. Program is aligned with the new research on The Science of Reading and utilizes dynamic and personalized approaches.
Grade 5
Learning Pathway for HTS Families
Big Ideas: Overarching Concepts That Frame Our Learning
The experience of our Grade 5 students celebrates their learning throughout their time in Lower School as they refine skills, apply understandings to new concepts, reflect on personal learning journey and leadership development.
• We are interconnected citizens who understand that actions have varying effects on people and their environment
• We understand our identity in context of our history and relationships that have evolved over many years
• We must be aware of the perspectives of various stakeholders to help us understand the society we live in
• We explore problems through multiple viewpoints to enhance our grasp of decisions, consequences and relationships
• We examine patterns and trends in behaviour to increase our awareness of historical and current-day issues
• We believe that sharing our ideas with others helps us identify areas of strength and growth
Enduring Understandings:
What students will learn and understand in-depth?
• I know the value of thinking as an individual, working in pairs, and learning as a group
• I can derive meaning from various types of texts using different strategies and tools
• I consider the audience to inform how I gather, organize, and communicate my ideas
• I know people are who they are because of the shared history and relationships that have evolved over many years
• I know that I must be aware of the perspectives of various stakeholders to help us understand the society we live in
• I evaluate patterns and trends to help determine how the past shaped our future
• I can analyze the data and facts presented, and investigate where facts came from
• I can communicate effectively about complex issues, listen to other viewpoints, and empathize with others
What students will learn and understand in-depth?
• How can we learn from our past and transform the future?
• What has the past taught us and how can we use this knowledge in our daily lives?
• What are the different ways I can communicate and why is this important?
• How can I interact and communicate effectively in other languages and why is this necessary?
• How can we maintain meaningful, authentic connections to our lives and the world around us?
• How do I grow and take risks when learning new and unfamiliar content?
Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences
Making connections in students’ lives and the world around them
Indigenous studies are a focus in the Grade 5 ‘Heritage and Identity’ interdisciplinary unit. Students explore non-fictional stories that reveal how Canada has evolved into the country it is today. We know that a connection to the past allows students to learn from it, and be strong citizens in the present. Information reading and writing serve as tools to help students articulate their discoveries.
In the ‘Responsible Citizenship’ project students focus on local community issues, our HTS community connections partners, and governmental responses to addressing selected issues.
As a capstone project to signify transitioning from our Lower School to Middle School, the Grade 5 students complete a self-reflective memoir and TedTalk. The ‘HTS Believes’ project connects leadership and HTS character education, with memoir writing and oral communication skills. Additionally, our students are mentored by Senior School students who run our Tedx Club.
The Learning Experience
• Teacher lead mini-lessons
• Small group work
• Teamwork
• Pair work
• Whole class work
• Inquiry Projects
• Students will learn from and at their own pace
HTS follows the Ontario curriculum and enhances our student experience with expert visits, field trips and additional learning materials and resources which expand our students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum. The K-5 Literacy. Program is aligned with the new research on The Science of Reading and utilizes dynamic and personalized approaches.