As part of a schoolwide deep dive into interdisciplinary learning, students will engage with a shared book that serves as the foundation for learning across ELA, Social Studies, and Science. Students in grades 5th–6th will explore "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown, while students in grades 7th–8th will engage with "Accountable" by Dashka Slater. By centering instruction around a common book, students have opportunities to make connections across content areas while exploring meaningful questions about themselves, their relationships, and the communities they're part of.
Together, "The Wild Robot" and "Accountable" ask a powerful question: What does it mean to be part of a community?
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In "The Wild Robot", students examine how a community is built through trust, cooperation, empathy, and the contributions of many different individuals. They see how relationships are formed and how people can work together to support one another and achieve more than they could alone.
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"Accountable" builds on those ideas by asking students to consider what happens when a community is harmed and how people can respond in ways that promote understanding, accountability, and healing. Through experiences in ELA, Social Studies, and Science, students explore real-world questions about identity, belonging, responsibility, and human behavior.
Our goal is that students come away seeing themselves not just as members of a community, but as people who help build one — capable of making connections, supporting others, and helping restore trust when challenges arise.
(This summer we mailed 7th-8th grade parents/guardians a letter with more detail about "Accountable". It's attached below.)
Thank you and if you have any questions or concerns regarding this curriculum, please reach out to Director of Academic Engagement, Markell McCubbin ([email protected]), or Principal and CAO, Deborah Candler ([email protected]).