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A Day in the Life of Our Students

9:00-10:00

Reading Insturuction

We have two different reading tracks, the first one is designed for students with emerging reading skills, any student who is under a third grade reading level. This couse is taught by a teacher with experience in phonics teaching, completed the LETERS training. (This is ideal for students with dyslexia or any reading disability) 

The second option is for students on grade level or with advanced reading and will follow a curriculum lead by Living Literature (Waldorf inspired). The class will consist of a book club format, and include grammar, writing and rhetoric. 

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 A day in the life of a 5th grade student

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Tim arrives at Escalante and heads to his reading class. Tim struggles with reading so his class starts with a 30 minute phonics lesson (under 5 students) to strengthen his reading skills. The next 30 minutes are spent working through Treasure Island and discussing moral dilemmas made by characters like Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. The class concludes with a written character analysis of the main characters.

10:00-11:00

Math Instruction

Our math groups will be cotaught with AI! At Escalante we want to incorporate new technology and new ideas that will help students succeed. We want to be the most innovative school in the valley! Students will spend 30 minutes with an experienced teacher and the other 30 minutes using an AI program that will help them fill in any previous holes in math as well as catapult them beyond what they thought they could do. Students will continue to take state tests to ensure that we are achieving proficiency in all math concepts. 

A day in the life of a 5th grade student

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Next, Tim moves to his math class where he is working in a small group to multiply fractions. The class is using graph sheets to show how the multiplication works visually. For the last 30 minutes Tim logs on to his Chromebook and is reviewing his division facts. 

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Desert Canyon Landscape

11:00-12:00

Lunch & Free Time 

A day in the life of a 5th grade student

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Tim brings his lunch from home and eats with his friends while playing a card game.

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Later, he works with a couple of friends and one of the schools guide to make a group snack of caramel popcorn in the school kitchen.

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Project Based Learning

12:00-2:00

At Escalante Microschool, our Project-Based Learning (PBL) program is where students truly shine. From 12 PM to 2 PM daily, students immerse themselves in projects designed to challenge them academically and ignite their creativity.

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For example, Law, Public Safety, Corrections, & Security is our first unit of study. Each day there will be a focused mini-lesson (20-30 minutes) exploring a different facet of the unit. Some examples of those lessons include; 

  • ​art created within prisons

  • foundational legal concepts

  • constitutional principles

  • the nature of evidence

  • crime prevention strategies

  • ethical considerations

  • the intersection of technology and law enforcement

  • the philosophy of punishment versus rehabilitation

  •  fingerprinting techniques

  • social & geographical factors influencing famous prisons    We also invite guest speakers—detectives, firefighters, police officers, and other experts—to share their real-world experiences and insights.

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The remainder of the class time is dedicated to student-led research, creation, and invention. Students develop projects that demonstrate competency in the unit's themes. These projects are showcased at the end of each six-week unit, allowing students to share their learning and celebrate their accomplishments.

To support their project work, students have access to a curated collection of pre-approved resources, including YouTube videos, podcasts, documentaries, and written materials. They also have access to a variety of tools and equipment to bring their ideas to life, such as 3D printers, sewing machines, art supplies, and computer software.

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This dynamic PBL approach fosters deep, lasting connections that students will carry with them throughout their lives.

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A day in the life of a 5th grade student

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The current unit of study is Law, Public Safety, Corrections, & Security. Class starts with a 20 minutes lesson on geography regarding famous prisons, today is focusing on Alcatraz, taught by one of the school guides. 

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Tim has decided to learn more about evidence so he spends the rest of class building a case against Long John Silver (going back to his reading lesson) and picking what evidence would be effective in a trial. 

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