EL Education

Expeditions vary in PreK due to our Emergent Curriculum. Instead of delivering learning experiences around a preplanned topic, teachers develop high-quality, in-depth studies based on student interest.

For example, after expressing an interest in the physical environment, Pre-K students made school maps and interviewed school leadership to learn more about our building. This led to a focus on the mechanical room, the place they believed to be most important within the school building. They discovered how pipes bring air, water, and electricity to classrooms. Students also showed an interest in puppetry. They visited Glen Echo to see a play and worked with a puppeteer. The study culminated in students writing and performing a puppet show about the mechanical room.

Based off an initial interest in construction vehicles, Pre-K students completed an in-depth study of food trucks! After exploring different kinds of food trucks and menus, students made their very own food truck. Students used recycled materials to create the truck, brainstormed and created a menu with the food items of their choice, and used modeling clay to create the food. 

In the fall, second graders complete the EL Education module, "Schools and Community." 

In this 2nd grade module, students build their literacy and citizenship skills as they engage in a study of schools. Students begin the module by participating in a series of focused read-alouds to explore the module guiding question, “What is school, and why are schools important?” In Unit 2, students build on this understanding by engaging in close read-alouds of the text Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools around the World by Susan Hughes. Through this text, students learn about schools around the world and the challenges some communities face in sending their students to school and how they solve these challenges. To support their understanding of this text, students take notes on and write in response to their reading.

In Unit 3, students revisit sections from Off to Class as they engage in whole class research to learn about the similarities and differences between their own school and three schools from the text. Students extend their research in small groups by focusing on one school in particular and producing an informational book about it titled “The Most Important Thing about Schools.” Throughout the unit, students participate in collaborative conversations with their peers to process and extend their understanding of the similarities and differences between their own school and the school they have researched.

In the fall, fifth graders complete the EL Education module, "Stories of Human Rights." 

In this module, 5th grade students develop their ability to read and understand complex text as they learn how to bring awareness to human rights issues. In Unit 1, students read the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Through close reading, interpretation, and analysis of texts, students begin to build their understanding of human rights. They also closely read selected articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

In Unit 2, students finish reading Esperanza Rising, focusing on characters’ reactions and responses to events when their human rights are threatened. They write a two-voice poem with a partner, as well as a four-paragraph literary essay comparing the response of two characters to a selected event from the novel. In Unit 3, students plan, write, and perform monologues based on events where human rights are threatened. In groups, students write a Directors’ Note to describe their selected event, explain which specific articles of the UDHR relate to the event, and explain how people today are impacted by this issue. In this module, students learn to stand up for what is right and contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities. 

This yearlong expedition begins with a deep-dive into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students also read The Giver by Lois Lowry. 8th graders examine guns in America with a focus on the 2nd amendment, the Black Lives Matter movement, and other platforms in which social protests have occurred in the past and are happening today. Building on student understanding of human rights violations that occur in the United States, students create a prototype that intends to solve or alleviate an aspect of a problem. Students implement the process of design thinking in science and MIT, where they apply the scientific method to engineer a prototype to solve a human rights problem. In Math class, students participate in “data talks” around Human Rights Centered data, which students can incorporate into their final projects to strengthen their arguments. Students share their prototypes and the design thinking they implemented during a TED Talk, as well as in proposals they present to human rights representatives from the DC area. 

In the Blue Crab Expedition students will learn about the decline of the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay.  The blue crab population is the lowest it has been in the past 33 years.  Through fieldwork and mini-lessons, students will discuss the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, learn the anatomy of a blue crab, and discuss the issues that are facing the blue crab population.  Students will also learn about the economic impact of blue crabs and human practices that can restore the blue crab population.  Finally, students will produce a short video that provides a solution that humans can take to help the blue crabs.  The videos will be presented to an outside audience. 

As the capstone experience to their education at Capital City, 12th graders design their own independent senior expedition research project exploring a topic they are passionate about. Their research culminates in a 20-25 page research paper that includes background information, a clearly stated problem, possible solutions, and a counterargument/rebuttal section. This research paper is then distilled into a 50 minute panel presentation. In order to meet this goal, students locate and read scholarly articles, identify and interview two professionals in related fields, and either schedule an interactive fieldwork or create an authentic product to allow them to experience their topic first hand. After completing senior expedition, students are ready to excel at college-level research and writing, and defend a provocative thesis with compelling evidence.