At Fenway,
curriculum means not just the courses that are taught, but the ways that
students learn to use their minds.
Habits of Mind
Central to Fenway’s curriculum is the idea that we should always be asking
questions, of each other, of ourselves,
about what we are learning. At Fenway, we use Habits of Mind to develop
the habit of asking questions. Fenway’s Habits of Mind apply to all subjects,
and become deeply ingrained in students’ (and teachers’) way of thinking.
The five Habits are:
Perspective. Whose
viewpoint are we hearing, seeing, reading? Are there other ways to interpret
this information?
Evidence. How do we know
this is true? What is the source and is it credible?
Connection. Where have I
seen this before? Is it related to other ideas or things I have studied?
Relevance. Why does that
matter ? Who cares about this idea ?
Supposition. What if
…? Are there alternatives ? Suppose that…..
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Required Courses
Every student studies three core content areas throughout his/her four years at
Fenway: math, science and integrated humanities. Core classes meet four times a
week. Foundations of Literacy, Spanish, Fenway Ventures, and physical education
are required courses, but students only take them for one or two years, and in
some cases, only for a semester each year.
Humanities
The humanities curriculum rotates on a three-year cycle, so that all students in
grades 9‑11 levels are addressing the same historical periods, social and
political issues, and literary themes concurrently. The course content is
organized around one essential question each year, such as “What does it mean
to be human?” or “How do you do the right thing in the face of
injustices?” The curriculum is interdisciplinary in design, presenting skills
and concepts from language arts, literature, social studies and philosophy.
Although much of the course content centers on the history and development of
American society, other countries are also represented through thematic
projects. Students have the opportunity to explore their own cultural roots as
well as others through interaction with a wide range of research opportunities,
guests, primary source documents, and media.
Mathematics
In 1993, Fenway pioneered the Interactive Math Project (IMP), a National Science
Foundation-sponsored high school math curriculum. With its emphasis on
cooperative group work and the development of communication skills, both written
and oral, in the medium of math, IMP has represented a significant departure
from math sequences traditionally offered in many high schools. Nevertheless,
IMP has been widely accepted by colleges as a rigorous, college preparatory
curriculum. It integrates skills from algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
probability, statistics, logic and pre-calculus, and students are instructed in
the use and programming of graphing calculators. Recommendations of the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics have been incorporated in IMP, and the
program is referenced to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
Since 1993, the
Fenway math team has made many modifications in its use of IMP. Some of the
modifications give students a broader experience of math, as it applies in art,
business, and the lives of mathematicians. Other changes to the curriculum have
been in response to external factors, such as the imposition of the MCAS
(Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) test in math and the need to
prepare students for the way math is taught in college. All regular education
students take pre-calculus, and some take calculus, before they graduate from
Fenway.
Science
In
2006-07, Fenway’s science team undertook an in-depth curriculum review,
partially in response to initiatives that emerged from whole-school strategic
planning in 2005-06, and partially because of the implementation of new MCAS
tests in science. Several decisions were made as a result of the review:
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All freshmen will study physics, using the Physics,
A First Course as the basic curriculum. Freshmen will take the physics MCAS
in the spring.
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Chemistry and biology will be taught in 10th and 11th
grade, on a rotating basis.
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Seniors will continue to focus on their individual Science Fair
projects in the fall, and study integrated science units in the spring.
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Fenway should continue to emphasize the learning and practice of
the scientific method by holding science fairs at all grade levels.
Foundations of Literacy
Foundations of Literacy is a reading and writing workshop for 9th
graders, which meets three times per week. The goal of Foundations is to support
students’ development as independent readers and writers, while at the same
time fostering their sense of belonging to Fenway’s community of learners.
Students learn to
read and write for a variety of purposes, and are exposed to multiple genres,
including fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry and short stories. To improve
reading comprehension, students practice “metacognition,” the art of
thinking about their thinking, so they can monitor their understanding of
difficult texts. In studying literature in its various forms, students learn to
read like writers; they pay attention to the writer’s craft and apply that
perspective to their own writing. The curriculum combines whole language
pedagogy with phonetic instruction and practice, and the skills students develop
make them stronger readers and writers in all content areas. Grammar, mechanics
and usage are taught as needed to improve writing skills.
Spanish
Spanish is the only language offered at Fenway. In addition to exposing students
to the experience of speaking, reading and writing in another language, the
two-year program seeks to encourage exploration of Hispanic culture, including
its history, politics, literature, religion, and art. Students who speak Spanish
as their native language take an advanced course that extends their skills in
reading and writing.
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Fenway Ventures
Ventures is a grade 11-12 program that teaches students how to interact
effectively with adults in the workplace and to find the resources they need for
success in college or in a chosen field of work. Ventures goals are:
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To help students develop initiative, resourcefulness,
communication and problem-solving skills, respect for others, self-discipline
and self-confidence.
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To understand and be able to use basic business, financial and
entrepreneurial concepts and tools.
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To learn to network with community agencies and entrepreneurs and
to build relationships that provide opportunities, resources and mentoring.
In the junior year
of Ventures, students research, develop and “pitch” a proposal for a
business or service they feel is needed in their community. The Pitch is held at
a business site, and is judged by outside adults acting as would-be investors.
In senior year, students do career exploration and job shadows. In their last
term of high school, they enter six-week, fulltime (unpaid) internships at
professional worksites, which they largely arrange themselves. Every Fenway
intern does a major project that benefits his or her worksite. Successful
completion of the senior internship is a graduation requirement.
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Physical
Education
Students
are required to participate in two semesters of physical education, usually in
their freshman and sophomore years. The program takes place on-site in
Fenway’s Fitness Center, which is equipped with exercise machines, or
off-site in gyms at local colleges. When the weather is good, classes may go
to a nearby park. A wide variety of physical activities are included, with the
aim of encouraging every student to make physical exercise an integral part of
life. Health and wellness topics are also covered in the program by speakers
from local health organizations.
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The Learning
Center
The Learning Center at
Fenway provides the extra academic support some students need to be successful
in core academic classes. The three goals of the Learning Center are: to meet
the Individual Education Plan (IEP) requirements for students with disabilities;
to provide curriculum and pedagogy support to staff members; and to offer
in-school and after-school tutoring and assistance with homework, basic skills,
enrichment in content and/or skills and preparation for major assessment events,
e.g., portfolios and exhibitions.
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Technology
Fenway integrates technology throughout the curriculum. Each content team has
responsibility for having students learn and apply the computer skills needed to
complete assignments and projects, such as graphing in math and science, and
desktop publishing in humanities. All students become fluent users of Microsoft
Word, for writing papers, and PowerPoint, for making presentations, and all
learn how to use on-line databases for research. A number of teachers have blogs
on the Fenway website, where they publish their lessons and assignments. In
2006, Fenway became the Boston Public School pilot site for a new Assistive
Technology computer lab, which has equipment and software that students with
language-based learning disabilities use to listen to text while they read it
onscreen.
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Electives and
After School Programs
Fenway’s focus on a few core content areas means that little time is left on
the school schedule for electives. As mentioned above, some time is set aside in
sophomore advisory for an electives program. Seniors (and some juniors) may also
choose to take a semester-long psychology course, called Dynamics
of the Self.
Fenway does its best
to compensate for the scarcity of electives during the school day by offering
after school programs in areas requested by students, such as step dance,
singing, sound engineering, filmmaking, etc.
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College
Programs
In the spring of junior year and fall of senior year, qualified Fenway students
may take courses at Emmanuel College, a long-term partner of the school, located
within a ten-minute walk across the Fens. A majority of students take at least
one math course, typically in pre-calculus or calculus, so that they are
prepared for the content and manner of instruction in college math classes.
Students also take courses in areas of particular interest to them, such as
public speaking or political science.
On occasion, Fenway
may arrange for a student to take a specialty course at another of the Colleges
of the Fens, such as an art course at Massachusetts College of Art.
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