TEA Academic Overview
Our Program
- Meaningful Academic Rigor and Deep Understanding: Learning Expeditions support the acquisition of knowledge ‘an inch wide and a mile deep’ in language arts, history and science. Our mathematics program instills discipline, heightens aptitude and builds confidence, while enrichment classes in the arts and foreign language and our unique “Guilds” nurture creativity, curiosity and craftsmanship.
- Small Class Sizes: Low student-to-teacher ratios create an intimate educational setting where each child is challenged individually, held highly accountable and known well by teachers, peers and the school community.
- Best Practices in Expeditionary Learning: Our inter-disciplinary classes, project-based learning, outdoor adventure and active pedagogy exemplify experiential learning. By researching, evaluating and implementing best practices in curriculum, instruction and assessment, as well as culture and character, we serve as a model and inspiration for education in the 21st Century.
- Born to Learn: Our students are excited to come to school. Through earnest engagement, reflection and gratitude, students demonstrate that they inherently possess the aptitude and desire to learn.
- Character is Built In: Character development serves as the foundation for each student’s personal, social and academic growth. Each student cultivates character by developing five character traits: courage, respect, community, discovery and craftsmanship.
- Developing Healthy and Environmentally Conscious Students: Participating in regular outdoor adventures and eating a nutritionally balanced diet enhance each child’s physical health, strength and self-confidence. Exploring the local ecosystems and engaging in environmental stewardship inspire each child to become a keeper of the natural environment.
- Preparedness: In addition to the academic skills, knowledge and habits of a scholar, each student gains the critical thinking, self-advocacy and self-reliance necessary to achieve success in higher education and beyond.
- We are World Citizens: Using the Lake Tahoe Basin as our classroom, each student attaches knowledge to something accessible, tangible and memorable – their local environment. As students discover that Tahoe and its inhabitants serve as microcosms of the world, they develop empathy, appreciation for nature and a global consciousness.
- Academic Achievement and Deep Knowledge: Teachers are experts in their field. They have the professional skills, life experiences, temperament and curiosity necessary to develop challenging and exciting curriculum, act as mentors, and engage students in a meaningful, scholarly learning experience.
- Role Models: Staff members teach by example as they demonstrate leadership, respect, courage and a passion for discovery. Through one-on-one and group interactions, they show children how to build a community and to achieve personal, intellectual, social, emotional and physical goals.
- Adventurous Leaders: Teachers integrate adventure into the curriculum, take intentional calculated risks during instruction and use constructive adversity to create a peak state for learning.
- Commitment to Diversity & Accessibility: We strive to incorporate the multi-cultural landscape of our community by offering after-school clubs and summer programs and by awarding scholarships to students who demonstrate merit and financial need. We recognize that doing so vastly enhances the social experience of our student body and fosters an environment that nurtures and sustains our commitment to social justice.
- Parental Involvement: We value parents as integral contributors to our thriving community, as they volunteer in the classroom, chaperone a field study, serve on the Board of Directors and undeniably enhance our educational environment.
- Community Involvement: Our school actively and consciously engages with the communities it serves. We use local experts to teach our students. We collaborate with local schools, have authentic, symbiotic relationships with local businesses and organizations and aspire to craft products that benefit the larger community.
Our schedule and structure promote academic rigor, intensive work in the four core academic areas (English language arts, math, social studies and science), high engagement and a nurturing school culture. The schedule is organized to allow students to take control of their time and to provide flexibility when necessary for fieldwork, projects and labs.
Yet, gone are the ringing bells, rows of desks and fill-in-the-blank worksheets. For all or most of the day, crew and teachers are engaged in challenging learning expeditions. They explore a topic in depth by working on projects that call for intellectual inquiry, physical exploration, and community service.
On any given day, a crew’s explorations may take them outside of the school building to do scientific research in natural areas, conduct interviews with experts or carry out a range of other field-based assignments. In addition to going beyond themselves, we also understand that introspection is an essential component of the learning process. Each day provides opportunities for quiet reflection - time for crew to write in their journals, gather their thoughts, and contemplate what they have experienced.
What Assessments of Learning are used?
Our assessments of learning prepare students to do the kinds of work required in high school and beyond. Our students graduate 8th grade by successfully demonstrating their skills, abilities and knowledge through portfolios, exhibitions and performances, and mastery of Common Core State Standards. Students will also participate in standardized testing, which will allow us to compare their progress with other children their age.
1. Portfolios - A portfolio is a collection of work showing what a crewmember has been thinking about, working on and learning. It contains written work and may also include artwork, audio or videotapes of performances, photographs of three-dimensional constructions, computer graphics and more. A portfolio does not include all work, rather, it is a selection made by the crew with Crew Leader’s guidance. The purpose of the portfolio is to give an ongoing record of:
- How thinking about significant issues and questions has grown
- How a range of knowledge and skills has developed
- The effort and progress that has been made in terms of character traits.
3. Common Core State Standards - Assessment is embedded in TEA’s curriculum and instruction. TEA nurtures a culture of continuous reflection, revision, and improvement. TEA makes explicit the criteria it applies to judge student performance, and expects students to work hard until they have achieved their best work. TEA recognizes that effective assessment is impossible unless there are clearly defined standards. We expect students to meet process, skill and content requirements identified in the Common Core State Standards.
4. Standardized Testing – Each year, students in grades 4-8 take the CTP Online Testing, which is given by the Educational Review Board (ERB) and is a nationally recognized assessment. In addition to giving us another metric for gauging the progress of our students, this test allows us to compare the performance of our students against other independent and public schools.
Students in high school prepare for and take the PSAT and SAT tests as well as subject specific SSATs and AP tests when and where applicable.
5. Grade Reports - Each student enrolled in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade receives a numeric assessment at mid-term and the end of each semester. Each student in 4th-12th Grade receives letter grades at mid-term and at the end of each semester. Semester grades will be accompanied by summative and formative narratives, which relate to overall academic performance, character and citizenship for each student.
Academic Work at Home
Students in grades K-5 typically have a very limited amount of schoolwork each night. They will focus on reading time, either with an adult or independently, math, vocabulary and spelling.
Students in the middle school and high school may have academic work to complete at home, depending on their level, productivity in school and the learning expedition. However, the overall goal for the Classroom Crew is to use time in school effectively. We believe time in school is meant to do school work, and time outside of school should be primarily reserved and utilized for play, personal interests and spending time with family and friends. If a student has difficulty managing the academic work at home, then the student and/or family may present this issue to the Crew Leader, who will work to find a resolution.
Parent Conferences
Formalized student-parent-teacher conferences are scheduled twice a year in elementary, middle and upper grade levels, at the mid-semester marks. These meetings enable the child to take ownership of and responsibility for academic achievement, character development and personal growth. This is a time for each family, student and Crew Leader to interact, review the student’s portfolio, reflect on and assess progress, and set learning objectives for the future.
Student Support Team (SST)
Our Student Support Team (SST) addresses any special cases that may arise regarding a student’s academic performance and personal, social or emotional well-being. Special cases may include, but are not limited to, instances that require counseling, testing, disciplinary action, remediation and/or accommodation. This team is intended to serve as an objective, expert group in order to provide support and guidance that can help each student find success in learning. This team consists of the student’s Crew Leader, an educational specialist / learning coordinator and/or counselor designated by the school and a school administrator.
Pre Kindergarten Program
Our Approach
Tahoe Expedition Academy offers a one-of-a-kind educational experience for three and four year old children. We mix an adventure-based approach with a learning environment that gives magical results. We create a constructive workshop environment where students have the opportunity to interact with the natural world and cultivate the language, numeracy and social skills that will support their academic success in the future. Our full day program allows the opportunity to create an environment of trust and a matrix of safety where students are known well by their teachers and peers. Your child will learn about science, hike through the woods, explore, and begin to discover who he or she is as a person.
What can you expect from Tahoe Expedition PreK & Kinder Readiness programs?
- Adventure-based learning with an emphasis on science and outdoor discovery
- Kindergarten readiness with literacy, numeracy, and social development
- An environment of trust where students are known well by their teachers and peers
- A community that values life-long learning and hands-on education
- Staff with decades of experience in early childhood development
- 7:1 student to teacher ratio
At Tahoe Expedition, we celebrate the science of play. When a child “plays” they are, quite simply, learning, using their whole bodies. There is strong scientific evidence concluding that when the body is in motion, knowledge is assimilated more quickly. In turn, when play and academics are combined, learning is fun and knowledge is integrated by doing rather than simply hearing.
Social Development
Pre-Kindergarten aged children are still learning how to interact with their world and the people in it. They are progressing from a home environment to a community without parent presence. This is a significant part of what they need to learn before Kindergarten.
Our program is designed to help your child develop positive social behavior in preparation for kindergarten and for the future. We provide activities to promote self-expression, collaboration, confidence and independence. Our goal is to help children grow emotionally and develop a positive sense of self and community.
Outdoor Discovery
Our philosophy is the outdoors provide a vast landscape for learning. Academics are not just taught in the classroom. Learning for the young child includes: physical (fine and gross motor skills), cognitive, emotional, social and language development. Each component is essential to the overall growth of your child.
Our unique program entails outdoor discovery and adventures to encourage these developments. The school location provides convenient access to adventure hikes, outdoor recreation, and hands on experiments with nature. Each activity promotes curiosity, discovery, community, empathy, self responsibility, and confidence. The result is a lifelong love of learning.
Want to Come Explore with Us?
Kindergarten – 8th Grade Academic Programs
Learning Expeditions Drive Our Curriculum
Learning Expeditions are the defining pieces and central components of an EL school’s curriculum. Our Learning Expeditions integrate the subject areas of science, social studies and language arts for grades K-8, and our Crew Leaders use Learning Expeditions to guide daily instruction in these areas. To ensure we follow an ‘inch wide-mile deep’ approach, Learning Expeditions are designed to be interdisciplinary studies, rich with literacy skills. They require research, critical thinking and collaboration. Also, Learning Expeditions are vertically aligned throughout all grades using the four primal elements - fire, earth, air and water - as compelling topics. Typically, each Learning Expedition lasts one semester, and each Classroom Crew journeys together on this academic excursion.
English Language Arts (ELA)
The development of English Language Arts skills and content knowledge are paramount for all of our students, especially those in K – 3rd Grades. For students in these primary grades, we schedule significant blocks of time for acquisition and refinement of these crucial academic areas, and teachers use the most up-to-date and effective literacy programs and resources available in education today.
Students in 4-8th grades cultivate literacy knowledge, confidence and skills in conjunction with the subjects of science and social science. At the same time, it is important to note that special attention is directed toward ongoing vocabulary (Greek & Latin roots), spelling and grammar development throughout the elementary and middle school years.
Mathematics
Along with literacy development, achievement in mathematics is a priority and cornerstone of our academic program. We have high standards for our mathematics program and believe providing a solid foundation of numeracy is essential to each child’s success in school and in life. Thus, during each school day all grade levels share a common, hour-long math block. Designating a common block enables us to place students according to their ability level and allows us to place an appropriate amount of emphasis on this critical area of study. This year, we continue to use the Saxon Math Program to guide instruction, though teachers also enrich their classes with additional online and texts-based resources, activities and programs.
Art
The art program is designed to give students a hands-on understanding of different art materials and their uses. Through teacher lead demonstrations we construct a knowledge base for children that allow them to be confident and effective in their own explorations. Throughout the year the classes will re-visit 2-D and 3-D practices as a means to best suit the assignment and develop a personal sense of style. Students use the same processes professional artists use to make professional finished artwork such as firing a kiln, carving a wood block or building their own canvasses. Each child reflects daily on their work and compiles a personal portfolio of works that are exhibited in a public venue at the end of the school year.
Music
Our Music Program features a comprehensive examination of the rudiments of music theory, hands on song memorization and participation, and an exploration of the fundamentals of rhythm. Our students also participate in a grade specific recording featuring the songs they have mastered as a class and finally will give a live performance featuring these songs. Students at TEA are encouraged to participate in music class through the lens of their own unique gifts. Field trips out into the community as a class are always fun and much appreciated by those who experience them. At the end of the year, our students release a full length CD as a testament of their mastery of each selected song.
Spanish
Students will be introduced to the Spanish language, Hispanic culture, and geography. The Spanish program uses a variety of educational techniques for language for acquisition. These educational activities and techniques vary to correspond with the student's age, Spanish level, and individual learning intelligence/ style.
Activity instruction is given orally in Spanish, to encourage students to listen and start recognizing the Spanish sound system. Students will be able to recognize a sound system that differs from English and with immersion into the Spanish program they will gradually be able to comprehend a variety of common Spanish words and sentences used in a comfortable learning environment. When students begin to comprehend the Spanish alphabet and sound system, they will be asked to orally imitate the sounds of the Spanish alphabet, common words, and eventually full sentences in Spanish.
Students in grades 6-8 will be encouraged to do hands-on learning and research on Spanish-speaking countries and to present the information they discover to their peers in a visual and informative way. The Spanish program encourages and values multiculturalism and leads students to inquire and discover information about cultures that our different and similar to our own. The TEA Spanish program encourages students to foster an intellectual curiosity and a love of learning a foreign language. Fun, games, activities, and outdoor exploration are all tools that are used to facilitate excited and active Spanish learners. As students knowledge of Spanish continues to grow, conversational activities among their peers and teacher will be used to help students practice and become comfortable speaking Spanish to others. Spanish grammar will also be introduced as students continue building their Spanish vocabulary knowledge.
High School Program
We are excited to announce a new educational opportunity for students in the Lake Tahoe area. For the 2013-2014 school year, we plan to launch a robust 9th Grade class, and each subsequent year we plan to add a grade level, and, ultimately, our High School will consist of 9th – 12th grades.
Our Mission:
Tahoe Expedition Academy utilizes our unique natural setting as base camp to create an experiential academic environment where students journey toward personal summits as courageous and respectful world citizens.
Our Programs:
Using a constructivist, experiential and worldly approach, Tahoe Expedition Academy High School aims to prepare students for high-level academic achievement, to develop in students sound character and to encourage students to explore their backyard, the nation and the world in search of adventure. The three pillars of TEA’s PreK-8 Program—academics, character and adventure—continue to drive the high school curriculum, our field studies in the natural environment and our students’ active engagement with local, national and international communities.
Our high school builds upon each student’s foundation of knowledge, personal interests and academic skills by diving deep into traditional subjects of math, science, social science and English. On field studies, in particular, these subjects are taught in conjunction with one another through project-based, place-based curricula. Moreover, students engage with a comprehensive enrichment program that promotes foreign language acquisition and the arts as well as athletics and adventure programs that cultivate grit, discipline and teamwork.
Primary Areas of Focus for our High School:
- High-Level Academics and Inspiring Art Programs: Core subjects of science, math and the humanities are the backbones of the curriculum; academic skills like critical thinking, researching and public speaking are taught across the curriculum; foreign language acquisition facilitates national and international travel; the arts enable students to develop creativity and inspiration.
- Adventure, Athletics and Nutrition: Adventure and exploration are integrated into our academic and athletic programs; adventure-based sports like rock-climbing, sailing, mountain biking, biathlon and skiing provide students with healthy avenues and exciting opportunities; team sports like soccer and lacrosse foster teamwork and community; emphasis on physical well-being and nutrition enable students to achieve their potential as athletes.
- Character, Citizenship and Service: Character building guides each student’s personal growth and builds a strong community of learners; local, national and international field studies allow students to develop into world citizens; hands-on engagement with communities provide ample service opportunities.
Students build upon prior knowledge, hone important reading, writing and thinking skills and take their learning to profound levels in this important subject area. In addition to developing critical thinking and reading abilities, students learn how to analyze literature, compose argumentative essays, ask provocative questions and deliver effective presentations. Additionally, students improve their research skills, enhance expository and narrative writing as well as acquire important SAT vocabulary words.
Students are required to take English each year of their high school career. The first two years focus on reading, writing and critical thinking. They read closely a variety of texts, produce quality writing in response to engaging reading materials and deliver effective presentations to their peers and the public.
In addition to teaching subject specific information around the English language, literacy is integrated into each subject area and is taught across the curriculum.
Mathematics
Over the course of their four year high school career, students will engage with traditional mathematics classes, according to their ability level and interest. As a requirement, students are expected to complete the following levels of math: Algebra I, Geometry, Alg. II, PreCalc/Trig, and, if applicable, Calculus. These courses stress mathematical reasoning and techniques of problem solving through the traditional topics of secondary level mathematics and include traditional topics like geometry, algebra, trigonometry and calculus. With high-powered professors, our Mathematics Program instills in students confidence, knowledge and skill in these critical fields of study.
Science
Science drives our curriculum at Tahoe Expedition Academy. It provides us with a clear reason to investigate and explore the natural environment. It takes us outside, and we learn to read, understand and value the soil, geology, chemistry and living organisms on the planet. To build a foundation of science content knowledge, students take Biology and Chemistry in 9th & 10th grade, respectively, and Physics before moving on to higher levels of science.
Social Science
The subject area of social science connects the humanities with science. In addition, they learn important investigative and research skills, which allow them to explore independently. The study of social science is vital part of the School’s academic program. To provide the students with understanding of the world, past and present, as well as to build and refine their skills in service of inquiry and analysis, the Social Science Department offers a combination of core courses and electives. Over the course of their career, students study World, Western and US history and, in the upper grades, more narrow topics, which allow them to hone in on an area of the globe.
Intricately connected with the theory and the content, students participate real experiences by visiting the places they are studying in local, national and international travel expeditions, which allow them to see the world and to learn geography firsthand.
The Arts
The goals of the Arts Program are to teach students an appreciation for genres, mediums and masters in the Arts and to give them the resources and guides to learn an instrument and perform before a live audience. The Arts at Tahoe Expedition Academy includes both visual and performance, and the curriculum is designed to allow students to develop in both the understanding and the creation of each area.
The Visual Arts Program is designed to get students out in the community working on projects that will be viewed publicly. The curriculum focuses on the fine details of a work of art and emphasis on craftsmanship, clarity of ideas and presentation. Students use advanced art materials and techniques to hone their personal art styles and develop a method of record keeping for the processes they have experimented with. Ceramic arts, printmaking, drawing and painting, site specific sculpture and sound will be staples of the program. These classes are aimed at constructing, installing and exhibiting artworks for the public twice throughout the school year.
Foreign Language
If our students are going to be able to travel effectively, then knowing foreign languages will become vital for their success and progress. Moreover, the study of a foreign language provides the opportunity for students to gain new perspective on their native cultures and languages. Shared goals of all languages studied at TEA are to enable students to read and interpret literary texts, in their original language, with precision, understanding, and enjoyment and to feel prepared to visit the country firsthand. Initially, Latin is offered as our foreign language for full-time study, and as the school grows, we plan to provide additional course offerings. Having a solid foundation in Latin will further develop each child's vocabulary and prepare them for the verbal section of the SAT.
Technology
In short, we use technology as a means to an end, not an end in itself. Students become fluent in current trends and technology, as they rely on them to design, create and publish academic products such as reports, labs, videos, presentations, designs and blogs.
Each student is expected to provide their own computer and to bring it to school daily. We prefer for students to use Macs, since they are easy to navigate and use for school projects and assignments.
Independent Projects
Students in 11th & 12th grades are able to create their own course of study to pursue throughout the year. This long-term academic endeavor can involve international travel, language acquisition and volunteerism or, really, whatever a student can imagine, within respectable boundaries, of course. The student’s Advisor will serve as a point person and mentor for these types of self-initiated projects.
Local, National and International Adventure
Planes, trains and automobiles transport us into the backcountry, sidecountry and urban environments. We plan to continue our local travel, and our high school students can look forward to broad-reaching, extended expeditions and field studies. In high school, we intend to travel for weeks at a time outside of Tahoe’s forests and mountains and into those of other countries like Argentina and Ecuador, for example. We also plan to travel in the American West, which has a plethora of outdoor destinations. As with our K-8, backpacking and camping are central to our mode of travel, wherever we go. We are mobile pods of learners traveling across the continent and globe in search of discovery, craftsmanship and community. Students in 9th & 10th grade will engage in local and national academic adventures, and, ultimately, students in 11th and 12th grades will travel to international locales.
International Boarding
Research has shown that children in boarding school are more independent than others, and the educational foundations provided by this intensive form of training provides a springboard to greater things at university. We aspire to establish an International Boarding School component by SY2014/15.
Accreditation
Tahoe Expedition Academy aspires to join the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in order to earn accreditation for its programs. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a 501(c)(3) organization, is recognized as one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States.
The Western region covers institutions in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and areas of the Pacific and East Asia where American/International schools or colleges may apply to it for service.
Accreditation can offer several important benefits:
- It puts a stamp of approval on graduates: graduating from an accredited institution indicates that graduates are ready to practice at a certain level.
- It provides educational programs with opportunities for self-definition and self-reflection, and with feedback on program content and direction.
- It affords the opportunity for continuous improvement of institutions and educational programs. (http://www.accreditation.org/benefits.php)
Our goal is to provide a comprehensive academic counseling program with attention to the individual needs of students and families as they prepare for higher education. Throughout their high school career, we assist students with all facets of the college admissions process so students can explore opportunities to continue their education after graduation.
At the same time, we recognize that higher education may not be the pathway for all students. We also assist these students as well as they prepare for the next chapter in their education and personal growth, outside of a classroom setting.
Advisory TEAm
The Advisory system consists of faculty who work with advisees to review academic progress, set goals, discuss study strategies, and conduct program planning. Each grade has a Class Dean who closely works with the Advisors to monitor overall student progress and well-being.
Each student belongs to an Advisory TEAm, which consists of peers from their grade. This group stays together for four years and is led by their Advisor, who stays with the TEAm for a two-year rotation. The advisor provides more general guidance to advisees during TEAm meetings, which occur at least once a week.
Community Service
Beyond the classroom walls, where they tend to their school community, students engage in acts of service, locally, nationally and globally. During field studies, they collaborate with local organizations, engage with local experts and contribute to their community through entrepreneurship and volunteerism. By giving and intentionally directing their efforts, intellect and resources to where it can benefit the greater good, students become active citizens in their communities. Advisors and teachers guide students through this process during their high school career, which culminates with a Senior Project.
Science Program
All children are exceptional scientists. Tahoe Expedition Academy’s Science Program offers multi-faceted opportunities for students to interact and learn from their environment.
By using Lake Tahoe as Base Camp, students work within the dynamics of the natural world to identify and develop conclusions about the fundamental processes that shape our reality.
Developing the ability to look at the world with a scientific perspective and think in terms of independent and dependent variables is a premise that guides each child’s learning experience. The aforementioned allows students to gather and intellectually process evidence that will support their future understanding and acquisition of knowledge.
Throughout the course of their education, children have the opportunity to work with instructors and experts, who consciously engage them in investigations that focus on the acquisition of perennial knowledge and archetypes that are central to the human condition. Examples of concepts and processes that are investigated include, but are not limited to: cyclical progressions, phase changes and the states of matter, the Mechanical Laws, cosmology, biologic adaptation and specialization, competition, ecological biomes, genetics, tectonics, energy and matter…
Tahoe Expedition Academy’s Science Program provides opportunities for serendipity through practical application within the disciplines of Physical, Life Earth and Space Science. Students initiate investigations in a manner that excites the mind and inspires their desire to have new experiences and make discoveries.
Arts
Art
The art program is designed to give students a hands-on understanding of different art materials and their uses. Through teacher lead demonstrations we construct a knowledge base for children that allow them to be confident and effective in their own explorations. Throughout the year the classes will re-visit 2-D and 3-D practices as a means to best suit the assignment and develop a personal sense of style. Students use the same processes professional artists use to make professional finished artwork such as firing a kiln, carving a wood block or building their own canvasses. Each child reflects daily on their work and compiles a personal portfolio of works that are exhibited in a public venue at the end of the school year.
Music
Our Music Program features a comprehensive examination of the rudiments of music theory, hands on song memorization and participation, and an exploration of the fundamentals of rhythm. Our students also participate in a grade specific recording, featuring the songs they have mastered as a class and eventually will give a live performance featuring these songs. Students at TEA are encouraged to participate in music class through the lens of their own unique gifts. Field trips out into the community as a class are always fun and much appreciated by those who experience them. At the end of the year, our students release a full length CD as a testament of their mastery of each selected song.
Spanish
Students will be introduced to the Spanish language, Hispanic culture, and geography. The Spanish program uses a variety of educational techniques for language for acquisition. These educational activities and techniques vary to correspond with the student's age, Spanish level, and individual learning intelligence/ style.
Activity instruction is given orally in Spanish, to encourage students to listen and start recognizing the Spanish sound system. Students will be able to recognize a sound system that differs from English and with immersion into the Spanish program they will gradually be able to comprehend a variety of common Spanish words and sentences used in a comfortable learning environment. When students begin to comprehend the Spanish alphabet and sound system, they will be asked to orally imitate the sounds of the Spanish alphabet, common words, and eventually full sentences in Spanish.
Students in grades 6-8 will be encouraged to do hands-on learning and research on Spanish-speaking countries and to present the information they discover to their peers in a visual and informative way. The Spanish program encourages and values multiculturalism and leads students to inquire and discover information about cultures that our different and similar to our own. The TEA Spanish program encourages students to foster an intellectual curiosity and a love of learning a foreign language. Fun, games, activities, and outdoor exploration are all tools that are used to facilitate excited and active Spanish learners. As students knowledge of Spanish continues to grow, conversational activities among their peers and teacher will be used to help students practice and become comfortable speaking Spanish to others. Spanish grammar will also be introduced as students continue building their Spanish vocabulary knowledge.
Academic Adventures
TEA students can look forward to spending a significant amount of time in the field (about 1/3 of our school days) conducting fieldwork, completing service learning, exploring and pushing their physical limits and intellectual boundaries. For younger students many of these experiential opportunities will take place in close proximity to the Academy’s facility and campus. For students enrolled in second grade and up, they can look forward to more adventurous “rite of passage” experiences in the Lake Tahoe Basin that promote trust, cooperation and community. The latter runs the spectrum between three-day, two-night car camping trips to five-day minimalist wilderness backpacking adventures – all of which have a designated purpose in addition to a thirst for adventure.
For students in high school, the scope of our adventure takes them to regional, national and international locales. We conduct extended field studies with a highly intensive focus on academics, character development and/or adventure beyond the shores of Lake Tahoe. Students test their comfort zones, push physical limits and learn important skills about travel, backpacking and the pursuit of intellectualism throughout the West, the nation and the world.
By taking part in such adventures, our students reach the limits of their zones of proximal development and, in doing so, they engage their fight or flight mechanism and thus initiate their long-term memory bank. The learning experiences students have during these adventures, then, stick with them for years to come.
The thesis of our school is based on each student’s willing participation in adventure. We believe facing challenges and overcoming calculated risks and adverse situations promotes and enhances academic achievement and character development. All of our students are expected to participate in the adventures we design, and they are given a grade for their participation and involvement.