Academics at IS 349

Science

We offer an interactive science curriculum known as Project Based Inquiry Science (PBIS), in which students conduct hands on experiments to build their scientific knowledge. PBIS emphasizes rigorous science and engineering practices to prepare students to be scientists in the real world.

Our science curriculum is tightly aligned to the New York City Scope and Sequence, ensuring that students receive a rigorous education in life science, physical science, and earth science, as well as science and engineering practices.

We also closely follow the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which emphasize 21st Century skills. We focus on teaching the following NGSS practices to all our students:

1. Asking questions and defining problems
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Social Studies

The New York City Scope and Sequence for Social Studies provides students with a rich, relevant experience that helps them understand and apply concepts to their own life. The cross-disciplinary curriculum incorporates anthropology, history, and geography, among others.

Visual Arts

As part of a robust and well-rounded curriculum, every student receives Visual Arts as part of their schedule. The skills children acquire through Visual Arts not only engage their creativity but also make them better problem solvers and critical thinkers. Students create works in a variety of mediums, including including acrylic paint, oil pastel, sculpture, collage, watercolor, ink printmaking, clay, and mixed media.

Our visual arts program is based on the New York State requirements and standards for arts learning, and guided by New York City's Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts. The arts and core subjects such as ELA and Math are often integrated within the visual arts lessons and projects.

Math and art are connected through learning about spatial relationships in drawing portraits in proportion and scale. Also, math and geometry are connected through the construction of mandalas. Students learned the formulas for diameter, circumference, and radius and from measurements, created their own mandalas in pencil, oil pastel and ink. The Rubin Museum also sent a visiting artist to further extend work on math and mandalas in a 3 session residency.

In addition, Pratt University sent a teaching artist for 10 week residency that connects math to art through the study of architecture. Students' final projects will be a 3D printed design of a structure they created.