Arts Integration
According to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., arts integration is “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject and meets evolving objectives in both.” We like this definition!
Put more simply, our teachers are creating lessons that draw on both Pennsylvania Core and Academic Standards and the National Core Arts Standards in order to broaden our students' awareness of connections between subjects, and deepen their understanding of what they're learning.
Baden Academy has Wilson Reading System certified educators in all grade levels and utilizes WRS strategies as a part of our ELA curriculum.
English & Language Arts
In our ELA program, students are given opportunities to connect their study of language to the arts. Our art program was specifically designed to combine literary and visual arts. Baden Academy students put the skills they learn in theater into practice while presenting in class. They tackle projects like writing their own scripts to perform for their classmates and analyze artwork to understand its themes.
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We study classical the mythological stories of ancient Greece and Rome. These stories are integrated into our ELA classrooms and theater programs and introduce students the the critical elements of literary structure and the Hero's Journey.
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Curriculum: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Into Reading
Science
Our science program is built to offer a wide range of interactive instructional options, including write-in books, digital lessons, and both hands-on and virtual labs. Each lesson includes activities, probing questions, misconception alerts, differentiated instruction, and vocabulary support, all aimed at helping our teachers engage students in meaningful, inquiry-based learning.
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Whether it’s learning that scientific names like helium, iris, and solar were named for mythological characters, or creating natural dyes to color yarn for an art project, Baden Academy students learn to celebrate the beautiful connections between art and science.
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Curriuclum: McGraw Hill
Math
An article posted on WQED’s website For Parents says, “It’s easy to view art and math as completely separate subjects. Right brain vs. left brain. Creative vs. analytical. Right? But in fact, many of the core skills in art and math are closely related. Both disciplines require spatial reasoning skills and the ability to recognize patterns. Artists and mathematicians both use geometry in their work—including shapes, symmetry, proportion, and measurement. For this reason, among others, many educators have changed their focus from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to STEAM, adding an ‘A’ for Art.”
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Baden Academy embraces the STEAM approach to learning, adding that "A" to help students learn math and science through meaningful, engaging lessons.
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Curriculum: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Go Math
Social Studies
The National Council for the Social Studies writes, “Instead of a disconnected list of dates, names, events, and timelines, incorporating the arts provides students with a real context in which to apply social studies content. Getting students to engage with, use, and create art—in any form—provides a concrete way for them to connect to social studies content and concepts in innovative, creative, and purposeful ways.”
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In keeping with Baden Academy’s mission of arts integration, our students learn to connect social studies to language, music, art, and culture. Students who are studying elements of World War II, for example, read The Diary of Anne Frank in their theater classes. Students who are learning about Native Americans explore traditional dances and art forms, and all-school arts integration units may include each class contributing to a timeline of the arts from different countries and cultures around the world.
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Curriculum: SAVVAS - myWorld Interactive
Special Education
In compliance with state and federal law, Baden Academy Charter School provides services and accommodations to students identified with a protected handicap, without discrimination or cost to the student or family. Our goal is to provide these services and accommodations so that all of our students have an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from our school programming and extracurricular activities, to the maximum extent appropriate to the student's abilities.
The document attached below provides all of the required details for Baden Academy's special education services. For any further information on the evaluation procedures and the provision of these services, please reach out to our Student Services Supervisor, Caitlin Davidson, at 724-869-4269.