Licton Springs K-8 Curriculum

Changing the world one classroom at a time

Our Curriculum includes:

Focus on Native Heritage, honoring Northwest tribes and the diversity of tribes throughout the America’s

• Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum
• Social Justice education
• Individualized approach for different types of learners
• Frequent field trips and community speakers
• Model of shared decision making

Experiential Learning

Because we at Licton Springs K-8 believe that the most inspired educational experiences occur when classroom learning connects with real-world contexts, Licton Springs students take every opportunity to engage in hands-on, experiential learning.

Destinations and activities include:

• Library tours
• Canoe carving at the Center for Wooden boats
• Volunteering at Northwest Harvest
• Wilderness hikes and camping
• Museums
• Various Seasonal events
• Pacific Northwest Ballet Performances
• Moore Theatre and other theatres
• Beaches
• Music and Dance performances at Meany Hall at UW
• Pacific Science Center
• Hibulb Cultural Center
• Duwamish Longhouse

We live in one of the most exciting locations in the world, and our teachers stretch their imaginations to create field experiences that capture that excitement.

Mathematics

Seattle Public Schools’ Strategic Plan, Excellence for All, commits the District to ensuring high expectations and a high quality school for every student. As part of a system-wide effort to increase the number of Seattle Public School students that graduate from high school prepared for college and the 21st century work force, Seattle Public High Schools (SPS) has committed to a curriculum alignment in core academic subjects across all Schools.

Service Learning

Showing students the joy of helping others is an important part of LICTON SPRINGS K-8’s goal to educate the whole child. Taking students into the community to perform acts of kindness serves several purposes:

• Helps students learn to care for others.
• Teaches values such as charity, tolerance, compassion and the importance of social justice.
• Helps them learn that they are part of the larger community and that they have the ability to positively impact what happens to themselves and to others.
• As with all of  Licton Springs K-8’s field trips, Service Learning trips teach them that the classroom extends well beyond the school building.

Our commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice
All children have a right to learn and succeed in a safe school community. We hold the vision for every child to reach their greatest potential as a lifelong learner, a valued member of the community, and a“stand” for peace and justice in the world.  Licton Springs K-8 students who struggle with basic skills are not marginalized in our community. Their challenges are understood and supported and their unique abilities and talents are highly valued. We are committed to reversing the over-representation of students of color in Special Education and to meeting the learning needs of all students through collaboration with General Education teachers and other support staff. We strive for equity in education and inclusion in the community for all of our students.

An experiential, hands-on approach to learning
Learning by doing is emphasized. Many of our students who need specially designed instruction in reading, writing, and spelling are strong visual and kinesthetic learners. They often excel at drawing, designing,building, and creating, have strong athletic interests and abilities,and are articulate, expressive communicators. They benefit from amulti-sensory approach to learning and respond best to a dynamic,experiential environment.

At Licton Springs K-8 we strive to create a child-centered community, responsive to  the individual needs of each child. Basic skill development is often integrated into high interest content areas, which are personally meaningful and motivating for students, such as geology, geography,history, architecture, and science. Students have opportunities to tackle their academic challenges through their strengths.

Choice: Research about how our brains work indicates that brains work best, when they have choices.

Choice comes with responsibility. It’s important for students to understand that a lack of basic skills can ultimately limit their choices in the future. Mastery of basic skills builds confidence and increases choices. Students who have IEPs work together with their parents and teachers to  fulfill IEP goals and objectives.

Parents say…

“[Licton Springs K-8] is a small community that provides a welcome place for children requiring a different type of learning environment. It fills a tremendous need in the Seattle School District. The experiential teaching philosophy provides a community for children with a diversity of needs, those who struggle to belong and who long for a place to fit in. [Licton Springs K-8] provides the flexibility and latitude and acceptance that these children require.”

“[Licton Springs K-8]…is an all inclusive model which enables the kids to feel that they are still a part of their core group without the labeling that often accompanies a student with an IEP or special needs.… with our system of choice, students are allowed movement between classes to meet their needs.”