At Battle Academy, we have numerous programs to engage and enrich our students to best meet individual
needs.
- Magnet School
- NASA Explorer School
- Allied Arts
- Title I
- Socratic Seminar
- Character Counts
Magnet School
Battle Academy is a zoned magnet school whose magnet theme is the
multiple
intelligences which is based on the work of Howard Gardner.
Gardner's work
pursues the idea that there are many pathways in which an
individual might
exhibit how he/she is smart beyond the typical verbal linguistic
or
mathematical logical routes. These are the two areas around
which
traditional schools are centered. At Battle, each learner's
unique
combination of multiple intelligences is fostered and held in
high esteem.
The following are some examples of Battle student learning
experiences:
*Pre-K students using their bodies to make the letters of the alphabet
*Kindergarten students studying fall harvests/traditions
through music,
visual art, dramatic play, journal writing, analytically
sequencing,
sorting, and/or graphing the elements of falls bounty and taking
naturalistic walkabouts on Battle's roof garden
*First graders experiencing the countryside during a field
study to
Cades Cove near Gatlinburg, identifying animal tracks, collecting
indigenous leaves and systematically recording their naturalistic
findings
in charts and journals
*Fourth grade students using drama strategies and
simulation to
experience Westward Expansion using actual life size models of
Conestoga
wagons in their simulation
*Fifth graders presenting Civil War projects to their peers
through the
delivery of speech, video photography, creating of clothing worn
by someone
in the mid 1800s, or visual displays depicting various Civil War
battles
NASA Explorer School
The NASA Explorer School program gave opportunities to our
students and
teachers that were beyond amazing! The program was a partnership
for three
years. The goals of the program were to increase student interest
in
science, math, and technology; increase parent involvement in
science, math,
and technology; increase professional development for teachers in
science,
math, and technology; and to increase student awareness of career
opportunities in science, math, and technology
(http://explorerschools.nasa.gov). NASA mentors visited Battle
on a regular basis to complete activities with the students to
help engage
and enrich their science knowledge.
Through this grant, teachers received numerous professional
development
opportunities. Six teachers in our building flew in
microgravity in
order to test student created experiments. Five teachers each
year were
invited to attend a National Math, Science, or Technology
Conference and
five teachers were invited to participate in training
opportunities during
the summer at NASA facilities. These training sessions included
technology
immersion (video conferencing, palm pilots, robotics, etc.) and
integrating
the International Space Station into the math curriculum.
Students had the opportunity to visit the UTC Challenger Center (Chattanooga, TN), US Space and
Rocket Center (Huntsville, AL), Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX),
Wallops Flight Facility (Chincoteague, VA), and Goddard Space Flight Center
(Greenbelt,
MD).
The NES program has also taken down our class room walls and
opened our eyes
to video conferencing. These opportunities provide students with
a wealth
of background information about science and also give them the
chance to
speak with astronauts, students from other NES schools, and NASA
personnel.
Allied Arts
Battle Academy is an Allied Arts School and students participate
in the arts
throughout the learning day. Allied Arts provides our students
with artists
in residence and opportunities for our teachers for professional
development. A number of classroom teachers have participated in
professional development sessions with Dr. Claudia Cornett on how
to teach
literacy through the arts. One Battle teacher's lesson ideas
were published
in Dr.
Cornett's book. Kennedy Center artists focus on creative
writing, poetry,
and drama in the classrooms and engage our students in meaningful
activities
to integrate the curriculum. The Allied Arts grant has been
supplemented
with a Community Foundation grant that has provided dance
instruction for
our pre-k through second grade students and drama experiences in
grades 3-
5.
As a culminating activity, the Battle learning community
celebrates the
arts for an entire day each spring. The spring Art Experience is
an
interactive reflection of arts-based learning. The three goals
on this day
are that each Battle student has an opportunity to display a
piece of
created art or participate in a performance, that each Battle
student has an
opportunity to be part of an audience during a performance, and
finally that
each Battle student has the opportunity to take a gallery walk
and search
for the elements of art in the student produced art on display
throughout
the school. Community members receive invitations to visit
Battle on this
day, and student docents conduct tours for visitors. On the
evening of the
Art Experience, the Battle PTA hosts an Arts Celebration for
parents.
Students share their performances in dance and song and students
lead their
family members on gallery walks followed by a reception in the
dining room.
Title I
Battle Academy receives school-wide Title I funds which are
available to
support the learning of all Battle students. Title I funding
supports
additional personnel including instructional assistants who
provide academic
support to students and a Family Partnership Specialist who works
to engage
parents in supporting their student's learning and increasing
academic
achievement. The Family Partnership Specialist facilitates
training
sessions for parents as needed in literacy, mathematics, and
parenting
skills. Title I support also funds professional development for
teachers in
the area of scientifically based literacy and mathematics
instruction.
Instructional resources include a mobile computer lab, leveled
texts, and
hands on math materials are purchased to provide supplemental
instruction to
students.
Socratic Seminar
Battle Academy incorporates Paideia principles into student
learning. These
principles include three kinds of teaching: didactic teaching of
subject
matter, academic coaching which includes the skills of learning,
and
Socratic questioning in weekly seminars. An hour each week is
devoted to
seminaring school-wide with all teachers and students
participating. The weekly
seminars are focused around a piece of art, a literature
selection, a song,
a poem, or a video clip. Each group of 10-12 students and 1
adult facilitator
practices thoughtful discussion of the text and completes a
follow-up activity
to demonstrate their learning.
Character Counts
The guidance counselor coordinates the Character Counts program
in which
downtown business partners from TVA visit Battle classrooms and
share a book
and an activity related to one of the nine character traits.
Classroom
teachers then follow-up with additional activities to support the
character
trait of the month. Each classroom recognizes students on a
monthly basis
who exemplify the current character trail, and at the end of the
month
Students of the Month are honored with a Certificate of Honor and
are
treated to a pizza luncheon.