Summers-Knoll School
Encyclopedia
Summers-Knoll School is a small, independent elementary school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school primarily focuses on child-centered education for students who are bright, creative and/or gifted. The school's mission is to 'enable bright, creative, and gifted children to realize their unique academic, social, and emotional potential in a beautiful, loving setting'.
Summers-Knoll is nut free, and is a Certified Michigan Green School.
The backbone of Summers-Knoll classroom work is project-based learning
. Project-based learning
allows a student to work authentically in ways that build academics while developing important collaborative skills. It develops a child’s sense of purpose by integrating learning with life. It encourages problem solving, risk taking, creativity and resilience. It creates space for children to learn from one another, to cultivate and extend the special talents and passions of their peers and to have confidence in their own contributions.
Monthly themes
The SK curriculum is based on monthly or bi-monthly themes, selected to offer academic opportunities across the range of disciplines. Themes are targeted towards investigation of particular subjects (art, math, science, language arts, etc.), but each theme is taught in an integrated, interdisciplinary way so that all subject areas are consistently and dynamically explored. Each theme is a platform for developing academics in the context of intellectual inquiry and community awareness.
Elementary programs change themes monthly, and middle school programs change themes bi-monthly. All students study various aspects of the theme at developmentally-appropriate levels of complexity and sophistication, generating opportunities for sharing activities across the classrooms and age groups. Students learn from students, mentor each other, share field trips, celebrations and reflections.
. The school has been a major beneficiary of the Knolls' philanthropic non-profit organization, the Andrah Foundation.
In December 2007, Summers-Knoll became the first certified Michigan Green School in Ann Arbor.
Summers-Knoll is nut free, and is a Certified Michigan Green School.
Curriculum and Programs
Project-based learningThe backbone of Summers-Knoll classroom work is project-based learning
Project-based learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
. Project-based learning
Project-based learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
allows a student to work authentically in ways that build academics while developing important collaborative skills. It develops a child’s sense of purpose by integrating learning with life. It encourages problem solving, risk taking, creativity and resilience. It creates space for children to learn from one another, to cultivate and extend the special talents and passions of their peers and to have confidence in their own contributions.
Monthly themes
The SK curriculum is based on monthly or bi-monthly themes, selected to offer academic opportunities across the range of disciplines. Themes are targeted towards investigation of particular subjects (art, math, science, language arts, etc.), but each theme is taught in an integrated, interdisciplinary way so that all subject areas are consistently and dynamically explored. Each theme is a platform for developing academics in the context of intellectual inquiry and community awareness.
Elementary programs change themes monthly, and middle school programs change themes bi-monthly. All students study various aspects of the theme at developmentally-appropriate levels of complexity and sophistication, generating opportunities for sharing activities across the classrooms and age groups. Students learn from students, mentor each other, share field trips, celebrations and reflections.
Assessments
Summers-Knoll uses a portfolio-based assessment system based on the Work Sampling System. Narrative reports and formal and informal parent-teacher conferences are incorporated into assessments.History
Summers-Knoll School was founded in 1995 by Ruth Knoll (née Summers), wife of Photoshop creator Thomas KnollThomas Knoll
Thomas Knoll is an American software engineer best known for initiating the development of Adobe Photoshop. He was the lead developer until version CS4, and currently contributes to work on the Camera Raw plug-in to process raw images from cameras.Knoll was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and...
. The school has been a major beneficiary of the Knolls' philanthropic non-profit organization, the Andrah Foundation.
In December 2007, Summers-Knoll became the first certified Michigan Green School in Ann Arbor.
External links
- Ann Arbor News: http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews_opinion/2008/06/susan_carpenter_kids_say_banni.html