Curriculum for Older Children

Ages 12–15 | Monday–Friday | 12 PM – 4 PM

Our older students program is designed for curious, creative, and systems-oriented learners who thrive through discussion, experimentation, collaboration, and meaningful exploration.

Inspired by progressive educational philosophy, experiential learning, and the work of John Dewey, Common Ground School emphasizes inquiry, creativity, systems thinking, ethical reflection, and real-world problem solving in a relaxed but intellectually engaging environment.

We believe meaningful learning should be thoughtful, creative, collaborative, and connected to genuine curiosity.

Rather than focusing primarily on memorization, standardized testing, or passive instruction, we encourage students to develop:

• curiosity and independent thinking
• creativity and problem-solving
• communication and collaboration
• ethical reflection and empathy
• confidence and resilience
• connection between ideas and the real world

Our afternoons combine technology, geography, philosophy, engineering, programming, environmental thinking, and creative exploration into a flexible and engaging interdisciplinary learning experience.

Daily Rhythm

12:00–12:20 PM — Community & Curiosity

We begin each afternoon with conversation, current events, geography challenges, philosophy questions, collaborative games, and discussion prompts designed to encourage curiosity, reflection, and critical thinking.

Topics may include:

• ethics and society
• science and technology
• geography and culture
• environmental issues
• systems and design
• current events and big questions

12:20–1:00 PM — Skills & Strategy

Students strengthen vocabulary, communication, geography, logic, and collaborative problem-solving skills through interactive games and challenges.

Resources may include:

Wordle
https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

Spelling Bee
https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee

GeoGrid
https://www.geogridgame.com/

MapTap
https://maptap.gg/

1:00–2:15 PM — Exploration Block

Each day focuses on a different inquiry area.

Monday — Geography & Civilization

Students explore world geography, political systems, trade, migration, culture, and historical development through maps, strategy games, documentaries, and discussion.

Europa Universalis
https://www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/europa-universalis-v/about

Tuesday — Space, Physics & Engineering

Students investigate physics, engineering, experimentation, and aerospace design through collaborative challenges and simulation.

Kerbal Space Program
https://www.kerbalspaceprogram.com/

Wednesday — Programming & Computational Thinking

Students develop coding, logic, automation, and computational thinking skills through programming games and collaborative challenges.

The Farmer Was Replaced
https://thefarmerwasreplaced.com/

Replicube
https://www.walaber.com/replicube

Shenzhen I/O (advanced)
https://www.zachtronics.com/shenzhen-io/

Thursday — Systems, Automation & Design

Students explore logistics, automation, sustainability, industrial systems, optimization, and engineering tradeoffs.

Factorio
https://factorio.com/

Friday — Philosophy, Ethics & Society

Students engage in ethical inquiry, reflective thinking, collaborative discussion, storytelling, debate, and exploration of justice, systems, responsibility, and human decision-making.

Papers, Please
https://papersplea.se/

2:15–2:45 PM — Outdoor Break & Reset

Students spend time outdoors moving, relaxing, gardening, observing nature, or engaging in free exploration and social connection.

2:45–3:30 PM — Project & Creation Time

Students work on collaborative and independent projects including:

• engineering builds
• coding projects
• map design
• systems challenges
• creative writing
• presentations
• philosophy discussions
• research and design projects

3:30–4:00 PM — Reflection & Closing Circle

We end each afternoon with reflection, discussion, journaling, project sharing, collaborative feedback, and conversation about what students discovered, questioned, created, or wondered about throughout the day.

At Common Ground School, we believe older students learn best when they feel intellectually respected, emotionally supported, creatively engaged, and connected to meaningful work.

Our goal is not simply academic achievement, but the development of thoughtful, capable, curious, ethical, and connected young people.

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