New Lincoln School - Curriculum

Curriculum

The curriculum revolved around "Core," a theme around which social science and English instruction was structured. Field trips and class plays were integrated with Core. Core topics included the Dutch in New York, China, India, Japan, and American History. Some Core programs were linked to a grade, while others varied from year to year. Science and Math were taught more conventionally, though Math classes were smaller, broken down within groups by level.

Instruction was highly individualized, with individual exploration and small work groups greatly encouraged. Seating plans were generally informal, and most teachers were called by their first names, though they could choose more formal modes of address. Foreign language instruction, French and Spanish, began in the fifth grade. English grammar was not taught.

The arts were stressed. An extensive studio art program was headed by Lois Lord ("Lordy"), assisted later by Doris Stahl and others, explored many media. The ceramics program, which featured kilns and a wide range of glazing materials, was run by "Axie" Axelson. Music was taught by Hugh McElhenny. Hugh used a great variety of instruments in teaching, and students played on autoharps, temple blocks, marimbas, gongs, to mention a few. Song lyrics were displayed with a slide projector against the wall during group singing, and the range of music ranged from folk and work songs to Broadway tunes. All students, regardless of gender, took Wood Shop and Home Economics.

While grade levels were conventional, the Middle School combined fifth and sixth grades and seventh and eighth into two or three groups each. Grades were labeled alphabetically, so that Group A corresponded to first grade, Group B to second ... Groups K, L, M to seventh and eighth.