Learning on all different levels is our goal
Our academic program is aligned to New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) and incorporates social, emotional, behavioral, and functional learning in addition to the core content areas of language arts, math, science including STEM, and social studies. Our students also partake in courses in health and physical education, art, and music to complement the whole student.
Differentiated instructional strategies is practiced at Harbor School. Instruction is delivered through multiple approaches including audibly, visually, tactfully, and kinesthetically. We recognize that all students learn in multiple and various ways.
Harbor School uses multiple online learning resources which allow families to participate in the learning process by following up and reinforcing learning at home. You will have access from home to the same programs your children use here at school.
Language Arts Literacy
Harbor School incorporates literacy academically through direct instruction but also in less contrived, more natural ways to generalize the skills set forth in the Individualized Education Plan. Teachers may conduct a lesson about going to a restaurant, reading about the types of food they serve, viewing a video that walks them through it as a ‘preview,’ and then take it to the next level by visiting that restaurant and reading the menu. Students who may not be ready to read the menu may have different, functional literacy-related goals, such as matching a picture in their hand to the ‘restroom’ or ‘exit’ sign. On the other hand, students who may be ready for more complex tasks may be challenged with more higher-order thinking. The ultimate goal is for our students to be information gatherers and seekers by whatever method works best for them. We identify the student’s abilities and grow from that base.
Resource Rich Learning Environment:
Harbor School employs a variety of resources to meet the complex needs of our students. Teachers have a plethora of curricula at their fingertips. The following is a list of some that they utilize:
- Edmark Reading Program
- Unique Learning System
- News2You
- Handwriting Without Tears
- Scholastic News
- Reading A-Z
- Brainpop
- Generation Genius
- IXL
- Touch Math
- Teacher created materials
- Task boxes/Sensory bins in each room; dependent upon need and ability level
Mathematics
From 1:1 correspondence to functional life skills math, Harbor School is able to meet the needs of all students in the area of mathematics. Students work on number recognition, coin counting and money values, area of shapes and beyond. We create individualized programs based on the needs of our students, while following the New Jersey State Learning Standards.
Science
The students at Harbor School are exposed to a wide variety of science topics in accordance with the Next Generation Science Standards. Students cover topics including the Solar System, the human impact on the Earth, biodiversity in the world, chemistry and other topics. Science is approached in the multimodal approach, encouraging students to use hands on discovery and experimentation to get the most out of their science learning experience.
Social Studies
The Social Studies program at Harbor School covers topics from American History to functional life skills in the community. Our students are exposed to a wide variety of topics, but we maintain the students’ individual needs at the forefront of our instruction. Our main goal is to foster independence for their future, and this may be done through a community helpers lesson or a lesson on how to vote for the next President. Our social studies curricula encourages students to get out into the community and put what they learn within the school building into practical applications.
