Curriculum Highlights
Read about our field trips, interdisciplinary Chicago unit, and annual science fair
Innovation and creativity abound in the Chicago City Day School curriculum. Our teachers develop projects and units of inquiry that delight students while pushing them to think in new ways. Here are some examples of the incredible learning that happens at City Day
Curriculum Highlights
Field Trips
From first grade on, City Day students regularly take their learning off campus. We visit major museums like the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium, cultural destinations like the Lyric Opera House, and a rich array of neighborhoods and environments both in and out of the city. The city is our classroom!
Field trips allow our students to get to know their home city while viewing topics in a variety of disciplines through different lenses.
Curriculum Highlights
Chicago Unit
Third-graders at City Day take a deep dive into the history and culture of Chicago. They study the city's past, its people, its tragedies, and its triumphs. This yearlong inquiry stretches across academic disciplines, incorporating social studies, language arts, technology, drama, and visual art.
Highlights include a visit to the Chicago Fire Department's Survive Alive house, in-depth research of famous Chicagoans buried at Graceland Cemetery, study and observation of Chicago architecture, and the students' production of Stars in Chicago, a play about the Chicago flag.
By the end of the year, our third-grade students understand the roles that people, natural environments, art, and civic institutions play in the history of the city we call home.
Curriculum Highlights
Science Fair
Our annual Science Fair gives students a chance to develop a science project from start to finish in a noncompetitive environment. Students in senior kindergarten through sixth grade choose a topic to research and then create an experiment around it, following the scientific method. The students present their findings to fellow students, teachers, and parents.
As they work on their Science Fair projects, students hone research skills and develop a keen understanding of the scientific principals governing the world. Presenting their findings helps students refine their public speaking abilities. The Science Fair has become a highlight of the year for the entire City Day community.