Curriculum Highlights
Read about our Arbor Day activities, 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
Arbor Day
The entire school participates in City Day's annual Arbor Day activities. Students plant flowers on campus, identify different species of trees, create nature-related works of art, study the wildlife that lives on campus, and more. While plants and trees are the focus, students spend Arbor Day thinking about the environment as a whole and contemplating their role in it.
Each year, Arbor Day activities are rooted in City Day's science curriculum, giving students a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world around them.
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.