Discover the Bank Street Way

Progressive Roots (1916 → Today)

The Bank Street approach grew out of the early 20th-century progressive education movement. In 1916, educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell helped found what became Bank Street College of Education to study how children actually learn—by engaging with real people, places, and problems. From the start, classrooms were treated as living laboratories where teachers observe closely, document growth, and refine practice.

Developmental–Interaction: Learning by Doing

Over decades of research and practice, Bank Street articulated the Developmental–Interaction approach: children develop across social, emotional, physical, and cognitive domains—and learning deepens when they interact with ideas, materials, and communities. Social studies anchors the curriculum, weaving literacy, math, science, and the arts into investigations of the child’s world (home, neighborhood, city, earth).

Research-Driven & Whole-Child Focus

Bank Street integrates teacher preparation, a laboratory school, and ongoing research, creating a feedback loop from classroom to scholarship and back. Teachers use observation, documentation, and portfolios to understand the whole child—identity, interests, strengths, and needs—then design responsive experiences that nurture curiosity, agency, and empathy.

Enduring Commitments

• Child-Centered: Respect each child’s pace, culture, language, and lived experience.
• Community & Democracy: Build caring, inclusive classrooms where children practice voice, choice, and responsibility.
• Integrated Curriculum: Connect disciplines through meaningful, real-world studies.
• Reflective Teaching: Use evidence from daily practice to adapt instruction and support growth.

Bank Street’s history isn’t just a timeline—it’s a living tradition of inquiry, equity, and joyful learning that continues to evolve with today’s children and communities.

Core Philosophy

The Reggio Emilia approach goes beyond traditional academics—it cultivates curious, confident, and compassionate learners. By honoring the child’s voice and interests, it nurtures skills and qualities that last a lifetime.

1. Experiential Learning
Children learn best by doing, so we anchor study in real-world investigations—mapping the neighborhood, interviewing community helpers, cooking, building, gardening, and conducting simple field research. These experiences turn abstract ideas into lived understanding and give children authentic reasons to read, write, measure, and problem-solve.

2. Social–Emotional Development
Learning flourishes in safe, caring communities. We teach self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and collaborative skills through class meetings, partner work, conflict resolution talks, and reflective journaling, so children practice kindness, voice, responsibility, and resilience every day.

3. Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Each child’s growth unfolds at a unique pace. Teachers use observation, portfolios, and anecdotal notes to tailor challenges—offering just-right scaffolds, open-ended materials, and choice—so tasks are rigorous without overwhelming, and success builds genuine confidence.

4. Integrated Curriculum
Social studies serves as the spine that connects literacy, math, science, and the arts into meaningful themes (home, neighborhood, ecosystems, cultures). When disciplines are woven together, skills gain purpose: reading to research, writing to explain, measuring to design, drawing to model, and performing to share learning with others.

5. Teacher as Facilitator
Teachers are designers and guides who prepare rich environments, pose authentic problems, and model inquiry. Through careful observation and timely questions—“What do you notice? How could we test that? What might we try next?”—they help children make sense of experiences, deepen reasoning, and extend ideas into new directions.

Curriculum Breakdown:

Core Strands (run through all grades)

• Social Studies (Spine): Community, identity, geography, history, civics.
• Language & Literacy: Oral language, phonics/word study, reading workshop, writing workshop, research.
• Mathematics: Number sense, operations, measurement, data, geometry, problem solving.
• Science & Nature Study: Inquiry, observation, experimentation, ecology, design/engineering.
• The Arts: Visual arts, music, movement, drama, media arts—integrated with themes.
• Social–Emotional Learning: Class meetings, conflict resolution, empathy, identity, care for community.
• Physical Education & Outdoor Learning: Games, gross motor, nature walks, fieldwork.
• Home–School Partnerships & Community Fieldwork: Interviews, local site visits, service learning.
• Assessment: Observation, anecdotal records, portfolios, performance tasks, conferences.

Yearly Theme Map (examples)

Bank Street centers social studies and weaves other disciplines through it. Here’s a K–6 sample arc—adjust to your local context.

• Kinder: Me & My World — family, home, classroom community.
• Grade 1: Neighborhoods — maps, helpers, local services, safety.
• Grade 2: Communities Over Time — traditions, migration, change & continuity.
• Grade 3: Work & Exchange — goods/services, markets, design a mini-market.
• Grade 4: Land & Water — ecosystems, resources, stewardship, local geography.
• Grade 5: Civics & Voice — rights/responsibilities, governance, media & persuasion.
• Grade 6: Interconnected World — trade, culture, technology, sustainability.

By Grade Band: Goals, Skills, & Sample Projects

Early Childhood (Pre-K–K)

Goals: Belonging, language-rich play, sensory exploration, emergent numeracy/literacy, care for self/others.
Key Skills: Oral language, symbol play, counting to 20, shapes, patterning, fine/gross motor, feelings vocabulary.
Projects:

• Our Classroom is a Community — jobs chart, norms, morning meetings (SEL, literacy).
• Family Stories Museum — photos, labels, simple timelines (literacy, social studies).
• Garden & Weather — observe, chart temperature/rain, draw plant parts (science, math).
  Assessment: Photos + teacher notes, work samples, simple checklists, family conferences.
  
  

Lower Elementary (Grades 1–2)

Goals: Inquiry routines, decoding/fluency, number relationships, mapping, collaboration.
Key Skills: Phonics/word study, writing simple paragraphs, addition/subtraction within 100, map keys/legends, data tables.
Projects:

• Map Our Neighborhood — walks, sketch maps, scale with non-standard units (SS, math, art).
• Community Helpers Interviews — question crafting, note-taking, thank-you letters (ELA, civics).
• Mini-Market Day — plan goods, price lists, data collection, reflections (math, ELA, SS).
  Assessment: Reading records, math journals, interview rubrics, portfolios.
  
  

Upper Elementary (Grades 3–4)

Goals: Research stamina, multi-paragraph writing, fractions/measurement, ecosystems, cause–effect in history.
Key Skills: Note-taking from sources, opinion & informative writing, fractions/decimals, data displays, experimental design basics.
Projects:

• Communities Through Time — timelines, primary/secondary sources, museum boards (SS, ELA, art).
• River/Ecosystem Study — field observations, water testing, restoration proposal (science, math, ELA).
• Design a Public Space — area/perimeter, budgets, persuasive presentations to “city council” (math, SS, ELA).
  Assessment: Rubrics for research reports, math problem-solving tasks, science notebooks, student-led conferences.
  
  

Middle Grades (Grades 5–6)

Goals: Critical reasoning, civic discourse, proportional reasoning, data analysis, systems thinking.
Key Skills: Argument writing with evidence, media literacy, ratios/percent, variables & graphs, engineering cycles.
Projects:

• Civics & Voice — identify a local issue, stakeholder interviews, op-eds, mock town hall (ELA, SS).
• Sustainable Cities — energy audits, prototype models, cost–benefit analysis (science, math, art).
• Global Interdependence — trace a product’s supply chain, create infographics/documentary (SS, ELA, media).
  Assessment: Performance tasks, debates, design rubrics, comparative reflections.
  
  

Weekly Rhythm (sample)

• M/W/F: Social-studies inquiry blocks (fieldwork, research, making).
• Daily: Reading & writing workshops (45–60 min each).
• Daily: Math workshop (60 min) with number talks + problem strings.
• 2×/week: Science/engineering lab or outdoor study.
• 2×/week: Arts integration (visual/music/drama) tied to the theme.
• Daily: SEL/class meeting (10–15 min), closing reflection (5–10 min).
• Weekly: Portfolio curation & student self-assessment.
  
  

Strand Details & Integration Examples:

Language & Literacy

• Read-alouds linked to themes; guided reading; word study; writer’s workshop (narrative, informational, opinion).
• Integration: Interview transcripts inform writing; nonfiction reading fuels research; publish class books & zines.

Mathematics

• Concrete → pictorial → abstract progression; math journals; real data sets.
• Integration: Market pricing & change‐making; mapping with scale; graphing water-quality data.

Science & Nature Study

• Question–investigate–explain cycle; field notebooks; simple citizen-science contributions.
• Integration: Garden yields measured and charted; engineering bridges for a “new park” civics project.

The Arts

• Studio blocks linked to investigations; process over product; exhibitions.
• Integration: Timeline murals, protest posters (civics), soundscapes for habitats (science).

SEL & Community

• Democratic class meetings, jobs, restorative conversations, identity-affirming libraries.
• Integration: Role-play town halls, collaborative norms for lab work, buddy reading across grades.

Assessment & Documentation

• Formative: Daily observation notes, exit tickets, conferring records, math journals.
• Summative: Performance tasks (exhibitions, debates, design challenges), published pieces.
• Portfolios: Curated work with student reflections showing growth across domains.
• Family Partnerships: Learning walks, showcases, home inquiry prompts, regular conferences.

Materials & Environment (quick list)

Blocks & loose parts • Maps & clipboards • Measurement tools • Chart paper • Primary sources & picture books • Science kits & field notebooks • Art media • Laptops/tablets for publishing & data • Class jobs chart • Reflection corner.

Optional Localization Notes

Swap neighborhood sites, history case studies, and community helpers with those from your city/region; align civics with local governance structures; choose ecosystems native to your area for fieldwork.