The Commons Curriculum:
An Original Curriculum, Created for Our Commons
At the heart of our school is The Commons Curriculum, an original, custom curriculum developed by our Co-Founder, Director of Education, and Lead Educator, Nadine Foty, exclusively for The International Commons School of North Bethesda.
The curriculum grew from more than 15 years of experience working with children and families across diverse educational settings, both locally and internationally, alongside years of work in the arts and community building. Across those experiences, one idea remained constant: some of children’s richest learning happens when education, relationships, creativity, and the world around them come together.
The Commons Curriculum brings that philosophy into the classroom through an approach centered on community-building and interactive, experiential learning. Children are encouraged to ask questions, investigate, create, collaborate, engage with the people and places around them, and make meaningful connections between what they are learning and the world they experience every day.
CONNECTION
Children Learn From Their Village
At The International Commons School, we believe a child’s world is full of teachers.
Children learn not only from their educators, but from the people, cultures, places, and experiences that surround them. Throughout the year, children explore countries, cultures, languages, traditions, music, art, food, geography, wildlife, and daily life through immersive experiences and authentic community partnerships.
Our local community becomes part of the classroom, while the wider world continually expands its boundaries. Through these experiences, children begin to understand that there are many ways to live, communicate, create, celebrate, and understand the world.
The curriculum is designed not only to build knowledge, but to cultivate curiosity, compassion, empathy, confidence, leadership, and a lifelong love of learning.
FOUNDATIONS
Academic Learning Woven Throughout
Children aren’t choosing between academic learning and experiential learning. They are developing foundational skills through experiences that give those skills meaning.
Language and literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, engineering, the arts, and physical development are intentionally woven throughout the curriculum rather than taught only as isolated subjects.
Children encounter and apply these concepts through inquiry, storytelling, cooking, music, movement, nature exploration, collaborative projects, dramatic play, conversation, and hands-on investigations grounded in real-world experiences.
DISCOVERY
Learning Begins With Curiosity
The Commons Curriculum provides a thoughtful framework for learning, but it is not a script. We believe some of the most meaningful learning begins with the questions children ask, the things they notice, and the ideas they become excited to explore.
Our educators observe closely and listen carefully, using children’s interests and questions as opportunities to deepen and extend learning. A conversation at the lunch table, something discovered on a walk, a question about a building in the neighborhood, or an unexpected fascination in the classroom can become the beginning of a larger investigation.
Teachers thoughtfully connect these emerging interests to the broader goals of the curriculum, allowing children to have a meaningful role in shaping their learning while ensuring they continue to develop important skills and knowledge.
In this way, The Commons Curriculum is intentional without being rigid. It gives educators a strong foundation while leaving room for curiosity, creativity, spontaneity, and the individual children who make each classroom community unique.
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