Online Microschool for Grades 3–5 Enrolling Now

A Day at Big Domes Academy

Each day at Big Domes Academy is designed to support learning, connection, and growth. Students begin with a welcoming routine that helps them feel focused and ready to learn. Lessons take place in small groups, allowing teachers to meet students where they are and provide meaningful support.

By the end of the day, students leave feeling proud of their progress and excited to continue learning. Big Domes Academy is a place where curiosity is encouraged and every learner is supported.

Throughout the day, students engage in thoughtful discussions and creative projects that build strong academic skills and confidence. Social and emotional learning is integrated throughout the day, developing communication, self-awareness, and resilience.

Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum is built on strong academic standards & intentional design to support deep learning.

• Standards-Aligned Instruction: Instruction is fully aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Math, and guided by national science & social studies frameworks.

• Social-Emotional Learning Integration: Daily SEL routines support emotional awareness, goal-setting, collaboration, & self-regulation.

• Project-Based Learning Approach: Students engage in meaningful, real-world projects that encourage inquiry, creativity, and problem-solving.

Curriculum Foundations

Project-Based Learning Examples

• Weather Watchers & World Mappers

• Our Story Museum

• Create a Species

• Amusement Park STEM Challenge

• EcoSolutions Lab

• World Explorer Guide

Our program is thoughtfully organized to balance structure, flexibility, & depth of learning.

• Quarterly Learning Cycles: The year is divided into four quarters. Each quarter includes two four-week instructional units followed by a flexible buffer week used for reteaching, enrichment, and project work.

• Formative Assessment and Feedback:
  Weekly formative assessments guide instruction, helping educators adjust lessons and provide targeted support.

• Differentiated Instruction: Small-group learning allows instruction to be tailored to each student’s needs, ensuring appropriate challenge and meaningful growth across mixed-grade classrooms.

• Summative Demonstrations of Learning:
  At the end of each unit, students complete performance-based assessments or projects that demonstrate mastery of key skills and concepts.

Instructional Structure

Teaching Multiple Grade Levels Together

While PBL units are shared, grade-specific pathways ensure:

• Grade-specific reading and writing standards

• Developmentally appropriate math pathways

• Personalized learning goals aligned to CCSS expectations

Multi-age learning is one of our greatest strengths. Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 learn together, but instruction is differentiated at every step.

Skill Pathways by Grade Level

Intentional Scaffolding

Lessons include:

• Entry points for developing learners

• Stretch tasks for advanced learners

• Choice-based pathways for autonomy and engagement

How does it work? By teaching a shared big idea or theme, but delivering:

• Whole-group conceptual lessons (all grades together)

• Grade-level breakout mini-lessons (10–15 minutes each)

• Independent or small-group work based on grade-level standards

Example (Life Science Theme):

• Whole group: What is an ecosystem?

• Grade 3 breakout: food chains (3-LS4-3)

• Grade 4 breakout: energy transfer between organisms

• Grade 5 breakout: modeling matter/energy cycles (5-LS2-1)

Students collaborate on a shared project, but their research, writing, and models are aligned to their grade’s NGSS standards.

• Phonics and Grammar Mini-Lessons

• Reading fluency practice

• Strategy-based guided reading

• Complex text analysis using grade-level standards

• Explicit vocabulary instruction

• Focus on narrative, informational, and persuasive writing, with research-based literacy practices

• Literature study includes folktales, historical fiction, poetry, and cultural storytelling.

• Writing instruction connected to each PBL unit

Research-Based Literacy Practices

• The CRA (Concrete–Representational–Abstract) approach

• Standards-based problem solving

• Mixed-ability math groups

• Real-world application tasks tied to projects

Math Instruction

Getting Started with Big Domes Academy

We offer two low-pressure ways for families to experience Big Domes Academy before enrolling

Complimentary Tutoring Diagnostic (Grades K–8)

Microschool Sample Day (Grades 3–5)

Families curious about tutoring can begin with a free 30-minute diagnostic session. Your child will work directly with an educator in a short, targeted lesson designed to highlight strengths and identify next steps. After the session, parents receive a brief summary with learning recommendations.

This session is intended as an introduction and diagnostic, not ongoing tutoring.

Families considering our online microschool may request a Microschool Sample Day. Students join a live small-group lesson, participate in collaborative learning, and experience our structured, supportive classroom routines firsthand.

Sample days are offered by request, based on availability, and scheduled after an initial family conversation to ensure a strong fit for everyone.