Curriculum Overview
The Beginning and Lower School curriculum helps students from preschool to fifth grade build cognitive skills while also developing their physical, social-emotional, and intellectual selves. Students gain knowledge and skills necessary to be informed, participatory, and engaged community members.
The Arts
The joy and challenge of engaging in the creative process is highly valued. Through our music program, students learn instrumental work, singing, dance, creative movement, and improvisation. The visual arts and woodshop programs engage in a broad range of mediums, concepts, and techniques and value innovation, craftsmanship, and collaboration.
Literacy
Our program is designed to help students become confident, independent readers and writers who believe in the power of their own voice. Teachers implement a workshop approach to support every student in finding their unique voice and to help them develop a love for reading, the ability to analyze literature, and the confidence to express themselves through the written and spoken word. We ensure the components of foundational literacy skills (phonemic awareness, phonics skills, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) are taught and aligned through the grades. Literacy is integrated with social studies, and students use their skills to learn about the world and consider their actions to make it a better place.
Mathematics
Our math program develops students who are joyful and creative problem solvers who approach challenging mathematics with curiosity and perseverance and creates an environment in which students are encouraged to collaborate, discuss, and expand their ideas and knowledge. Homeroom teachers use best practices and research-based strategies to implement mathematics instruction, create respectful citizenry, and make sense of mathematics. Beginning in kindergarten, classrooms use Illustrative Mathematics as the core curriculum. It follows common core standards and is a problem-based curriculum that uses inquiry-based tasks to ensure all students can access, be challenged, and be successful within grade-level content.
Modern Languages
Starting in first grade, students explore both Mandarin and Spanish before selecting with their families which language to study. These classes are taught by specialist teachers. Through movement, song, play, art, conversation, and oral and written activities they begin to learn to listen, speak, read and write in their studied language. Students typically study the same language throughout their time in Beginning and Lower School.
Science
In our inquiry-based science program students learn how to develop their own questions, investigate, and find answers through exploration and experimentation. Throughout their years in the Beginning and Lower School, they develop the capacity to ask questions, plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, use mathematical thinking, create explanations and engage and communicate through science.
Social Studies
Students study the different ways people address problems, and gain the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required to be active and engaged participants in public life. Students examine historical events through a lens of racial literacy to understand identity and justice. Social studies is woven into the curriculum throughout the day and is frequently the springboard for reading and writing content.
Wellness
Students engage in wellness activities designed to promote lifelong physical and social-emotional health. They develop gross motor skills, learn how to keep their bodies healthy and active, and develop ways to take on new challenges.