The Country Day School art curriculum is designed to allow children to be artists and respond to art. Through the manipulation of process and materials, along with the integration of aesthetics, collaboration, and art history, our art curriculum builds and engaging, creative, and imaginative environment for students in which they can express their ideas and build self-confidence. Students learn the importance of individuality through the observation of art, arts-based discussions, and consideration of alternative ideas. The walls of our hallways and every classroom are decorated with artwork, unique to each student, from all ages.

The art program at every grade level offers a wide range of materials and media, both two- and three- dimensional. Art history and aesthetic visual discussions promote an understanding of past and present art forms and becomes a stimulus for creating art. Students observe and examine various aspects of projected images, such as color, space, line and form; how these images make them feel; what they see; what they like and dislike; and why is it considered art. Collaboration in art boosts creative problem solving, student communication, and team building skills. Most importantly, we strive for students to have fun, enjoy their experience, and feel confident in their artistic and personal choices.

Objectives

• Recognize and identify differences in shapes, scale, color, texture, pattern, line and form
• Experiment with media and learn to manipulate these materials in ways that stimulate the student’s expressive abilities
• Make decisions throughout the art process regarding tones, colors, shapes, patterns, textures rhythm and form
• Continue to revise and refine artwork throughout creation process
• Learn to accept and deliver constructive criticism, and well as self-assessment
• Develop confidence in personal choices and in contributing new ideas
• Establish respect for others' ideas, artistic decisions, opinions and beliefs
• Expand on the ability to use the imagination
• Participate in group discussions and ask questions

Grade JPK Art

• Start painting (objective and non-objective)
• Learn about the colors, how to mix and experiment with them
• Create collages
• Make rubbings
• Build scultpure (clay and recycled materials)
• Draw with various materials
• Develop holding and using materials in appropriate manners
• Discuss and explore textures
• Learn about artists Eric Carle and Matisse

Grade SPK Art

• Build on JPK art experiences
• Paint with multiple instruments
• Explore warm and cool colors
• Create collages with various materials
• Develop scissor skills and holding materials
• Explore motor skills through clay and model magic
• Learn about different lines
• Discover artists Leo Lionni, Lois Ehlert and Kandinsky

Grade K Art

• Continue to paint and draw
• Refine scissor skills through Matisse inspired project
• Refine manipulation of materials
• Learn the color wheel
• Explore emotions and their relationship to color and line
• Create primary colors collage after studying Piet Mondrian
• Make expressive self portratis as kings and queens

Grade 1 Art

• Continue to work on painting, drawing, and sculpting
• Enjoy increased freedom to combine mixed media
• Collaborate on an art project
• Learn how to weave
• Build coil pots
• Create Klimt inspired trees after studying Gustav Klimt
• Introduce printmaking
• Examine Salvador Dali's self portrait and create own Dali inspired portrait

Grade 2 Art

• Build on foundation and techniques from first grade
• Create individual waving using yarn and mini loom
• Learn symmetry and create pumpkins
• Study local artist Andy Warhol and create flowers
• Create portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso
• Identify foreground, middleground and background through creation of landscape project

Grade 3 Art

• Experience opportunities to work with all basic materials and techniques
• Begin more complex clay works
• Continue building drawing and construction skills
• Study the effect of using light and shade in artwork
• Build coil pots
• Create ceramic fish

Grade 4 Art

• Participate in a wide variety of media experiences
• Learn about assemblage and create own project inspired by Nevelson
• Introduce sewing and create sewing project; feature artist Faith Ringgold
• Participate in sketchbook assignments and chalenges
• Explore the website Dailey Monster, and create an Ink Monster using blown ink and imagination
• Study architecture, specifically Victorian homes, to create haunted houses

Grade 5 Art

• Explore the artwork and life of Chuck Close then, using mathematics and measuring, create a large scale animal portrait using oil pastels
• Study the history of masks and create plaster masks
• Continue to elaborate and emphasize drawing techniques
• Integrate art projects with the study of Egypt
• Participate in sketchbook assignments and challenges
• Examine artist Grant Wood and create a new American Gothic
• Participate in an independent arts project based, managed and structured upon students' interest
• Enjoy increased freedom in the art room to explore materials and creativity

Learn more about the Middle School and Senior School art curriculum.

The language arts are central to all learning. The overall purpose of the curriculum is to guide the continuous growth and development of students’ thinking and language abilities from grade JPK to 5. This focus enables students to understand and appreciate language and to use it in a variety of situations for communication, personal satisfaction and learning. The aim is to ensure that students, upon leaving fifth grade, are competent and confident in using language for functional and aesthetic purposes.

Objectives

• To appreciate the value of reading and writing
• To read with understanding and fluency
• To develop students’ English language abilities as a function of their thinking abilities
• To promote personal and social development by expanding students’ knowledge and the use of the English language
• To develop proficiency as well as enjoyment in speaking, listening, writing, reading, representing, and viewing
• To develop the ability to appreciate and respond to a variety of texts
• To read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras, and ideas
• To write to communicate for a variety of purposes
• To listen and speak effectively in a variety of situations

Grades JPK-SPK Language Arts

The literacy goals in junior and senior pre-kindergarten focus on fostering a love of language and the development of excellent communication skills. Books are an integral part of the classroom. Each day, teachers read aloud from a wide variety of quality literature relating to curricular topics. Children have frequent opportunities for writing and drawing as expressions of concepts or experiences.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Conversing in a group setting
• Gaining phonemic awareness through children’s literature
• Learning to recognize letters and sounds and begin handwriting
• Expressing through drawing and emergent writing
• Gaining comprehension skills in retelling, comparing and contrasting, and sequencing

Grade K Language Arts

The Kindergarten Language Arts curriculum is a comprehensive, differentiated approach to reading and writing instruction. Components of the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom curriculum are used to engage students with literature to provide the foundation they need to become proficient lifelong readers. Reading books aloud as a class is an essential part of every school day. Through this practice, students are exposed to a wide variety of literature in the library and the classroom to expand their vocabulary, expose them to complex text, and to model comprehension strategies. Students also engage in small group guided reading sessions, which enables them to practice word identification and comprehension skills in books that are on their reading level. The Wilson Fundations program is also utilized to develop a student’s ability to identify words through systematic phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, vocabulary, and grammar activities. The Handwriting Without Tears program is used to provide students with developmentally appropriate and multisensory handwriting instruction. A Writing Workshop approach is used to aid students in learning the basics of the writing process. The students learn how to use pictures and words to express their thoughts and ideas in written form. 

Objectives:

• Recognize upper and lower case letters
• Form upper and lower case manuscript letters
• Associate sounds with letters
• Segment sentences
• Segment, isolate and blend letter sounds
• Recognize and produce rhymes
• Recognize and produce onset and rime blends and segments
• Count, produce and blend syllables
• Recognize consonants and vowels at the beginning, middle and end of words
• Understand genre: fantasy, informational, poetry, fiction and nonfiction
• Recognize and understand key details, character, setting, events, main topic, sequencing and plot
• Recognize and understand nouns, verbs, sentences, adjectives, pronouns and prepositions

Grade 1 Language Arts

The first grade curriculum strives to develop and strengthen students’ reading and writing skills. Fountas & Pinnell Classroom is a cohesive, multi-text approach to literacy instruction for first grade students. Students have whole-group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities including: interactive read-aloud, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, guided reading, book clubs and independent reading collections.Spelling and phonics concepts are taught through a multi-sensory structure, systematic and explicit program. Daily Fundations lessons include word-building activities, sight word study, and weekly dictation.

First grade writing incorporates a multifaceted approach that encompasses mini-lessons, independent writing time, one-on-one conferences, and a shared writing time. Throughout the year, students compose a personal narrative, opinion writing, poems, friendly letter, as well as informational pieces. Journal writing is completed daily.

Grammar lessons are taught through Mentor Sentences using picture books. Mentor sentences are well-written sentences that show off an author’s style from books we are reading in the classroom. They are chosen based on style, language, organization and conventions. This allows the students to connect to writers by identifying a variety of styles and crafts that authors use, and use for imitation purposes in writing.

Skill-building Activities:

• Participating in story discussions and small groups for reading, comprehending, and interpreting literature
• Discussing characters, setting, and events
• Reading aloud accurately and fluently
• Using multiple strategies to read and write unknown words
• Writing narrative, informational, opinion, and poetry pieces
• Including a beginning, middle and end when writing narratives
• Conferencing with teachers to improve student writing
• Prewriting, editing and publishing
• Using capitalization punctuation appropriately

Grade 2 Language Arts

The second grade curriculum strives to develop and strengthen students’ reading, writing and spelling skills. Fountas & Pinnell Classroom is a cohesive, multi-text approach to literacy instruction for second grade students. Students have whole-group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities including: interactive read-aloud, reading minilessons, shared reading, phonics/spelling/word study lessons, guided reading, book clubs and independent reading collections.

Second grade writing incorporates a multifaceted approach that encompasses mini-lessons, independent writing time, one-on-one conferences and a shared writing time. Throughout the year, students compose a personal narrative, poetry, procedural, biography and friendly letter, as well as informational pieces.

Grammar lessons are taught through Mentor Sentences using picture books. Mentor sentences are well-written sentences that show off an author’s style from books we are reading in the classroom. They are chosen based on style, language, organization and conventions. This allows the students to connect to writers by identifying a variety of styles and crafts that authors use, and use for imitation purposes in writing.

Skill-building Activities:

• Reading, comprehending and interpreting literature
• Using multiple strategies to read and derive meaning of unknown words
• Analyzing characters across multiple texts
• Discussing characters and series in small group formats
• Reading aloud accurately and fluently
• Using electronic media for research
• Writing narrative pieces consisting of a series of related sentences with a central idea
• Including a beginning, middle and end when writing narratives
• Writing organized non-fiction pieces using a variety of non-fiction text features
• Conferencing with others to improve student writing
• Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing
• Using initial and proper noun capitalization
• Using punctuation appropriately

Grade 3 Language Arts

Weekly literacy instruction begins with targeted mini lessons to introduce reading comprehension strategies and skills. Students then move into shared learning experiences in which they apply and extend their understanding of the comprehension strategies within a small group setting. The culminating piece of the literacy experience, centers upon students’ independent application of the comprehension strategy using a book of their choosing. Throughout the independent reading time, the teacher conducts one-on-one conferences to better understand each student’s reading interests and abilities.

Students engage in Robust Vocabulary Instruction, which aims to spark an interest in language and develop a rich vocabulary repertoire utilizing activities that are both thought-provoking and interactive.

Words Their Way teaches students to discover word patterns through weekly word sorts. Students learn to compare and contrast word features in each category, which helps to increase both spelling and vocabulary.

Using Mentor Texts to teach the craft of writing provides students with the opportunity to position themselves alongside an author and examine how texts are created to communicate an author’s idea. Examining author’s craftsmanship at the sentence and word levels provides students with the opportunity to examine grammar in a rich and meaningful context.

Writing Workshop uses mentor texts to introduce key writing concepts and skills. The Writing Workshop, much like the literacy instruction, encompasses mini lessons, independent writing time, one-on-one conferences and a shared writing time. Throughout the year, students compose narrative, opinion, poetry and informational pieces.

Reading Objectives:

• Read literature and informational texts from a broad range of genres, cultures and periods
• Identify and analyze key literary elements (character, plot development, setting)
• Monitor and adjust comprehension by rereading, adjusting reading rate and/or paraphrasing
• Draw inferences and make conclusions, citing evidence from the text
• Make connections between and across texts

Writing Objectives:

• Write for a variety of purposes and audiences (Informational, narrative, poetry, literature responses, research reports)
• Reflect and respond to writing prompts citing textual evidence
• Develop and strengthen writing by cycling through the planning, revising and editing processes
• Apply conventions of Standard English to writing (Use correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure)

Spelling Objectives:

• Engage in word study instruction to understand the logic and consistencies of spelling patterns within the English language
• Examine and analyze word patterns through active discovery and hands on manipulation
• Develop study skills for learning and applying spelling patterns
• Apply knowledge of spelling patterns to written work

Grade 4 Language Arts

Fourth graders are taught skills and strategies for proficient, fluent reading though the Reading Wonders program. Grammar, spelling, mechanics and vocabulary are included in these mini-lessons. These skills and strategies are then applied as children read independently leveled books for independent book reports and activities that encourage critical and higher-order thinking skills. Students also practice these skills and strategies as they study class novels, which are read independently and as a class and analyzed and interpreted in school. Students respond to literature through journals, book reports, comprehension questions and a variety of small group and independent classroom activities.

The reading program is designed to motivate, entertain and inspire students to read, utilizing a variety of literature. Third grade skills are reinforced and expanded to allow the child to choose books that are challenging and encourage continued growth. Students are encouraged to think critically about what they read and be prepared to organize, defend and express their opinions in various forms such as oral presentations, written critiques, and class and group discussions.

Writing is incorporated into all aspects of the curriculum and students write daily for different purposes and audiences. The writing program is designed to help the student to become a confident, fluent writer. The emphasis is on the process approach to writing. Fourth graders participate in Writers' Workshop for at least two hours per week. Teacher led mini-lessons focus on specific writing strategies, followed by independent writing and partner/group sharing. Writers organize their thoughts using a graphic organizer, and first drafts are proofread with peers following specific directions. Final copies are independently edited for learned grammatical conventions using criteria-based rubrics and are reviewed in individual conferences with a teacher.

In grammar lessons, emphasis is on identifying and using correct sentence structures that add interest and depth to writing. Students are encouraged to use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization and paragraphing skills. Students self-check papers applying rules that have been previously taught.

Weekly spelling lists include 20 spelling words that follow a particular rule; students who demonstrate proficiency with the rule are given more challenging lists. Vocabulary words taken from class novels are also presented weekly, and students are responsible for understanding their meanings and parts of speech. Vocabulary words are discussed in small groups and as part of whole-group discussions. Students are encouraged to incorporate newly learned words into their writing and to actively discover new words.

Reading Objectives:

• Have an expanded sight word vocabulary
• Decode unfamiliar words according to phonemic principles
• Employ a variety of critical thinking skills before, during, and after reading
• Recognize main idea, both stated and unstated, as well as supporting details
• Develop an appreciation and an understanding for a variety of literature
• Expand their vocabulary
• Match reading skills to reading material

Writing Objectives:

• Develop pieces that reflect an understanding of various purposes and audiences
• Write in an organized, coherent manner that reflects an understanding of the proper structural properties of the various types of writing: descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and essay writing
• Be self-reflective and revise own work
• Develop creative writings that contain well-developed characters and settings, as well as endings that reflect a solution to the story’s main problem
• Write with a depth that includes the use of varied vocabulary and sentence structure, and comprehensive descriptions

Grammar Objectives:

• Recognize capitalization and punctuation errors and make the necessary corrections independently
• Recognize when a new paragraph should be employed
• Correctly label the various forms of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, interjections and conjunctions
• Identify subject and predicate
• Recognize subject and verb agreement

Spelling and Vocabulary Objectives:

• Identify and apply spelling rules
• Become more competent in the use of a dictionary and a thesaurus
• Become proficient at enriching own vocabulary
• Apply spelling skills to written work
• Incorporate newly acquired vocabulary words into written work
• Identify the part of speech of newly acquired vocabulary words

Grade 5 Language Arts

The fifth grade language arts curriculum is designed to develop and enhance skills through daily reading and writing. A heavy emphasis on reading affords children the practice necessary to improve reading and thinking skills along with the opportunity to discover a wide variety of written material. Daily writing assignments are required in order to build the child’s writing fluency. Grammar skills are heavily emphasized.

Reading Objectives:

• Solidify word attack skills
• Develop fluency and expression in oral reading
• Sharpen literal, interpretive and critical reading skills
• Improve reading rate
• Identify main idea
• Sequence information
• Use context clues to comprehend new vocabulary
• Make predictions based on evidence in the text
• Locate specific information in reference sources
• Read different genres, such as historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, poetry and expository text
• Maintain a consistent schedule of independent reading
• Write responses, essays, summaries and book reports
• Offer oral responses to written material

Writing Objectives:

• Write for a sustained period of time
• Improve sentence structure
• Apply level-appropriate punctuation skills
• Organize sentences into paragraphs
• Proofread and edit work
• Experience writing: poetry, personal narratives, short stories, book reports, research papers, journal commentary, essays, directions, reports and literature responses
• Gather, organize and sequence information
• Take notes in preparation for report writing
• Summarize
• Broaden use of vocabulary
• Look critically at one’s own writing
• Evaluate and revise a first draft
• Write for a variety of audiences

Spelling Objectives:

• Identify and apply spelling rules to written assignments
• Improve homophone usage
• Form plural and possessive nouns
• Recognize spelling errors and reduce their frequency
• Proofread and correct spelling errors on written work

Learn about the Middle School and Senior School English curriculum.

The library at Country Day is an integral part of each student’s journey to becoming a lifelong reader and confident information seeker. Our library is committed to nurturing a love of books and reading, and to teaching our students to find and use information effectively and ethically. Our librarian works closely with teachers, students and parents to ensure that student information needs and interests are met. Our librarian collaborates with classroom teachers to support a variety of academic projects and to ensure that students are reading.

Library skills are cumulative throughout a child’s duration at Country Day, and each year builds upon the previous one. Many skills that are learned during library time are reinforced during subsequent years. Pre-kindergarten children are introduced to basic library concepts such as author and illustrator whereas students in fifth grade have learned to navigate the library, the catalog and online tools.

Grade JPK-SPK Library

Junior and Senior pre-kindergarten students visit the library weekly, with a focus on nurturing a positive connection with books, story time and libraries.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Become familiar with library procedures
• Learn proper book care
• Ongoing print awareness
• Utilize active listening skills
• Practice prediction
• Author and illustrator familiarization
• Participate in songs, flannel board stories, nursery rhymes and finger plays

Grade K Library

Kindergarten students visit the library weekly to enjoy read-alouds and learn book selection procedures.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Become familiar with library procedures and borrowing books
• Learn proper book care
• Reinforce print awareness
• Utilize active listening skills
• Practice prediction
• Author and illustrator familiarization
• Participate in songs, flannel board stories, and fingerplays

Grades 1-2 Library

First and second graders visit the library weekly and are exposed to a variety of books, authors, and illustrators. They continue to learn how to use library resources and select books to complete projects and fulfill personal interests.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Explore the series section
• Become familiar with borrowing procedures
• Listen to and thoughtfully discusses author/illustrator read-alouds or monthly thematic read-alouds
• Learn different parts of the book, such as the spine, cover, barcode, copyright date, author biography, summary page, table of contents
• Learn about copyright
• Become familiar with literary awards such as the Caldecott, Newbery, and Theodore Geisel Award
• Participate in a mock Caldecott election
• Understand the differences between fiction and nonfiction
• Learn how fiction is organized in the library
• Navigate the nonfiction, series, graphic novel, and picture book sections of the library 
• Understand the characteristics of a series
• Become familiar with biographies
• Continue emphasis on book care
• Explore PebbleGo database
• Participate in picture book inspired STEEM activities

Grade 3 Library

Third graders visit the library weekly. They choose independent reading books, and learn to navigate the library and online tools to identify, locate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Listen to a variety of book talks on fiction and nonfiction books
• Explore various genres 
• Learn how biographies are organized in the library
• Become familiar with the Dewey Decimal System
• Participate in conversations about plagiarism
• Practice effective note taking
• Further explore of parts of a nonfiction book, such as the glossary, index, copyright page, and table of contents
• Participate in thematic monthly celebrations, such as National Poetry Month and Native American History Month
• Use the Destiny Catalog to search for books to fulfill assignments and for personal interests
• Participate in a mock Caldecott election

Grade 4 Library

Fourth graders visit the library weekly. They choose independent reading books and learn to navigate the library and online tools to identify, locate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Reinforce the use of the Destiny Catalog to search for books to fulfill assignments and for personal interests
• Navigate the fiction and nonfiction sections in the library
• Revisit genres 
• Explore digital reference tools 
• Learn to form effective search strategies while using databases
• Utilize databases such as PebbleGo Next and Britannica 
• Revisit copyright
• Understand plagiarism and strategies to avoid plagiarizing
• Participate in thematic monthly celebrations, such as National Poetry Month and Women’s History Month
• Introduction to fair use and ethical use of information 
• Learn about digital citizenship, search engines designed for children, and internet safety

Grade 5 Library

Fifth graders visit the library weekly. They choose independent reading books and learn to navigate the library and online tools to identify, locate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Listen to a variety of book talks on fiction and nonfiction books
• Independently identify genres
• Continue using the Destiny catalog to locate fiction and nonfiction independently
• Continue to explore Internet safety and digital citizenship
• Use critical thinking skills to evaluate Websites 
• Effectively form search strategies
• Utilize school databases for research

Learn about SSA's libraries.

SSA Country Day School uses the Math in Focus: Singapore Math curriculum published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Based on teaching and learning strategies used in Singapore, the Math in Focus series emphasizes depth within mathematical thinking. Each year’s scope and sequence focuses upon mastery of concepts as well as problem solving and critical thinking. Teachers use concrete to visual to abstract development process leading students to a solid conceptual understanding. Using number bonds and mental math strategies, students understand the relationship of numerical values. Using math stories and model drawing, students associate visuals with numbers and problem resolution.

Through extensive practice, hands-on work in pairs and small groups, communication and reflection and challenging problems, the series builds real-world problem solvers. The students attain the appropriate background to understand how effective math strategies work and to realize what makes sense in math. Learn more about Singapore Math.

Grades JPK-SPK Math

The pre-kindergarten math curriculum provides children with a strong base of concrete, hands-on, real-life experiences to build an understanding of a wide range of abstract concepts. Children have daily access to instructional materials including math games, puzzles, measurement tools and collections of materials for sorting and counting.

Math in the early years is designed to foster a curiosity about math, numbers, shapes and patterns. A strong number sense and fluidity with numbers is crucial for building mastery. Students explore a wide variety of concepts and skills such as shapes and their attributes, patterns within the base-10 number system, using pictures to represent problems, and creating explanations to support their work.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Gain number sense, one-to-one correspondence and number stories
• Learn about non-standard units for weight and length
• Practice sorting and classification
• Learn about basic graphing, patterning, problem solving and sequencing
• Review geometry and spatial relations in shapes and puzzles

Grade K Math

The Kindergarten Math curriculum is Math in Focus: Singapore Math. It offers a strategic sequence of concepts that enable students to develop a true understanding of mathematical ideas.  Children are given opportunities to investigate, discover, explore and apply their own solutions to mathematical problems. Math is also reinforced during our morning meeting and calendar times. Children learn to use numbers and make connections between themselves and real life mathematical situations. Math in Focus is a problem solving, hands-on curriculum where students are encouraged to use manipulatives and explain their thinking. Students work to develop number sense skills moving from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract. We incorporate a variety of games to reinforce conceptual skills and develop number sense throughout the school day. 

• Introduce children to think mathematically about problems and their solutions
• Encourage students to persevere in solving mathematical problems
• Address fewer topics in greater depth
• Develop the foundation for numbers and operation
• Develop concepts and skills in tandem
• Use clear and engaging visuals that present concepts and model drawings
• Use concrete and pictorial representations
• Emphasize multi-step and non-routine problem solving

Grade 1 Math

The first grade mathematics program follows the Math in Focus: Singapore Math curriculum, which presents fewer topics at each grade level, but they are taught to mastery with deep understanding. The program is extremely visual and hands-on. Lessons flow from a model of concrete examples, to pictorial and then abstract. A strong emphasis is placed on a unified math vocabulary as well as critical thinking skills. Children are encouraged to use their math skills to deconstruct complex problems.

First graders explore:

• Building problem solving skills and strategies
• Counting, comparing and writing numbers to 50
• Adding and subtracting one and two-digit numbers using several strategies
• Classifying and sorting shapes and patterns
• Using calendars, time and money
• Understanding place value
• Number relationships
• Deconstructing numbers

Grade 2 Math

The second grade mathematics program uses the Math in Focus: Singapore Math curriculum. Students learn through a variety of games and hands-on activities. A strong emphasis is placed on the concrete-to-pictorial-to-abstract process to solve and master problems.

Second graders focus on:

• Representing and solving problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Adding and subtracting three-digit numbers with and without regrouping
• Working with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication and division
• Understanding place value and properties of operations for addition and subtraction
• Interpreting and solving real world problems using bar models
• Telling time to five minutes and elapsed time in half hour and hour intervals

Grade 3 Math

In third grade, Math in Focus emphasizes concept and skill development through hands-on manipulative-based instruction and practice. Additionally, there is a focus on problem solving, skill consolidation and early preparation for algebra.

• Place value to 10,000
• Addition and subtraction facts
• Multiplication and division facts from 0-12
• Mental math
• Geometry concepts
• Introduction to fractions
• Introduction to decimals
• Model drawing
• Time and elapsed time
• Real world problems
• Bar model drawing with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

Grade 4 Math

Fourth grade students build mathematical skills to solve larger and more complicated problems that involve several steps. The Math in Focus curriculum uses a "concrete to pictorial to abstract" sequence to present concepts and model strategies for solutions Students learn concepts through teacher-directed lessons and working with manipulatives. Model drawings are also used to help students engage in complex problem-solving. The questinos posed by the students while solving real-life problems guides the mathematical discussion. Often students are asked to explain their process and explore other ways of solving or representing the answer. This helps students learn to focus on the process of problem solving and not just the end result of being right or wrong

Fourth graders explore:

• Place value of whole numbers
• Computation and representation of fractions
• Estimation and number theory
• Decimal concepts
• Analyzing data using tables and graphs
• Whole number multiplication and division
• Multi-step problem solving
• Area and perimeter of various 2D shapes
• Classifying shapes, figures and angles
• Problem-solving skills and strategies

Grade 5 Math

The fifth grade Math in Focus program centers upon the continued building of a solid mathematical foundation. Students learn concepts through visual lessons, practice skills through instruction and activities, and apply knowledge through extensive problem solving opportunities.

The course focuses on:

• Comparing, ordering and rounding whole numbers into the billions and decimals to the thousandths place
• Simplifying number expressions through patterns, estimation and order of operations
• Rewriting fractions to enable addition and subtraction
• Applying multiplication and division to whole numbers, fractions, mixed numbers and decimals
• Evaluating relationships among fractions, decimals, and percents and calculating percent of a quantity, including tax and discount
• Determining dimensions to calculate volume of cubes, rectangular prisms and composite solids
• Exploring coordinates and utilizing the first quadrant of the coordinate plane to plot points and lines
• Classifying polygons in a hierarchy based on side and angle relationships
• Writing and translating ratios and equivalent ratios
• Solving real-world problems using multi-step operations, visual models and algebraic expressions

Learn about the Middle School and Senior School math curriculum.

“The only thing better than singing is more singing.”
- Ella Fitzgerald

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
- Fred Rogers

“Singing with children in the schools has beenthe most rewarding experience of my life.”
- Pete Seeger

Music, drama, and movement are integral aspects of each child’s journey at Country Day. Mrs. Fire jams with each class two to four times per week in the music room, on the hillside, by the playground, in the classrooms, in the chapel, and on the stage. Sometimes, spontaneous bursts of singing or rhythmic expression erupt during lunch and recess, too!

Our energetic, experiential curriculum is founded upon this maxim: We Are All Musical!

With that truth in mind, all students sing, dance, listen, think, improvise, compose, act, move, and play their way through songs and activities that develop musical, physical, cognitive, social, and theatrical skills. Of course, we also have FUN!

Music Outdoors

When the weather permits, music classes are held outside. The “wide outdoors” provides ample room for vigorous movement activities, and the fresh air is wonderful for singing with abandon!

Music and Theater in Community

Dramatic, musical presentations are authentic, “real-life” projects that showcase students' musical and theatrical growth and the efforts they have devoted to improving their skills. Times of community music offer extensive, real-life problem-solving moments for the students. These events foster cooperation and encouragement among the grades and in each class. Every year, Country Day students share many theatrical and musical occasions in the CDS Great Hall and at The Hillman Center For the Performing Arts on the Senior School Campus:

• Harvest/Autumn Open House (JPK-5th grade, featuring 4th grade)
• Holiday Show (JPK-5th grade, featuring 3rd grade)
• First Grade Musical
• Second Grade Musical
• Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day (JPK-5th grade) 
• Let’s Play! Early Childhood Extravaganza (JPK, SPK, and K)
• Spring Show (JPK-5th grade, featuring 5th grade)

If you attend one of these musical get-togethers, please be sure to bring YOUR singing voice! We always invite the friends and family who comprise our audience to join right in because we’d rather sing with you than for you!

Grades JPK-1 Music and Theater Arts

Between the ages of 3 and 8, students experience a variety of activities that nurture their developing musical selves. The CDS early childhood music curriculum can be summed up in three words: "tuneful, beatiful and artful."

"Tuneful" skills include using the singing voice with ease, matching melodic contour when singing, identifying and copying melodic patterns on barred instruments and physically expressing changes in tone.

"Beatiful" skills include identifying and expressing a steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns, echo rhythms with body percussion and instruments, improvising rhythmic patterns and expressing rhythmic concepts through dance.

To be "artful," one must develop listening and discernment skills and be able to hear new sounds and styles of music with an appreciative, receptive spirit.

Theatrically, students practice memorizing rhyming and non-rhyming lines of script in preparation for various events. They learn to use their voices to speak the important ideas they have, and they develop confidence as they move, speak, and sing on stage.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Singing echo and call-and-response songs
• Playing circle games, both stationary and ambulatory
• Using body percussion and rhythm sticks to express a steady beat while singing and listening to recorded music
• Using a variety of rhythm instruments to improvise patterns
• Playing singing games, especially games that focus on rhymes and object/name identification
• Engaging in movement practices that build proprioceptive awareness
• Practicing simple dance elements such as stomping, turning and moving backwards and forwards
• Using balls, beanbags, scarves, ribbon wands and other manipulatives to physically engage with musical ideas
• Using puppets to explore vocal characterizations and musical storytelling
• Experiencing music from a variety of time periods and world cultures
• Experiencing music that celebrates various holidays, seasons, and life events

Grades 2-5 Music and Theater Arts

After an extensive base of "tuneful, beatiful and artful" experiences has been established in the early grades, students are prepared to progress to more in-depth musical skills. This is accomplished primarily through the Conversational Solfege curriculum. Music reading skills are introduced in sequence, using a pattern of activities designed to provide students with the optimal opportunity to internalize musical literacy.

Following the same sequence by which spoken languages are most naturally acquired, Conversational Solfege introduces each musical concept aurally before approaching the idea visually. Students engage in activities and games that enable them to hear, echo, identify, decode, improvise, read, write and compose rhythmic, melodic and harmonic musical concepts.

The rhythmic curriculum begins with patterns of eighth and quarter notes in simple meter and proceeds through the study of all types of rhythmic notation in both simple and compound meter. Rhythmic concepts such as strong and weak beats, beat groupings and meter, and tempo are also taught. The study of melody and harmony begins with "do, re and mi" and progresses through the entire scale. Throughout all studies, musical terminology is taught and reinforced aurally and visually. Acquiring proficiency in music literacy is important, but it is certainly not the only goal of the curriculum for older students.

The children continue to celebrate through music, experiencing many seasonal, holiday and event-based songs. Folk dancing is an essential part of the curriculum, teaching vital social skills and honing physical abilities while reinforcing rhythmic concepts. Songs from various historical eras and geographical areas allow students to travel through space and time to experience music from around the world and across the ages.

Students’ growing familiarity with stage practices enables them to experiment and improvise in their theater activities. Beginning in 3rd grade, students take an active part in planning and designing every aspect of their musicals, from conceptualization and song selection/composition to costume design and set preparation.

Skill-Building Activities

• Singing a wide variety of songs including echo songs, call-and-response songs, singing games and play parties, cumulative songs, individual and small group sections, holiday and special occasion songs
• Using rhythm instruments to accompany singing and improvise rhythms
• Participating in drum circles and other free-form rhythmic activities
• Using melodic instruments such as bells and melody chimes
• Participating in competitive games that test grasp of particular skills
• Folk dancing
• Using a variety of musical props and manipulatives including scarves, balls, beanbags, ribbon wands and puppets to enhance learning
• Playing musical games from around the world
• Exploring historical, cultural and musical connections through the study of music history and current events
• Discussing and asking questions about the curriculum

Grades 3, 4, 5 Instrumental Music

Instrumental music is a continuation of the musical skills taught in JPK-2 Music. Students in Grade 3 will learn to play the recorder, and students in Grades 4 and 5 may choose a woodwind or brass instrument. Young musicians are grouped into small ensembles by instrument for instruction and join together once per week for a full-band rehearsal. Visiting professional musicians give demonstrations and performances for the students. Students will have opportunities to perform for peers, parents and the community several times per year.

Skill-building activities:

• Technique (proper embouchure formation, correct hand position and fingering, posture, breath control)
• Making music with others
• Following the conductor (stick or hand gestures)
• Learning rehearsal and performance ettiquette
• Providing proper care, handling and maintenance to a musical instrument
• Fluently reading music notation, rhythms, music markings (dynamics, tempo, articulation)
• Learning to play in three different key signatures and three time signatures
• Learning various musical styles

Resources include:

• Yamaha Band Student Volume I
• Yamaha Band Ensembles Volume I & II
• Yamaha Advantage Volume I
• Accent on Ensembles, Alfred Publishing
• Recorder Karate, by Paul Jennings and Barb Philipak
• Standard of Excellence Festival Ensembles, Kjos Music Publishing
• Arranged music for young band - various publishers (Alfred, Queenwood, Musicians Publications, C.L. Barnhouse, Belwin, Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, FJH Music Co.)

Learn more about the Middle School and Senior School music curriculum.

Physical education is an important part of the CDS curriculum. It provides opportunities for the students to develop a positive attitude towards physical activity, inspires a love of physical fitness and sports, and develops basic to advanced physical skills. The program also aims to promote good sportsmanship skills and a sense of fair play, leading to a healthy lifestyle for all students.

Objectives

• Develop cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance and flexibility
• Develop desirable competencies in at least three team sports, two lifetime sports and two recreational games
• Develop a general knowledge base of the skills and rules of three team sports, two lifetime sports and two recreational games
• Develop a positive self-image and desirable sportsmanship skills
• Develop self confidence

Grades JPK-SPK Physical Education

• Acclimate to the gym to become comfortable
• Display basic movement concepts
• Follow simple directions

Grades K-1 Physical Education

• Follow directions
• Recognize the importance of exercise
• Improve basic physical skills
• Show good sportsmanship

Grades 2-3 Physical Education

• Observe the value and importance of exercise
• Improve basic physical skills
• Show good sportsmanship

Grades 4-5 Physical Education

• Refine manipulative skills
• Develop the team concept
• Observe the value and importance of exercise
• Be attentive to instruction
• Experience self-directed play
• Assume leadership roles

Learn more about the Middle School PE curriculum.

The letters in STEM represent the fields of science, technology, engineering and math which are investigated through STEM classes at CDS.  Children are naturally curious about the world around them and our sessions are designed to nurture this wonder. Through exploring the forest, songs, engineering challenges and books, our younger learners consider questions such as: What is the difference between living and non-living things? What do woodpeckers eat? What are the effects of the sun on the earth’s surface? Why do geese migrate? Our STEM time is flexible, hands on, often outdoors, and provides time and space to explore and wonder. 

Energy flow, cycles, materials, and the form and function of living things are important threads throughout all of the investigations. For example, the children seasonally collect, celebrate, plant and learn about seeds both in the forest and in our raised bed vegetable garden. A seed is a capsule containing the energy and hope of a new life, a wonder of natural engineering, and it’s part of a cycle as the seed's food was made by the leaves, air and sunlight. To connect the tiny world of a seed with the immensity of life on earth and the flow of energy from sun to plant and from parent to offspring is a way of seeing the world with increasing dimension and complexity.  

The complexity, depth and tools used for investigation naturally evolve through the grades. For example, as children progress through grades one to five, they use more digital tools and simulations to explore, build concepts, and conduct experiments. The list of skills below provides a snapshot of the changes in grades three through five. For example, third graders use digital simulators to explore the role of heat energy in changing the phases of matter. Fourth graders engage in a hands-on, in-depth exploration of Galileo’s pendulum experiments, electrical circuitry and binary code, while fifth graders do extensive experimentation with Newton’s Laws. Fourth and fifth graders use digital simulators to identify and control variables and to conduct experiments. Whether the children investigate woodpeckers or wind, leaves or clouds, heat, light, sound, electro-magnetism, photosynthesis or the food chain, they are happily engaged in following their natural curiosity and creating a foundation for understanding. These connections with earth’s air, water, land, life and man-made world feed their creativity in problem solving, engineering, design and sustainability.  

Grades JPK-5 STEM

• Developing natural curiosity and kinship with nature through hiking and exploration
• Developing collaborative and teamwork skills 
• Collecting and observing samples of animal and plant life, as well as geologic formations outdoors using the forest, stream, and pond ecosystems of the park that is adjacent to our campus (stream and pond exploration for grades 1 to 5)
• Communicating in the language of science
• Model building with common materials 
• Classifying materials and living things by common attributes
• Observing physical phenomena through hands-on interaction, generalizing, and predicting, and testing predictions
• Measuring and collecting data

Grades 3-5 STEM

• Measuring and collecting data as well as organizing data in tables
• Exploring digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space (first and second graders use some digital tools, but the depth and frequency of digital investigations increases greatly in third grade)
• Modeling, designing and conducting experiments with both hands-on materials and with digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space
• Identifying and controlling variables, collecting data, making inferences, hypothesizing and testing
• Distinguishing between correlation and causal relationships based on data
• Developing written communication skills
• Engineering and design with Knex building kits for simple machines, vehicle design and studies of energy
• Electrical circuitry and understanding of machine language through switches and parallel circuits with Snap Circuits building kits and digital simulators

Learn more about the Middle School and Senior School science curriculum.

The Country Day School social studies curriculum is designed to give students knowledge and an appreciation for the physical and cultural world around them. It is also designed to promote self-esteem and confidence as children learn more about who they are and how they connect to the past, present and future. They also learn about how their individuality enables them to exert positive influences on the world around them.

Cultural and individual diversity is celebrated and encouraged at each grade level. Different cultures are introduced in each grade as students are taught that diversity is a natural and positive element of their environment. They learn that each group of people is unique, and that heritage and environment play major roles in how people meet their needs and wants.

In addition to learning about how people live, students learn about the importance of geography and how it factors into the bigger picture. As they move through the grades, students gain a broad foundation in their knowledge of cities, states, countries, continents and bodies of water and how they impact people’s lives.

The curriculum also promotes an understanding that the world continues to need young people to understand, analyze, evaluate and create new ideas.

Objectives

• Understand how history connects the past, present and future
• Explore different cultures and learn how different perspectives emerge from different cultures
• Apply geographic knowledge, skills and concepts to understand how people relate to the physical and cultural environment
• Learn about the relationships among the individuals, groups and institutions that exist in any society and culture
• Discover how and why people create rules and laws
• Learn how and why people organize systems for the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
• Demonstrate an understanding of how ideals, principles and practices of citizenship have emerged over time and across cultures

Grades JPK-SPK Social Studies

In junior and senior pre-kindergarten, students begin an interdisciplinary exploration of self, families and the direct experiences of their own lives. From this familiar realm, children can reach out and explore each other’s feelings, families and experiences. They begin to use these explorations, documentation and hands-on experiences to discover the community beyond their small circle.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Discussing the individual child, family and membership in a school community
• Learning about basic feelings and emotions
• Exploring and learning about various cultures, holidays and traditions to foster an appreciation of diversity, both in the school community and beyond
• Exploring the world around us through units such as animals, outer space, the arctic, life cycles, and more

Grade K Social Studies

The kindergarten social studies curriculum examines the family unit with an initial focus on the child's own environment – family, home, school and community. As the year continues, units highlight four diverse cultures on four different continents. Students learn that while certain basic needs are common to all cultures, each is distinguished by important differences. Children are encouraged to celebrate and respect those differences through the study of art, food, clothing and traditions.

Objectives:

• Understand that a globe is a small model of the Earth
• Locate the countries studied on a world map or globe
• Begin to develop an appreciation of one's self, family and culture
• Become aware that certain basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) are common to all cultures
• Learn respect for and develop an appreciation of different cultures through art, food, clothing and traditions

Grade 1 Social Studies

The first grade social studies curriculum focuses on the groups that people live in – family, neighborhood, community, state, country and continent. The study of maps and globes is introduced, and students develop an awareness of the wide range of geographical features. Historical events are presented through American holidays and events that have influenced our culture. The social studies program is integrated into the language arts program with the use of read-alouds, shared readings and discussions.

Objectives:

• State personal information
• Name community in which student lives
• Recognize different family structures
• Identify community helpers and their duties
• Identify the need for and use of rules at home and school
• Name the basic needs of people: food, shelter and clothing
• Identify the globe as a scale model of the Earth
• Locate the United States on a globe or map
• Identify Pennsylvania as the state which we live
• Distinguish between land and water on a globe or map
• Locate north, south, east and west on a simple map
• Locate and identify continents
• Locate oceans, rivers and other major bodies of water
• Identify features of a map
• Learn that holidays honor people and events

Grade 2 Social Studies

The second grade social studies curriculum enhances students’ concepts of local and global communities by exploring geography, economics and citizenship. Students investigate past and present communities by looking closely at their people, customs and traditions. This exploration also allows students to gain appreciation of self and the community in which they live. In addition, students gain an appreciation for economics as they explore and take on the role of consumers and producers.

Objectives:

• Identify the need for rules and participate in creating rules for the classroom community
• Exhibit the qualities of a responsible citizen in the classroom, school and other social environments
• Learn about our community
• Compare and contrast types of communities and cultural differences and their changes over time
• Identify earth’s resources and ways to conserve and replenish them
• Learn about our nation’s capital and important U.S. symbols
• Gain familiarity with the U.S. and the world using maps and the globe
• Interpret maps, charts and pictures
• Begin to understand basic economic concepts
• Identify historical figures and events associated with cultural traditions

Grade 3 Social Studies

The third grade social studies curriculum includes the study of United States geography and landforms, Native Americans, early American explorations, Colonial America and the Westward Expansion.

Students learn to identify landforms found within each region of the United States and the impact these landforms have on local communities. The studies of landform segues into an in-depth study of Native Americans based on geographical regions. Students engage in an independent research project, closely examining a tribe and culture. The Native American unit includes a paired literature unit in which students read and create poems based on the works and style of Diane Siebert. Next, students discover early American explorations through the study of famous European explorers. Students explore the motivations behind these conquests and how they impacted early American settlements, and engage in a brief overview of Colonial America. The Westward expansion unit begins with the Lewis and Clark expedition and progresses to pioneers and the Oregon Trail. This is another paired literature unit, in which students develop a narrative essay utilizing historical information about a journey on the Oregon Trail.

Throughout each unit, students read and respond to a variety of texts using interactive reading guides, digital media tools and artistic representations. They engage in discussions and debates, learning to develop and support their ideas using evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources. Students are challenged to view historical events from various perspectives to strengthen their understanding of opposing viewpoints and the role they play in historical events. Students also develop an understanding of social studies text features and how they relate to their personal understanding of a text.

Objectives:

• Analyze and evaluate primary and secondary sources
• Identify characteristics of good citizenship and civic responsibilities
• Identify the natural resources, types of homes, food, clothing, and transportation of Native American tribes within each of the five regions of the United States
• Describe the missions, goals, obstacles, and accomplishments of key European Explorers
• Explain the materials, transportation, and guides utilized by pioneers traveling along the Oregon Trail
• Describe the struggles and triumphs of pioneers traveling along the Oregon Trail

Grade 4 Social Studies

The fourth grade social studies curriculum develops students who are keen observers of and informed participants in U.S. history. Students learn about American history from the first migrations, the colonial period and the events that structured our nation. Students explore the formation of the 13 colonies the factors leading up to America’s independence, the formation of our government and the reasons behind its particular design. Students also explore the history of slavery in the United States and study the Underground Railroad. The class also includes an in-depth study of U.S. geography. Students explore the physical geography of North America and study its five regions, including the physical, cultural, economic and historical characteristics of each region. Students then choose one of the 50 states to study in depth.

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the history and the growth of the United States prior to the Civil War
• View history as a story of people striving for economic, cultural and religious change
• Develop an understanding of how geography affects the cultural and economic development of groups of people, as well as their interactions
• Locate every state and its capital
• Locate the following regions on a map of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West
• Compare and contrast the above regions of the United States according to cultural patterns, major industries, landforms and tourist attractions
• Use maps to aid in the recognition of the states, landforms and cities
• Use a wide variety of sources, such as the Internet and written material, to gather information for projects
• Develop an oral presentation and present it effectively

Grade 5 Social Studies

The fifth grade social studies curriculum is loosely divided into two areas: history and geography. The history portion explores ancient cultures from the introduction of early man through the Greek Empire. Although geography is stressed throughout the study of ancient cultures, it is also a separate curriculum. The study of world geography includes continents, oceans, major countries and capitals, important landforms and map-making skills. The program blends geography, history, economics, culture and belief systems in order to provide a broad understanding of past civilizations that continue to influence the modern world.

Objectives:

• Examine the inter-relatedness of ancient, past and present cultures
• Recognize interdependence in early times
• Identify the steps leading to the formation of civilizations
• Examine the influences of physical and cultural geography on history
• Analyze how culture is transmitted
• Understand the information represented by timelines, graphs, pictures, maps and diagrams
• Distinguish among fact, opinion and reasoned judgments
• Draw conclusions from evidence
• Use basic research methods to complete written and oral reports
• Organize information for presentation to the class
• Recognize importance of using natural resources wisely
• Use an atlas, encyclopedia, Internet and other resources effectively
• Participate in collaborative learning opportunities
• Develop vocabulary necessary for history and geography

Learn about the Middle School social studies and Senior School history curriculum.

In a supportive, language-rich environment, Country Day School students develop reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension skills. They experience celebrations from various Latin American and Spanish cultures, along with art, food, music, games and dances. As instructional content is integrated with other subject areas, students participate in interdisciplinary projects that affirm Spanish language and culture while enhancing cultural sensitivity and global awareness.

Grades PK-K Spanish

The goal of Spanish in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten is to familiarize students with the language and culture. Students acquire new vocabulary and explore aspects of different Hispanic cultures. In these formative years, the focus is primarily on listening skills and developing oral proficiency. Children are free to develop pronunciation in a natural way, practicing their new form of communication by mimicking the sounds they hear in class.

Skill-building activities:

• Relating and recalling vocabulary
• Demonstrating understanding of word meaning
• Using new words to identify objects according to color, size, number and shape
• Using new words to describe things: people, food, body parts, animals, etc.
• Responding to questions in Spanish by gestures and simple resources

Resources include:

• Teacher created materials
• Various CDs by José-Luis Orozco

Grades K-2 Spanish

In Kindergarten through second grade Spanish class, we focus on acquiring language through listening to, reading and interacting with stories primarily from the Había una vez curriculum. As students listen to copious amounts of repetitive spoken Spanish that is understandable, meaningful and interesting to them, they internalize the language for long-term retention. Spanish language output for younger students focuses on choral responses, answering familiar questions with simple words, gestures and drawings. 

Skill-building activities:

• Interpret new vocabulary words in the context of an informal text or story
• Understanding of a story using simple illustrations
• Interpret a story that contains familiar vocabulary words
• Respond to questions about a familiar story using simple answers and gestures

Resources include: 

• Teacher-created materials
• Various multimedia (videos and songs)
• Había una vez
• Sr. Wooly Website

Grades 3-5 Spanish

In third through fifth grade Spanish class, we focus on acquiring language through listening to, reading and interacting with stories primarily from the Somos curriculum. As students listen to copious amounts of repetitive spoke Spanish that is understandable, meaningful and interesting to them, they internalize the language for long-term retention. We focus on understanding high frequency words and basic questions. In upper grades students are transitioning to using more complete sentences and reading longer passages.

Skill-building activities

• Interpret new vocabulary words in the context of an informational text or story
• Understanding of a story using simple illustrations
• Interpret a story that contains familiar vocabulary words
• Respond to questions about a familiar story using simple answers and gestures
• Retell a familiar story or text with simple sentences

Resources include:

• Teacher-created materials
• Various multimedia
• Somos
• Garbanzo
• Sr. Wooly Website
• Various beginning Spanish novels

Learn about the Middle School and Senior School world languages curriculum.

The Country Day School wellness class supports students through the development of character education, social-emotional learning and mindfulness practices. The class is instructed and supported by the school counselor.

Students explore social-emotional learning (SEL) through the Second Step program, which features developmentally appropriate ways to teach core SEL skills at all grade levels. This program has a home link component to support families and reinforce the topics the child is learning.

Students in grades PK-5 are introduced to mindfulness practices. Mindfulness is about attention and the awareness that arises from paying attention on purpose, in the present moment. Students are exposed to different activities that cultivate presence of mind, presence of heart and awareness of themselves.

Grades JPK-SPK Wellness

Students in pre-kindergarten explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship, problem-solving, self-regulation, executive functioning and transitioning to kindergarten.

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.

Grade JPK Art

• Start painting (objective and non-objective)
• Learn about the colors, how to mix and experiment with them
• Create collages
• Make rubbings
• Build scultpure (clay and recycled materials)
• Draw with various materials
• Develop holding and using materials in appropriate manners
• Discuss and explore textures
• Learn about artists Eric Carle and Matisse

Grades JPK-SPK Language Arts

The literacy goals in junior and senior pre-kindergarten focus on fostering a love of language and the development of excellent communication skills. Books are an integral part of the classroom. Each day, teachers read aloud from a wide variety of quality literature relating to curricular topics. Children have frequent opportunities for writing and drawing as expressions of concepts or experiences.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Conversing in a group setting
• Gaining phonemic awareness through children’s literature
• Learning to recognize letters and sounds and begin handwriting
• Expressing through drawing and emergent writing
• Gaining comprehension skills in retelling, comparing and contrasting, and sequencing

Grade JPK-SPK Library

Junior and Senior pre-kindergarten students visit the library weekly, with a focus on nurturing a positive connection with books, story time and libraries.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Become familiar with library procedures
• Learn proper book care
• Ongoing print awareness
• Utilize active listening skills
• Practice prediction
• Author and illustrator familiarization
• Participate in songs, flannel board stories, nursery rhymes and finger plays

Grades JPK-SPK Math

The pre-kindergarten math curriculum provides children with a strong base of concrete, hands-on, real-life experiences to build an understanding of a wide range of abstract concepts. Children have daily access to instructional materials including math games, puzzles, measurement tools and collections of materials for sorting and counting.

Math in the early years is designed to foster a curiosity about math, numbers, shapes and patterns. A strong number sense and fluidity with numbers is crucial for building mastery. Students explore a wide variety of concepts and skills such as shapes and their attributes, patterns within the base-10 number system, using pictures to represent problems, and creating explanations to support their work.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Gain number sense, one-to-one correspondence and number stories
• Learn about non-standard units for weight and length
• Practice sorting and classification
• Learn about basic graphing, patterning, problem solving and sequencing
• Review geometry and spatial relations in shapes and puzzles

Grades JPK-1 Music and Theater Arts

Between the ages of 3 and 8, students experience a variety of activities that nurture their developing musical selves. The CDS early childhood music curriculum can be summed up in three words: "tuneful, beatiful and artful."

"Tuneful" skills include using the singing voice with ease, matching melodic contour when singing, identifying and copying melodic patterns on barred instruments and physically expressing changes in tone.

"Beatiful" skills include identifying and expressing a steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns, echo rhythms with body percussion and instruments, improvising rhythmic patterns and expressing rhythmic concepts through dance.

To be "artful," one must develop listening and discernment skills and be able to hear new sounds and styles of music with an appreciative, receptive spirit.

Theatrically, students practice memorizing rhyming and non-rhyming lines of script in preparation for various events. They learn to use their voices to speak the important ideas they have, and they develop confidence as they move, speak, and sing on stage.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Singing echo and call-and-response songs
• Playing circle games, both stationary and ambulatory
• Using body percussion and rhythm sticks to express a steady beat while singing and listening to recorded music
• Using a variety of rhythm instruments to improvise patterns
• Playing singing games, especially games that focus on rhymes and object/name identification
• Engaging in movement practices that build proprioceptive awareness
• Practicing simple dance elements such as stomping, turning and moving backwards and forwards
• Using balls, beanbags, scarves, ribbon wands and other manipulatives to physically engage with musical ideas
• Using puppets to explore vocal characterizations and musical storytelling
• Experiencing music from a variety of time periods and world cultures
• Experiencing music that celebrates various holidays, seasons, and life events

Grades JPK-SPK Physical Education

• Acclimate to the gym to become comfortable
• Display basic movement concepts
• Follow simple directions

Grades JPK-SPK Social Studies

In junior and senior pre-kindergarten, students begin an interdisciplinary exploration of self, families and the direct experiences of their own lives. From this familiar realm, children can reach out and explore each other’s feelings, families and experiences. They begin to use these explorations, documentation and hands-on experiences to discover the community beyond their small circle.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Discussing the individual child, family and membership in a school community
• Learning about basic feelings and emotions
• Exploring and learning about various cultures, holidays and traditions to foster an appreciation of diversity, both in the school community and beyond
• Exploring the world around us through units such as animals, outer space, the arctic, life cycles, and more

Grades JPK-5 STEM

• Developing natural curiosity and kinship with nature through hiking and exploration
• Developing collaborative and teamwork skills 
• Collecting and observing samples of animal and plant life, as well as geologic formations outdoors using the forest, stream, and pond ecosystems of the park that is adjacent to our campus (stream and pond exploration for grades 1 to 5)
• Communicating in the language of science
• Model building with common materials 
• Classifying materials and living things by common attributes
• Observing physical phenomena through hands-on interaction, generalizing, and predicting, and testing predictions
• Measuring and collecting data

Grades JPK-SPK Wellness

Students in pre-kindergarten explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship, problem-solving, self-regulation, executive functioning and transitioning to kindergarten.

Grade SPK Art

• Build on JPK art experiences
• Paint with multiple instruments
• Explore warm and cool colors
• Create collages with various materials
• Develop scissor skills and holding materials
• Explore motor skills through clay and model magic
• Learn about different lines
• Discover artists Leo Lionni, Lois Ehlert and Kandinsky

Grades JPK-SPK Language Arts

The literacy goals in junior and senior pre-kindergarten focus on fostering a love of language and the development of excellent communication skills. Books are an integral part of the classroom. Each day, teachers read aloud from a wide variety of quality literature relating to curricular topics. Children have frequent opportunities for writing and drawing as expressions of concepts or experiences.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Conversing in a group setting
• Gaining phonemic awareness through children’s literature
• Learning to recognize letters and sounds and begin handwriting
• Expressing through drawing and emergent writing
• Gaining comprehension skills in retelling, comparing and contrasting, and sequencing

Grade JPK-SPK Library

Junior and Senior pre-kindergarten students visit the library weekly, with a focus on nurturing a positive connection with books, story time and libraries.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Become familiar with library procedures
• Learn proper book care
• Ongoing print awareness
• Utilize active listening skills
• Practice prediction
• Author and illustrator familiarization
• Participate in songs, flannel board stories, nursery rhymes and finger plays

Grades JPK-SPK Math

The pre-kindergarten math curriculum provides children with a strong base of concrete, hands-on, real-life experiences to build an understanding of a wide range of abstract concepts. Children have daily access to instructional materials including math games, puzzles, measurement tools and collections of materials for sorting and counting.

Math in the early years is designed to foster a curiosity about math, numbers, shapes and patterns. A strong number sense and fluidity with numbers is crucial for building mastery. Students explore a wide variety of concepts and skills such as shapes and their attributes, patterns within the base-10 number system, using pictures to represent problems, and creating explanations to support their work.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Gain number sense, one-to-one correspondence and number stories
• Learn about non-standard units for weight and length
• Practice sorting and classification
• Learn about basic graphing, patterning, problem solving and sequencing
• Review geometry and spatial relations in shapes and puzzles

Grades JPK-1 Music and Theater Arts

Between the ages of 3 and 8, students experience a variety of activities that nurture their developing musical selves. The CDS early childhood music curriculum can be summed up in three words: "tuneful, beatiful and artful."

"Tuneful" skills include using the singing voice with ease, matching melodic contour when singing, identifying and copying melodic patterns on barred instruments and physically expressing changes in tone.

"Beatiful" skills include identifying and expressing a steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns, echo rhythms with body percussion and instruments, improvising rhythmic patterns and expressing rhythmic concepts through dance.

To be "artful," one must develop listening and discernment skills and be able to hear new sounds and styles of music with an appreciative, receptive spirit.

Theatrically, students practice memorizing rhyming and non-rhyming lines of script in preparation for various events. They learn to use their voices to speak the important ideas they have, and they develop confidence as they move, speak, and sing on stage.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Singing echo and call-and-response songs
• Playing circle games, both stationary and ambulatory
• Using body percussion and rhythm sticks to express a steady beat while singing and listening to recorded music
• Using a variety of rhythm instruments to improvise patterns
• Playing singing games, especially games that focus on rhymes and object/name identification
• Engaging in movement practices that build proprioceptive awareness
• Practicing simple dance elements such as stomping, turning and moving backwards and forwards
• Using balls, beanbags, scarves, ribbon wands and other manipulatives to physically engage with musical ideas
• Using puppets to explore vocal characterizations and musical storytelling
• Experiencing music from a variety of time periods and world cultures
• Experiencing music that celebrates various holidays, seasons, and life events

Grades JPK-SPK Physical Education

• Acclimate to the gym to become comfortable
• Display basic movement concepts
• Follow simple directions

Grades JPK-5 STEM

• Developing natural curiosity and kinship with nature through hiking and exploration
• Developing collaborative and teamwork skills 
• Collecting and observing samples of animal and plant life, as well as geologic formations outdoors using the forest, stream, and pond ecosystems of the park that is adjacent to our campus (stream and pond exploration for grades 1 to 5)
• Communicating in the language of science
• Model building with common materials 
• Classifying materials and living things by common attributes
• Observing physical phenomena through hands-on interaction, generalizing, and predicting, and testing predictions
• Measuring and collecting data

Grades JPK-SPK Social Studies

In junior and senior pre-kindergarten, students begin an interdisciplinary exploration of self, families and the direct experiences of their own lives. From this familiar realm, children can reach out and explore each other’s feelings, families and experiences. They begin to use these explorations, documentation and hands-on experiences to discover the community beyond their small circle.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Discussing the individual child, family and membership in a school community
• Learning about basic feelings and emotions
• Exploring and learning about various cultures, holidays and traditions to foster an appreciation of diversity, both in the school community and beyond
• Exploring the world around us through units such as animals, outer space, the arctic, life cycles, and more

Grades PK-K Spanish

The goal of Spanish in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten is to familiarize students with the language and culture. Students acquire new vocabulary and explore aspects of different Hispanic cultures. In these formative years, the focus is primarily on listening skills and developing oral proficiency. Children are free to develop pronunciation in a natural way, practicing their new form of communication by mimicking the sounds they hear in class.

Skill-building activities:

• Relating and recalling vocabulary
• Demonstrating understanding of word meaning
• Using new words to identify objects according to color, size, number and shape
• Using new words to describe things: people, food, body parts, animals, etc.
• Responding to questions in Spanish by gestures and simple resources

Resources include:

• Teacher created materials
• Various CDs by José-Luis Orozco

Grades JPK-SPK Wellness

Students in pre-kindergarten explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship, problem-solving, self-regulation, executive functioning and transitioning to kindergarten.

Grade K Art

• Continue to paint and draw
• Refine scissor skills through Matisse inspired project
• Refine manipulation of materials
• Learn the color wheel
• Explore emotions and their relationship to color and line
• Create primary colors collage after studying Piet Mondrian
• Make expressive self portratis as kings and queens

Grade K Language Arts

The Kindergarten Language Arts curriculum is a comprehensive, differentiated approach to reading and writing instruction. Components of the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom curriculum are used to engage students with literature to provide the foundation they need to become proficient lifelong readers. Reading books aloud as a class is an essential part of every school day. Through this practice, students are exposed to a wide variety of literature in the library and the classroom to expand their vocabulary, expose them to complex text, and to model comprehension strategies. Students also engage in small group guided reading sessions, which enables them to practice word identification and comprehension skills in books that are on their reading level. The Wilson Fundations program is also utilized to develop a student’s ability to identify words through systematic phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, vocabulary, and grammar activities. The Handwriting Without Tears program is used to provide students with developmentally appropriate and multisensory handwriting instruction. A Writing Workshop approach is used to aid students in learning the basics of the writing process. The students learn how to use pictures and words to express their thoughts and ideas in written form. 

Objectives:

• Recognize upper and lower case letters
• Form upper and lower case manuscript letters
• Associate sounds with letters
• Segment sentences
• Segment, isolate and blend letter sounds
• Recognize and produce rhymes
• Recognize and produce onset and rime blends and segments
• Count, produce and blend syllables
• Recognize consonants and vowels at the beginning, middle and end of words
• Understand genre: fantasy, informational, poetry, fiction and nonfiction
• Recognize and understand key details, character, setting, events, main topic, sequencing and plot
• Recognize and understand nouns, verbs, sentences, adjectives, pronouns and prepositions

Grade K Library

Kindergarten students visit the library weekly to enjoy read-alouds and learn book selection procedures.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Become familiar with library procedures and borrowing books
• Learn proper book care
• Reinforce print awareness
• Utilize active listening skills
• Practice prediction
• Author and illustrator familiarization
• Participate in songs, flannel board stories, and fingerplays

Grade K Math

The Kindergarten Math curriculum is Math in Focus: Singapore Math. It offers a strategic sequence of concepts that enable students to develop a true understanding of mathematical ideas.  Children are given opportunities to investigate, discover, explore and apply their own solutions to mathematical problems. Math is also reinforced during our morning meeting and calendar times. Children learn to use numbers and make connections between themselves and real life mathematical situations. Math in Focus is a problem solving, hands-on curriculum where students are encouraged to use manipulatives and explain their thinking. Students work to develop number sense skills moving from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract. We incorporate a variety of games to reinforce conceptual skills and develop number sense throughout the school day. 

• Introduce children to think mathematically about problems and their solutions
• Encourage students to persevere in solving mathematical problems
• Address fewer topics in greater depth
• Develop the foundation for numbers and operation
• Develop concepts and skills in tandem
• Use clear and engaging visuals that present concepts and model drawings
• Use concrete and pictorial representations
• Emphasize multi-step and non-routine problem solving

Grades JPK-1 Music and Theater Arts

Between the ages of 3 and 8, students experience a variety of activities that nurture their developing musical selves. The CDS early childhood music curriculum can be summed up in three words: "tuneful, beatiful and artful."

"Tuneful" skills include using the singing voice with ease, matching melodic contour when singing, identifying and copying melodic patterns on barred instruments and physically expressing changes in tone.

"Beatiful" skills include identifying and expressing a steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns, echo rhythms with body percussion and instruments, improvising rhythmic patterns and expressing rhythmic concepts through dance.

To be "artful," one must develop listening and discernment skills and be able to hear new sounds and styles of music with an appreciative, receptive spirit.

Theatrically, students practice memorizing rhyming and non-rhyming lines of script in preparation for various events. They learn to use their voices to speak the important ideas they have, and they develop confidence as they move, speak, and sing on stage.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Singing echo and call-and-response songs
• Playing circle games, both stationary and ambulatory
• Using body percussion and rhythm sticks to express a steady beat while singing and listening to recorded music
• Using a variety of rhythm instruments to improvise patterns
• Playing singing games, especially games that focus on rhymes and object/name identification
• Engaging in movement practices that build proprioceptive awareness
• Practicing simple dance elements such as stomping, turning and moving backwards and forwards
• Using balls, beanbags, scarves, ribbon wands and other manipulatives to physically engage with musical ideas
• Using puppets to explore vocal characterizations and musical storytelling
• Experiencing music from a variety of time periods and world cultures
• Experiencing music that celebrates various holidays, seasons, and life events

Grades K-1 Physical Education

• Follow directions
• Recognize the importance of exercise
• Improve basic physical skills
• Show good sportsmanship

Grades JPK-5 STEM

• Developing natural curiosity and kinship with nature through hiking and exploration
• Developing collaborative and teamwork skills 
• Collecting and observing samples of animal and plant life, as well as geologic formations outdoors using the forest, stream, and pond ecosystems of the park that is adjacent to our campus (stream and pond exploration for grades 1 to 5)
• Communicating in the language of science
• Model building with common materials 
• Classifying materials and living things by common attributes
• Observing physical phenomena through hands-on interaction, generalizing, and predicting, and testing predictions
• Measuring and collecting data

Grade K Social Studies

The kindergarten social studies curriculum examines the family unit with an initial focus on the child's own environment – family, home, school and community. As the year continues, units highlight four diverse cultures on four different continents. Students learn that while certain basic needs are common to all cultures, each is distinguished by important differences. Children are encouraged to celebrate and respect those differences through the study of art, food, clothing and traditions.

Objectives:

• Understand that a globe is a small model of the Earth
• Locate the countries studied on a world map or globe
• Begin to develop an appreciation of one's self, family and culture
• Become aware that certain basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) are common to all cultures
• Learn respect for and develop an appreciation of different cultures through art, food, clothing and traditions

Grades K-2 Spanish

In Kindergarten through second grade Spanish class, we focus on acquiring language through listening to, reading and interacting with stories primarily from the Había una vez curriculum. As students listen to copious amounts of repetitive spoken Spanish that is understandable, meaningful and interesting to them, they internalize the language for long-term retention. Spanish language output for younger students focuses on choral responses, answering familiar questions with simple words, gestures and drawings. 

Skill-building activities:

• Interpret new vocabulary words in the context of an informal text or story
• Understanding of a story using simple illustrations
• Interpret a story that contains familiar vocabulary words
• Respond to questions about a familiar story using simple answers and gestures

Resources include: 

• Teacher-created materials
• Various multimedia (videos and songs)
• Había una vez
• Sr. Wooly Website

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.

Grade 1 Art

• Continue to work on painting, drawing, and sculpting
• Enjoy increased freedom to combine mixed media
• Collaborate on an art project
• Learn how to weave
• Build coil pots
• Create Klimt inspired trees after studying Gustav Klimt
• Introduce printmaking
• Examine Salvador Dali's self portrait and create own Dali inspired portrait

Grade 1 Language Arts

The first grade curriculum strives to develop and strengthen students’ reading and writing skills. Fountas & Pinnell Classroom is a cohesive, multi-text approach to literacy instruction for first grade students. Students have whole-group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities including: interactive read-aloud, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, guided reading, book clubs and independent reading collections.Spelling and phonics concepts are taught through a multi-sensory structure, systematic and explicit program. Daily Fundations lessons include word-building activities, sight word study, and weekly dictation.

First grade writing incorporates a multifaceted approach that encompasses mini-lessons, independent writing time, one-on-one conferences, and a shared writing time. Throughout the year, students compose a personal narrative, opinion writing, poems, friendly letter, as well as informational pieces. Journal writing is completed daily.

Grammar lessons are taught through Mentor Sentences using picture books. Mentor sentences are well-written sentences that show off an author’s style from books we are reading in the classroom. They are chosen based on style, language, organization and conventions. This allows the students to connect to writers by identifying a variety of styles and crafts that authors use, and use for imitation purposes in writing.

Skill-building Activities:

• Participating in story discussions and small groups for reading, comprehending, and interpreting literature
• Discussing characters, setting, and events
• Reading aloud accurately and fluently
• Using multiple strategies to read and write unknown words
• Writing narrative, informational, opinion, and poetry pieces
• Including a beginning, middle and end when writing narratives
• Conferencing with teachers to improve student writing
• Prewriting, editing and publishing
• Using capitalization punctuation appropriately

Grades 1-2 Library

First and second graders visit the library weekly and are exposed to a variety of books, authors, and illustrators. They continue to learn how to use library resources and select books to complete projects and fulfill personal interests.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Explore the series section
• Become familiar with borrowing procedures
• Listen to and thoughtfully discusses author/illustrator read-alouds or monthly thematic read-alouds
• Learn different parts of the book, such as the spine, cover, barcode, copyright date, author biography, summary page, table of contents
• Learn about copyright
• Become familiar with literary awards such as the Caldecott, Newbery, and Theodore Geisel Award
• Participate in a mock Caldecott election
• Understand the differences between fiction and nonfiction
• Learn how fiction is organized in the library
• Navigate the nonfiction, series, graphic novel, and picture book sections of the library 
• Understand the characteristics of a series
• Become familiar with biographies
• Continue emphasis on book care
• Explore PebbleGo database
• Participate in picture book inspired STEEM activities

Grade 1 Math

The first grade mathematics program follows the Math in Focus: Singapore Math curriculum, which presents fewer topics at each grade level, but they are taught to mastery with deep understanding. The program is extremely visual and hands-on. Lessons flow from a model of concrete examples, to pictorial and then abstract. A strong emphasis is placed on a unified math vocabulary as well as critical thinking skills. Children are encouraged to use their math skills to deconstruct complex problems.

First graders explore:

• Building problem solving skills and strategies
• Counting, comparing and writing numbers to 50
• Adding and subtracting one and two-digit numbers using several strategies
• Classifying and sorting shapes and patterns
• Using calendars, time and money
• Understanding place value
• Number relationships
• Deconstructing numbers

Grades JPK-1 Music and Theater Arts

Between the ages of 3 and 8, students experience a variety of activities that nurture their developing musical selves. The CDS early childhood music curriculum can be summed up in three words: "tuneful, beatiful and artful."

"Tuneful" skills include using the singing voice with ease, matching melodic contour when singing, identifying and copying melodic patterns on barred instruments and physically expressing changes in tone.

"Beatiful" skills include identifying and expressing a steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns, echo rhythms with body percussion and instruments, improvising rhythmic patterns and expressing rhythmic concepts through dance.

To be "artful," one must develop listening and discernment skills and be able to hear new sounds and styles of music with an appreciative, receptive spirit.

Theatrically, students practice memorizing rhyming and non-rhyming lines of script in preparation for various events. They learn to use their voices to speak the important ideas they have, and they develop confidence as they move, speak, and sing on stage.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Singing echo and call-and-response songs
• Playing circle games, both stationary and ambulatory
• Using body percussion and rhythm sticks to express a steady beat while singing and listening to recorded music
• Using a variety of rhythm instruments to improvise patterns
• Playing singing games, especially games that focus on rhymes and object/name identification
• Engaging in movement practices that build proprioceptive awareness
• Practicing simple dance elements such as stomping, turning and moving backwards and forwards
• Using balls, beanbags, scarves, ribbon wands and other manipulatives to physically engage with musical ideas
• Using puppets to explore vocal characterizations and musical storytelling
• Experiencing music from a variety of time periods and world cultures
• Experiencing music that celebrates various holidays, seasons, and life events

Grades K-1 Physical Education

• Follow directions
• Recognize the importance of exercise
• Improve basic physical skills
• Show good sportsmanship

Grade 1 Social Studies

The first grade social studies curriculum focuses on the groups that people live in – family, neighborhood, community, state, country and continent. The study of maps and globes is introduced, and students develop an awareness of the wide range of geographical features. Historical events are presented through American holidays and events that have influenced our culture. The social studies program is integrated into the language arts program with the use of read-alouds, shared readings and discussions.

Objectives:

• State personal information
• Name community in which student lives
• Recognize different family structures
• Identify community helpers and their duties
• Identify the need for and use of rules at home and school
• Name the basic needs of people: food, shelter and clothing
• Identify the globe as a scale model of the Earth
• Locate the United States on a globe or map
• Identify Pennsylvania as the state which we live
• Distinguish between land and water on a globe or map
• Locate north, south, east and west on a simple map
• Locate and identify continents
• Locate oceans, rivers and other major bodies of water
• Identify features of a map
• Learn that holidays honor people and events

Grade 1 Spanish

• Greetings
• Days of the week
• Calendar
• Weather
• Vowels
• Alphabet
• Colors
• Shapes
• Numbers
• Family
• Culture:
  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Read stories related to the culture
  • Learn authentic songs

Grades JPK-5 STEM

• Developing natural curiosity and kinship with nature through hiking and exploration
• Developing collaborative and teamwork skills 
• Collecting and observing samples of animal and plant life, as well as geologic formations outdoors using the forest, stream, and pond ecosystems of the park that is adjacent to our campus (stream and pond exploration for grades 1 to 5)
• Communicating in the language of science
• Model building with common materials 
• Classifying materials and living things by common attributes
• Observing physical phenomena through hands-on interaction, generalizing, and predicting, and testing predictions
• Measuring and collecting data

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.

Grade 2 Art

• Build on foundation and techniques from first grade
• Create individual waving using yarn and mini loom
• Learn symmetry and create pumpkins
• Study local artist Andy Warhol and create flowers
• Create portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso
• Identify foreground, middleground and background through creation of landscape project

Grade 2 Language Arts

The second grade curriculum strives to develop and strengthen students’ reading, writing and spelling skills. Fountas & Pinnell Classroom is a cohesive, multi-text approach to literacy instruction for second grade students. Students have whole-group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities including: interactive read-aloud, reading minilessons, shared reading, phonics/spelling/word study lessons, guided reading, book clubs and independent reading collections.

Second grade writing incorporates a multifaceted approach that encompasses mini-lessons, independent writing time, one-on-one conferences and a shared writing time. Throughout the year, students compose a personal narrative, poetry, procedural, biography and friendly letter, as well as informational pieces.

Grammar lessons are taught through Mentor Sentences using picture books. Mentor sentences are well-written sentences that show off an author’s style from books we are reading in the classroom. They are chosen based on style, language, organization and conventions. This allows the students to connect to writers by identifying a variety of styles and crafts that authors use, and use for imitation purposes in writing.

Skill-building Activities:

• Reading, comprehending and interpreting literature
• Using multiple strategies to read and derive meaning of unknown words
• Analyzing characters across multiple texts
• Discussing characters and series in small group formats
• Reading aloud accurately and fluently
• Using electronic media for research
• Writing narrative pieces consisting of a series of related sentences with a central idea
• Including a beginning, middle and end when writing narratives
• Writing organized non-fiction pieces using a variety of non-fiction text features
• Conferencing with others to improve student writing
• Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing
• Using initial and proper noun capitalization
• Using punctuation appropriately

Grades 1-2 Library

First and second graders visit the library weekly and are exposed to a variety of books, authors, and illustrators. They continue to learn how to use library resources and select books to complete projects and fulfill personal interests.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Explore the series section
• Become familiar with borrowing procedures
• Listen to and thoughtfully discusses author/illustrator read-alouds or monthly thematic read-alouds
• Learn different parts of the book, such as the spine, cover, barcode, copyright date, author biography, summary page, table of contents
• Learn about copyright
• Become familiar with literary awards such as the Caldecott, Newbery, and Theodore Geisel Award
• Participate in a mock Caldecott election
• Understand the differences between fiction and nonfiction
• Learn how fiction is organized in the library
• Navigate the nonfiction, series, graphic novel, and picture book sections of the library 
• Understand the characteristics of a series
• Become familiar with biographies
• Continue emphasis on book care
• Explore PebbleGo database
• Participate in picture book inspired STEEM activities

Grade 2 Math

The second grade mathematics program uses the Math in Focus: Singapore Math curriculum. Students learn through a variety of games and hands-on activities. A strong emphasis is placed on the concrete-to-pictorial-to-abstract process to solve and master problems.

Second graders focus on:

• Representing and solving problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Adding and subtracting three-digit numbers with and without regrouping
• Working with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication and division
• Understanding place value and properties of operations for addition and subtraction
• Interpreting and solving real world problems using bar models
• Telling time to five minutes and elapsed time in half hour and hour intervals

Grades 2-5 Music and Theater Arts

After an extensive base of "tuneful, beatiful and artful" experiences has been established in the early grades, students are prepared to progress to more in-depth musical skills. This is accomplished primarily through the Conversational Solfege curriculum. Music reading skills are introduced in sequence, using a pattern of activities designed to provide students with the optimal opportunity to internalize musical literacy.

Following the same sequence by which spoken languages are most naturally acquired, Conversational Solfege introduces each musical concept aurally before approaching the idea visually. Students engage in activities and games that enable them to hear, echo, identify, decode, improvise, read, write and compose rhythmic, melodic and harmonic musical concepts.

The rhythmic curriculum begins with patterns of eighth and quarter notes in simple meter and proceeds through the study of all types of rhythmic notation in both simple and compound meter. Rhythmic concepts such as strong and weak beats, beat groupings and meter, and tempo are also taught. The study of melody and harmony begins with "do, re and mi" and progresses through the entire scale. Throughout all studies, musical terminology is taught and reinforced aurally and visually. Acquiring proficiency in music literacy is important, but it is certainly not the only goal of the curriculum for older students.

The children continue to celebrate through music, experiencing many seasonal, holiday and event-based songs. Folk dancing is an essential part of the curriculum, teaching vital social skills and honing physical abilities while reinforcing rhythmic concepts. Songs from various historical eras and geographical areas allow students to travel through space and time to experience music from around the world and across the ages.

Students’ growing familiarity with stage practices enables them to experiment and improvise in their theater activities. Beginning in 3rd grade, students take an active part in planning and designing every aspect of their musicals, from conceptualization and song selection/composition to costume design and set preparation.

Skill-Building Activities

• Singing a wide variety of songs including echo songs, call-and-response songs, singing games and play parties, cumulative songs, individual and small group sections, holiday and special occasion songs
• Using rhythm instruments to accompany singing and improvise rhythms
• Participating in drum circles and other free-form rhythmic activities
• Using melodic instruments such as bells and melody chimes
• Participating in competitive games that test grasp of particular skills
• Folk dancing
• Using a variety of musical props and manipulatives including scarves, balls, beanbags, ribbon wands and puppets to enhance learning
• Playing musical games from around the world
• Exploring historical, cultural and musical connections through the study of music history and current events
• Discussing and asking questions about the curriculum

Grades 2-3 Physical Education

• Observe the value and importance of exercise
• Improve basic physical skills
• Show good sportsmanship

Grades JPK-5 STEM

• Developing natural curiosity and kinship with nature through hiking and exploration
• Developing collaborative and teamwork skills 
• Collecting and observing samples of animal and plant life, as well as geologic formations outdoors using the forest, stream, and pond ecosystems of the park that is adjacent to our campus (stream and pond exploration for grades 1 to 5)
• Communicating in the language of science
• Model building with common materials 
• Classifying materials and living things by common attributes
• Observing physical phenomena through hands-on interaction, generalizing, and predicting, and testing predictions
• Measuring and collecting data

Grade 2 Social Studies

The second grade social studies curriculum enhances students’ concepts of local and global communities by exploring geography, economics and citizenship. Students investigate past and present communities by looking closely at their people, customs and traditions. This exploration also allows students to gain appreciation of self and the community in which they live. In addition, students gain an appreciation for economics as they explore and take on the role of consumers and producers.

Objectives:

• Identify the need for rules and participate in creating rules for the classroom community
• Exhibit the qualities of a responsible citizen in the classroom, school and other social environments
• Learn about our community
• Compare and contrast types of communities and cultural differences and their changes over time
• Identify earth’s resources and ways to conserve and replenish them
• Learn about our nation’s capital and important U.S. symbols
• Gain familiarity with the U.S. and the world using maps and the globe
• Interpret maps, charts and pictures
• Begin to understand basic economic concepts
• Identify historical figures and events associated with cultural traditions

Grades 3-5 Spanish

In third through fifth grade Spanish class, we focus on acquiring language through listening to, reading and interacting with stories primarily from the Somos curriculum. As students listen to copious amounts of repetitive spoke Spanish that is understandable, meaningful and interesting to them, they internalize the language for long-term retention. We focus on understanding high frequency words and basic questions. In upper grades students are transitioning to using more complete sentences and reading longer passages.

Skill-building activities

• Interpret new vocabulary words in the context of an informational text or story
• Understanding of a story using simple illustrations
• Interpret a story that contains familiar vocabulary words
• Respond to questions about a familiar story using simple answers and gestures
• Retell a familiar story or text with simple sentences

Resources include:

• Teacher-created materials
• Various multimedia
• Somos
• Garbanzo
• Sr. Wooly Website
• Various beginning Spanish novels

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.

Grade 3 Art

• Experience opportunities to work with all basic materials and techniques
• Begin more complex clay works
• Continue building drawing and construction skills
• Study the effect of using light and shade in artwork
• Build coil pots
• Create ceramic fish

Grade 3 Language Arts

Weekly literacy instruction begins with targeted mini lessons to introduce reading comprehension strategies and skills. Students then move into shared learning experiences in which they apply and extend their understanding of the comprehension strategies within a small group setting. The culminating piece of the literacy experience, centers upon students’ independent application of the comprehension strategy using a book of their choosing. Throughout the independent reading time, the teacher conducts one-on-one conferences to better understand each student’s reading interests and abilities.

Students engage in Robust Vocabulary Instruction, which aims to spark an interest in language and develop a rich vocabulary repertoire utilizing activities that are both thought-provoking and interactive.

Words Their Way teaches students to discover word patterns through weekly word sorts. Students learn to compare and contrast word features in each category, which helps to increase both spelling and vocabulary.

Using Mentor Texts to teach the craft of writing provides students with the opportunity to position themselves alongside an author and examine how texts are created to communicate an author’s idea. Examining author’s craftsmanship at the sentence and word levels provides students with the opportunity to examine grammar in a rich and meaningful context.

Writing Workshop uses mentor texts to introduce key writing concepts and skills. The Writing Workshop, much like the literacy instruction, encompasses mini lessons, independent writing time, one-on-one conferences and a shared writing time. Throughout the year, students compose narrative, opinion, poetry and informational pieces.

Reading Objectives:

• Read literature and informational texts from a broad range of genres, cultures and periods
• Identify and analyze key literary elements (character, plot development, setting)
• Monitor and adjust comprehension by rereading, adjusting reading rate and/or paraphrasing
• Draw inferences and make conclusions, citing evidence from the text
• Make connections between and across texts

Writing Objectives:

• Write for a variety of purposes and audiences (Informational, narrative, poetry, literature responses, research reports)
• Reflect and respond to writing prompts citing textual evidence
• Develop and strengthen writing by cycling through the planning, revising and editing processes
• Apply conventions of Standard English to writing (Use correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure)

Spelling Objectives:

• Engage in word study instruction to understand the logic and consistencies of spelling patterns within the English language
• Examine and analyze word patterns through active discovery and hands on manipulation
• Develop study skills for learning and applying spelling patterns
• Apply knowledge of spelling patterns to written work

Grade 3 Library

Third graders visit the library weekly. They choose independent reading books, and learn to navigate the library and online tools to identify, locate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Listen to a variety of book talks on fiction and nonfiction books
• Explore various genres 
• Learn how biographies are organized in the library
• Become familiar with the Dewey Decimal System
• Participate in conversations about plagiarism
• Practice effective note taking
• Further explore of parts of a nonfiction book, such as the glossary, index, copyright page, and table of contents
• Participate in thematic monthly celebrations, such as National Poetry Month and Native American History Month
• Use the Destiny Catalog to search for books to fulfill assignments and for personal interests
• Participate in a mock Caldecott election

Grade 3 Math

In third grade, Math in Focus emphasizes concept and skill development through hands-on manipulative-based instruction and practice. Additionally, there is a focus on problem solving, skill consolidation and early preparation for algebra.

• Place value to 10,000
• Addition and subtraction facts
• Multiplication and division facts from 0-12
• Mental math
• Geometry concepts
• Introduction to fractions
• Introduction to decimals
• Model drawing
• Time and elapsed time
• Real world problems
• Bar model drawing with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

Grades 2-5 Music and Theater Arts

After an extensive base of "tuneful, beatiful and artful" experiences has been established in the early grades, students are prepared to progress to more in-depth musical skills. This is accomplished primarily through the Conversational Solfege curriculum. Music reading skills are introduced in sequence, using a pattern of activities designed to provide students with the optimal opportunity to internalize musical literacy.

Following the same sequence by which spoken languages are most naturally acquired, Conversational Solfege introduces each musical concept aurally before approaching the idea visually. Students engage in activities and games that enable them to hear, echo, identify, decode, improvise, read, write and compose rhythmic, melodic and harmonic musical concepts.

The rhythmic curriculum begins with patterns of eighth and quarter notes in simple meter and proceeds through the study of all types of rhythmic notation in both simple and compound meter. Rhythmic concepts such as strong and weak beats, beat groupings and meter, and tempo are also taught. The study of melody and harmony begins with "do, re and mi" and progresses through the entire scale. Throughout all studies, musical terminology is taught and reinforced aurally and visually. Acquiring proficiency in music literacy is important, but it is certainly not the only goal of the curriculum for older students.

The children continue to celebrate through music, experiencing many seasonal, holiday and event-based songs. Folk dancing is an essential part of the curriculum, teaching vital social skills and honing physical abilities while reinforcing rhythmic concepts. Songs from various historical eras and geographical areas allow students to travel through space and time to experience music from around the world and across the ages.

Students’ growing familiarity with stage practices enables them to experiment and improvise in their theater activities. Beginning in 3rd grade, students take an active part in planning and designing every aspect of their musicals, from conceptualization and song selection/composition to costume design and set preparation.

Skill-Building Activities

• Singing a wide variety of songs including echo songs, call-and-response songs, singing games and play parties, cumulative songs, individual and small group sections, holiday and special occasion songs
• Using rhythm instruments to accompany singing and improvise rhythms
• Participating in drum circles and other free-form rhythmic activities
• Using melodic instruments such as bells and melody chimes
• Participating in competitive games that test grasp of particular skills
• Folk dancing
• Using a variety of musical props and manipulatives including scarves, balls, beanbags, ribbon wands and puppets to enhance learning
• Playing musical games from around the world
• Exploring historical, cultural and musical connections through the study of music history and current events
• Discussing and asking questions about the curriculum

Grades 2-3 Physical Education

• Observe the value and importance of exercise
• Improve basic physical skills
• Show good sportsmanship

Grades 3-5 STEM

• Measuring and collecting data as well as organizing data in tables
• Exploring digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space (first and second graders use some digital tools, but the depth and frequency of digital investigations increases greatly in third grade)
• Modeling, designing and conducting experiments with both hands-on materials and with digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space
• Identifying and controlling variables, collecting data, making inferences, hypothesizing and testing
• Distinguishing between correlation and causal relationships based on data
• Developing written communication skills
• Engineering and design with Knex building kits for simple machines, vehicle design and studies of energy
• Electrical circuitry and understanding of machine language through switches and parallel circuits with Snap Circuits building kits and digital simulators

Grade 3 Social Studies

The third grade social studies curriculum includes the study of United States geography and landforms, Native Americans, early American explorations, Colonial America and the Westward Expansion.

Students learn to identify landforms found within each region of the United States and the impact these landforms have on local communities. The studies of landform segues into an in-depth study of Native Americans based on geographical regions. Students engage in an independent research project, closely examining a tribe and culture. The Native American unit includes a paired literature unit in which students read and create poems based on the works and style of Diane Siebert. Next, students discover early American explorations through the study of famous European explorers. Students explore the motivations behind these conquests and how they impacted early American settlements, and engage in a brief overview of Colonial America. The Westward expansion unit begins with the Lewis and Clark expedition and progresses to pioneers and the Oregon Trail. This is another paired literature unit, in which students develop a narrative essay utilizing historical information about a journey on the Oregon Trail.

Throughout each unit, students read and respond to a variety of texts using interactive reading guides, digital media tools and artistic representations. They engage in discussions and debates, learning to develop and support their ideas using evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources. Students are challenged to view historical events from various perspectives to strengthen their understanding of opposing viewpoints and the role they play in historical events. Students also develop an understanding of social studies text features and how they relate to their personal understanding of a text.

Objectives:

• Analyze and evaluate primary and secondary sources
• Identify characteristics of good citizenship and civic responsibilities
• Identify the natural resources, types of homes, food, clothing, and transportation of Native American tribes within each of the five regions of the United States
• Describe the missions, goals, obstacles, and accomplishments of key European Explorers
• Explain the materials, transportation, and guides utilized by pioneers traveling along the Oregon Trail
• Describe the struggles and triumphs of pioneers traveling along the Oregon Trail

Grade 3 Spanish

• Introduce yourself and others
• Expand on ways to greet each other
• Review vowels and the Spanish alphabet
• Expand number counting and knowledge
• Expand on food
• Expand on animals
• Expand on vocabulary about the classroom and school
• Create and perform skits
• Culture:
  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Read stories related to the culture

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.

Grade 4 Art

• Participate in a wide variety of media experiences
• Learn about assemblage and create own project inspired by Nevelson
• Introduce sewing and create sewing project; feature artist Faith Ringgold
• Participate in sketchbook assignments and chalenges
• Explore the website Dailey Monster, and create an Ink Monster using blown ink and imagination
• Study architecture, specifically Victorian homes, to create haunted houses

Grade 4 Language Arts

Fourth graders are taught skills and strategies for proficient, fluent reading though the Reading Wonders program. Grammar, spelling, mechanics and vocabulary are included in these mini-lessons. These skills and strategies are then applied as children read independently leveled books for independent book reports and activities that encourage critical and higher-order thinking skills. Students also practice these skills and strategies as they study class novels, which are read independently and as a class and analyzed and interpreted in school. Students respond to literature through journals, book reports, comprehension questions and a variety of small group and independent classroom activities.

The reading program is designed to motivate, entertain and inspire students to read, utilizing a variety of literature. Third grade skills are reinforced and expanded to allow the child to choose books that are challenging and encourage continued growth. Students are encouraged to think critically about what they read and be prepared to organize, defend and express their opinions in various forms such as oral presentations, written critiques, and class and group discussions.

Writing is incorporated into all aspects of the curriculum and students write daily for different purposes and audiences. The writing program is designed to help the student to become a confident, fluent writer. The emphasis is on the process approach to writing. Fourth graders participate in Writers' Workshop for at least two hours per week. Teacher led mini-lessons focus on specific writing strategies, followed by independent writing and partner/group sharing. Writers organize their thoughts using a graphic organizer, and first drafts are proofread with peers following specific directions. Final copies are independently edited for learned grammatical conventions using criteria-based rubrics and are reviewed in individual conferences with a teacher.

In grammar lessons, emphasis is on identifying and using correct sentence structures that add interest and depth to writing. Students are encouraged to use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization and paragraphing skills. Students self-check papers applying rules that have been previously taught.

Weekly spelling lists include 20 spelling words that follow a particular rule; students who demonstrate proficiency with the rule are given more challenging lists. Vocabulary words taken from class novels are also presented weekly, and students are responsible for understanding their meanings and parts of speech. Vocabulary words are discussed in small groups and as part of whole-group discussions. Students are encouraged to incorporate newly learned words into their writing and to actively discover new words.

Reading Objectives:

• Have an expanded sight word vocabulary
• Decode unfamiliar words according to phonemic principles
• Employ a variety of critical thinking skills before, during, and after reading
• Recognize main idea, both stated and unstated, as well as supporting details
• Develop an appreciation and an understanding for a variety of literature
• Expand their vocabulary
• Match reading skills to reading material

Writing Objectives:

• Develop pieces that reflect an understanding of various purposes and audiences
• Write in an organized, coherent manner that reflects an understanding of the proper structural properties of the various types of writing: descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and essay writing
• Be self-reflective and revise own work
• Develop creative writings that contain well-developed characters and settings, as well as endings that reflect a solution to the story’s main problem
• Write with a depth that includes the use of varied vocabulary and sentence structure, and comprehensive descriptions

Grammar Objectives:

• Recognize capitalization and punctuation errors and make the necessary corrections independently
• Recognize when a new paragraph should be employed
• Correctly label the various forms of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, interjections and conjunctions
• Identify subject and predicate
• Recognize subject and verb agreement

Spelling and Vocabulary Objectives:

• Identify and apply spelling rules
• Become more competent in the use of a dictionary and a thesaurus
• Become proficient at enriching own vocabulary
• Apply spelling skills to written work
• Incorporate newly acquired vocabulary words into written work
• Identify the part of speech of newly acquired vocabulary words

Grade 4 Library

Fourth graders visit the library weekly. They choose independent reading books and learn to navigate the library and online tools to identify, locate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Reinforce the use of the Destiny Catalog to search for books to fulfill assignments and for personal interests
• Navigate the fiction and nonfiction sections in the library
• Revisit genres 
• Explore digital reference tools 
• Learn to form effective search strategies while using databases
• Utilize databases such as PebbleGo Next and Britannica 
• Revisit copyright
• Understand plagiarism and strategies to avoid plagiarizing
• Participate in thematic monthly celebrations, such as National Poetry Month and Women’s History Month
• Introduction to fair use and ethical use of information 
• Learn about digital citizenship, search engines designed for children, and internet safety

Grade 4 Math

Fourth grade students build mathematical skills to solve larger and more complicated problems that involve several steps. The Math in Focus curriculum uses a "concrete to pictorial to abstract" sequence to present concepts and model strategies for solutions Students learn concepts through teacher-directed lessons and working with manipulatives. Model drawings are also used to help students engage in complex problem-solving. The questinos posed by the students while solving real-life problems guides the mathematical discussion. Often students are asked to explain their process and explore other ways of solving or representing the answer. This helps students learn to focus on the process of problem solving and not just the end result of being right or wrong

Fourth graders explore:

• Place value of whole numbers
• Computation and representation of fractions
• Estimation and number theory
• Decimal concepts
• Analyzing data using tables and graphs
• Whole number multiplication and division
• Multi-step problem solving
• Area and perimeter of various 2D shapes
• Classifying shapes, figures and angles
• Problem-solving skills and strategies

Grades 2-5 Music and Theater Arts

After an extensive base of "tuneful, beatiful and artful" experiences has been established in the early grades, students are prepared to progress to more in-depth musical skills. This is accomplished primarily through the Conversational Solfege curriculum. Music reading skills are introduced in sequence, using a pattern of activities designed to provide students with the optimal opportunity to internalize musical literacy.

Following the same sequence by which spoken languages are most naturally acquired, Conversational Solfege introduces each musical concept aurally before approaching the idea visually. Students engage in activities and games that enable them to hear, echo, identify, decode, improvise, read, write and compose rhythmic, melodic and harmonic musical concepts.

The rhythmic curriculum begins with patterns of eighth and quarter notes in simple meter and proceeds through the study of all types of rhythmic notation in both simple and compound meter. Rhythmic concepts such as strong and weak beats, beat groupings and meter, and tempo are also taught. The study of melody and harmony begins with "do, re and mi" and progresses through the entire scale. Throughout all studies, musical terminology is taught and reinforced aurally and visually. Acquiring proficiency in music literacy is important, but it is certainly not the only goal of the curriculum for older students.

The children continue to celebrate through music, experiencing many seasonal, holiday and event-based songs. Folk dancing is an essential part of the curriculum, teaching vital social skills and honing physical abilities while reinforcing rhythmic concepts. Songs from various historical eras and geographical areas allow students to travel through space and time to experience music from around the world and across the ages.

Students’ growing familiarity with stage practices enables them to experiment and improvise in their theater activities. Beginning in 3rd grade, students take an active part in planning and designing every aspect of their musicals, from conceptualization and song selection/composition to costume design and set preparation.

Skill-Building Activities

• Singing a wide variety of songs including echo songs, call-and-response songs, singing games and play parties, cumulative songs, individual and small group sections, holiday and special occasion songs
• Using rhythm instruments to accompany singing and improvise rhythms
• Participating in drum circles and other free-form rhythmic activities
• Using melodic instruments such as bells and melody chimes
• Participating in competitive games that test grasp of particular skills
• Folk dancing
• Using a variety of musical props and manipulatives including scarves, balls, beanbags, ribbon wands and puppets to enhance learning
• Playing musical games from around the world
• Exploring historical, cultural and musical connections through the study of music history and current events
• Discussing and asking questions about the curriculum

Grades 3, 4, 5 Instrumental Music

Instrumental music is a continuation of the musical skills taught in JPK-2 Music. Students in Grade 3 will learn to play the recorder, and students in Grades 4 and 5 may choose a woodwind or brass instrument. Young musicians are grouped into small ensembles by instrument for instruction and join together once per week for a full-band rehearsal. Visiting professional musicians give demonstrations and performances for the students. Students will have opportunities to perform for peers, parents and the community several times per year.

Skill-building activities:

• Technique (proper embouchure formation, correct hand position and fingering, posture, breath control)
• Making music with others
• Following the conductor (stick or hand gestures)
• Learning rehearsal and performance ettiquette
• Providing proper care, handling and maintenance to a musical instrument
• Fluently reading music notation, rhythms, music markings (dynamics, tempo, articulation)
• Learning to play in three different key signatures and three time signatures
• Learning various musical styles

Resources include:

• Yamaha Band Student Volume I
• Yamaha Band Ensembles Volume I & II
• Yamaha Advantage Volume I
• Accent on Ensembles, Alfred Publishing
• Recorder Karate, by Paul Jennings and Barb Philipak
• Standard of Excellence Festival Ensembles, Kjos Music Publishing
• Arranged music for young band - various publishers (Alfred, Queenwood, Musicians Publications, C.L. Barnhouse, Belwin, Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, FJH Music Co.)

Grades 4-5 Physical Education

• Refine manipulative skills
• Develop the team concept
• Observe the value and importance of exercise
• Be attentive to instruction
• Experience self-directed play
• Assume leadership roles

Grades 3-5 STEM

• Measuring and collecting data as well as organizing data in tables
• Exploring digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space (first and second graders use some digital tools, but the depth and frequency of digital investigations increases greatly in third grade)
• Modeling, designing and conducting experiments with both hands-on materials and with digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space
• Identifying and controlling variables, collecting data, making inferences, hypothesizing and testing
• Distinguishing between correlation and causal relationships based on data
• Developing written communication skills
• Engineering and design with Knex building kits for simple machines, vehicle design and studies of energy
• Electrical circuitry and understanding of machine language through switches and parallel circuits with Snap Circuits building kits and digital simulators

Grade 4 Social Studies

The fourth grade social studies curriculum develops students who are keen observers of and informed participants in U.S. history. Students learn about American history from the first migrations, the colonial period and the events that structured our nation. Students explore the formation of the 13 colonies the factors leading up to America’s independence, the formation of our government and the reasons behind its particular design. Students also explore the history of slavery in the United States and study the Underground Railroad. The class also includes an in-depth study of U.S. geography. Students explore the physical geography of North America and study its five regions, including the physical, cultural, economic and historical characteristics of each region. Students then choose one of the 50 states to study in depth.

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the history and the growth of the United States prior to the Civil War
• View history as a story of people striving for economic, cultural and religious change
• Develop an understanding of how geography affects the cultural and economic development of groups of people, as well as their interactions
• Locate every state and its capital
• Locate the following regions on a map of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West
• Compare and contrast the above regions of the United States according to cultural patterns, major industries, landforms and tourist attractions
• Use maps to aid in the recognition of the states, landforms and cities
• Use a wide variety of sources, such as the Internet and written material, to gather information for projects
• Develop an oral presentation and present it effectively

Grade 4 Spanish

• Review and build knowledge of higher numbers and content vocabulary
• Learn words that are the same or similar in English and Spanish
• Parts of speech
• The use of genders and plurals when speaking in Spanish
• Introduce the concept of masculine and feminine nouns
• Learn how to express action
• Explore the relationship/difference between American and Spanish names
• Explore "getting to know people" in Spanish
• Practice dialogue
• Create and perform skits
• Culture:
  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Read stories related to the culture

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.

Grade 5 Art

• Explore the artwork and life of Chuck Close then, using mathematics and measuring, create a large scale animal portrait using oil pastels
• Study the history of masks and create plaster masks
• Continue to elaborate and emphasize drawing techniques
• Integrate art projects with the study of Egypt
• Participate in sketchbook assignments and challenges
• Examine artist Grant Wood and create a new American Gothic
• Participate in an independent arts project based, managed and structured upon students' interest
• Enjoy increased freedom in the art room to explore materials and creativity

Grade 5 Language Arts

The fifth grade language arts curriculum is designed to develop and enhance skills through daily reading and writing. A heavy emphasis on reading affords children the practice necessary to improve reading and thinking skills along with the opportunity to discover a wide variety of written material. Daily writing assignments are required in order to build the child’s writing fluency. Grammar skills are heavily emphasized.

Reading Objectives:

• Solidify word attack skills
• Develop fluency and expression in oral reading
• Sharpen literal, interpretive and critical reading skills
• Improve reading rate
• Identify main idea
• Sequence information
• Use context clues to comprehend new vocabulary
• Make predictions based on evidence in the text
• Locate specific information in reference sources
• Read different genres, such as historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, poetry and expository text
• Maintain a consistent schedule of independent reading
• Write responses, essays, summaries and book reports
• Offer oral responses to written material

Writing Objectives:

• Write for a sustained period of time
• Improve sentence structure
• Apply level-appropriate punctuation skills
• Organize sentences into paragraphs
• Proofread and edit work
• Experience writing: poetry, personal narratives, short stories, book reports, research papers, journal commentary, essays, directions, reports and literature responses
• Gather, organize and sequence information
• Take notes in preparation for report writing
• Summarize
• Broaden use of vocabulary
• Look critically at one’s own writing
• Evaluate and revise a first draft
• Write for a variety of audiences

Spelling Objectives:

• Identify and apply spelling rules to written assignments
• Improve homophone usage
• Form plural and possessive nouns
• Recognize spelling errors and reduce their frequency
• Proofread and correct spelling errors on written work

Grade 5 Library

Fifth graders visit the library weekly. They choose independent reading books and learn to navigate the library and online tools to identify, locate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Skill-Building Activities:

• Listen to a variety of book talks on fiction and nonfiction books
• Independently identify genres
• Continue using the Destiny catalog to locate fiction and nonfiction independently
• Continue to explore Internet safety and digital citizenship
• Use critical thinking skills to evaluate Websites 
• Effectively form search strategies
• Utilize school databases for research

Grade 5 Math

The fifth grade Math in Focus program centers upon the continued building of a solid mathematical foundation. Students learn concepts through visual lessons, practice skills through instruction and activities, and apply knowledge through extensive problem solving opportunities.

The course focuses on:

• Comparing, ordering and rounding whole numbers into the billions and decimals to the thousandths place
• Simplifying number expressions through patterns, estimation and order of operations
• Rewriting fractions to enable addition and subtraction
• Applying multiplication and division to whole numbers, fractions, mixed numbers and decimals
• Evaluating relationships among fractions, decimals, and percents and calculating percent of a quantity, including tax and discount
• Determining dimensions to calculate volume of cubes, rectangular prisms and composite solids
• Exploring coordinates and utilizing the first quadrant of the coordinate plane to plot points and lines
• Classifying polygons in a hierarchy based on side and angle relationships
• Writing and translating ratios and equivalent ratios
• Solving real-world problems using multi-step operations, visual models and algebraic expressions

Grades 2-5 Music and Theater Arts

After an extensive base of "tuneful, beatiful and artful" experiences has been established in the early grades, students are prepared to progress to more in-depth musical skills. This is accomplished primarily through the Conversational Solfege curriculum. Music reading skills are introduced in sequence, using a pattern of activities designed to provide students with the optimal opportunity to internalize musical literacy.

Following the same sequence by which spoken languages are most naturally acquired, Conversational Solfege introduces each musical concept aurally before approaching the idea visually. Students engage in activities and games that enable them to hear, echo, identify, decode, improvise, read, write and compose rhythmic, melodic and harmonic musical concepts.

The rhythmic curriculum begins with patterns of eighth and quarter notes in simple meter and proceeds through the study of all types of rhythmic notation in both simple and compound meter. Rhythmic concepts such as strong and weak beats, beat groupings and meter, and tempo are also taught. The study of melody and harmony begins with "do, re and mi" and progresses through the entire scale. Throughout all studies, musical terminology is taught and reinforced aurally and visually. Acquiring proficiency in music literacy is important, but it is certainly not the only goal of the curriculum for older students.

The children continue to celebrate through music, experiencing many seasonal, holiday and event-based songs. Folk dancing is an essential part of the curriculum, teaching vital social skills and honing physical abilities while reinforcing rhythmic concepts. Songs from various historical eras and geographical areas allow students to travel through space and time to experience music from around the world and across the ages.

Students’ growing familiarity with stage practices enables them to experiment and improvise in their theater activities. Beginning in 3rd grade, students take an active part in planning and designing every aspect of their musicals, from conceptualization and song selection/composition to costume design and set preparation.

Skill-Building Activities

• Singing a wide variety of songs including echo songs, call-and-response songs, singing games and play parties, cumulative songs, individual and small group sections, holiday and special occasion songs
• Using rhythm instruments to accompany singing and improvise rhythms
• Participating in drum circles and other free-form rhythmic activities
• Using melodic instruments such as bells and melody chimes
• Participating in competitive games that test grasp of particular skills
• Folk dancing
• Using a variety of musical props and manipulatives including scarves, balls, beanbags, ribbon wands and puppets to enhance learning
• Playing musical games from around the world
• Exploring historical, cultural and musical connections through the study of music history and current events
• Discussing and asking questions about the curriculum

Grades 3, 4, 5 Instrumental Music

Instrumental music is a continuation of the musical skills taught in JPK-2 Music. Students in Grade 3 will learn to play the recorder, and students in Grades 4 and 5 may choose a woodwind or brass instrument. Young musicians are grouped into small ensembles by instrument for instruction and join together once per week for a full-band rehearsal. Visiting professional musicians give demonstrations and performances for the students. Students will have opportunities to perform for peers, parents and the community several times per year.

Skill-building activities:

• Technique (proper embouchure formation, correct hand position and fingering, posture, breath control)
• Making music with others
• Following the conductor (stick or hand gestures)
• Learning rehearsal and performance ettiquette
• Providing proper care, handling and maintenance to a musical instrument
• Fluently reading music notation, rhythms, music markings (dynamics, tempo, articulation)
• Learning to play in three different key signatures and three time signatures
• Learning various musical styles

Resources include:

• Yamaha Band Student Volume I
• Yamaha Band Ensembles Volume I & II
• Yamaha Advantage Volume I
• Accent on Ensembles, Alfred Publishing
• Recorder Karate, by Paul Jennings and Barb Philipak
• Standard of Excellence Festival Ensembles, Kjos Music Publishing
• Arranged music for young band - various publishers (Alfred, Queenwood, Musicians Publications, C.L. Barnhouse, Belwin, Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, FJH Music Co.)

Grades 4-5 Physical Education

• Refine manipulative skills
• Develop the team concept
• Observe the value and importance of exercise
• Be attentive to instruction
• Experience self-directed play
• Assume leadership roles

Grades 3-5 STEM

• Measuring and collecting data as well as organizing data in tables
• Exploring digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space (first and second graders use some digital tools, but the depth and frequency of digital investigations increases greatly in third grade)
• Modeling, designing and conducting experiments with both hands-on materials and with digital simulators in physics, chemistry, earth and space
• Identifying and controlling variables, collecting data, making inferences, hypothesizing and testing
• Distinguishing between correlation and causal relationships based on data
• Developing written communication skills
• Engineering and design with Knex building kits for simple machines, vehicle design and studies of energy
• Electrical circuitry and understanding of machine language through switches and parallel circuits with Snap Circuits building kits and digital simulators

Grade 5 Social Studies

The fifth grade social studies curriculum is loosely divided into two areas: history and geography. The history portion explores ancient cultures from the introduction of early man through the Greek Empire. Although geography is stressed throughout the study of ancient cultures, it is also a separate curriculum. The study of world geography includes continents, oceans, major countries and capitals, important landforms and map-making skills. The program blends geography, history, economics, culture and belief systems in order to provide a broad understanding of past civilizations that continue to influence the modern world.

Objectives:

• Examine the inter-relatedness of ancient, past and present cultures
• Recognize interdependence in early times
• Identify the steps leading to the formation of civilizations
• Examine the influences of physical and cultural geography on history
• Analyze how culture is transmitted
• Understand the information represented by timelines, graphs, pictures, maps and diagrams
• Distinguish among fact, opinion and reasoned judgments
• Draw conclusions from evidence
• Use basic research methods to complete written and oral reports
• Organize information for presentation to the class
• Recognize importance of using natural resources wisely
• Use an atlas, encyclopedia, Internet and other resources effectively
• Participate in collaborative learning opportunities
• Develop vocabulary necessary for history and geography

Grade 5 Spanish

• Review and expand on previously learned vocabulary 
• Reinforce and build on new vocabulary
• Reinforce and build on grammar and parts of speech
• Expand on verb conjugation
• Expand number counting and knowledge up to the millions
• Practice dialogues
• Give presentations to peers in Spanish
• Culture:
  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Read stories related to the culture
  • Spanish speaking countries

Grades K-5 Wellness

Students in kindergarten - grade 5 explore unit themes that focus on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management and problem-solving. Each grade experiences developmentally appropriate lessons that teach skills along with brain-builders, songs and the use of puppets to help reinforce the lesson along the way.