Curriculum

Across the Lower School, we embark on an exciting journey to unlock the secrets of the printed page through our structured literacy approach. Grounded in evidence-based practices that have been proven to effectively develop foundational reading skills, our curriculum is designed to empower students with the tools they need to become proficient, confident readers. We view reading as fundamental to our students’ abilities to connect with pieces of their identities, with their school community, and with the wider world.

Throughout their time in Lower School, students learn to “break the code” and unravel the complexities of the English language through Wilson Fundations. They delve deeper into phonics, exploring a range of sound and spelling patterns. Through a variety of multisensory techniques, they master letter patterns and high-frequency words. Fluency development is also emphasized, allowing students to read with speed, accuracy, and expression. A focus on building a deep understanding and knowledge of topics through both fiction and nonfiction texts contributes to strengthening comprehension. Since we believe that comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading, as well as the means by which students develop empathy, our students become not only readers, but also critical thinkers. They leave our Lower School equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for a lifetime of successful reading and learning.

Lower School writing instruction is designed to nurture and empower young learners as they embark on their journey to becoming confident and proficient writers. Grounded in the latest research on child development and writing acquisition, our curriculum is thoughtfully crafted to foster a love for writing, develop foundational skills, and encourage creativity.

Our curriculum aligns with the cognitive and motor development stages of young learners, recognizing that each child progresses at their own pace. Beginning with the development of fine motor skills, letter formation, and early phonemic awareness, our youngest learners in the Lower School are provided with the tools necessary to freely express themselves through drawing, labeling, and inventive spelling. As a student progresses through their time in the Lower School, explicit instruction in phonics, spelling patterns and grammar supports the development of writing fluency. Sentence structure, punctuation, and basic paragraph development are also introduced. 

Throughout this writing progression, activities and tasks are scaffolded to meet students where they are, providing a supportive environment for growth. We emphasize the writing process, including brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. This approach fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students are provided with opportunities to write for real-world audiences, instilling a sense of purpose and pride in their work. Writing instruction is integrated with language development, enabling students to apply newly acquired vocabulary, grammar, and syntax in their compositions. Through Lower School writing instruction, we aim to foster a lifelong love for writing, equip students with essential communication skills, and instill the confidence to express themselves effectively in a variety of contexts. 

We believe that math instruction isn’t just about “crunching numbers,” which is why we work in the Lower School to teach students the “how” and “why” of math along with developing their number sense and computational skills. In our math work, students learn to identify and evaluate their approach to problems and are encouraged to share their mathematical thinking with their classmates and teachers in a variety of ways. To make concepts concrete, students engage with mathematics using real-world contexts, helping them analyze the world around them. 

Across the Lower School, students are provided with hands-on manipulatives and visual tools or models in order to scaffold their learning. Teachers, design their instruction to meet their students’ needs and to challenge them to take their thinking further. Explicit teaching of mental math strategies, math vocabulary and language, and problem-solving strategies and approaches are all core components of our math work. By providing each of our students with the foundational skills needed to pursue mathematical thinking in the Lower School and beyond, we hope that our students see themselves as mathematicians, ready to rise to the next challenge.

Dance

In our dance and movement classes, students hone their innate creative capacity for movement. Moving singularly and in groups, dancers explore concepts of level changes, speed, jumps and turns, direction, body isolation, and various shapes. Exploration with external props, such as hula hoops, silk fans, and wings, and within their own bodies allows students to develop kinesthetic awareness, focus, and new ways for inhabiting themselves. Dance classes emphasize individual choice and autonomy as students find and stay in their own creative flow alongside classmates. Together, we create, collaborate, and respect each other’s unique practice, always orienting toward joy and discovery in our movement. 

music

Group singing is a part of every music class, and students build a large repertoire of traditional and modern songs from all over the world in their four years of Lower School. Older students learn enough chords and skills on the ukulele to accompany their singing, creating possibilities for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Students explore songwriting, melody-making, and chord progressions to build a foundation for future musical studies. Most of all, students find joy and connection through sound! In their twice weekly music classes, students build foundational music skills through instruments such as djembe drums, recorders, and ukuleles as well as through singing, games, and movement.

Our P.E. curriculum is rooted in physical literacy, employing a growth mindset to cultivate the physical competence, confidence, and motivation students need for a lifetime of active living. Led by our Athletics department staff, classes utilize our Gym, athletic fields, and diverse surrounding environments to deliver a dynamic, play-based curriculum.

By introducing fundamental movement patterns, cooperative games, and the mechanics of various sports, we build foundational skills in an encouraging environment. Lessons are tailored to the unique dynamics of each group, ensuring that even the most reluctant participants find joy, self-regulation, and success in moving their bodies. Over their four years, students progress from basic gross motor tracking to spatial awareness and body control, establishing a healthy, confident relationship with physical activity.

Our science curriculum is part of our integrated literacy program, where students receive content instruction in science and social studies through their foundational learning time emphasizing written language comprehension. It includes hands-on projects and investigations that allows our students to think deeply as scientists, go from questions to hypotheses, and build skills as researchers. Whether exploring our woods and creeks, participating in a design and engineering process, or using scientific tools to explore the hidden mysteries of found elements from nature, students pose questions and seek out possible answers. Our scientific explorations vary from year to year, allowing for teaching units examining topics such as the balance of ecosystems, outer space, and the complexities of the human body. What remains constant is the intentionality behind incorporating scientific approaches and methods to students’ investigations.

By actively working to support students in making connections between scientific concepts and processes, our environment, and other parts of their day, we teach students that asking questions and being curious about the world around them is an important part of their development. Instead of taking the world as it is, we hope our students can grow in their ability to question what is, to identify steps they can take to make it what it should be. Connecting with students’ inherent curiosity about the natural world benefits their scientific knowledge acquisition while also honoring the sense of awe and wonder our environment can inspire.

Our social science curriculum is interdisciplinary, allowing our students to explore a diversity of beliefs, values, and structures that help them understand the world around them. It is framed with an explicitly anti-racist lens, and throughout their time in the Lower School, students study examples of change makers from around the world and through history. Using these examples, students are encouraged to examine and implement ways in which they can be activists, whether it’s organizing a human rights march on campus or writing letters to local Quaker Meetings exploring ways in which Quakers were complicit in American Indian boarding schools. Students progress through units in topics including identity and community, geography and culture, civil rights,  and government structures.

Our social science curriculum is part of our integrated literacy program, where students receive content instruction in science and social studies through their foundational learning time emphasizing written language comprehension.

Students experience the Spanish language through games, stories, and hands-on activities in their twice weekly classes. They learn to listen for cognates and context clues as the teacher speaks to them primarily in Spanish. They develop their skills in communication as they infer from the teacher’s gestures and facial expressions what she is saying. They learn to read the day’s date in Spanish, proudly rattling off the number of the day, the day of the week, the month, and the year.

Younger students learn to introduce themselves and to ask a classmate how they are feeling. An art project hones their knowledge of color names. Sharing about a frog they found outside adds the word rana to their vocabulary. Older students create a short play using words and phrases they have learned. Discussions of holidays, food, art, music, and legends all add to their understanding of the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries around the world.

Our students explore a wide range of materials and techniques—including drawing, painting, clay sculpting, paper crafting, collage, and printmaking. Together, we learn about elements of art like line, shape, color, and texture through playful experimentation and practices of mindful observation. Independent creative choices draw inspiration from students' interests in science and nature, popular culture, and the work of both historical and contemporary artists. Through their art projects, students develop skills such as perseverance, creative problem-solving, and collaboration, while also learning to care for materials and contribute to our vibrant art community.

In our choice-based art studio, there are no "cookie cutter" projects. Student artwork may look different than traditional teacher-driven artwork, because it truly comes from the child. The main focus is for children to learn to behave like artists and express their own ideas and interests.