Academics
Lower School Curriculum
Language Arts
READERS WORKSHOP | WRITERS WORKSHOP
Our classrooms are inviting places for children to develop a love of reading. We create settings in which children study in workshop environments surrounded by high quality fiction and nonfiction; where they are given ample time to read every day, and to talk and write about their interpretations of books. Children in our classrooms are enthusiastic about books and value their purpose within their reading lives.
If you were to peak into a classroom, you would see children who choose to read; children who read for long periods of time; children who are excited to share books; children who recommend books to each other; children who meet to discuss books in small groups daily; children who ask to go to the library.
Our school-wide goals are:
- To instill an appreciation of the written and spoken word.
- To value the power of language as access to ideas and cultures.
- To develop facility in reading and writing, including spelling and grammar.
- To see themselves as authors, confidently standing before their peers, parents and school communities, reciting from their own work.
- To promote consistent experiences of joy, confidence and success for readers at all levels.
We fulfill these goals by the following methods:
Guided Reading
Instilling a lifelong love of reading is a fundamental goal of the program. We encourage students to become purposeful learners who take pleasure in the reading process, learning to construct meaning by inferring, analyzing and predicting outcomes. The program is geared to the individual needs of the students, especially with guided reading. Children work with a teacher in a full group, in small groups and one-on-one for guided reading. Using an eclectic approach to teaching reading, which includes a word analysis as well as a whole word sight recognition approach, students are exposed to a range of literary genres, experiencing literature from many cultures. We strongly believe that a literature based program that reflects diverse traditions effectively supports instruction and tolerance. When skills are taught and reinforced within such a meaningful, contextual framework, understanding is deepened. In addition, specific strategies are introduced to bolster comprehension and assess progress, resulting in increased independence and mastery. The overall framework promotes consistent experiences of joy, confidence and success for readers at all levels.
Listening, Speaking and Speech
Throughout the Lower School, children are constantly being immersed in language. Teachers use read alouds as a purposeful, thoughtful approach multiple times each day. Books are chosen that expose children to beautiful language, broaden their vocabulary and expose them to humor. Read alouds often start the day with the purpose of building community and as a way of building bridges to help children get to know each other from the inside out.
Developing students’ understanding of the spoken word and expanding their oral vocabularies are fundamental goals of our language arts program. Children learn to express themselves effectively in a variety of speaking and listening situations, with particular attention given to matching style to audience and purpose. Active listening and inquiry-based learning sensitize children to a variety of points of view.
Teachers consistently model how the voice is an instrument that puts the music of language in the air. Teachers interpret texts with tone, intensity, mood and pacing; making meaning with their voices so the listening student is hearing the metaphor, the transition, the opening, the humor in the language. Students think in rich descriptive language, when they hear it. They develop it further when they read and write it. Poetry is read often for its rich expression and concise use of language.
Many days read alouds are used simply as a gift, a time for the children to grow in their love of reading. We encourage this so our children choose reading as an activity that they can take with them outside the classroom.
Writing (including handwriting and spelling)
Our goal is to help students increase their ability to construct and convey meaning through written expression. Through regular participation in a writing process workshop, students develop their own distinct voices as writers, resulting in a range of expressive possibilities. Starting with our youngest students, children are encouraged to record their thoughts and ideas using approximate spelling. Shortly into the first grade, students fill multiple pages with their ideas. Systematic word study, practice and ongoing review help them gain more accuracy and success as spellers. Careful attention is also given to grammar, punctuation and syntax. Proper formation of upper and lower case letters is taught in a developmentally appropriate manner, using a variety of strategies. Manuscript writing is taught initially, followed by instruction in cursive handwriting early in the third grade. Each grade participates in “Publishing Parties,” where children read from their own work and recite fine poetry to their parents and classmates.
Instruction/Support Services
Literacy instruction takes place daily in all classrooms. Students work individually, in small groups, or as an entire class. Head Teachers are the primary instructors and observers of each student. The Director of Education sees students individually or in small groups, within the classroom setting or in the language resource classrooms, both for remedial and enrichment purposes. Programs are tailored to the specific needs of the student and are tightly coordinated with the curriculum of the classroom.