Lower School Curriculum
The Lower School program emphasizes the development of academic and social skills and habits in an environment that is joyful, collaborative, challenging and honoring of both individuality and community. While simplicity is valued in our Quaker school, we do not mistake simplicity for over-simplification; our youngest students are challenged to ask questions and explore perspectives about complex but developmentally appropriate problems.
As students emerge as readers in the primary grades (K-2), they learn strategies through whole class and small group lessons and through individual instruction. In the upper elementary grades (3,4), students are exposed to a wider array of literature to create flexible readers with the ability to choose and engage with a variety of texts. Our workshop-based elementary writing program promotes children’s natural love of story while systematically teaching the discrete skills of phonics, handwriting and writing mechanics.
Our math program allows students to investigate and explore mathematics in a hands-on, multi-sensory manner. Our approach is constructivist; through experience, children build their understanding of mathematical ideas. We know that we must teach the foundations of mathematical thinking in context, bringing children to real understanding while learning discrete arithmetic skills.
The science program encourages students to think like scientists -- asking questions, participating in investigations, and formulating conceptions of the way the world works. It is both hands-on and minds-in.
In social studies, the study of different communities and cultures is often approached with attention to issues of community, stewardship, justice and equity. The emphasis is participation and critical thinking.
Children in the lower school have many field trips around the Bay Area, from farms and tidepools to the ferry building and City Hall. They also begin their exploration of neighborhood businesses and organizations, building mutually beneficial partnerships.
Our arts, foreign language and physical education programs share the same foundational principles as our academic programs. The arts department is made up of professional artists/educators who believe that experiencing the arts, from creation to reflection, is an essential part of the development of individuals and communities. We teach Spanish early and often. Children have class each week with a native speaker and are exposed to Spanish in our community in a variety of ways; teachers seek opportunities to integrate Spanish into other areas of the curriculum, like into our plays and daily routines in the classroom. Our physical education program emphasizes fitness, teamwork and sportsmanship, hard work and perseverance.
Since reflection is a regular part of our Quaker school program, students have ample opportunities to talk and write about what they are learning about themselves and the world. Beginning in first grade, students learn the guidelines for a Quaker Meeting for Business, which help them convey how they perceive their school experience, offer appreciations and recognitions of community members, and work out problems in a peaceful and collaborative manner. Through portfolio reflections, Justice Journals, participation in Meeting for Worship, class meetings, and other venues, students' engagement in their learning and generally positive attitude toward school is evident. Students are encouraged to let the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship guide their interactions with one another and their behavior in general.
Please follow this link to see a grid outlining the topics and skills addressed at each grade level.