In the primary grades, students have daily practice in phonics, spelling and word work, all of which come together to support their development as readers. Teachers read a different mentor text each week that models a specific comprehension skill - such as making predictions and connections or identifying character traits and motivations - which students then practice in small guided reading groups or one-on-one with their teacher. The emphasis in these grades is building reading fluency, comprehension, and most importantly, a love of reading.

In the upper elementary grades, the focus shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. Students work daily to build their vocabulary and understanding of English grammar. Teachers guide students in thinking about deeper concepts like theme, metaphor, and author’s purpose and motivation through whole class novel studies and small groups called literature circles. Students also begin to work with textbooks and use nonfiction text features effectively.

Students learn to write complete sentences with proper punctuation and capitalization and to take their writing through the full writing process, with teacher support: brainstorming, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. As they progress from one year to the next, students learn to craft more detailed sentences, develop a variety of writing techniques, and produce longer pieces. Each writing project culminates in a publishing party so that student authors can share their work with an authentic audience.

In the upper elementary grades, students continue their work in writer’s workshop but also use a program called Write Now, Right Now to support their work in crafting strong paragraphs and writing in response to their reading. By the end of fifth grade, students are adept at using the full writing process independently and producing the classic 5 paragraph essay, which supports their smooth transition into the increased expectations of Middle School. As in the primary grades, each writing project in the upper elementary grades culminates in a publishing party.

K-2: Students develop facility with whole numbers and place value through lots of hands-on activities, games, and projects that support their growth from the concrete to the abstract. By the end of second grade, students are able to add and subtract by regrouping to a thousand and have a solid conceptual understanding of multiplication and division.

Students continue to build on the skills they developed in the primary grades, extending their work with whole numbers into fractions and decimals, learning multi-digit multiplication and division, solving multi-step story problems, and developing geometry concepts such as area and volume. As in the primary grades, students learn to solve problems using a variety of strategies and methods and explain their thinking to others.

Science instruction in the elementary grades centers around the NGSS or Next Generation Science Standards, which focus on thinking like a scientist rather than simply memorizing scientific facts.

Students use a program called Mystery Science that provides a combination of video prompts, discussion questions, and hands-on experiences and experiments to guide them through the scientific process as they solve real-life mysteries.

Social Studies instruction in the elementary grades is intended to broaden students’ concepts and appreciation of the world around them. With our school-wide commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, teachers incorporate texts, videos, hands-on experiences, and field trips that both reflect the students in our classrooms as well as expose them to new concepts, cultures, and perspectives.

Each year, students complete projects or participate in project-based learning around social studies concepts such as 4th grade Gold Rush Town and 2nd grade Market Day.

Students enjoy their first overnight field trip in 4th grade. They first visit Mission San Juan Capistrano to see what life was like in a California mission, then spend the night on The Spirit of Dana Point at the Ocean Institute where they live and work as sailors, learning about the Boston-to-California hide trade of the 1840s. 

5th graders enjoy a two-night field trip to Catalina Island Marine Institute. They participate in hands-on marine science labs, learn about pollution, explore the ocean, and stretch themselves through adventurous activities like kayaking and snorkeling.