5th and 6th Grade

List of 4 items.

• Language Arts

  The language arts program combines reading, writing and word study and is guided by Essential Questions. Reader's Workshop, a methodology developed by Lucy Calkins at Columbia University, is used to guide our small, collaborative reading groups. Although writing is embedded throughout the curriculum, it is in Writer's Workshop that students focus on the craft of writing. Students write narrative pieces such as memoirs and short stories, and expository pieces such as persuasive paragraphs, essays, and poetry.

• Social Studies

  Our classrooms make history come alive through active role-playing and meaningful simulations based on essential questions, such as:
  "What is the real definition of civilization?"
  
  The curriculum runs on a two-year rotation between studies of western civilization and an examination of early United States history. In the spring, individual research assignments link directly to the language arts program.

• Science

  The science curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the use of the scientific method. Students frequently perform experiments and build models and they are challenged to extrapolate what they have observed. Subjects include geology, earth science, and biology. We spend a great deal of time on environmental stewardship/environmental studies and how we are connected to the world, which also integrates into the history curriculum and Outdoor Education program.

• Math

  Math classes emphasize the traditional strands of the math curriculum, which include multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percents and geometry, while the Math Lab sessions allow for more open-ended problem solving. Students play math games and use mathematical manipulatives which allow them to see, touch, construct, and ultimately, arrive at mathematical solutions based on their discoveries.