Elementary | Kindergarten-Grade 4

In Kindergarten our goal is to develop foundational skills such as rhyming, segmenting, blending, upper and lowercase letter recognition, letter/sound correspondence and correct letter formation through direct phonics instruction. Our focus is on mastery of these skills. In addition, we support reading comprehension skills and a love of reading through daily read alouds, book talks and discussions, and author/illustrator studies. 

The goal of the Kindergarten writing program is to develop each student’s ability to communicate through writing. Our students begin by drawing pictures and advance to writing words and sentences. Children are introduced to the writing process through several genre studies including Personal Narrative, All About Books, Persuasive Writing and Poetry. Our students are always proud to share their published work. 

The goal of the Kindergarten math program is to promote our student's ability to think as problem solvers. Children increase their understanding of basic math concepts such as more, less, and equal to, combining shapes to make new shapes, addition and subtraction, and gathering, sorting and recording data. Counting, grouping, number recognition and formation, and the ability to explain his or her thinking are skills we emphasize. Students are introduced to a variety of math manipulatives and materials and develop their math vocabulary.  

In Kindergarten, students are introduced to the scientific method and are expected to approach their investigations as a scientist would. The discovery method is used so that students find the answers themselves rather than being given the correct solution to the problem. They are asked to begin predicting and encouraged to develop a lifelong love of science.

READING: In a classroom that is rich in literature, students move from decoding to reading for meaning. Consistent assessments using the Developmental Reading Assessment allow teachers to closely monitor each child’s reading growth throughout the year.

WRITING: Children secure their understanding of the parts of a sentence and early stages of a paragraph. As some of Ripp’s youngest authors, they write “small moment stories” based on an event from their own life, non-fiction “books,” and a perennial favorite - they even write a fractured fairy tale. For the first time, students are introduced to the concept of editing and take tremendous pride in their final products.

LISTENING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING: First graders engage in daily listening and public speaking skills practice. For example, at the very start of the day, during Morning Meeting, they are asked to answer a daily question as well as listen to and recall their peers’ answers. The question may be as simple, and even silly, as “would you rather be a rhino or a lion, and why?” however, the required, full-sentence answer provides powerful reinforcement of these lifelong skills.

READING: Students improve their reading stamina and ability to select a ‘just right book’ as they self-monitor their ability to decode and comprehend a story. Formal assessments using the Developmental Reading Assessment, and small, differentiated groups ensure that students read aloud daily with a teacher’s direct guidance. Teachers continue to use an individualized, research supported multi-sensory approach to teaching in conjunction with assessments. Differentiated skills work is planned in conjunction with a learning specialist, to both extend and support, for all learners.

WRITING: Students experience tremendous growth in writing. They learn planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing, as they write across disciplines, including in mathematics, social studies, and science.

LISTENING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING: 2nd graders continue to engage in daily listening and public speaking skills practice. For example, each week a member of the class takes home “Flat Stanley” and takes him on an adventure that they log about in a journal. The chosen student shares his experience before the whole class while the others plot eagerly where they will take Stanley!

Explore addition and subtraction of multi-digit numbers as well as the landmark numbers of 10 and 100.

• Practice using a variety of problem-solving strategies that support computational fluency, accuracy, and efficiency.

• Journal their work and use of manipulatives to monitor and make sense of their math thinking as they explore multiple methods for solving individual problems.

• Discuss different strategies as an essential part of each activity.

READING: Students read across genres, with a favorite being a unit on biographies. Reading instruction regularly takes place in small, differentiated groups of 4 to 6 children along with formal assessments to ensure each child get the support or enrichment needed to improve their independent reading ability and interest level. Differentiated skills work, planned in conjunction with a learning specialist to both extend and support, is offered at a pace appropriate for each child using a continuation of a research-based multi-sensory approach and regular assessments are performed to track progress and monitor growth using the Developmental Reading Assessment and Gates-Macginitie Reading Test.

WRITING: Emphasis is placed on expository writing, focusing on skills such as sentence expansion, paragraph organization, and grammar using best practices from research-based programs such as Judith Hochman’s Basic Writing Skills. Students cycle through the stages of outlining, drafting, revising, rewriting, and publishing. In addition to a study of cursive handwriting, each student has their own classroom-based laptop for typing final assignments and receives keyboarding instruction. Third graders also complete creative writing activities, write poetry and practice letter writing when they write to a famous person of their choice - and often get a reply! By the end of the third grade, students write a succinct, well-structured paragraph so that they are prepared for essay work in fourth grade.

PUBLIC SPEAKING/LISTENING: 3rd graders continue to engage in daily listening and public speaking skills practice through read alouds, daily Morning Meeting, frequent small group and partner work, as well as math congresses where they share their understanding of a particular problem. A particular focus in 3rd grade that will continue through the upper grades is to help the children become increasingly comfortable with the idea of giving and receiving feedback to improve their and their peers’ work. They are expected to go beyond “I liked your project” and instead share what they’ve learned, questions they have or give a specific complement.

READING: Students travel back in time to Nazi occupied Europe during World War II and pour through the pages of Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars. They imagine being lost in the wilderness as they devour Brian Paulsen’s Hatchet. A particular highlight of the curriculum, includes working alongside the team at local therapeutic horse farm, Endeavor to explore the themes students are reading about in practice.

WRITING: Students continue to cycle through the writing process of outline, draft, edit, revise, and publish utilizing components of the Judith Hochman’s Basic Writing Skills program. Stronger connections between reading and writing are developed and emphasis is placed on the importance of using descriptive language and elaborating on an idea. Students learn to proactively edit their writing so they can add, delete, reorganize, and apply what they have learned through direct instruction in appropriate grammar in their writing. By the end of the year, students complete a multi-paragraph research report.

A Learning Specialists works closely with the fourth grade homeroom teachers to plan for extensions and remediation as needed. In addition, growth is monitored for all students through both informal and formal assessments, such as the Developmental Reading Assessment and Gates-Macginitie Reading Test to prepare them for the transition to the Upper Campus.