Lower School Curriculum
The Lower School provides a smooth transition from the Montessori Preschool program.
While the academic program in the Lower School is not Montessori based, the Montessori methods influence instruction. We make learning intrinsically motivating and provide students with opportunities to lead, teach, interact, and learn by observing others. Students are challenged to achieve their highest potential. Children are encouraged to explore their own interests in journal writing and self-selected reading, and they solve real-life problems.
During their elementary school experience, students develop the study skills necessary for future success including note taking and organization skills. Students develop the habits of mind and character such as independence and self-reliance that will ensure a smooth transition to Middle School (Grades 5-8).
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In first grade, students choose the language they will study for the rest of their time at The Woods. Early language instruction emphasizes listening and speaking skills. Students learn songs, poems and play games that reinforce communicative skills. Activities that focus on vocabulary, structures, and expressions help students develop dialogues about everyday topics.
In the Lower School guidance program, emotional intelligence is foundational to all of our teaching. Emotional Intelligence is the capacity to relate to others in an empathetic and caring manner; it builds on interpersonal relationships and a concern for the community.
Through weekly library classes, students develop literature appreciation by listening to stories and selecting books to borrow from the library. The students learn about the organization of the library material and the parts of a book.
The Lower School physical education program follows the guidelines developed by the Society of Health And Physical Educators (SHAPE) and its National Standards. In Grades 1 - 4, the students’ focus will be on Motor Skills and Movement Patterns; such as Body, Space, Effect, Relationship Awareness, Balance and locomotor and non-locomotor movements. Throughout the year, students will participate in organized team building games to work on these skills.
The Lower School language arts program emphasizes a strong developmental literacy foundation of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The balanced program emphasizes the necessary foundational skills of literacy through small and large group directed lessons, while immersing students in a variety of opportunities for development in all subject areas.
In Grade 1, students draw pictures to represent a real-world problem. Discussion, predictions and finally mathematics all evolve from one picture. Once students become accustomed to discussing problems, they begin using cubes to represent the actions described. By combining or separating cubes, children get a clear sense of addition and subtraction. They have taken a concrete item such as a cube and created a picture of bundling or unbundling – concrete to pictorial.
The Lower School music curriculum draws from our vast repertoire of traditional American folk songs, song-games, and dances. Students learn to sing tunefully and play instruments including drums, xylophones, small percussion instruments, and recorders.
The Lower School religion program is designed to introduce students to the Catholic faith and traditions while inviting them to deepen their appreciation of other faiths. Students reflect on their own lives as they grow in their spirituality, through the teachings of Jesus. Promoting ethical decision-making is a cornerstone of the program.
The Lower School science program is designed to allow students to think like scientists and engage in scientific inquiry. The program emphasizes an exploration of scientific concepts in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. Science, at every grade level, is a hands-on experience with a lab component.
The Lower School Social Studies program focuses on education for civic participation and global understanding. It draws upon the fields of economics, geography, history, political science, religion, and sociology. Students come to a better understanding of the complexities of human interaction and organization including local, state, and national governance.
At The Woods Academy, we believe that our students need a solid foundation in technology. This foundation includes understanding how technology works as well as being able to use technology to create. Not only do our classroom teachers integrate technology into their lessons, but an explicit technology curriculum is taught to our students beginning in Kindergarten.
The Visual Arts program in Lower School helps students gain a better understanding of themselves and those around them. The students discover how to think critically about what they see. The projects are designed to connect the principle of Visual Arts with other subject areas and extend what they learn in the classroom.
The Lower School language arts program emphasizes a strong developmental literacy foundation of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The balanced program emphasizes the necessary foundational skills of literacy through small and large group directed lessons, while immersing students in a variety of opportunities for development in all subject areas.
In Grade 2, students transition from cubes to drawing a rectangular bar that represents the cubes, known as the bar model. The use of the rectangular bars and the identification of the unknown quantity with a question mark help students visualize the problem and know what operations to perform.
The Lower School music curriculum draws from our vast repertoire of traditional American folk songs, song-games, and dances. Students learn to sing tunefully and play instruments including drums, xylophones, small percussion instruments, and recorders.
The Lower School religion program is designed to introduce students to the Catholic faith and traditions while inviting them to deepen their appreciation of other faiths. Students reflect on their own lives as they grow in their spirituality, through the teachings of Jesus. Promoting ethical decision-making is a cornerstone of the program.
The Lower School science program is designed to allow students to think like scientists and engage in scientific inquiry. Science, at every grade level, is a hands-on experience with a lab component.
In Grade 2, social studies activities are connected to other subject areas. The program is supplemented by a wide variety of literature. Map skills are taught with a focus on physical features, the continents, and the oceans. Students learn about world climates in connection with the science unit on weather.
At The Woods Academy, we believe that our students need a solid foundation in technology. This foundation includes understanding how technology works as well as being able to use technology to create.
The Visual Arts program in Lower School helps students gain a better understanding of themselves and those around them. The students discover how to think critically about what they see. The projects are designed to connect the principle of Visual Arts with other subject areas and extend what they learn in the classroom.
In third and fourth grade at The Woods, daily language instruction prioritizes the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Through a variety of activities, such as oral presentations, guided reading and writing exercises, circle time, writing and performing skits, authentic audio sources, and interactive games, students reinforce and further develop their abilities.
Grade 3 students read increasingly challenging texts in several genres including biographies, fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, and plays. Emphasis is placed on phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, expression, comprehension, and writing. Reading comprehension is enhanced through identification of and sequencing of facts, distinguishing between fact and opinion, making inferences, drawing accurate conclusions supported by evidence, analyzing, evaluating, summarizing, and, most important, synthesizing ideas. Independent reading is fostered through reading aloud, performing, sharing and participating in leveled reading groups. Reading instruction takes place in a whole group format with novels that are curriculum integrated as well as differentiated, flexible groups based on varied skill levels.
Students in Grade 3 will begin with numbers to 10,000 - counting, place value, and ordering them. They will also learn how to add and subtract these numbers. Students learn mental math, estimation, and bar modeling. Multiplication and division are discussed, as well as bar graphs and line plots. Customary units of measurements are then introduced. Students work on fractions, time and temperature, and angles and lines.
The Lower School music curriculum draws from our vast repertoire of traditional American folk songs, song-games, and dances. Students learn to sing tunefully and play instruments including drums, xylophones, small percussion instruments, and recorders.
The Lower School religion program is designed to introduce students to the Catholic faith and traditions while inviting them to deepen their appreciation of other faiths. Students reflect on their own lives as they grow in their spirituality, through the teachings of Jesus. Promoting ethical decision-making is a cornerstone of the program.
The Lower School science program is designed to allow students to think like scientists and engage in scientific inquiry. The program emphasizes an exploration of scientific concepts in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. Science, at every grade level, is a hands-on experience with a lab component.
Grade 3 students gain an understanding of immigration when learning about our earliest settlers, why they came to the United States, and from where they originated. They study Ellis Island and Angel Island and learn about the process of immigration when going through one of these places. We discuss the journeys that the immigrants took and talk about the reasons they came to The United States. Students also take a deep dive into their own family histories.
At The Woods Academy, we believe that our students need a solid foundation in technology. This foundation includes understanding how technology works as well as being able to use technology to create.
The Visual Arts program in Lower School helps students gain a better understanding of themselves and those around them. The students discover how to think critically about what they see. The projects are designed to connect the principle of Visual Arts with other subject areas and extend what they learn in the classroom.
The Lower School language arts program prioritizes building a robust developmental literacy foundation for students. Our balanced approach focuses on essential skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening through a combination of small and large group directed lessons. Students are fully immersed in a variety of development opportunities across all subject areas.
Students in Grade 4 start their school year off by building upon what they learned in Grade 3. They work with whole numbers, estimation and number theory, and whole number multiplication and division
The Lower School music curriculum draws from our vast repertoire of traditional American folk songs, song-games, and dances. Students learn to sing tunefully and play instruments including drums, xylophones, small percussion instruments, and recorders.
The Lower School religion program is designed to introduce students to the Catholic faith and traditions while inviting them to deepen their appreciation of other faiths. Students reflect on their own lives as they grow in their spirituality, through the teachings of Jesus. Promoting ethical decision-making is a cornerstone of the program.
The Lower School science program is designed to allow students to think like scientists and engage in scientific inquiry. The program emphasizes an exploration of scientific concepts in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. Science, at every grade level, is a hands-on experience with a lab component.
Explore the diverse and dynamic landscape of the United States with "Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country." Our engaging curriculum takes students on an exciting road trip across the nation, covering essential topics such as map skills, and region-specific units including Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West, and Maryland."
At The Woods Academy, we believe that our students need a solid foundation in technology. This foundation includes understanding how technology works as well as being able to use technology to create.
The Visual Arts program in Lower School helps students gain a better understanding of themselves and those around them. The students discover how to think critically about what they see. The projects are designed to connect the principle of Visual Arts with other subject areas and extend what they learn in the classroom.