Lower School Overview


Lower School Overview

 

We view Grades K through 5 at Woodlawn as a prime opportunity to prepare our students for the rigor and new way of thinking that characterizes our middle school curriculum. With gentle nudging, students begin to learn how to find answers and respond to challenges for themselves.

 

K-3 students are in self-contained classrooms, but do move about the campus for enrichment classes during the day.  Students in 4th and 5th grades do not stay in a self-contained class the entire day. Instead, they enjoy the freedom and independence of moving from class to class, experiencing the advantages of having specialists in each of their core and enrichment classes. Lower School core classes consist of language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics. Students also rotate through enrichment classes in visual arts, Spanish, life skills, life sports, and music. The curriculum is project-based. Children are encouraged to become active learners. They read, write, perform, solve problems, and create on a daily basis. Frequent off campus experiences such as field trips and community service opportunities allow our students to learn in real-world settings. Driven by the social studies curriculum and the grade specific Essential Question, the students frequently integrate their learning through writing, science, and the arts.

 

 

Essential Questions:

Kindergarten:  Who am I and what is my role in the community?

First Grade:  What is a community?

Second Grade:  How can I make a difference in my community and my world?

Third Grade: How do communities change over time?

Fourth Grade: How does where/when we live influence how we live?

Fifth Grade: What is the world made of?

 

In addition to meeting our academic standards, students leaving our lower school program will be equipped with the skills necessary to be successful in our middle school program. They will have the ability to: