Curriculum Overview

LANGUAGE ARTS:  Teachers emphasize writing, grammar and punctuation, and literature and poetry studies. Students write weekly journals, stories, and essays. Much attention is given to accuracy of spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and clear expression of ideas using key-word outlines. Students study different writing styles and make oral presentations to become skilled and confident writers and public speakers. Students continue to utilize phonogram knowledge and spelling rules through regular spelling and vocabulary practice. Literature is read and discussed in a Socratic seminar format with selections including Wind in the Willows, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Bridge to Terabithia and Number the Stars.

MATHEMATICS:   Topics covered this year in the Singapore math program include numbers to one million, factors and multiples, fractions, parallel and perpendicular lines, area and perimeter, computation and use of decimals, averaging data, volume of solids, and extensive practice with multi-step word problems.

SCIENCE:   Students begin designing experiments and learn to pay special attention to dependent and independent variables. Students learn to predict, observe, classify, and communicate their findings. They also learn to graph data, how to read a graph and then draw a conclusion from it. Emphasis continues to be on hands-on experimentation. Topics of study include properties of heat, phase changes of water, the water cycle, how seasonal changes affect living things, electricity and light, erosion, working with weights and balances, and the effects of exercise on the body.

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY:  Topics include Europe in the Middle Ages, Islam and the holy wars, African kingdoms, and Chinese dynasties. American history is also studied with particular emphasis on the French and Indian War, the American Revolution and the making of our constitutional government.

SPANISH:  The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students continue to build vocabulary and pay special attention to grammatical accuracy and verb usage. Topics include parts of the body, clothing, descriptions of people, making comparisons, rooms and objects in them, songs, eating in a restaurant, and daily routines. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In addition, all grades participate in a special unit of cultural study that culminates in a larger event.

MUSIC:   Students receive weekly piano lessons in small groups and study formal music theory. Students analyze musical excerpts and practice sight singing and aural and rhythmic exercises. Some of the main topics studied are the different instrumental families of the orchestra and works such as Bizet’s Carmen.  Master classes, theory and piano studies prepare students for regular recitals, participation in school concerts and musicals, as well as the graded examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London. Students participate in a winter concert and spring musical.

ART:  Students review the five basic elements of shape and how they combine. Students learn approaches to design and figure drawing and make independent drawings from graphics and sight observation. The year includes a section on art history as students study M.C. Escher and optical art, Chinese art, museums, and Gothic cathedrals. Topics and activities are added to coordinate with other class subjects, particularly history, geography, and music. Other topics and activities include contour drawings, Renaissance art, and profile drawings.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:   The program emphasizes physical skills that can be applied in multiple sports situations.  Through games and drills, students learn basic ball handling skills, fine and gross motor movements, spatial awareness and basic strategy.  Students develop confidence and motivation to participate in organized and individual physical activities. Leadership, teamwork and good sportsmanship are taught. The program emphasizes lifelong fitness.