Upper Elementary Program

Each group begins the day with a morning meeting that focuses on community building and helps to orient for the day. Morning meeting includes greetings, exchanging important news in students' lives, sharing announcements, and discussing issues that affect the group. We also play group games to foster connection and cooperative problem solving.

The whole school gathers for morning meeting on Monday mornings. We greet each other, make announcements, and discuss issues and make decisions that affect the whole school.

We support students in developing strong literacy skills through a range of activities: daily independent reading; reader's theater; book discussion groups; reading response journals; writer's workshop; spelling exercises; interview projects; research projects; and handwriting, keyboarding and computer skill building.

Students are part of a writer's workshop three to four days each week. We focus together on a shared genre for a period of time, and within this, students each decide what they will work on. The daily workshop begins with a brief lesson on some aspect of the craft of writing. Models of good writing are shared and analyzed (from published literature and from writing within the group). Students then write quietly for thirty to forty minutes. During this time the teacher confers individually with students or meets with a small group. The workshop concludes with an opportunity for further input or time for students to share their work with each other.

Students all work initially on drafts of writing in which the main focus is to develop their ideas. Within each genre study, students each choose one or two pieces to work into a finished piece, and then focus on the art of revising a piece to bring it fully alive. Students edit their final pieces for correct punctuation, grammar and spelling. We publish literary collections within the school community throughout the year to share and celebrate our writing.

Through the year, we engage in a series of intensive inquiries in the areas of science and social studies. Each inquiry provides a focus for learning about an aspect of the world in depth, and gives us a context for developing critical thinking, communication skills, and creative expression. We integrate academic study, hands-on experiences, field excursions, meeting with knowledgeable and interesting people, literature and the visual and performing arts, to kindle curiosity and foster understanding.

Science explorations include an emphasis on developing observational skill, precision in data collection and making connections. Students conduct research and experiments, discuss and share their learning. Students often draw what they are observing to heighten perception. Some time is spent each week discussing current issues in science. A given day might find the students collecting data from our weather station, observing the aerodynamics of an insect wing under the compound light microscope, learning about the energetic demands of migratory birds while banding, or studying the chemistry of composting in the school garden.

Social studies explorations focus on historic time periods and social issues. Students read a range of information sources, primary sources and historical fiction. They conduct interviews, dramatize key moments, create sketches, murals and handwork, visit field sites and museums. Students write historical fiction of their own, and describe and interpret their learning in writing. The group engages in much discussion of ideas and issues.

Elementary students learn basic arithmetic, geometry and pre-algebra while engaging in both group and individual activities. New skills are taught at the beginning of each class and then practiced and applied to real life situations. Students learn to communicate effectively using the language of math. Computational fluency is developed through regular practice and review of skills. Content and exercises are pulled from the Bridges program and supplemented with a variety of math resources. Science class often provides data for use in our math class. Projects such as the school garden, construction in the outdoor classroom, and planning for trips, provide opportunities for the students to apply their math learning to real life problems.

We sit down and eat together. Upper elementary students then head outside. Common activities at recess include various sports and games, building forts, working on the outdoor classroom, woodworking in the yurt, sledding on the hill in winter, digging and playing in the sand area, climbing and swinging on the play structures, working in the garden, and whatever else students invent to do.

Upper elementary students read independently for a half hour each day. Students choose the books they read within overarching parameters that ensure that they read from a range of genres over the year. Students are expected to read for a minimum of a half hour at home each day as well. Students read an average of 20 – 40 books over the course of the year. The workshop often begins with brief book talks to expose students to noteworthy books. During the reader's workshop, the teacher confers individually with students. Book groups are formed from time to time as students read and discuss a book in common. Students each keep a reading response journal in which they develop thoughts about the books they are reading. These are shared with the teacher who writes notes back. Our goal is to help students to become avid, skilled, discerning and lifelong readers.

The teacher reads aloud each day, providing a shared literary experience that provides a model of great writing that we can draw from as writers, and serves as a springboard for a range of discussion.

We play group sports and games that develop physical stamina and aerobic strength, and which encourage cooperation and friendly competition. Games include soccer, touch football, capture-the-flag, kickball and tag games.

Each younger student in the school is paired with an older student and given support to form a year-long mentor relationship. A half-hour is set aside each week for the partners to work together on projects and play games.

In addition to integrating the arts into our social and science inquiries, we explore the arts in afternoon classes, Thursday Workshops, and our annual Arts Immersion week. Afternoon classes focus on specific mediums such as pencil drawing, water-color painting, and mixed media collage, and music ensembles.

On Thursday afternoons, all students participate in workshops that typically last about four weeks. Students have input into ideas for the workshops, and choose among workshops for each session. Workshops are offered in the arts, handcrafts and living arts, outdoor adventure, and other experiential learning opportunities. Many workshops take place in the outdoor classroom. In the winter, the whole school participates in our ski program on Thursday afternoons.

Once a week each group meets for a class meeting to talk about interpersonal issues affecting the group, and to plan group projects and trips.

Students help to clean and take care of the school. Each person is responsible for an endof- day chore.

Upper elementary students are expected to read for a minimum of 30 minutes each day for homework. We also give about 30 - 40 minutes combined of math, writing, spelling and language skills homework.

At the end of each 6 – 8 week inquiry, students share their learning with the school community, including other students and their parents. This can take the form of oral presentations, visual displays, multi-media presentations, writing, art and handwork, and the performance of dramatic skits, poetry and dialogues.