Lower School Curriculum DETAILS
The goal of the Lower School curriculum is to teach students how to learn while building a love of learning for many years to come. The curriculums utilized are based in research to provide the best opportunity for our students to build a foundation of learning and understanding. Our staff are trained to implement each curriculum while supporting the needs of individual learners to maximize each student’s potential.
| LITERACY |
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Reading instruction in the Lower School inspires a love of reading while guiding students through foundational skills needed to succeed as independent readers. The Lower School uses the Wilson Language Foundations and Heggerty reading curriculums, which are backed by research and align to Orton-Gillingham principles of instruction and the science of reading. Teachers provide explicit and systematic instruction on reading skills and strategies. Small-group reading instruction helps teachers focus on students' specific needs and accelerate their progress. In addition to independent and small group reading, students engage with whole-class texts that expose them to a wide variety of genres and perspectives. |
| WRITING |
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Lower School students benefit from modeling, teaching, and assessing writing skills through the use of the writing process in order to develop students' ability to communicate for a variety of purposes and audiences. Mentor texts are used to guide the content and genre. During writing, students compose pieces of writing and become effective communicators. This approach embraces clear and focused writing instruction. Students explore the entire process: drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Writing skills build in complexity each year and students grow as writers of narratives, opinions, and informational texts. |
| MATH |
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Through Investigations, students actively engage and collaborate to develop fluency and mathematical understandings. Investigations is a student-centered math program that allows teachers to meet the unique needs of each student. |
| SCIENCE |
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Lower School students explore science concepts to analyze and interpret data; construct explanations and solutions; and obtain, evaluate, and communicate information through the Inspire Science Curriculum. Students focus on the earth and space sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences. Science instruction focuses on the Next Generation Science Standards to allow students to engage in scientific thinking and have a deeper understanding of science concepts. |
| SOCIAL STUDIES |
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Lower School students learn about geography and local, state, national, and global communities from the past to the present. Social Studies provides an ideal opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary, hands-on inquiry and project-based experiences. Students build curiosity and appreciation for differences and develop cultural competence. Students build deeper historical knowledge about Georgia, the United States, and the world to further strengthen their understanding of self and place. |