Upper Elementary (3rd-5th)
As students leave the lower elementary school with a strong foundation, our program shifts to a more student driven focus where students can express themselves and their ideas as they explore the larger world in depth.
Upper School
3rd Grade
Highlights of the third grade program include:
- Math
- English Language Arts
- Social Studies
- Science
- Study Skills
- Public Speaking
- Art
- Music
- Technology
- Physical Education
- Spanish
Math
- Further exploration into place value, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, graphing, geometry, word problems, measurement, probability, statistics and pre-algebra
- Emphasis on developing problem solving skills using a variety of methods and strategies
- Ongoing assessment includes individual practice, quizzes and tests
English Language Arts
- Reading: a novel-based literature program including novels, short stories, folk tales/fairy tales and picture books
- Focus on comprehension, context clues, vocabulary enrichment, character development, reading for information, literary devices and author’s purpose
- Junior Great Books program integrates literature and student-centered discussions while emphasizing critical thinking. Stories grouped by key age-appropriate social and emotional themes
- Parts of speech, punctuation, basic grammar rules and editing are studied
- Writing mechanics of a formal paragraph are mastered
- Cross curricular integration of quality writing
- Writing assignments include expository, narrative, persuasive, proper letter writing format, creative stories, poetry and a reference report
- Improvement and mastery of cursive writing with an emphasis placed on proper formation of letters
Social Studies
- In depth studies of communities, symbols of our country, national parks, California Native American tribes and map skills
- Skills include reading for information, taking notes and building study guides as a study tool for formal assessments
- Reference report on a California Native American tribe, which includes paragraph writing, creating a bibliography, an oral presentation and a creative art project
Science
- Hands-on science lab program allows students the opportunity to use the scientific method and inquiry to investigate the world
- Science exploration of energy, heat, matter, force and motion, simple machines, rocks and minerals
- Skills include: reading for understanding, note taking, vocabulary study and building study guides as a study tool for formal assessments
Study Skills
Public Speaking
Art
Music
Technology
- Software and applications include: Typing Club, Pages, Keynote, Google Workspace for Education and various search engines
- Basic keyboarding skills are reinforced and practiced each week
- Several projects using online sites and other software support the third grade curriculum
- Introduction to Coding is incorporated using various platforms such as Scratch and Code.org
Physical Education
- Development of gross motor skills through individual and group activities in a fun and accepting environment while promoting physical fitness and good sportsmanship
- The developed PE program is a fun, game-based approach that provides the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life
- Teamwork and positive play are encouraged
Spanish
- Students review the prior year’s vocabulary while working on ease of conversation with new common phrases to include sports, feelings, community, traffic, telephone etiquette and transportation
- Exposure to the culture of Spanish speaking countries through activities, music and basic high-use vocabulary
- Introduction to writing simple sentences, responses to questions, common verbs and beginning verb conjugation
4th Grade
Highlights of the fourth grade program include:
- Math
- English Language Arts
- Social Studies
- Science
- Study Skills
- Public Speaking
- Art
- Music
- Technology
- Physical Education
- Spanish
Math
- Introduction of pre-algebra including order of operations and ratios
- Further investigation and practice with fractions, geometry, data/statistics, word problems and standard/metric measurement
- Emphasis on developing problem solving skills using a variety of methods and strategies
- Ongoing assessment includes individual practice, quizzes and tests
English Language Arts
- Reading: a novel based reading program with an emphasis placed on comprehension, infer/predict, cause and effect, group discussion, vocabulary and character analysis
- Focus on summarizing, sequencing, compare/contrast, note taking, projects and five paragraph essay writing
- Junior Great Books program integrates literature and student-centered discussion while emphasizing reading comprehension, critical thinking and writing. Stories are grouped by key age-appropriate social and emotional themes
- Daily grammar instruction includes parts of speech, punctuation and editing
- Outlining and mapping skills taught to improve composition of 5 paragraph essays and creative writing pieces
- Emphasis on quality writing in all curriculum areas
Social Studies
Science
- Hands-on science lab program allows students the opportunity to use the scientific method and inquiry to investigate the world
- Science exploration of earthquakes, weather, oceans, space, volcanoes, heat and energy
- Skills include: reading for understanding, note taking, vocabulary study and critical thinking
- Several culminating projects are presented throughout the year
Study Skills
Public Speaking
Art
Music
Technology
Physical Education
- Development of gross motor skills through individual and group activities in a fun and accepting environment while promoting physical fitness and good sportsmanship
- The developed PE program is a fun, game-based approach that provides the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life
- Teamwork and positive play are encouraged
Spanish
- Students review the prior year’s vocabulary while working on ease of conversation with new common phrases to include sports, feelings, community, traffic, telephone etiquette and transportation
- Exposure to the culture of Spanish speaking countries through activities, music and basic high use vocabulary
- Continued practice with a text that encourages strong vocabulary development and explores complex grammar structures such as noun/verb agreement, singular/plural and gender of nouns
"The teachers are passionate and patient when it comes to teaching kids." -4th grade parent
5th Grade
Highlights of the fifth grade program include:
- Math
- English Language Arts
- Social Studies
- Science
- Study Skills
- Public Speaking
- Art
- Music
- Technology
- Physical Education
- Spanish
Math
- Mastery of pre-algebra, place value, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, ratios, proportions and percents
- Additional areas of study include data, statistics and probability, integers and equations and the geometry of plane figures
- Emphasis on developing problem solving skills using a variety of methods and strategies
- Ongoing assessment includes individual practice, quizzes and tests
English Language Arts
- Reading: a novel based reading program with note taking, group discussion, projects and essay response
- Focus on interpreting text while paying close attention to literary devices such as foreshadowing, symbolism, characterization and plot structure
- Junior Great Books program integrates literature and student-centered discussion while emphasizing reading comprehension, critical thinking and writing. Stories are grouped by key age-appropriate social and emotional themes
- Utilization of the Six Traits of Writing
- Daily grammar instruction includes parts of speech, punctuation, and editing
- Emphasis of quality writing in all curriculum areas, formal reports and projects
Social Studies
Science
- Hands-on science lab program allows students the opportunity to use the scientific method and inquiry to investigate the world
- Science exploration of atomic structure, biology of the human body and plant life, living systems, ecosystems, biomes and energy
- Skills include: reading for understanding, note taking and vocabulary study
- Demonstrating knowledge of the scientific method, students participate in the annual school science fair and the San Mateo County STEM Fair
Study Skills
Public Speaking
Art
Music
Technology
- Continuation of the iPad program
- Skills include: online research and Keynote presentations
- Software and applications include: iStop Motion, Keynote, Pages, Notability, Garage Band, Adobe Ideas, GSuite for Education tools and Typing Club
- Many assignments are submitted online using Google Workspace for Education.
Physical Education
- Development of gross motor skills through individual and group activities in a fun and accepting environment while promoting physical fitness and good sportsmanship
- The developed PE program is a fun, game-based approach that provides the ability, confidence and desire to be physically active for life
- Teamwork and positive play is encouraged
Spanish
- Students review the prior year’s vocabulary while working on ease of conversation with new common phrases to include sports, feelings, community, traffic, telephone etiquette and transportation
- Exposure to the culture of Spanish speaking countries through activities, music and basic high use vocabulary
Our vision is to build a strong foundation academically, socially and emotionally. Our goal is to provide our 21st Century learners with opportunities to develop the essential skills of creating, collaborating, critical thinking and problem solving.
