Upper Elementary
In upper elementary school (grades three through five), we focus on creating a supportive learning environment that fosters confidence and responsibility while maintaining students' natural enthusiasm for learning.
As students advance, they shift from learning to read to reading to learn. They engage with a wide range of genres and materials, developing skills to read for information and critique. Their reading progress is evaluated through various methods, including both teacher-created and standardized assessments.
Our writing instruction is designed to be enjoyable, connecting writing experiences with reading to help students understand effective writing through their literature studies. By the end of fifth grade, students are proficient in various writing forms, utilizing the writing process to edit, revise, and enhance their work. They focus on including details, sequencing events, varying sentence structure, and using a broad vocabulary with correct spelling and mechanics. Writing progress is measured through teacher-designed assessments and the upper elementary writing rubric.
In math, students use hands-on tools to explore concepts while refining their pencil-and-paper skills. Emphasis is placed on mental math, estimation, problem-solving, and articulating mathematical reasoning. They memorize multiplication and division facts, use standard algorithms, and delve into decimals, fractions, geometry, measurement, and introductory algebra. Math progress is tracked using teacher-designed assessments, commercial tools, and the math section of the Measure of Academic Progress test.
Below you will find the elementary handbook and curriculum guides: