LOWER SCHOOL

LOWER SCHOOL: Grades 1–4

INTRODUCTION

The Lower School program is carefully and thoughtfully designed to build key foundations for our students, while also igniting a lifelong love of learning. Our first through fourth graders

enter school each day with an eagerness and joy that is infectious, knowing that the day ahead will be filled with wonder. Our young scholars spend their time immersed in a learning

environment hallmarked by enthusiasm, excellence and a strong sense of community.

The Lower School offers a robust and balanced program, designed to broaden horizons,

tap into passions and offer meaningful challenges across the curriculum. Rich offerings in

art, music, woodshop, athletics, library and Spanish round out our core academic program. Our students are held to high standards in all areas, in a supportive environment that builds confidence and encourages healthy risks.

Our exceptional core academic program teaches children essential concepts, while developing and expanding upon their skills in collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication. In addition to direct instruction, our students engage in hands-on and project-based learning, delivered by exceptional and talented faculty.

When our students enter Lower School each day, they enter a community that is nurturing, joyful and inspiring. This can be seen as students and faculty gather together in weekly assemblies where our students hone their public speaking skills making presentations to the whole community, and for the fourth graders, serving as announcers. It can be seen in the countless interactions each day between students and teachers, and it can be seen in the culture of kindness that exists within the walls of Lower School each day.

Grade 1

Language Arts

The goal of the first grade literacy program is for children to view themselves as competent and joyful readers. All of the elements of a balanced reading approach are addressed as students participate in small skills-based reading groups where they deepen comprehension skills while celebrating their increasing proficiency. As decoding skills grow and sight vocabulary increases, emphasis is on discussing and responding to literature. Students learn to choose “just right” books at their independent reading level whether they be chapter books or beginning phonics storybooks. Genres of realistic fiction, fantasy, nonfiction and biography engage young readers. Teacher read-aloud continues to be an integral part of first grade literacy; vocabulary, story elements and character motives are analyzed and discussed to teach comprehension skills. Daily word work strengthens students’ decoding and spelling skills, through activities using blends, digraphs and vowel patterns. Ongoing grade-wide reading assessments in decoding, fluency and comprehension occur three times a year.

First graders are naturally eager to share their ideas in writing. Through a workshop model, students learn to collect ideas and then craft their own personal narrative to share with their classmates. Mentor authors such as Ezra Jack Keats and Jan Brett inspire first graders to use similar writing techniques. Other units of study include small moments, memoir, poetry and nonfiction. Students publish several works of writing throughout the year.

Social Studies

In first grade, the overarching theme is “Self and Others.” This year-long study enables students to better understand themselves and their relationships with family, friends, members of our school and the local community. Students explore the roles and responsibilities of family and community members. This study broadens as they learn about another culture. They compare and contrast how their lives relate to the lives of children from another country. Students use technology, experience special events and go on field trips to enrich their learning.

Mathematics

The Bridges in Mathematics program continues in first grade. Lessons are built on the curiosity and enthusiasm of children as they explore, create, discuss, test and apply mathematical concepts with increasing sophistication. Students develop strategies for understanding the principles of addition and subtraction, learn to recognize place value and the importance of digit placement within a number, and study measurement, time, geometry and fractions. They practice and apply strategies and skills using various models, games, and paper and pencil practice. The year culminates in a unit that integrates science and math as the children collect and analyze data from the flight distances of paper gliders. • Problems & Investigations: Each day, the children are presented with a novel, complex problem and are encouraged to find their own strategy to solve it. Strategies and solutions are shared in a whole or small group setting, encouraging all students to develop flexible and efficient ways of solving problems. • Work Places: Several times a week, students visit math stations that offer engaging, hands-on, developmentally appropriate and differentiated games that reinforce key math skills.

Number Corner: Each day, students participate in a rich, mathematically advanced discussion through a variety of quick-paced activities. Activities involving calendar prediction, patterning, number lines and monthly collections are a springboard for advanced mathematical concepts and higher-level thinking.

Science

The first grade science curriculum focuses on teaching students how to be a scientist. The year begins with learning about and performing the steps of the Science Circle (a cyclical version of the scientific method). While playing with different materials, students are taught how to make and record observations. They develop their curiosity and begin to formulate questions based on their play and observations. The students’ generated questions are then explored through the steps of the science circle where they learn to hypothesize, design an experiment, collect and analyze data, and generate a conclusion. Students explore the various tools scientists use. They learn how their senses are a vital scientific tool and a way to learn about the world around them. Students practice the proper use of several scientific tools such as a scale, ruler, beaker, pipette, tweezers and magnifying glasses, all the while measuring in metric units and practicing the steps of the Science Circle. The year ends with a deep study of the classification process. To develop their skills, students are challenged to generate various criteria for classifying the same group of items. They study living and nonliving things as an example of how scientists classify things in our world. Our culminating unit is an exploration of vertebrate animals. Throughout the year, students take part in engineering challenges where they design and build creative solutions to challenging problems related to the topics they are learning. Students are engaged in hands-on activities to help them gain an understanding of basic scientific concepts. They build models, take things apart, observe nature, play games and care for animals in the classroom.

World Languages

First graders build upon the skills, classroom phrases and thematic vocabulary from Kindergarten Spanish. Thematic, content-based units are designed to connect to the interests and experiences of the students while providing them with the foundation to begin a lifelong process of language learning. For example, students learn how to describe their families and their pets while they simultaneously experience an in-depth study of family structures in social studies class. Another unit introduces them to new food-related vocabulary through the lens of food and items in the cafeteria, as students are encouraged to communicate with each other about their likes and dislikes.

Grade 2

Language Arts

Second graders continue to hone the many facets of reading, including fluency, decoding, comprehension and vocabulary development. Students are encouraged to choose a “Just Right” independent reading book from the classroom and library collection as they build stamina for sustained reading. Guided reading groups delve into nonfiction and fiction with an emphasis on responding in writing to the text. Word work includes direct instruction in the syllable types, word sorts and regular dictation. Comprehension and critical thinking skills are taught through discussion, written activities, illustrations and dramatization. One highlight of the year is the spring production of a play written by the students; it also incorporates music, art, costume design and dramatics. Grade-wide assessments, including standardized reading tests, occur twice a year.

Second grade writers gain a deeper appreciation for the writing process as they expand their repertoire of writing genres to include narrative, poetry, realistic fiction and nonfiction. In the personal narrative, students learn to incorporate dialogue, strong leads and descriptive language into a published piece to share with their classmates. Through an animal research unit, students learn explicit note-taking, how to write a paragraph with a main idea and how to support that idea with details.

Social Studies

In second grade, the focus continues on the community delving into the “big 8” social identifiers: ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and socio-economic status/class. In the second half of the year, students study the United States. At this point, students are formally introduced to basic mapping skills while learning about the five regions of the United States, including land and water forms. Using an interdisciplinary approach, each student explores one state in depth. The United States study culminates in an end-of-year States Exposition where each student presents his or her research to the school community.

Mathematics

Through the Bridges in Mathematics program, students focus intensively on the concepts of base 10 notation, addition and subtraction fluency, measurement and geometry, based on observation and analysis. Students deepen their understanding of place value, which includes open exploration and explicit instruction of adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers using a variety of efficient strategies. The year concludes with a unit that combines data collection and measurement in which the students build ramps and test marble runs as they explore the properties of physical science. • Problems & Investigations: Each day, the children are presented with a novel, complex problem and are encouraged to find their own strategy to solve it. Strategies and solutions are shared in a whole or small group setting, encouraging all students to develop flexible and efficient ways of solving problems. • Work Places: Several times a week, students visit math stations that offer engaging, hands-on, developmentally appropriate and differentiated games that reinforce key math skills.

Number Corner: Each day, students participate in a rich, mathematically advanced discussion through a variety of quick-paced activities. Activities involving calendar prediction, patterning, number lines and monthly collections are a springboard for advanced mathematical concepts and higher-level thinking.

Science

In second grade science, our students learn about living things. The year begins with an in-depth study of plants. Each student plants and cares for their own seeds. The foundational scientific concepts of systems, structure and function, and change over time unfold before each student’s eyes as they observe and record their seeds’ growth. Using the plant’s lifecycle as a guide, each student explores the structure of a plant and its function, and learns the importance of plants as an energy source for life as they sample tasty examples of each plant part. Photosynthesis is introduced through a play in which students choreograph movements to represent each step of the process. Animal respiration, and the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between plants and animals, are used to open a brief study of the properties of the air. After experimenting to prove that air is there and has weight, students play with hot air to discover that hot air rises and cold air sinks. Students practice accurate use of the thermometer by measuring air temperature in various indoor and outdoor locations found on our campus. The study of animals begins with practice classifying and then moves to exploration of animal adaptations, food chains and the role of animals in their environment. Various animal life cycles are explored as students watch chicken eggs hatch and caterpillars change to butterflies, and even catch tadpoles from our campus vernal pool to see them transform into tiny frogs before returning them to their natural home. This study of animals is integrated into their social studies states unit, which includes a detailed report on their state animal. Throughout the year, students take part in engineering challenges where they design and build creative solutions to challenging problems related to the topics they are learning.

World Languages

Second graders begin to gain awareness of the relationship between aural/oral and reading/writing skills as assignments and projects often include written components. Interdisciplinary units continue to enhance instruction. For example, in conjunction with a social studies unit on communities, the students learn the names for Spanish food items in the international aisle in the supermarket. Similarly, through a human body unit, students learn much more pertinent vocabulary and practice expressing discomfort, pain and sympathy toward others in Spanish. Additionally, students with more experience speaking the language at home are given the opportunity to extend their learning through stories and are encouraged to share their work as well as their families’ cultures with their classmates.

Grade 3

Language Arts

By the beginning of third grade, Country School students are ready for the developmental shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Third graders continue working towards mastering the literal comprehension of reading, while beginning to focus on the inferential aspects including drawing conclusions and identifying the author’s point of view. Through exposure to a broad selection of material, including informational texts, biographies, mysteries and realistic fiction, they begin to read beyond the surface level. Teacher-led mini lessons introduce various comprehension strategies through the interactive read-aloud. Children also read in partnerships, in guided groups and on their own as they independently apply reading strategies. Thinking critically is practiced across genres. Formal reading assessments of fluency, decoding and comprehension occur twice a year in addition to ongoing progress monitoring in the classroom.

As writers, third graders are ready to engage in more sophisticated studies of authors, genres and craft techniques. Writing is inspired by mentor texts, and mini lessons are planned in response to trends observed in student writing. In addition, strategy lessons are taught to smaller groups and regular conferences are held with individual students. Skills include basic grammar conventions, conventional spelling of high-frequency words, proper punctuation and correct capitalization. Formal expository writing techniques are introduced in a systematic approach that adds structure, coherence and clarity to student writing. Teacher-modeling and the use of graphic organizers scaffold students in their construction of the single well-developed paragraph that includes a topic sentence and supporting details. A writing highlight from the third grade year is a biography unit, which culminates in a Wax Museum presentation for the school community.

Social Studies

Through the curriculum “Peopling of America,” students learn about cultural identity. Students study how different groups came to America and contributed to the fabric of our nation. This allows students to celebrate cultural differences and understand how our unique backgrounds and experiences contribute to our identity as Americans. Students explore these concepts through storytelling, poetry, interviews, artifact analysis, field trips and the reading of rich literature. This study focuses on the themes of resilience, courage, respect and empathy. Research of one’s own cultural identity and ancestry provides a context for this year-long inquiry.

Mathematics

Third grade students develop fluency and proficiency with multi-digit addition and subtraction and extend their understanding of the place-value system. Continuing with the Bridges in Mathematics program, the year focuses on multiplication, division, fractions, geometry and data collection. In each unit, students are regularly encouraged to find flexible and efficient ways to solve increasingly complex problems. The final unit combines elements of math, engineering and science as the students design and build bridges and test them for strength and load limits. Problems & Investigations: Each day, the children are presented with a novel, complex problem and are encouraged to find their own strategy to solve it. Strategies and solutions are shared in a whole or small group setting, encouraging all students to develop flexible and efficient ways of solving problems. • Work Places: Several times a week, students visit math stations that offer engaging, hands-on, developmentally appropriate and differentiated games that reinforce key math skills.

Number Corner: Each day, students participate in a rich, mathematically advanced discussion through a variety of quick-paced activities. Activities involving calendar prediction, patterning, number lines and monthly collections are a springboard for advanced mathematical concepts and higher-level thinking. Math Forums: Math forums are introduced in third grade and are a formal time for students to share and discuss their work. A variety of strategies are presented by students to their classmates in a structured manner that deepens mathematical flexibility and efficiency in problem solving. Problem Strings: Problem strings are introduced in third grade and are another way that students develop efficiency in solving problems. Teachers present a carefully structured sequence of problems that become increasingly complex so that students use what they know to solve novel problems while noticing patterns in mathematical operations.

Science

In third grade, students focus on the study of nonliving things. They start the year exploring what matter is and isn’t. Atoms and molecules are introduced by having students act out the way molecules behave in the solid, liquid and gas phase. While experimenting with matter phase changes, students become proficient in identifying causes and effects. They then apply what they learned to the process of making homemade ice cream and exploring how the water cycle works. Students take part in chemistry experiments to learn and observe some of the effects of a chemical change, and then practice identifying a change in matter as physical or chemical. The concepts of density, mass and volume are introduced through experiments and practice measuring with scales and beakers. The study of matter is used to introduce the structure and function of the sun, beginning our study of the solar system. Students research a planet or dwarf planet with a partner and use the information from their planet report to create an iMovie commercial enticing travelers to visit their planet. The year ends with lots of play as students experiment with catapults, lift heavy items with pulleys and go on a simple machine scavenger hunt. They experiment with simple machines, measure force and distance, and calculate the amount of work necessary to move a load. Throughout the year, students take part in engineering challenges where they design and build creative solutions to challenging problems related to the topics they are learning.

World Languages

Third graders continue to focus on developing fluency in Spanish through pronunciation skills and listening comprehension. As in previous years, thematic content-based units help the students to learn new concepts, sentence structures and vocabulary, as well as revisit previously learned material through a fresh lens. For example, in an interdisciplinary solar system unit, they learn ordinal numbers, create comparison sentences, describe relative size and use their knowledge of weather vocabulary. From a nutrition perspective, third graders learn pertinent vocabulary, examine nutritional graphics from different Spanish-speaking countries and create their own food chart. Additionally, more Web-based games and applications are incorporated in the curriculum to engage the proficient student.

Grade 4

Language Arts

Direct and explicit instruction for the purpose of lifting the quality of student writing continues to be the focus in fourth grade. Goals include encouraging students to be observers of their world, live like writers, carry a writing notebook, express opinions, question and wonder. Goals conveyed in daily mini-lessons and practiced during the writing workshop are intended to address specific objectives. Children write every day and begin to develop a clear and strong writer’s voice in order to summarize, persuade, determine importance, compare and contrast, and show cause and effect. In addition, writing extends to all content areas as students learn they have important things to say about the books they read, stories they tell, math problems they solve and issues they care about.

Books and the conversations they ignite are an integral part of the fourth grade language arts program. Students are eager and ready to think critically, go beyond text, and respond thoughtfully in both oral and written form. Discussions and written responses may focus on character motives, elements of setting, plot, author’s purpose and themes. In addition, the intentional use of mentor texts prompts each writer to begin to develop an awareness of the artful use of language, the inclusion of sensory details, the power of strong verbs, the appeal of repetition and the importance of dialogue in narrative.

Vocabulary, word work, spelling and punctuation are explicitly taught.

Social Studies

Fourth grade social studies emphasizes critical reading and writing skills through the study of Connecticut history and ancient Greece. Centered on the theme “Justice for All,” students learn to respond to text, take notes, develop a point of view, write thesis statements and support their thinking with evidence from the text. Critical thinking is emphasized throughout the curriculum.

The study of Connecticut examines the early history of the colony and explores the relationship of the Europeans with the indigenous peoples. Students also visit the State Capitol to see, first-hand, the symbols of the state, particularly the statues of Nathan Hale and Prudence Crandall. The study of ancient Greece incorporates “Justice for All” through the study of early democracy, incorporating Greek myths and “The Odyssey.” The unit culminates in a multidisciplinary presentation.

Mathematics

Fourth graders continue to use the Bridges in Mathematics program and build upon their knowledge of multiplication, division and fractions. They multiply twoand three-digit numbers, and develop division strategies. They learn to compare, combine and find equivalent fractions, and learn more efficient models for adding and subtracting them. Students continue to develop efficient and varied problem-solving strategies. The geometry units focus on measuring angles, classifying polygons and learning increasingly complex vocabulary. The final unit uses the concepts studied to design and build a scale model of an ideal playground while students investigate simple machines, analyze data and calculate costs. • Problems & Investigations: Each day, the children are presented with a novel, complex problem and are encouraged to find their own strategy to solve it. Strategies and solutions are shared in a whole or small group setting, encouraging all students to develop flexible and efficient ways of solving problems. • Work Places: Several times a week, students visit math stations that offer engaging, hands-on, developmentally appropriate and differentiated games that reinforce key math skills.

Number Corner: Each day, students participate in a rich, mathematically advanced discussion through a variety of quick-paced activities. Activities involving calendar prediction, patterning, number lines and monthly collections are a springboard for advanced mathematical concepts and higher-level thinking. Math Forums: Math forums are introduced in third grade and are a formal time for students to share and discuss their work. A variety of strategies are presented by students to their classmates in a structured manner that deepens mathematical flexibility and efficiency in problem-solving. Problem Strings: Problem strings are introduced in third grade and are another way that students develop efficiency in solving problems. Teachers present a carefully structured sequence of problems that become increasingly complex so that students use what they know to solve novel problems while noticing patterns in mathematical operations.

Science

The fourth grade science curriculum focuses on the Earth and is designed to build on and integrate topics learned in prior grades. We start with the study of ecology, using our campus forest to learn about the interconnectedness of plants, animals and the physical environment. Games and outdoor activities introduce students to the complex temperate deciduous forest system. Students identify biotic and abiotic elements, and classify the producers and consumers of the forest system. Groups of students collaborate to set up a study plot where they collect data to determine our forest’s plant populations. Fourth graders then explore geological time, the rock cycle and plate tectonics in the study of geology. This unit focuses on how the Earth changes over vast periods of time, demonstrating constructive processes, such as volcano and mountain formation, as well as destructive processes, like erosion and earthquakes. Students then apply what they learned about geology and ecology in a deep study of a biome. Scientific reading, research and report writing skills are developed during this challenging project. Students express their creativity in the construction of a diorama of the biome they studied. The year ends with an up-close view of things from the Earth. Students first learn about the parts of a microscope and how to use it appropriately. They then explore various nonliving and living things at the microscopic level. Students collect samples from our outdoor campus including microscopic life from the vernal pond. Throughout the year, students take part in engineering challenges where they design and build creative solutions to challenging problems related to the topics they are learning.

World Languages

Fourth grade students, using a spiraling model, explore many of the same topics learned in the previous years, but with different challenges to expand their Spanish language skills. The relationship between aural/oral and writing skills takes on new weight in fourth grade Spanish. Utilizing their iPads, students use the Reading A-Z app for reading and listening practice, and interactive activities and videos from VideoEle.com. These programs allow differentiated instruction among varied learning styles.

LOWER SCHOOL CO-CURRICULAR Creative Arts

Overview

The creative arts program at Country School supports children’s inherent curiosity and need to express themselves and their imaginations. Supporting the school’s mission to educate the whole child, the arts integrate naturally with the classroom experience. The program is infused with opportunities for students to engage in the arts within a context that promotes multiculturalism and a strong connection to the natural world.

Beginning in our earliest grades, the creative arts curriculum offers diverse programming that encourages self-discovery and appeals to a wide range of learning styles. As students develop a strong foundation of basic skills, they are given more choices in their projects and coursework. By the time they reach the upper grades, students choose from an expansive selection of creative arts courses, deliberately designed for specialization and mastery.

In state-of-the-art studios, students work independently and collaboratively on group projects. Talented faculty, many of whom are practicing artists, challenge students daily to discover their creative potential. Throughout the creative arts program at Country School, students actively participate in a rich and varied curriculum that is not only developmentally appropriate in design but also deeply engaging and inspiring.

Studio Art

Children are introduced to many fine arts and a wide variety of media. Lessons emphasize basic design elements and are planned so that all children experience success with materials, concepts and creative problem solving. Cultural

traditions and works by major artists are presented; many interdisciplinary projects are implemented. Children develop the skills and techniques to communicate their own ideas visually. The emphasis is on concepts and process.

Woodshop

In the woodshop program, which begins in third grade, students are introduced to woodworking tools and concepts. They learn to solve problems as they build three-dimensional objects such a weathervane, duck decoy and sundial. Creativity and productivity are both emphasized.

Music

First and second graders build on their Early Childhood experiences with song, movement and instrument play, and

begin to lay the groundwork for aural skills and music literacy. Grades 3–4 receive more specialized instruction in vocal and instrumental music. Both grades play recorders and Orff instruments, and sing weekly in a grade-wide school chorus. Traditional band instruments are introduced in the fourth grade. Performance opportunities for all grades range from informal assemblies to seasonal concerts and productions.

Rhythms and Creative Dramatics

The Lower School program is a blend of activities aimed at both verbal and nonverbal expressive skills called Rhythms and Creative Dramatics. The Rhythms program, which has been a hallmark of the Country School curriculum for more than half a century, is a unique blend of dramatic play and body movement, and offers varied avenues for the exercise of each child’s imagination. In Creative Dramatics activities, students engage in theater-making that is directly connected to their social studies curriculum, and address a variety of related skills, from public speaking to collaboration. Lower School students participate in multiple theatrical events each year.

Physical Education

New Canaan Country School has long believed that athletics are an integral part of the educational experience of our students. The lifelong enjoyment of physical activity and a healthy attitude toward athletic competition are the primary goals of our physical education and sports program. This is achieved through an ageappropriate, creative and challenging curriculum from Kindergarten through ninth grade. Our students move on to their high school program feeling well prepared and appreciating the athletic foundation they gained at Country School.

Our extensive indoor and outdoor facilities—including two full gymnasiums, expansive gross-motor room, cardiovascular fitness room, outdoor hockey rink, outdoor swimming pool, wooded trails, ropes

course and plentiful fields—suit our program well. We also have a full-time school nurse and an athletic trainer on campus to tend to our athletes in event of injury.

Lower School students participate in a carefully sequenced curriculum, with emphasis on fitness, participation, sportsmanship and general athletic skills. More specifically, the program develops grossand fine-motor skills, collaborative skills, coordination, visual and spatial awareness, cardiovascular fitness, self-confidence, and “knowing your body.” First and second grade students participate by homeroom. Students in Grades 3–4 move to a gender-based program, where we introduce sports such as soccer, basketball and lacrosse that our students will be exposed to in the Middle and Upper Schools.