Language Arts and Social Studies

The Language Arts and Social Studies programs at the Lower School are closely aligned to inspire a life-long love of learning in our students while helping them to critically analyze the world around them. From the foundations of literacy to evaluation and synthesis, teachers and students read, discuss, and respond to both literature and non-fiction texts in an analytical fashion. A joy for reading and writing are instilled in students through the Reading and Writing Workshop models employed in our classrooms. The craft of writing is explored through mentor texts and teacher modeling while encouraging students to move through all stages of the writing process, including; brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing for a variety of purposes. Students engage in narrative, informational, and argumentative writing and discourse throughout the school year. 

Our language-rich heterogeneous classrooms encourage students to participate in meaningful discourse with each other about current events, diversity, equity, and inclusion while centering on our Middot. Students are guided in their development of speaking, listening, and responding to make connections and reflect upon the diverse viewpoints of their classmates in thoughtful ways. Students’ individual needs are met through differentiation and growing each child from where they are to their full capability. Our ultimate goal is to instill a life-long love of learning in students while engaging them in critical discourse about the world around them.