Curriculum Overview
The information presented here is an overview of the curriculum for students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 4. Brief descriptions of curricular areas are provided at each grade level. For more information, download our Lower School Curriculum Guide here.
The Lower School curriculum is divided into the Early Childhood Program (Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten) and the Elementary Grades (Grades 1 through 4). There are 27 teachers and aides under Sue Hone, Lower School director.
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM
The Early Childhood curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the developing four, five and six- year-old. A balanced day, including structured academic work periods, developmental play and a variety of music and art activities is provided. Social studies and science experiences are part of daily learning and integrated into the curriculum. Frequent class trips enrich the program and reflect the School’s motto “The World is Our Classroom.”
PRE-KINDERGARTEN
Schedule
The Pre-Kindergarten program includes a choice of five half days, three half days and two full days or five full days.
Social/Emotional Development and Physical Skills
Children have opportunities to play and interact together, learning and developing their social skills. Ample opportunities are available for each child to develop the ability to interact in a positive way in a group. The development of fine motor skills is encouraged through the various art projects, pre-writing and writing activities and classroom manipulatives. Gross motor development is fostered through movement, outdoor play and physical education classes.
Cognitive Development
Children engage in a wide variety of tasks designed to increase attention span and improve listening and problem-solving skills. Natural curiosity is a motivating force and many opportunities for making choices are available. The pre-reading language arts program focuses on skills to help children identify letter names and sounds.
Concepts of mathematics and science are explored through active manipulation of classroom materials. Such topics as volcanoes, oceans, seeds and plants and seasons lend themselves to experiential activities.
KINDERGARTEN
Schedule
Kindergarten is a full day, five-day-a-week program. A day in the classroom includes structured academic work periods, developmental play and art experiences. Special area teachers enrich the program with classes in art, music, science, French/Spanish, physical education and library education.
Social/Emotional Development and Physical Skills
While in Kindergarten, the solitary and parallel play of the pre-school child becomes more directed as cooperative and interactive play develops. Sharing, waiting for turns, social problem-solving skills and positive relationships with both peers and adults are fostered. The development of fine motor control is encouraged through cutting, pasting, printing and writing projects. A daily physical education class and a daily recess promote gross motor development.
Cognitive Development
In Kindergarten, language arts and math instruction are woven into the day. The comprehensive language arts program includes phonics, literature and creative writing. Children are provided an opportunity to meet one-to-one with a teacher in the Reading Room to further develop phonics/reading skills. The mathematics curriculum emphasizes number recognition, invariance of number, counting, combining sets, sorting, graphing, patterning, measuring, coin value and telling time. As often as possible, concepts are presented in real life situations.
In addition, children meet once or more each week for classes in science, French/Spanish, and music, and a visit to the Lower School library. Children visit the art studio for three month-long units each year to complete comprehensive projects.
FIRST GRADE
Language Arts
The First Grade language arts curriculum is a comprehensive and integrated program. Reading is taught using a variety of approaches throughout the day. Individual, partner and silent reading occurs daily. There is whole-group and small-group instruction in phonics.
As with reading, writing is taught as a process, integrating the language skills of spelling, grammar and vocabulary. Process writing includes peer conferencing, teacher conferencing, editing and the classroom publication of illustrated, handwritten and word-processed books.
Mathematics
Singapore Math is the framework for math instruction in the Lower School. The curriculum emphasizes basic addition and subtraction facts, place value to the hundreds, two-digit addition and subtraction, non-standard and standard measurement, time, money and spatial problem solving. Manipulatives and games continue to be used to help children learn basic concepts and math facts. Data is collected and organized for use in bar, line and picture graphs.
Social Studies
The social studies curriculum helps children begin to see themselves relative to the larger community. Beginning with their own families, children are exposed to a wider examination of the world. The study of Washington, D.C. is an example of the theme-based approach which integrates reading, writing, math and the study of maps and research skills.
SECOND GRADE
Language Arts
The language arts curriculum focuses on reading, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and grammar, phonics, spelling, listening and speaking skills. The phonics program includes sound-symbol association, sound blending and dictation. Different literary genres are introduced including mysteries, fairy tales, folk tales, fables, biographies, realistic fiction, poetry and animal stories.
Various types of writing are emphasized, including creative writing in journals, stories, poetry and book reports. Process writing includes peer conferencing, editing, teacher conferencing and publication of hand-written and illustrated books.
Mathematics
Singapore Math is the framework for math instruction in the Lower School. Mathematics concepts covered include addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, odd and even numbers, place value to the thousands, measurement, money, time, geometry, problem solving and fractions. Multiplication and division concepts are introduced. Students are flexibly grouped for math studies according to skill level.
Social Studies
The social studies curriculum is built upon the concept of community. Units on self-awareness, community planning, historical figures and United States history are developed around this central theme. An understanding of, and appreciation for, the elements needed to establish a successful community forms the basis of these units. In-depth study of the pilgrim and pioneer communities is included.
THIRD GRADE
Language Arts
Third graders continue to be exposed to a variety of literary genres including fiction, biography, tall tales, short stories, poetry and non-fiction. Inferential comprehension and critical thinking are emphasized. During “Writing Workshop,” students develop their own stories, books and poems. Teacher-student conferences and daily class sentence and paragraph edits focus on correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Research report writing is taught as a process comprised of many integrated skills. Study skills, such as note-taking, paraphrasing, paragraphing and editing are practiced.
Mathematics
Singapore Math is the framework for math instruction in the Lower School. Third Grade mathematics challenges students to use their thinking and problem-solving skills in new applications. The curriculum deals with place value to six digits, and addition and subtraction of numbers through hundred thousands. Students learn to multiply multi-digit numbers by one-digit multipliers, as well as divide multi-digit numbers by one-digit divisors. Concepts such as time, money, measurement, geometry, fractions, and graphing are also developed.
Social Studies
Students study Native Americans and the state of New Jersey and countries outside the United States such as England, India or Mexico. Map skills, research projects and reports are incorporated into the program throughout the year as different regions are examined. Experiential class projects, field trips and activities support the curriculum, reflecting the philosophy that "The World is our Classroom."
FOURTH GRADE
Language Arts
Fourth grade language arts is based on learning through literature. Students analyze literature by engaging in classroom discussions about plot, characterization, setting and the author’s style. The emphasis is on reading comprehension, vocabulary development and critical thinking skills. A program called “The Accelerated Reader” uses computers to encourage the development of outside independent reading and comprehension skills. Grammar instruction is expanded to include a more formal study of the parts of speech, punctuation and capitalization. Written assignments are frequently integrated into other curricular areas. During the second half of the year, the students have the opportunity to compose and illustrate a fourteen page imaginative book. In addition, the students continue to practice expository writing connected to the literature they are reading.
Mathematics
The mathematics curriculum stresses facility with whole number computation, particularly multiplication and division, and quick recall of all number facts. Work with fractions includes naming fractional parts as well as addition and subtraction of fractions. Problem-solving, estimating and judging the reasonableness of an answer are emphasized. Students work with metric and customary measurement, collect data for graphing assignments and work with time and money. Children complete daily work independently for the most part, but will also have an opportunity to work as part of a cooperative group during problem solving experiences. Students are grouped according to skill level.
Elements of the Singapore Math program are being included in the fourth grade curriculum. A complete transition will take place in the 2010-11 school year.
Social Studies
The fourth grade social studies curriculum focuses on exploration. Students start the year with a detailed look at the Vikings and their contributions to exploration. This is followed by a study of Marco Polo and research into a variety of explorers and their voyages. The year ends with a study of the American colonies. The students have the opportunity to present their individual research projects in a colonial fair. Time is also devoted to map and geography skills.
ENRICHMENT
Science
The science curriculum is designed to provide a broad-based spiraling exposure to three main units of study: Earth Science, Physical Science and Biological Science. Each year the core areas of study are visited and the depth of the inquiry becomes more detailed. Different areas of interest are explored and the knowledge base of the student is expanded. The laboratory facilities are designed to allow students to carry out actual age- specific experiments following proper scientific methods of inquiry.
Art
An elementary vocabulary of artistic expression is woven into the framework of the art curriculum. Children are introduced to line, color, texture and shape, the building blocks of creativity. Students are taught that the application of these building blocks and principles, and not necessarily individual skill, are responsible for exciting and beautiful projects. A wide range of media and materials is introduced to the children including clay, tempera, wood, papier mache, collage and photography.
Music
Music education in the elementary level begins with students experiencing music first with singing, musical games, movement, and classroom instruments. Music terms, theory, history, and reading notation are then identified and form a strong basis for further music learning. Students begin playing recorder at the end of third grade. Fourth grade students study the recorder throughout the year and it is used with the ongoing experiences of music class such as instrument ensembles, singing in parts, games, movement, history and appreciation of music. Students meet twice a week for 35 minutes and perform two concerts a year.
Computers
Computer usage and instruction in grades one through four is based on the use of age-appropriate software to enrich and support the academic program. In addition to using computers regularly in the classrooms, students receive weekly instruction in the use of the computer and appropriate programs in the Internet-connected computer lab.
French
French and Spanish are offered in kindergarten and first grade for a half-year each, exposing students to the languages through activities including songs, games, and other age appropriate projects. The language program continues in second through fourth grade with further exposure to French language and culture. the school's intention is that eventually all lower school students will have exposture to both French and Spanish for a half-year of each language.
Library
Every class comes to the library weekly for book exchange and a lesson or story. Each grade from kindergarten through four has a full year program of bibliographic instruction tailored to the age of the child, starting with individual research done by kindergartners to studies in poetry and the creation of a timeline of the school's history by fourth graders. The children learn when and how to use reference books such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases and almanacs. They start learning how to correctly cite sources, how to take notes, paraphrase, and summarize. They learn to use the online catalog and Dewey Decimal System to find books. Children check out books for pleasure reading as well as school assignments.
Physical Education
Physical education classes meet four times a week in grades one and two, and three times a week for grades three and four. Physical fitness is developed and evaluated through a combination of the “Physical Best” program and the “Presidential Fitness” program. Teamwork, sportsmanship and individual skills development are stressed. The children learn games that teach basic rules, fundamentals and strategies of the different sports.
Health
During the first, second and third grades, health and nutrition are integrated into the elementary school curriculum and are taught by the individual classroom teacher. In the fourth grade, health class is taught by the school nurse. Topics discussed are exercise and diet, family life styles, interpersonal relationships, the uniqueness of each individual and responsible behavior.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Gill St. Bernard’s believes that students learn by doing, as well as through traditional academic methods. Therefore, field trips and other types of hands-on activities that support the curriculum are encouraged. The following is a list of some of the activities in which each class participates. Class trips and activities vary from year to year.
Pre-Kindergarten
Ort Farm (for pumpkin picking), two plays at Raritan Valley CC theater.
Kindergarten
Apple Farm, Nutcracker ballet, Planetarium at County College of Morris, Alstede’s Farm (for pumpkin picking).
First Grade
Arboretum, Merrill Creek Reservoir, in-school events such as Thanksgiving Feast, Reading Rodeo, simulated Washington trip and maintenance of campus bluebird nest trail.
Second Grade
Delaware Water Gap, Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Franklin Mineral Museum, Lord Stirling Environmental Center, Morris Museum
Third Grade
Theater trip, Howell Living History Museum, in-school animal presentation, Lenape speaker, special Country day
Fourth Grade
Red Mill Museum Village, Swedish Museum, Museum of Early Trade and Crafts, in-school Colonial Fair
