Primary Level Curriculum Overviews

Language Arts

At the primary level we are helping our students move along the literacy path from emergent reading and writing to the beginning stages of fluency in both areas. At the emergent stage they are learning about reading and writing, in the early stage they are learning to read and write, and they move into the fluent stage when they reach a level of independence in their reading and writing. Using multiple texts and a writing workshop format, we seek to help our students experience the joy of reading good books and the power of expressing themselves through writing. Using discussion, oral and silent reading, and process writing, we immerse our students in a literacy-rich environment.

Mathematics

Undergoing revisions---coming soon

Science

At the primary level, we believe that science should be tied into the student’s lives.  We want them to see that science allows them to more fully understand the physical world that surrounds them. By teaching units related to the child’s own experience, we give him or her better understanding of how they are connected to the physical world.  We believe in teaching science through literature, exploration, experiments, and discussions.  Students will be actively engaged with the material they are learning.

Social Studies

At the primary level, we see social studies as the study of the world in which we live, work, and play. We provide the foundation for students to advance to higher levels of social studies learning at the intermediate and middle levels. We accomplish this through discovery, inquiry and direct instruction. We teach the children to demonstrate their awareness of the self as well as the self in relation to others. We use fables, biographies, and videos to build an understanding of how historical events and other cultures affect our lives and the world in which we live.

Spanish

Falk’s primary Spanish program is based on the ACTFL National Standards of communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities. Beginning with the first day of kindergarten, Falk students are completely immersed in the Spanish language. Emphasis is placed on the students’ overall communicative abilities, and very little English is used. Although students are introduced to the written word from the start, at the primary level, the focus is primarily on the students’ speaking and listening comprehension skills. Each daily lesson is part of a larger thematic unit based on the ACTFL standards. This year, kindergarten students will complete an “All about Me” and “Land of Nicaragua” unit, first graders will explore “Falk School” and “Venezuela,” and second graders will complete a “Health” unit and discover the “Lands of Peru.”

Art

At the primary level, we listen closely to the children’s ideas and stories and co-construct a curriculum around their interests.  We explore their developing understanding of self; their world of play and make-believe; their world of family, friends, and pets; and their interest in the natural environment.   Children are invited to draw from direct observation, memory, and imagination.  They learn about artists and respond to their work through a wide variety of activities.  They also acquire a developing understanding of tools and processes, and use varied media.

Music

In the primary grades, the children are active learners.  Through echo songs and patterns, children are encouraged to find their singing voices and learn to sing in tune.  The children respond naturally to listening activities by moving, singling, or playing along.  Rhythm patterns are learned aurally, followed by notation experiences.  Primary children participate in musical games that encourage them to discover the many ways in which they can communicate through music.

Physical Education

At the primary level the students will be engaged in activities throughout the year that are focused on: spatial awareness (low organization activities), fundamental motor patterns, non-locomotor movements, manipulative skills, basic sports skills, cooperative challenges, and fitness activities. Other important focal points of the program include educating students about: respect for themselves, others and equipment; motivational skills; cooperation with others; how to be a good sport; and following rules and safety directions.

Library

Undergoing revisions---coming soon

Technology

At the primary level, Falk School believes that technology skills offer young students a unique educational opportunity for self-expression, experimentation, developing independence, creativity, and problem solving. Children learn to use age-appropriate software and are guided on a technological path of supported learning about their world. Students listen, observe, extrapolate, make choices, problem-solve, research, and collect data. Sensitive to the growth of a young child, we are careful to nurture and encourage the process, while providing the necessary time to explore, repeat, think, and create. Through meaningful and collaborative projects, a secure environment, and age-appropriate technology, primary students gradually fill themselves with earned confidence, educational understanding, and creative endeavor.