Grade : Preface

Schools vary widely in terms of their educational mission, philosophy, resources and program. No two programs are exactly the same; each independent school makes its own informed choices about what subjects and skills students must know and when those subjects and skills should be taught. The Park School program reflects mission-driven educational priorities and a deep commitment to providing 21st century learners with the tools necessary for distinction in academic achievement and active participation in a global community. Moreover, we care passionately about the development of students' self-confidence, positive attitude toward learning, and humility in knowing that there is always more to learn. It is this fundamental understanding of both the power and limits of knowledge that makes a Park student unique.

This N-IX Curriculum Guide is a clear articulation of the academic course of study at Park and also includes descriptions of our co-curricular and extra-curricular programs. The School offers a diversified and demanding curriculum that stimulates and challenges each student. We pride ourselves on the success of our students, knowing that they leave us fully prepared for more years of rigorous study in secondary school.

On behalf of the faculty, I invite current and prospective Park parents to explore the goals and content of our academic program and to see what distinguishes Park as a place for students to learn and grow. While there is absolutely no substitute for seeing our vibrant classrooms, highly skilled teachers, and engaged students up close and in person, herein lies the roadmap of a Park education.

Sincerely,

Wanda M. Holland Greene
Assistant Head for Program and Professional Development

Grade N: Year in Review

The Nursery program enlarges the world of young children and increases their ability to cope with its new and varied dimensions. Teachers work collaboratively to develop in students a positive and creative approach to learning; children are encouraged to take risks, and teachers help them deal effectively with both successes and failures. One of the most important goals of the program is for children to engage joyfully in cooperative work and play.

Taking into consideration each child's particular interests and strengths, teachers provide developmentally appropriate activities that make use of a variety of media, dramatic play, and manipulative materials. Computer skills are introduced during weekly lab visits and emphasize exploration.

The Nursery program lays a strong foundation for future learning in Kindergarten, particularly in the areas of language arts, social studies, mathematics and science. Throughout the year, children explore a variety of books with teachers as well as on their own. Children discuss both the language and illustrations in literature, and they are encouraged to talk about their observations, make predictions, and draw conclusions. The Nursery children visit the library formally twice a month. There, they are introduced to books through visual and verbal clues, giving them a chance to make predictions and to reinforce their 'self-to-text' connections as well as their group skills.

Essential questions in social studies are: "How are we alike?" "How are we different?" "What connects us?" Students celebrate and discuss similarities and differences among themselves and their families. Some topics of conversation and projects include explorations of the ranges of skin color, family configuration, stereotypes, and gender, as well as ethnic and religious differences. Families are encouraged to visit the classroom and share their cultures and traditions as a way of promoting understanding and building community. The children are introduced to the larger Park community through partnerships with other grade levels.

Skills and work habits are integrated into many classroom activities and provide the base for children's future mathematical growth. They learn informally through hands-on, interactive experiences. For example, while "playing" in the block area, children encounter important mathematical concepts: names, attributes, manipulation of and relationships between shapes, spatial sense, visualization, counting, one-to-one correspondence, measurement, and estimation.

Exploration of the natural world is woven through the curriculum seasonally. In autumn, children take nature walks to observe how the world changes color. Color mixing and the use of natural materials in art projects reinforce students' observations. In the winter, students discuss how changes in the amount of daylight affects weather patterns, and they investigate the properties of water by experimenting with ice crystals. In the spring, the classes observe and document how things grow.

Overall, teachers guide each child's growing cognitive and social skills, while paying close attention to the development of self-esteem, acceptance of others, and a love of learning.

Grade K: Year in Review

Kindergarten provides an enriching environment where each child can continue to find success and enjoy learning. Throughout the year, self-awareness and sensitivity to others are emphasized. As five- and six-year-olds begin to perceive and internalize the world around them, they increase their ability to deal with new ideas and concepts. Kindergarten provides opportunities for more formalized instruction in language arts, math, and science. By experiencing group and individual activities that are both teacher-directed and child-directed, students are encouraged to grow within a framework that is stimulating and supportive.

The Kindergarten curriculum offers variety throughout the year, using themes of self-awareness, holidays, families, seasons, color, and art appreciation. Teachers integrate these themes into all the work areas of the classroom: art, dramatic play, math, oral and written language, and science.

Play is essential to the emotional, social, and intellectual life of the Kindergarten child. Spontaneous play provides an important means of social interaction, through which children learn to express and understand their own feelings and those of others. Centers for dramatic play may complement themes of study.

Outdoor time allows the children to run freely and to engage in cooperative activities. Swinging, climbing, and balancing all develop coordination and the gross motor skills which are necessary to physical development and confidence.

During the Kindergarten year, students new to Park integrate beautifully with those who have moved up from Nursery, forming one vibrant and happy community of young learners.

Grade I: Year in Review

In Grade I, students and their teachers work, play, celebrate, and make decisions together. They establish a sense of the class as a community of learners and friends. As the sense of community becomes stronger, each child grows in the areas of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Teachers respond to and build upon a six-year-old's natural curiosity about the world and eagerness to decipher the written word. First graders continue to bask in the joy of childhood, while feeling more "grown up" as they move to the fourth floor and complete homework assignments once per week.

The daily and weekly schedules provide a balance between child-initiated and teacher-directed projects, whole group meetings and activities, individual conferences with a teacher, peer teaching opportunities, independent work time and small group time for both reading instruction and math.

First Grade classroom work is organized around the broad umbrellas of language arts, math, and social studies. Highlights within these learning areas include multiple field trips into Park's surrounding neighborhoods, large-scale construction projects, ongoing acts of community service, frequent and colorful use of technology, and a year-end musical review. First graders are further enriched by weekly science, art, music, physical education and library lessons outside the classroom

Grade II: Year in Review

In Grade II, students work toward mastering basic reading and mathematical skills and toward gaining a greater awareness of their role in the school and outside communities. By combining high standards with flexibility and a supportive atmosphere, teachers help children build confidence in themselves as individuals and learners. With this increased confidence and competence, they are able to pursue more challenging learning activities involving critical and abstract thinking.

Second graders children are expected to read on a nightly basis, as well as complete homework assignments once a week, increasing to twice a week after spring vacation. As part of the social curriculum, second graders learn the importance of giving back to the community through regular service learning activities. Technology is integrated into the curriculum through project-specific activities. Children are exposed to a variety of writing genres through class read-alouds. They model their own writing after these examples and create an autobiography over the course of the year.

The Grade II experience is shaped by a year-long study of the Colonial era. To celebrate the year's projects, second grade classes create a Colonial Museum.

Grade III: Year in Review

Grade III marks a significant transition in children's academic and social lives at school. A move to the third floor classrooms signals a step forward in the elementary school years at Park. It is a year when the fundamental skills acquired in earlier grades can be applied to more difficult and complex tasks.

Grade III students enter the year with boundless energy and a sense of growing competence and confidence in their skills as readers and thinkers. As eight- and nine-year-olds, they become more empathetic, industrious, and responsible. The curriculum pushes many children to move from concrete to more abstract thinking. Third graders' natural curiosity also leads them to investigative research and problem-solving. As the year progresses, they delight in working more independently. Homework becomes a regular routine as they are asked to complete nightly reading and written assignments. Teachers' expectations of their students' ability to complete assignments, to work in cooperative groups, and to resolve peer conflicts increase. While enjoying these greater challenges, students also are learning to manage their time and energy more efficiently.

Highlights of the third grade year include an introduction to cursive writing, a year-long study of Native Peoples of North America, field trips to Plimoth Plantation and Harvard's Peabody Museum, celebration of Harvest Feast, and performances for Grandparents' Day and Yule Festival. A culminating event of the Grade III year is May Day, a long-standing Park tradition that features Grade III students in music and dance.

Grade IV: Year in Review

The Grade IV program seeks to give each child a strong grounding in language arts, mathematics, and social studies through developmentally appropriate instruction. Student-centered work takes place through discovery, discussion, written work, use of technology, and project-based assignments in individual, small group, and whole class settings. Strong citizenship and respect for others and the environment underlie every component of the program. Homeroom partnering between younger grades promotes community building and creates leadership opportunities for fourth graders. School life provides an ideal environment in which students can exercise their newly acquired academic and social skills while assuming greater responsibilities both at home and at school. Teams of Grade IV students run the paper and bottle recycling program for the entire Park School.

In fourth grade, the social studies curriculum centers on ancient Greece, and it culminates in a comparative study of early American and Greek democracies. Students complete 45 minutes of homework and 30 additional minutes of independent reading four nights a week. Beginning the gradual transition to Upper School, fourth graders attend Morning Meeting in the School's theater two mornings a week. On other mornings, classes have community-building meetings in their homerooms.

Fourth grade students begin to work with Student Council, a student government organization led by two ninth graders and two faculty advisors. Helping Hand, a community service club, meets weekly throughout the year, and any fourth grader is welcome to participate. Students can also begin to participate in organized after-school sports teams. Teams practice twice a week with various sports available each season.

Grade V: Year in Review

"When I grow up, I want to wear a cape, be a super hero, and live close to my mom, so she can baby-sit my kids." Grade V Student

Fifth graders have one foot in pre-adolescence and one foot in childhood. They are exploring their individuality while also cooperating with the group. They are able to think abstractly and communicate articulately, while eagerly displaying a playful spirit. In Grade V, students are cooperative and competitive; they enjoy family and peers, while honing conflict resolution skills. As leaders of the Lower School, Grade V students are held to high standards of positive citizenship. They preview the Upper School by attending Morning Meetings and participating in school-spirit events such as Clash Day.

Teachers introduce and reinforce skills in all disciplines of the Grade V experience. Recognizing individual learning styles, teachers bolster students' strengths and address their areas of challenge. Teachers nurture and support students' self-reliance, perseverance, self-discipline, and true love of learning. Students reinforce lessons by completing reading, writing, and math homework assignments. Grade V students use technology for many aspects of their school work: math programs, word-processing most assignments, and researching and presenting projects. Grade V affords students ample opportunity to develop research and presentation skills.

Highlights of the year include a class play connected to the social studies curriculum, Book Character Day, partnerships with younger grades, the senior citizen biography project, and opportunities to participate in math team, Student Council, and the community service club, Helping Hand.

Grade VI: Year in Review

Sixth graders are creative, energetic, and hardworking. They enter the Upper School excited about the many new opportunities before them and ready to take on the increased responsibilities. The Grade VI year is structured so that it provides a comfortable transition between the homeroom setting of the Lower School and the rest of Upper School. Students take five academic classes: math, science, English, social studies, and, for the first time, a foreign language. Each of these subjects is taught by a different teacher. English and social studies are taught together and have the feel of a Lower School homeroom. Academic work in the sixth grade is a balance between assignments which demand a new level of depth and more abstract thinking and the teaching of specific skills and strategies. Sixth graders receive twenty to thirty minutes of homework per subject each night, including the weekend. In addition to their academic classes, all children have art, physical education, and music during the school day.

After school, most sixth graders elect to play on a sports team, take part in the winter musical or spring play, or stay for study hall four afternoons a week. Each child is part of a small advisory group made up of five or six other students and one teacher. This group meets daily and has lunch and recess together once a week. Advisory time is spent on activities ranging from playing games to learning ways to organize a binder.

The year is characterized by the enthusiasm and curiosity of eleven- and twelve-year-olds and the delight with which these sixth graders design and build a model house, read Shakespeare, wear a Park athletic uniform, begin a foreign language, and much, much more.

Grade VII: Year in Review

On the cusp of their teenage years, seventh-grade students manifest a vast range of physical, emotional, and cognitive development. While some are still firmly planted in pre-adolescence, others are already typical teenagers, wanting to be independent, yet still needing guidance. The seventh grade program at Park recognizes the strengths and needs of twelve- and thirteen-year-old students, both in and out of the classroom, with increased responsibilities and program offerings.

At the start of the Grade VII year, students prepare for a four-day, three-night, class trip to New Hampshire during the Upper School Project Week. The curriculum of the trip, titled Project R.E.A.S.O.N. (Resource and Environmental Awareness through the Study of Nature), focuses on individual and group challenges, community living, and risk-taking in a structured environment. The trip is organized and led by the seventh grade advisors who recognize its potential for community building. A Park tradition for over thirty years, Project R.E.A.S.O.N. is a deeply meaningful and age-appropriate rite of passage.

In the academic realm, Park's seventh grade program fosters the development of abstract thinking skills through assignments that encourage students to formulate opinions, articulate ideas, and make connections in their learning. Increased homework expectations, the introduction of letter grades, and final exams mark the seventh grade year. Group work and long-term projects provide an arena for practicing social interactions, which is important for cognitive development.

Extracurricular activities tend to take on new importance at this age, both socially, and in developing a specific skill or passion. To this end, Park offers opportunities to seventh grade students for involvement in Student Council, Helping Hand, community service/service learning, competitive after school sports (at the varsity level for some), after-school drama, One World Club, and other clubs. The continuation of the advisory program provides time for students to work with their advisors in becoming more proactive, independent learners.

Learning to recognize one's own strengths and struggles, learning the skill of how to ask for help, and working with and for others, are the themes that run throughout Grade VII. While there is a wide range of development at this age, seventh graders at Park are brought together around common interests and goals, without the concern of secondary school applications hovering over them. Giving students new freedoms and responsibilities speaks to the independence and interdependence that these young adults need and crave.

Grade VIII: Year in Review

Eighth grade students enter the school year poised to take on greater responsibility for their learning. Now able to think more abstractly, they tackle significant milestones in the academic, athletic, and artistic realms of the program. Their desire for independence and responsibility meets with exciting challenges in the curriculum as they seek to define themselves as individuals and as members of a group.

In the Grade VIII year, students begin to explore their place in the context of community. They consider both their immediate Park School community as well as the larger world. Students spend two days of Upper School Project Week in the fall with their six-member advisory groups in the city of Boston and at the Food Project Farm in Weston, where they help to harvest vegetables and learn about sustainable agriculture. Throughout the year, in their advisory groups, students assist with food preparation and serve dinner at the Allston-Brighton Food Pantry. Simultaneously, Growth Education classes provide a forum to discuss the dynamics of relationships, self-awareness, and the adolescent's drive to test boundaries.

Early in the eighth grade year, students and their parents must make the important choice of whether to apply to secondary school or continue through the ninth grade at Park. The School's administrators and secondary school counselors are readily available to discuss different options and to develop an appropriate plan for each child. Regardless of their decision, eighth graders at Park routinely find this year one that seals lifelong relationships, offers countless opportunities for personal growth, and prepares them for the rigors of high school. The culminating celebration for the eighth grade occurs around the School's "Charter Oak," a large, old oak whose strong trunk has produced a wealth of branches. Similarly, Park students themselves find that they leave their elementary years with a solid foundation and boundless connections to the world through their classmates and teachers.

Grade IX: Year in Review

Park School's culminating year is designed to offer students opportunities to strengthen and broaden their minds through rigorous coursework, to participate in competitive athletics, often at the varsity level, and to specialize in artistic, dramatic and musical endeavors.

Ninth graders serve as leaders of Park's student government, service organizations, Yearbook staff, student groups (One World Club, Gay-Straight Alliance), morning assemblies, and all varsity athletic teams. Students also serve as 'informal leaders' of all younger children on campus. In this way, leadership is both encouraged and expected of each member of the class.

A three-day overnight trip to the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts marks the beginning of the school year, a time when students and their advisors work together to plan for the year ahead, to create personal Yearbook pages, to prepare group meals, and to engage in team-building activities that encourage both greater self-awareness and an appreciation of the individuals that form the group.

After a busy fall focused on rigorous academics and the process of visiting and applying to next schools, students undertake winter activities that include both preparation for the March language trips to France, Spain or Italy and for individual Work-Study projects. Students work closely with chosen members of the faculty and staff to secure supervised internships and opportunities to pursue interests and talents in the world outside Park.

Together with their language teachers, ninth graders travel to Europe for ten days in March. While French and Spanish students live in home-stay settings and participate in language immersion classes, cultural activities, and afternoon day trips, Latin students visit ancient Roman archaeological sites throughout Italy, climb Mount Vesuvius, and spend several days touring the cultural and historic sights of Rome.

Upon returning from Europe, Grade IX students spend two weeks working in the "real world," applying individual skills and strengths in an environment of their choosing. These Work-Study internships allow students to work with professional adults and to gain valuable life experience as they prepare to leave Park School. Indeed, the Grade IX experience at Park is a unique and powerful first year of high school, characterized by intellectual depth, personal growth and empowerment, and committed leadership.

Grade K: Language Arts

All areas of the Kindergarten program help to build solid foundations in oral and written language, listening, and reading. Oral language includes daily group discussions, reading aloud, group reading, poetry, and drama. Written language includes journal and book writing, group writing, and the handwriting program, Handwriting Without Tears.

A wide range of early literacy skills exists among five-and six-year-olds. Teachers incorporate the key elements of Lucy Calkins' writing and reading workshops to develop the foundation for strong early literacy skills. Students are encouraged to use a "phonetic spelling approach" to writing, giving them control over their own writing. Children are introduced to the proper formation of upper and lowercase letters. By the end of the year, they are familiar with 32 high-frequency sight words.

Supplies for writing and bookmaking are always available. Classrooms also contain a variety of developmentally appropriate materials and books providing opportunities to explore the written word. Literacy development is supported by listening, reading and exposure to fine literature, poetry and songs. The goal is to encourage enjoyment, interest, and a love of literature.

Grade I: Language Arts

Grade I continues to build upon the foundations built in Kindergarten with oral and written language, listening, and reading. As writing and reading are taught through a variety of approaches in Grade I, the children gain confidence in their language skills.

Reading

The goal for all children is to develop a life-long love of reading. Teachers provide children with a wide range of meaningful experiences with print. This is accomplished through whole group and small group meetings, as well as working one-on-one with the teacher. As students begin to read, they are provided with many reading readiness activities that reinforce literacy skills. Other areas of concentration include listening skills, participating in book discussions, responding to what has been read, and using prior knowledge to make connections to life and other literature.

Writing

The writing program is based on the process of composing, illustrating, editing, publishing, and sharing written pieces. Writer's workshop provides children with the opportunity to write books, drawing from their own knowledge and experiences. Attention is paid to thinking about the sequence of events and essential information, as a means to construct a story with a beginning, middle, and ending. Children are encouraged to use phonetic spelling as they write in order to increase fluency of ideas.

Spelling and Handwriting

The Sitton spelling program is used as an alternative to traditional workbook spelling. It is designed to complement writing-rich classrooms and forms the foundation for systematic instruction of basic spelling words. The words taught are high-frequency words used in writing. Once introduced to these words, children are expected to spell them correctly in their daily work.

The Handwriting Without Tears program is a simple, developmentally-based curriculum for writing readiness and printing. The goal is to make handwriting available to all children as an automatic and natural skill. The multi-sensory lessons teach to all learning styles: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic.

Grade II: Language Arts

Grade II students' increasing confidence and competence in reading and writing allow them to begin to enjoy the processes to an even greater extent. Multiple opportunities are given, allowing them to practice their rapidly developing skills and elaborate on their ideas both through speaking and writing.

Reading

Skills are refined through an individualized program with emphasis on encouraging reading for pleasure and discovering its usefulness in obtaining information. Fiction, poetry, biographies, histories, and science books are included. Children read daily in the classroom, either individually or in a group, and visit the library for reading enjoyment once a week. In Grade II, reading moves from learning the skill to real comprehension and individual explorations into literature. Teachers use a variety of oral reading techniques, games, and puzzles; students strive for comprehension and vocabulary improvement. In addition, teachers read orally from selected literature, followed by various language arts activities and projects. Second graders are encouraged to use a high degree of thought and imagination while working to develop critical thinking skills and a creative approach.

Writing

Regular workshop periods encourage children to write in various genres, such as list books, poetry, memoirs, and biographies. Each child produces an autobiography and has many other publishing opportunities throughout the year. Teachers emphasize the meaning of a sentence as a complete thought with ""telling"" and ""asking"" sentences. Students learn basic punctuation and parts of speech and work on developing their vocabularies.

Spelling and Handwriting

Using the Sitton spelling program, second graders begin to master words that appear frequently in student writing. Students are expected to spell these words correctly in their own writing. Phonics skills are taught throughout the year to the class as a whole, as well as within small groups. The Handwriting Without Tears program is used to emphasize correct letter formation, size, and spacing in students' manuscript handwriting. Clarity and neatness are stressed in all written work.

Grade III: Language Arts

Students entering Grade III are beginning to feel confident with reading and writing and are eager to put their rapidly developing language arts skills to work. Through a combination of different models and designs, the third grade curriculum strives to give children the skills they need to express themselves through writing and speaking.

Reading

Students and teachers discuss and practice specific reading comprehension strategies throughout the year. Students focus on the strategies of questioning, making connections, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing and determining importance. Students recognize elements of plot, character, and setting. They differentiate among major literary genres, especially fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students select books appropriate to their reading levels, interests, and school assignments. Through reading, students broaden their awareness of universal themes and other cultures.

Writing

By viewing writing as a process of prewriting, writing, and rewriting, students take pride in polished, completed products. In Grade III, children begin to appreciate the difference between oral and written expression and improve their writing as a result of continual exposure to literature. Writing in complete sentences and recognizing the elements of a paragraph, students understand that correct writing can enable them to express specific ideas clearly. Through writing prose and poetry, students increase their self-confidence as writers.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Handwriting

Appreciating the relationship between grammar and language, students gain confidence in their ability to manipulate and describe English. Students focus on writing correct sentences, and they continue to learn, practice, and use the rules for correct capitalization and punctuation. Third graders learn and practice cursive handwriting with the Handwriting Without Tears program.

Vocabulary and Spelling

The Grade III curriculum continues the Sitton spelling program as well as a variety of other materials to increase student facility with spelling. By learning spelling words, understanding spelling rules, practicing dictionary skills and proofreading, students increase their banks of known words. They strive to use correct spellings in all written work. Words are Wonderful adds to the formal study of vocabulary.

Grade IV: Language Arts

Students entering Grade IV are ready to put their rapidly developing language arts skills to work. Through a combination of different models and designs, the fourth grade curriculum strives to give children the skills they need to express themselves through writing and speaking.

Reading

Reading skills, comprehension, and critical thinking and enjoyment are addressed in whole class and small group settings. Both guided and independent reading build competence in individual readers. Students gain an understanding of character, plot, settings, and style through peer and class discussions, as well as through book talks and journal reflections. Literature discussions revolve around the comprehension strategies of making connections, asking questions, visualizing, and inferring.

Writing

Writing effective sentences and paragraphs, developing a logical sequence of ideas, using literary devices, and expanding vocabulary are the major goals of the writing program. Strong editing and grammar skills are emphasized in both creative and expository writing assignments, which include response journals, stories, poetry, plays, reports, and summaries.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Handwriting

Grade IV students continue to practice their newly acquired cursive skills through the weekly copying out of selected poetry. Attention to neatness is encouraged in all written work. Increased facility with the basic grammar elements is practiced through direct instruction, grammar activities, and the critical analysis of student writings.

Vocabulary and Spelling

The Grade IV curriculum continues the Sitton spelling program and emphasizes individual students' abilities to find and correct their errors. Wordly Wise 3000 adds to the formal study of vocabulary, and word banks are utilized to collect words discovered in independent reading and other curricular areas.

Grade V: Language Arts

The Grade V student is almost ready to make the transition into the more independent model of learning in the Upper School. This final Lower School year is a chance for students to cement the skills they have learned and begin to take a more active and independent role in their own learning. Through papers and projects, fifth graders experiment with various forms of research and writing while learning more about the structure and function of language.

Reading

Independent reading, both within and outside of the classroom, is encouraged. Children log their self-selected reading on a computer template for the entire year. The students read a variety of current and classic authors to enhance their study of literature. Class reading covers various genres (poetry, short story, drama, novel, biography, non-fiction, science fiction, adventure, and fantasy). Whenever possible, readings incorporate representative literature from other cultures, in coordination with the social studies curriculum. Teaching reading comprehension strategies bolster students' literal and inferential comprehension.

Writing

The Grade V program emphasizes the writing process. Children develop logical ideas, learn to construct proper sentences, and examine and refine paragraph structure. They are encouraged to build vocabulary and to develop imagery through the use of literary devices. Using word processing computer programs, sudents write and revise all their written work. Research papers are written after major units of study and often include oral presentations. In addition, students research and write a report on a topic of their choice.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Handwriting

In Grade V, grammar and mechanics are addressed explicitly through exercises in the Skills Book and through a student's own work. Accuracy and neatness in cursive writing are expected at all times.

Vocabulary and Spelling

The Grade V curriculum continues to emphasize spelling skills, using lists which are created from areas of the curriculum or which focus on basic spelling rules. Wordly Wise 3000 adds to the formal study of vocabulary with weekly work completed both in class and at home.

Grade VI: English: Foundations: Craftsmanship and the Elements of Writing and Reading

Each week, nine 45-minute classes are devoted to English/social studies.

Literature

In Grade VI, the literature program enables students to examine a variety of literary genres and styles. Students begin the year, reading and discussing Milldred Taylor's Roll of Thunder: Hear My Cry. They then explore various genres throughout the year such as African poetry, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Susan Cooper's King of Shadows,and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Students focus on literal comprehension, the beginnings of figurative interpretation, accurate recall both in discussion and in written work, dramatic reading, and on the basic elements and structures of poetry, the play, and the novel.

Composition

The Grade VI literature program provides a variety of writing models. In addition to practicing narrative and descriptive writing, and writing poetry, students focus on the structure of expository and critical paragraphs. Sixth graders are introduced to editing and revision skills which they will continue to develop during their years in the Upper School. With a focus on proofreading and rewriting and with regular use of laptops, students increase their proficiency. Students pay close attention to strong sentences, coherent paragraphs, accurate word choice, correct usage, and supporting their ideas with precise details.

Grammar and Vocabulary

Using Elements of Language as well as a variety of exercises and classroom techniques, students study the basic sentence, with an emphasis on mechanics and correct usage. They review parts of speech and study vocabulary words taken from their reading in both English and social studies. They examine definitions, synonyms, antonyms, prefixes, suffixes and other forms.

Drama

Students meet for one class per week to explore and to build their drama skills. Through age-appropriate theater games and improvisations, students expand their vocal and physical expression. Students learn relaxation, concentration, and warm-up techniques to prepare them for performing and speaking in front of an audience. They practice working collaboratively to create characterizations and settings. Using literature that they are studying in English, students perform scene work, including scenes from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Students also practice public speaking skills and present monologues and speeches. They develop an appreciation for the discipline and hard work that the craft of drama requires.

Grade VII: English: The Study of Language and Genre

English classes meet five times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Literature

In Grade VII, students are encouraged to read carefully and thoughtfully, as well as to participate in classroom discussions of literature. Throughout the year, students focus on both structural and figurative literary devices, beginning the year with a study of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. A study of short fiction follows with selections from Edgar Allan Poe. Grade VII students then explore Shakespeare's Macbeth, with emphasis placed on close reading, translation and thematic understanding. During the spring unit on African-American poetry, students write their own poems and conduct research on a specific African-American poet. Throughout the year, emphasis is placed on close reading, literal comprehension, figurative interpretation, dramatization, and on the basic elements of poetry, the short story, the play and the novel.

Composition

Formal composition is taught through writing assignments generated by the literature and students' experiences. Students practice their narrative and descriptive writing skills as well as their skills as poets. Introduced to exposition as it relates to literature, students learn to support their ideas with specific references to the text. They also practice outlining skills, writing summaries, as well as composing logical and well-supported paragraphs. Throughout the year, students practice deductive reasoning by writing many critical essays. Students review the conventions of spelling and mechanics through analyses of their own writing and continued direct instruction. Students have frequent access to word processing, to the use of the library, and to the practice of basic grammar.

Grammar and Vocabulary

Using Elements of Language as well as a variety of exercises and classroom techniques, students study sentence structure and the parts of speech through diagramming. They master subject, verb, complement, and prepositional phrases. Vocabulary development is generated by the acquisition and study of new words encountered in the literature. As new words appear, students understand and memorize their definitions, antonyms, synonyms, and parts of speech.

Grade VIII: English: Structure and Style in Reading and Writing

English classes meet five times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Literature

This course emphasizes the major genres used in English and American Literature. Students begin the year reviewing the novel with John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, before reading and making connections with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. They then study Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, and practice reading carefully and thoughtfully, participating in class discussions and dramatic readings, and writing more lengthy essays in response to their reading. In late winter and early spring, they begin an extensive unit on poetry, focusing on the ballad, the lyric, and the sonnet, and putting together an annotated anthology of their own chosen poems. Grade VIII students become confident about moving from literal to figurative interpretations in both reading and writing.

Composition

Formal writing is generated by the literature studied and by the individual student's experience. Emphasis is placed on refining previously acquired critical and creative skills, on expanding ideas in fully developed and lengthier essays, and on writing within time constraints. Students are encouraged to outline, draft, refine, and rewrite. As creative writers, eighth graders compose poems and recollective essays.

Grammar and Vocabulary

Continuing to focus on the parts of a sentence, students add verbals and appositives to their store of grammatical knowledge. As in Grade VII, they learn through diagramming, regular practice, and some memorization. Eighth grade students focus more closely on issues of common usage. Students use Elements of Language as a foundation for this learning. They enlarge their vocabularies by studying the new words encountered in their reading as well as with a grade-level vocabulary text. They also explore etymology by considering the significance of each word's roots.

Grade IX: English: The Human Experience: Intensive Writing and Analytical Reading

English classes meet five times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Literature

In Grade IX, the study of the various literary genres and the intensive practice of reading and writing continues. Students begin the year by examining the style and structure of the memoir, as well as writing memoirs themselves. A unit on reading a collection of classic and contemporary essays follows. During the winter, students read various short stories in preparation for an independent writing project and writing a short story of their own. In the late winter and spring, students read Raisin in the Sun, Othello and Great Expectations to end their year focusing on critical analysis of texts, writing and the formal essay. Throughout the year, ninth graders develop increasingly sophisticated skills in literary interpretation, synthesizing all they have learned as readers over their years at Park.

Composition

Improving style and structure, expressing abstract concepts, writing concisely, varying syntax, enriching diction, and advancing revision techniques are at the heart of the ninth grade writing program. Mastery of the conventions of spelling and mechanics is expected. Students create their own essays as they begin to intensify and polish writing skills and mechanics, paying attention to the art of the well-crafted paragraph, sentence combining, and voice. Modeling some of their pieces on the work of essayists, fiction writers, journalists, and poets encountered in their classroom reading, students practice various essay forms: description, narration, recollection, argument, and persuasion. Students produce and present a formal, annotated writing portfolio containing all of their written work. They present themselves as writers at a year-end reading celebration for parents and faculty members.

Grammar

The emphasis on grammar in Grade IX is largely on the students' abilities to manipulate the structures of their language in their own writing. Review of grammatical concepts and structures is an ongoing activity. Elements of Language continues to be the main text along with other reference texts. An exploration of sentence combining allows students to enrich and enhance their own writing process.

Grade K: Mathematics

The School's primary goal is for every child to be actively engaged in mathematics. All students have the opportunity to learn the subject with depth and understanding and receive any necessary support or enrichment. Learning is interactive and hands-on; children work alone, in pairs, and in groups, and they use concrete materials as well as computers and calculators as tools to extend their understanding.

All teachers in Kindergarten through Grade V use the Investigations curriculum. Each class spends at least one hour a day on mathematics.

Number and Operations

Whole Numbers: Students develop strategies for accurately counting quantities to 10 and beyond. They have many opportunities to count and create sets, to count aloud, and to write and interpret numerals. They develop visual images for quantities and a sense of the relationship between them (10 is more than 5; 4 is less than 6; each counting number is one more, etc.). The counting work also serves as a bridge to the operations of addition and subtraction.

Patterns and Functions

Students sort related objects into groups and identify attributes, as they begin their work with pattern. They consider which attribute (such as color or shape) is important as they construct, describe, and extend various patterns, determine what comes next in a repeating pattern, and begin to think about how two patterns are similar or different.

Data Analysis

Students sort groups of objects according to their attributes and organize data (i.e. favorite lunch foods) into different categories. Students begin to understand that processes involved in data analysis by choosing and posing a question, determining how to record responses, and counting and making sense of the results.

Geometry and Measurement

Geometry: Students identify, describe, and compare 2-D and 3-D shapes. They discuss characteristics such as size, shape, function, and attributes such as the number of sides or faces. Students construct 2-D and 3-D shapes, and combine shapes to make other shapes.

Measurement: Students are introduced to length as a dimension and use direct comparison to compare lengths of objects. Throughout the year, there is a focus on language for describing and comparing lengths. Later, students use multiple non-standard units (e.g. cubes, craft sticks) to quantify length and to consider whether particular measurement strategies result in accurate measurements.

Grade I: Mathematics

All teachers in Kindergarten through Grade V use the Investigations curriculum. Each class spends at least one hour a day on mathematics.

Number and Operations

Students have repeated practice with the counting sequence, develop strategies for accurately counting a set of up to 50 objects by ones, and begin to count by groups in meaningful ways. Much of the work focuses on addition and subtraction, and on developing an understanding of these operations. Students solve story problems, compose and decompose quantities in different ways, and add and subtract single-digit numbers.

Geometry and Measurement

Geometry: Students identify, describe, draw, and compare 2-D and 3-D shapes. The 2-D work is particularly focused on identifying and describing triangles, while the 3-D work asks students to pay particular attention to identifying a shape's faces and corners. Relationships between 2-D and 3-D shapes are also explored.

Measurement: Students develop a foundation of skills for accurate linear measurement. They measure both objects and distances, explore what happens when something is measured with different sized units, and learn that when something is measured twice with the same unit, the same results should be obtained.

Data Analysis

Students sort groups of related objects according to a particular attribute and describe what distinguishes one group from another. They are introduced to, discuss, and compare standard forms of representation including picture graphs, tallies, charts, and bar graphs. They carry out their own data investigations, developing a question, collecting the data, representing the data, and describing and interpreting the data.

Grade II: Mathematics

The School's primary goal is for every child to be actively engaged in mathematics. All students have the opportunity to learn the subject with depth and understanding and receive any necessary support or enrichment. Learning is interactive and hands-on; children work alone, in pairs, and in groups and use concrete materials as well as computers and calculators as tools to extend their understanding.
All teachers in Kindergarten through Grade V use the Investigations curriculum. Each class spends at least one hour a day on mathematics.

Number and Operations

Whole Numbers: Students transition to thinking and working with groups of numbers, explore the composition of numbers to 100, and develop an understanding of the base-ten structure of our number system. Students work on developing fluency with addition and subtraction.

Fractions: Second graders develop an understanding that fractions are equal parts of a whole, whether the whole is a single object or a set of objects. They work with halves, thirds and fourths, including fractions greater than one, and they learn what the numbers in fraction notation represent.

Geometry and Measurement

Geometry: Students work with 2-D and 3-D shapes, with a particular focus on properties of rectangles and rectangular prisms. They are introduced to rectangular arrays (e.g. 2 rows of 3 squares), use them to find the area of rectangles, and develop an understanding of mirror symmetry.

Measurement: Using direct comparison, indirect comparison, and linear units, students measure and compare the lengths of different objects. They measure using nonstandard (e.g. cubes) and standard (e.g. inches, feet, and centimeters) units. Students also measure time as they practice naming, notating and telling time on digital and analog clocks. They use timelines to represent intervals of time and calculate elapsed time.

Patterns and Functions

Children use tables to represent situations involving number patterns and ratios. They also work with odd and even numbers and repeating patterns.

Data Analysis

Second graders use a variety of data representations including Venn diagrams, cube towers, line plots, and student-created representations to sort and classify objects and data.

Grade III: Mathematics

All teachers in Kindergarten through Grade V use the Investigations curriculum. Each class spends at least one hour a day on mathematics.

Number and Operations

Whole Numbers: Students build understanding of base-ten number system to 1,000. The Grade III course supports the development of fluency with addition and subtraction. Students investigate the properties of multiplication and division, including the inverse relationship between these two operations, and develop strategies for solving multiplication and division problems.

Fractions: Students use fractions and mixed numbers as they solve sharing problems and build wholes from fractional parts. Students are introduced to decimal fractions (0.05 and 0.25) using the context of money, and gain familiarity with fraction and decimal equivalents involving halves and fourths.

Geometry and Measurement

Students study the attributes of 2-D and 3-D shapes and use these attributes for classification. They measure length and perimeter with both U.S. standard and metric units. They find area, identify the internal angles of a rectangle or square as 90 degrees, and use right angles as a benchmark as they consider the sizes of angles of other polygons.

Patterns and Functions

Students study situations of change as they examine temperature change over time and analyze number sequences generated by repeating patterns. They make, read, and compare tables and line graphs that show a relationship between two variables in situations of change over time. They also use tables and graphs to examine and compare situations with a constant rate of change.

Data Analysis

Students collect, represent, describe, and interpret data. By conducting their own data investigations, students consider how the question they pose and the way they conduct their study impact the results.

Grade IV: Mathematics

All teachers in Kindergarten through Grade V use the Investigations curriculum. Each class spends at least one hour a day on mathematics.

Number and Operations

Whole Numbers: The curriculum extends students' knowledge of the base-ten number system to 10,000. Fourth graders focus on multiplication and division. They use models, representations, and story contexts to help them understand and solve multiplication and division problems. In addition and subtraction, students refine and compare strategies for solving problems with 3-4 digits.

Fractions and Decimals: Teachers work on building students' understanding of the meaning, order, and equivalencies of fractions and decimals. Children work with fractions in the context of area and on a number line. Students are introduced to decimal fractions as an extension of the place value system. They reason about fraction comparisons, order fractions on a number line, and use representations and reasoning to add fractions and decimals.

Geometry and Measurement

Fourth graders consider attributes of 2-D shapes, such as the number of sides, the length of sides, parallel sides, and the size of angles; they also describe attributes and properties of geometric solids (3-D shapes). Measurement work includes linear measurement (with both U.S. standard and metric units), area, angle measurement, and volume.

Patterns and Functions

Students create tables and graphs for situations with a constant rate of change and use them to compare related situations. By analyzing tables and graphs, students consider how the starting amount and the rate of change define the relationship between two quantities.

Data Analysis

Students collect, represent, describe, and interpret data. They summarize data, develop conclusions, and make arguments based on collected evidence. In their study of probability, students work on describing and predicting what events are impossible, unlikely, likely, or certain.

Grade V: Mathematics

All teachers in Kindergarten through Grade V use the Investigations curriculum. Each class spends at least one hour a day on mathematics. There is a Grades V and VI math team that practices twice weekly from October through March and competes three times against independent and public schools.

Number and Operations

Whole Numbers: Students practice and refine the strategies they know for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers as they improve computational fluency. They expand their knowledge of the structure of place value and the base-ten number system as they work with numbers in the hundred thousands and beyond.

Fractions, Decimals, and Percents: Students work to understand relationships among fractions, decimals, and percents; they make comparisons and identify equivalent fractions, decimals and percents. They also order fractions and decimals, and add fractions and decimals to the thousandths.

Geometry and Measurement

Students develop their understanding of the attributes of 2D shapes, examine the characteristics of polygons, including a variety of triangles, quadrilateral, and regular polygons. They also find the measure of angles of polygons. In measurement, students use standard units of measure to study area and perimeter and to determine the volume of prisms and other polyhedra.

Patterns and Functions

Students examine, represent, and describe situations in which the rate of change is constant. They create tables and graphs to represent the relationship between two variables in a variety of contexts and articulate general rules using symbolic notation for each situation. Students also graph situations in which the rate of change is not constant.

Data and Probability

Students create their own experiments, collect two sets of data that they represent, describe, and interpret. In their work with probability, students describe and predict the likelihood of events and compare theoretical probabilities with actual outcomes of many trials.

Grade VI: Mathematics

A major goal in Grade VI math is for students to understand the concepts behind any computation they do in preparation for pre-algebraic concepts and properties. Teachers emphasize estimation and gauging the reasonableness of an answer as a measure of understanding. By the end of the year, students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers, fractions, and decimals accurately and with reasonable speed.

Other topics include number theory, scale and measurement, ratio and proportion, percent, area and volume, and simple equations. Non-routine problem-solving strategies and practice are incorporated on a daily basis and through a weekly set of problems. There is also a math team for Grades V and VI that practices twice weekly during recess from October through March and competes three times against area independent and public schools.

In the winter term, Grade VI students are involved in a major cross-discipline activity called the "House Project." This involves work on climate and energy efficiency in science as well as measurement, scale drawing, and area in math. It culminates with three days spent building a model house.

Math classes meet five times a week in 45-minute sessions.

Grade VII: Mathematics: Pre-Algebra

Seventh graders study the pre-algebra topics of: properties, data analysis and graphing, the Cartesian coordinate system, exponents, roots, rational and irrational numbers, scientific notations, probability, fraction and decimal computation, integer operations, geometry of angles, lines, and triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons, the Pythagorean Theorem, ratio, proportion and percent, and algebraic expressions, equations, inequalities, and working with formulae. The main text is Pre-Algebra, Glencoe McGraw-Hill, though additional materials come from a variety of sources.

Practical applications are emphasized in every topic. Work with scientific calculators is incorporated throughout the year, but attention is also given to maintaining computation skills. Problem-solving is a continued emphasis, including an assigned set of weekly problems. Students also have the opportunity to join the math team, which practices weekly throughout the fall and winter in preparation for the national MathCounts competition.

Classes meet five times a week for 45-minute sessions.

Grade VIII: Mathematics: Algebra

All students in Grade VIII take a standard first-year algebra course. The objectives for the course include an understanding of algebraic concepts, facility in the use of all algorithms covered in Algebra I, and development of the ability to use algebraic methods to solve a variety of applications problems. The main text is Algebra I, McDougall, Littel, augmented by materials from Discovering Algebra, Key Curriculum Press.

There is an emphasis throughout the course on using real data. Topics covered include: properties of real numbers; solving equations and inequalities with one variable and two variables; graphing linear quadratic, absolute value, and exponential functions; direct and inverse variations; systems of equations and inequalities; exponents and polynomials; factoring polynomials; radials; and quadratic equations. Graphing calculators are used on a daily basis. Problem-solving continued to be emphasized; students are assigned a set of weekly problems.

Students also have the opportunity to join the math team, which practices weekly throughout the fall and winter in preparation for the national MathCounts competition.

Classes meet five times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Grade IX: Mathematics: Geometry

This course, which is taken by all students in Grade IX, is a full year of high school geometry. Students acquire knowledge of basic concepts in geometry and gain experience in the process of conjecture and proof. Topics include lines, planes, proofs, congruence, similarity, parallels, perpendiculars, solid geometry, area, circles, polygons, and coordinate geometry. The main text is Geometry for Enjoyment and Challenge, McDougall Littel. The Geometer Sketchpad computer software is used to augment the program and help students discover and explore the various theorems. There is also an ongoing review of first-year algebra and problem solving in preparation for Algebra II in tenth grade.

Classes meet five times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Grade I: Science

The inquiry-based, hands-on program is designed to accomplish two important tasks: to provide exciting experiences that extend children's natural fascination with the world and to help children learn the science skills and concepts they need in school and in life.

Trees: Students look at trees on the Park School campus in the fall and learn about deciduous and evergreen trees, why trees are important to wildlife and humans, how and why deciduous trees change color in autumn, and which native and introduced species of trees grow at Park.

Water: Students explore the three states of water (gas, liquid, and solid) in classroom labs. They look at Earth's water cycle (precipitation, evaporation, condensation), exploring where oceans, mountains, and deserts occur.

Balls and Ramps: Two major invisible forces of the universe are discussed: gravity and friction. Students use balls of various masses, dimensions, and design as well as ramps to experiment with gravity (the force that pulls us down) and friction (the force that slows us down). Results are measured comparatively, not absolutely.

Sound: Students learn what sound is, how it is produced, and what sound waves and wave lengths are. They use tuning forks, musical instruments, and other sound-making devices in classroom explorations. Students learn to differentiate high and low pitches, loud and soft sounds, and continuous and interrupted sounds.

Classes meet twice a week in 40-minute sessions.

Grade II: Science

This inquiry based, hands-on program is designed to accomplish two important tasks: to provide exciting experiences that extend children's natural fascination with the world and to help them learn the scientific skills and concepts they will need in school and in life. The Grade II course focuses on scientific investigation: observing, analyzing, discovering, sorting, categorizing, and questioning.

Units of study in Grade II include:

Magnetism: Students study tiny magnets and universal magnetism and everything in between. Magnets of various sizes and strengths are used in class.

Insects: The most numerous animals on the planet are looked at, looked for, discussed, and drawn.

Space: Second graders study the solar system and the history of human space exploration.

Measurements: One-week units on measuring volume, length, time, and mass (using English or standard units) are interspersed throughout the year. Students learn units of measurement and measuring instruments.

Mollusks: Students are introduced to mollusks and their shells. Children observe and study living mollusks, mollusks from the supermarket, and mollusks from the ocean and land.

Simple Machines: Students search the school building and their homes to find and discuss levers, wedges, pulleys, wheels and axles, and screws and to learn what these simple machines do to make work easier.

Classes meet twice a week in 40-minute sessions.

Grade III: Science

This inquiry-based program is designed to accomplish two important tasks: to provide exciting experiences that extend children's fascination with the world and to help children learn the scientific skills and concepts they will need in school and in life. The units of study include:

Animal Migration: Students learn about global and local animal migrations, why scientists study migrations, and which animals migrate over the Park School campus. Students learn to identify species, make accurate counts, and record data.

Mystery Powders: Students work together to learn appropriate lab techniques, including measuring liquids and solids, and to record data carefully. They learn that careful, accurate measuring and recording are essential in lab work.

Inventors and Inventions: Using the Internet and the library, third graders research inventors and inventions. Each year's research takes a particular focus (e.g., women, African-American, or twentieth-century inventors).

Electricity: Grade III students observe and study static electricity, batteries, and electricity in nature. Class time is devoted to learning about and building electric circuits with Switch On! electric circuits kits. Students learn to carefully follow diagrams and construct electric circuitry.

Biodiversity: In the spring, students look at various groups of animals, plants, and fungi at Park, learn to identify some species, and discover their local and global ecological roles.

Classes meet twice a week in 40-minute sessions.

Grade IV: Science

The science curriculum in Grade IV is organized around a series of learning experiences and activities that guide students to explore and discover basic science concepts. Throughout the year, students in the fourth grade are involved in performance tasks, class discussions, and cooperative work. A performance task requires the understanding of important concepts, good work habits, supporting information, and, most importantly, puts students in a real-world context. This, along with hands-on activities, help enhance student comprehension of concepts.

The module on changes of matter, for example, helps students understand the concepts underlying evaporation, condensation, and sublimation. The unit on simple machines focuses on the relationship between levers, gears, and pulleys. Topics studied during the year include measurement, seed germination and dispersal, matter, heat and temperature, astronomy, archeology, and ecology.

Grade IV science classes meet two times a week in 50-minute sessions.

Grade V: Science

Grade V science is an exciting exploration of facts and ideas. Students are asked to think about the world creatively, critically and quantitatively. "Doing science" through hands-on experiments and activities enables fifth graders to look at cause and effect relationships, to create hypotheses, and to draw conclusions about their investigations.

A unit on measurement at the beginning of the year enables students to quantify information in metric units. Through data tables and charts, children are able to make comparisons and classify objects.

Other topics studied during the year include photosynthesis, carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle, sound and light, bacteria and viruses, and Newton's Laws of Motion.

Fifth-grade science classes meet two times a week in 50-minute sessions.

Grade VI: Science

In Grade VI science, students are given a general introduction to the major disciplines of science (Earth, Physical and Life) while establishing a strong foundation in their fundamental scientific skill set (observing, hypothesizing, analyzing, inferring, and drawing conclusions) and strengthening their study skills (with emphasis on outlining, researching, reporting and note taking).

Classes meet four times per week in 45-minute sessions.

The major curricular units in Grade VI science are:

Weather and Climate

Sixth graders study climate throughout the year as a unifying thread. Through interactive lab investigations, field trips, and research projects, Grade VI students explore the dynamics and underlying causes of the short-term atmospheric conditions and the longer-term fluctuations in weather which establish the world's climate systems.

Energy

Energy sources, production and efficiencies are studied during the winter term in preparation for the House Project, a collaborative project with the Mathematics Department in which each student designs and builds a model house that is suited to a particular climate. Students explore the process by which electricity is generated from a primary source (both renewable and nonrenewable) and then decide collectively which source of energy is the most efficient and economical.

Human Body Systems

During the final term of the year, five human body systems are investigated (skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory, and respiratory). Students use their knowledge of each system to design a comparable system for an imaginary "critter" who can survive the climate from the region researched earlier in the year. Homeostasis and overall wellness are emphasized.

Grade VII: Science: Earth Science

All seventh grade students take a year-long course in Earth Science. Students explore the history of the Earth through an integrated study of the physical, chemical and biological processes which have shaped it. Through interactive laboratory activities, model-making, and use of simulations, students learn about the causes for and dynamics of the processes which shape the Earth. The origin and development of current scientific theories such as the Theory of Plate Tectonics and the Theory of Evolution are examined.

Finally, the complex system responsible for global climate change is examined. Students refer to current media sources and are exposed to the theories developed by scientists to explain our past climate fluctuations. Seventh graders study the extensive laboratory simulations used to understand climate change. Particular emphasis is placed on helping students to discern natural and anthropogenic influences on our climate.

The culminating activity for the year is the creation of a geologic timeline, drawn to scale. This timeline serves as an excellent tool for understanding the complex interrelationships between Earth's systems and the impact humans have had on them.

Science classes meet four times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Grade VIII: Science: Introductory Physical Science

Introductory Physical Science (IPS) is a laboratory science course focusing on the study of matter and motion. The year begins with the students' undertaking a thorough, hands-on investigation of the properties of matter, learning primarily through experiments and solidifying their comprehension with classroom discussion.

Eighth graders are active researchers in the lab, starting out the year with basic concepts such as measurement and density, and continuing through atomic structure and radioactivity. A large, culminating activity in the winter term is the "Sludge Lab," where students use their knowledge of characteristic properties to design an experiment in order to isolate and identify several unknown materials from a mixture. The spring term focuses primarily on motion and Newtonian physics, again demonstrated through a myriad of labs and activities.

Students learn throughout the course how to work safely and efficiently in the lab, how to design experiments, how to keep a lab notebook, and how to write a clear and concise lab report. This course provides rigorous and thorough preparation for high school lab courses which students will undertake later both at Park and in secondary school settings.

This course meets for five 45-minute sessions per week, which includes one 90-minute laboratory period.

Grade IX: Science: Biology

All students in Grade IX take a full-year laboratory course in biology, the study of living systems.

Students begin with a study of the chemistry of life. They learn how atoms form important organic macromolecules such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids and how these macromolecules function in an organism. In addition, they learn about the structure and function of the basic unit of life - the cell. Other topics studied include: photosynthesis and its profound influence on life on earth; genetics, with an emphasis on the function of DNA and on current research in DNA, such as the human genome project; biodiversity; and human body systems.

In order to investigate biological processes, ninth graders use a variety of equipment, such as microscopes and carbon dioxide sensors connected to computers. Experiments are designed to reinforce ideas read from the text. Lab work also helps students understand that science is a way of thinking and forces them to analyze data in robust and specific ways.

In this ninth grade biology course, students learn to ask important questions about current research and about how biology affects daily life. They come to understand how science literacy plays a critical role in our understanding of world events.

This course meets for five 45-minute sessions per week, including one 90-minute laboratory period.

Grade K: Social Studies

Throughout the year, the curriculum focuses on the awareness of self, individual and cultural differences, as well as on all kinds of family units. Historical events are studied in relation to holidays that occur during the school year. The curriculum is based upon a study of the Park School community: the people and places that comprise their immediate learning environment. Children interview different members of the faculty and staff, make maps of their classrooms, and learn their way around the campus. Children are encouraged to share, to compromise, to observe, to experiment creatively with art materials, to explore thoroughly, to ask questions, to compare and contrast, and to begin to embrace the concept of multiple points of view. Early literacy skills such as listening, discussing, and understanding written and oral stories are reinforced. Letter formation, writing, and use of everyday words are also woven throughout the course of study.

Grade I: Social Studies

Social studies in Grade I is about people and relationships: relationships to self, to one another, to community, and to the environment. In the classroom, a high value is placed on relationships and establishing a community that is safe, nurturing, fair, engaging, and inclusive of all children and adults. Within this context, the core study in Grade I pushes children to build upon their understanding of the concept of community by focusing on their neighborhood and the greater surrounding community. Students learn the ways in which the people and places in a community help and sustain one another. Discussions and writing about the similarities and differences between rural, urban, and suburban communities are coupled with field trips to local communities, including Brookline Village.

Children explore the elements of various communities and begin to understand the relationship between people and place. In the spring, first graders study the Amazon rainforest with a focus on comparing and contrasting the lives of the Yanomani people to those of the people within their own community. Through a variety of literature, children are taught the specific skills of comprehending oral and written information and stories, researching, reporting, retelling, making connections, and synthesizing. Children are encouraged to experiment with art materials, to compare and contrast, to begin to develop a sense of time, and to embrace the concept of multiple points of view.

Grade II: Social Studies

In Grade II, children further broaden their knowledge of the relationship between themselves and the world. They study geography with an emphasis on colonial and pre-revolutionary American history. Second graders spend a large part of the year focusing on early communities of New England, including an examination of Columbus and explorers, Pilgrims and their relations with Native Americans, the Mayflower, and the experiences of settlers. Students explore the relationship between people and place within the context of big ideas such as migration, settlement, and community.

Field trips to Plimoth Plantation, Sturbridge Village, The Museum of Fine Arts, and Minute Man National Park provide students with many meaningful learning opportunities to experience history, as they are encouraged to develop an historical perspective. Skills that are taught include listening, reading for information, questioning, making connections and inferences, observing and recording observations, comparing and contrasting, and understanding the concepts of multiple points of view. Children also read, make, and interpret a variety of maps.

Grade III: Social Studies

Grade III social studies is a project-oriented course of study which further explores the relationship between people and place, specifically, how people's lives are shaped by the land on which they live.

Over the course of a year-long study, children investigate the rich diversity of traditional and modern cultures within some of the major North American Indian populations, including the Wampanoag, the Hopi and Navajo, the Tlingit, Salish and Nootka, as well as the Sioux. Students learn about stereotypes, theories of how people got to North America, and Native ways of telling time. Students study geography with an emphasis on the differences among regions in North America and how those differences in setting and climate influenced the food, clothing and shelter, artifacts and traditions of different tribal groupings.

Through reading, writing and artistic expressions, children gain an appreciation for the diversity and complexity of the Native American experience. Current events and topics of interest are explored as children read Scholastic News each week. Throughout the curriculum, children are taught to listen, to question, to make connections and inferences, to synthesize, to compare and contrast, to think critically by learning, to recognize stereotypes in books, to understand the concept of multiple points of view, and to develop an historical perspective. Children also read, make, and interpret a variety of maps. The beginnings of research are taught as children learn basic outlining and note taking, as well as how to write informational paragraphs.

Grade IV: Social Studies

Fourth graders extend their understanding of history, geography, and civics by studying ancient Greece for the majority of the year. They end with a final unit on comparing the foundations of American democracy to the ancient Greek model. Areas of study include geography, mythology, art, architecture, and archaeology; history and government, and culture with emphasis on fifth-century Athens. Major projects include researching and role-playing gods and goddesses, studying the heroes Hercules, Perseus, and Odysseus, and reenacting the Olympics. Field trips to the Museum of Fine Arts provide opportunities to explore the richness of Greek art.

Children finish the year by investigating the roots of democracy and participatory government as well as the role of the three branches within American government. Current events are covered using Time for Kids in weekly class discussions. Students are taught the skills of listening, questioning, visualizing, making connections and inferences, synthesizing, comparing and contrasting, and developing an historical perspective through the use of time lines. Fourth graders extend their research skills by doing more sophisticated outlining and note-taking, as well as writing informational paragraphs.

Grade V: Social Studies

The Grade V course of study focuses on United States and World geography, with an emphasis on the relationships between physical and cultural geography. In the fall, the students study Japan: the people, the land, and the culture. In the winter and spring, students study United States immigration.

Fifth graders revisit previously learned concepts and big ideas with a more sophisticated lens, including: awareness of self, individual and cultural differences, family units, communities, migration, and government. Through research of their individual heritages, role plays, simulations, writing, as well as graph and map making, students develop a broader historical perspective, an appreciation for the shared experience of immigrants, and an understanding of the contributions of all groups to our pluralistic society. Current immigration issues are also examined and debated.

Additional skills which students are taught include: listening, questioning, visualizing, making connections and inferences, synthesizing, and comparing and contrasting. Students produce multiple paragraph research papers and give oral presentations. Basic skills in mapping are reinforced, with specific emphasis on Japan, Medieval Europe, and the United States.

Grade VI: Social Studies: Africa

During the Grade VI year, students begin developing a more mature understanding of social studies as the complex interweaving of geography, history, and culture.

Sixth graders begin with geography and its relationship to culture. For Africa, this means spending the first month of the year becoming familiar with facts and fictions about deserts, rainforests, savanna lands, and the people that take their way of life from the character of these regions.

With a solid geographical foundation in place, students then turn to an examination of the diversity of African cultures and histories. They also begin to ask fundamental framing questions such as "What is culture?"; "What is history?"; "How does geography shape a culture?"; "In what ways do people remember?"; and "Why is history important?" Students hear African people speak for themselves in folktales, poetry, and other art forms, while exploring the many contributions African peoples continue to make to the world. They also examine the often stereotypical ways in which other non-African peoples have viewed Africa over the years.

During the second half of the year, students explore the twin themes of cultural contact and conflict, using African-European relations as a springboard. They consider the effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and European colonization and investigate African responses. The year concludes with a focus on modern South Africa, providing students with the opportunity, both in class and through independent research, to confront historical struggles for self-determination under and since apartheid.

Each week, nine 45-minute classes are devoted to English/social studies.

Grade VII: Social Studies: America

Americans are a diverse group of people with different and, at times, opposing viewpoints. Grade VII students explore the lives and ideas of early Americans, unfold the rich fabric of American life, and examine the cultural and historical events that shaped the development of our nation. The course also builds upon the major themes and framing questions considered in Grade VI social studies.

After beginning with a solid grounding in North American geography, students study a number of topics, including the American Revolution, the foundations of Constitutional government, slavery and the abolition movement, the Civil War, and westward expansion. Acknowledging that people of all races and walks of life contributed to American development, the course primarily considers the experiences and points of view of three groups - European-Americans, African-Americans, and Native-Americans. A variety of historical materials are used to reflect the past and put a "human face" on history. Throughout the year, students grapple with a unifying question: "What does it mean to be an American?"

Students also continue to practice and refine essential social studies skills, including discussion skills, the use of historical maps, chronologies, close reading of texts, analytical and expository writing, and working with primary sources. Research skills such as note-taking, outlining, synthesizing, making a bibliography, and citing one's sources lead to the drafting and revision of two short research reports. In the spring, as part of the study of westward expansion and traditional Plains Indians' cultures, students construct a Native American shield project.

Social studies classes meet four times per week in 45-minute sessions.

Grade VIII: Social Studies: Asia

The Grade VIII course focuses on Asia, with primary emphasis on China's history, culture, and geography from the first human beings to inhabit the Yellow River valley through the present day. The focus on China gives students an opportunity to examine what is the longest continuous culture in human history, as well as the most populous nation in the world today. Teachers also seek to break down stereotypes regarding China and Chinese culture.

Eighth graders begin the year learning the g