Grades 3-5

Students write narrative, opinion, informational, and fairy tale pieces using the writing process of drafting, revising, editing, and celebrating their work through peer conferences and sharing their final product with others. Later in the year, 3rd grade students persuade an audience about causes they believe in through persuasive essays. In grammar, students study the parts of speech; plural and singular nouns; pronouns; past, present, and future verb tenses; adjectives; adverbs; prepositions; sentence types; and capitalization. Students continue to grow as readers by learning more about who they are as a reader and building a reading life.  They continue reading to learn with a focus on main ideas and text structures.  They also participate in character studies, partner reading, improving expression, and summarizing what they have read.  Vocabulary and spelling skills are explicitly taught and facilitate students’ understanding and use of new spelling patterns and vocabulary terms.

Students in grades 3 - 5 use the library and the literacy specialist in an academically rigorous way as an extension of their reading and writing classroom. When our oldest Sharks visit the library in small groups, they are coached through 1:1 reading and writing conferences. They are guided and supported through their projects, reading decision-making, writing pieces, research, and whatever literacy skills they are practicing! This creates yet another environment on campus where students have a strong connection with a trusted adult who has known them for years.

The 4th grade Global Studies curriculum engages students as geographers, historians, anthropologists, and economists as they study American history through the lens of “liberty and justice for all”. They begin the year examining the Bill of Rights and America’s constitution. They then re-examine those concepts as they study emancipation, the suffragist movement, the industrial revolution, World War II and the Civil Rights movement. 

In writing, students begin the year by creating characters that have struggles and motivations and learn to stretch out the “heart” of their stories. After this, they write personal, persuasive, and literary essays. The reading program compliments students’ writing as they participate in student-led discussions to analyze a genre’s structure and craft. Students’ comprehension skills are enhanced through comparing, contrasting, annotating, and analyzing character development, themes, and an author’s purpose. Grammatical concepts such as parts of a sentence, capitalization, and punctuation are reviewed and applied as students revise and edit their work during Writing Workshop. The study of Greek and Latin roots further enhance the language arts program. 

Students in grades 3 - 5 use the library and the literacy specialist in an academically rigorous way as an extension of their reading and writing classroom. When our oldest Sharks visit the library in small groups, they are coached through 1:1 reading and writing conferences. They are guided and supported through their projects, reading decision-making, writing pieces, research, and whatever literacy skills they are practicing! This creates yet another environment on campus where students have a strong connection with a trusted adult who has known them for years.

Fourth grade students develop their vocabulary and understanding of the world as they research Spanish ancient civilizations like the Aztecs, the Mayas and the Incas. Students also participate in simulations to practice conversational skills during cooperative learning activities, during an interactive unit on the Food. Throughout the year, they expand on their knowledge of adjective/noun agreement, gender and number of nouns, and simple sentence development through games and skits.

Students learn internet safety techniques, internet research skills, TinkerCAD (3D design and printing), iMovie, Google Slides, Google Docs, Notability, Showbie, various iPad apps, EV3 Lego Robotics (building and programming on a computer), Little Bits circuits, and video production complete with a green screen. Lessons build on concepts learned in social studies, science, Spanish and art courses as students utilize technology to extend learning.

The personal growth of each student as an artist is encouraged through observation, reflection, interpretation, and expression of ideas. Students are exposed to a plethora of creative possibilities, including the artistic styles of individuals and cultures. In 5th grade students expand their understanding of the elements and principles of design in art and acquire new vocabulary and skills that enable them to analyze and critique artistic pieces. Students work with foil, mat board, India ink, acrylic paint, clay, underglazes, recycled materials, tempera, and watercolor. 

Character Education is an important aspect in every classroom as students acquire and apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to achieve goals, maintain positive relationships, make decisions, and lead by example. Students are encouraged to dream big, focus on their own and each others’ strengths, develop an attitude of gratitude, and make a difference as they create their JCDS legacy. Positive mindsets, virtues of the month, service learning, collaborative activities, and character assemblies enhance the program. 

Students in 5th grade spend the year developing and strengthening their writing and reading skills within the Writing and Reading Workshops. Students also learn grammar and vocabulary to deepen their understanding in reading and writing. In addition, students learn about the morphology of words through studies of classical roots.

In Writing Workshop, students become authors of personal narratives, realistic fiction narratives, opinion/argument essays, and informational/research essays. They study mentor texts, which allow them to learn to write like real authors do. Students learn specific skills of writing development, structure, craft, and conventions of the genre, and then practice these skills writing multiple drafts and choosing their best work for final publication. The workshop structure is energetic, engaging and collaborative, giving students time to learn, practice, revise, edit, and share their writing daily.  

In Reading Workshop, students read works of strong literature across several genres. They begin with the narrative genre in which students form interpretation book clubs to analyze themes. Next, 5th grade readers learn strategies to help them tackle increasing levels of text complexity in nonfiction reading. They then move into researching debatable issues, as they learn to read with argument and advocacy. Finally, students end the year in fantasy book clubs where they explore the magic of themes and symbols. In Reading Workshop, students choose their own books within a genre, meet with partnerships and book clubs, and engage in strategy lessons, which promote active reading.

5th grade students delve into units that complement their Global Studies program. Throughout the year, they learn about music from India, China, and Greece. They end the year delving into African percussion instruments, create a percussion ensemble, and learn to follow a musical score. They also explore major and minor scales, music composition, and classical composers.

Students review swimming and pool safety skills as they participate in centers and group water activities. During this unit, emphasis is placed on advanced stroke development and aerobic conditioning. Later, students hone their team organization, collaboration, and sport specific skills during units on basketball, hockey, track and field, golf, volleyball, and soccer. Students also participate in circuit training, learn a variety of games, and study human growth and development.

Students learn internet safety techniques, internet research skills, Tinkercad (3D design and printing), iMovie, Google Slides, Google Docs, Notability, Showbie, various iPad apps, EV3 Lego Robotics (building and programming on computer), green screen, and video production. Lessons build on concepts learned in social studies, science, Spanish, and art courses as students utilize technology to extend learning.