Curriculum
The Episcopal Academy's Lower School curriculum provides students with a holistic education across many disciplines. Explore topic areas by grade level below.
Math
Prekindergarten
- Shapes and numbers
- Counting skills
- Mathematical patterns
- Basic addition and subtraction
Kindergarten
- Comparison
- Patterning and sequencing
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Time and Money
- Place values
- Basic problem solving skills
- Introduction to addition and subtraction
First Grade
- Number relationships
- Comparison
- Patterning and sequencing
- Geometry
- Time and Money
- Volume
- Place values
- Addition and subtraction
- Introduction to problem solving skills
- Introduction to fractions
Second Grade
- Transition from concrete to abstract concepts
- Problem solving skills
- Place values to the hundreds
- Two-digit addition and subtractions
- Geometry
- Time and money
- Standard and metric measurement
- Fraction identification
- Constructing and interpreting graphs
- Introduction to multiplication
Third Grade
- Computation and problem solving skills
- Real-world application
- Multi-step addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
- Time and money
- Geometry
- Fractions and decimals
- Standard and metric measurement
- Data gathering
- Probability
Fourth Grade
- Computation and problem solving skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Real-world application
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using decimals
- Fractions and decimals
- Place value through hundred millions
- Standard and metric measurement
- Geometry
- Graphing
Fifth Grade
- Computation and problem solving skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Real-world application
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using decimals
- Percentages, fractions and decimals
- Place value through hundred millions
- Standard and metric measurement
- Geometry
- Graphing
Science
Prekindergarten through Second Grade
- Studies focus on life science, physical science, and Earth science
- Scientific skills of observation, classification, prediction, experimentation, recording and interpretation
- Hands-on activities and group and individual lab work
Third through Fifth Grades
- Studies focus on life science, physical science, and Earth science
- Continued study and mastery of scientific skills of observation, classification, prediction, experimentation, recording and interpretation
- Group and individual lab work
- Introduction of long-term projects
- Introduction of written and hands-on evaluations in fifth grade
Social Studies
Prekindergarten
- Study of students’ immediate world, cultural diversity and historic and religious holidays
- Group study and collaboration skills
- Conflict resolution skills
Kindergarten
- Study of students’ immediate world, cultural diversity and historic and religious holidays
- Group study and collaboration skills
- Class visitors, art projects, map study, music, drama, and field trips
First Grade
- Study of world around the student, focusing on themes of transportation and exploration
- History of famous explorers, American “tall tales,” and space exploration
- Class visitors, art projects, map study, music, drama, and field trips
Second Grade
- Study of world around the student, focusing on themes of cultural diversity
- History of North American regions and indigenous peoples, and other global traditions, celebrations, and cultures
- Class visitors, art projects, map study, music, drama, and field trips
Third Grade
- Study of global geography, the United States and Pennsylvania
- History of colonial times, immigration, and ancestry
- Many field trips and hands-on experiences, including a visit to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
Fourth Grade
- Study of global geography and ancient civilizations
- Focus on Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece
- Research, note-taking, critical thinking, and study skills
- Myriad of projects, including oral presentations, completing culture charts, and creating reports, posters, and class newspapers
Fifth Grade
- Study of great historic cultures of the world
- Focus on the Roman Empire, the Golden Age of Islam, the Medieval Period, and the Renaissance.
- Myriad of projects, including oral presentations, completing culture charts, and creating reports, posters, and class newspapers
Visual Arts
Prekindergarten
- Basic cutting, folding, pasting, paint mixing, drawing, and printmaking skills
Kindergarten
- Woodworking and other skills
First Grade
- Various curricular-themed projects
- Continued woodworking and other skills
- Use of basic shop tools
Second Grade
- Exploration of folk art
- Interdisciplinary projects, oftentimes coupled with social studies
- Creation of toys in woodworking
Third Grade
- Exploration of master artists and early American art
- Advanced levels of joinery and other skills in woodworking
Fourth and Fifth Grade
- Drawing and painting in various media, collage, printing, ceramics, papier-mâché, and stitchery
- Advanced usage of tools and skills in woodworking
Physical Education
Prekindergarten and Kindergarten
- Fundamental gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, and muscle coordination
- Cooperative games, light fitness, movement education, themed activities
- Light introduction to traditional sports and games
- Focus on cooperative learning, student self-reflection, interpersonal skills, self-confidence, challenge and risk in a safe environment.
First and Second Grade
- Fundamental gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, and muscle coordination
- Cooperative games, moderate fitness, aquatics, movement education, themed activities
- Moderate introduction to traditional sports and games
- Focus on cooperative learning, student self-reflection, social interaction, problem solving, shared leadership, and challenge and risk in a safe environment
Third and Fourth Grade
- Refinement of fundamental gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, and muscle coordination
- Cooperative games, moderate to more strenuous fitness, aquatics, movement education, themed activities
- Moderate to more strenuous introduction to traditional sports and games
- Focus on cooperative learning, motivational strategies such as goal setting and student self-reflection, social interaction, problem solving, shared leadership, and challenge and risk in a safe environment.
Fifth Grade
- Refinement of fundamental gross motor skills, fine motor skills, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, and muscle coordination
- Cooperative games, moderate to more strenuous fitness, aquatics, movement education, themed activities
- Introduction and preparation for Middle School sports
- Focus on cooperative learning, motivational strategies such as goal setting and student self-reflection, social interaction, problem solving, shared leadership, and challenge and risk in a safe environment.
Religion
Chapel provides a regular gathering of Lower School students and their teachers, families and friends to come together as community.
Children worship together through prayer and song in the Episcopal tradition, as well as faith traditions of others. Prekindergarten through grade five students actively engage in Chapel by demonstrating an understanding or interpretation of lessons taught. Topics are drawn from the Stripes, the annual theme determined by the Upper School student Vestry, liturgical season, holy days, celebrations and stories of saints and faithful people, holidays from various faith traditions celebrated throughout the year, events that are taking place in the world, in the lives of the children, or in the school community, as well as other pertinent topics.
Student responsibility and leadership within Chapel grow developmentally from active participation as a member of the larger community, to class or group roles introducing or reinforcing the Chapel message, and eventually leading to specific leadership roles as a fifth grader. Fifth graders serve in appropriate liturgical roles in Chapel (i.e. crucifer, acolyte, lector, etc.) on a rotating basis.
Language Arts/English
Prekindergarten
- Language skills development
- Alphabet study
- Fiction and nonfiction literature study
Kindergarten
- Language skills development
- Phonics and word study
- Fiction and nonfiction literature study
- Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and multicultural literature study
First Grade
- Daily reading and writing exercises
- Introduction to process writing
- Spelling and vocabulary
- Planning, writing, editing, publishing individual works
- Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and multicultural literature study
Second Grade
- Daily reading and writing exercises
- Reading comprehension and fluency
- Spelling and vocabulary
- Proofreading and editing skills
- Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and multicultural literature study
Third Grade
- Daily reading and writing exercises
- Literal and inferential reasoning
- Reading comprehension
- Cursive handwriting
- Spelling, vocabulary, and grammar
- Proofreading and editing skills
- Novel literature study
Fourth Grade
- Narrative, persuasive, expository, and descriptive writing exercises
- Reading and writing comprehension and proficiency
- Inferential reasoning
- Organizational and study skills
- Cursive handwriting
- Spelling, vocabulary, and grammar
- Proofreading and editing skills
- Novel literature study
- Introduction to word processing
Fifth Grade
- Narrative, persuasive, informative, and descriptive writing exercises
- Reading and writing comprehension and proficiency
- Public speaking skills
- Organizational and study skills
- Spelling, vocabulary, and grammar
- Proofreading and editing skills
- Note taking skills
- Highlighting and summarizing skills
- Test taking skills
- Novel literature study
- Word processing
Spanish
Prekindergarten through Fifth Grade
The primary focus of the Spanish program is to teach children to use a foreign language as a communicative tool. Specific units introduced in Pre-K and K are reviewed and expanded the following years to advance students’ skill levels and to build new understanding. This repetition and expansion of contents and skills allows students to grow linguistically and develop fluency of high frequency phrases in a natural process.
A specific Spanish-speaking country, including Mexico, Spain, and some countries from Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, helps to frame concepts and skills each year. Length and frequency of sessions vary by grade level Pre-K meets in small groups once every three days for 35-40 minutes a session. Kindergarten, first, second and third grades meet four times every 12-day cycle for 30 minutes. Fourth and fifth grade meet four times every 12-day cycle for 40 minutes.
Music
Prekindergarten
- Music literacy readiness
- Movement, dance, singing folk songs, and singing games
Kindergarten
- Music literacy readiness
- Traditional folk music, rhymes, singing in tune, maintaining a steady beat
- Concepts of pace, volume and pitch
First Grade
- Music literacy
- Folk music from various countries, traditional children’s songs, and rhymes support singing skills
- Reading and writing simple rhythmic patterns and melodic notation within the pentatonic scale
Second Grade
- Music literacy
- Folk music, rhymes, games, and hymns
- Comfort with complex rhythm patterns and pentatonic melodies
- Introduction of musical instruments
Third Grade
- Music literacy
- Folk music, rhymes, games, and hymns
- Comfort with complex rhythm patterns and the extended pentatonic scale
- Introduction of musical instruments
Fourth and Fifth Grade
- Program includes general music, choral music, and instrumental music
- Focus on aural knowledge of the extended pentatonic scale, rhythm and pitch
- Song repertoire is enlarged, sight-singing improved, and new songs and games are learned
- Lower School Choral participation
- Introduction to chosen band or string instrument
Theatre and Dance
Prekindergarten and Kindergarten
- Movement, music, pantomime, and improvisation
- Lessons through story dramatization, improvised story creation, and puppetry
First Grade
- Continued focus on movement, pantomime, and story dramatization
- Focus on building skills, including trust, body awareness, concentration, collaboration, and creative and critical thinking
Second Grade
- Continued focus on movement, pantomime, and story dramatization
- First student presentation piece through puppetry
- Focus on building skills, including trust, body awareness, concentration, collaboration, and creative and critical thinking
Third Grade
- Continued focus on movement, pantomime, and story dramatization
- Challenging drama games, individual characterization, effective ensemble playing, and advanced improvisation
- Focus on building skills, including trust, concentration, focus, body awareness, confidence, sensory awareness, creative and critical thinking, and teamwork
- Lessons in enunciation, projection, and characterization, stage directions, theatrical terminology, elements of a script, theatrical music, props, costumes, and sound effects
Fourth Grade
- Creation, preparation and performance of a theatrical production, often connecting directly to social studies curriculum
- Effective ensemble-building and playing, as well as the creation and playwriting process
- Further study of enunciation, projection, characterization, stage directions, theatrical terminology, and the elements of a script
Fifth Grade
- Continued mastery of individual and ensemble improvisational and acting skills
- Preparation and performance of a full-scale production of a copyrighted play
Technology
Our Computer Science and Engineering Department offers a comprehensive curriculum for children of all grade levels. In our IDEA Studio, students as young as four or five learn the fundamentals of coding and problem-solving while using cutting-edge technology.
Prekindergarten and Kindergarten
- Drawing and coloring on computer
- Fundamental techniques like “drag and drop”
- Use of appropriate web sites for lab work and learning
First Grade
- Fundamental techniques like signing onto a network, saving and retrieving files
- Collaborative peer projects
- Supervised use of Internet in connection with other curricula
Second Grade
- Introduction to word processing
- Keyboard training
- Use of presentation software to create notices, banners, and cards
- Supervised use of Internet to access resources related to other curricula
Third Grade
- Further work with word processing
- Use of spreadsheet software to gather and graph data
- Formal keyboarding training
- Introduction to Internet search engines
- Supervised use of Internet to access resources related to other curricula
Fourth and Fifth Grade
- Further work with word processing, spreadsheet, desktop publishing, presentation, and graphics programs
- Formal keyboarding training
- Supervised use of Internet to access resources related to other curricula
- Lessons on using Internet for research for academic studies
The Stripes
The Stripes represent 10 virtues that embody the qualities that an Episcopal student aspires to live by and they provide the foundation for all instruction in the Lower School. The 10 Stripes are: Self-Control, Faith, Honesty, Courtesy, Kindness, Generosity, Gratitude, Courage, Respect, and Sportsmanship. These virtues are well known by all Lower School students, are a constant in each classroom, and are represented by the 10 white stripes that adorn the student sweater.
Explore the Stripes.
The Stripes represent 10 virtues that embody the qualities of an Episcopal student. These virtues are well known by all Lower School students, are a constant in each classroom, and are represented by the 10 white stripes that adorn the student sweater. Learn more about the Stripes.