Lower School Curriculum

Drawing and painting techniques; tissue collage; clay and pottery designs; computer art; tessellations; recycling art and sculptures; weaving; mask making; art history and appreciation. Read more

Keyboarding; word processing; process writing; research; communication and presentation skills; knowledgeable and appropriate Internet use. Read more

TK-4: Students develop an enjoyment of language learning, cultural appreciation, listening and conversational skills, and some reading and writing skills through developmentally appropriate activities, songs, stories, and games in Spanish.

Grade 5: Students choose to continue their Spanish language study or to participate in an introduction to French.

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Age appropriate development of social/emotional skills: social relationships; self-awareness; feelings; friendships; cooperation; responsibility; communication; understanding differences; decision-making; conflict resolution; drug education; peer pressure; stress management; puberty education. Read more

Today's students live and learn in a world that is continually changing. Information is being mass produced and is readily available for intellectual consumption. Students have to be literate in a variety of media formats. Students at Greensboro Day School will gain a solid foundation in literature, information skills, and navigating a media center beginning in the Lower School. Our youngest students begin learning to be effective users of information and to think critically when choosing personal and assigned reading materials. The Information Skills Curriculum at Greensboro Day School is continually evolving to stay current with the changes in a world where multimedia and communication constantly expands. Our goal is to identify the essential knowledge and skills necessary for students to be able to locate, analyze, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information and ideas in our technology-rich society. Authentic practice is key to students' success in the classroom and in the world beyond. Read more

TK: The emphasis is on the development of oral language skills, letter recognition, sound/symbol relationships, recording speech, and beginning writing.

K-5th: Language arts, including reading/literature, composition, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary/spelling are taught at all levels. A variety of approaches are used to develop a strong skill base in both decoding and comprehension; those skills are then applied in meaningful ways in both reading and written expression. Literature selections are based on readiness, learning preferences, and interests. A variety of written products is taught: stories, poems, letters, journals, plays, and descriptive writing.

 

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The mathematics curriculum is based upon the premise that clear, conceptual mathematics understanding is more important than the memorization of algorithms. A hands-on, problem-solving approach begins with the concrete and moves to symbolic representation. Number sense and numeration, mathematical reasoning, concepts of operations and computation, patterns and relationships, measurement, geometry and spatial sense, algebraic notation, and place value are all elements that spiral through the curriculum. Read more

Transitional Kindergarten: Singing and playing musical instruments in the classroom.

Kindergarten - Grade 4: Matching pitch, steady beat, rhythmic patterns, and listening activities; glockenspiel and xylophone; recorders; composers.

Grade 5: Band/chorus/strings.

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In the Lower School, physical education units studied include motor development, fitness, steady beat, eye-hand coordination, modified gymnastics, dance, and lead-up games skills (striking, throwing, catching). Read more

TK: Animals; Habitats; LEGO Labs; Rollercoasters; Magic of Science

Kindergarten: Habitats; Marine Life; 5 Senses; Health;LEGO Labs; Animal Classification

1st Grade: Insects and Spiders; Earth, Sun, and Moon; States of Matter; Human Body; Dinosaurs; Vertebrates

2nd Grade: Flowers, Seeds, and Soil; Rainforest; Predators/Prey

3rd Grade: Nutrition; Archaeology; Magnets; Electricity; Women in Science; Water

4th Grade: Geology; Recycling; Wetlands and Pond Ecology; Flight; Simple Machines

5th Grade: Plants and Trees; Human Body Systems; Space

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TK: Study of self, family, and community through Language Arts program; Japan 

Kindergarten: Units of study include "Me" (uniqueness), community helpers, early settlers, China, famous people, fire prevention and safety, dental health

1st Grade: GDS/People at Work, how people in the world live an work together, communication, Australia 

2nd Grade: Citizenship in the school, city, state, and world, Greensboro economics, Costa Rica/Brazil 

3rd Grade: Comparative study of four different communities, Native Americans, North Carolina, Kenya

4th Grade: Colonial Period, American Revolution, Western Europe, North Carolina people, places, economy, and history

5th Grade: U.S. geography and selected history topics, Pioneers/Westward expansion, Civil War, immigration

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