Moses Brown School
Discover Lower School Quaker Education Makes a Difference
About Moses Brown School
What is Quaker Education?
Founded in 1784, MB has been a leader in education for over 235 years. We have a proven tradition of academic excellence, a commitment to great teaching, and a dedication to fostering character and confidence in young people. Our stunning 33-acre campus—formerly the farm of 18th-century Quaker abolitionist leader Moses Brown—provides expansive academic, artistic, and athletic facilities right in the heart of Providence.
Moses Brown is a Quaker school.
We are a Quaker school, one of the oldest and largest of a network of 80 Friends schools in the U.S. While each is independent, we all share the same essential mission: to nurture and celebrate each child’s special gifts, talents, and identities—what Quakers refer to as their Inner Light. At MB, we offer an incredibly varied and rigorous program, including 17 musical and performance groups across the school, 50 clubs and activities, and 61 athletic teams competing in 16 different sports. Upper school students choose from among two dozen AP and honors courses. And while individual achievement is prized at MB, we also foster a close sense of community, evident in collaborative relationships between students and teachers and in our weekly meeting for worship. At Moses Brown, 111 faculty members serve roughly 740 boys and girls ages 3-18, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1. With $5.2 million awarded annually in need-based financial aid, Moses Brown partners with many families to make a shared investment in bright, caring, and thoughtful children from all socioeconomic backgrounds. And with 28% of our student body being people of color, our community matches the demographics of our drawing area.
Quakerism holds that there is an Inner Light in each of us. This belief yields a deep commitment to equality and community, and people of all faiths find resonance in the core human values at the center of Friends (Quaker) education and practice. During our weekly Meeting for Worship—30 minutes of silent reflection—students are encouraged to find their voice and share their own truths with the community. Because our world needs ethical leadership, our mission as a Friends school is to provide the rising generation with an ethical core, an unshakable foundation of integrity that fosters respect, non-violent resolution of conflict, and the desire to make a positive difference in the world. Moses Brown uses these strengths to instill academic excellence and a bold sense of purpose in learning.
In an educational setting this means three things: Everyone matters. Quaker pedagogy insists that we care for each other as a community, hearing and respecting everyone’s voice, and making sure that school is a safe place for every child. Silence matters. A practice of reflection and inquiry is essential to living a life of meaning and purpose. In a busy world, these skills are often overlooked. At Moses Brown, we all make time to reflect, to be thoughtful, and to ask probing questions. Truth matters. For more than two centuries, MB has fostered in students a foundation of personal integrity and respect for others, including the non-violent resolution of conflict and a desire to make a positive difference in the world.
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Frequently Asked Questions What areI apply the next in the How do for steps financial aid?admission The lower school has 175 students in grades N-5; Middle process? Moses Brown partners with School and Student Services How many students attend Moses Brown?
school has 170 155 students in 6-8; Upper school has 410 students in 9-12.
Are most students from the East Side of Providence? Thirty percent of our students come from the Providence area, including the East Side and other parts of the city. MB students represent 40 cities and towns in Rhode Island, and 36 in Massachusetts. We are also pleased to welcome several students who have recently moved to the United States as well as international students from China.
What are the hours of the school day? What if I can’t pick up my child right after school? School begins at 8:00 am for all divisions and ends at 3:00 pm. Nursery and pre-primary classes end at noon each day. After school care is available for nursery and pre-primary students until 3:00 and extended day/MB after 3 for all lower school students until 5:30. Lower school also has an early arrival option from 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Middle and upper school students may arrive early (our dining hall and Woodman Café have options for breakfast) and stay on campus after school if they are involved in after school activities (performing arts, athletics, robotics). After school activities are optional in the middle school and required at different cycles in the upper school. Students may also work independently in the library, Y-Lab, or Woodman after school.
What options are available for lunch? Beginning in third grade, students have the option of participating in our all-inclusive lunch plan. Students who are not enrolled in the plan may purchase lunch using a card-swipe card issued by Moses Brown and billed to the family or pay cash. Students may also choose to bring their lunch. 4 | Moses Brown School
(SSS)took to assist in our aidfor process. We recommend You the first stepfinancial by asking more information, and that you review the wide range of materials that SSS we hope this book offers you a glimpse into the people and offers to help families withBrown the financial aid process at programs that make Moses special. There are steps www.solutionsbysss.com. yourprocess, financial aid to take in order to completeTo the begin admission and the application, you will complete SSS’s Parents’ Financial first one is to submit an application! For a complete list of Statement of the most important of all that goes(PFS). into anOne application, visit our websiteaspects and go to the Process/Checklist financial aid application is interview meeting deadlines. Forms the page. An is also a required are available through SSS on November 1 and should element of the application process, and we look forward be to submitted no later than 2019. connecting with you andDecember answering31, your questions.
Is bus transportation available? Yes! Statewide Transportation provides buses from Barrington, Bristol-Warren, Central Falls, Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, North Providence, Pawtucket, and Smithfield. Moses Brown provides private bus services from North Kingstown, Saunderstown, Warwick, and Cumberland, Rhode Island and Foxboro, Newton, and North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Will my child have an advisor? Advisors are assigned to students beginning in sixth grade. In middle school, your advisor is a member of your academic team. This is the person who “links” your life at Moses Brown to your life outside of school. Advisors have first-hand knowledge of middle school academic and co-curricular life. Advisors keep in touch with parents on a regular basis. In the upper school, all students have an advisor with whom they meet on a regular basis. This person often has a connection to the student—through classes, athletics, arts, or other activities that students enjoy. Upper school students can easily have the same advisor for all 4 years of high school.
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Lower School Lower school is more than a place where children go to learn; throughout the lower school, teachers are busy creating stimulating environments that nurture a passion for learning and a care for others and the world. The classroom introduces students to independent thinking, cooperation, and decision making, while also emphasizing the importance of being responsible citizens, and caring for others and the world beyond their doorstep. The lower school celebrates individuality and play while grounded in a rigorous, evidence-based curriculum. In our co-teaching model with two teachers per class, teachers regularly collaborate within and across grades to ensure that what children learn in one grade connects to the next. Students work in flexible teams with extensive instructor time to ensure that every child’s strengths are celebrated and accelerated, and areas for improvement are quickly addressed.
Nursery-Kindergarten In these earliest years, young children first learn how to go to school and how to work together. Moses Brown’s early education specialists are experts at helping children adapt to new routines and expectations. They carefully calibrate every step of the day to support students’ emotional and cognitive growth. By the time children get to first grade, they are capable and confident learners who share ideas openly and appreciate the values of collaboration.
Grades 1-3 Lower elementary introduces students to structured academic work while celebrating the fun and emotional development central to childhood. Interdisciplinary units bring together art, science, writing, math, and technology to help children develop an understanding of where food comes from and how it’s made, the circulatory system, community and family structures, and more.
Grades 4-5 Students in fourth and fifth grade craft persuasive essays in writers’ workshops, apply their best deductive thinking to historical evidence and artifacts, and blend creativity and logic in math, science, and engineering. They enjoy overnight trips, mentor younger children, and reflect on the growth that has prepared them to make the jump to middle school.
At Moses Brown, core Quaker values underpin all that we do. The daily curriculum supports all aspects of a child’s development: academic, emotional, physical, and social. The tenets of being a good friend—respectful, caring, and confident—are as much a part of recess as they are a part of core academic classes.
Ultimately, the goal is for all lower school students to develop their talents in a way that is uniquely theirs, while appreciating and celebrating the different abilities of those around them. Moses Brown School | 7
Student Support
Parent Support At Moses Brown, parents are a vital part of a dynamic, close-knit community and their partnership with the school contributes to the success of our educational mission. Our active Parents’ Association includes parent representatives at each grade level as well as an executive committee and division coordinators: all are links between the school and parents. Every voice matters and the resulting collaboration is part of what makes Moses Brown unique—their collective thinking is a vital component to the continued enrichment of the community. All parents of Moses Brown students are members of our Parents’ Association. Its goal is to engage parents in the vital work and spirit of our school community, and to give parents the knowledge, tools, and skills that will allow them to support their children socially and academically. The Parents’ Association fundraises for professional development and scholarship, plans community events and programs of interest for parents, and welcomes new families. 8 | Moses Brown School
Support education by funding: • Special projects for teachers, outside the scope of divisional and department budgets • Enrichment opportunities for student experience and faculty professional development • A n endowed scholarship providing tuition for one student per year
At Moses Brown, we celebrate and cultivate every student’s unique strengths and passions, and support every student’s unique challenges and areas for growth. Those strengths and weaknesses can be academic, social, and clinical, and MB has a staff of full-time licensed professionals, as well as an extended corps of academic support professionals to help students reach their full potential, no matter their starting point. Every day begins with a class meeting to re-establish the connections that make a strong learning community, establish themes to consider throughout the day, and practice collaborative self-governance. Teachers check in with students individually, and draw upon colleagues and specialists to make sure that every student is well-supported and adequately challenged.
Academic and socialemotional support • Full-time math specialist • Full-time Orton-Gillingham certified reading specialist • M B-approved tutors • Math clubs • Full-time counselor • Meeting for Worship
Build community: • New Parent Reception • Parent Potlucks for every class • E XPO: Homecoming/Open House • B ook Festival • Teacher appreciation events • Year-end celebrations • M Be There: spring auction which raises funds for scholarship and faculty development
Krista Haskell, B.A., M.S.W., LICSW Krista Haskell, LICSW, is Moses Brown’s full-time counselor for grades N-6. She provides counseling for social-emotional and academic challenges, and professional evaluation for testing and intervention of diagnosed differences. Whether recommending extended time on assessments, strategies for note-taking, or helping children navigate changing social dynamics, Krista’s experience and expertise give her a wealth of strategies for families to use in navigating the challenges of growing up, giving one’s best, and finding an enjoyable and sustainable balance. Moses Brown School | 9
Language Arts Children’s innate curiosity motivates them—and lower school is a place where that curiosity is respected and nurtured. At Moses Brown, teachers present ageappropriate lessons that foster children’s natural desires to know, to learn and to ask more questions. For the youngest students, it’s about getting comfortable with letters: what they look like, what they sound like, why they have different shapes. Through songs and games, children become familiar with these twenty-six shapes and the sounds they make. Through sight words, in-class stories, and take-home books, students have constant reinforcement of literacy skills, all in the context of interesting and entertaining stories that tap into children’s natural curiosity. At the same time, students regularly write personal stories in class journals, developing their voice on the page and a sense of themselves as authors.
Early Childhood • Reading stories multiple times per day • Developing phonemic awareness • Developing concepts of print • G etting used to sight words • Dictating stories; writing stories with pictures and symbols
Kindergarten-2nd Grade • In-class libraries of take-home books • Constant in-class assessment • Flexible reading groups • Differentiated instruction
In lower elementary, children have access to a limitless range of reading materials, and practice decoding skills to extract meaning from text. In addition to weekly visits to the lower school library, there is a wide selection of leveled books in each grade’s classroom library which children take home to read and share with their families. Additionally, they build their agility and comfort as storytellers with regular writing workshops. In upper elementary, students’ increasing fluency enables them to enjoy a wider range of books and periodicals. They discover the joy of getting lost in a good story and learn to infer the meaning behind a text, as well as how to use primary and secondary sources to support a thesis. As writers, children use their mastery of grammar and structure to write essays, stories, and position papers that reflect their individual voice. Students learn to write persuasively, including writing letters to leaders in the legislature to propose positive change in the wider world.
Sam Bradshaw ’85 For some, reading comes easily. The letters seem to organize themselves, and meaning pops off the page. For others, it’s a different journey. Whether because of a learning difference, attentional deficit or another challenge, some children will need a greater level of differentiated instruction to become fluent, life-long readers. Fortunately, Moses Brown has Sam Bradshaw, our in-house reading specialist to ensure that all children have the support and teaching they need to thrive as readers. With a range of approaches to teaching reading including Orton-Gillingham certification, Sam can help students at any level increase their fluency and confidence as readers. Additionally, those students who need extra challenge can turn to her as a resource for advanced materials. As an alumna, parent, and educator, Sam is deeply invested in the success of every student at Moses Brown.
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Reading to Learn As students develop fluency, they move beyond the mechanics of reading to learn from and enjoy text. More than anything, they are guided to books for entertainment, enrichment, and enjoyment.
Nursery-Kindergarten
Grades 4-5
Frequent read-alouds by teachers and class visitors mean that stories are omnipresent in early grades. This reinforces narrative form and proper syntax, while songs, plays, and poems help children learn their letters and the associated sounds. Students gradually progress to simple sight words to build a working vocabulary that gives them confidence with simple learn-to-read books.
Fourth and fifth graders are capable and fluent readers. They can read a passage and extract essential details to support a reasoned argument, and visit the library each week to explore literature that both interests and entertains them. The independent reading program in fourth grade and the Rooster Games in fifth grade encourage students to read for pleasure from a variety of genres, and class time is regularly dedicated to having students share their favorite new books with their classmates.
As writers, children practice fine-motor control in writing, painting, and drawing, learning to produce letters and to write words to share their ideas. Writing as a means of expression is central to instruction in lower school.
Grades 1-3 Small, ability-based reading groups in these grades allow all children to engage with books—and peers—at a similar reading level. Guided by their teacher or the reading specialists, these differentiated groupings ensure that each child feels successful and grows at their own pace into a fluent reader. In addition to reading groups, children have reading workshop—an opportunity for free-choice reading—multiple times per week. In writers’ workshops, they explore their own voices on the page, telling stories that are relevant, meaningful, and often very funny. As they grow, spelling and grammar become more important, but meaning always comes first. Students understand why they write, and this understanding results in strong narrative voices and arguments, as well as creative stories and poems.
They write evidence-based essays, personal reflections, fictional narratives, and poetry. In learning to write persuasively, students learn the formal requirements of an essay: how to state a thesis, use rhetorical prompts to prod the reader along, and deploy cumulative evidence to support their point. With multiple rounds of revision, they craft a polished draft and develop an understanding of the discipline that results in strong, resonant writing. Students will create written pieces in a variety of genres and forms: narrative fiction, expository and persuasive essays, and poetry. Each project uses a process that includes (to varying degrees) collecting information, planning, drafting, editing, and revising (often more than once) to create a polished final draft.
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Lively Experiments Nursery-Kindergarten Whether discussing the number and pattern of the seasons or days of the week, celebrating birthdays, counting the spots on a ladybug, or simply learning to sort and categorize objects, math is part of the way kids play and explore every day in Nursery. Pre-Primary students get personalized work trays to bolster their particular strengths and challenges. Kindergarteners begin each day practicing core mathematical skills as part of their morning work, and receive small group math instruction multiple times per week.
Grades 1-3
Math Mathematics at Moses Brown involves solving problems as a way to understand. As with most things in life, there are many ways to get to a solution. That’s why we teach children to use a wide variety of mathematical tools to approach a new problem. Rather than memorizing, students learn to understand the reasoning processes that are the foundation of all mathematics. In early grades, children learn basic numbers and how they relate to one another. They use real-world examples to approach basic operations, and practice using multiple strategies to solve the same problem.
Building blocks • Numerals and mathematical relationships • M ath as a way to understand the world • Different paths to a true answer
Going farther • Representing and analyzing data • Math and science in partnership • Computational thinking
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As they advance into lower elementary, students are given increasingly varied tools to apply to mathematical questions. This builds confidence and flexibility in children, as well as the resilience to try a problem from a new angle if they get stuck. Few things are more rewarding than seeing a child run into a dead end, adopt a new strategy, and light up with joy and confidence as they realize they can solve it after all. In upper elementary, students extend these skills into harder questions, and begin laying the framework for studies in algebra. They also delve deeper into fractional notation and operations with decimal conversions. By fifth grade they have also mastered the usage of traditional algorithms and know when to use them, and when to use a more efficient strategy.
First graders model abstract concepts with real-world materials to develop a kinesthetic understanding of mathematical relationships. Second graders move beyond addition and subtraction to explore multiplication, fractions, and 2- and 3-D geometry. Third graders explore two- and three-digit operations and work with fractions and fractional notation. They also expand their understanding of data collection and analysis, integrating math with other studies. And with math-oriented discussions throughout the day, children are assessed daily to ensure they’re always being challenged appropriately.
Grades 4-5 Fourth graders build strength and automaticity with multiplication, division, geometry, fractions, decimals, data, and probability, and explain their thinking in writing or out loud. All fifth graders jump ahead a year in math, working from an Advanced Math textbook throughout the year. This leap insures that all Moses Brown students are ready to take Algebra 1 by eighth grade. At the end of the year, fifth graders build maththemed carnival games for the rest of lower school to play and enjoy. This culminating Math Arcade brings together engineering, design, and mathematical skills in a way that helps students know they are ready for middle school.
For most students, math is most interesting where it meets the real world. That’s why math instruction often follows an interesting and authentic question, one without a single clear answer. Once the children are curious, they’re given the mathematical tools to derive an answer; they may use manipulatives, group numbers in new ways, or work in teams to share various approaches. They understand that math is something to be used, a skill that helps in thinking. In wood shop, students measure, calculate fractions, and use math to build something real. In this context, math becomes another tool at their command, as relevant as hammers, drills, and coping saws. In the Y-Lab, students write computer code, prototype models, and team up to tackle interesting engineering challenges, calculating and improvising their way to a finished product.
Working the Ends of the Bell Curve Math Specialist Susan Pirruccello-McClellan focuses on differentiated instruction in mathematics for every grade. By coordinating with students’ daily classroom teachers, she shares a precise understanding of where students are surging ahead and where they need support. In addition to leading the implementation of the Investigations III curriculum, she offers training and support for colleagues on ways to get the most out of the method. According to Susan, the most exciting part of her job is working both with students who are exceptionally gifted in math, and those who find math challenging. In addition to extra coaching sessions for some students, Susan also leads enrichment activities designed to enhance computational thinking, including Math Clubs and Math Olympiad. With experience teaching math in every division, she knows how early building blocks lead students to success. Moses Brown School | 13
Big questions • How do we know what’s true? • W hom do we believe?
Social Studies Immersive learning At Moses Brown, students often invite the real world into their classroom, and often go out to meet the world on its own terms. After all, there’s no better way to understand things than to contend with them first-hand. And while tests and quizzes are helpful, there’s no better way to demonstrate understanding than to teach the information to others. That’s why over and over again, Moses Brown students are the teachers, conducting their own research and analysis and presenting it publicly to their peers under the guidance of experienced instructors. This approach has proved durable over two centuries, and in an era that is entrepreneurial and dynamic, it’s more important than ever. 14 | Moses Brown School
• W hat evidence supports this idea?
History and social studies start with stories, and children have an inborn curiosity about stories. At Moses Brown, they are taught not to simply learn the stories of history, but to become insightful detectives who probe, test, and question to explore the various truths of a story—both in what is told and what is left out. They learn how to investigate the facts and draw their own understanding of events, and how to support that understanding with evidence. This underpins the skill of critical thinking, increasingly necessary as information becomes more accessible—and sometimes less accurate—in the digital world. Students need to practice how to question information, evaluate sources, screen for bias, and insist on solid facts before accepting a narrative. Throughout the lower school, students explore their own identities, then branch out to learn about their families, neighborhood, and beyond. They study farm-to-table agriculture, learning about biology, nutrition, and economics, and how those forces work together in the food industry. They study the Olympics—and the Special Olympics—to learn about ancient and modern cultures and how friendly competition functions as a tool of peace. They explore different cultural and religious traditions as they reinforce the practice of seeing things from multiple perspectives, and ask deep questions about what makes a family. As they progress they undertake more rigorous historical research, using books and first-person interviews to develop thoughtful, well-supported narratives. With visiting experts, museum trips, author interviews, and more, history is always alive at Moses Brown.
Nursery-Kindergarten To help children understand the framework of time, they consider: today or long ago? Now or then? Students consider the diversity of physical traits, the roles people play in society, and why those roles are important. Preprimary students read books about important historical figures and discuss what it might be like to make similar choices. Would it be hard? How would you do it? How can we model those choices every day? In kindergarten, children practice democracy and civic engagement by helping to create the rules of the classroom using a Quaker, consensus-based process.
Grades 1-3
• W ho am I? What’s my community? • How do identity and power intersect? • How does my identity impact my obligation to communities around the world?
How can we find out? • From books • From people who were there • From other investigators
The first grade curriculum encourages inquiry, critical thinking, and the simultaneous development of one’s own viewpoint and ability to work with others. Students learn to define community, and to identify the different communities to which they belong. They study farming, agriculture, and the people and process that brings food to the grocery store—and their plate! Second graders undertake an in-depth study of Japanese history and culture, and explore the significance of light in different winter holidays. Third graders study the first Thanksgiving, focusing on both truth and bias in traditional histories, as well as the role of national parks in society.
Grades 4-5 Fourth graders study immigration through the lens of their own family histories, and develop a pen-pal relationship with a class in Busia, Kenya that challenges mutual stereotypes. They become familiar with the history, customs, and cultures of six major world religions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism—and investigate the commonalities and differences between them. Designing an interfaith center drawing on their knowledge, and working in groups, helps students to understand the real-life challenges of our diversified culture. In fifth grade, students read challenging novels that address issues like child labor and slavery, and the moral implications of economic choices. They learn about what it was actually like to participate in the Civil Rights Movement from a visiting alumnus who provided legal aid to Freedom Riders, and what Rhode Island’s Secretary of State does to protect the electoral system. At the end of the year, they cap their study of civil rights with a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., and visit historically significant places like the United States Institute of Peace, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Moses Brown School | 15
Science Every child in the world has a desire to figure things out. Why do things fall? How do planes fly? What kind of animal is that? In science class at Moses Brown, that inner scientist is respected, nurtured, and given the tools and methods to make their own discoveries. Students explore the biology of plants, animals, and more, learning about common structures, adaptation, and the names of things. They go out into the world and see, hear, and feel things for themselves. And with several resident animals—Elmer the Tortoise is a favorite—they spend time observing, wondering, and thinking about the ways their learning plays out in real life. Students also learn elementary physics, how light, fluids, and magnetism work, and the essential principles of what makes a good experiment. They study energy—and ways to bring clean energy to remote locations. The human connection centers their science learning. In addition to these traditional scientific concepts, they learn about computer code, circuits, robots, and different kinds of engineering. They’ll build, test, and report what they’ve learned about their designs. At every step, a process of discovery guides students to seek answers wherever their curiosity leads them. Ultimately, the science curriculum at Moses Brown aims to help every child develop the con fidence to use the scientific method and deductive reasoning to solve problems, whether or not they’re the kind you encounter in the lab.
The Y-Lab Moses Brown’s Y-Lab is a creative place for asking puzzling questions and trying out solutions: Why does electricity flow better through wires than string? How can we turn garbage into energy? What if we could design and build our own desks with a 3D printer? But why the ‘Y?’ The Y stands for Thomas Young (1773-1829), a Quaker and brilliant polymath whose discoveries continue to influence us today. Young knew 11 languages—Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chaldean, Syriac, Persian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic. He was the first to finish a complete translation of the Rosetta Stone, developed actuarial tables, pioneered children’s medicine, and was the first to define the term ‘energy’ in physics. 16 | Moses Brown School
“One of my proudest moments was watching our fifth graders present their findings at a conference on project-based learning at Providence College last year. And their letters to civic leaders about the threat of climate change is proof positive that science can be both playful and rigorous at the same time.” -Elizabeth Grumbach, LS science
Young authored over 60 articles for the Encyclopedia Britannica, derived a mathematical constant that is still used by modern engineers, and diagnosed the true cause of astigmatism. Using the now-famous double slit experiment—in which light refracting through two parallel slits casts a wave pattern on a screen—he showed that light behaves like both a wave and a particle. In the Y-Lab, students can follow Young’s example, putting learning into practice. With leading-edge technology like 3D printers, laser cutters, and digital prototyping software—and low-tech modeling materials like sticky notes, cardboard, and glue guns—the Y-Lab is a place where inventors, tinkerers, and creators of all ages can engineer solutions for the questions we have yet to ask.
Nursery-Kindergarten Nursery students learn about ramps and motion, insects, weather, and nature. Preprimary students learn about snow and test what makes ice melt. They learn what kinds of animals live in the Arctic, and how trees live and grow; they observe the campus around them and connect their learning to what they see. In Kindergarten, students study life cycles–including ants, ladybugs, butterflies, praying mantises, and wood frogs that start as tadpoles in the class aquarium. They observe pill bugs and design simple controlled experiments to test variables such as light and moisture. They play with ramps, balls and cars while learning important patterns and vocabulary related to motion and forces.
Grades 1-3 Students learn about fluid dynamics as they engineer a pipe system to get water from one place to another, and explain their theories and findings to classmates. They learn about animal adaptations and energy transformations in ecosystems and then apply what they have learned to an interdisciplinary non-fiction writing and science unit focused on being good neighbors to local mammals. Second graders use our giant design-engineering toy, Rigamajig™, to build ramps, wheel and axle structures and pulley systems to help them understand how simple machines might have been used to construct the ancient pyramids. And third graders learn about the forces behind bridge architecture and then design and construct a bridge out of cardboard and duct tape that every child walks across.
Grades 4-5 Fourth graders program electrical circuit games, and combine their knowledge of plant ecology and their care for the earth in a social action campaign. In fifth grade, students grapple with a big question: “How can we, as 5th graders, help to address climate change in Rhode Island?” and apply their scientific understanding, well-written advocacy, and passion for self-governance to this vexing problem.
Elizabeth Grumbach If there’s only one light on in Middle House, it just might be Elizabeth’s. Long after the last student has left for the day, she can often be found in the lower school science lab, designing experiments and activities for the following day. Or perhaps unspooling hundreds of feet of colored masking tape down the hall so students can develop an idea of just how big different whales really are. Or she might be drawing a ventricular diagram on the floor in front of the elevator to help students understand how the heart works. With a B.A. from Bowdoin and an M.Ed. from Columbia Teachers’ College, Elizabeth puts her credentials and ingenuity into action every day as she pushes students to look deeper, ask questions, investigate, and see what they can discover. If by some chance Elizabeth isn’t in the lower school science lab, don’t worry, she’s almost certainly in the Y-Lab. Moses Brown School | 17
Nursery-Kindergarten
21st Century Success
During a fairytales unit, students in Nursery discuss the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, and build houses of their own to see how they would fare, and then review what worked and what didn’t. By attending weekly classes with the lower school technology teacher, pre-primary students learn about sequential instructions (coding) with Code-A-Pillar, how circuits work, and explore technology in age-appropriate TinkerTrays. Kindergarteners learn about boolean operations, how circuits work, and get to try, build, and make a mess in the Y-Lab.
According to Forbes, STEMrelated fields are growing at twice the rate of other sectors of the American economy, and are an engine of tremendous innovation. The Brookings Institution reports that over 20% of all jobs require a high level of knowledge in at least one STEM field. As digital natives, today’s students need to be fluent in the language and customs of digital innovation. They need to be able to work in teams; write sophisticated object-oriented code; design, test, and revise working robots, and know how to navigate the rewarding and hazardous waters of the internet. To prepare them, Moses Brown asks students to use these skills constantly, whether they’re in technology class or not, so that they become second nature. These concepts are reinforced in many disciplines. Students practice computational thinking in math class, they ‘debug’ history by using evidence to draw conclusions and critically evaluate theories in history, and they exercise—and learn to trust—their imaginations in English class and fine and performing arts. By the time they graduate, Moses Brown students have prototyped, iterated, innovated, and designcycled. They’ve studied, sweat on their own, and been part of dynamic teams to share responsibilities and rewards. And they’ve found the joy and artistry inherent in creative work in pure and applied sciences. They go on to study, explore, and innovate at some of the nation’s leading colleges and universities. After that...we’ll see what the next Brookings report has to say.
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Grades 1-3
STEM
First graders have weekly technology class, and use apps like Futaba, Bluster, Word Bingo, and Teach Me 1st Grade to support work they are doing in reading and math, while developing fluency in the iOS environment. They explore programming with Daisy the Dino, Lightbot Jr., The Foos, and Bee-Bot. Second graders also participate in the House of Code, a global movement that gets kids coding and collaborating, nurturing their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and team sense. In third grade, students use MacBook Pro laptops, iPads, Google Drive, and G Suite for Education to expand their hardware and software fluency, and use Lego Simple and Powered Machines base sets to tackle design and engineering challenges.
STEM support • 5,000-square-foot Y-Lab
Grades 4-5
• Dedicated robotics lab
Fourth graders work in teams to write code and build complex systems, taking responsibility for their area and the success of the group. Fifth graders at Moses Brown code apps for the iPad, and explore robotics using WeDo construction sets from LEGO Education to build and program moving models with motors and sensors. This hones not only their design and engineering skills, but their abilities to communicate and collaborate, which are critical for 21st-century success. Working in teams, each child takes responsibility for designing (and re-designing) part of a model and giving and receiving feedback to teammates to create the strongest possible final product. Fourth and fifth graders also participate in the Hour of Code, a global movement that gets kids coding and collaborating, nurturing their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and team sense.
Nothing may be more relevant to success • AP computer science courses in the 21st century than fluency in the • Engineering & Design electives language of computers—code. By practicing mathematical thinking in math class and deductive reasoning and problem-finding in science, students are constantly honing the skills that support strong work in the applied sciences. For most adults, ‘computer coding’ conjures images of people parked before a computer screen for hours on end. But in nursery, learning to code is as simple as putting together a caterpillar that wiggles in the directions printed on each segment. It’s an important lesson in procedural programming, and it’s fun! As students progress through lower school, they learn about object-oriented code, and begin to understand the architecture, power, and possibilities of the internet. With regular reinforcement of Quaker values, they also learn how to stay safe and be thoughtful, responsible digital citizens. Students explore physical forces, engineering, fluid dynamics, circuitry and more in science class, where theory and practice are always intertwined in hands-on learning. They also make regular use of Moses Brown’s 5,000-square-foot Y-Lab, a maker space open to everyone in the Moses Brown community that serves as a home for tinkerers, inventors, and entrepreneurs of any age. While there, they often cross paths and interact with older students, and can see the ‘big kids’ tinkering away in the VEX robotics lab, which inspires them to imagine the inventions they could create.
Erika McEnery Erika’s primary responsibility at Moses Brown is teaching tiny technologists the concepts and tools that power the 21st century. The learners may be little, but it’s a big job. With a B.S. from the University of Vermont and an M.Ed. from Lesley University, she’s qualified to teach at any level she’d like, and chooses lower school because of the tremendous impact her work can have. “By high school, some students have already decided that technology isn’t for them,” she says, “so it can already be too late. When children have positive experiences creating with technology at a young age, it keeps them open to the idea that this is a viable path, and builds their confidence experimenting, building, and trying new things.” Erika also supports many of the skills and projects students need to succeed in other classes, helping them develop fluent keyboarding and navigating abstract frameworks online and within apps. Moses Brown School | 19
• Senora Simone Ahlborn Simone Ahlborn received her B.A. from Brown and master’s from California State, with further study at Georgetown and the Universidad de Barcelona. Her Spanish curriculum is rooted in finding the words for lived experience, which children integrate smoothly into their thinking. “I come from, and married into, a family of language teachers and travelers,” says Simone. “Whether I’m sharing in the enthusiasm of a first grader learning his Spanish name, teaching second graders about El Día de los Muertos, or listening to a fifth grader passionately expound on the mission of César Chavez and its relationship to our Quaker testimonies, my students are exuberant and delight in their Spanish learning!” Simone also co-clerks the lower school diversity committee and supports early learning colleagues, reading stories and playing games with lower schoolers. “The best thing about lower school Spanish,” she says, “is that we’ve built the program to be equally supportive of students who are encountering the language for the first time and those who already have some experience. The children can learn as much from each other as they can from me!” 20 | Moses Brown School
World Languages Language is the lifeblood of culture, and knowing a second language builds empathy and opens students’ perspectives on world events. Starting in kindergarten, students have weekly classes with Simone, who leads them in Spanish-language games and celebrations to learn basic vocabulary, greetings, introductions, colors, and numbers. In first grade, students explore the religious, musical, artistic, and culinary traditions of Mexico by celebrating El Día de Los Muertos. Twice a week, second graders learn basic calendar words and geography with a ‘country of the week’ (en español, naturalamente). Students with greater understanding can delve deeper, while those new to the language can still participate without feeling left behind. During a unit on Japanese history and culture, second graders focus on Japanese vocabulary for weather, counting, and basic social interactions. Third graders use a multi-sensory program based on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. They sing songs, perform skits, read comics, and play games using various materials. The activity directions are exclusively in Spanish, with no assumption that the learner’s first language is English. Fourth graders speak in full sentences from the beginning of the year as they “read” strings of pictographs. These are kept in a picture dictionary binder for reference. Fifth graders use online learning tools that promote individual progress through multiple stages of mastery, review, and retention, giving children who choose to continue with Spanish a head start. They also study the life of César Chavez and the United Farm Workers movement.
Physical Education It’s wisdom of the ages: healthy body, healthy mind. This axiom is borne out by decades of peer-reviewed research that has found that the metabolic boost provided by regular exercise supercharges the brain, enhancing both cognitive and executive function. In short, exercise makes you smarter and helps you focus. While some school districts have cut back on recess, Moses Brown has expanded opportunities for fun daily exercise. Every grade enjoys two recess periods throughout the day, giving students a chance to rest their minds and do some processing while they play. The lower grades (N-2) open directly onto one of MB’s two playgrounds as well as the track, athletic fields, and Friends Garden. This gives them a wide range of physical activities to choose from, whether that’s playing on the climbing structure, organizing a game on the field, or exploring the shrubs and hills. Structured Physical Education (P.E.) classes meet multiple times per week for games and activities that build strength, endurance, teamwork, and coordination. Teachers in nursery and pre-primary break up instructional segments with games like Simon Says, Follow the Beat, or yoga poses. As students progress, they play with foam balls, parachutes, hoops, bean bags, and scooters and practice following multi-step directions and games that require them both to compete and cooperate. They’re always reminded to watch out for their own and others’ safety, a responsibility that reflects Quaker values of mutual respect and giving one’s best. In every contest, students are coached to win and lose with grace.
Exercise is proven to boost: • Cognitive function • E xecutive control • Cooperative dynamics • Emotional outlook
Something for everyone: • In-school physical education • Multiple recesses • After-school programs
MB After Three In addition to a multi-faceted physical educational program and good old-fashioned recess, MB has introduced a range of after-school athletic and fitness offerings for lower school students that are part of the ‘MB After 3’ program. • Girls on the Run: Part running program, part leadership empowerment club, Girls on the Run uses a fun, experience-based curriculum that builds character and self-esteem on a foundation of cardiovascular fitness. • MBe Fit: With an emphasis on sportsmanship and respectful competition, students build core strength, endurance, and learn the basics of wrestling. • Squash: Lower schoolers love trekking across campus to the Gorgi Family Squash & Education Center, where they learn the basics of squash. It’s exciting to play alongside big kids, teachers, and club members, and realize that they are part of an athletic community as well as an academic one. • Basketball Clinic: The middle school boys’ basketball coach leads third through fifth graders through drills and games that teach the basics of basketball and foundational skills like dribbling, passing, shooting, and good defense. • Soccer: The former head coach for Salve Regina and Bryant University teaches first through fifth graders skills, strategy, and solid soccer fundamentals with a focus on long-term player development and a balanced approach to family, school, and commitment to the game. Moses Brown School | 21
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Arts From the beginning of nursery through the end of fifth grade, every lower school student has art and music classes multiple times per week, and are regularly asked to include artwork in their other studies.
Our Arts Faculty Randy Street (woodshop) For over 35 years, Randy has nurtured children with a powerful message. He hands them real tools, teaches them how to use them, and lets them know that they are ready to safely and responsibly use them to build real things. His class is a common favorite among students, and the timeless class creations from woodshop tie together generations of students and alumni.
Visual art
Sarah Barnum (visual arts)
Our youngest students explore art-making materials through play and experimentation. As they grow, they learn progressively more sophisticated techniques, including how to add depth, texture, and shading to an image. They draw, paint, make, sculpt, and explore in the art studio, and embrace the responsibility of using hand tools in woodshop to make things that are as fun as they are functional.
Music
Drama
The lower school music program helps students develop appropriate musicianship for every stage of child development. Students learn about rhythm, meter, melody, harmony, and how to pay attention to their bodies to make music. They learn to play ukuleles and other instruments, and by the end of fifth grade, compose and produce recordings of their own original work. Beginning in third grade students can opt into chorus and string ensemble, with wind ensemble as an option beginning in 4th grade.
From the very beginning, Moses Brown’s drama program has one message for each student: you are an artist and creator. Nursery students write stories that eighth graders stage as plays. Every grade includes learning units that employ dramatic presentation as a key learning objective. And students who want to act—or work as part of a theatrical crew—can join the lower school musical, an annual tradition that introduces children in second through fifth grades to the excitement and exhilaration of putting on a show in the Woodman Center.
Academics, not Activities Fine arts, craftsmanship, and music were once considered essential to a balanced and rigorous education. At Moses Brown, they still are. While many schools around the country have addressed budgetary shortfalls by cutting these important subjects, Moses Brown has continued to expand in- and after-school arts opportunities. 22 | Moses Brown School
The arts connect us more deeply to our humanity—and are key to developing empathy. At Moses Brown, this is a critical part of living our values of respect for oneself and others, for learning how to appreciate others’ perspectives and developing the discipline to master a difficult and rewarding skill. This is why visual and performing arts are part of the school day, and why these disciplines are also
integrated into other academic courses. Students discover that drawing is essential to good work in science, that you can’t build anything useful in woodshop without math, and that nothing drives home the human aspect of immigration like a dramatization. Of course, the arts are also fun, which is why MB offers in- and afterschool opportunities for students who want to do even more.
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If you’re looking for Sarah, keep a sharp eye out for a paint-spattered apron and a colorful necklace. And look low, because chances are good she’s either crouched down or sitting in a tiny chair so she can give upclose guidance to little artists just finding their voice. With degrees from Yale and Lesley University, she bases lessons on research-backed pedagogy, but always in a context of fun, disciplined discovery.
Chad Putka (music) Whether children are singing, moving, dancing, or playing instruments, Chad is always leading them to a higher level of musical skill and appreciation. And in his eye-opening ‘informances,’ he lets children share what they’ve learned in a way that helps parents understand the age-appropriate scaffolding of knowledge and skills he has built into the music curriculum.
Steve Kidd (drama)
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A regionally-revered actor, Steve Kidd brings tremendous passion to the making of theater. He is also a relentless innovator, constantly expanding and exploring what’s possible with actors, technical crew, and dramaturgs under twelve years old. Whether students take the stage in the lower school musical, explore social-emotional learning in an empathetic theatrical mini-course, or enjoy plays written by children in nursery, they have a wide range of opportunities to find their inner thespian. Moses Brown School | 23
Quaker Education Quakerism was founded in the 1600’s by English people seeking a religious community based on equality rather than hierarchy. Today, Quakerism—also known as the Religious Society of Friends—thrives in small, strong communities that believe in the dignity and worth of every person; this ‘Inner Light’ compels Quakers to value community, non-violence, integrity, and respect for all. The central practice of Friends is meeting for worship, an extended period of shared silence and reflection. Open to all, Meeting invites participants to reflect inwardly and, if so moved, to share a message with the community. Meeting is part of the school week for every child, from nursery through twelfth grade, and is an essential touchstone for students. Upon returning to Moses Brown, many alumni cite it as one of the most cherished aspects of their MB experience, and long for this ingrained cultural respect for reflection and introspection. For over 300 years, these beliefs and practices have placed Quakers at the forefront of education with an unwavering commitment to giving and being one’s personal best. Students learn to respect themselves and others, and demonstrate that respect by doing good work and serving other people. While most students at Quaker schools come from many different religious traditions, or none at all, the values of Quakerism encourage and guide them every day to do and be their best.
SPICES, An Acronym for Quaker Values Simplicity: Does the way I spend my time help me make the best possible contributions to my school? How might I live with more simplicity? Peace: How can I nurture peace within myself, my community, and the world? How can I settle disputes with sensitivity for all involved? Integrity: How do my interactions with other people reflect my values? Community: How do I make our community a welcoming, respectful, and caring place? Equality: How can I speak up and take kind action when I see injustices? How do I build relationships with people whose backgrounds differ from mine? Stewardship: How do I care for ‘learning, people, and place?’ How do I help others recognize and use their gifts? 24 | Moses Brown School
In addition to these weekly practices, the central values of Quakerism—simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship—are woven into every subject and every class.
Silence is important • Consider complex issues • Dispassionately reflect on conflict • Connect with one’s inner self • Focus on what’s important (not just urgent)
Students learn to • T hink deeply from multiple perspectives • Work through challenging dilemmas • Maintain calm in a busy world
Ethical Leadership Moral questions often present themselves in shades of gray rather than black and white. Moses Brown students use Quaker values to find their way when things get murky. Put simply, Quakers believe that every person has an Inner Light, and that no one has a unique claim on the truth. As such, everyone deserves love and respect, and bears responsibility for making the kind of community we all want to live in. We demonstrate this shared responsibility and inherent equality through the Quaker custom of having adults and students address one another by their first names.
effect access to light—and the lack of access—has on people around the world. In the fifth grade, children cap their study of the Civil Rights Movement with a trip to Washington, D.C. to see important cultural and historical sites firsthand.
Lessons in many subjects are infused with the human and moral dimensions of study questions. In social studies, fourth graders examine the similarities and differences of world religions. In science, second graders consider what
Doing well by doing good was the hallmark of Moses Brown himself, and the school that bears his name encourages students to consider how their ability to innovate can address societal challenges, serving both others and the honor of their own character.
Whether they’re on the playground, in class, or participating in an after-school activity, every student is frequently reminded to be a good friend, to think of others, and be the kind of person they can be proud of for years to come.
Nursery-Kindergarten MB’s social-emotional learning (SEL) program uses puppets, visual aids, and catchy songs to help children manage emotions, build friendships, and resolve differences, laying the foundations of empathy and responsibility that build ethical leaders. With ageappropriate frameworks like ‘red light / green light’ and ‘bucket-fillers’ vs. ‘bucket-dippers,’ children learn to stop, think, and make the best choice in the moment.
Grades 1-3 First graders examine identity, questions of diversity, and what it means to be part of a community. Second graders meet with an athlete from the Special Olympics, learn about different family structures, and study how light is used in winter holidays in religions and cultures throughout the world. And third graders can participate in SPARK—Students for Peace Acting with Responsibility and Kindness—a club focused on social action.
Grades 4-5 Students who participate in SPARK have run a teddy bear drive for Brown University Medical Student clinics for underserved children, led an effort to recycle Crayola markers into biofuel, and collected food, toys, and bedding for shelter pets. Fourth graders study world religions to understand their commonalities and differences, and fifth graders dive deeply into questions of race, justice, and American history in a study of the Civil Right Movement that culminates with an optional trip to Washington, D.C. Moses Brown School | 25
TRIPs Moses Brown teachers use the very best materials and pedagogy to help students consider issues from multiple sides to develop nuanced understanding. But sometimes there’s nothing better than going and seeing for yourself. That’s why we created TRIPs—Travel, Research, and Immersion Programs. TRIPs bring MB’s classrooms to the world and the world to our classrooms. TRIPs are part of every child’s education, enriching and extending their sense of discovery. This keeps learning fun and relevant by nurturing children’s inner curiosity and letting them see where it leads them.
What’s That Tree?
Plimoth Plantation
White Mountains
Nursery and Pre-primary students explore MB’s campus and see how many kinds of trees they can identify, and what creatures call them home.
Third graders are challenged to investigate the history of the first Thanksgiving through the eyes of English settlers and Native Americans using primary and secondary sources. To help them understand how these people and cultures interacted, they spend a day getting an in-depth tour of Plimoth Plantation and speaking with First Nations representatives.
Third and fourth graders are invited to join a four-day, three-night hiking trip to cabins in the White Mountains. Guided by faculty and AMC guides, this trip builds friendships, resilience, and a deep appreciation for the value of nature.
Kindergarten Farmers Students visit a working farm to see how the life cycles they’ve studied in science play out in the real world, and the role that farming plays in our everyday lives. Hatching chicks in the first grade classroom is a highlight of the school year.
Japanese House While studying the history and culture of Japan, second graders visit an authentic Japanese home installed in the Boston Children’s Museum, getting a multi-sensory understanding of the ways that culture finds expression in architecture, art, and ritual. 26 | Moses Brown School
Nature’s Classroom Students go for a one-night retreat at a rural residential camp in southern Rhode Island. For some, this is their first time away from home, an experience that serves as an important bonding and trust-building adventure that leaves them happy—and exhausted.
Washington, D.C. After studying the Civil Rights movement, students are encouraged to join a fiveday trip to the nation’s capital to visit important historical sites and consider the ways that the ongoing struggle for equality and justice informs life in America, and the responsibility we all bear to participate.
Global Awareness Bringing the World to Our Classrooms While there’s a lot to be learned from books and teachers, sometimes the best learning happens when someone new enters the frame. Sometimes that’s a First Nations performer or member of the Wampanoags sharing personal experiences around Thanksgiving, or a pen-pal from Kenya Skyping into class, or the Secretary of State stopping by to help children understand how the electoral system works. In addition to these visitors, our school culture regularly showcases parents, alumni, and older students as experts and role models for lower schoolers to look up to.
Bringing our Classrooms to the World Furthermore, there is truly nothing as enlightening as going out into the world and seeing things for oneself. That’s why Moses Brown makes sure that students embark on age-appropriate adventures. Nursery students go on excursions around campus, while older kids enjoy field trips, overnights, and even a four-day historical trek around Washington, D.C.
Moses Brown students learn about the wider world in a variety of globe-exploring units of study, including (but not limited to): • Nursery and Pre-primary ‘All About Me’ unit • K indergarten visits the zoo and a working farm • First grade ethnographic study of MB employees in the community • Second grade study of Japanese history and culture • T hird grade investigation of the first Thanksgiving • Fourth grade Immigration Fair • Fifth grade Civil Rights study and capstone trip to Washington, D.C.
A Moses Brown education aims to prepare students to learn out in the real world where problems don’t have a “right answer.” Our faculty feel the best way to get kids ready is to let them try the real thing, which is why the curriculum is frequently supported by adventures outside the classroom. More than anything else, this helps children see the connection between class content and the world around them. Moses Brown School | 27
Expert Thinking Expert thinking is the way Moses Brown describes the ability to apply knowledge to solve new and unfamiliar problems. Whether information comes from your head, the pages of a book, or an iPad connected to the internet, it’s only as good as your ability to use it. Moses Brown students are constantly challenged to tackle unfamiliar problems, and learn to research, propose design solutions, build prototypes, and try them out to see what happens. Whether they’re conducting experiments in science class, building bridges in the Y-Lab, or comparing different kinds of leaves outside the sliding glass doors of Nursery, they are constantly asking questions and looking to the real world for answers.
Nursery-Kindergarten Nursery students begin the year by asking what kind of classroom environment they want, and then devising their own rules to foster that culture. Pre-primary students bolster areas of challenge and expand upon strengths with personalized work trays. Kindergarteners code, design, and prototype in the Y-Lab.
Grades 1-3 First graders research North American mammals and build vivid masks that bring to life their written reports. Second graders practice object-oriented code with iPads, and in third grade students combine history, science and economics in their study of National Parks. They all enjoy frequent trips to the Y-Lab to design, build, and experiment.
Grades 4-5 Fourth grade students use Lego machines to iterate solutions to engineering challenges. They conduct research and ethnographic interviews to learn about immigrants in their own families, then create living-history presentations about those figures. They collaborate in teams to design and prototype model interfaith centers, negotiating the requirements of each faith to find common ground. Fourth graders participate in the World Peace Game, an intense week-long immersion in non-zero-sum negotiation in which everyone wins—or everyone loses. At the end of the year, fifth graders collaborate in teams to design fun arcade games with accompanying math challenges. They then host a carnival in which all of the other children from lower school get to solve age-appropriate math questions, play fun and innovative arcade games, and win prizes. In this celebration, students cap their lower school experience by giving back. 28 | Moses Brown School
Diversity Moses Brown teaches children to celebrate the differences between people. This stems from the Quaker belief that every person has an Inner Light and is equally deserving of love and respect, and that we all share responsibility for creating the kind of community we all want to embrace. At Moses Brown, students and teachers demonstrate this shared respect and expectation by typically addressing one another with first names, a common practice in Quaker schools. Because of those values and cultural practices, diversity isn’t an add-on at Moses Brown—it’s part of the culture and curriculum. Respect for others, and for difference, is woven into classes in all subjects. Additionally, discussions of implicit bias, privilege, and allyship are frequent, open, nonjudgmental, and a part of our social justice curriculum. Teachers help students develop conflict resolution skills and lead discussions about what it means to be a good friend. In morning meeting, students address challenging questions in a safe environment, and work together to build a positive class culture. Throughout the year, students are routinely asked to consider the moral dimensions of academic questions. They learn about how to care for others, and see them as they wish to be seen and how to celebrate the value of difference. In so doing, they come to understand the way the world is now, and how they can make a positive contribution to it.
Nursery-Kindergarten In the ‘All About Me’ unit, children are invited to celebrate everything that makes them special: their eyes, their hair, their skin, their family, and culture. Book selections also emphasize heroes and leaders of all kinds to provide diverse role models. To deepen their understanding, lower school students collaborate with nursery and kindergarten several times throughout the year for special diversity workshops, giving students of different ages a chance to learn from and teach one another.
Grades 1-3 In a study of community, students interview members of the school, including a field trip to the person’s office or area of work. Every first, second, and third grader also participates in diversity workshops that focus on aspects of identity and equity. A long-distance partnership with schoolchildren in Nepal challenges students to write and reflect on one of life’s big questions: “In what ways are communities around the world more similar—or more different—than we expect?”
Grades 4-5 Through pen-pal and photo exchanges, fourth graders build meaningful connections with fourth graders in Kenya, and break apart stereotypes about Africans—and the stereotypes they hold about Americans. Students also participate in cross-grade workshops about identity and equity, and read texts like What do Derek Jeter and Beyoncé Have in Common?, which explores the experience of race for multiracial families. Moses Brown School | 29
MB After 3 Each trimester, Moses Brown provides an assortment of enrichment programs available to all Lower School students. Children enrolled in these programs will be escorted to their respective classes at the end of the school day. Past offerings include: • Fiber Creations • Magic: Gathering of Friends • Squash • Young Filmmakers • Fashion, Fabric, and Jewelry
After School When the school day ends, many Moses Brown students are in no hurry to leave, and it’s easy to understand why. With plays, music ensembles, enrichment opportunities, a state-of-the-art library for quiet study, as well as plenty of room for relaxing with friends, MB is a great place to be!
Enrichment Opportunities • W ind Ensemble
• Math Olympiad
• String Ensemble
• Math Club
• Chorus
• Lower School Musical
• Professor Gizmo’s Workshop • Fun with Spanish • B asketball Clinic • Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese! • Chess • French • Design Squad
So Many Places to Play
• Open Art Studio
After stretching their minds, students need to step away and let their brains process so that learning becomes more deeply embedded. Frequent breaks throughout the day to play, explore, and run around serve this function while also facilitating new learning, and Moses Brown students have a 33-acre campus with lots of places in which to do just that.
• Easel Painting • Soccer • G erman • M B Fit • Printing and Silkscreening • Confucius Classroom • Intro to Robotics • Super Chefs • Intro to Drawing 30 | Moses Brown School
There are two playgrounds adjacent to lower school—one for the lower grades, and one for the bigger kids. Just beyond them sits the track and Campanella Field, which in the afternoons becomes home to soccer, football, field hockey, lacrosse, and other programs. During the day, these areas are open for children to play and imagine. There are trees and hedges and hills to explore, roll and sled down, and climb. Time in nature is important to mood and overall mental health, so the opportunity to play on our 33-acre campus is an integral part of learning and development for lower school students. Students often walk outside to travel to special subject classes, giving them a fresh air ‘nature break’ to help with transitions, and occasionally make a trip to the Grove, a tree-studded glade that is the ideal place for quiet reflection, or a lively game of chase. Moses Brown School | 31