The First Program

The Dalton Plan in practice, Kindergarten through 3rd Grade

Housed in four adjacent townhouses on East 91st Street, the First Program provides a homelike, protective, and nurturing environment for children. A dedicated and highly trained faculty create an atmosphere of warm support and careful supervision which are basic ingredients in enhancing each child’s social skills, attitudes towards learning, feelings of self-worth, and development of interests.

As in all divisions of the school, professionals at the First Program strive to establish a culturally diverse, gender-sensitive environment that supports a healthy balance among all children’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. At every age level within the First Program, an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning is coupled with special consideration for each child’s interests and the development of community responsibility. Authentic feedback given to children based on their own efforts, ideas, and accomplishments, as well as respectful acceptance of a child’s feelings, help First Program youngsters to meet challenges with the persistence and optimism necessary to develop competence, confidence, and self-esteem.

The First Program has House as the basic organizational feature serving as the student’s home base and the place for most academic work. Following the guidelines articulated in Dalton’s K–3 Curriculum Guide, the House Advisor and Associate Teacher implement a program of language arts, social studies, and mathematics in conjunction with specialists in Spanish, music, art, science, library, chess, theater arts, and physical education. In addition, reading and math specialists work with students individually or in small groups to provide support and enrichment. While the academic work is paramount, the purpose of House is to create a feeling of safety and security and to be a comfortable, supportive place for learning. Within House, there are regular opportunities for activities that serve to develop children’s social-emotional growth and nurture the ethical development critical to effective functioning in a complicated world. It is the House Advisor’s task to be in close contact with the parents, formally during Report Days in the fall and spring, and as needed to keep parents informed as to the multi-faceted growth of their children. The Laboratory, a cornerstone of the Dalton Plan, is introduced into the First Program as students pursue special projects and interests individually and in small groups. Teachers help students learn from the earliest ages that “Lab time” is a serious time for study and productive use of the school’s resources.

The Assignment is introduced in the First Program. It is a type of contract presented to students at the beginning of a new unit that delineates the subject to be studied and the different choices available to children for meeting the Assignment’s goals. An Assignment, which can be written on a white board, SMART Board, sheet of paper, or computer screen, offers the young child early experiences in structuring his or her time and the various ways that a subject can be studied.

Instructional Program

Within a defined but flexible curriculum, the First Program faculty differentiates instruction for children. Teachers vary the pace of instruction in skills enabling all types of learners to achieve both personal and academic success. Learning takes place on a one-to-one basis, in small groups, or as part of whole-class activities. Opportunities are provided at all levels to encourage children to become active and independent learners. Unique learning experiences enrich the curriculum. These experiences can be as varied as working with the Archaeologist- in-Residence who designs hands-on archaeological digs to lead young children into new areas of discovery; learning how to play chess beginning in kindergarten; or creating and choreographing an original musical production in theater arts.

The curriculum at the First Program is extended through field trips that take advantage of the many resources of the city, as well as through Dalton’s liaisons with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and other institutions. These trips are an integral part of the children’s educational experience.

Language Arts

Language Arts in the First Program builds on the children’s existing knowledge and rich linguistic experience and focuses on developing an increased competence in the use of the language arts: speaking and listening, reading and writing. Early literacy skills are supported as the children are exposed to a variety of literary genres. Reading to children continues throughout the First Program to enrich their language and vocabulary development. Once they begin to read, children receive formal instruction from their House Advisor and reading specialists. Dalton believes that reading is not only a tool for learning that helps children to make sense of their world but also an excellent vehicle for opening up discussions about ethics and values in a meaningful way. Values such as respect, personal responsibility, sharing, and giving are systematically explored and integrated through the First Program’s curriculum at all grade levels. Carefully crafted units of study related to identity development formation help students explore similarities and differences, gender stereotypes, and gender expression. Children are given the opportunity to take on a variety of perspectives, reflect, negotiate, and resolve conflicts. These themes are actively examined beginning in the early years and throughout a student’s Dalton experience. Writing is also an everyday activity in the First Program. From the beginning in kindergarten, children are encouraged to put their own voices into print—their thoughts, ideas, illustrations, findings, and discoveries. The writing process is developed in an environment of respectful “give and take.” Teachers nurture the developing potential of young writers while simultaneously introducing them to conventional spelling and grammar. The children keep journals with their own stories, group poems, or research. They learn how to edit, revise, and rewrite. Students’ own handmade books with original stories and reports are often displayed for everyone’s enjoyment.

Mathematics

Mathematics is approached in a developmental sequence that begins with the children’s firsthand experiences as the basis of their learning and understanding. The focus of the program is on the development of number sense and problem solving. Through differentiated instruction, activities are designed to provide challenge and build upon the students’ previous experiences. Emphasis is placed on developing number sense and fluency through strategy work and math games. Students learn to use multiple strategies to arrive at the most efficient solutions. They then apply these strategies to a variety of problem solving investigations. In the process, children develop increased conceptual understanding and strong mental math skills. A common mathematical vocabulary ensures continuity and helps students articulate their thinking processes. Teachers use a variety of manipulatives to help students internalize mathematical concepts and reinforce and enrich real-life learning situations with structured math experiences. Students work on solidifying their knowledge of the four major operations in arithmetic, as well as exploring measurement, fractions, graphing, two-and-three dimensional geometry, and estimation concepts. A math coordinator and a team of math specialists work closely with individual children, small groups, and whole groups to provide both support and enrichment.

Social Studies

The social studies curriculum is a vehicle for discovery and is designed to help develop the children’s sense of themselves as individuals, as members of various groups within society, and as members of a global community. The program begins in kindergarten, exploring the family unit, the classroom, and the school community. The first grade social studies program focuses on the wider community including the neighborhood surrounding Dalton, Central Park, and New York City institutions. In second grade, building on the kindergarten and first grade study of communities, the program focuses on New York City and its many diverse communities. Students undertake an in-depth study of the city that surrounds them. The program helps students develop and use a variety of new skills as part of their projects. Technology resources are integrated throughout the study. Students research a variety of landmarks as part of a city planning unit and visit a variety of cultural institutions as well as many ethnically diverse neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. The third grade curriculum is designed to provide a conceptual framework for developing an understanding and appreciation for the elements of culture. Through direct observations and guided field trips, students learn about local Eastern Woodland Indian populations as well as global cultures during the Age of Exploration and Expansion. An archaeological unit, set up on the school grounds within large “dig boxes,” provides an opportunity for students to participate in the excavation of a simulated archaeological site, working closely with the Archaeologist-inResidence. The museum program supports Dalton’s mission to promote interactive teaching and learning. Two in-house museum educators weave their academic training in anthropology and art history into the curriculum. Children have access to a digital database of art images, created specifically for each House, to help the students recreate a context for the kinds of artifacts they uncover.

Science

First Program students go to the Science Center during their weekly schedule to inquire, explore, experiment, take risks, and develop those skills they will need to move into the Middle School science program. Children are encouraged to work as young scientists within all domains of science: physical science, life science, and earth science. Through active investigation they develop the capacity to hypothesize and think analytically about complex phenomena. The school-wide science curriculum utilizes an inquiry-based and STEAM approach to learning. It is interdisciplinary in scope and developmentally appropriate building upon students’ previous knowledge. The program enhances the children’s critical thinking skills and encourages them to apply the science they are learning to real-world situations. Through carefully constructed investigations, students learn to work as scientists do, making discoveries and assessing outcomes. Embedded within every curricular unit are structural elements that encourage students to generate questions, design experiments, observe and collect evidence, and arrive at sound conclusions. Children are also introduced to the metric system, which is used throughout their scientific studies at Dalton. They leave the Science Center brimming with questions they have developed and excited to share their discoveries.

Students work independently and in small groups on activities that are part of a thirteen year sequence of science studies. Science teachers meet once a week with kindergarten and first grade students, and twice a week with second and third grade students. Kindergarten students investigate the five senses, earthworms, force and motion, trees in the neighborhood, sinking and floating, and seeds and fruit. First grade students explore land snails, magnetism, seed germination, the life cycle of a plant, Newton’s laws of motion, and weight and mass. Second grade students examine sound, liquids and volume, electricity, bridge building, green tree frogs, aerodynamics, and acids and bases.

Third grade students study pendulums, plant requirements, chemical interactions, the water cycle, and arthropods. The Science Department also runs an after school program that focuses on both STEAM and robotics. Students create, invent, and build using a variety of materials with a focus on problem solving through creativity and collaboration. Students also gain a strong foundation of coding through multiple robotic platforms and face challenges where they must use repeat loops, sensors, and if/then parameters.

Global Language Program

Recognizing the importance of early language learning, Dalton begins teaching Spanish in kindergarten at the First Program. With the goal of proficiency, children learn Spanish using immersion methodology and the communicative approach as a means of connecting language, culture, and content. Dalton’s program follows a FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) model in which students experience their language class for a specific amount of time each day. The FLES Program is beneficial because it connects to STEAM disciplines such as science, math and theater arts using their content to reinforce concepts and vocabulary. Such an approach strengthens knowledge of the first language, especially vocabulary and grammar, and is engaging and satisfying for young learners. As a means of providing the targeted literacy skills that have been proven to be helpful for heritage language learners, Dalton Spanish teachers offer Labs for these children during the school day. The Labs include conversations, short readings, and occasional writing activities that continue to validate and strengthen a child’s Spanish language proficiency.

Global Learning Initiatives

The goals for the Dalton Global Initiatives for First Program are to continue to enhance the First Program curriculum by identifying global resources for faculty, staff, and students, encouraging faculty development of global curricular collaborations, and facilitating faculty connections with partner schools around the globe. Through these relationships and collaborations, the First Program continues to develop opportunities to learn more about each other’s cultures and schools using a variety of technological resources such as email, Skype, VoiceThread, and blogs. Toward this end, faculty members developed a First Program DGI blog of resources, connections, and contacts. Partnerships have been established and collaborations made with schools in England, China, Iceland, Canada, India, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

The Arts

Children at the First Program enjoy visual arts, music, and theater arts regularly each week. The art studio at the First Program nurtures and supports the creativity of each individual artist. The program is designed to inspire children’s natural curiosity and inventiveness by facilitating their exploration of art materials and by encouraging self-reflection during the process of art making. Through lessons grounded in artistic development, students gain experience with a variety of art materials, tools, and techniques. With an emphasis on learning through exploration and guided experimentation, children are mentored in small group demonstrations and one-on-one instruction. The children develop increasing independence and competency with materials and tools, build trust and confidence in their artistic vision, and experience the hard work and satisfaction that creative work can bring. With a commitment to global awareness and diversity, students learn a respect not only for their own artwork but for those of others as well. All First Program children regularly participate in music as part of their weekly schedule. Movement activities, singing games, and the use of instruments introduce the elements of music theory. Students participate in group singing, part- singing, and assemblies. As children get older, they have the opportunity to play musical instruments; second and third graders play Orff instruments and third graders learn to play the recorder. Music teachers often work collaboratively with classroom teachers on interdisciplinary projects. Many youngsters enjoy singing in Dalton’s First Program Chorus. It rehearses throughout the school year and performs concerts twice yearly. The theater arts offerings at the First Program emphasize personal expression while supporting curricular learning through drama and dance. The program allows for students to view topics using an arts lens while simultaneously developing important life skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

In kindergarten, young children use the tenets of creative movement to build imagination and to develop gross motor skills. Gender stereotypes are broken down through acting out and reimagining fairy tales. The first grade creative movement program deepens skills learned in kindergarten with an emphasis on articulating critical responses to visual art. Students begin the process of recreating stories through dance motifs, physically exploring the

brushstrokes of various painting styles, and creating their own versions of tango and flamenco as a reinforcement of content learned in Spanish. The second grade program focuses on musical theatre. It connects to the social studies and literacy curricula and culminates in a musical dramatization of a piece of children’s literature that highlights the landmarks and many cultures of New York City. Additionally, students begin to work more deeply in dramatizing poetry and masterworks of art, and demonstrating their knowledge of electrical circuits through choreography in a unit of study about Human Circuitry. Theater and drama are the focus of the third grade curriculum. Students dramatize folklore, creation mythology tales, and fables. They learn about the practical use of excavated weaponry from their archeological digs while practicing stage combat using foam swords. They capitalize on previously learned skills to experience and understand curricular projects more fully.

Homework

Dalton is committed to supporting a balance of the various needs of a developing child. Believing in the tenets of progressive education and the philosophy behind the Dalton Plan, the school supports young children having time to pursue individual passions and the opportunity to reflect and build on their many experiences. Dalton recommends that all students read or be read to each night. Formal out-of-school assignments begin in the third grade. They support the child’s commitment to completing and returning assigned work. These assignments are designed to help the child learn time management, establish a routine for home study, and develop individual responsibility for schoolwork. Parents are encouraged to help their children find an appropriate study time and place. The goal is to provide opportunities for children to realize that schoolwork often requires thought or attention beyond the classroom.

Service Learning

Community Service within the First Program has been broadened and redefined to encompass the more comprehensive term, “Service Learning,” a reciprocal teaching/ learning framework that enhances community building within the curriculum and provides students with authentic goals and purposes for helping others on a local, national, and global level. From the beginning, students are immersed in rich, ethics-related conversations and projects generated from literature, classroom interactions, and student experiences. Meaningful, doable projects are integrated with the First Program House Curriculum and children enter into caring, reciprocal relationships with others over long periods of time. Beginning in kindergarten, each House and Grade Level Team develops service-based projects or initiatives each year. Such activities include studies in kindergarten that relate to food, clothing, and shelter, becoming rich learning opportunities for extending the children’s understanding about individuals within their immediate environment who may lack these basic essentials. The children problem-solve possible solutions, and this in turn leads to the development of on-going exchanges between kindergarten classes at Dalton and city-based organizations that provide services to those in need, such as the New York Common Pantry and The Church of the Heavenly Rest. The mission of the first grade service learning curriculum is to provide first graders with opportunities for responsible citizenship where a passion for a just and equitable world is cultivated. Students engage in a variety of activities where they enjoy a spirit of cooperation and a sense of local and global citizenship. They participate in a walkathon that raises funds to promote literacy.

They work closely with the New York Common Pantry and actively participate in helping to prepare meals for those in need. Students also create hand-knitted hats for the Homes for the Homeless organization. They organize a month-long postal system for the entire division, use the proceeds to support environmental causes, and on Earth Day, donate personally designed reusable bags to a local grocery store.

The second grade service learning goals include providing experiential opportunities that seek to broaden the children’s understanding of the world around them and their responsibility to the world. Emphasis has been placed on creating awareness about global issues related to sustainability. Students have taken actions within their own classrooms, homes, and communities to reduce pollution and overuse of resources and have pledged to encourage others to do the same. They learn about ways in which humans can harm or help the earth. Working with the New York City Restoration Project, each House visits a garden within each borough, weeds and plants bulbs, and gains understanding about ecological issues. Students also focus on ways in which they can help the earth in their everyday lives at home and at school. As a grade, they provide the other Houses with weekly “green tips,” and work together to create informative oral and video presentations about the importance of the three “R”s (reducing, reusing, recycling).

For third graders, service learning experiences provide children opportunities to learn about communities outside their own, establish a connection with members of that community, develop awareness of alternate perspectives, discuss similarities and differences, identify injustices, and take action to participate in efforts that support the needs of that community. Third grade students take on a leadership role by helping their classmates to identify meaningful causes across all grade levels, and research specific institutions connected to those causes. They organize a divisionwide election that helps the whole community in the decision making process for allocating and distributing the funds collected which are then given to various charitable organizations.

Children in grades K–3 also take part in school-wide service learning initiatives which help to encourage positive self-esteem, develop global understanding, and build school spirit. Interested second and third grade students can join the First Program Human Rights Club. Initially created by a group of third grade students, children learn first-hand about fundamental rights and responsibilities, and develop and initiate fundraising projects.

Emphasizing the importance of service-learning, both on the local level and global level, Dalton has taken on the mission of supporting the Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours School in the outskirts of Port-Au Prince, the capital of Haiti. Founded in 1967 and situated in the small village of Bel Air, one of the most economically challenged areas in the region, Notre-Dame is dedicated to providing an education for one hundred twenty-two young girls in first through sixth grades. Faced with an onslaught of obstacles such as poverty, hunger, earthquakes, and hurricanes, the school has persevered in its mission of educating students and giving them a chance at a better life. A Dalton French and Spanish teacher and House Advisor is affiliated with the Notre-Dame School community and coordinates fundraising initiatives within Dalton in support of the school. This faculty member’s commitment to Notre-Dame’s ongoing success has had a direct impact across all divisions and notes if Notre-Dame’s girls were not enrolled in school, their chances for success in later life would be highly compromised.

Several fundraising initiatives have been spearheaded across Dalton in support of the Notre-Dame School. The First Program contributes funds through the first grade’s annual walkathon outreach.

Parents are informed about service projects and related initiatives through the Dalton website, individual class newsletters and blogs, the Dalton eBlast, and frequently at Parent Association meetings.

Technology

Technology at the First Program supports and enhances the way that all subjects are taught and learned. Working with educational technologists from the school’s New Lab for Teaching and Learning, teachers provide students with an array of digital tools. These tools are integrated into assignments in a digital age. The goals of the digital citizenship curriculum are threefold: to develop lessons with teachers that enrich and support their curricula, to provide students with guidelines for using Internet resources safely and responsibly, and to increase awareness and encourage appropriate social interaction with digital tools and resources. differentiated, interdisciplinary, and constructivist way throughout the curriculum to facilitate scholarship and intellectual inquiry. Using iPads, laptops, and interactive SMART Boards, students document their thinking processes, problem solve, express themselves in multiple ways, collaborate with their peers, and work independently to master concepts.

Examples of technology use include Skyping with experts and cultural institutions around the world, photographing and annotating objects and museum artifacts on field trips, composing musical scores in the style of various musical genres, creating interactive digital books for creative writing and research, and programming animated stories.

In addition, faculty and educational technologists introduce to students in all grades the importance of being responsible digital citizens. Dalton partners with Common Sense Media to provide parents with guidelines and resources to support children growing up in the digital age. The goals of the digital citizenship curriculum are threefold: to develop lessons with teachers that enrich and support their curricula, to provide students with guidelines for using Internet resources safely and responsibly, and to increase awareness and encourage appropriate social interaction with digital tools and resources.

Physical Education

Physical activity is part of every day at Dalton. All kindergarten and first grade students enjoy a curriculum that includes ball skills, movement education, gymnastics, folk dance, and team activities. Second graders’ physical education classes take place at the First Program gym. The children are introduced to the skills associated with team sports, which include soccer, newcomb/volleyball, basketball skills, and kickball, as well as a continued reinforcement of basic motor skills, ball skills, gymnastics, folk dance, and sidewalk games. In third grade, physical education classes take place at the 87th Street facility and once a week at The Brick Church. Team sports are the main focus of the curriculum and students are involved in basketball, badminton, wiffleball, kickball, volleyball, soccer, lifetime fitness development, tumbling, team handball, football skills, and track and field. At The Brick Church, students are introduced to yoga, world dances, fitness games, and sidewalk games. Fitness is an integral part of the physical education routine. At each grade level, First Program students participate in exercise routines aimed at increasing their flexibility, upper body strength, and cardiovascular endurance. Outdoor play roofs, the gymnasium at First Program, the space at The Brick Church, and the facilities at the 87th Street Physical Education Center provide ample space for physical education classes. This program develops students’ skills so that they can take part in and enjoy games and sports events designed to build sportsmanship, grace, and athletic ability. Chess At Dalton, formal chess instruction begins in kindergarten. Students receive weekly chess instruction in kindergarten and first grade classes throughout the school year. In second grade, students have formal chess class for one semester. Opportunities for the extension and development of a student’s passion for chess abound at Dalton. An informal early morning drop-in chess program is offered every morning at 7:30 so children can play chess for fun before school starts. The more rigorous after school program offers chess instruction across all grade levels to enhance students’ skills and to better prepare them for tournament play. Dalton students participate in many local chess tournaments throughout the year, as well as in the New York City and the New York State Scholastic Chess Championships, the National K–12 Scholastic Championships, the National Elementary Scholastic Championships, and the National All-Girls tournament. Over the past several years, the Dalton Chess Teams have won numerous city, state, and national championships, making Dalton one of the top chess schools in the nation.

After School Program

Dalton offers an After School Program to all K–8th grade students. The Serendipity Program (K–3rd grade) and Encore! (4th–8th grade) run instructional classes from 3:15– 4:30 p.m. At First Program, students select from a broad range of courses including Computer Fun and Games, Tennis, Beyond Lego, Guitar, Woodworking, Hip Hop, Mini-Musical, Cooking, French, Photography, and many more. ASP has introduced Serendipity Study Corner, providing support for third graders with home assignments. Kids Club, from 4:30 until 5:45 p.m., provides additional after school support for Dalton families. Here students play organized games, listen to stories, draw, work on the computer, do homework, and have a snack. The Dalton Language Initiative offers a more intensive after school language experience for Dalton’s youngest students. The renowned Dalton Chess Academy is another component of the After School Program, offering all levels of chess instruction to Dalton students. First Program students are also introduced to STEAM and robotics classes which provide active, hands-on problem solving activities and encourages students to create, invent, build, and make discoveries. Continuation of the After School Program is available in the Middle School. The After School Program is offered on a fee basis with a sliding scale for those families receiving tuition assistance.