Lower School Curriculum

Mission Statement

Mustard Seed School teaches each child to know and care for their community and God’s world. Together we inspire minds, cultivate hearts, and remove barriers.

Courses

Literacy

Our students begin their journey in literacy by developing a love of story. Reading and writing happens everywhere in the curriculum. We want each child to experience success and confidence in learning to read and write.

In their kindergarten year, students began composing, reading, and writing their own stories. By the end of that year, students decode patterned and simple phonetic texts. They learn to form letters carefully and accurate ly. They develop phonological and phonemic aware ness through songs, rhymes, and games. Play-based phonics instruction allows students to connect symbols and sounds in preparing for reading.

In first grade, students are actively involved in learning phonics and word-solving strategies as they decode words and read more challenging books. They com plete a number of writing projects such as writing “how to” books and friendly letters.

Second and third grade students expand on this foundation, developing stamina as they read and write increasingly complex texts, both fiction and non-fiction including biography, poetry, fairy tales.

Reading and writing become avenues for research and communicating their understanding. Third grade students also learn how to write summaries and critically answer questions about texts.

Visits to the school library and a summer reading list are also part of the literacy program to nurture the love of reading and keep students engaged with reading outside school.

The balanced literacy program used in the Lower School is composed of units of study from Fountas and Pinnell’s Phonics and Guided Reading program and Teachers College Reading and Writing Project as well as the multi-sensory approach to learning letter forma tion presented in Handwriting Without Tears.

Reading

FIRST GRADE

Students are guided and exposed to reading in many forms throughout the school day.

• The day begins with students hearing a story in worship. Read-alouds are scattered throughout the morning and afternoon, developing a love of story and increasing student vocabulary, comprehension, and complex thinking skills.

• Daily phonics instruction gives students the building blocks to decode words.

• Small-group reading instruction allows teachers to target students’ individual reading levels and goals. Students utilize phonetic knowledge to decode words and engage in analytic discussions about texts.

• Students additionally engage in independent reading daily, allowing them to practice skills they are learning with a book of their choice.

• Students attend to phrasing and punctuation as they develop the ability to read fluently.

Students read literature and informational texts, and they begin to use reading as a tool as they engage in further research and study.

SECOND AND THIRD GRADE

Reading instruction occurs in a workshop approach with small groups meeting and reforming into dif ferent groups as students gain skills. The teacher can design groups based on skills assessed and target instruction to a student’s goals and level. Within this format teachers provide:

• Specific phonetic instruction to support decoding and encoding,

• Feedback about the quality and content of students’ reading,

• Strategies for improving decoding, comprehension, and fluency,

• Increased time and longer texts to support stamina for sustained reading,

• Prompts and questions for students to reflect in writing about their reading and prepare them for discussion,

• Opportunities to share their work with peers and teachers.

Students continue to read a range of texts that are literature and informational. Phonics and word rec ognition continue to be part of reading instruction as students gain a larger sight-word vocabulary and decode multisyllabic words.

Writing

FIRST GRADE

First grade students learn the writers’ process which includes prewriting, drafting, conferencing, revising, and publishing. Students learn to write with purpose as they work with research, non-fiction, and personal narrative forms of writing. They learn how to write topic sentences and add details to sentences. Throughout the year they increase the amount of writing they can complete, adding more sentences as their skill and stamina increases.

Through phonetic word study, students begin to recognize patterns in words and apply them to their reading and writing. Towards the end of the year, they advance in skill to write words with more standardized spelling. They learn conventional forms of punctuation in simple sentences.

GRADES TWO AND THREE

Students continue working through the steps of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, conferencing, re vising, publishing.) and gain the habits of good writing. They cycle through drafts and focus on traits of writing: voice, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions. Through reading exemplar texts, stu dents note the craft of various writers and use them as mentor texts for their own writing. They begin to apply learning in science and social studies to produce writ ing pieces that express their understanding. Students are expected to write and sustain independent writing for 10 to 15 minutes.

Word study expands as students master blends, di graphs, prefixes, suffixes, vowel combinations, and strategies for multisyllabic words. They develop stand ardized spelling of an expanding list of high frequency words. Mechanics, usage, and conventions are layered into the work of the year as students grow as writers.

“What can the Viking culture, which is often characterized by pillaging and conquests, teach us about life, learning, and community? In first grade, chil dren begin to consider their own role as explorers of the world, tellers of stories, participants in conflict, and people who are challenged to build a community using shared (and sometimes very limited) resources. We can begin to make judgments about right and wrong by examining a culture that had flaws and strengths.

First grade is a time for taking heroic risks and making courageous choices. For many, learning to read, write, or speak in front of classmates is a risky endeavor! A study of the Vikings helps us discover our hopes for our own com munity and how we experience and explore the world around us together.”

— First Grade Teacher, Kate Streelman

Students, like all mathematicians, learn how to articulate their problem-solving strategies with their class. This expands the thinking each student is exposed to as a variety of strategies are presented, and it gives teachers insight as to how the child understands mathematical concepts.

Mathematical practices are incorporated into the various units and echo the 20 Habits Mustard Seed Students Should Develop:

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

• Model with mathematics.

• Use appropriate tools strategically.

• Attend to precision.

• Look for and make use of structure.

• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Mustard Seed School follows the Technical Education Research Centers (TERC) Investigations curriculum for mathematics. Math skills begin with classifying and counting tasks. Graphs and measurement skills enter the classroom as students need to communicate and understand quantity. Composing and decomposing numbers in different ways develops the concepts of addition and subtraction in a dynamic study. Students use manipulatives, games, and movement as they develop proficiencies.

FIRST GRADE

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction

• Understand and apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction

• Add and subtract within 20

• Work with addition and subtraction equations

Number and Operations in Base Ten

• Extend the counting sequence

• Understand place value

• Use place value properties of operations to add and subtract

Measurement and Data

• Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units

• Tell and write time

• Represent and interpret data

Geometry

• Reason with shapes and their attributes

SECOND GRADE

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction

• Add and subtract within 20

• Work with equal groups of objects to gain founda tions for multiplication

Number and Operations in Base Ten

• Understand place value

• Use place value properties of operations to add and subtract

Measurement and Data

• Measure and estimate lengths in standard units

• Relate addition and subtraction to length

• Work with time and money

• Represent and interpret data

Geometry

• Reason with shapes and their attributes

THIRD GRADE

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division

• Understand properties of multiplication and the rela tionship between multiplication and division

• Multiply and divide within 100

• Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic

Number and Operations in Base Ten

• Use place value properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic

• Develop understanding of fractions as numbers

Measurement and Data

• Solve problems involving measurement and estimation

• Represent and interpret data

• Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.

• Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter.

Geometry

• Reason with shapes and their attributes.

Students do more than rote calculations. They learn different strategies to analyze a problem, develop number sense which is the ability to mentally represent numbers, and practice flexibility in applying multiple solutions to a problem.

Blocks

Children learn best through play and experimentation. Blocks provide an especially rich and effective tool for both of these areas. Our classrooms protect space and time for regular block play. Blocks is an area where creativity and visual arts intersect with problem-solving, math, and science. Not to mention the social learning that happens as imaginative play and collaboration occur. Blocks play is complex and challenging. Blocks are taught carefully at Mustard Seed School so that children can grow in sophistication in their ability to use blocks effectively as a tool for learning and expression.

Some notable first-grade projects in blocks include:

• Recreating a Viking ship. Students grapple with how to use rectangular blocks to make a curved ship.

• Measuring the dimensions of block structures during the 3D geometry study. How many inches high, wide, and long is each structure?

• Building a city containing transportation systems, considering how much space must be allocated for various modes of transportation in a block city.

• Incorporating natural objects into block structures to demonstrate knowledge of bird nests and habitats.

“We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health. Can we teach children to look at a flower and see all the things it represents: beauty, the health of an ecosystem, and the potential for healing?” — Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Chil dren from Nature-Deficit Disorder

At Mustard Seed School, classroom teachers and our PE teacher work together to provide opportunities for students to develop their physical skills. Teachers layer in learning about keeping our bodies healthy into daily life together, encouraging children in nutrition, self-care, and enjoying physical activity. Stu dents work with a PE teacher once or twice a week to receive skill instruction. PE activities attend to frequency, intensity, time, and type to develop fitness. Every day, as the weather is conducive, children go outside to play.

Standards

• Effective communication may be a determining factor in the outcome of health- and safety-related situations.

• Understanding of fundamental concepts related to effective execution of actions provides the foun dation for participation in games, sports, dance, and recreational activities.

• Demonstrate changes in time, force, and flow while moving in personal and general space at different levels, directions, ranges, and pathways.

• Respond in movement to changes in tempo, beat, rhythm, or musical style.

• Teamwork consists of effective communication and other interactions between team members.

• Practice appropriate and safe behaviors while participating in and viewing games, sports, and other competitive events contributes to enjoyment of the event.

FIRST GRADE

Students begin the year developing basic movement skills (hopping, skipping, side-to-side) as they play group games. They learn a variety of games and practice safe movement and tagging. They move on to ball handling skills (kicking, dribbling, tossing, throwing, catching, volleying, striking) and engage in skill building and partner activities to practice these skills. Jump rope and parachute activities are intro duced toward the end of the year. Students are encouraged to develop greater stamina throughout the year and often take the games and skills learned into their outdoor playtimes.

SECOND AND THIRD GRADE

Students are introduced to ball skills, including underhand and overhand throwing. They work on tossing, catching, and throwing at stationary and moving targets. Students explore spatial and body awareness. They participate in challenging activities (Gaga, Garbage Pickup, Secret Agent Tag, and Rock-Pa per-Scissors sprints) where they could enjoy movement and cooperate with a partner. In addition, students focused on kinesthetic movements (learning through physical activities) to improve in moving side-to-side (lateral quickness) and in using sensory cues (visual and auditory).

Students work on the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, partici pate in physical activity, and maintain personal health. They work on complex skills (running, hand and foot dribbling, and muscular endurance) to develop an understanding of basic and compound move ments. The students apply these skills in the context of games (hula hoop fort toss, ring toss, spud ball, four corners treasure) and movements to help with flexibility and coordination. The focus this term is for students to integrate these skills in order to perform during physical activities and build a relationship of skill practice, skill development, and the use of r hythmic patterns in sports.

Cycles of Study

Second and Third grades follow a two-year curriculum in science and social studies. Through the course of two years, students engage in 12 distinct science and social studies units. This work is collaborative and integrates the arts, providing many modes for students to enter into and express their understanding.

GUIDING IDEA

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What is a community?

What changes the community?

A

Celebrating Community

What impact does a community have on its mem bers and those outside of it?

How has the United States changed since it was formed as a country?

What changes are happening now?

What have been important influences in the development of the United States?

FIRST GRADE

In addition to block play (see page 9), first grade students study units in Field and Forest in preparation for engagement in the learning cycles of grades two and three.

Every day, the first-grade students spend at least 30 minutes outdoors playing, imagining, and exploring nature in our local park, Church Square Park.

On Fridays, the first-grade students spend at least two hours outdoors--sometimes more than three hours outdoors. They visit various parks in Hoboken, spending time running, playing, building, creating, and observing the nature they find in the urban environment. The children may adopt a “home spot” where they do observational drawings, look closely at the ground and trees nearby, and rest. Of course, they also play with each other, adapting their play to the natural environment. Caring for the environment takes place as children collect trash, practice recycling, and learn about local wildlife.

The children also spend at least an hour of their time in active play. During the past few visits, we have seen children creating hide-and-seek or tag games among the trees and bushes, dramatizing the lives of their favorite birds, building fairy or animal houses out of found natural objects, imagining new uses for a unique stick, and creating a “chestnut economy” (How many sycamore seed pods would you trade for a chestnut?)

We believe that children are happier, healthier, and learn better when they spend time connecting with nature, no matter how urban the setting might be.

Our hope is that the children will become intimately connected to their small pieces of the Earth. We visit our local parks throughout the year so that they can observe the seasonal changes, examine the flora and fauna that frequent the park, and simply enjoy resting while looking up at the sky, trees, and bushes.

SECOND AND THIRD GRADE

Science and social studies reside in the center of integrated learning. Exploring essential questions leads students into research, observation, listening, critical thinking, and empathy -- all those habits of heart and mind, learning, and work. Students use the skills of reading, writing, math, and artistic expression as they investigate and increase their understanding.

The science curriculum uses a hands-on approach to investigations, stimulating the students’ curiosity. Each year students learn concepts in earth science, life science, and physical science. Students engage with materials and, as needed, plants and animals. Students learn process skills such as comparing, classifying, using variables, predicting, hypothesizing, recording, and interpreting data. Their studies often correlate with their work in the Shared Space (see page 20). For example, in a study of sound, students design their own instruments in the Shared Space based upon the concepts they are learning.

Social studies follow the theme of the cycle in an ever-expanding way. For example, students may begin the year studying the community of Hoboken, but by the end of the year, they are applying the same framework to a country and then the global community. Social justice is an essential theme as students developmentally begin to understand time and engage in historical study. Geography and map study, culture, economics, politics, and government are all components built in to support their inquiry as they attempt to answer essential questions. This work is also integrated into the Shared Space. For example, in the study of China and the Lunar New Year, students work collaboratively to design lion and dragon constructions for the dance they will perform.

STUDIES

Cycles A: Celebrating Community

SCIENCE

Rocks and Minerals

What is a rock, and what is a mineral? How are rocks formed?

FALL WINTER

What properties do minerals have? How are rocks and minerals used?

Students explore the differences between rocks and minerals by observing the proper ties of rock samples and sorting them based on those properties. Students also investigate minerals, on which they perform tests similar to those conducted by geologists to deter mine luster, hardness, color, and the ability to transmit light. Testing the materials this way strengthens students ability to conduct experiments and to record and interpret their data. As they examine their results they draw conclusions based on their findings.

Throughout this study, students read about different minerals and how they are used. A trip to Sterling Mines gives them an up-close experience with rocks and minerals.

States of Matter

What are the properties of matter?

What is a solid, a liquid, a gas? How do states of matter change?

Students explore states of matter through observing and classifying the objects in the world around them, as young scientists. Stu dents use hands-on experiences with blocks, balloons, and beakers to identify the distinc tive properties of the three common states of matter. With a variety of lab tools they observe, explore, and measure solids, liquids, gases, and investigate the processes by which one changes into another by melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation. As students conduct melting and freezing experiments, they learn the importance of

SOCIAL STUDIES

China and the Lunar New Year

How have history, geography, and time shaped China as a culture?

How is the use of symbolism important to Chinese culture, traditions, and art?

As they learn about China, students con tinue to explore the questions that guided their community study, but now apply them to a study of a culture. They use the lens of geography, time, history, and sym bolism to understand Chinese culture.

Collaborative research and investiga tion, as well as use of a timeline, are skills students develop within the study. Experts visit to share their experience of China. They culminate their learning with a Lunar New Year celebration.

Global Study: Countries Around the World

How do physical features and cultural practices interact to influence the devel opment of countries and societies?

How can the study of cultures provide a context for understanding in a diverse and interdependent world?

In partnerships students research and explore a country from around the world. Using geography, history, and culture as a lens they investigate how that impacts the people who live there. They learn about the unique features of their country and as they learn can begin to contrast and compare them with other countries.

SPRING

SCIENCE

controlling variables and keeping records. To conclude the unit, the class celebrates by making ice cream for a “Matter Matters” party.

SOCIAL STUDIES

At the same time, they learn to value and honor the diversity of people as all being made in God’s image. In the Shared Space, students create artifacts connect ed with their country. The study ends with a Global Expo in which the students share their findings and artifacts with their class mates and their parents.

Butterflies

What makes butterflies unique?

What do all living things need to survive? What are the changes that occur in a life cycle?

This unit introduces students to the concepts of life cycles as they investigate one organ ism - the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). As students care for the caterpillars and butterflies, they observe, record, and describe in words and drawings the meta morphosis from caterpillar to chrysalis and from chrysalis to butterfly. In many cases, students will get to see a butterfly lay eggs. Some butterflies will die natural deaths, completing students’ observations of the life cycle. Through these investigations, students understand that the term “cycle” implies continuity and that life cycles exist for all liv ing organisms. This experience deepens their understanding of the diversity and complexi ty of life on earth.

In the Shared Space, students work as a collaborative group to build a large model of a butterfly of their choice. These models must include all main anatomical structures of a butterfly.

Immigration

How do citizens, civic ideals, and govern ment institutions interact to balance the needs of individuals and the common good? How do physical geography, human geography, and the human environment interact to influence or determine the development of cultures, societies, and nations?

As students begin the school year they launch into a study of immigration. This study comes as new second grade students are “immigrating” into the 2&3 classes, allowing for parallels to be observed and experienced by students. Students develop interview skills as they invite various immigrants into their classes, record their findings, and synthesize the concepts that are presented. Students consider immigration in the United States over time. They participate in discussions, listen to read alouds, and investigate immigration resources.

The study culminates with a sharing of opinion pieces on immigration that stu dents develop, and a service project to support the work of First Friends of New Jersey and New York, an organization that supports detained immigrants and asylum seekers.

Cycles B: Changing America

SCIENCE

Soil Science

What is soil?

How does soil form?

How are soils different?

Students become familiar with sampling techniques and soil components, weather and erosion, minerals, and nutrients. Students separate soil into particle layers and classify and compare soil types according to esti mated proportions.

Once they understand what soil is, they find out how it is made by modeling weathering by plants and water. Next, students observe how earthworms mix and enrich soil. They discover that nutrient-rich soil helps plants grow, and plants, in turn, help soil resist erosion. Grass gardens, pollution detectors, worm farms, and erosion models offer handson experiences. Students’ research includes reading and writing about their findings.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Immigration

How do citizens, civic ideals, and government institutions interact to bal ance the needs of individuals and the common good?

As students begin the school year they launch into a study of immigration. This study comes as new second grade students are “immigrating” into the 2&3 classes, allowing for parallels to be observed and experienced by students. Students develop interview skills as they invite various immigrants into their classes, record their findings, and synthesize the concepts that are presented. Students consider immigration in the United States over time. They participate in discussions, listen to read alouds, and investigate immigration resources.

The study culminates with a sharing of opinion pieces on immigration that stu dents develop and a service project to support the work of First Friends of New Jersey and New York, an organization that supports detained immigrants and asylum seekers.

Sound

How is sound produced?

WINTER

What materials does sound travel through? How can we change the pitch and volume of sounds?

Notable Americans

How have specific Americans acted to influence our country today?

In what ways have the time periods of American history affected the actions of groups of people?

Students use tuning forks, slide whistles, strings, and other sound-producing objects to investigate the characteristics of sound. They discover that sound is caused by vibrations and experiment with vibrating air columns, strings, and rulers. Through their

How have women, Blacks, Asian Amer icans, Latinos, and Native Americans worked for change? What characteristics make people agents for change?

SCIENCE

experiments, students are able to relate pitch and volume to the frequency and am plitude of the vibrations.

Once students understand the mechanics of sound, they learn how it travels. The human ear is integral to sound, and students build a model eardrum to learn how the ear func tions and how to protect ears from sound.

Students apply what they have learned by designing and building their own musical in struments. This activity not only assesses how much information students learned during this study, but also examines their ability to develop and execute a plan, to communi cate what they built and why they built it.

SSOCIAL STUDIES

Students read and hear individual biog raphies about notable Americans who have done remarkable things, many of whom have impacted or changed the world. They choose one person to study and learn about the challenges he or she faced and how they overcame them.

Additionally, students learn about the way the person’s life impacted the lives of others, resulting in the students learning about the world in which we live. They contribute to a timeline of US history and can speak about their Notable American in relation to it. They consider the qualities of compassion and courage and what it means to be an agent of change.

Students write a biography, contribute to a timeline, make an illustration, craft an artifact and a puppet, and create move ment and a costume to wear in a wax museum. They compose a brief speech in character and prepare for interviews.

SPRING

SCIENCE

Plant and Animal Populations

What is a population and how is it measured? How do members of a population influence one another?

What is a habitat? How do elements of the habitat affect the organic life within and the population? What is an ecosystem?

Students explore the differences between plants and animals by observing what hap pens to seeds and eggs. Through a study of organisms and seedlings they learn about the causes of population growth and de cline. Students observe and count a number of different kinds of plants and animals grow ing, reproducing, and dying. This process promotes student understanding of how and why populations interact and fluctuate.

They collect and record data, read and interpret graphs, make predictions and use variables to develop their process skills and deepen their understanding.

SSOCIAL STUDIES

Westward Expansion: Oregon Trail and Trail of Tears

Why did people move west? How did travel and life in a new land change the people and the environment of the people who lived there? What was the journey like for the pioneers that travelled west? What was the journey like for the Cherokees that travelled west?

Second and third-grade students learn about the Westward Expansion as they study the Oregon Trail and the Trail of Tears. They dramatize encounters and Cherokee folk tales.

They read about events and record them on a timeline and write a narrative about one journey. They compare the two journeys to understand the differenc es, developing perspective-taking and empathy. They create artifacts of that era and describe how they were used in presentations to classmates and parents.

Homework

The purpose of homework in the Lower School is to nurture literacy skills and build a strong foundation for independ ent work on the part of the student. Homework is practiced first in school during the first weeks. Then it is sent home and expected to be completed independently. In general, homework is given Monday through Thursday, and not on the weekends. All students should be read to daily, preferably by a parent, as this is the best way to nurture a love for reading and develop a broader vocabulary.

Reading is the daily homework expectation, with varying expectations at their grade levels. There may be occa sional math or writing assignments to offer some extra practice or challenge.

FIRST GRADE

In first grade students, as they learn to read words, shift from a parent reading to them, to them reading to a parent. Students should build up to 10 minutes of daily reading at home.

SECOND GRADE

In second grade students are expected to read on their own. They should build up to fifteen minutes of sustained reading. Parents should continue to read aloud to them so they further develop their listening comprehension and vocabulary.

THIRD GRADE

In third grade students continue with reading, building up to 20 minutes a day. Parents should continue to read aloud to them so they further develop their listening comprehension and vocabulary.

If homework for any student seems to be taking longer than the given amount of time on a regular basis, please inform the teacher so an adjustment can be made.

As one of the four pillars of MSS, the arts are intentionally taught as they are essential to thriv ing in life. The arts are the language of the soul, conveying meaning and bringing beauty into students’ lives and the learning community.

Shared Space

The Shared Space is a sensory and maker space for students. Students receive art instruction in real art and their materials: clay and wire, textiles, collage and paper construction, drawing and paint. As they learn how to work with different media they use it to represent their research and understanding of the themes they are studying in the classroom. Drama provides other ways for students to enact what they learn and conduct investigations. Representing concepts in different media builds a deeper understanding.

Music

Every game and song leads students to become true musicians who can read, write, and enjoy mu sic in every way!

Students, like all mathematicians, learn how to articu late their problem-solving strategies with their class. This expands the thinking each student is exposed to as a variety of strategies are presented, and it gives teach ers insight as to how the child understands mathemati cal concepts.

Mustard Seed School has an arts-centered curriculum where music is a daily activity. The program is based on the Kodály philosophy and focuses on the goals of mu sical literacy, as well as singing a wide variety of music that is authentic in nature. Students have music twice a week and in second and third grade, it extends to three times a week as students become Songsters. The music program at Mustard Seed School is a vibrant and ever-evolving entity.

In music class, students will learn musical concepts and skills by:

DOING Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts

Students will create and participate in various roles in the arts.

KNOWING Using Arts Resources and Materials Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of materials and resources available for participation in music.

LISTENING Responding to and Analysing Works of Art Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other as pects of human endeavour and thought.

UNDERSTANDING Exploring the Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how the arts shape diverse cultures.

FIRST GRADE

Students start the year by practicing the correct use of voice and body to express music. Students practice many musical concepts through singing games, circle dances, and improvisational activities. Students will also start learning about musical literacy, preparing, prac ticing, and mastering reading, writing, performing, and composing music using quarter notes, eighth notes,

and rests. Students also start using simple classroom instruments to supplement literacy practice and per formance skills. They share their learning with audience members at the annual Spring Concert.

SECOND GRADE

Students continue using singing games, circle dances, and improvisational activities to further their musical skills. Students also start using more and more instruments, both pitched and unpitched, to further enhance their musical studies. This year they master the on-the-beat rhythmic patterns such as a quarter note, two eighth notes, quarter rests, and start working on extending the sound over multiple beats (half notes and whole notes), as well as subdividing the beat into smaller units (sixteen notes). Melodically, they learn and practice phrases using the pentatonic scale. The students start analyzing pieces of music and create strategies for learning them. The sec ond-grade students are also part of the Mustard Seed School Songsters, a choral ensemble for students in Grades 2 and 3. They rehearse once a week and learn about how to become a community of singers as well as using their voices to lead. They share their learning with audience members at the annual Spring Concert.

THIRD GRADE

Students start the year by reviewing all the literacy con cepts from previous years to prepare for the new year. They use singing games, circle dances, simple choreo graphed dances to reinforce the skills, and build com munity. Throughout this year, the students are exposed to extended pentatonic, both major and minor scales, even rhythmic patterns, and uneven rhythmic patterns such as syncopations and dotted rhythms. They use larger instruments such as congas, djembes, tubanos, as well as bucket drums, Orff instruments and boom whackers to support their learnings. In Songsters, they are the leaders of the ensemble—they sing extra verses in multi-versed songs, learn and perform both descants and lower harmonies to enrich the songs, and start learning conducting patterns. They share their learning with audience members at the annual Spring Concert.

Visual Arts

Students engage in the visual arts daily in school, often in work periods in the Studio or Shared Space, but as students become more skilled, they use these skills in the classroom as well. Students receive weekly art les sons. Art lessons often teach students techniques to use in the Shared Space, such as how to sew or illustrate a book, but students also have lessons in art as a disci pline itself. Impressionist self-portraits or designing and stitching pillows connect students with looking more closely and imagining possibilities. Each year, skills and concepts are revisited and further developed. During their work, students may pause and share strategies in problem solving. At the end of various projects, stu dents pause to reflect and critique and celebrate their work.

FIRST GRADE

Students begin the year with a messy collaborative project of printmaking to keep them open to many possibilities in art. They move to a focus on identity as they complete self-portraits in clay and oil pastels. During this year, there is a leap in the fine motor skills stu dents develop as they work with different media. Skills like woodworking, stitching, bending wire, and paint

require and develop hand-eye coordination. Students learn how to look more closely as they participate in observational and line drawing and as they blend colors and provide texture in paint. A highlight of the year is building their own vehicle in woodworking and a collaborative found-object sculpture connected to their study of space. Students title their individual pieces.

SECOND GRADE

This is a year for confidence building. Students are more internal, so they engage in more independent work and problem-solving skills while still receiving clear guidance and step-by-step structures for projects. They are challenged by more ambitious projects with less structure, such as instrument design and construction. Group work early on is more supervised and then less so as students refer to written guides and routines and systems in place. Clay sculpting and puppet making are highlights of the year. Students expand their writing about their work by creating simple labels with captions to inform viewers of the work.

THIRD GRADE

This is a year of going deeper and broader - the basics have been established, and the artists are ready to plan, design, and direct their own projects. Third grade students choose which medium to use for an increasing number of projects, as more and more projects are mixed media, such as puppets and found-object sculptures. By third grade, students are more independently pausing and problem solving as they work on their projects. Students are involved in designing a display for the school hallway, learning how to curate their work. Students can inde pendently write a simple paragraph about their work.

Drama

In the Studio, there is a designated area for drama. Students share in the telling of familiar stories, re-enact a trip they took, or simulate a visit to a place they might want to visit, such as a car wash with vehicles they created or a rocket blasting into space. In the Shared Space, students may have set times when drama is the focus, and throughout the year, they will learn how to build sets with hollow blocks and design props, how to use their body and voice, pacing, and timing. By third grade, students know how to write and read a script. They collaborate to share their drama with their classmates. This work builds confidence in children as they make presentations through out the year to classmates and parents.

Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) builds conversational fluency as well as previews vocabulary. Students use present, imperfect, and simple past tenses of key verbs from the start. They begin the term with community-building games, then move to TPRS pre-reading stories that build oral fluency and comprehension. Reading provides the class with opportunities for gaining comprehension through a series of curated reflective questions, called “circling.” Circling questions focus on using different parts of speech to solidify understanding and vocabulary. Vocabulary building is key and accomplished always in a contextualized manner (through story or interactions) rather than through memorized charts or out of context conjugations.

Students collaborate in story dramatizations, engage in class discussions, and group presentations. Students will also be given written assignments to help them solidify their comprehension and grammar skills.

Spanish

Throughout their early years at Mustard Seed students have been exposed to different languages in their academic studies. read alouds, or as they sing in different languages in worship. In second grade, after they have mastered the basics of reading in first grade, students begin formal instruction in Spanish twice a week. Students develop fluency through reading, discussing, acting, writing, and game playing in Spanish. The class experiences are highly collaborative, interactive, and story-based. Students use TPRS stories, activities, and chapter books to engage meaningful text that foster authentic conversations and expression.

SECOND GRADE

Students speak, read, react, and act out the story called, El Capibara con Botas. (The Capibara with Boots). The story carefully curates vocabulary without sheltering students from sophisticated grammar and serves to prepare students for successful reading and comprehension in Spanish. The students also play various games in class that helped them learn new words, count higher, and work with colors. Their confidence in Spanish is apparent in both classes’ ability to write the morning message on the board on their own.

THIRD GRADE

Students read the chapter book, Brandon Brown quiere un perro and completed a TPRS story based on an authentic Cuban literature, called El Gallo de bodas.(The Wedding Rooster). Both are told in the present, past, and imperfect past tenses. Students engage in many TPRS classroom mini lessons prior to reading chapters and take quick quizzes after each TPRS lesson. Mastery is evidenced by classroom en gagement in TPRS lessons, by independent chapter reading, with occasional assistance, and by accu rately and independently completing written assignments and quick quizzes. Students should be able to read and comprehend classroom texts, and respond to questions at the word and short-phrase level.