Primary

Primary school students are learning to read and write in small, differentiated groups and developing social and emotional skills.

5–7AGESPRIMARY 1
6–8AGESPRIMARY 2
16–22STUDENTSPER CLASS
2TEACHERSPER CLASS

To support their trajectory, our In-Depth Studies curriculum engages students in collaborative, hands-on projects based on their interests. Students also work with specialist teachers in music, physical education, and library, and there is plenty of time for play and time outdoors, too.

A Primary 1 classroom recently chose to study snakes when a small hibernaculum was discovered right outside their door. Students asked questions, made hypotheses, observed, researched, and handled the snakes. They created a book about what they learned and shared it with their families.

A Primary 2 classroom was inspired by two Wampanoag potters from Aquinnah to create their own coil-built clay pots. In the process, students discovered how many words we use today are from Indigenous languages, including skunk, hickory, toboggan, Massachusetts, and pumpkin. They also learned how Wampanoag Nation members are trying to reclaim and teach their native language.

Peek into a Primary classroom on any given day and you’ll find:

  • A classroom environment that supports developing social skills and where sharing, negotiating, taking turns, and solving problems together are all part of the process.

  • Students embracing independent learning through skill-building activities, portfolio reflection, and by managing their own project choices and materials.

  • Interdisciplinary lessons that incorporate movement, dance, drama, and art making.

Primary Curriculum Highlights

  • Primary 1: Snakes

    In many settings, a surprise encounter with a snake would be off-putting. But students spotted one in a flower bed outside the Primary 1 classroom, they were curious about its type, where it lived, and whether it was hungry. They chose to embark on a special snake-study project, setting up an observation station and reading books on the subject. Things got really exciting when one day the snake slithered into the classroom, but students stayed calm, giving it enough space to slither back out. They concluded it was a garter snake that probably lived between shingles on the School’s roof.

  • Primary 2: Senses

    The Primary 2 class’s multiweek In-Depth Study of the five senses was part science experiment, part philosophical discussion, part art project. In their investigation of touch, students learned physical sensation is registered by nerves in the skin, which send a signal to the brain. They also looked at artist Angelica Dass’s Humanae series, which comprises 4,000 photographic portraits of people from around the world, each tinted with a specific Pantone color that perfectly matches the subject’s skin color. Students were inspired to make their own portraits as they reflected on the idea that our skin color does not affect how we experience sensation.