Elementary Grades

Our Elementary School is where students grow into engaged learners. The imagination and play that was nurtured in Kindergarten prepares students to have the focus required for formal learning. Students approach their education in the elementary grades with joy and perseverance.

In order for the students to master the high level mathematics in middle school, they must have a solid foundation in number sense, problem solving strategies, and math fact fluency, along with a strong growth mindset. All of these are developed over time in the elementary grades, starting in concrete ways and working up to more abstract algorithms. Students learn to think about math creatively and effectively explain their mathematical reasoning.

At Sparrow, the Kindergarten is an environment full of rich language and vocabulary. The seeds that have been planted there are now ready to sprout in the elementary. Oral telling of fairy tales, fables, legends, and histories, is the foundation on which curriculum is presented to the students and from this context the lessons are derived. From letters to paragraphs, and from Greek myths to California geography, students are immersed in a curriculum that is deeply connected to beauty and the human being. 

At Sparrow, the science curriculum is designed to foster a love and appreciation for nature while encouraging an observant eye. Students are allowed to experience science directly rather than consuming it as a set of scientific facts. This builds their capacity later on in middle school to create their own understanding of the world and how it works, and to remain open to formulating multiple connections and explanations.

 

Art and beauty infuse everything students do, from writing to drawing. Students learn many artistic modalities, from playing instruments, singing, dancing, and painting, to poetry recitation and acting.