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about Singular Motivation
Grades 1-5
Continuous Growth
When young children are encouraged to ask questions and make their own discoveries, they become good listeners and critical thinkers who gain the confidence to take on challenges and seize unlimited possibilities. King School’s Grades 1–5 program is an interactive, hands-on experience that nurtures a love of learning and working with others.
King weaves this bold thinking throughout the student experience. Our students thrive as they embrace teaching and learning experiences that are age-appropriate, spur self-discovery, and inspire greater ambitions.
A Better Standard for Grades 1-5 Education
At the heart of King's private elementary school is our exceptional Faculty who know each of their students as an individual -- and use their students' interests, learning patterns, and personal goals as part of lesson planning, course selections, and activities outside the classroom -- all directed towards inspiring, challenging, and supporting each learner. Our talented elementary school students thrive in a challenging academic program within a culture of integrity, kindness, perseverance, and respect. We prepare students for a lifetime of learning by developing skills at an early age, building a foundation in STEM, reading and writing, and more.
Within a safe, nurturing community, students are comfortable to collaborate with others and take risks, and, in the process, children gain confidence in their abilities to be successful learners. Our teachers, students, and parents together foster the intellectual, social, and emotional growth of each student.
Learn more about Lower School: PreK-Grade 5
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about Singular Motivation
“We created the Grade 4 probability carnival for the younger students. Even though they were having fun, we were actually teaching them math!”
— Gracie H., Lower School student
“King encourages me to follow my passions. I like STEM activities. We get to make our own objects that solve the problem that needs to be solved.”
— Varun B., Lower School student
“In Science, we were real inventors, creating our own inventions to help us solve a problem. In Math, we learned about economics by creating a marketplace and selling a product to our classmates.”
— Tim D., Lower School student
Lower School in Action
On Monday, March 30, 2020, King School implemented our KingIsHome remote learning program. Our campus may be closed, but our learning community continues. There are many commitments that we will make to our students and their families across all divisions, all of which are rooted in our commitment to prioritizing the student experience through active engagement.
We thought now would be a good time to share with you some reminders of what you can do to keep yourselves - your body and mind - healthy during this pandemic.
The LS Global Studies program, which took place March 2-11, was an eight-day adventure across Central and South America. The three phases of the program allowed students to conduct research on a select country and choose where they wanted to dive deeply into their learning. In the final phase, students built conceptual understanding through art, media, 3D models, and writing.
To prepare for the presentation, students selected a biography on a historical figure during Reader's Workshop. They used that text to launch into more research about their subject, focusing on areas such as their childhood, school, profession, and impact on the world. They embraced all of this knowledge to embody the person, through their words and costume, and presented to visitors in their classrooms.
PA King Cares Co Chairs are grateful for our generous community and volunteers: "On January 24, a dedicated and enthusiastic group of nine PA King Cares parents and three very generous faculty members loaded up the King vans and headed into New York City for a 10:00 p.m. rendezvous with a Midnight Run representative."
A group of six Upper School students and six staffulty, including Head of School Karen Eshoo, from multiple divisions and disciplines traveled together for and experienced an insightful and transformative experience at the NAIS People of Color Conference and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in December. As student Hanhah Greene '21 enthused, "What was so compelling about this conference was meeting people from all around the country living totally different lives, but were able to connect and find such close similarities between one another."
The process of following natural curiosity and wonder throughout the day, with guidance from the teacher, is central to King's use of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. The curriculum is self-guided, as students learn through experience in a relationship-driven environment.
The Class of 2020 has achieved success in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and on the stage; now they are preparing to pursue lives of ongoing inquiry and purpose in college. Congratulations to the 43 seniors who have been accepted and have already committed to attend their first choice college or university!
The Lower School Library was transformed into an interactive carnival complete with a Lego ferris wheel, games, and prizes as Grade 3 students presented their Motion Carnival on Wednesday afternoon. Students have been studying the properties of forces and motion and to further their understanding of the concepts, they created carnival games that demonstrate these properties and also explored engineering concepts through the design of each game.
Grade 5 students enthusiastically accepted the challenge of researching to become experts on their topic of choice and then applying their learning by authoring, creating, and presenting digital, nonfiction books. This informational writing initiative was part of the Grade 5 Writing Workshop that helps students master a variety of approaches to writing.