Skip To Main Content

Header Utility Navigation

Logo Header

King School

An independent day school educating students PreK-Grade 12

Menu Trigger Container

Top Container

Navigation

Landing-nav, don't delete

Lower School Curriculum

Exploration and Growth

Elementary school children possess a natural curiosity and come to school eager to learn and engage with friends and teachers. While exploring their sense of self, children begin to understand their place in the world. They are developing a sense of responsibility and take pride in their accomplishments. Creative expression in various forms is quite evident throughout the preschool and elementary school years, the years of greatest physical, mental, and emotional growth and change.

Lower School Program Design

The program focuses on building and developing basic core skills. Because teachers come to know students well, they are able to support them as individuals and design unique learning opportunities to appropriately challenge and stretch every learner. Another strength of the program is the emphasis placed, both explicitly and implicitly, on fostering the social, emotional, and physical growth of each student. A safe, nurturing climate permeates the Lower School. The dedicated faculty places emphasis on helping children achieve their individual goals within a physically and emotionally safe environment. This work is intentional and supported by a range of resources, including Responsive Classroom materials.  Our kind, supportive classroom communities not only promote risk taking, but encourage it as well.

The program design supports the curricular goals established by the King community. Communication, intellectual processing, character development, and personal growth are key skills needed “to pursue lives of ongoing inquiry, learning, accomplishment, personal fulfillment, and social responsibility.” The groundwork for these important concepts is established in the Lower School.

Student and teacher

Lower School Goals

  • Foster a love of learning
  • Promote individual, social, and emotional development
  • Develop fundamental academic skills
  • Apply and integrate intellectual processes
  • Develop physical and artistic expression
  • Instill the virtues of good citizenship and social responsibility

Academic Highlights in Lower School

Literacy

  • Readers and Writers workshop approach engages students with material that is of high interest and aligns with their personal goals. Students develop as avid and skilled readers and writers.
  • Teachers address whole group skills and differentiate for the needs of each student within smaller groups and one-on-one meetings.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)

  • Students observe, discover, predict, and question.
  • Makerspace, Lower School Science Lab, Computer Science Media Center, and classroom activities all provide inspiration and tools for students to tinker and practice designing solutions to real world problems, so students gain a greater sense of self-confidence and purpose.
  • Highly respected Singapore Math Program is supported with hands-on activities and manipulatives, helping students move from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract.

Social Studies

  • Children learn to view the world through a variety of perspectives to understand their role as a member of a global community.
  • We value primary sources as students get to know the King community and local area, engaging in direct and meaningful experiences.
  • Songs, stories and art projects encourage students to appreciate national, cultural, and religious diversity.

Cross-Grade Subjects

Art

  • Children increase confidence and learn skills to express their ideas visually. In evaluating their success, they learn to understand the process of critique. Students also realize the importance of collaboration and independent work habits.

Music

  • An active, multicultural program that enables all children to experience success in creating and performing music in all strands of the program, leading them to be lifelong music makers.

Physical Education

  • Challenges students to reach their fullest physical and intellectual potentials through various physical and kinesthetic awareness activities. LEARN MORE

World Languages

  • Students are encouraged to develop, reinforce, and refine their language skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture, and are exposed to cultural experiences (Spanish, French, and Chinese)

Additional programming and resources in Library and Media, Global Education, King Cares, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Explore Specials in the Lower School

Learn about our Lower School special offerings including: performing arts, physical education, and art and design.

Lower School Course Offerings

Read more about our academic philosophy and view detailed descriptions of all courses.

Download the Curriculum Guide

Support Team

The Counseling Department facilitates the social and emotional development of all of our students through the development, implementation, and coordination of the social skill, life skill, emotional development, and prevention programming for the Lower School. The Counseling Department provides individual and small group counseling and support for students. It provides support and guidance for teachers and administrators in working with individuals or small groups of students.  It provides support and guidance for parents, as well as referrals to community resources.