About Lower School

Kids are born to ask questions

They are curious about the world and how it works. Woodland’s Lower School gives our students the skills to find answers and the inspiration to keep asking questions.

Finding Their Voice

We know that every child is unique. Teachers team with both parents and students to ensure each student is challenged, honored, and has their passions discovered and nurtured. Throughout this journey, students are encouraged to take risks and take responsibility for their own learning, discovering their strengths, tackling their challenges, and finding their voices.

Strong Foundations

Our students build a strong foundation of reading, writing and mathematics and master key skills across disciplines to become adept learners. Classroom teachers work to design and integrate meaningful work with specialist teachers in the following subject areas to ensure a balanced curriculum.

• Science
• Innovation Lab
• Spanish
• Art
• Music
• Physical Education

Bringing out the Best in Each Child

Our caring community values not only every student’s academic success, but also their social, and emotional development and maturity. Our teachers are known for being extraordinarily accessible and supportive and finding a way to bring out the best in every child. In each class, teachers develop mini-communities where every student is known and valued for who they are and the unique qualities they bring.

Woodland teachers are passionate about their commitment to deliver a learning experience that honors our students’ unique strengths and challenges. Ongoing assessment of student reading and math competencies begins in Kindergarten, allowing teachers to design lessons according to ability and skill. Throughout the grade levels, teachers provide one-on-one tutoring opportunities after school for those that may need or seek additional support.

Building Social Emotional Intelligence

Students need to be happy to learn to their potential. Social Emotional learning isn’t a weekly lesson at Woodland, but it permeates our whole school culture. We proactively address issues of student wellbeing in assembly, a daily classroom meeting, targeted lessons and through teachable moments.

We teach students tools and strategies to be present and calm, tap into their motivation, and build resilience. Our program addresses these five core areas.

I. Self-Awareness

Assessing feelings, interests, values, and strengths; maintaining self-confidence; Developing metacognition

II. Self-Management

Regulating emotions to handle stress, control impulses, and persevere in overcoming obstacles

III. Social Awareness

Understanding different perspectives and empathizing with others; recognizing and appreciating similarities and differences; using family, school, and community resources effectively

IV. Relationship Skills

Maintaining healthy relationships based on cooperation; resisting inappropriate social pressure; preventing, managing, and resolving interpersonal conflicts; seeking help when needed

V. Responsible Decision Making

Using a variety of considerations, including ethical, academic, and community-related standards to make choices and decisions

Science

Science is Life.

Science governs the way we act, the way we eat, the way we grow, the way we live. One of the most important things a teacher can do for students learning science is to relate science back to everyday life as much as possible.

Science in Lower School is grounded in the natural world with strands in life science (microorganisms, plants, animals, and human beings) earth science (geology and meteorology) and physical science (physics, chemistry, astronomy). Our 10-acre campus extends to an outdoor classroom as students explore the beauty of the outdoors. Students function as real scientists as they observe and classify local flora and fauna. They explore the diversity of California’s ecosystems and study environmental phenomena. They monitor our Woodland weather station.

At every grade level we take field trips with local organizations to bring world class experiences to our students and to inspire them to be stewards of our environment.

Math

We are lucky to be living in a time when we can all be math people. And that is Woodland’s approach.

Our program is rooted in a desire to nurture deep understanding of mathematical concepts while encouraging critical thinking and perseverance. In each grade level, young mathematicians use a variety of tools and hands-on methods to make abstract concepts come to life. Visual models and mental math exercises deepen children’s sense of number allowing them to understand the quantity associated with each numerical symbol.
 

“There are two versions of math in the lives of many Americans: the strange and boring subject that they encountered in classrooms and an interesting set of ideas that is the math of the world, and is curiously different and surprisingly engaging. Our task is to introduce this second version to today's students, get them excited about math, and prepare them for the future.” Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education, Stanford University

Inquiry-based, contextual investigations engage children with challenging problems and encourage them to apply a variety of approaches to solving them. As they solve, children communicate their thinking with pictures, numbers and words, learning to express their mathematical ideas clearly and build upon them through collaboration. Most importantly, Woodland’s math program is designed to build confidence and foster an enduring love of learning in math -- for all students.

Writing

Each child has a story to tell.

Becoming a writer begins with the confidence that your ideas are worth reading. It takes time and support to help our students find their own voice and develop their ideas fully. We use the Workshop Model-- a method of instruction -- which helps each student find their voice and motivation using mentor texts to foster a lifelong love of writing. They write personal narratives and memoir, research reports, poetry, and in later grades, historical fiction and plays.

We see writing as an important vehicle of thinking.

Through iterative drafting, students organize and refine their ideas, deepen their analysis and draw meaningful conclusions. With one-on-one conferences and small group work, teachers guide students to improving the work-at-hand while building enduring thinking and writing skills that last a lifetime.

The craft of writing does not come at the cost of the fundamentals.

Classes are balanced with grammar and spelling lessons taught both in context and to grade level standards.

Publishing parties are common here.

When students publish their work, they celebrate as a classroom community, often inviting families to share in their final products.

We teach cursive.

While Common Core has abandoned cursive instruction, we take stock in research that correlates better handwriting with greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory. Student are initially taught to print; cursive instruction begins mid-year in Grade 2.

Reading

We curl up with books here.

We believe that reading is one of the best way to nurture the intellectual mind. In a hectic world where technology permeates every moment, books are our refuge. They let us escape, they allow us empathize for others, they teach us new things. Our students are given time to develop as readers all the while developing a love of reading.

Pressure’s Off, Reading’s On

Children develop reading skills at different rates. To honor them and their stage of development, our reading instruction is individualized. Our small group just-right lessons provide the right amount of challenge and support so that each child is neither frustrated nor bored. We use multiple assessments along the way to monitor and support each child’s progress and make changes to groupings as necessary.

Skillfully Teaching Young Readers

In Kindergarten to Grade 2 teachers use a comprehensive and balanced program of instruction to teach kids to read. Systematic phonics and word study help students crack the code and learn how to tackle tricky words. In small reading groups, children are able to actively engage with the teacher to talk about books, ask questions, and make connections. Books are shared with families weekly so that our students can share in their progress and parents take part in their practice. Children learn about genres through high interest books, build their vocabularies, and develop their identity as a reader.

Fueling Learning Across Disciplines

In Grade 3 and 4, with a solid reading foundation, children transition from learning to read to reading to learn. They delve into non fiction books to enrich their learning in Science and Social Studies as well as study the author’s craft in young adult novels. We cover classics and contemporary fiction which address important issues that students can relate to and fuel class discussions. These texts allow us to nurture higher order thinking skills as students discuss and analyze situations, use evidence, take and support a stance. In rich classroom discussions, students develop excellent habits of mind and find their voice.

Innovation Lab

Creativity is the currency of the 21st century.

Technology is not computer class. Far from it. In Woodland’s Design Lab you’ll find our students learning how to think and creatively problem solve using technology. From coding and robotics to 3D modeling and design, our students innovate and iterate their own design projects. What’s better is that they work in partnerships and teams, learning the art and challenge of collaboration along the way.

Art

The Art Studio is an incubator for creativity.

Students immerse themselves in the creative process -- from ideation and development to creation and presentation. Art making is dynamic, hands-on and open-ended, using a wide range of materials to explore a wide range of ideas.

Experimenting with a variety of materials--clay, paint, found objects-- students begin to develop the inner artist.

We focus on the artistic process, not just the product, working with students to develop and refine their ideas and then present them within their community.

Students gain inspiration through the study of a rich canon of modern and classic artists.

Music

Learning through the arts helps us to explore, shape and communicate our sense of identity and understanding of the world, while providing opportunities to develop self‑confidence, resilience and flexibility. At Woodland School, students not only learn about music theory and history but also learn to appreciate a great range of music from around the world.

Students put theory into practice with music-making activities to explore the musical world around them. Every student participates in two school-wide performances, providing an opportunity to share their skills and take part in a collaborative, community event. Students also have opportunities throughout the year in assemblies and off-campus performances to perform in small instrumental and choral ensembles.

Social Studies

Discover the World.

Students of Social Studies at Woodland do not simply study history, but become authentic historians and social scientists. We use a variety of captivating sources to develop deep conceptual understanding of the world around us. Students understand their roots and connection to the past, comprehend their context, recognize the commonality of people across time, and appreciate the delicate balance of rights and responsibilities in an open society.

Social Studies at Woodland engages students with the true work of the discipline, and develops their ability to make informed and reasoned decisions. Our students are prepared to contribute to the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent 21st century world.

Spanish

Our fun and interactive world language program develops students who are competent language learners as well as culturally competent people.

Using a spiraling curriculum, students build their vocabularies and knowledge through many modalities, including games, songs, stories and interactive dialogues. As they familiarize themselves with pronunciation, students practice scripted dialogues and conversations.

Students learn about many regions around the world and their cultural components -- history, food, music, monuments, events and inventions.

Beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year, all students in our lower and middle school will participate in Spanish classes and continue through the end of their eighth grade year at Woodland. We believe by making Spanish a focus in our world languages department-- and by beginning the study of Spanish earlier--that we will be able to take our program and understanding of this world language to an even greater level.

Physical Education

Our PE program centers on sports and sportsmanship. Our coaches help students develop spatial awareness, coordination, and fundamentals of fitness through a variety of sports including basketball, soccer, badminton, ultimate frisbee and handball. Students build their fitness levels, learn game strategy and rules, and support their classmates in play.

Students continue to develop their athletic abilities in our after school ‘everyone plays’ athletic program. We aim to teach all students how to be part of a team, how to be gracious in victory or defeat and that winning goes beyond the final score. We believe in having fun, mastering one's effort, focusing on values and learning from our mistakes.