Art is a significant part of the McLean School experience. Our Lower School program teaches students to develop planning and problem solving skills and the knowledge that is necessary to create, learn and respond to art. We introduce the elements of art and principles of design by studying famous artists and working with a wide range of media including drawing, painting, collage, ceramics and printmaking. Each grade level meets twice weekly and continues to build on previous experiences by extending projects, increasing vocabulary and working more independently. Art is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates math, science, social studies, reading, music, language arts, social skills, and cultural diversity into our program. 

Art history, diversity and  world cultures are important sources of inspiration and information. Beautiful student art is displayed throughout our building and reflects our dedication to the process of creating art, self expression and development of presentation. We are delighted to be present in community art shows and school events.

In Kindergarten, our school counselors lead fun and engaging twice weekly SEL lessons to help children We talk about things like:Noticing how we feel inside (Self-Awareness)Calming down when we’re upset (Self-Management)
learning about how others feel (Social Awareness)Making and keeping friends (Relationship Skills) Making kind and safe choices (Responsible Decision-Making)We also practice important skills like paying attention, handling big feelings, and getting along with others. The lessons are fun and hands-on! We play games, listen to stories, move our bodies, and do creative projects together. Our goal is to create a warm space where every child feels safe, supported, and ready to learn and grow.

Kindergarten students are taught how to form their uppercase and lowercase letters using the Learning Without Tears program. They also work on their pencil grip, proper paper and body positioning for increased handwriting efficiency. When they complete a letter in the book, they will practice their coloring skills with mini coloring crayons to help assist proper pencil grips.

Students visit the Learning Commons once a week for Library classes. During these periods, Kindergarteners listen to stories, sing songs, and recite nursery rhymes. They learn what different types of books they can find in a library, and how to respectfully treat the books that they check out. We introduce the concept of using books to “find out”, focusing on finding interesting facts in non-fiction books. As they focus increasingly on their “county study” in the classroom, we bring this into the library by folktales from their country of study. Finally, we focus on their growth as readers, by discussing the characters, themes, and plot points of the books that we read.

In Music, Kindergarten students are introduced to non-pitched percussion instruments, visual and aural identification of specific instruments and proper instrument use and care. Students are introduced to the concepts of steady beat, loud and soft, sound and silence, high and low, fast and slow and active listening, through multisensory activities which utilize chanting, singing, movement and the playing of non-pitched percussion instruments. Students also learn about the woodwind, brass and string families of instruments, focusing on visual and aural identification. Kindergarten students develop vocal skills by learning singing games, folk songs, and call-and-response songs. Orff instruments are introduced in the second half of the school year, and students explore improvisation and composition on pitched and unpitched percussion instruments through group activities. Students are exposed to multicultural music through vocal and instrumental performance of folk songs and through listening activities.

Kindergarten students receive daily Physical Education in classes that focus on games and activities that promote healthy exercise, cooperative play, and good sportsmanship. Basic locomotor movements are reinforced through throwing, catching, kicking, and striking. Spatial awareness skills are developed through movement games. Students begin to understand the basic concepts of physical fitness and healthy living. Facilities at the Lower School level include an indoor gymnasium, a multipurpose room, a large outdoor grass field and blacktop space.

Lower School reading follows a structured literacy approach with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Each reading group throughout K-4 is specifically designed to practice and reinforce what those students have already learned and introduce concepts that they need to master.  Students first build their phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken words—by segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words. Lower School phonics instruction follows the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is a systematic, structured, and explicit way of teaching reading that builds from consonants and short vowels to more advanced sound patterns. Students also learn strategies to break apart multi-syllabic words. As they learn phonics skills, students practice blending sounds to read and spell words, learn strategies for decoding and encoding unfamiliar words, and build fluency by progressing from letter-sound recognition to reading sentences and longer texts with accuracy and confidence.

In Kindergarten, comprehension instruction focuses on helping students understand both fiction and nonfiction texts, while building background knowledge and deepening students’ vocabularies. They learn to retell familiar stories with important details, identify characters, settings, and major events, and explain how illustrations support meaning. As they listen to various stories and texts, students notice similarities and differences, identify main ideas and key details, and gather information and ideas. 

Kindergarten Social Studies follows the C3 framework and allows students to initial exposure to fundamental concepts in geography, history, economics, and civics through inquiry-based learning as well as direct instruction. Students learn about their school community, community helpers, family structures and traditions and holidays around the world. They also compare the past and present, learn basic map skills, and foundational economics concepts. 

Students also engage in a yearlong country study. The Kindergarten curriculum emphasizes the culture, people and wildlife of the country chosen and students explore the culture of that country, including customs, language and lifestyles through lessons and projects. The students present their culminating knowledge of the chosen country at the school-wide World Culture Day event. Through their country study, Social Studies is integrated into students’ library, music, art, and STEM classes.

The STEM program concentrates on the exploratory learning of elementary science concepts integrated with technology. Students learn using a hands-on, multisensory approach that builds on their natural interest in the world. Observation, identification, and interpretation skills increase as students engage in experimentation, application, and critical thinking. Students have fun while synthesizing concrete and abstract information about topics that may include balls buoyancy, forces, life cycles, and building challenges. Projects may include growing and tracking plants, designing and constructing boats, measuring and graphing, building and testing ramps, making color changing playdough, and building towers. Students begin to relate science to their everyday lives and the goal is to encourage curiosity and exploration.

Our K–4 writing curriculum is designed to help every child discover the power of expressive communication. While handwriting and letter formation are taught separately, our writing instruction focuses on developing ideas, organizing thoughts, and expressing them clearly in writing. Using The Writing Revolution framework, students first learn to build strong sentences, the foundation for all effective writing, and then expand into narrative, informative, and opinion genres.

In kindergarten, students begin their journey as writers by transforming their spoken words into written ones. The focus is on making the connection between verbal expression and print, helping children see their voices come alive on the page.

Teachers model expectations and strategies, then guide students through shared practice before gradually releasing responsibility, allowing each child to build confidence and independence as a writer. Because every child learns differently, we use scaffolding and differentiation to meet students where they are. Through assignments, essays, and projects, students move through the full writing process: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing while gaining not only essential writing skills, but also the confidence to express their unique ideas with clarity and purpose.

 Our Lower School Counselors lead weekly or twice weekly SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) lessons in 1st grade to help students grow in their understanding of themselves and others. Throughout the year, we focus on five important areas: knowing our feelings (Self-Awareness), managing emotions and actions (Self-Management), understanding others (Social Awareness), making and keeping friends (Relationship Skills),and making thoughtful choices (Responsible Decision-Making)

The lessons are hands-on and engaging, with opportunities for play, storytelling, games, and creative activities. First graders learn best when they’re active and involved, We also focus on helping students build important skills like paying attention, managing big feelings, and getting along with others.  Our goal is to create a warm, inclusive space where every child feels known, supported, emotionally, socially, and academically.

 Our Lower School Counselors lead weekly or twice weekly SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) lessons in 1st grade to help students grow in their understanding of themselves and others. Throughout the year, we focus on five important areas: knowing our feelings (Self-Awareness), managing emotions and actions (Self-Management), understanding others (Social Awareness), making and keeping friends (Relationship Skills),and making thoughtful choices (Responsible Decision-Making)

The lessons are hands-on and engaging, with opportunities for play, storytelling, games, and creative activities. First graders learn best when they’re active and involved, We also focus on helping students build important skills like paying attention, managing big feelings, and getting along with others.  Our goal is to create a warm, inclusive space where every child feels known, supported, emotionally, socially, and academically.

First graders review their uppercase letters with more concentration on how to form their lowercase letters using the Learning Without Tears program. They also work on their pencil grip, proper paper and body positioning for increased handwriting efficiency. In the first grade book, they are also learning how to use the LWT lined paper properly and putting adequate spacing between their words. 

Students visit the Learning Commons once a week for Library classes. During these periods, Grade 1 students are exposed to a variety of genres, styles, and authors. They learn where the different types of books are located in the library, and to differentiate between fiction and non-fiction. Students practice putting words in alphabetical order, and learn that this is how author’s names are organized. We introduce the concept of research, focusing on finding interesting facts in non-fiction books. Students listen to a variety of fairy tales and folk tales. As they focus increasingly on their “county study” in the classroom, we bring this into the library by reading nonfiction books, folktales, and biographies which focus on their country of study. Finally, we focus on their growth as readers, by discussing the characters, themes, and plot points of the books that we read.

Students are grouped according to skill level and learning needs. Groups are fluid throughout the year in order to provide appropriate support and challenge. Before moving to pencil and paper tasks, students explore concepts through hands-on, multisensory activities. Topics include numbers and patterns to 100, place value involving ones and tens, word problems, addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, data and graphing, time and calendar concepts, money, measurement, and geometry.. The understanding of specific math vocabulary is emphasized in First Grade.. Math in Focus, a Singapore Math program, and teacher-made games are used throughout the year to help students practice, maintain, and generalize their skills. 

Students build on previous concepts and skills learned in music class, including: steady beat, loud and soft, sound and silence, high and low, fast and slow, identification of instrumental timbre, and active listening. Concepts are presented using multisensory activities which include chanting, singing, movement, and the playing of non-pitched and pitched Orff percussion instruments. First grade students discover the elements of music and develop a musical vocabulary through active music-making. Vocal abilities are strengthened through the singing of traditional childhood songs and folk tunes. Students learn to determine components of form in musical compositions (like and unlike sections), aurally differentiate between instrumental timbres, and represent concepts and objects with instrumental timbres through active creation of group arrangements of songs. Students also learn about the woodwind, brass, percussion and string families of instruments, focusing on visual and aural identification. Students are exposed to different musical styles and multicultural music through hands-on performance and active listening.

Grade 1 students receive daily Physical Education in classes that focus on games and activities to promote healthy exercise, cooperative play, and good sportsmanship. Basic locomotor movements are reinforced through throwing, catching, kicking, and striking. Spatial awareness skills are developed through movement games. Students begin to understand the basic concepts of physical fitness and healthy living. Facilities at the Lower School level include a multipurpose room, a large outdoor grass field and blacktop space.

Lower School reading follows a structured literacy approach with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Each reading group throughout K-4 is specifically designed to practice and reinforce what those students have already learned and introduce concepts that they need to master.  Students first build their phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken words—by segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words. Lower School phonics instruction follows the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is a systematic, structured, and explicit way of teaching reading that builds from consonants and short vowels to more advanced sound patterns. Students also learn strategies to break apart multi-syllabic words. As they learn phonics skills, students practice blending sounds to read and spell words, learn strategies for decoding and encoding unfamiliar words, and build fluency by progressing from letter-sound recognition to reading sentences and longer texts with accuracy and confidence.

In First Grade, comprehension instruction utilizes both fiction and nonfiction texts. Students build background knowledge and learn and practice using new vocabulary words. They retell stories using key details, and describe characters, settings, major events and the central message using illustrations and text details. They also compare and contrast characters’ experiences and adventures and notice similarities and differences between texts. When reading non-fiction texts, students identify the main topic and key details, examine text features, and distinguish between information provided by illustrations and the words in the text. These skills help students build understanding, make connections, and become confident, thoughtful readers.

Grade 1 Social Studies follows the C3 framework and allows students initial exposure to fundamental concepts in geography, history, economics, and civics through inquiry-based learning as well as direct instruction. Students learn about their school community, community helpers, family structures and traditions and holidays around the world. They also compare the past and present, learn basic map skills, and foundational economics concepts. 

Students also engage in a yearlong country study. The Grade 1 curriculum emphasizes the culture, people and wildlife of the country chosen and students explore the culture of that country, including customs, language and lifestyles through lessons and projects. The students present their culminating knowledge of the chosen country at the school-wide World Culture Day event. Through their country study, Social Studies is integrated into students’ library, music, art, and STEM classes.

Grade 1 STEM concentrates on the discovery and instruction of science concepts integrated with technology. Activities provide an opportunity for students to document, observe, and analyze scientific data in a hands-on environment. Students synthesize concrete and abstract information about topics that may include constructions, animals, body systems, weather, coding, and robotics. Some projects may include building and examining bridges, creating a digital book on animals, measuring and graphing, programming on Slicer, designing and constructing buildings with different materials, creating a weather report, and making a group world culture based project. Students begin to relate science to their everyday lives and the goal is to encourage curiosity and exploration.

Our K–4 writing curriculum is designed to help every child discover the power of expressive communication. While handwriting and letter formation are taught separately, our writing instruction focuses on developing ideas, organizing thoughts, and expressing them clearly in writing. Using The Writing Revolution framework, students first learn to build strong sentences, the foundation for all effective writing, and then expand into narrative, informative, and opinion genres.

In first grade, writing becomes more of a joint process, with teachers modeling skills and strategies, then slowly releasing responsibility so students can begin to take ownership of their writing. 

Teachers model expectations and strategies, then guide students through shared practice before gradually releasing responsibility, allowing each child to build confidence and independence as a writer. Because every child learns differently, we use scaffolding and differentiation to meet students where they are. Through assignments, essays, and projects, students move through the full writing process: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing while gaining not only essential writing skills, but also the confidence to express their unique ideas with clarity and purpose.

Art is a significant part of the McLean School experience. Our Lower School program teaches students to develop planning and problem solving skills and the knowledge that is necessary to create, learn and respond to art. We introduce the elements of art and principles of design by studying famous artists and working with a wide range of media including drawing, painting, collage, ceramics and printmaking. Each grade level meets twice weekly and continues to build on previous experiences by extending projects, increasing vocabulary and working more independently. Art is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates math, science, social studies, reading, music, language arts, social skills, and cultural diversity into our program. 

Art history, diversity and  world cultures are important sources of inspiration and information. Beautiful student art is displayed throughout our building and reflects our dedication to the process of creating art, self expression and development of presentation. We are delighted to be present in community art shows and school events.

In 2nd grade, our Lower School Counselors have twice weekly SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) classes that help students build important skills for both school and home. Throughout the year, we focus on five key areas: Understanding our own feelings (Self-Awareness),managing emotions and actions (Self-Management),noticing how others feel (Social Awareness), building and maintaining friendships (Relationship Skills) and making respectful and safe choices (Responsible Decision-Making)
Lessons are active and engaging, using stories, discussions, movement, games, and creative projects to help students connect. Our goal is to create a warm, inclusive space where every child feels known, supported, emotionally, socially, and academically.

Teachers use the Learning Without Tears program to define their lowercase and uppercase letters while working on endurance to write multiple sentences. Students continue to address adequate spacing between words and writing on the lines properly. They build their stamina to write multiple sentences and short paragraphs. 

Students visit the Learning Commons once a week for Library classes. Second grade students are exposed to a variety of genres, styles, and authors. They learn where the different types of books are located in the library, and to locate and differentiate between picture books, graphic novels, chapter books, nonfiction, and biographies. Students practice putting books on shelves using alphabetical order. We build upon the concept of research, focusing on forming research questions and determining which texts are most suited to answer these questions. Students listen to a variety of folk tales. As they focus increasingly on their “county study” in the classroom, we bring this into the library by reading nonfiction books, folktales, and biographies which focus on their country of study. We also use atlases to look at a map of their country, and make observations from what we see. Finally, we focus on their growth as readers, by discussing the characters, themes, and plot points of the stories that we read.

Second grade students are divided into groups according to skill level and learning needs. Groups are fluid throughout the year, in order to provide appropriate support and challenge. Math in Focus, a Singapore Math program, and teacher-made games, help students practice, maintain, and generalize student’s skills. Students use manipulatives to facilitate problem-solving and calculation tasks. Key concepts introduced include three-digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, measurement, geometry, time and money, graphing, solving word-problems using bar models. Toward the end of the year, children encounter the concepts of multiplication and division through arrays and repeated addition and subtraction.

Students build on previous concepts and skills learned in music class, including such concepts as: steady beat, loud and soft, sound and silence, high and low, fast and slow, identification of instrumental timbre, and active listening. Concepts are presented using multisensory activities which include chanting, singing, movement and the playing of non-pitched and pitch Orff percussion instruments. Second grade students continue to discover the elements of music and develop a musical vocabulary through active music-making. Vocal abilities are strengthened through the singing of traditional childhood songs and folk tunes. Students continue to determine components of form in musical compositions (like and unlike sections), aurally differentiate between instrumental timbres and represent concepts and objects with instrumental timbres through active creation of group arrangements of songs. Students also learn about the woodwind, brass, percussion and string families of instruments, focusing on visual and aural identification. Students are exposed to different musical styles and multicultural music through hands-on performance and active listening.

Grade 2 students receive daily Physical Education in classes that focus on games and activities to promote healthy exercise, cooperative play, and good sportsmanship. Basic locomotor movements are reinforced through throwing, catching, kicking, and striking. Spatial awareness skills are developed through movement games. Students begin to understand the basic concepts of physical fitness and healthy living. Facilities at the Lower School level include a multipurpose room, a large outdoor grass field and blacktop space.

Lower School reading follows a structured literacy approach with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Each reading group throughout K-4 is specifically designed to practice and reinforce what those students have already learned and introduce concepts that they need to master.  Students first build their phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken words—by segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words. Lower School phonics instruction follows the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is a systematic, structured, and explicit way of teaching reading that builds from consonants and short vowels to more advanced sound patterns. Students also learn strategies to break apart multi-syllabic words. As they learn phonics skills, students practice blending sounds to read and spell words, learn strategies for decoding and encoding unfamiliar words, and build fluency by progressing from letter-sound recognition to reading sentences and longer texts with accuracy and confidence.

In Second Grade, students are exposed to a variety of genres as they continue to develop their reading comprehension skills. As students engage with texts, teachers support the knowledge-building and vocabulary development that is essential to comprehension. Students also answer questions about texts and describe characters and how they respond to events. In addition, students identify story structures, differences in points of view, and recognize the difference between genres. When reading non-fiction text, students identify main ideas, use text features to locate key facts, and understand how images support the text. These skills help students think critically, make connections, and become confident, independent readers.

Grade 2 Social Studies follows the C3 framework and allows students to deepen their understanding of fundamental concepts in geography, history, economics, and civics through inquiry-based learning as well as direct instruction. Students learn about different types of communities, basic map skills and traditions and holidays around the world. They begin to articulate the differences between the past and present, learn about basic government structures and services, as well as the responsibilities of citizenship. Students study famous Americans who have fought for causes and created change and deepen their understanding of fundamental economics concepts, such as use and availability of resources and how microeconomic decisions, such as spending money, are made. 

Students also engage in a yearlong country study. The Grade 2 curriculum emphasizes the culture, people and wildlife of the country chosen and students explore the culture of that country, including customs, language and lifestyles through lessons and projects. The students present their culminating knowledge of the chosen country at the school-wide World Culture Day event. Through their country study, Social Studies is integrated into students’ library, music, art, and STEM classes.

Grade 2 STEM encourages students to learn using a hands-on, multisensory approach that builds on their natural interest in the world. Students are challenged to share knowledge and synthesize it with personal inquiries and curiosities. As they report what they see and look for changes, they sharpen their observation and description skills. They use hands-on materials and apply the scientific method in a variety of experiments about topics that may include states of matter, simple and complex machines, wildlife, robotics, and earth’s processes. Projects may include testing out different materials, designing investigations using heating and cooling to explore the states of matter, measuring and graphing, designing and constructing dog houses, making an insect hotel, building marble ramps, and exploring a glacier. Students begin to relate science to their everyday lives and the goal is to encourage curiosity and exploration.

Our K–4 writing curriculum is designed to help every child discover the power of expressive communication. While handwriting and letter formation are taught separately, our writing instruction focuses on developing ideas, organizing thoughts, and expressing them clearly in writing. Using The Writing Revolution framework, students first learn to build strong sentences, the foundation for all effective writing, and then expand into narrative, informative, and opinion genres.

In second grade, students gain more independence as they apply strategies with growing confidence. Writing is practiced recursively, reinforcing a sentence building foundation and expanding into narratives, informative pieces, and opinion writing.

Teachers model expectations and strategies, then guide students through shared practice before gradually releasing responsibility, allowing each child to build confidence and independence as a writer. Through assignments, essays, and projects, students move through the full writing process: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing while gaining not only essential writing skills, but also the confidence to express their unique ideas with clarity and purpose.

Art is a significant part of the McLean School experience. Our Lower School program teaches students to develop planning and problem solving skills and the knowledge that is necessary to create, learn and respond to art. We introduce the elements of art and principles of design by studying famous artists and working with a wide range of media including drawing, painting, collage, ceramics and printmaking. Each grade level meets twice weekly and continues to build on previous experiences by extending projects, increasing vocabulary and working more independently. Art is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates math, science, social studies, reading, music, language arts, social skills, and cultural diversity into our program. 

Art history, diversity and  world cultures are important sources of inspiration and information. Beautiful student art is displayed throughout our building and reflects our dedication to the process of creating art, self expression and development of presentation. We are delighted to be present in community art shows and school events.

Grade 3 students have the opportunity to join Chorus class in which students participate in active music-making activities including vocal warm-ups, singing and movement activities. Students who enroll in Chorus increase their vocal technique while further developing their musical vocabulary through active music-making. Members of the Chorus participate in monthly as well as seasonal concerts throughout the year.

The Lower School Counselors teach a weekly SEL class in Grade 3. The course focuses on CASEL’s (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) 5 units of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The approach is structured, engaging, and multisensory, helping students better understand themselves and others while learning tools they can apply both in and out of the classroom. Special emphasis is placed on strategies that support attention, impulse control, and social interactions—key areas that benefit all students, particularly those with learning differences. We are committed to creating a supportive environment where every child feels seen, valued, and equipped to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.

Cursive handwriting is developed and practiced, fine-tuning the individual student’s cursive style, using the Learning Without Tears program. While students continue to improve their handwriting skills, keyboarding is also introduced. Grade 3 students are introduced to the QWERTY keyboard and utilizing the home row method for keyboarding tasks on the iPAD with touch typing. Components of the Grade 3 keyboarding curriculum include formatting and typing sentences, progressing to typing multiple paragraphs that are three to four sentences in length, reinforcing fine motor memory, and increasing typing speed and accuracy.

Students visit the Learning Commons once a week for Library classes. Third grade students are exposed to a variety of genres and styles, while also participating in a novel-study where they compare two novels by the same author. Third graders learn to identify not just different formats of book, but different genres. They practice locating books in both the fiction section (alphabetically) and the nonfiction section (using the dewey decimal system).  Students practice forming research questions, and using the table of contents in a book to find the answers to these questions. Students listen to a variety of folk tales. As they focus increasingly on their “county study” in the classroom, we bring this into the library by reading nonfiction books, folktales, and biographies which focus on their country of study. We also use atlases to look at a map of their country, and use our research databases to conduct online research. Finally, we will work on growth as readers by exploring the thematic elements of what we read, and discuss the importance of both “stretch” books and comfort reading.

Third grade students are assigned to groups appropriate to their math skills and learning needs. Groups are fluid throughout the year in order to provide appropriate support and challenge. Math in Focus, a Singapore Math program, and teacher-made games, help students practice, maintain, and generalize student’s skills. Students cover place value, addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, multiplication and division, fractions, measurement, graphing, geometry.  Students practice using bar models to solve word problems. The application and transfer of math concepts to everyday practice and understanding are also reinforced at this grade level.

Students build on previous concepts and skills learned in music class, including such concepts as: steady beat, different levels of dynamics, pitch and tempo. Students continue to  identify instrumental timbres from traditional orchestral instruments and from instruments around the world. Musical concepts are presented using multisensory activities which include chanting, singing, movement and the playing of non-pitched and pitched Orff percussion instruments. Third grade students continue to discover the elements of music and develop a music vocabulary through active music-making. Vocal abilities are strengthened through the singing of traditional childhood songs and folk tunes. Students continue to determine components of form in musical compositions (like and unlike sections) through active creation of group arrangements of songs. Students create new verses or chants to augment songs for performance. Students also learn about the woodwind, brass, percussion and string families of instruments, focusing on visual and aural identification. Students are exposed to different musical styles and multicultural music through hands-on performance and active listening.

Grade 3 students receive daily Physical Education in classes that focus on games and activities that promote healthy exercise, cooperative play, and good sportsmanship. Basic locomotor movements and spatial awareness are reintroduced through throwing, catching, kicking, striking and movement games. Grade 3 students also begin to play lead-up games to various team sports. Basic concepts of physical fitness and healthy living continue to be stressed. Facilities at the Lower School level include a multipurpose room, a large outdoor grass field and blacktop space.

Lower School reading follows a structured literacy approach with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Each reading group throughout K-4 is specifically designed to practice and reinforce what those students have already learned and introduce concepts that they need to master.  Students first build their phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken words—by segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words. Lower School phonics instruction follows the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is a systematic, structured, and explicit way of teaching reading that builds from consonants and short vowels to more advanced sound patterns. Students also learn strategies to break apart multi-syllabic words. As they learn phonics skills, students practice blending sounds to read and spell words, learn strategies for decoding and encoding unfamiliar words, and build fluency by progressing from letter-sound recognition to reading sentences and longer texts with accuracy and confidence.

In third grade, students continue to develop reading comprehension skills across a variety of genres. They learn new vocabulary, build background knowledge, and refer explicitly to the text when answering questions. Students retell stories using graphic organizers, describe characters and their perspectives, and compare the characters’ point of view to their own. When reading nonfiction texts, students determine the main idea and supporting details, describe how authors organize information, use text features and search tools to locate relevant information, and analyze cause-and-effect relationships and connections. They compare and contrast important points across multiple texts and make cross-curricular connections to science and social studies. These skills help students think critically, make connections across subjects, and become independent, thoughtful readers.

Grade 3 Social Studies follows the C3 framework and allows students to deepen their understanding of fundamental concepts in geography, history, economics, and civics through inquiry-based learning as well as direct instruction. Students begin the year by studying the geography of the United States. Students label features on maps and diagrams and explore longitude and latitude. They move into a study of the Chesapeake Bay as they examine the lives of the Native Americans, who were the first people who lived there. They expand their study of Native Americans across the American continent, as they discover how they adapted to different environments in North America, and how the cultural regions differed. Students then turn to the travels of Europeans to the New World during the Age of Exploration. They study the challenges that came during various settlements, including the Jamestown Settlement and the Plymouth Colony. 

Students also engage in a yearlong country study. The Grade 3 curriculum emphasizes the culture, people and wildlife of the country chosen and students explore the culture of that country, including customs, language and lifestyles through lessons and projects. The students present their culminating knowledge of the chosen country at the school-wide World Culture Day event. Through their country study, Social Studies is integrated into students’ library, music, art, and STEM classes.

Grade 3 students have the opportunity to join the String Ensemble and learn to play either the violin, viola or cello. Students learn proper bow hold, hand position, note reading, and ensemble skills. Students who enroll in the Strings Program are required to take weekly lessons. Private string instructors are on campus to provide lessons for an additional fee.

Our K–4 writing curriculum is designed to help every child discover the power of expressive communication. While handwriting and letter formation are taught separately, our writing instruction focuses on developing ideas, organizing thoughts, and expressing them clearly in writing. Using The Writing Revolution framework, students first learn to build strong sentences, the foundation for all effective writing, and then expand into narrative, informative, and opinion genres.

In third grade, writing becomes a tool for both expression and academic growth. Students plan, draft, revise, and publish their work, developing strong voices as writers and building the confidence to communicate effectively across all subjects. Greater independence is fostered, while scaffolding ensures each child is supported at their level.

Teachers model expectations and strategies, then guide students through shared practice before gradually releasing responsibility, allowing each child to build confidence and independence as a writer. Scaffolding and differentiation allow us to meet students where they individually are . Through assignments, essays, and projects, students move through the full writing process: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing while gaining not only essential writing skills, but also the confidence to express their unique ideas with clarity and purpose.

Art is a significant part of the McLean School experience. Our Lower School program teaches students to develop planning and problem solving skills and the knowledge that is necessary to create, learn and respond to art. We introduce the elements of art and principles of design by studying famous artists and working with a wide range of media including drawing, painting, collage, ceramics and printmaking. Each grade level meets twice weekly and continues to build on previous experiences by extending projects, increasing vocabulary and working more independently. Art is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates math, science, social studies, reading, music, language arts, social skills, and cultural diversity into our program. 

Art history, diversity and  world cultures are important sources of inspiration and information. Beautiful student art is displayed throughout our building and reflects our dedication to the process of creating art, self expression and development of presentation. We are delighted to be present in community art shows and school events.

Grade 4 students have the opportunity to join Chorus class in which students participate in active music-making activities which include singing, choreography and monthly live performances. Students who enroll in Chorus build their vocal technique while further developing their musical vocabulary through active music-making. Additionally, members of the Chorus participate in winter, spring, Grandparents Day and end of the year concerts.

The Lower School Counselors teach a weekly SEL class in Grade 3. The course focuses on CASEL’s (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) 5 units of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The approach is structured, engaging, and multisensory, helping students better understand themselves and others while learning tools they can apply both in and out of the classroom. Special emphasis is placed on strategies that support attention, impulse control, and social interactions—key areas that benefit all students, particularly those with learning differences. We are committed to creating a supportive environment where every child feels seen, valued, and equipped to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.

Students visit the Learning Commons once a week for Library classes. While fourth grade students have the opportunity to explore a variety of genres and styles, we are also using this year to concentrate on studying mythology. Fourth graders expand their understanding of genre and format, with the goal of moving out of their comfort zones in both. We review locating books in both the fiction section (alphabetically) and the nonfiction section (using the dewey decimal system).  Students expand their understanding of research, reviewing how to use a table of contents and introducing the use of an index. As they focus increasingly on their “county study” in the classroom, we bring this into the library by reading nonfiction books, folktales, and biographies which focus on their country of study. We also use atlases to look at a map of their country, and use our research databases to conduct online research. Finally, we will work on growth as readers by exploring the thematic elements of what we read, and discuss the importance of both “stretch” books and comfort reading.

Fourth grade students are grouped according to skill level and learning needs. Groups are fluid throughout the year in order to provide appropriate support and challenge. Math in Focus, a Singapore Math program, and teacher-made games are used throughout the year to help students practice, maintain, and generalize their skills. All groups utilize manipulatives to facilitate problem-solving and calculation tasks. Concepts taught include place value to six-digits, addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, multi-digit multiplication and long division, and basic fraction and decimal concepts. Students also explore basic geometry concepts, the interpretation of data, and probability. Students practice using bar models to solve word problems. The application and transfer of math concepts to everyday practice and understanding are also reinforced at this grade level. 

Students build on previous concepts and skills learned in music class, including such concepts as: steady beat, different levels of dynamics, pitch and tempo. Students continue to  identify instrumental timbres from traditional orchestral instruments and from instruments around the world. Musical concepts are presented using multisensory activities which include chanting, singing, movement and the playing of non-pitched and pitched Orff percussion instruments in addition to learning to play the recorder and ukulele. Fourth grade students continue to discover the elements of music and develop a music vocabulary through active music-making. Vocal abilities are strengthened through the singing of traditional childhood songs and folk tunes. Students continue to determine components of form in musical compositions (like and unlike sections) through active creation of group arrangements of songs. Students create new verses or chants to augment songs for performance. Students also learn about the woodwind, brass, percussion and string families of instruments, focusing on visual and aural identification. Students are exposed to different musical styles and multicultural music through hands-on performance and active listening.

Grade 4 students receive daily Physical Education in classes that focus on games and activities that promote healthy exercise, cooperative play, and good sportsmanship. Basic locomotor movements and spatial awareness are reintroduced through throwing, catching, kicking, striking and movement games. Grade 4 students also begin to play lead-up games to various team sports. Basic concepts of physical fitness and healthy living continue to be stressed. Facilities at the Lower School level include a multipurpose room, a large outdoor grass field and blacktop space.

Lower School reading follows a structured literacy approach with explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Each reading group throughout K-4 is specifically designed to practice and reinforce what those students have already learned and introduce concepts that they need to master.  Students first build their phonemic awareness—the ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken words—by segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words. Lower School phonics instruction follows the Orton-Gillingham approach, which is a systematic, structured, and explicit way of teaching reading that builds from consonants and short vowels to more advanced sound patterns. Students also learn strategies to break apart multi-syllabic words. As they learn phonics skills, students practice blending sounds to read and spell words, learn strategies for decoding and encoding unfamiliar words, and build fluency by progressing from letter-sound recognition to reading sentences and longer texts with accuracy and confidence.

In Fourth Grade, students strengthen their reading comprehension skills across a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. They continue to build background knowledge and deepen their vocabularies. In addition, students use details and examples from the text to describe characters, settings, and events, summarize stories, make inferences, and determine themes. Students compare and contrast points of view and make connections between texts. When reading nonfiction, students identify the main idea and supporting details, explain events, procedures, and concepts, and learn to interpret visual, oral, and quantitative information. They also learn to take notes to organize their understanding of what they have read. They integrate information from multiple texts and make cross-curricular connections to STEM and social studies. These skills help students think critically, make connections across subjects, and become independent, thoughtful readers.

Grade 4 Social Studies follows the C3 framework and allows students to deepen their understanding of fundamental concepts in geography, history, economics, and civics through inquiry-based learning as well as direct instruction. Students first deepen their understanding the use of maps through a study of the DMV region, including examining political maps, physical maps, and specialty maps. Students then move into a study of the original 13 colonies, with an emphasis on resources, trade, and economic decision-making in this time. Students also examine the lives of women, children, farm workers, and enslaved African-Americans during colonial times. Students then move into a historical study of the American Revolution, including the causes and course of the American Revolutionary war. Finally, students study civic reformers and the process of community change in the United States. 

Students also engage in a yearlong country study. The Grade 4 curriculum emphasizes the culture, people and wildlife of the country chosen and students explore the culture of that country, including customs, language and lifestyles through lessons and projects. The students present their culminating knowledge of the chosen country at the school-wide World Culture Day event. Through their country study, Social Studies is integrated into students’ library, music, art, and STEM classes.

Grade 4 STEM continues to encourage the hands-on exploration of science, technology, engineering, and math. Students develop their ability to observe, identify, interpret, and conduct experiments. Then, they record their findings and vocabulary words in science journals. Students cover topics such as inventions, electricity, biomes, flight, and our changing planet. Projects may include designing and constructing a new invention, making electrical circuits, creating sculptures with lights using conductive and insulating dough, creating models of animal life cycles and getting opportunities helping in animal care. Students begin to relate science to their everyday lives and the goal is to encourage curiosity and exploration.

Grade 4 students have the opportunity to join the String Ensemble and learn to play either the violin, viola or cello. Students learn proper bow hold, hand position, note reading, and ensemble skills. Students who enroll in the Strings Program are required to take weekly lessons. A private strings instructor is on campus to provide lessons for an additional fee.

Our K–4 writing curriculum is designed to help every child discover the power of expressive communication. While handwriting and letter formation are taught separately, our writing instruction focuses on developing ideas, organizing thoughts, and expressing them clearly in writing. Using The Writing Revolution framework, students first learn to build strong sentences, the foundation for all effective writing, and then expand into narrative, informative, and opinion genres.

In fourth grade, writing continues to be a tool for both expression and academic growth. Students plan, draft, revise, and publish their work, developing strong voices as writers and building the confidence to communicate effectively across all subjects. Greater independence is fostered, while scaffolding ensures each child is supported at their level.

Teachers model expectations and strategies, then guide students through shared practice before gradually releasing responsibility, allowing each child to build confidence and independence as a writer. Through assignments, essays, and projects, students move through the full writing process: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing while gaining not only essential writing skills, but also the confidence to express their unique ideas with clarity and purpose.