Children are naturally curious and genuinely love to explore, discover and experience their surroundings. We provide our girls with a creative, nurturing and secure environment that will foster a love for learning that they will carry with them throughout their lives. Our curriculum encourages girls to experience
science as a process of inquiry about their environment.
Hands-on explorations in the science labs and outdoors help our students apply principles and construct an understanding of physical science and life science concepts. Using our own
Baldwin "backyard" and the resources of the community, local arboretums, state parks and nature centers, the girls come to understand the interrelationships of nature. We want the girls to become aware of human impact on the natural environment and their own responsibility for its stewardship.
Best practices for girls guide our mathematics program at Baldwin. Girls thrive from working with others, like to see practical results, and tend to be more concerned about failure than boys. We encourage girls to experiment, solve problems and learn from their mistakes. Since girls tend to spend less time than boys engaged in play with blocks, puzzles and mechanical toys, our classroom activities are designed to specifically foster girls' development of spatial relationship skills. Teachers incorporate math throughout the day in practical ways, ask questions that are open-ended, and encourage
creativity and "outside of the box" thinking. Using a spiral approach to the introduction, development, and review of content within and across grade levels, our math program provides appropriate transitions from concrete experiences to abstract understandings.
Strong computational competency is taught and reinforced at every grade level.
Homeroom teachers and the Lower School Math Specialist plan experiences to support and enrich our students’ mathematical learning. Differentiation of classroom instruction can include specifically designed challenge packets, periods devoted to math teams, and smaller targeted skill groups, depending on identified needs throughout the year. Baldwin provides First-In-Math on-line accounts for students in Grades I through V. Girls can work with FIM independently at home and at school, marking progress as they master number facts and refine their computational skills. Baldwin also registers teams in Grade IV and V for Math Olympiads, a voluntary program that encourages interested students to participate in a series of math contests throughout the year against other teams nation-wide.
At all grade levels, systematic reading instruction using a variety of materials meets a range of developmental needs. The goal is to stimulate a love of reading from the very earliest grades as girls have time to share and enjoy books, listen to stories and poems, participate in small skits and plays, and develop an appreciation for the importance of literature. All of Baldwin's early childhood educators are trained in Wilson Language Basics – Fundations. This program provides a systematic, explicit approach to reading and spelling through phonics instruction. It is used in the early grades along with a literature based reading and writing program. As students enter fourth and fifth grade the emphasis shifts to comprehension within a variety of genres of literature, applying reading skills for research, and diversifying recreational reading material. Trade books correlated with specific areas of study introduce the girls to historical and scientific literature.
Writing workshop is the time set aside for instruction in the writing process. This includes the steps of: brainstorming for ideas, pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Instruction emphasizes stimulation of creative thought, organization of ideas, correct sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting. Research projects connect to content areas such as social studies and science. They focus attention on research and note-taking skills. Many opportunities are provided for the girls to learn and practice speaking and listening techniques, acknowledging that these are vital pieces in the development of literacy and communication skills. Oral presentations, including poetry and story reading, dramatics, reports and whole class discussions reinforce these skills.
From the earliest years students are guided to
discover a sense of their own identity in the context of their environment – place, time and culture. In the older grades girls examine a wider view of the world at different times in history. They explore the roles, connections and evolution of communities. By studying a variety of cultures the girls learn about the influence of environment on lifestyle and come to appreciate
cultural diversity. Studies come alive through field trips to places of historical and cultural interest as well as participation in age-appropriate research projects.
Physical education helps students develop movement concepts, including body and spatial awareness. Introductory sports are covered in drills and small games that are fun for the girls. Positive social interactions and appropriate physical fitness levels, necessary for an active healthy lifestyle throughout the girls' lifetimes, are supported. Water comfort and safety are stressed in swim classes at every grade.
In art classes, students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade learn to appreciate art in a historical and cultural context through observation and hands-on experience. Confidence, independence and creativity are fostered with individual, as well as group projects. A goal in lower school music classes is to give students a love and appreciation for music of all kinds along with the freedom to express themselves through music. Both the art and music programs support a global perspective through study of artists and music from many cultures and eras.
Baldwin families bring diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds to the school community. We encourage all girls to share attributes of their cultures and traditions with classmates. In the Lower School girls learn about world cultures through multidisciplinary projects.
During the early childhood grades girls receive exposure to Languages through integrated units in social studies, music and art. An example of this is when kindergarten girls study Japan and learn some Japanese words, phrases and songs. Students in PK through Grade II meet weekly with the French and Mandarin teachers during the Fall and Winter months. These early language experiences are integrated into Baldwin’s rich and vibrant Social Studies curriculum; hence, homeroom teachers work together with our foreign language teachers to implement activities. Baldwin does not do an immersion program in languages, since the goal is not to master any given language during the lower school years. Rather, the goal is to help our young students develop an ear for languages and foster an appreciation for multiple cultures, through age appropriate, diverse exposure.
As students are developmentally ready for reading and writing skills, more formalized instruction begins in Grade III, with one trimester each of and introduction to French, Spanish and Latin, presented as cultural courses. Finally, Grade IV students study Spanish for the entire year, and Grade V students study French for an entire year. The girls participate in activities such as cooking, singing, and dramatics to help them become acquainted with the target languages and to develop an appreciation for the cultures of the countries that use those languages.