Curriculum

The English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum is at the core of the Lower School program, as students develop the knowledge and skills to become fluent readers, thoughtful writers, and effective communicators. Above all, the Baldwin Lower School fosters a lifelong love of reading and writing by nurturing curiosity, confidence, and an appreciation for the power of language.

Students engage with a wide range of texts throughout their time in Lower School, including decodable books, fiction and nonfiction, biography, poetry, folktales, and informational texts. Through purposeful reading, discussion, writing, and research, students learn to think critically, communicate clearly, and make meaningful connections across disciplines. Across Lower School, students write narrative, opinion, informational, persuasive, poetry, and research pieces while developing the skills to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences.

In Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 2, students receive explicit, systematic literacy instruction grounded in the Science of Reading. Using research-based programs including UFLI Foundations, Arts & Letters, and Geodes decodable texts, students build strong foundational reading skills through phonological awareness, phonics, decoding, spelling, vocabulary, handwriting, grammar, and oral language development. Daily instruction is paired with authentic reading and writing experiences, while small-group instruction allows teachers to meet the needs of individual learners. Reading is an important part of each child's daily routine both at school and at home.

In our Early Childhood Center, children begin developing joyful reading and writing identities while building the foundational skills that support lifelong literacy. Through engaging read-alouds, songs, dramatic play, Morning Meeting, and meaningful conversations, students strengthen listening and speaking skills while expanding their vocabulary and understanding of language.

Pre-Kindergarten students develop phonological awareness as they explore sounds, letters, and words. They begin connecting spoken language to print through letter recognition and formation, early phonics instruction, and opportunities to write about their own experiences. Children are encouraged to see themselves as authors, recording their ideas through pictures, inventive spelling, and emergent writing.

Kindergarten students proudly begin to identify themselves as readers and writers. Through explicit phonics instruction and daily opportunities to read connected text, students build strong decoding skills while developing fluency and confidence. Carefully selected literature, shared reading, and classroom discussions expand vocabulary, strengthen comprehension, and cultivate a love of reading.

Kindergartners begin writing independently, using their growing knowledge of sound-symbol relationships, spelling patterns, and high-frequency words to communicate their ideas. Through stories, informational pieces, and personal reflections, they discover that writing is a meaningful way to share their thinking with others.

Grade 1 students continue building strong reading foundations while growing in fluency, comprehension, and independence. Students apply the phonics skills they have learned to increasingly complex texts and develop confidence as they read a wide range of fiction and nonfiction. Children's literature serves as a model for both reading and writing, encouraging students to think deeply about characters, themes, and author's craft.
Writing is central to the first grade experience. Students learn to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their work while strengthening handwriting, spelling, grammar, and conventions. As they write for a variety of purposes and audiences, they begin developing their own unique voices as authors.

Grade 2 students continue strengthening their reading fluency while applying increasingly sophisticated decoding and comprehension strategies. They explore a wide variety of genres, build stamina as independent readers, and engage thoughtfully with texts by asking questions, making inferences, synthesizing ideas, and discussing multiple perspectives.

As writers, second graders deepen their understanding of the writing process through regular opportunities to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish. Guided by thoughtfully selected texts and explicit instruction, they craft increasingly detailed narratives, informational pieces, opinion writing, and poetry while learning to organize ideas, elaborate with details, and share their work with authentic audiences.

As students transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn," literacy instruction expands beyond foundational skills to emphasize comprehension, analysis, vocabulary, and written expression. In Grades 3 and 4, the Read Side by Side curriculum supports students as they engage with increasingly complex texts, while Words Their Way strengthens spelling, vocabulary, and word study. Reading and writing become increasingly integrated across the curriculum, allowing students to apply literacy skills in meaningful and authentic ways across disciplines.

Grade 3 students become increasingly strategic and independent readers. They analyze characters, identify themes, make inferences, and support their thinking with evidence from the text while building stamina with longer and more complex literature. Students strengthen their vocabulary and word knowledge as they apply reading skills across subject areas.

As writers, third graders continue to build confidence and independence through every stage of the writing process, from planning and drafting to revising, editing, and publishing. Throughout the year, they write across a variety of genres, including personal narratives, research writing, poetry, pourquoi tales, and correspondence. Mini-lessons help students strengthen their craft by adding dialogue, using transition words, expanding sentences, and incorporating "show, don't tell" language to engage their audience. With the support of rubrics, graphic organizers, and anchor charts, students become increasingly independent, thoughtful, and effective writers.

Fourth graders engage thoughtfully with sophisticated fiction and nonfiction, developing the ability to synthesize information, analyze author's craft, and support their ideas with textual evidence. As readers, they deepen their critical thinking while making connections across texts and disciplines.

As writers, fourth graders learn to communicate their ideas with clarity, precision, and purpose across a variety of genres. They strengthen their expository writing by developing well-organized paragraphs, using strong writing mechanics, and incorporating figurative language to enhance their expression. Longer writing projects are broken into manageable steps as students plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their work. Through checklists, self-reflection, and teacher feedback, students become increasingly independent writers, applying their skills across Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.

In Grade 5, English Language Arts and Social Studies are integrated into a Humanities curriculum that immerses students in the study of ancient civilizations. Alongside intentional word study and grammar instruction, reading and writing are woven throughout students' exploration of Ancient Egypt and Kush, Ancient China, and Ancient India. Through novel studies, book clubs, poetry, literary analysis, debates, and creative projects, students strengthen comprehension, analytical thinking, and communication skills.

The Humanities curriculum provides authentic opportunities for students to write across genres, including argumentative, analytical, creative, and research writing. During their study of Ancient Egypt and Kush, students complete their first comprehensive argumentative research paper. Additional units include thematic analysis essays, poetry, podcast creation, and a culminating creative writing project that challenges students to synthesize their Lower School learning and develop their unique voices as writers. Through multiple rounds of revision, peer feedback, and publication, students leave Lower School as confident readers, writers, and thinkers who are well prepared for the Middle School curriculum.

The Lower School Science program is designed to nurture essential scientific skills and knowledge that will empower children throughout their educational journey and beyond. Our Early Childhood Center and Lower School Science Labs and campus outdoor spaces provide children with meaningful, hands-on opportunities to make discoveries in the areas of Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Life Science. With a focus on interdisciplinary experiences, students are challenged to apply their scientific thinking and understanding to other academic classes. Baldwin’s Lower School Science program follows the Next Generation Science Standards and uses an inquiry-based approach that encourages girls to be creative, curious, and open-minded and develops students who actively question and explore the world around them.

In Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, girls develop their skills of Observation and Exploration. Through hands-on experiments that investigate the physics of ramps and paper airplanes, the chemistry of mixing materials and solutions, and the biology of bees and plants, students use their senses to observe and explore the world around them; ask questions about natural phenomena; recognize patterns in nature and everyday life; and record observations through drawings and simple charts.

Grade 1 and 2 students focus on Inquiry and Investigation as they formulate hypotheses and make predictions, conduct simple experiments and investigations, identify cause-and-effect relationships, and gather information from various sources. In the Lower School Science lab, early elementary scientists grow bean plants and record their observations; use computer models to explore the solar system; examine how biomes, ecosystems and habitats impact living things; and take their first steps with digital microscopes.

Throughout Grades 2 and 3, young scientists develop the skills of Communication and Documentation. They learn to express ideas and observations clearly and effectively, construct explanations based on evidence, develop basic research skills and cite sources, and graph and analyze data to represent findings. The meticulous crafting of lab notebooks is a testament to girls’ evolving roles as young scientists, and a study of meteorology allows for careful record-keeping.  In a study of geology, students explore landforms and how they shape our planet, study tectonic theory, and learn about the three major types of rocks. Hands-on labs demonstrate chemical weathering and sediment transport as well as the types of faults. 

​​Grade 4 and 5 students use their prior knowledge and their advanced cognitive skills to focus on critical thinking and problem solving. They apply the scientific method to design and conduct experiments, evaluate and analyze scientific information critically, engage in engineering and design challenges in tandem with DREAM Lab® classes, and gain understanding of the impact of human activities on the environment. 4th and 5th grade scientists delve into the electrifying world of electricity and dynamic world of energy transfer; construct and launch air-powered rockets; and conduct in-depth research on natural disasters and develop a presentation about their findings. In an interdisciplinary unit with Social Studies, 4th graders connect how geography and the  environment shaped the development of cities in the Atlantic basin during the Colonial period. Additionally, in their final year of Lower School, Grade 5 students engage in Advanced Experimental Design, designing and conducting more complex experiments, applying advanced data analysis techniques, and formulating and testing hypotheses in a systematic manner.

The Learn to Swim Program is part of Baldwin's Lower School Physical Education curriculum, with the students participating in weekly lessons during the school year and periodic exhibitions where they display their skills to family and friends. Parents are updated on their child's progress through a report sent home three times a year. Read more about the program.