College Entrance Record

College Guidance

Use of Technology in Learning

Lower School (K-3)

Curriculum

Language Arts

The Lower School language arts program offers girls daily opportunities for developing skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students learn these skills sequentially, each grade building upon the last, from Kindergarten through Class 3. Girls are exposed to reading and writing through a variety of multisensory activities. The program is geared to the individual needs of the students. Teachers use a variety of methods and materials to support students as they become independent readers. Writing opportunities abound, and girls are encouraged to generate and develop their own ideas. In small groups, they receive support to organize and craft their stories. Opinions and ideas are shared in a variety of group settings.

Mathematics

The major goals of the Lower School math curriculum are to build a strong foundation in mathematical concepts and to encourage enthusiasm and a positive attitude toward mathematics. To accomplish this, we use manipulatives and creative, age-appropriate activities. Children are grouped according to developmental level and are therefore both competent and challenged in class. The program develops numerical and spatial sense, techniques for problem solving, and fluency in arithmetic.

Science

Lower School science students are exposed to earth, life and physical sciences with an emphasis on hands-on learning. In each activity, predicting, observing, recording and explaining are practiced as students follow the scientific method to learn more about themselves and their environment.

Social Studies

The social studies program helps girls to explore the environment in which we live. The girls are encouraged to ask questions and to investigate. In Kindergarten, girls begin the year with an All About Me and All Kinds of Families study to develop a sense of community and increase their respect for one another. They then learn about plant and animal life cycles. The girls hatch chickens in the spring. Class 1 girls explore what it means to be part of a classroom community. They learn how to create and support a strong, caring classroom community. In the winter, the girls study the school's people, architecture and history. The final unit focuses on learning to be good community members through action. Specifically, the girls learn the importance of preserving the environment through individual efforts to recycle, reuse and conserve our natural resources. In Class 2, girls study the neighborhood around Chapin and the larger New York City community. Once modern-day New York city has been examined, the girls learn about people who lived in this area in the past. In particular, they explore the Lenape Indians and the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam. Geography and map skills enable Class 3 girls to compare their own community with communities in other parts of the world. Through the social studies curriculum, girls become researchers and critical thinkers. Learning about human similarities and differences, human needs and interdependence, people and places are all an integral part of the program.

Drama

The drama curriculum at Chapin begins in Class 2. Classes focus on the fundamentals of theater-making: story, character and setting. Girls develop skills of self-awareness, expressive movement and creative exploration. They also develop the tools of the actor: the voice, the body and the imagination. Working collaboratively, the girls write, rehearse and perform adapted stories and original plays.

Dance

The Lower School dance curriculum is based on creative movement and emphasizes activities that promote individuality, creativity and imagination. Cooperative work is emphasized, and the homeroom curriculum is often considered as students learn dances that correspond to the topics they are studying. All classes from Kindergarten through Class 3 incorporate yoga, anatomy, breath work and meditation.

Music

In the Lower School, students develop music literacy skills, aural discrimination and a love of music through singing, moving, playing, listening and writing in a sequence based on the work of Zoltan Kodály. Students develop a repertoire of folk songs encompassing many cultures. Barred instruments — xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels — are used to reinforce rhythmic and melodic skills. The recorder is introduced in Class 3.

Visual Arts

In the Lower School visual arts program, students experience a wide range of materials and create artwork that develops their manipulative and expressive skills. They are challenged to invent their own interpretation of an assignment and begin to grasp the creative potential of various media and tools.

Library Education

Through reading aloud, storytelling, book talks, selection guidance and story-gathering projects, students in Classes Kindergarten through 3 are introduced to a range of children’s books and the joys of reading. Students also learn how to locate books in the library and use the online catalog and an online encyclopedia.

Physical Education

The Lower School program exposes children to a wide variety of experiences in physical education and gymnastics classes. Through a combination of team activities and small group or one-on-one instruction, students improve their balance, motor coordination, cognitive function, strength, fitness and agility. As students move from Kindergarten through Class 3, they experience track and field activities, gymnastics, cardiovascular conditioning and competitive games, laying the foundation for their future physical development.

Learning Resources

The Learning Resources Department provides guidance and support to both students and faculty in all three divisions of the school. The department is also responsible for both informal and standardized testing from Kindergarten through Class 8. In the Lower School, the department works collaboratively with each grade level to provide a language arts program that meets the needs of a variety of learning styles. Throughout the Lower School, reading specialists work both in the classrooms and with small groups.