Lower School

Art

Lower School students explore art through a variety of media, techniques, and processes. In Lower School, students learn color theory, how to apply the elements of art (line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space), and the principles of design (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity). Each class also learns about art styles, art history, cultural art, and famous artists. The Lower School Art program teaches proper vocabulary to communicate about art.

Communication Arts

The Lower School Communication Arts curriculum develops students’ understanding of the written word through a focus on the elements of reading and the implementation of writing strategies.

Starting in Kindergarten, students learn about the sounds and spellings of words through a phonics program that is based on letter/sound relationships, grammar rules and word family activities.  By the end of Lower School, students will utilize Pathways to Reading and Words Their Way programs to meet students’ individual needs in the areas of reading, phonics, and spelling.

Reading lessons introduce students to a broad selection of genres that serves as a foundation for further exploration of literature and literary styles.  Reading work takes place in small groups, such as Reader’s Workshop or Guided Reading groups, and whole-class instruction.  Decoding and reading strategies are taught as well as beginning reading skills of main idea, sequencing, and story elements.  Oral reading fluency and reading comprehension are assessed through individual and small-group work, as well as formal assessments.

Throughout Lower School, students learn how to write, both the proper formation of letters (including cursive) and the method of writing sentences, paragraphs, and beginning essays.  Writer’s Workshops consist of a mini lesson followed by a writing experience to use the skill being taught.  Writing units include narrative, expository, descriptive, and paragraph writing.  Students also receive instruction in grammar and mechanics: in Kindergarten, students will end the year editing their writing for capitalization, spaces and punctuation; by the end of Third Grade, students will take their work through the entire writing process.

Library

Kindergarten students learn to locate and choose appropriate books from the Easy Fiction section of the Library. First through Fourth Grade students learn how to access the Oakhill online catalog as well as the Mid-Continent Public Library online catalog and database resources.

All students have the opportunity to participate in a before-school club called “Book Buddies,” where students meet to read, discuss, and make crafts to go along with books.

Math

Kindergarten through Eighth Grade students learn basic math concepts through the use of the Investigations and Envision Math Series by Pearson. This provides consistent terminology, vocabulary, and processes for students to aid in the continuity of the mathematics program. 

However, instructors utilize multiple resources needed to best meet the learning styles and needs of each individual student, while ensuring that mathematics objectives and standards are taught. 

Students in Second and Fourth Grade utilize math journals to demonstrate learning. These journals provide an interactive resource for students to utilize. Students in Lower School also use software called Math Missions and utilize an individualized mathematics online program called Reflex Math to help track math progress.

Music

Music classes in the Lower School Division include Kindergarten through the Fourth Grade. For Kindergarten students, classes are thirty minutes long twice a week. Students spend their time moving, playing, composing, and reading music rhythms. Additionally, the Kindergarten classes study the Kodaly and Solfege methods and are introduced to notes and note values. This training continues and is built upon throughout the rest of their musical careers at Oakhill. They perform in two musicals and at Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day.

In Second through Fourth Grade, there is an after-school choir that is offered for those who would like to travel and perform in the community. This is a non-auditioned choir that meets once a week after school.

Physical Education

Lower School students are introduced to and engage in each sport while building upon and developing those basic skills they learned at the Early Childhood level. Lower School students participate in many drills throughout the first week of each sport unit to help develop their sport specific skills needed to participate in a game. In Week Two of each unit, students actively engage in putting the skills they have learned into a game-like situation. Students use the skills they were taught to help them achieve and feel a sense of accomplishment. Workout Wednesday and fitness weeks are incorporated into the Lower School P.E. curriculum to promote and teach the importance of lifetime fitness, while also developing the students’ motor and manipulative skills. Free weeks are provided to break up the two-week sports units; throughout these weeks, students engage in many of the fun traditional P.E. games: Dodgeball, Capture the Flag, Kickball, and King of the Court.

Science

Lower School students are instructed using the scientific method, higher level questioning, group collaboration, and projects. Students are given many opportunities for hands-on exploration and discovery with each activity. Beginning in Lower School, students go daily for 30-40 minutes to a pull-out Science class taught by a science specialist.

Social Studies

Beginning in Lower School, the Social Studies curriculum is divided into four main areas of focus: Kansas City/Missouri, the Midwestern States, the United States/government, and the World (each grade level focuses on a specific continent). A school-wide culminating event takes place twice a year to showcase student work.

Lower School students use resources including grade-level weekly periodicals, library books, and various websites to reinforce the Social Studies concepts. Geography is taught through the use of maps, globes, Google Earth, atlases, and map skill workbooks.

Spanish

Lower Elementary students further explore a wide variety of units with attainable, yet challenging, classroom expectations that increase each year, showing growth and development. Students embrace ‘rewards’ for meeting and surpassing various daily goals. Students are introduced to a large amount of vocabulary with connections to their personal, family, and school life. Students are continuously introduced to and exposed to the general usage of conversations, common verbs, and common phrases. Activities are developed and modified (as necessary) to encompass the needs of all learning styles and allow students to ‘shine’ individually in a non-pressure/safe learning environment. Units covered throughout the Lower Elementary classes include numbers (to 1000), the alphabet, prepositions, adjectives, colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, general conversation skills, weather, location, calendar-related words/phrases, family, body parts, school and house vocabulary, and basic culture and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries.

Techbrary (Technology)

Students in Lower School participate in formal technology class using laptops in the classroom setting. A dedicated technology teacher provides instruction in not only use of specific devices, but also how to navigate and apply various software. Emphasis is given throughout the curriculum on the importance of understanding and applying digital citizenship concepts such as privacy, cyberbullying, and plagiarism. Computer programming is taught at every grade level in an age-appropriate manner with the goal of strengthening problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as an appreciation for technology design. Keyboard instruction is provided at each grade level, transitioning from letter recognition to formal touch typing skills so that students leave Lower School with high fluency and accuracy. Productivity and creativity are explored through the varied use of Office Suite, digital cameras, podcasting and movie making.