Elementary Years Program

Program Highlights:

• International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB/PYP)
• Everyday Mathematics Program
• Multifaceted Language Arts curriculum
• Co-curricular Enrichment Programs
• Environmental Studies Program
• Spanish Language curriculum, including TPRS
• Advanced educational technology in every classroom
• Two tenured teachers in each classroom and a low student-teacher ratio
• Class Trips and Retreats

Students in the Elementary Years Program use tools acquired in the Primary Years Program to describe and analyze a broader range of information and ideas on deeper levels. Students explore themes in the geography, government and economics of Georgia, the United States and countries throughout the world. Science themes target wetlands, eco-systems, motion and force, astronomy and chemistry. Elementary students work in large groups, small groups and individually, and are expected to be able to express their learning through oral presentations, written work and creative projects.

Everyday Mathematics Program:

This program provides a framework for High Meadows students to learn and practice math skills and use them to reason and problem-solve. Physical models help students connect concrete and abstract mathematical concepts including logic, space, measurement and estimation, as well as basic algebraic and geometric concepts. Developed by the University of Chicago, the Everyday Mathematics program has earned the U.S. Department of Education's highest What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) rating of any commercially published elementary mathematics curriculum.

Multifaceted Language Arts Curriculum:

Students explore literature encompassing non-fiction, biographies, poetry and multiple genres of fiction. As elementary students learn to analyze the structure of literature, they also practice writing paragraphs, essays, and research papers. Elementary students use mathematic skills to reason, problem-solve and reinforce prior concept development with physical models and meaningful experiences.

Spanish Language Curriculum:

The High Meadows Spanish curriculum uses the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) methodology. This highly successful method of teaching foreign languages is based on recognized second language acquisition theories. Students are exposed to vocabulary and grammar through reading and storytelling. As students gain confidence and proficiency - particularly in the Middle Years - lessons are augmented with more structured grammar and vocabulary usage. Students usually go on to high school well prepared for Spanish II, Spanish II honors or Spanish III.

Elementary Class Trips and Retreats:

Beginning in third grade, elementary students go on grade level trips, starting with a full-day trip in third grade, a two-day overnight trip in the fourth grade and a three-day overnight trip in the fifth grade. These experiences give students the opportunity to extend lessons that may have begun in the classroom to collaborate, learn and build their independence in a safe, well supervised environment.