3-4-5
The Middle Years at Stanley
Building on a Strong Foundation Stanley's 3-4-5 classrooms build on the strong foundation built in the K-1-2 program. While addressing the curricular needs of children in the upper elementary years, the program continues to value choice, creative exploration and experientially-based learning opportunities.
Natural Curiosity and Inspiration Our 3-4-5 curriculum is designed to tap into a child's natural curiosity, develop their ability to work for extended periods of time on one project and inspire them to collaborate with peers.
Engaging Children The lessons and activities seek to engage children and lead them to take an active role in their education. Our 3-4-5 classrooms are a highly creative and safe environment for our students to learn and grow.
Multi-age Classrooms Our multi-age classrooms give children the opportunity to be the youngest, middle and oldest children in the classroom. This extended time also allows teachers to truly understand their students' individual strengths, challenges and personalities, fostering a deeper connection built on trust and mutual respect. These relationships create a safe and supportive learning environment where students feel valued and heard, encouraging them to engage more fully in their education.
Teacher Support & Differentiation During their three-year journey, each 3-4-5 student benefits from the expertise of a dedicated team of three educators. This collaborative approach fosters a vibrant learning environment where diverse learning styles and abilities are embraced, ensuring that every student feels valued and engaged. The strong partnership between our two lead teachers and the embedded learning specialist enables us to implement highly differentiated instruction tailored to each student's unique needs. Through powerful small group learning experiences, typically consisting of 3-7 students, we provide support and enrichment opportunities. This includes adaptive materials, varied teaching methods, and personalized learning goals. Additionally, we utilize ongoing assessments to inform our instructional strategies, ensuring that every child
Curricular Components
Teachers strive to ensure that all children see themselves in the curriculum and provide doors and windows so students can understand multiple perspectives.
Reading: A blend of whole group and small group instruction, with a focus on genre and comprehensive strategies.
Writing: Units of study that focus on the writing community, focusing on personal narrative, creative writing, informational writing and essays.
Spelling and Word Study: Utilize Orton Gillingham, a developmental multisensory and systematic approach to phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction. Differentiated spelling groups with an average teacher student ratio of 1:7. Groups range from working on basic spelling to understanding morphology through Greek and Latin roots.
Social Studies: Three-year rotating curriculum: Colorado History, US History, World History. More advanced historical and sociological analysis and interpretation along with historical research. There is a strong focus on understanding complex topics with many perspectives.
Mathematics: Small group differentiated math with advanced focus on Numbers Sense, Multiplication and Division. Complex Word Problems, Fractions, Decimals, Percents, Money, Geometry and Measurement, Patterns, Functions and Algebraic Structures. Average teacher student ratio of 1:5.
Science: Actively utilizing inquiry-based discovery. 3 year rotating curriculum: Earth, Life and Physical Sciences.
Choice: Offered two times per week for children to explore their passions and engage in play.
Social and Emotional: Multi-age classrooms provide a foundation for learning to live and work collaboratively in a community. In weekly social-emotional classes students proactively learn social skills.
Foreign Language: Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling method for teaching Spanish.
Technology: Weekly technology classes emphasize digital citizenship while teaching digital content creation tools. Used as a tool to enhance learning.
Beyond the Classroom: Field trips related to curricular units including yearly overnight trip to Cal-Wood Outdoor Education Program.
Service Learning: Classroom, grade level and all-school service learning projects such as Lowry Family Center food drives, Project Our Town, Project Angel Heart and Kynd Kits.
The Arts: Integrated artistic opportunities through all curriculum units. Visual Arts classes, weekly music and dance classes and annual 5th grade musical.
Physical Education: Gradual incorporation of more traditional sport-based skills taught by units with a strong emphasis on sportsmanship and leadership.
Homework: Weekly take-home packets focused on reading and math. Students are given developmentally appropriate amounts of homework with progressive levels of reading and length of assignments.
Leadership
Writer's and Reader's Workshop Model
In Writer’s Workshop, children engage in genre studies that last six to eight weeks. This encourages children to work through the writing process, including; brainstorming, writing a rough draft, revising and editing, participating in peer conferencing, and publishing.
Instruction varies from whole class to small group and individual conferences.
Units of study may include memoirs, fiction, non-fiction research projects, and poetry. At the end of each unit students share their creations with a larger audience including classmates, other classrooms, or parents.
Reader’s Workshop is linked to Writer’s Workshop through the use of mentor texts. Teachers guide children through a number of mentor texts to discover techniques good writers use in their writing.
In Reader’s Workshop children are asked to read “Just Right Books” and dig deep into their thinking about the text.
Children are asked to focus on strategies that good readers use in a variety of genres, such as asking questions, inferring, determining importance, making connections, and accessing background knowledge.