Lower School Curriculum
Outdoor Adventures
Lower School classes take advantage of the rich learning environment that is Potomac’s 90-acre home. Our students hike our trails, use their imaginations in our creative play spaces, and develop a deep appreciation for our beautiful campus and their stewardship of the land. All that we value at Potomac has its roots in the Lower School.
Broad Curriculum
The Lower School curriculum encompasses a broad range of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, technology, public speaking, and more. Through Social Emotional Learning and Responsive Classroom strategies, we emphasize building cohesive classroom communities and developing collaborative learning skills.
Where children are engaged in joyful learning.
Art
In Lower School art, students explore, design, and create, using techniques from drawing and painting to collage, sculpture, ceramics, bookmaking, and printmaking.
Language Arts
The Lower School Language Arts program is taught through the workshop model for both reading and writing. All six elements of literacy are targeted through Language Arts instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and writing.
Library
During their twice a rotation library classes, a teaching librarian shares a wide range of children's literature, from wordless books to biographies and from emergent reader titles to complex chapter books.
Mathematics
Potomac uses Math in Focus (MIF), a program based on the Singapore Math model. The program focuses on an in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts and problem-solving.
Music
In Lower School, we strive to foster the joy of making music. The Lower School Music Program is built upon the Orff-Schulwerk approach, which uses speech, singing, movement, and barred instruments to discover and develop the innate musicianship of children
Physical Education and Health
The overall goal of the physical education program is to motivate every student to participate in physical activities leading to healthy, lifetime habits.
Science
In Lower School, students learn through observation, experimentation, exploration, and a variety of engineering design challenges. They all explore and analyze Potomac’s unique 90-acre wooded campus.
Social Emotional Learning and Guidance
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is woven throughout the students’ day to build a strong school and classroom community.
Social Studies
Students begin to build their understanding of identity as an individual and as a member of the greater community.
Technology
As the use of technology transitions from toy to learning tool, students are exposed to a wide range of applications and resources.
Lower school is where we teach students how to learn, but it’s so much more. This is the age at which we begin teaching children about empathy, compassion, and kindness. It’s where a lifetime of positive relationships and productive problem solving begins.
Dr. Donnette Echols, Lower School Head