Reading with increasing independence, accuracy, and depth is a feature of third grade. Children learn about literary genres and expand their repertoires, reading widely. Predicting outcomes, making inferences, identifying main ideas, recognizing plot elements and themes, and noticing the author’s perspective and intent are practiced. Children read nonfiction and research, using multiple sources and learning how to assess the authenticity of information. 

Mini-lessons and individual conferences continue to develop writing skills. Children begin creating more detailed, thoughtful writing and revise with greater intention. They write fiction as well as nonfiction pieces, composing narratives, informational chapter books, persuasive writing, and fictional stories. Students edit for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 

Third-grade mathematics focuses on building an understanding of multiplication and division strategies, knowing multiplication and division facts, and developing an understanding of fractions and fraction equivalence. Students use properties of multiplication and understand unit fractions and equivalent fractions. The number line plays a big role in the teaching of fractions. Third graders continue learning more about measurement, including volume and mass. They communicate mathematical thinking and reasoning, understand and apply problem solving strategies, and transfer understanding of skills to a new context or non-routine problems. 

In science, students formulate answers to their questions as they continue to practice asking testable questions and defining problems. Emphasis is placed on developing and using models in order to communicate scientific ideas.

Children explore the relationship between identity and place, studying our past and ancestors, explorers, geography, and Native American cultures. A study of Los Angeles is introduced, including its genesis and multicultural roots.

Students practice the habits and skills of active readers and begin to gain deeper meaning by reading between the lines, gleaning both inferential meaning as well as comprehending the literal. Discussions of literature include references to literary elements and how those elements help develop themes.

After understanding the structure of a cogent paragraph (topic sentence, supporting facts, and details), children begin to put body paragraph together in order to craft essays. By the end of the year, students use the writing process to create an essay with an introduction, main idea, body paragraphs, and conclusion. They continue to craft narrative, informational, and persuasive texts, including historical and literary essays and realistic fiction stories. Students spell more accurately, expand their vocabulary, and use punctuation and grammatical conventions to create accurate, clear, and varied sentences. 

Fourth-grade mathematics emphasizes multiplication and division, including multi-digit multiplication, a deepening understanding of fractions (including equivalent fractions), addition and subtraction of fractions, and an understanding of decimals. It also includes understanding angles, area, and perimeter formulas and line symmetry. Students use number sense and strategies to assist with efficient problem-solving, find multiple methods and strategies to solve problems, and explore ways to communicate mathematical thinking.

In science, fifth graders analyze and interpret data about the world around them. Students apply their knowledge of natural earth processes to generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of human behaviors.

A focus on California and the greater world is explored, with an emphasis on mapping, geography, explorers, native and indigenous peoples, and the concept of multiple perspectives. Students study the Gold Rush, bringing their learning to life through an outdoor education trip to Sacramento where students stay on the banks of the South Fork American River, across from the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.

Students explore various genres through individual choice books, literature circles, and class books. They begin to generate in-depth responses to literature, including supporting interpretations of patterns with evidence. Students develop skills as active, informed readers who formulate questions, visualize, synthesize, make connections, and become increasingly insightful interpreters of what they read. 

Using the writing process, students create narratives and descriptive, expository, and persuasive essays, including a research-based argument. Mini-lessons and individual conferences now help students understand how their choices create meaning, including the development of skills in more varied structures, voice, and mechanics. Writing practice includes crafting essays with an introduction and thesis, body paragraphs with topic sentences, evidence, and analysis, and conclusions. Children continue to learn and apply new vocabulary and build foundational grammar and punctuation skills to apply to their writing. 

The fifth-grade mathematics curriculum reinforces computational skills and applications while continuing to encourage students to investigate the how and why behind mathematical concepts. This year emphasizes long division, four operations with fractions and decimals, an understanding of the algorithms, volume, dot plots, and the coordinate grid in the first quadrant. Fifth graders also learn about ratios, percents, area of triangles (including non-right triangles), algebraic expressions, and surface area. Direct instruction, class and small group discussions, hands-on practice, and interactive games continue to be some of the methods used to engage students’ mathematical thinking.

Fifth grade students ask questions, develop models, investigate, and conduct experiments while studying topics in the scientific strands of living things, earth sciences, and chemistry. Students use mathematics and computational thinking in order to engage in argument from evidence.

The study of United States history and government are the cornerstones of the fifth grade social studies curriculum. Students explore U.S. states and regions, colonial times, the Revolutionary War, systems of government, court systems, and migration Through hands-on, interactive experiential projects, research, and discussions, students learn about and interact with history and events from multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Sixth grade is a transitional year, a bridge from the self-contained elementary structure to the departmentalized courses of the Middle and Upper Schools. In sixth grade, students learn to take on more independence, responsibility, and freedom within the elementary school setting. Students experience a modified Middle School schedule and move among their math, English, science, social studies and global language class. Frequent and meaningful interactions with a variety of teachers and small section sizes provide students with challenge, a range of instructional styles, and ample one-on-one support and guidance. 

In addition to the core academic subjects, the sixth-grade curriculum continues to include physical education, performing arts, visual arts, STEM, leadership, and instruction that helps support healthy decision making, including executive functioning skills, social-emotional learning, and responsible digital citizenship. Our 6th grade year integrates the academic and co-curricular programs to help develop Chadwick’s Core Competencies, particularly critical and creative thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. 

The social-emotional center of Chadwick’s 6th grade is housed in a robust advisory program. Focusing on the core competencies of courage, character, collaboration, and cultural Competency, our sixth graders find a comfortable and space space in their small Advisory groups where they work on becoming their best selves with the support of their community.

Sixth Grade Academic Curriculum
Our sixth grade program develops foundational learning habits and skills that set students up for success in Middle School, Upper School and beyond.

Math: The emphasis of our challenging, differentiated sixth-grade math course is on problem-solving, conceptual understanding, reasoning and communication of mathematics. Students explore pre-algebra concepts, including real world applications with an intentional focus on technology integration.

Science: Sixth-grade science continues the emphasis of Chadwick's science program on inquiry, skill development and nurturing the natural curiosity of students. The course integrates topics from the earth and space sciences, life sciences and physical sciences including solar system structure, seismology, weather, genetics and human growth and development.

English: While building strong literacy skills, students explore what it means to be ethical and empowered global citizens. This class places significant emphasis on active, reiterative reading and writing processes, as students learn how to read critically and write clearly with increasing independence. It also focuses on the application of foundational grammar conventions, vocabulary words and collaboration skills.  

History: Sixth-grade history focuses on the development of various civilizations and communities (Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and various countries around the world) and the factors that helped shape and define them. This class emphasizes geography and the development of historical thinking and research skills. A significant research project culminates the course. 

Global Language: Learners of Spanish, French or Mandarin begin to or further develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in the target language, beginning a sequence that continues into Middle School and beyond. 

Library, Media and Technology: Students develop STEM, research, media and educational technology skills across the curriculum. Through a 1:1 laptop program, sixth-graders become very familiar with keyboarding, the navigation of laptops and relevant programs, and research strategies. 

The Village literacy program focuses on four essential areas: reading, writing, language usage, and listening and speaking. All four areas work together in an interconnected way to develop Chadwick's core competencies: in particular, nurturing a love of learning and developing strong critical and creative thinkers and communicators who are independent readers, skillful writers, clear speakers, active listeners, and discriminating viewers and consumers of media. Upper Village teachers achieve these goals within a balanced framework that engages students daily in the reading and writing of real texts that help them to more deeply understand themselves and others and contribute to the world around them. 

Reading
The Village reading program has been designed to inspire a love of learning, develop critical and creative thinking skills, and guide all students to build the essential skills they need to flourish as independent readers. Upper Village teachers provide explicit instruction on reading strategies and skills and model reading behaviors. Children often have opportunities to choose their own texts and time to write about and discuss books, ideas, and strategies. 

Our literacy program engages students in a wide variety of rich print and visual texts that expose students to a range of genres and topics. Texts throughout the Chadwick experience have been intentionally chosen to provide students with windows and mirrors: texts that reflect a student's own identities, experiences, and motivations (mirrors) and texts that provide insight into the identities, experiences, and motivations of others (windows).

Teachers use a variety of approaches to model, teach, and assess fluency (ability to read accurately at a moderate pace with expression and phrasing) and, increasingly in the Upper Village, comprehension (ability to understand what is read). Students read every day and in different ways throughout the week. Teachers read out loud to students and model reading behaviors, and students engage in independent reading and guided reading, a small-group reading instruction model that helps teachers focus on students' specific needs, accelerating their progress.

Upper Village students engage in an active reading process that helps them to read to learn more about themselves and the world around them. They learn how to read critically with increasing independence.  

• They decode and comprehend: What do texts say? How are texts organized?
• They analyze and interpret: What do texts mean? How do choices in the text shape meaning?
• They evaluate, synthesize, and apply understandings: Why do texts matter? 

Students also have more frequent opportunities in the Upper Village to read while developing research skills, gathering, evaluating, synthesizing, and citing information from different sources to communicate discoveries.

Writing
Our writing program, which works together with reading instruction, inspires a love for writing that promotes lifelong learning. Teachers do not aim to help students simply produce great pieces of writing but, instead, seek to develop great writers. 

Upper Village teachers continue to use a writer’s workshop approach to model, teach, and assess writing skills in order to develop students' ability to communicate with different audiences and for a variety of purposes. During writing workshops, students compose pieces of writing and, through practice and one-on-one conferences, become better writers. This approach embraces explicit, clear instruction in writing. In addition, just as real authors rehearse, draft, revise, and edit, students will also participate in these essential stages of the writing process. In the Village, students primarily become strong writers of narratives and stories, opinions, and informational texts. Writing skills build in complexity each year. 

Language Usage
During reading and writing workshops and through additional explicit instruction, teachers create language-rich environments in order to help children spell accurately, understand and apply grammar and punctuation conventions, build word consciousness, and learn and improve vocabulary.   

Listening and Speaking
Chadwick students also engage in daily experiences that help them learn how to use language to effectively communicate and collaborate with others. Children have even more opportunities in the Upper Village to orally articulate thoughts and ideas clearly in a variety of forms and contexts, develop public speaking skills, use technology to enhance oral presentations, and engage in collaborative discussions, activities, and projects, learning how to actively listen to others, ask questions, contribute meaningfully, and interact with different points of views.

At Chadwick, we create a balanced math program that focuses on three essential components that work together in an interconnected way: 

Procedural Fluency 
Do students demonstrate automaticity with their math facts? Can they move through a mathematical process with ease and accuracy (algorithms)?  

Conceptual Understanding
Automaticity of facts, computation, and procedures reflects an important pillar of our math program; however, mathematical understanding demands more than applying rote skills and correctly following the steps in a process. It is also essential for students to understand the reasons behind the content they learn so that they can both explain and apply mathematics to new situations. We want them to be able to communicate reasoning, solve problems in multiple ways, discern efficiency in strategies, and inquire about connections that can be made between learnings.  

Problem Solving
Every level of our math program is grounded in authentic, rich problem solving tasks. Teachers provide relevant tasks that stretch students’ thinking, focus on their ability to question, make connections and transfer their learning to real world contexts.  

The Village takes advantage of Math in Focus, a research-based program that focuses on mastery of concepts with rich and dynamic problem solving, in order to achieve these goals. This approach will be rolled up to the fifth grade in 2020-2021. Math in Focus is an American curriculum that is founded on Singapore Math methodology. Singapore math methodology focuses on visualization: moving students through a concrete phase with manipulatives, to a pictorial approach, and ultimately to abstract representations. This process guides students to think deeply about mathematics, emphasizing the development of 21st century skills that align with Chadwick’s core competencies.   

In grades 3-5, students expand their understanding of place value and patterns to develop strategies for multiplication and division, including work with decimals and fractions. As students move into the development of algebraic understanding, the emphasis shifts to proportional relationships, graphic representations, algebraic modeling, and solving for unknown quantities. Children are expected to communicate mathematical thinking and reasoning, understand and apply problem solving strategies, and transfer understanding of skills to a new context or non-routine problems. 

The Upper Village curriculum continues to incorporate a variety of specialists that help inspire individual student interests and develop well-rounded children. 

Upper Village students spend time in the science and Makerspace lab each week. While learning how to ask questions, think, and uncover new ideas as scientists and engineers, they explore, build, and learn about design thinking and develop engineering, coding, and technology skills. 

Students also immerse themselves in the visual arts, working with a variety of media that includes clay, paint, watercolor, pencil, and more. In addition to expressing their own creativity, children learn foundational techniques and about artistic masters through in-class lessons and field trips. In the sixth grade, students select from art options such as Ceramics, Mixed Media, Multimedia and Film, Minecraft Design, and Drawing and Painting.  

All students engage in a variety of musical experiences in the third grade, sing and learn to play the violin in grade 4, and choose in grade 5 to more deeply explore vocal or instrumental music. Each year, students build upon their understanding of pitch, rhythm and musical literacy, composition and expression, with opportunities to sing and play in the orchestra during concerts. In grade 6, students have the opportunity to engage in the worlds of instrumental music, vocal music, dance, musical theatre, and drama.

Upper Village students continue building their Spanish language skills, understanding and speaking new vocabulary. They begin to write in Spanish at an introductory level and learn to conjugate key verbs both orally and in writing. By the sixth grade, children choose a global language they would like to continue with: Spanish, French, or Mandarin. This language skill progression continues into Middle School and beyond. Learning about different cultures, identities, and perspectives continues to be an important part of the language and class curriculum as students further develop their cultural competency skills and make connections with peers at Chadwick International. 

3-6 students work with Village coaches during almost daily physical education classes to refine locomotor movements, body control, and balance and build athletic skills. While engaging in many sports and physical activities, children learn important teamwork skills, how to problem solve when faced with obstacles, and how to approach games with critical and creative thinking. Children develop swimming skills in the pool and work with the dance teacher during one part of the year.

Library trips where students engage in storytelling, check out books, and develop digital citizenship and research skills continue and increase as units revolving around research occur in the curriculum.