The 3-5 Experience at Mead
Now in the older grades of elementary, our students in Grades 3-5 are developing higher order thinking and analytical skills, exploring autonomy with electives, and practicing leadership skills.
This is an exciting time as the curriculum extends in depth and variety, and students start to develop more autonomy in their learning - discovering new skills and following new interests.
Students in Grades 3-5 are becoming more proficient, taking on more complicated material, and developing analytical abilities.
Grade 3 Overview
Grade 3 students experience greater independence and a heightened sense of responsibility. This is an exciting time as the curriculum extends in depth and variety, and students start to develop more autonomy in their learning - discovering new skills and following new interests. They are becoming more proficient academically, taking on more complicated material, and developing analytical abilities. Additionally, they are becoming more autonomous in their physical environment, taking many of their classes outside of their Home Center. They learn to manage their time and their materials.
Friendships and trust for their fellow students continue to deepen, and self-advocacy skills, and being good community members have become routine. Third graders are able to participate for the first time in team sports and take this right of passage very seriously!
Grade 4 Overview
In Grade 4, students are becoming stronger, independent learners, and experience greater independence and a heightened sense of responsibility. Students are comfortable using their personalized Chromebooks and the Altitude Learning Platform and are becoming more proficient in managing their materials and staying ahead of their work.
Fourth graders continue to learn to manage their time, travel to most of their classes outside of the Home Center. Friendships and trust for their fellow students continue to deepen, and self-advocacy skills, and being good community members have become routine.
Overnight trips are introduced in the 4th grade, with a farm experience in the fall with their fellow fifth graders and a community trip in the winter. These bonding trips forge new friendships, stretch comfort zones and, of course, are a lot of fun.
Grade 5 Overview
Grade 5 students are the leaders in the Center. Much of what happens in 5th grade has everything to do with honing their independent learning and organizational skills, being responsible members of the community, and preparing for the challenges of an advanced curriculum, and increased performance expectations that accompany the work. It is seriously fun and challenging.
Students are now well on their way to becoming independent learners - possessing a keen sense of how they learn - knowing what comes more naturally to them, and what takes more effort.
These years support further exploration and skill acquisition, and even some mastery.