• A Progressive School
• A Constructivist Classroom
• Academic Philosophy
• Social-Emotional Curriculum
• Grades K/1
• Grades 2/3
• Grades 4/5
• Classroom Snapshot
• Weekly Schedule
• Specialist Classes
• Staff Development
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Program Overview for Grades 4/5

Aurora School's interdisciplinary curriculum and teaching strategies challenge students to explore and experiment through active application of academic and social skills. The goal is for students to master a wide range of skills, have the confidence to use them, and the entrepreneurial spirit to apply them creatively in an increasingly complex world.

Science

The Science Program focuses on developing students' understanding of scientific content and scientific process. Children are natural scientists who are always inquiring, investigating, formulating and reformulating how the world works. In the 4/5 classes, students cover the following curriculum in their two years together:

• Levers and pulleys
• Landforms
• Environments
• Human body and nutrition
• Electricity and magnetism
• Mixtures and solutions

Social Studies

Social Studies is the study of human interaction and the importance of political, social and geographical variables on human history and societal evolution. The primary themes of the 4/5 grades in Social Studies classes are:

• California's state history and how that history integrates with United States history
• United States history and geography
• Cultural Studies as they pertain to identification and cultural traits (e.g. language, arts, music) and their influence on people, politics and our environment

Mathematics

The Aurora Mathematics Program encompasses a wide variety of constructivist-based activities that emphasize strong development of mathematical reasoning, problem solving and communications skills in addition to computational strategies. Students gain valuable experience in all of the mathematical strands as outlined by the California standards, including Number and Operations, Measurement and Geometry, Algebra and Functions. In the 4/5 grades, students continue to expand their knowledge and skill with mathematics and learn to:

• Order and compare positive and negative integers, whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents
• Understand measurement and its correlation to geometry
• Estimate, round and manipulate very large and very small numbers
• Determine prime factors and use exponents
• Use and understand standard algorithms in order to add, subtract multiply and divide multi-digit numbers, decimals and fractions
• Define the characteristics of two- and three- dimensional geometric shapes
• Identify the radius and diameter of a circle
• Use and interpret simple formulates
• Use a letter symbol to represent an unknown quantity; write and evaluate simple algebraic expressions in one variable by substitution
• Use the distributive property in equations
• Understand basic coordinate geometry
• Solve problems involving linear functions with integer values
• Understand mean, median and mode
• Use graphs, charts, grids and tables to evaluate data and represent possible outcomes in an organized way

Reading/Literature Study

Reading is a key literacy tool. The Reading Program at Aurora offers a balance of meaning based opportunities and teacher directed lessons in which specific decoding and comprehension strategies are taught in context. Teachers at Aurora cull from a broad range of resources and experts to teach reading and literature.

In the 4/5 classes, students extend their comprehension strategies with an emphasis on understanding non-fiction/informational texts. Literature studied at this level is often integrated with topics being explored in science and/or social studies.

Writing

Writing is one of our most important tools for communicating and is incorporated into all areas of the curriculum, including math, science and art. At Aurora, writing is taught through a process approach in a workshop setting where students brainstorm, draft, conference, edit, revise, publish and celebrate their writing. In the 4/5 classes, students learn how to:

• Writing
  • Write simple essays that include a clearly stated purpose, introduction, supporting evidence, transitions and conclusion
  • Write narratives that establish and develop a situation, describe a setting and present an ending
  • Use citations, notes and bibliographies to find information
  • Edit and revise pieces to improve meaning, focus of writing or clarity
  • Write narratives, literature responses, research reports and persuasive compositions
• Grammar and Punctuation
  • Use a colon to separate hours and minutes and to introduce a list
  • Use quotation marks
  • Mater proper use of parts of speech
• Vocabulary
  • Spell roots, suffixes, affixes, prefixes and syllables
  • Understand and explain frequently used synonyms, antonyms and homographs
  • Use the roots and afficxes to find the meaning

Field Trips

In the 4/5 classes, students spend time in the field, including one local overnight camping trip and one week away at an outdoor educational farm.

• Tilden Park overnight in the fall
• Storyteller Bookstore
• Week at Eamandal Farm in Mendocino in the spring
• Web of Life
• Lawrence Hall of Science
• DeYoung Museum