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Curriculum

Curriculum Focus

At Beauvoir, we engage our students, promote creativity, and enhance our curriculum with the use of technology. Our Faculty, Staff and Students experiment, research, imagine, and explore opportunities for global collaboration and communication.

We believe it is our responsibility to teach Beauvoir students that their online presence needs to reflect the same culture and character expectations that we have as a school community; to be kind, respectful, responsible, and honest.

We prepare students with computational thinking strategies that will develop into sound computer science skills. Our benchmarks guide the digital literacy curriculum and highlight the connection between the Literacy Lab, the school library, and the classroom where students engage in and develop multiple literacies.

Explore The Curriculum

Pre-Kindergarten

Math encourages Pre-Kindergarten children to solve problems, develop their natural curiosity, and enhance their self-confidence. Through active exploration and the use of concrete objects, children begin forming important concepts about numbers and using mathematical ideas. Children are also encouraged to use reasoning and math skills in everyday life.

Kindergarten

Math provides Kindergartners the opportunity to develop their analytical thinking through hands-on activities. Children also continue to build strategies and skills for problem solving. Math is an integral part of the curriculum, connecting ideas and applications to the real world in which children live. Math concepts are introduced, revisited, and built upon throughout the school year. Cooperative learning is fostered through small groups, games, and computer activities.

First Grade

Math at the First Grade level encourages children to become investigators, discovers, predictors, explorers, and risk-takers. In these ways, children make the connections between the concepts and skills important to understanding and applying mathematical principles. First graders study number and operations; identify, describe, and apply number patterns, and properties; work with geometric shapes; and measure and explore data and chance.

Second Grade

Math in the Second Grade expands children’s number sense as their understanding of operations, data, geometry, and spatial orientation deepens. Students move toward more symbolic representations of mathematics and they record their observations and computations in journals. Second graders learn from each other and cooperative projects help students appreciate the various strategies that may be used to arrive at a solution.

Third Grade

Math in the Third Grade expands on children’s abilities to make connections between the classroom and the world outside of school. Students increasingly explore more complex mathematical concepts and relationships. They also practice communicating, both orally and in writing, an understanding of numbers, variables, functions, data, geometry, measurement, and probability.

Overview

At Beauvoir, the beginning is the most important part of the work, and that is certainly true of our literacy program. Through a structured literacy approach, children acquire foundational skills, strategies and knowledge that serve as keystones for their development as readers and writers. The literacy curriculum targets instruction and practice in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Reading and writing are explicitly taught through whole class, small group and individualized lessons, and skills are practiced in various contexts during the school day. Throughout their time at Beauvoir, students are immersed in rich and diverse reading materials, writing opportunities, and research experiences, all designed to set the foundation for lifelong proficiency as readers and writers. Read more about the components of reading and writing here.

Pre-Kindergarten

Language Arts in pre-kindergarten expands a young child’s world of imagination and discovery. Language inspires a desire in children to unlock the code of printed symbols on a page and to begin to use letters and words to express their thoughts and experiences. Beauvoir teachers build on each child’s innate pleasure in words, establishing a positive foundation for speaking, listening, reading, and writing. These skills are part of Language Arts at every grade level.

Kindergarten

Language Arts for kindergarten is based on the belief that children become increasingly aware of language when experiences are made meaningful, functional, and interesting. Children begin to develop an appreciation of literature and skills that will help them become independent writers, while also further refining their oral expression and enhancing their listening and critical thinking skills. Kindergarten incorporates the needs and interests of each child with theme-based studies and the application of new skills.

First Grade

Language Arts for a first grader means beginning to unlock the mysteries of the printed word, which leads to an important sense of accomplishment. As readers, children become more independent as they gain the skills and strategies necessary to thrive within the wonderful world of literature. Oral expression and active listening activities focus on children learning to use words meaningfully, which enhances interpersonal communication. First graders are eager to express themselves through a range of activities, which develop important writing skills.

Second Grade

Language Arts builds confidence in second graders’ reading and writing abilities. Our goal is to foster in students an appreciation of literature, strong literacy skills, and an overall pride in their achievements as readers and writers. Second graders learn through a balanced language approach, weaving together social studies, mathematics, science, and the arts.

Third Grade

Language Arts in the third grade further integrates the language components of listening, speaking, writing, and reading, and incorporates these into other subject areas. A literature-based reading program encourages children to read for meaning, information, and pleasure. Basic language skills are strengthened so that communication can be increasingly effective.

Pre-Kindergarten

Pre-Kindergarten science and time spent in our Maker Space challenges young children to observe the world around them, to communicate their observations, and to learn by doing. The curriculum encourages exploring, collecting, questioning and discovering.

Kindergarten

Science strengthens a Kindergartener’s ability to discriminate among details, to think critically, to make discoveries, and to make observations. Students also engage in the scientific process of observing, investigating, predicting, and experimenting.

First Grade

Science in the First Grade introduces new scientific concepts with an emphasis on how natural cycles affect our environment. Scientific inquiry skills are developed through a discovery approach. Children learn that, when making and testing predictions, they can benefit from both correct and incorrect answers.

Second Grade

Science encourages Second Graders to expand and deepen their ability to observe, compare, sort and make predictions. A further aspect to second grade science is learning to ask good scientific questions. Using discovery, students conduct experiments in which they record results in detail and share their findings.

Third Grade

First and Second Grade science establishes the foundation for the Third Graders’ readiness to become more independent scientists. Science fosters and stimulates children’s curiosity by providing an enriched environment and encouraging students to ask and answer questions. Third Graders’ abilities to observe and describe are sharpened as they engage in the study of life science, physical science, and earth science.

Beauvoir’s DEIB curriculum is both developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant to our students, organized by the following pillars: Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action. From pre-kindergarten through third grade, units of study build upon one another to help ensure that students graduate Beauvoir with a positive sense of self, and a deep understanding of other community members, on the Close and beyond.

Pre-Kindergarten

Identity: Pre-kindergarten students learn about the scientific origin of skin color and other physical similarities and differences that shape a person’s identity.

Diversity: Pre-kindergarteners explore the many ways that bodies exist in the world and learn how to view their own bodies in a positive light.

Kindergarten

Identity: Kindergarten students learn about the scientific origin of skin color and other physical features that shape a person’s identity.

Diversity: Kindergarteners explore how their favorite colors, clothing, hairstyles, and play choices are linked to gender-based stereotypes.

First Grade

Identity: First grade students learn about the similarities and differences that make all families special, specifically their culture (language, food, clothing, celebrations/traditions, music, art).

Diversity: First graders explore their own beliefs and values, as well as those of the six major world religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Judaism.

Second Grade

Identity: Second grade students will explore the history of their names and learn how people express their identities in different ways to create a unique life experience.

Third Grade

Identity: Third grade students will explore how individuals can belong to many different communities, connecting through art, food, artifacts, storytelling, and celebrations.

Pre-Kindergarten

Social Studies allows pre-kindergarten children to become familiar with their world by assimilating new experiences into their lives. Teachers help children appreciate how their life experiences are connected to what goes on around them. Through their activities and discoveries, children also develop social and moral values and attitudes.

Kindergarten

Social Studies for kindergarteners examine the concept of similarities and differences. From the beginning of the school year, teachers integrate this idea into the study of civics, geography, and history. Students explore how people are alike and how they are different, as well as how the concept of interdependence helps form a community.

First Grade

Social Studies in the first grade expands a child’s awareness of his or her surroundings. Cathedral Studies is a unique aspect of Beauvoir’s first grade. Children participate in an extensive study of the art, buildings, and grounds, and maintenance of the National Cathedral, adjacent to Beauvoir. Children have the exciting opportunity to tour the Cathedral with Beauvoir’s chaplain, go on an organ tour with the head organist, visit with the stonemasons, and learn about the architecture and view century-old plantings in the Bishop’s Garden. First graders join all students in a global study of a geographical region of the world. Similarities and differences are studied through exploration of traditions, customs, and cultures.

Second Grade

Social Studies in the second grade brings history to life for children. Learning takes place in the context of both modern and historical perspectives, leading children to understand that America’s present is connected to its past. Second graders begin to identify and record change over time, and use an interdisciplinary study of water and rivers to make connections to the world around them. 

Third Grade

As part of Social Studies, third graders learn about the role of citizens in a democratic society and the complexity of historical events that have led to present times. This includes an integrated explorative study of the western expansion of the United States. In a focused study of Washington, DC, children learn about the history of their community, investigate the planning and establishment of the nation’s capital, l and carry out individual projects about the city.

Global Studies (pre-kindergarten through third grade)

By the time children graduate from Beauvoir, they can say that they’ve gone around the world, thanks to Beauvoir’s unique Global Studies curriculum. The program is a school-wide study that explores geographical regions worldwide and celebrates the families and cultures within the School.

Each year, from January through May, students engage in integrated explorations of countries from one of the following geographical areas: Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America. By the time children are in third grade, and having studied all five regions, they graduate with an understanding and appreciation of people and cultures from all around the world.

Believing that hands-on, inquiry-based learning is best, Beauvoir’s Global Studies culminates in the annual Museum Mornings celebration. Each grade designs and presents interactive museum exhibits about the country they’ve studied to share with fellow students, parents and guests.

Global Studies is part of a long tradition of “world mindedness” at Beauvoir. Elizabeth Glascock Taylor, former Head of School, coined the phrase “world mindedness” after World War II. She believed in educating children about the similarities of people and instilling within students a feeling of cooperation and respect.

Past Regions of Study

2019-2020
Region of Study: Asia
Focus: Vietnam (ELC), Japan (Pre-Kindergarten), Australia (Kindergarten), Turkey(First Grade), Rivers of India (Second Grade), India (Third Grade)
 
2018-2019
Region of Study: South America
Focus: Argentina (Pre-Kindergarten), Chile (Kindergarten), Peru (First Grade), Brazil (Second Grade), Ecuador (Third Grade)


2017-2018

Region of Study: Africa
Focus: Kenya (Pre-Kindergarten), Madagascar (Kindergarten), Morocco (First Grade), Nile River (Second Grade), South Africa (Third Grade)


2016-2017

Region of Study: North America
Focus: Hawaii (Pre-Kindergarten), Pacific Northwest (Kindergarten), Mexico, with a focus on cathedrals (First Grade), Colorado River and its bordering states, with a focus on water studies (Second Grade), Washington, DC, with a focus on bridges (Third Grade)

2015-2016

Region of Study: Europe
Focus: Spain (Pre-Kindergarten), The Alps (Kindergarten), Italy with a focus on Cathedrals (First Grade), the Netherlands with an emphasis on rivers (Second Grade), Capital Cities of Eastern Europe (Third Grade)

2014-2015
Region of Study: Asia
Focus: India (Pre-Kindergarten),  China (Kindergarten), Indonesia (First Grade), Japan (Second Grade), Turkey (Third Grade)

2013-2014
Region of Study:  South America
Focus:  Brazil (Pre-Kindergarten), Panama (Kindergarten), Chile (First Grade),  Peru (Second Grade), Argentina (Third Grade), Costa Rica (ABC)
2012-2013
Region of Study: Africa
Focus: Cameroon (Pre-Kindergarten), South Africa (Kindergarten), Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles (First Grade), Egypt (Second Grade), Ghana (Third Grade), Kenya (ABC)

At Beauvoir, our library and technology programs intersect to provide students with the informational literacy and digital literacy skills needed to be experienced researchers, online citizens, and critical consumers of information in the digital age.

As such, our STEAM Lab next to the library helps students make connections by accessing information on digital devices like iPads. The STEAM Lab serves as a space where the digital literacy curriculum comes alive, whether students are learning foundational computer science skills or beginning to experiment with Java Script and other coding languages.

At Beauvoir, we engage our students, promote creativity, and enhance our curriculum with the use of technology. Our Faculty, Staff and Students experiment, research, imagine, and explore opportunities for global collaboration and communication.

We believe it is our responsibility to teach Beauvoir students that their online presence needs to reflect the same culture and character expectations that we have as a school community; to be kind, respectful, responsible, and honest. We prepare students with computational thinking strategies that will develop into sound computer science skills.

Our benchmarks guide the digital literacy curriculum and highlight the connection between the Literacy Lab, the school library and the classroom where students engage in and develop multiple literacies.

Pre-Kindergarten

Art provides abundant opportunities for self-expression and learning. Pre-kindergarten children are invited to explore a variety of art materials. The result is the nurturing of creative thinking and an elementary understanding of colors, lines, shapes, patterns, and textures. Beauvoir children learn to appreciate the uniqueness of themselves and others. Drawing, painting, clay modeling, printing, sculpting, paper construction, and puppetry are all part of pre-kindergarten art activities.

Kindergarten

Along with an increased understanding of color, line, shape, pattern, and texture, kindergarteners begin to create and name symbols to express their feelings and ideas. Beauvoir children experience art through drawing, painting, clay modeling, printing, and a wide range of other art media. They might study the art of Georgia O’Keefe, Vincent Van Gogh, and Alexander Calder. Students are developing greater control of materials at this age. Children’s literature is often used to inspire lessons. Students in Kindergarten also experience a unique Spanish and art collaborative instructional lesson to practice new Spanish vocabulary words related to the art that they create. 

First Grade

Arts education benefits first graders because it cultivates the whole child, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication. Through art, students gain powerful tools for understanding human experiences, both past and present, learn to respect different ways of thinking and working, and learn to make decisions in situations where there are no standard answers. In art, students stimulate their natural creativity and learn to develop it to meet the needs of a complex and competitive society. 

Second Grade

Beauvoir’s visual arts program strives to create an artistic environment that will encourage and stimulate children to think creatively and to enjoy problem-solving in new and different ways. We seek to encourage each child’s natural creativity by introducing them to a wide variety of art media and tools. In second grade art, students continue to develop observational and listening skills, find support as they learn how to create and find independent solutions with “their hands,” and are exposed to the value of organizing and completing an idea.

Third Grade

Art for third graders focuses on how aesthetic experiences relate to each child’s daily life. Third graders learn how to observe increasingly subtle qualities in different art forms. Drawing is an important emphasis as a basis for understanding architecture and the environment. Other mediums are explored in greater detail and depth. Students have a combination of structured experiences as well as opportunities to work in their favorite art medium. Their artwork is saved in a portfolio as a culmination of the children’s creative efforts.

In the performing arts classroom, we honor childhood, and we strive to build courageous musicians and performers who develop confidence in themselves over time and in a nurturing environment. Children express personal ideas and feelings while learning to enjoy singing, dancing/creative movement, instrument playing, and creative storytelling. We strive to create life-long music makers by encouraging each individual to find their passion through all of the experiences we provide in the performing arts curriculum.

Pre-Kindergarten

In pre-kindergarten, performing arts students focus on learning how to sing in their head voices to a rich repertoire of traditional and folk literature; how to find the steady beat of songs in different meters; as well as exploring different locomotor and non-locomotor movement.

Kindergarten

In kindergarten, performing arts students focus on singing in their head voice to a varied repertoire of music, playing unpitched percussion instruments, bringing a variety of stories to life through dramatic storytelling and instrument playing, and exploring locomotor and non-locomotor movement to a variety of songs.

First Grade

In first grade, performing arts students focus on working collaboratively with partners and groups, playing unpitched and pitched percussion, and bringing stories and songs to life through drama and movement.

Second Grade

In second grade, performing arts students focus on working collaboratively with partners and groups, playing and singing as an ensemble, and creating original movement choreographies.

Third Grade

In third grade, performing arts students use all of the skills they have acquired to combine music, movement and drama together in three special projects. In the fall, they play handbells as part of a chapel service in the Washington National Cathedral and in the Spring the perform in a class play and learn to play recorder. By the end of third grade, Beauvoir students have had opportunities to play recorder, xylophone, and various unpitched percussion; read standard sheet music; create their own original music and dances;; memorize lines and perform confidently in front of an audience.