Younger Program

Young children's natural curiosities drive the Roseville Community School (RCS) approach to growing each student's desire to learn. The Younger Program curriculum includes play-based, outdoor activities, as well as mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, environmental studies, bird study, gardening, and art. Students receive guidance and support through regular student-teacher conferences.

Mathematics: We teach math with a hands-on approach, which leads students to construct personal mathematical understanding and to develop confidence in their mathematical abilities. Students work with coins, learn patterns, explore math in literature, create graphs, gain fluency with number sense, apply geometry, measurement, and practice estimation.

Developing number sense with measurement and estimation.

Learning by doing...working with numbers and graphs.

Language Arts: Thoughts, ideas, and feelings - each day RCS students express themselves through journal writing, poetry, student-published books, and storytelling. RCS teachers use games, poetry, songs, and handwriting--letters and words--to create, through practice, a whole language education for every student.

Social-emotional development is at the center of students' learning. As conflicts inevitably arise, we ensure that each child's voice is heard, and show that by listening to one another we strengthen our community. RCS uses Class Meetings as a forum where all are heard and understood. Class Meetings enable all participants to observe and practice positive role modeling.

Social emotional development - class meeting

A Class Meeting was being called by students, stemming from conflicts on the playground. A teacher facilitated the meeting by asking questions and providing a forum for each child to express their perspective and concerns. In the end, students came up with agreed upon solutions for how the game should be played going forward.

The science program is built on daily investigations of the environment and the interests of the children. Students make observations, ask questions, experiment, make predictions and draw personal conclusions. In science, as with all areas of learning, concept development is a continuous and individual process.

Presentations: We find great value in giving children the opportunity to share their work and their personal experiences with their peers throughout the school year.

We recognize and discuss the risk taking that comes with sharing your work with others and what it means to be a respectful and participating audience.

Giving brown bag.