Curriculum | Technology | Awards | Summer Reading

Featuring a social living program, the Worcester Preparatory School Preschool creates a warm and supportive atmosphere in which children are encouraged to develop self-discipline and responsibility. Interest in reading, science, social studies, and mathematics is stimulated through a variety of in-class and out-of-class activities. The Program is designed to give children the opportunity to be curious, to explore, and to learn. It is most of all, a children's place--a place children love, a place where children grow, a place where children are challenged, and a place where children have fun.

Examples of activities include dramatic play, use of manipulatives, music and art, cooking, story time, literacy projects, snack time, nap time, playground experiences, field trips, clean up and organization activities, free play, directed play, puzzles, holiday fun, discussions, and make believe. The morning program emphasizes social development and learning activities appropriate for the development of kindergarten readiness skills. The emphasis of the optional afternoon sessions is social development and includes lunch periods and rest periods.

Worcester Preparatory School subjects are taught by qualified teachers, who meet the requirements of the Maryland State Department of Education. For the most part, instruction is given by these teachers in self-contained classrooms, the exceptions being the special subjects, accelerated classes, and semi-departmentalization of some courses. Worcester Preparatory School faculty reflect the high standards of the school.

Homework is required at all levels, as is the reading of selected books over the summer months.

Reading - The reading program of the Worcester Preparatory School combines phonics and linguistics in an approach which gives students an early start in reading. The kindergarten program stresses the sounds of letters of the alphabet and words which incorporate the individual sounds studied. By the end of the kindergarten year, students are able to decode simple words and sentences.

Continuous practice in phonics/linguistics, reading comprehension, and vocabulary is evident throughout Grades 1 and 2. In Grade 1 students have two reading sessions and are given more difficult reading as they advance in grade level. Because most of the phonics skills are taught by the end of Grade 2, at the intermediate level more emphasis is placed on comprehension and vocabulary and less on word attack skills.

Throughout the Worcester Preparatory School reading program in Grades 2 to 5, teachers are careful to clarify the differences in techniques between silent and oral reading. Work in these two areas of reading helps students develop skills necessary for expressive oral and effective silent reading.

Materials used in the reading program include basic textbooks, selected novels, supplementary readers, and a variety of audio-visuals. Literature covered includes various types of traditional and contemporary selections such as fables, fantasies, biographies, and classic-type stories. The materials and the literature combine to create a total program designed to enable students to learn to read with understanding and to take an interest in and have an appreciation of reading.

Mathematics - The mathematics program at Worcester Preparatory School places a special emphasis on the fundamentals of math. Using concrete examples, problem solving, memorization, and practice, primary grade students are expected to gain a solid foundation for the intermediate grades and upper school.

Students in the second grade are expected to display immediate recall of the basic addition and subtraction facts. At this level they begin to study the multiplication facts and practice the skills of "carrying" and "borrowing".

Emphasis in the intermediate grades is placed on measurement, geometry, fractions, decimals, the properties of mathematics, and the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Special work in problem solving and mathematical reasoning is covered at all grade levels.

English - Lower School students are involved in a traditional sequential English program. As students progress through the grades, they become adept in writing good sentences (simple to complex), paragraphs of varying lengths, reports requiring research, and various types of letters. Poetry, sentence structure and parts of speech are all studied in detail. Proper handwriting and neatness are emphasized at all levels. Students begin cursive writing in grade 2. Spelling is coordinated with the reading series as phonetic skills are stressed along with major spelling rules.

Social Studies - Progressing from the social development stressed at the preschool and kindergarten levels, students in the primary grades study living and working in different environments as well as map skills, and manners. Courses in manners are taught at the Grades 2 and 4 levels. These courses stress manners at home, school, and in the community. Grade 3 features an extensive study of the States of Maryland and Delaware. Intermediate students are involved in courses in United States geography and history.

Science - In a combined experimental/textual approach, students are given an opportunity to undertake concrete experiences in search of answers to scientific problems. As a result of these experiences, students learn to observe, interpret, and classify. Some of the topics covered by the various levels are matter, living things, light and heat energy, the solar system, energy, rocks and minerals, and machines.

Computer Education - Students in Preschool through Grade 5 are scheduled for computer lab sessions, and in addition, use computers in their classrooms. Classroom teachers work with the computer lab teacher to integrate computer use into regular studies.

Primary students use a variety of educational and reference software, study word processing, do digital art projects, create booklets, do simple computer presentations and data bases, etc. Students in Grades 4 - 5 study keyboarding, multimedia programming, integrated computer programs (word processing, data base, spreadsheet, draw, paint), and use a number of educational software and reference resources. Upper elementary classes often make extensive use of lab facilities for their studies. Some Worcester Preparatory School projects have received state and national recognition for excellence of computer use in education.

Telecommunications (email, realtime conferencing, file transfer, Internet, etc.) is available for all classes. Equipment for PS - 5 includes multimedia computers, CD-ROM, digital cameras, video cameras, digital video cameras, scanners, printers, etc.

Foreign Language Enrichment - Lower School classes, Grades Kindergarten through Five, receive instruction in Spanish or French. This instruction emphasizes oral communication and appreciation of the language and cultural heritage.

Art - Students study line, color, texture, and shape through a variety of art activities. They use their knowledge, imagination, and curiosity as they develop and practice skills in the different media. They learn about art history and work on projects in the styles of various artists.

Music - All students in Grades Preschool through Five attend regularly scheduled music classes. Concepts such as melody, harmony, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, form and music notation are gradually developed throughout the years with repetition accompanied by increasing difficulty. Concepts are taught through singing, performing, instruments, and movement.

Instruction on the recorder begins in Grade Two and continues through Grade Five. Students are instructed in practice methods, and memorization is required on a regular basis. By Grade Four, students learn to accompany small and large singing groups.

The Third Grade is introduced to the orchestra and learn the names, function, and location of the various instruments.

The music history curriculum is introduced at the beginning of the Fourth Grade and continues through the Fifth Grade year. Students are taught the major composers and compositions of each musical period. They are also given an overview of society through invention timelines, class discussion of everyday life and customs of the times as well as the explanations of musical terms throughout these periods. Through coordination with the art curriculum, students begin to understand relationships between music and other disciplines.

All students in the Lower School are given the opportunity to participate in two major concerts a year. These performances help students develop confidence in front of peers and parents, and audiences in general.

Physical Education - Emphasis in the primary grades is placed on the development of muscular coordination. Students engage in non-competitive type games, and directed exercises. Intermediate level students are introduced to the techniques of soccer, field hockey, kickball, lacrosse, basketball, softball, and sports such as volleyball. Instructors stress sportsmanship and team spirit in addition to athletic skills.