Elementary | Grades 1 & 2

In the first and second grades, math instruction draws from the Bridges in Math program, an inquiry-based curriculum that promotes active learning through group investigations and games. The program focuses on developing problem-solving skills and creating mathematical thinkers. Topics covered include counting and numeration, understanding place values, measurement, computation, and geometry. This hands-on program helps build an equitable learning environment that engages all students.

In the first and second grades, students experience the joy of becoming readers. The students receive daily instruction in phonics through a structured literacy program involving Orton-Gillingham and the Wilson Reading System. These highly structured and sequential programs introduce students to basic phonemic elements, strategies for decoding, fluency, and the structure of the English language. Students practice comprehension strategies during shared reading sessions with their teacher. Through shared readings, students practice comprehension strategies guided by their teacher, instilling a lifelong love of reading.

In the first grade, the children keep Capture the Day journals, using illustrations and words to document the high points of each day. In second grade, students build on those skills as they explore various genres and begin to learn the writing process from drafting all the way to publishing. In both grades, students are encouraged to use their ever-growing encoding skills and their emerging familiarity with mechanics. As part of their writing program, first and second students compose poems for the all-school poetry anthology and write memories of the year. 

Music classes in the younger grades combine John Feierabend’s “First Steps in Music” curriculum with elements from Orff Schulwerk. In each class, students warm up their voices with pitch explorations; sing echo songs, call and response songs, and simple songs; improvise their own sung melodies; and move creatively and to the beat. Beginning in 1st and 2nd grade, students begin exploring Western music literacy by using simple songs to discover rhythm concepts and label them with syllables. They then learn how to read, write, and compose with them using iconic notation and Western music notation. Similarly, students begin learning melodic concepts by examining common intervals and patterns in these songs and labeling them with solfège syllables (do, re, mi, etc.). Throughout this process, students practice ensemble skills by performing rhythmic patterns using body percussion and on classroom instruments, including rhythm sticks, drums, xylophones, and handchimes. Additionally, students spend time in class engaging in creative movement through various songs and games and practice choreographed movement by learning age-appropriate folk dances. Finally, every class ends with a song from the PFS music binder, a collection of lyrics assembled carefully over the years to include a rich selection of folk and contemporary songs, ballads, rounds, and holiday music. For 1st and 2nd grade classes, students take turns picking songs from week to week.

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Deep engagement with the arts is a critically important aspect of the Princeton Friends School experience. Including studio art for all grades and a variety of arts elective classes offered for 3rd-8th grades, the PFS art program engages students’ natural curiosity and imagination, offering time, space, and resources for individual exploration. Freed from rigid expectations of outcome, students are supported in becoming comfortable with self-expression and being thoughtful yet playful, well-informed yet inventive.
Curriculum Highlights:
- Winter Arts and Storytelling Festival
- Arts in Motion: culminating outdoor art festival and gallery walk celebrating visual student work in relation to the central study theme
- 6-8th grade pottery wheel unit
- Place-based Art Making: creating art with natural materials found around the PFS campus. Past examples have included wild clay, natural dyes, basket weaving with invasive vines, natural watercolors, and papermaking with invasive plants.

At Princeton Friends School, we believe in play of all kinds. In first & second grade students will grow their Skills of Play: cognitive, social, communication, fine gross motor, and emotional. Students will do a light workout, practice skills like throwing, and play classic games like tag, and dodgeball.  We also mix in imaginative adventures designed for our students.

Spanish Program

The Spanish program at PFS follows the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards, emphasizing Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. This dynamic, project-based program provides students with a broad cultural and linguistic foundation, exploring the diverse Spanish-speaking regions of the world.

Students learn about the 21 Spanish-speaking countries, their capitals, and geographic locations, with a special focus on the Caribbean and Spain. Through songs, games, crafts, role-playing, and presentations, students actively engage with the language in meaningful and creative ways. Each unit of study immerses students in the history, geography, arts, and traditions of a Spanish-speaking country. Students read and analyze short novels set in countries like Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and Argentina, delivering presentations on characters, food, geography, and cultural traditions.

The program also fosters a global and intercultural perspective. Recent projects have included:

• Food migration studies, where sixth-graders created a bulletin board illustrating the food exchange between the Americas and Europe.
• The history and ethics of chocolate were explored by eighth-grade students, who researched its origins, commerce, and justice issues before presenting their findings to other grades.

Throughout the year, students interact with authentic cultural materials, such as videos, infographics, current events, and traditional artifacts. Special events enrich the experience, including:

Día de los Muertos Presentations: Middle school students research and share the meaning and symbolism of the holiday through altar decorations and community presentations.
Storytelling Week: Students read, memorize, and perform stories in Spanish, bringing language learning to life.
Poetry Season: A celebration of Latin American poetry, where students engage in wordplay, explore poetic traditions, and memorize short poems.

With a focus on hands-on learning and cultural engagement, the Spanish program at PFS provides students with an enriching and immersive experience, preparing them to be global citizens with a deep appreciation for the Spanish language and its diverse cultures.

Lower Grades Spanish Program at PFS

At PFS, the Lower Grades Spanish Program provides young learners with an engaging and immersive introduction to the Spanish language. While early language acquisition offers cognitive benefits, it also fosters social and cultural awareness, helping students develop an appreciation for diverse traditions.

Students begin their Spanish journey through listening, observing, and interacting with new phrases in a natural and playful way. The program incorporates songs, games, dialogues, and movement-based activities, inspired by Latin American traditions.

Key learning topics include:

• Greetings and everyday expressions
• Traditional Latin American songs
• Seasons and colors
• Animals and Nature vocabulary
• Short poems and storytelling

Cultural celebrations are an essential part of the program. In September and October, students explore Hispanic Heritage, learning about the people, music, and traditions that shape Spanish-speaking cultures. In November, they celebrate Día de los Muertos, discovering the meaning behind this special tradition through age-appropriate activities.

Chinese Program

The Chinese language program at Princeton Friends School is based on Quaker values ​​and is committed to creating a diverse and vibrant learning community. The curriculum is based on the ACFEL (Academic, Cultural, Functional, Emotional, and Linguistic) framework to enhance students' academic ability, cultural understanding, practical skills, emotional cognition, and language ability. In the Chinese language program for grades PK-8, we focus on developing students' language ability, cultural understanding, and cross-cultural communication skills. The curriculum not only covers basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), but also incorporates traditional Chinese cultural elements such as festival customs, calligraphy, painting, traditional music, and dance. Through these activities, students will discover and express their own voices and talents.

1st and 2nd Grade

The Chinese curriculum for grades 1 and 2 focuses on cultivating students' interest in learning and curiosity. The weekly Chinese class aims to create a pleasant learning environment for students and inspire their love for the Chinese language and culture. The course content covers topics such as dates, seasons, weather, food, animals, plants, etc., and is rooted in our interdisciplinary Central Study theme to deepen learning of Chinese in a diverse context. Through Chinese songs, dialogues, and role-playing, students learn to make simple expressions in Chinese and gradually build language confidence. At the same time, picture books, Chinese character cards and fun activities are used to help students recognize simple Chinese characters and learn to write basic strokes and stroke order. In addition, the course incorporates rich cultural elements, such as traditional festival celebrations, handicrafts, and storytelling, to help students gain a preliminary understanding of the diversity and uniqueness of Chinese culture.

As critical as Princeton Friends School’s academic program is in preparing our students for academic success throughout their lives, PFS believes it is equally important to instill in our students a strong positive sense of who they are as individuals and social beings. The Taking Care program encompasses four intertwining threads: Knowing Oneself, Knowing One Another, Care of Oneself, and Care of Others. Throughout the year, students participate in games and activities, conversations with peers and adults, and workshops with visiting presenters all aimed at deepening students' awareness of themselves as individuals, as members of a diverse and inclusive community, and as agents in the world beyond the walls of the school.

Under the umbrella of Taking Care, teachers draw on multiple resources to present a broad array of developmentally appropriate activities that address such issues as personal identity, diversity, the meaning of friendship, social dynamics, conflict resolution, and ethical dilemmas. Over the years, as these issues are visited and revisited, students come to know themselves and one another more deeply, practice skills in taking care of themselves and others, and develop a heightened awareness of their importance to their community.

From Beginning School through 5th grade, a positive connection with books and reading is nourished by once a week Library classes, during which students read books and learn to navigate the library, both to explore personal interests and to locate resources needed for academic pursuits. As students progress through the grades, they learn library skills and digital citizenship. For 1st and 2nd grade, classes begin with a read-aloud followed by a discussion and browsing time, with short lessons woven in when appropriate. 

First and second grade students begin to take more responsibility as gardeners and environmental stewards. They refine their fine motor skills using trowels and weeding while learning about the life cycles of the plants and insects in the garden. Creative projects such as building “bug houses” and “gnome homes” combined with scavenger hunts and crafts with flowers engage their imaginations while making them comfortable with soil and insects. First and second grade students also begin our spring starter plants by building self-water systems and learning propagation by cuttings in the winter.