Elementary | Grades 3-5

In reading, third graders explore a variety of literature and dive into character motivations, inferencing, and vocabulary through the lens of each book. Third grade reading focuses on teaching children how to think, talk, and write about what they read in deeper and more detailed ways. Students read longer texts, and most read fiction chapter books. We read different genres in third grade including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, fairy tales, and fantasy.

Third graders continue to practice writing the pieces they learned to do in second grade, but now also write longer ones with more detail. Third grade students learn increasingly sophisticated language, using phrases and terms to provide examples and make connections within their writing. Writing units include opinion pieces, narrative pieces, and informative pieces.
 

The 3rd-grade science curriculum immerses students in the roles of field and lab scientists while fostering productive academic habits. In a hands-on lab environment, students develop fundamental skills and a strong understanding of biology, Earth science, environmental science, and physical science concepts. This year is crucial for students to begin problem-solving and critical thinking through project-based learning and creative invention.

The natural environment, including woods and waterbodies, serves as an outdoor laboratory, creating interdisciplinary links and integrating the school’s annual theme. Throughout the year, students develop academic skills and build scientific knowledge, aiding future studies. They practice scientific report writing, data collection and calculation, fieldwork, using lab equipment and tools, and graphing. Students also learn to make observations, predictions, and inferences, and to maintain organized scientific notebooks.

Students engage in individual and group work, conducting labs and fieldwork, completing projects, using basic technology, expressing learning through art, acting as engineers, and writing scientific reports. They also analyze charts, graphs, and maps. Science classes collaborate with other academic departments on project-based learning opportunities. The supportive, active, and explorative learning environment encourages students to consider their impact on the Earth.
 

Third grade social studies covers an array of subjects, but organizes itself around guiding questions such as “Who am I” and “How do I participate in my community?” The year begins with students looking at their individuality and commonalities through personal objects that represent aspects of their identity. Students learn how to read and understand maps, look at New Jersey geography, and then transition to learning about the history of our area, with the focus on the Lenape Indigenous Peoples. We center our study of Indigenous Peoples on the important fact that native people are important to the fabric of our nation and have made many contributions. 
 

In 3rd-5th grade, students have math class four or five times a week. PFS math classes are lively and supportive communities in which students work independently and collaboratively to further everyone’s confidence and the development of critical computational, cognitive, and communication skills. Mathematics instruction is differentiated. Teachers deliver whole-group instruction on basic concepts and skills and provide opportunities for extension and enrichment. Learning support is provided when needed. The 3rd-5th grade math curriculum is guided by the Bridges in Mathematics program, an inquiry-based curriculum that develops mathematical reasoning. Additional resources are used to supplement the Bridges curriculum as necessary. 

In 4th & 5th grade English, the focus is on continuing to build foundational literacy skills while exploring the relationship between speaking, reading, writing, and critical thinking.

Students study morphology and spelling patterns, reviewing phonetics and phonology as needed. Students learn and review sentence parts, punctuation, and parts of speech. Thesis-based writing is introduced as students are ready.

Texts for study include folktales, short stories, and poetry. In addition, every year the English and social studies teachers collaborate to select a full-length book (sometimes fiction, sometimes nonfiction) for cross-curricular study.

Students are introduced to the Writer’s Notebook and the concept of timed daily freewriting, which they learn to do with and without a prompt. Students are encouraged to share their writing, fostering confidence through community-building.

Also introduced this year is the open-ended response, a writing task designed to help students practice the critical thinking and writing skills needed for successful essay writing and analysis. Every 1–2 weeks, students write responses in which they are asked to summarize, generate and support opinions, look at topics from multiple viewpoints, and apply strategies for extending their thinking. 
 

4th/5th
The 4th and 5th grade science curriculum covers Earth science, ecology, biology, environmental science, astronomy, chemistry, and physics. Our science topics often overlap, integrating material from different disciplines and focusing on real-life applications and our day-to-day surroundings. The natural environment, particularly the waterbodies and woods adjacent to our school, serves as a laboratory for many course studies. This connection to the outdoors and the selection of class units build interdisciplinary links, fostering students to be thinkers, investigators, engineers, naturalists, and problem solvers.

Students participate in individual and group work as they conduct labs and fieldwork, complete projects, and build technological knowledge. They act as engineers, use art to express their understanding, and apply simple math to evaluate data. Activities include writing scientific reports; making and analyzing charts, graphs, and maps; and taking part in formal and informal assessments. Science classes also collaborate with other academic departments for project-based learning opportunities. The learning environment is supportive, active, and explorative, encouraging students to consider their personal impacts on the Earth.

Throughout the year, students develop important academic and scientific skills that will aid their future studies. They work on scientific report writing, data collection and calculation, statistics, fieldwork, introduction to lab equipment, and graphing. Students also grow increasingly comfortable making observations, predictions, and inferences, and maintaining an organized scientific notebook. Their participation in labs, projects, activities, and discussions enhances the class, encourages deeper learning, and challenges students to excel in their work.

In our 4th and 5th grade Social Studies class, students explore two engaging yearly themes: Early Civilizations and the History & Geography of North America. During the Early Civilizations unit, students learn about the daily lives, cultures, and achievements of ancient societies such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley. In the History & Geography of North America unit, they study the diverse landscapes, cultures, and historical events that have shaped the continent from pre-Columbian times to the present day. Throughout both themes, students develop foundational social studies skills, including map reading, chronological thinking, and comparing and contrasting different cultures and historical periods. These skills help them build a solid understanding of the world and its history, preparing them for more advanced studies in the future.

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. 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.

3rd Grade

The third grade Chinese curriculum continues the teaching philosophy centered on interest and exploration, while further expanding the learning content based on students' language ability and cognitive development. The weekly Chinese class helps students gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture through making handicrafts, learning to sing Chinese songs, experiencing traditional dances, and telling folk stories. At the same time, Chinese classes will be designed based on our interdisciplinary Central Study theme. Students practice daily language expression through role-playing and situational dialogues, and a systematic Chinese character writing plan will also help students gradually improve their language skills.

4th and 5th Grade

The Chinese curriculum for fourth and fifth grades focuses on gradually improving students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Four classes per week provide students with more language learning opportunities. The curriculum focuses on practicality and interactivity. It uses YCT teaching materials and is anchored in our interdisciplinary Central Study theme. Through rich cultural themes (such as traditional festivals, calligraphy, etc.) and interdisciplinary activities (such as learning geography, music, mathematics, etc. in Chinese), it helps students gain a deep understanding of the diversity and uniqueness of Chinese culture and regions. Students practice daily and thematic expressions through role-playing and situational dialogues. At the same time, they systematically learn Chinese characters and strengthen writing practice. They also practice Chinese character input through technical tools to lay the foundation for the comprehensive improvement of language skills. In addition, presentations are an important part of the course. Students prepare and present around different learning topics to exercise their language organization and expression skills. 

The Chinese curriculum at Princeton Friendship School is committed to helping students grow in a diversified learning experience and lay a solid foundation for future language learning and cross-cultural communication.
 

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 3rd grade, classes begin with a read-aloud followed by a discussion and browsing time, with short lessons woven in when appropriate. For 4th and 5th grades, Library classes move more intentionally through a series of lessons and activities geared to prepare them for middle school, when research skills are taught through English and Social Studies classes. 

Music classes in the upper elementary grades draw from Orff Schulwerk and the Kodály approach. In each class, students warm up their voices through pitch explorations and by singing songs 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. Students explore 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 these rhythms using 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.). Students learn the Curwen system of hand signs that accompany these syllables and practice sight-singing from hand signs as well as creating their own patterns. Once students become comfortable working with certain notes and intervals, they learn how to place them onto a staff using Western notation. Students practice their rhythmic and melodic skills and grow their ensemble skills by using body percussion and performing on classroom instruments, including rhythm sticks, drums, xylophones, and handchimes. Greater attention is placed on choreographed dancing in the upper elementary grades as students learn more complicated moves in different American and international folk dances and continue to develop their spatial awareness. As time allows, students experiment with choreographing their own dances using known moves or ones they have created.

Students in the upper-elementary grades also have unique grade-level activities to look forward to. In conjunction with our school-wide Storytelling Season, 3rd graders spend the winter illustrating one of the story songs from the music binder on a long paper scroll. When students get to 4th and 5th grade, they perform as a class at the Winter Arts Festival and weave the maypole at our May Day celebration on May 1st. Finally, all 3rd-5th grade students attend a concert by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra each spring.

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Deep engagement with the visual arts is a critically important aspect of the Princeton Friends School experience. Including studio art for all grades, graphic design for 7th and 8th grade students, 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.

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Problem of the Week (POW) problems are fun to do, and each one illustrates an important concept in math or an important moment in math history. Pascal's Triangle is a typical example, as it begins with just adding whole numbers. Its repetitive nature and rapid growth often fascinate younger students. Yet this same problem offers older students an opportunity to work on binomial coefficients, combinations, and advanced topics in number theory.

New POW problems are introduced in math classes about once a month, and students are encouraged to continue to tackle them during free time at school or with their families at home. The problems that are presented are often related to topics that students are studying in other subject areas, and through these problems, students encounter mathematical concepts that aren’t normally part of an elementary mathematics curriculum. Above all, POW teaches students that mathematics is a problem-solving undertaking, that many approaches are valid in working toward a solution, and that working with others can be a lot of fun and often leads everyone to a better understanding of the concepts at hand. We encourage you to explore our POW archive. We will post new problems as they are assigned to the students throughout the school year. Enjoy!

Tic-Tac-Toe

Prime Numbers

Pentominoes & Other 'Ominoes

GRADES 3 - In 3rd grade, students will be encouraged to hone 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: Tag and dodgeball.  Also, we mix in imaginative adventures designed for our students. 

GRADES 4-5 - In 4th and 5th grade, students will be asked “What kind of Physical Education do I want?” They will be joining 6th-8th graders in getting to pick from 5 different types of Physical Education: Yoga/Dance, Physical Training, Hiking, Recess Games, and Team Sports with a wide range of options for each student's P.E. journey. 

As critical as Princeton Friends School’s academic program is in preparing our students for academic success, just as important is our school’s commitment to instilling in children a strong and 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. Taking Care is a weekly class in which we learn about taking care of ourselves, our friends, our community, and the larger world around us. Students participate in a variety of interactive, thought-provoking team-building activities designed to bring greater awareness to how we are interconnected.

Older elementary students in grades 3 through 5 become garden leaders, helping to create planting plans and schedules, mixing compost, and building trellises. They refine their skills using shovels, pruning scissors, rope lashing, and building garden beds. They also venture beyond the garden and examine the surrounding natural spaces of wetlands, meadows, and forests. As students explore these spaces, they identify native and invasive plants and observe and document wildlife. They also participate in environmental restoration projects such as removing invasive plants and installing native plants. Students contribute to their community by maintaining and documenting our seed stock library for future PFS gardeners to enjoy.