“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”   
William Butler Yeats

Stevens’ teachers are not viewed as purveyors of facts to fill children’s heads but rather as guides who assist children in using their minds, delving for information and connections and following their passions for learning. Thus, the underpinning of the older grades is the social studies program, a program of inquiry and investigation: What do we know already? What do we need to know to understand further? What do we want to know?

Having gained an understanding of the functioning of our present-day community, children are now ready to compare and contrast it with other communities. In 3rd and 4th grades, an historical perspective is added through in-depth explorations of the Native Americans, colonists, or immigrants of this area. Students practice real research and critical thinking skills through the use of a wide variety of source materials: Who wrote this book and when? What new information did this author have to form her opinion?

Understanding grows when information is used in discussions and communicated to others. Students express their new-found knowledge of different cultures through their choices of research reports, oral presentations, debates, art projects, dramatic performances and “museums” presented for their parents and other classes. Opportunities to speak in public come about naturally, promoting confidence and self-assurance. The Schools’ spacious classrooms and hallways provide excellent gallery spaces for students’ work.

In addition to continuing their familiarization with basic math facts and concepts, students in the older grades are expected to employ higher- order reasoning skills, solving problems independently and in groups and discussing their mathematical thinking.  An exploratory-style math text is used to guide the curriculum, supplemented by projects and topics related to everyday life and the social studies program.  Daily math homework and extra voluntary math challenges ensure steady progress for all students. Practice in timed testing of math facts and skills is also provided. Children continue to have access to a plentiful supply of math manipulatives and materials and also to calculators and computers.

Students see that language skills are not an end in themselves but necessities for accurate communication of ideas and information.  Spelling and grammatical rules are taught primarily in context; lists of unfamiliar words discovered in the course of research appear on spelling tests and lead to investigation of word families and origins, while sentence structure is studied through self-editing and group observation of appropriate usage. Grammar and spelling texts are also used to introduce and reinforce skills. Many students choose to write on computers, where the use of spell-check and grammar-check is encouraged.  A love of literature continues to be promoted through independent reading and class read-alouds. Areas for scientific exploration and hypothesis emerge from the social studies curriculum or from natural and environmental science. Investigations may include the past and present uses of the Hudson River; the physics of simple machines; and insect, bird, plant and tree studies.

Students in these grades begin to experience heightened curiosity in aspects of health and sexuality. Through the use of informal teachable moments, group reading, discussion and instruction, teachers help students receive accurate information and support the sharing of fears and concerns in peer groups.

Stevens Cooperative School
301 Garden Street, Hoboken • 201.792.3688
80 Pavonia Avenue at Newport, Jersey City, • 201.626.4020