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Primary

Our Primary program is thoughtfully divided into two distinct classes—Primary 1 (P1) and Primary 2 (P2)—to support children as they grow from independent individuals into empathetic community members.

In P1, five- and six-year-olds harness their natural curiosity to master daily routines and take ownership of their belongings, building foundational confidence through personal autonomy. As they transition into P2 (ages 6–8), the focus expands to social and emotional maturity. Through collaborative experiences like Morning Meeting and Farm and Forest Friday, students learn to navigate diverse perspectives and solve problems together. From managing their own gear to practicing deep empathy, these years provide the essential groundwork for our Social Justice curriculum.

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5–7AGESPRIMARY 1
6–8AGESPRIMARY 2
16–22STUDENTSPER CLASS
2TEACHERSPER CLASS

Primary Routines

Additional routines that nurture independence and connection include Choice Time, Morning Meeting, and Outdoor Time:

  • Choice Time is a core element of The Common School experience. It offers students opportunities to engage deeply in play, creation, and exploration based on their interests. They build, create, and use their imaginations to explore materials and themes that evolve throughout the year

  • Morning Meeting is a time for students to come together, ground themselves in the day, and build a sense of community. We review the schedule, play games, and share experiences. Over time, students take on leadership roles—guiding calendar activities, finding missing letters, and counting the days of school.

  • Outdoor Time is abundant in P1. We spend at least two—and often three—periods each day immersed in nature. Like all students in the Early Childhood Wing, P1 students go outside in all weather, supported by school-issued rain suits and boots. Our yard, the farm, and the forest serve as our favorite playscapes for exploring and learning about the natural world.

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In-Depth Studies

We believe that play is the work of childhood, and we support students in engaging deeply in inquiry-based, child-centered learning across all subject areas.

Our In-Depth Study (IDS) curriculum allows us to explore topics that are meaningful to students, relevant to the world around them, and foster a culture of curiosity and care. Past IDS themes have included Spring, Birds, Snakes, Life Cycles, Community Helpers, Identity, and Circus. Each topic is approached through a social justice lens to help students think critically about their world and their role in it.

We also integrate nature into every IDS topic, using the outdoor environment as an essential space for learning, discovery, and connection. 

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Literacy and Math

At The Common School, we believe that all children can develop a love of reading, writing, and math through meaningful experiences and structured instruction grounded in the science of reading and aligned with Common Core math standards.

In P1, literacy and math are taught through a mix of whole group, small group, and integrated experiences. These include read-alouds, alphabet exploration, writing prompts, independent reading, emergent literacy activities, math centers, games, and project-based work. We use the UFLI curriculum for literacy and Eureka Squared for math as the foundational frameworks of our program, supplemented by a variety of resources that enrich and deepen student learning.

In P2, topics covered for students in their first and second years are as follows:

First Year

  • Counting, comparison, and addition

  • Addition and subtraction relationships

  • Properties of operations to make easier problems (strategic problem-solving)

  • Comparison and composition of length measurements

  • Place value concepts to compare, add, and subtract

  • Attributes of shapes

  • Advancing place value, addition, and subtraction 

Second Year

  • Place value concepts through metric measurement and data

  • Place value, counting, and comparing within 1,000

  • Addition and subtraction within 200

  • Shapes and time with fraction concepts

  • Addition and subtraction within 1,000

  • Money, data, and customary measurement

  • Multiplication and division foundations

Visit Our Classrooms
four children sitting around a rug reading a picture book, two are smiling

Peek into a Primary classroom on any given day and you’ll find:

  • A classroom environment that supports developing social skills and where sharing, negotiating, taking turns, and solving problems together are all part of the process.

  • Students embracing independent learning through skill-building activities, portfolio reflection, and by managing their own project choices and materials.

  • Interdisciplinary lessons that incorporate movement, dance, drama, and art making.

Primary Curriculum Highlights

  • Book with red and black cover and two small pictures of snakes with text "A Book about Snakes from P1"

    Primary 1: Snakes

    In many settings, a surprise encounter with a snake would be off-putting. But students spotted one in a flower bed outside the Primary 1 classroom, they were curious about its type, where it lived, and whether it was hungry. They chose to embark on a special snake-study project, setting up an observation station and reading books on the subject. Things got really exciting when one day the snake slithered into the classroom, but students stayed calm, giving it enough space to slither back out. They concluded it was a garter snake that probably lived between shingles on the School’s roof.

  • a child smiling and holding a paper with many shades of skin colors which says "CREATING UNIQUE SKIN COLORS"

    Primary 2: Senses

    The Primary 2 class’s multiweek In-Depth Study of the five senses was part science experiment, part philosophical discussion, part art project. In their investigation of touch, students learned physical sensation is registered by nerves in the skin, which send a signal to the brain. They also looked at artist Angelica Dass’s Humanae series, which comprises 4,000 photographic portraits of people from around the world, each tinted with a specific Pantone color that perfectly matches the subject’s skin color. Students were inspired to make their own portraits as they reflected on the idea that our skin color does not affect how we experience sensation.