Academics

Primary

Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade

At The Weiss School, our specifically designed primary program consists of gifted students enrolled in Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. The primary program addresses the natural curiosity of young children and their desire to know why and how things work. The nurturing learning environment at The Weiss School encourages young learners to explore and engage in creative problem-solving situations. Students are provided with opportunities that engage their curiosity and imagination through the use of project-based learning that enables students to approach learning and exploration through the eyes of authors, historians, mathematicians, and scientists.
 
This setting facilitates student acquisition of exemplary academic learning opportunities in addition to the acquisition of social development values such as personal responsibility, concern for others, and the commitment to function as beneficial members of society. The primary program utilizes and integrates multimedia technology within classrooms to foster cooperative learning and the development and implementation of higher-level thinking skills.

Kindergarten

The Weiss School Kindergarten curriculum concentrates on the essential academic concepts of literacy, math, science, and social studies for gifted students. The curriculum and instructional approaches are strategically implemented to meet the individual needs of each student. The curriculum incorporates a thematic approach by implementing real world applications to foster the development of higher level thinking skills.

Kindergarten Curriculum

List of 4 items.

  • Math

    Math instruction helps children: 

    • Understand and practice math objectives in hands-on instructional activities 
    • Construct picture and bar graphs that link across all academic subjects
    • Master basic concepts in addition and subtraction, money, measurement, time, and geometry
    • Demonstrate math knowledge in higher-level math activities and multi-level technological math programs
  • Reading & Writing

    Reading and Writing instruction helps children:

    • Develop oral language and phonological awareness skills through whole and small group activities
    • Foster a lifelong desire to read among each student 
    • Develop inventive spelling skills with high frequency words through the incorporation of a writing program 
    • Express their thoughts in regular journal entries
  • Science

    Science instruction helps children:

    • Develop creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking skills
    • Utilize science concepts in other academic areas
    • Enhance problem solving and practical skill development through science activies and experiments
  • Social Studies

    Social Studies instruction helps children:

    • Explore their family relationships and community responsibilities and relationships
    • Explore community elements including neighborhoods, community services, families, and community events
    • Facilitate the outward expansion of self to community and realize their significance to society
    • Learn and explore important holidays and cultural traditions from around the world

First Grade

The Weiss School 1st grade curriculum concentrates on the essential academic concepts of literacy, math, science, and social studies for gifted students. The curriculum and instructional approaches are strategically implemented to meet the individual needs of each student. The curriculum incorporates a thematic approach by implementing real world applications to foster the development of higher level thinking skills.

First Grade Curriculum

List of 4 items.

  • Math

    Math instruction helps children:

    • Learn math skills through hands-on math activities such as the 100th day of school celebration
    • Learn by doing according to individual student learning styles
    • Understand base-ten numeration system and place-value concepts
    • Develop the ability to quickly recall addition and subtraction facts
    • Develop fluency skills with multi-digit addition and subtraction
    • Develop the understanding of linear measurement and facility in measuring lengths
  • Reading & Writing

    First grade Language Arts encompasses reading, writing, word study, grammar, vocabulary, language, spelling, speaking, and listening. The Weiss School 1st grade Language Arts program for reading and writing is modeled on the principles of The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project founded by Lucy Caulkins at Columbia University.


    The Readers Workshop Model supports students in gaining a deeper understanding of their reading as they learn to think, talk and write about their reading. First grade students acquire independence in reading, which is the ultimate goal of literacy. 

    Students learn through direct “mini-lesson” instruction in which the teacher demonstrates specific reading and decoding strategies, grammar rules, spelling patterns, and reading fluency skills. Vocabulary is acquired through authentic literature including daily interactive read alouds, class novels, themed books, poetry, short stories and mentor texts.  Genres studied in 1st grade include fiction, non-fiction, realistic fiction, tall tales, and fairy tales. Differentiated instruction is based on individual student needs during small group guided reading instruction and individual conferences with the teacher.
     
    Students practice independently reading from a “just right book”, which is a book that a child can read fluently with at least 95% accuracy. In our print rich classrooms, there are multi leveled and high interest books of every genre that provide children the opportunity to practice building fluency and gain a love for reading. Students also participate in shared and partner reading and book club discussions. 
     
     
    The Writers Workshop supports learners in conveying meaning in their writing. The Writers Workshop Model begins with a focused mini-lesson that targets one specific teaching point and the mini lesson offers explicit modeling and demonstration of the targeted writing strategy. Following the mini-lesson, students write independently and participate in individualized conferences with the teacher.

    Each writing workshop concludes with students being given the opportunity to share what they have written with the class. As they navigate through the writing process, students learn to draft, revise, edit, and publish well-crafted writing pieces. As they write each day, students practice demonstrating command of the conventions of writing including capitalization, spacing, punctuation, and spelling. The 1st grade Writer’s Workshop genres include Personal Narratives, “How To” Teaching Pieces, Opinion Pieces, and Expository Writing.
  • Science

    Science instruction helps children:

    • Learn about the environment and our relationship to it
    • Learn the foundation of numerous scientific experiences
    • Develop a positive attitude towards science and the use of science concepts across all academic subject areas 
    • Use technology and research skills as necessary tools for scientific reasoning and discovery
  • Social Studies

    Social Studies instruction helps students:

    • Extend their critical thinking and problem-solving skills in addition to developing empathy, acceptance, and respect for their community, other cultures, and the world around them
    • Discover historical knowledge, chronological thinking, foundations of government, rules and laws, basic structure of our government, economics, and map and globe skills
    • How to express their own realistic and imaginative project-based ideas through multiple avenues

Second Grade

The Weiss School 2nd grade curriculum concentrates on the essential academic concepts of literacy, math, science, and social studies for gifted students. The curriculum and instructional approaches are strategically implemented to meet the individual needs of each student. The curriculum incorporates a thematic approach by implementing real world applications to foster the development of higher-level thinking skills.

Second Grade Curriculum

List of 4 items.

  • Math

    Math instruction helps children:

    • Develop real-world math skills through the use of manipulatives and hands-on learning activities
    • Learn the math concepts of place value to the hundred thousands, addition and subtraction with regrouping and borrowing, multiplication, division, patterns and relationships, geometry, fractions, decimals, money and measurement
    • Explore a real word approach to math with rich, challenging content that is embedded in the curriculum with practical approaches
    • Focus on higher order thinking and problem-solving strategies
  • Reading & Writing

    Reading and Writing instruction helps children:

    • Learn basic grammar skills including parts of speech and their relationships to one another
    • Develop confidence using English in both written and spoken word
    • Learn different styles of writing including expository, research-based, narrative, debate, informative, and persuasive writing
    • Progress from single sentence writing to formulating paragraph summaries within the full writing process that include the use of brainstorming, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing skills.
    • Apply writing crafts including author’s voice, proper writing conventions, descriptive writing, including vivid verbs and adjectives, and word choice
    • Learn the various reading genres including classic literature, poetry, tall tales, fairy tales, and more
    • Master story elements including characters, setting, plot, introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, conflict, and resolution
    • Become proficient in reading comprehension strategies including making connections (self-self, text-text, text-world), inferencing, summarizing, and questioning
    • Understand the four types of author’s purpose including pursuade, inform, entertain, and describe
  • Science

    Science instruction helps children:

    • Develop research skills on how to explore various science topics
    • Engage in inquiry-based science investigations that provoke higher order thinking and encourage cooperative activities
    • Utilize the scientific method while investigating water, matter, and structures of life
    • Learn the full scientific method, research procedures, lab and safety procedures, and how to construct a lab report
    • Perform a number of hands-on experiments and explorations on a broad range of science topics
  • Social Studies

    Social Studies instruction helps children:

    • Explore various locations throughout the world including communities, states regions, and nations via virtual learning opportunities 
    • Learn about mapping, geography, landforms, region and state studies, U.S. presidents, and the U.S. branches of government
    • Complete hands-on interdisciplinary projects including globe pumpkins, 3-D maps, 3-D landform maps, state fair presentations, and presidential speeches

Primary Elective Courses

In a specifically designed and balanced curriculum, The Weiss School supplements core academic subject learning with a variety of elective courses that provide students with a comprehensive educational experience ideal for gifted students. Students receive instruction in the following elective classes each week (1-2 times per week based on grade level): 

  • Art 
  • Foreign Language - Spanish 
  • Media 
  • Music 
  • Physical Education 
  • Public Speaking 
  • STEAM
  • Taekwondo 
  • Technology/Robotics 
    • Students learn the rules in 1st grade

    • Fun in Math class with Mrs. Magnetico

    • Painting in Art class

    • To help celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, Kindergarten students worked with their family to make Leprechaun Traps

The Weiss School is a co-ed private school that serves gifted students in PreK-3 through 8th grade in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A Weiss School education prepares students to think analytically and creatively, act socially responsible, live vigorously, and create imaginatively in a warm and supportive educational environment.