Academics

Elementary Years (Grades 4-5)

Elementary Years

Fourth and Fifth Grade

Step into our Elementary Building and you will find curious, engaged fourth and fifth graders busily crafting projects, researching interests, collaborating on ideas, and finding joy in their learning. They are becoming mathematicians, authors, readers, historians, scientists, friends, archaeologists, playwrights, neuroscientists, diplomats, analytical consumers, innovators, activists, and so much more. Our teachers know that fostering curiosity, innovation, and authentic experiences in the classroom helps develop well-rounded and confident children who are invested in their own growth.
Through intentionally designed units of study, High Meadows students are challenged not only to acquire information but to consider why it matters, how it applies to the world around them, and how to take action with the information they’ve learned. Working individually and in cooperative groups, these students express their learning through presentations, written work, service learning, and creative projects.

Different by Design

At High Meadows School, students in the Elementary Years spend their time in  multiage classrooms with a two-year curriculum. They engage in inquiry, exploration, and planned lessons to study 12 International Baccalaureate units of inquiry over two years. Our student-centered classrooms, featuring low student-to-teacher ratios, promote learning, differentiation, and social-emotional development. Class meetings and student participation in decision-making help foster a strong classroom community.

A Global Perpective

Continuing with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) curricular framework, Fourth and Fifth Grade elementary students develop as global citizens through exposure to issues that cross geographic boundaries and subject areas. They become more responsible for their own learning, which includes developing their own unit of inquiry for Exhibition, which is a culmination of the Primary Years Programme. Exhibition allows fourth and fifth graders to apply the skills and knowledge acquired through their earlier learning years to a global problem or issue. By investigating solutions and presenting their findings to the entire High Meadows community, students demonstrate the attributes of the learner profile and provide authentic evidence assessment of understanding and development.

Student-Centered Learning and Assessment

As elementary students grow in maturity and ability, they also become more responsible for goal-setting and self-evaluations. Fourth and Fifth Grade students lead their own parent-teacher conferences, selecting work that demonstrates their learning as they reflect on their growth and future objectives. This self-reflection and personal accountability help students develop intrinsic motivation and self-advocacy skills that serve them in high school and beyond. Likewise, authentic assessment practices give parents and students abundant student-specific feedback on progress, strengths, and opportunities for growth.

High Meadows Student

I love being a student here because of the student/teacher bond. The teachers get to know you and learn what you need to be successful. We don’t sit at a desk all day–we get to work in groups, experiment, go outside, and do projects.

Connections

Connections Classes encourage fourth and fifth graders to discover passions and extend their understanding related to units of inquiry. These classes include Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, Music, Library and Technology Lab, Spanish, Physical Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Barnyard/Animal Care. All fifth graders select an instrument to play in our Fifth Grade Band.

Ready to Come See Us?

Plan Your Visit!
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Age 3 through Grade 8 | Authorized IB PYP World School
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org