Upper School Curriculum
Third Grade
Third grade gracefully guides the students through the transition from Lower School to Upper School, mixing hard work and grit with exciting, fun projects and moments to celebrate learning. Academics, character, and social-emotional learning are carefully and purposefully woven together in reading and writing lessons throughout the year, continuing to strengthen the academic and social development of children at this age.
The Gift of Words assignment and Wish for the World project are class favorites and examples of how students begin to understand the power of words and the impact that they can each have on the world! In math, students dig deeply into multiplication and division problems using various strategies which students love to explore.
The teachers craft real world applications and examples to solidify and apply mathematical concepts. Students also enjoy field trips to Jefferson City bringing Missouri history to life and a trip to Faust Park where pioneer life becomes a reality for a day.
Third grade is a year filled with lessons, innovation, tradition and memories which students hold on to for a lifetime.
Fourth Grade
Solidly in Upper School, fourth graders soar academically and socially, exploding with curiosity and excitement. The interdisciplinary mammal project is a highlight in which students work with art, reading, and writing to discover how they can use their academic skills to bring animals to life.
A field trip to Lafayette Square is another memorable experience in which students blend architecture, painting, and writing to capture the personality of a historic home. In math, students are challenged to apply their conceptual understanding to real world scenarios and sharpen their skills with projects such as designing a garden.
Fourth graders also lead with heart as they visit the Humane Society and explore ways that they can positively impact the world. Class literature opens students' horizons and cultivates empathy in the exploration of perspectives and experiences across cultures and throughout history.
In the classroom, students are supported in their growing executive functioning and study skills as homework and study expectations gradually increase and students are introduced to two new teachers for social studies and science.
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade students begin to demonstrate increasingly more abstract thinking through all content areas as more passions surface, new friendships arise, and personalities continue to flourish and mature.
Our math program provides opportunities for students to deepen their conceptual understanding and computational skills and also extend their learning with challenging real-world applications and projects.
Students deepen their exploration of literature through both classwide novel studies and small, student-led book clubs that foster independence, teamwork, and organization. Fifth grade is also a year where grammar concepts begin to solidify and writing takes off with enthusiasm and joy through student-friendly topics, more individual choice, and an abundance of opportunities for extra writing.
Each student enjoys the opportunity to share homework journals each Monday with the class and also has at least one chance to share with the entire school at Monday Morning Gathering, delighting the crowd with details and voice! Unique experiences in fifth grade make this year one for the memory bank.
The photo field trip to catch snapshots of downtown St. Louis architecture and a visit to the Lincoln Museum are two favorites among students and teachers. The first overnight camp experience is another trip students adore. Fifth grade is also the year when students participate in D.A.R.E. with the Creve Coeur Police Department. This 10-week course helps students learn healthy life choices and provides a safe place for students to ask questions and discuss important topics with trusted adults.
Fifth grade also marks the first year that students participate in and help lead parent teacher conferences, an opportunity for leadership and ownership that builds into sixth grade.
Sixth Grade
The capstone year of Rossman School, sixth grade is a special and memorable experience. Whether it is a service-learning opportunity, an interdisciplinary trip to the Civil Rights Museum and Space Camp in the spring, or stepping into the role of Big Brother and Sisters of their Rossman Families, sixth grade students shine brightly as leaders in the school. In sixth grade, math projects meet students at a variety of levels and challenge them to apply their knowledge of math to real world scenarios, developing critical thinking and executive functioning skills.
Such end of unit projects include creating business models, designing probability carnivals for the whole school, and exploring the intersection of art and math. In writing, the capstone Hero Project allows students to identify and research a challenge, problem or opportunity in the world and study a hero who is helping the cause. We are excited to help students discover how their many academic abilities can support their passions in order to see how, at all ages, students can be helpers to make a positive impact in the world!
Sixth Grade students also have the unique opportunity to meet in small advisory groups once a week to explore character and foster social-emotional and academic competencies in a way that is responsive to the journey of the class. While keeping focus on enjoying the sixth grade year, we also take great care to walk with families and students through the secondary school application process, a transition for which our students are well prepared to thrive.
The graduation ceremony at Rossman is an anticipated evening filled with pride, tears, and laughter as we hear speeches from each member of the graduating class and send them off with love.
