Lower School Curriculum

The Language Arts program in the Lower School at Abington Friends School builds literacy through a developmental and integrated approach. Beginning in Early Childhood, students engage in story sharing, journal writing, and exploration of letter sounds and name recognition, supported by a print-rich environment. As they progress through the grades, children deepen their skills in phonics, decoding, sight word acquisition, and expressive writing. Instruction is supplemented with programs like Fundations and Heggerty to bolster phonemic awareness.  

Students are encouraged to read widely, participate in literary discussions, and write across genres—from narrative and poetry to research-based nonfiction—developing fluency, comprehension, and a strong command of written conventions. Language Arts is interwoven with classroom themes and promotes thoughtful reflection, effective communication, and confidence in both spoken and written expression. 

The Math program in the Lower School at Abington Friends School emphasizes hands-on, conceptual learning and problem-solving from Early Childhood through fourth grade. Young learners begin by exploring shapes, patterns, and basic number sense through sorting and play. As they progress, students build foundational skills in counting, numeracy, measurement, and data representation. Each year deepens understanding of operations—starting with composing and decomposing numbers and moving into multi-digit addition, subtraction, and eventually multiplication and division. Students learn to estimate, recognize patterns, and apply strategies to solve real-world problems. By fourth grade, students work with fractions, decimals, long division, and multi-step equations, strengthening computational fluency and the ability to communicate mathematical thinking clearly. 

The Science program in the Lower School at Abington Friends School is inquiry-driven and deeply connected to the natural world and students’ curiosities. Beginning in Early Childhood, children explore the natural environment through outdoor play and observation. As they move through the grades, scientific thinking is fostered through hands-on experiments, the use of scientific tools like microscopes and lab sheets, and topics such as life cycles, weather, chemistry, and ecosystems. The curriculum emphasizes the scientific method, encouraging students to make hypotheses, conduct experiments, and document findings. The school’s rich campus—including a creek and arboretum—serves as a living laboratory, particularly in studies of birds, trees, and aquatic life. By fourth grade, students engage in complex investigations related to physics, engineering, and environmental science, culminating in projects that integrate research, experimentation, and presentation.

Located in the heart of the Lower School, library visits and activities are a regular part of lower school life. Students from preschool through fourth grade visit the library to borrow books, listen to literature read aloud, share their observations about books with each other, and learn new technology skills.