First Presbyterian Church & School · Treehouse - Middle School
Willows · Grades 5–6
Step into a typical morning with Ms. Kristin’s fifth- and sixth-grade class.
Our Daily Rhythm
Each student brings a mug from home. With hot chocolate or tea in hand, the Willows settle onto the couch and rocking chairs for morning meeting. There is room to share news, draw, brainstorm, or simply take a quiet moment after the rush of getting to school.
Reading connects to the class’s current unit of study. Ancient Greece might lead students into Percy Jackson; a study of the Vikings might bring them to Beowulf. Literature gives students another way into the people, ideas, and worlds they are exploring.
Students move to their desks for a focused lesson in grammar, spelling, or the writing project underway. Each unit includes a substantial writing project, from a creative story to an argumentative essay.
The Willows head to Mr. Brent for their math lessons.
In humanities, students investigate each unit through the Eight Lenses below. Formal lessons alternate with personal research and interactive role-play games.
At the end of the unit, students create a mini-museum: a tangible object and a written summary make their learning visible through the Eight Lenses.
Eight Ways to Look Closer
The Eight Lenses give students different starting points for investigating a unit. Each lens invites another question.
Where does this story take place?
How do people meet their needs?
What ideas and values shape their lives?
How do people live and work together?
What do they leave behind?
Who holds power, and how is it used?
Whose choices shape the story?
How do people express what matters to them?
The morning’s academic work gives way to lunch and time with classmates.
Students head into recess before the afternoon begins.
Visit First Pres and explore our fifth- and sixth-grade learning community.
Schedule a TourExplore Middle School