Elementary Program
Our TK-5 program builds students’ core academic skills, focusing on literacy, mathematics, science, and cultural studies as well as the suite of metacognitive and executive functioning skills required to thrive in school.
Developing Lifelong Learners
By emphasizing learning how to learn, teachers help students understand their strengths and challenges, establish their own goals, and assess their progress, developing confidence and competence needed to persevere through the “gentle disequilibrium” authentic learning requires.
Small class sizes, low teacher-student ratios, robust Spanish, PE, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics), visual art and music programs, dedicated TK-5 academic and social-emotional support, and teachers who seek and nurture each child’s unique learning potential equip TK-5 students with the knowledge, skills, and agency needed to succeed academically.
“Through its different iterations, I’ve always said that the Sweet Briar classroom is one where expectations and accountability are high, where grace and courtesy are observed and where learning is treasured—where thinking of all sorts is valued and visible.” —Danette Swan
Elementary Language Art/Literacy
Transitional Kindergarten & Kindergarten
We spark a love of reading and writing from the very start. Through a science-based approach, students master phonics and build fluency using both word-pattern clues and letter knowledge to sound out words. For students further along, strategies are taught to help build fluency. Writing becomes joyful and personal, empowering children to use language as a tool for creativity and self-expression.
First & Second Grade
Strategies are taught to help build fluency, increase students’ high-frequency word vocabulary, check for understanding, and read with expression. They practice summarizing, making inferences, analyzing characters, and connecting texts to life. Writing instruction includes planning, drafting, revising, and publishing, while also developing the fundamental mechanics of capitalization and punctuation.
Third Grade
This pivotal developmental year equips students to read and write with purpose. Through guided and independent reading, students build fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Tools like graphic organizers and sentence starters help them develop ideas, organize thoughts, and vary their style, revising drafts into polished pieces to share in publishing celebrations. Students explore paragraph format and basic essay structure while practicing both cursive and keyboarding.
Fourth & Fifth Grade
In fourth and fifth grade, students expand their purposeful reading to include both fiction and nonfiction texts, which supports both research and cross-curricular learning. They practice comprehension strategies, fluency, and literary analysis in small-group discussions and guided reading. Writer’s Workshop supports students in crafting historical fiction, creative stories, and persuasive essays while building organization, structure, and sentence fluency. Vocabulary and grammar study support their growth, and students refine their work through drafting, peer review, and publishing celebrations.
Elementary Math
Transitional Kindergarten & Kindergarten
TK/K students practice and hone the foundational skills and conceptual frameworks necessary to understand and express mathematical operations, including 1:1 correspondence, counting, pattern recognition, geometric shape recognition, adding and subtracting single-digit numbers, and writing/solving simple addition and subtraction equations.
First & Second Grade
First graders practice addition and subtraction of one- and two-digit numbers (up to 20) while working with the concepts of whole number relationships, place value, measurement in both standard and nonstandard units, geometric shapes and their relationships to the world, and real-world work with calendars and time-telling.
Second graders solidify basic addition and subtraction facts up to 100, place value up to 1000, counting by 5’s,10’s and 100’s, and build their understanding of geometry and geometric principles such as congruence, area, volume and symmetry.
Third Grade
Third grade is a pivotal point in students’ mathematical learning, as they continue to build fluency in addition and subtraction while beginning to understand and master the operations of multiplication and division. Through daily activities and curriculum units, students work with patterns, arrays, and geometric shapes to.make complex concepts clear, while collaborative projects allow them to apply their skills to solving real-world problems in creative, concrete ways. Additional work with data and probability helps students develop strong skills, flexible strategies, and a true love of math.
Fourth & Fifth Grade
Students continue to hone their familiarity and fluency with multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and geometric concepts such as area and volume. They practice multiple strategies for problem-solving, apply skills to real-world word problems and models, and demonstrate understanding through collaboration, reflection, and a culminating design project.
TK-5 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics)
Our TK–5 STEM program blends hands-on discovery with civic engagement, encouraging students to use science to make a positive impact in their communities. Rather than passively “learning about” science, students actively “figure out” concepts through inquiry, experimentation, and discussion. They build scientific literacy by asking questions, testing hypotheses, using tools and technologies, and connecting science to their everyday lives. In mixed-age classrooms, science topics rotate yearly, ensuring every student experiences a full two-year curriculum aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.
TK-8 Visual Arts
Our visual arts program develops students’ vocabulary, technical skills, and creative thinking. Through projects that explore 2D and 3D design, color theory, and sculpture, students learn to express complex ideas and connect art to culture and social change. Curriculum adapts to community events and local museum exhibits, and visiting artists provide hands-on workshops. Students build confidence, critical thinking, and a lifelong appreciation for contemporary art while developing practical skills to bring their ideas to life.
TK-8th Spanish
Whether heritage speakers or beginners, students are challenged at the right level to grow their Spanish skills. Through song, movement, art, poetry, games, reading, and writing, they build comfort and confidence in listening and speaking. Students expand vocabulary through gestures, storytelling, and interactive practice, while also encountering Spanish beyond the classroom to boost fluency. Our program weaves Latinx cultural studies into literacy, art, music, and more—sparking curiosity and a love of both language and culture
TK-8th Music
Our Orff-based music program sparks joy through rhythm, movement, and storytelling. Students explore percussion and mallet instruments, play in ensembles, and act out stories with sound and movement. They also experience music from around the world, including Afro-Caribbean and African rhythms, building creativity, confidence, coordination, and an appreciation for diverse musical traditions
TK-8th PE
Our PE program builds both physical skills and a love of movement. Students develop locomotor, stability, and manipulative skills while learning body mechanics, spatial awareness, and effort control. Just as importantly, they practice teamwork—listening, cooperating, and sharing—and sportsmanship—honesty, fairness, and respect in both winning and losing. With these foundations, students strengthen social-emotional skills and learn what it means to be a good teammate and classmate.
TK-8th Cultural/Civic Studies
Our Cultural Studies program helps students explore identity, gender, and cultural diversity through an anti-bias framework. Younger students learn to value differences and see themselves as changemakers, while older students connect history to current events to understand the ways that humans identify challenges, make decisions, and implement solutions that impact communities in both negative and positive ways. Across all grades, students build empathy, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility as local and global citizens.
TK-8th Health
At TBS, Health class helps students develop the social and emotional skills they need to thrive as individuals, friends, and community members. Young students explore feelings, empathy, and self-regulation through the Zones of Regulation, learning to express themselves with “I” statements and read non-verbal cues. As they grow, students practice active listening, self-coaching, and assertive communication, building a growth mindset and the ability to engage thoughtfully with others.
Transitional Kindergarten at TBS
Since its founding as Berkeley Montessori School in 1963, The Berkeley School has known how to educate 4-, 5-, and 6-year olds in the same classroom. With the rise of 4- and 5-year-old Transitional Kindergarten programs at schools throughout the Bay Area, we’re excited to show you how our decades of expertise inform the structure of our combined TK/Kindergarten classroom and equip students with the academic and social-emotional skills, awareness, and motivation necessary to move forward as learners and community members.
Our TK/K program is thoughtfully crafted to support social, emotional, and cognitive growth through community-oriented, experiential activities that build academic foundations. Small class sizes, dedicated teachers, and a curriculum tailored to the unique needs of 4-6 year olds help our TK/K students stay engaged while building the confidence, agency, and stamina needed for first grade and beyond.
Our experienced teachers foster a safe and welcoming place to learn. Through play and project work, students learn to practice what they know, take risks and ask questions when they don’t know, and collaborate with peers. Curiosity leads the way for both teachers and students, ensuring that planned instruction is infused with emergent opportunities that offer new pathways towards learning goals.
Outside of core classroom instruction in literacy, mathematics, and cultural studies, TK/K students enjoy weekly music, physical education/movement, visual art, Spanish, and STEAM classes, each in dedicated campus spaces that help students get used to “a big school.”
Core school hours are 8:30-3:15 M-Th and 8:30-2:15 F
Extended day program, known as The Depot, is available until 6pm M-F.
Sample TK / K weekly schedule:
We invite you to visit our campus, meet our caring educators, and discover how our TK/K program can give your child a strong, joyful start. Click here to begin our admission process!
You can always find our current tuition and fee schedule on our website, which we update for the following year in mid-January.
