Gulliver Prep Lower School | Co-ed Private School in Miami

Timeline

Programming

College Prep Classes: Grades 10-12
Admissions Deans Insights: Grade 11
College Case Study: Grade 10
College Timeline Night: Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
Planning for Summer Engagement: Grades 9-11
Financial Aid Nights: Grades 9-12
Parent Coffee Chats
Athletic Recruitment

Music

The Lower School music curriculum strives to promote musical literacy through the use of various methods developed for children by music educators such as Kodaly and Suzuki. At an early age students begin to sing solfege with accompanying hand signs and work on expanding their vocal ranges through simple exercises and songs. Children are introduced to a variety of percussion instruments in the early grades and learn how to play recorders in third grade. First, second, and third-grade students attend general music classes while fourth graders study band, instruments, or chorus multiple times per week. Public performances occur throughout the year.

Music

Beginning in Primary, students will experience music and movement through storytelling and song. They are given opportunities to create, perform, respond, and connect skills to form a deeper understanding of the discipline. They have a chance to perform in the Winter and Spring Music concerts which help to build their confidence and sharing their voices with our school community.

Back to Class 2023

Engineering & Computer Science (CSL Room 229) w/Cristina Telepman and students

Visual Arts (CSL Room 210) – w/ Beth Harrison and students

Transformation. Together. 2026. formally launched in May 2022, and, in October 2022, we opened the Center for Student Life at our Marian C. Krutulis PK-8 Campus. This 60,000 square foot facility was the first new building to be constructed as part of our capital campaign, and is at the heart of student life and learning. In March 2023, the Tennis Complex officially opened, marking the completion of Phase II.

With Phase III in progress, Phase IV pending fundraising, and Phase V on the horizon, we continue to make steady progress toward our campus transformation at the Upper School Campus.

View Campaign Case Book

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Please email us at admissions@gulliverprep.org to schedule a visit to our campus. We can’t wait to meet you!

5 Milestones

Milestones are specific initiatives set that help to achieve our strategic plan goals. Examples of completed milestones in this goal include designing and implementing a capital campaign, increasing giving participation, and creating athletic sponsorship opportunities.

2 Themes

The Ensure Our Future goal incorporates the themes of building a culture of philanthropy and learning spaces. These themes will assist in funding our facility improvements and enhancing our programmatic offerings.

19 Milestones

Milestones are specific initiatives set that help to achieve our strategic plan goals. Examples of completed milestones in this goal include increasing funding and or services to meet the needs of non-traditional students, establishing of a new employee mentoring program, developing an outdoor multi-day orientation for all incoming 9th grade students, and changing the communication process so that the Gulliver difference is portrayed effectively through storytelling.

6 Themes

The Leverage Our Strengths goal incorporates the themes of expanding community partnerships, enhancing effectiveness in addressing diversity, equity and inclusion, increasing faculty engagement, pedagogy, marketing and branding, and supporting new students and families.

4 Themes

The Empower Our Students goal incorporates the themes of grading and placement, social and emotional learning, character education, and expanding student leadership. Each effort expands on the development of building student agency, well-being, leadership, and character.

23 Milestones

Milestones are specific initiatives set that help to achieve our strategic plan goals. Examples of completed milestones in this goal include proposing new ways for students to demonstrate proficiency of standards and mastery, creating opportunities for affinity groups to meet in “open spaces”, suggesting new character education policies to help promote and support student responsibility, and launching a peer tutoring program in the Upper School to improve skills taught in classes.

3 Themes

The Unite Our Community goal incorporates the themes of curriculum development, professional development, and progress monitoring. Each theme builds on the belief that a shared mission and vision can strengthen and align our community

13 Milestones

Milestones are specific initiatives set that help to achieve our strategic plan goals. Examples of completed milestones in this goal include increasing opportunities for faculty to meet with library personnel around the research policy, developing a digital source of professional development webinars, and proposing updates to the current systems that help identify students with academic needs.

Math Workshop

Math Workshop is a framework that allows students to learn new math content each day, practice math strategies in a variety of ways, and reflect on learning through verbal or written sharing. The predictable structure of the math workshop makes it easier for students to participate in differentiated activities.

Units throughout the year include:

Building number sense (recognizing and comparing numbers, counting objects, addition, subtraction, etc.)
Patterns (identifying, creating, and extending)
Measurement and Data
Geometry
Problem-solving

Language Arts

The program in the Primary School provides the foundation for the robust English language arts curriculum at Gulliver, and supports students as they develop into confident readers, researchers, and efficient writers across all content areas.

Aligned with the Science of Reading, the comprehensive ELA program affords students the opportunity to continuously practice and develop strong listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The program consists of a unique combination of elements from different research informed curricula, that emphasizes hallmarks of a structured early literacy program: oral language development, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, listening comprehension.

In Senior Kindergarten, writing instruction prepares students to craft informational, opinion, and narrative pieces.

Teacher’s College Writing Workshop

Students develop their voice during Writing Workshop as they learn the writing process, including generating ideas, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Writing Workshop begins with a mini-lesson, is followed by independent writing time, and concludes with sharing of student work. In SK, students begin by drawing pictures to tell stories, labeling the picture, and then writing words to describe the pictures. Students are encouraged to write the sounds they hear in words, as well as include sight words that are posted in the classroom.

Units throughout the year include:

Launching Writing Workshop
Show and Tell, includes saying more about what you see
Writing Stories for Readers, including writing about true stories
How-To Books
Persuasive
All About Books, including non-fiction writing

Handwriting Without Tears

Handwriting is taught using the Handwriting Without Tears program. Students develop their skills over time, focusing first on how to hold instruments properly, and then on size and spacing in order to form letters and write with ease. The curriculum uses hands-on, multisensory materials and was designed in such a way that it introduces shapes, numbers, and letters in an order that matches the progression of children’s developmental abilities so that it is easier for them to practice, learn, and remember. The program follows research of how children learn best and includes materials that address all styles of learning.

Early Numeracy

A mathematical foundation is established in PK and JK with interactive games, puzzles, block building, and manipulatives. Our morning meeting begins by reviewing the calendar and daily schedule, incorporating the gradual understanding of time, counting, and numeral recognition. Throughout these activities, children develop an understanding of numerals, shapes, patterns, measurement, sorting, one-to-one correspondence, categorizing, and logical thinking. Various manipulatives aid students in developing mathematical problem-solving skills as they count, sort, combine, and measure with pattern blocks, counters, and tangrams.

Early Literacy

Emergent literacy for PK and JK is integrated throughout our curriculum. Our print-rich environment helps children understand why and how print is used. Nursery rhymes and songs allow the children to hear the sounds of speech in our oral language. Active engagement with books and storytelling promote pre-literacy skills that build vocabulary, develop comprehension, and support higher levels of thinking. Over time, children learn to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through drawing and writing.

Creating a Classroom Community

Students in every grade spend the first six weeks of school understanding their role and learning how to be a positive member of their class and school community. Each class develops classroom expectations and discusses how to work together and problem solve when challenges arise, in alignment with the Responsive Classroom approach.

Every grade learns about various communities and the important role that the people, places and history play as they develop and change over time.

Through a project-based approach, students share and learn about themselves, their families, school, local, national and global communities. Performances, field trips, and real-life simulations support students’ growth throughout their units of study.

Technology

As we prepare students to enter a world that is ever changing, our goal is to foster technological literacy, digital citizenship, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills. Students learn to use technology as a tool and resource in their daily lives for self expression and communication, research and project creation, and skill practice.

In addition to learning the Google Suite, students code and design/build projects that are fully integrated with classroom units. Having a strong foundation across multiple platforms allows our students to collaborate and creatively respond to questions and challenges that are posed.

All students across the Primary and Lower School participate in our yearly Hour of Code and May the 4th events, both of which highlight creative thinking and problem-solving activities.

iPads are available to students in PK-grade 1 and Chromebooks are used in grades 2-4.

Science

The Lower School curriculum, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, provides a dynamic learning environment that develops students’ analytical mindset through inquiry.

Each component is designed to match students’ developmental levels through hands-on active learning. Multimodal instruction ensures students “do, talk, read, write, and visualize.” They learn to actively question, observe and record data, build visual models of their understanding, and apply their acquired skills in meaningful, real-life context. Our curriculum includes an engaging and thought-provoking engineering program where students develop critical thinking skills through project-based learning and technology, preparing them to take on real-world challenges.

Visual Art

In the Lower School at Gulliver, knowledge of the visual arts is a critical part of the overall development of each individual. Therefore, the art program in Grades 1-4 is a functional means of attaining the following: creative and independent thinking, aesthetic appreciation and hands-on experience. The program acquaints each art student with basic art techniques, design principles and art concepts. The instructor has extensive art background, and the students are exposed to a variety of tools, materials, experiences and media. They create interdisciplinary projects and two- and three-dimensional works, learn art history, and critique their own work and that of others. Our curriculum outlines the skills and concepts to be mastered in each grade, allowing a smooth transition through the years in art education.

Library

The mission of the Gulliver Prep’s libraries is to provide information literacy services for a diverse community of students, teachers, staff and parents. The librarians support the curriculum by cultivating lifelong learners and readers through research lessons, collaborative activities, and literature appreciation. The nurturing environment of our libraries prepares our users to contribute to the global community.

Spanish/Español

This program is directed towards students who have had some or no exposure to the language. The program draws heavily upon Natural Approach and Total Physical Response (TPR) techniques. The main objective of this program is to help each child gain a favorable degree of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

Overall, the Spanish/Español program enables students to become effective Spanish communicators, globally literate citizens, and lifelong language learners. Our program affords the students opportunities to improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities by broadening their knowledge of the Spanish language using Santillana’s Descubre el Español World Language Program while strengthening their Hispanic backgrounds through a cultural component pertaining to the twenty-one Spanish speaking countries. The cultural component includes oral presentations, songs, geography, interesting facts about Hispanic cultures and traditions, flags, typical dishes, music and musical instruments, famous Hispanic people, typical attire, currencies and other cultural activities.

The curriculum integrates language, content, and literacy. The units build on each other, such as the skills introduced in one unit are practiced and applied in subsequent units. All units are aligned with the ACTFL standards, give clear content and language objectives, make explicit links to students’ backgrounds, emphasize the learning of key vocabulary, use of variety of skills to teach and reinforce concepts, teach strategies that promote higher-order thinking skills, engage students in a variety of in-class interactions, including one-on-one pairings, group work, and whole class interactions, use activities that integrate all language skills, and provide on-going assessments. Support at home to preserve the students’ oral ability and to improve their fluency in Spanish is an expectation and is highly recommended.

Lower School

General Philosophy

Social Emotional Learning

Academic Curriculum

English Language Arts

Math

Social Studies

Special Area Class Experience

KOMPAN® Playgrounds

Approach to Technology

The Lower School Experience Includes:

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Music

Music

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5 Milestones

2 Themes

19 Milestones

6 Themes

4 Themes

23 Milestones

3 Themes

13 Milestones

Math Workshop

Language Arts

Teacher’s College Writing Workshop

Handwriting Without Tears

Early Numeracy

Early Literacy

Creating a Classroom Community

Technology

Science

Visual Art

Library

Spanish/Español