Grades 3–5

Confident, Independent Learners

The development of excellent work habits and effective study skills is a central task of students in third and fourth grades as they move toward middle school and beyond. As students continue their intellectual development, academic expectations progressively increase, from homework that begins in earnest in third grade, through the monthly book reports of fourth grade. Students are guided by their teachers to become confident, independent learners.

As students move through their elementary years at West Chester Friends School, classroom teachers and specialists encourage students to be active participants in their education, and to understand their own unique learning styles.

With teacher support, students work toward strengthening the intellectual confidence and academic independence they will need to be successful in middle school, and throughout their life of learning.

Curriculum Overviews

Filter by grade level below.

A yellow outline of an open book rests above a yellow outline of a pencil, all set against a solid blue background with a yellow border.

Fifth Grade Language Arts

Details about Fifth Grade Language Arts

Yellow mathematical symbols, including a calculator keypad, a pyramid, a protractor, and a coordinate plane, are arranged on a blue background with a yellow border.

Fifth Grade Math

Details about Fifth Grade Math

Two yellow figures shake hands in the foreground against a blue background, with a yellow globe in the upper left corner.

Fifth Grade Social Studies

Details about Fifth Grade Social Studies

Fourth Grade Language Arts

Details about Fourth Grade Language Arts

Fourth Grade Math

Details about Fourth Grade Math

Fourth Grade Social Studies

Details about Fourth Grade Social Studies

Third Grade Language Arts

Details about Third Grade Language Arts

Third Grade Math

Details about Third Grade Math

Third Grade Social Studies

Details about Third Grade Social Studies

The Fifth Grade Year

An Impactful, Culminating Year

Fifth grade at WCFS brings together the academic, social, and spiritual growth students have experienced throughout their years at the school.

Guided by experienced and dedicated faculty, fifth graders become thoughtful, confident young people who think critically, challenge assumptions, care for others, and understand their responsibility to the community. They draw upon their WCFS experiences to act with integrity, purpose, and conviction.

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

An interdisciplinary curriculum connects literature and history, introducing students to stories set in a variety of historical, cultural, and economic contexts. Students often encounter young protagonists who, like themselves, are developing self-awareness, courage, and independence. These rich reading experiences also strengthen their writing as students continue to discover and develop their own voices.

Service & Collaborative Leadership

Service and collaborative leadership are central to the fifth-grade experience.

Students may join the Quaker Leadership Team (QLT), which meets weekly to plan and coordinate service activities in the local community. Fifth graders also take on leadership roles on campus, including leading International Day of Peace and Cooperative Games Day and presenting queries for reflection during Meeting for Worship.

Traditions that Build Community

Fifth grade is also filled with traditions that build community and create lasting memories.

The graduating class leads lawn games at the Fall Fair, spends Fridays reading, playing games, and sharing conversations with elder friends at The Hickman, creates imaginative inventions for the annual Science Fair, and works with professional actors and directors to present a Shakespeare play in the spring.

WCFS Students at Graduation

At graduation, students leave WCFS with a strong foundation of skills and values, prepared to contribute, lead with care, and thrive in their next school communities.

Graduates have continued their education at a variety of public and independent schools, including Westtown School, Wilmington Friends School, Media-Providence Friends School, Upland Country Day School, Montgomery School, and Malvern Preparatory School.

Our Graduates

During my time here I have learned so much about friendships and how to be a kind person. I have so many fun memories that will be with me for the rest of my life.Fifth-Grade Student

One of the most memorable moments was watching him stand confidently in front of his classmates, teachers, and families and deliver a graduation speech that was completely his own - thoughtful, personal, and true to who he is. He felt comfortable sharing his genuine thoughts and personality without hesitation or self-consciousness, because WCFS had given him the confidence to know that being himself was something to be celebrated.

WCFS Parent, '26