The Lower School experience at Clay Academy is both a transitional period from the early childhood experience to a more rigorous curriculum, and a preparation for the upcoming middle school years.  During their lower school years, student will be expected to develop both academic and social skills that will carry them through the rest of their lives.  Beginning in the Kindergarten program, students are provided with an environment in which they become active learners who construct their own knowledge from activities.  The primary emphasis is on problem-solving, independent thinking, social development, and relationships.  Teachers assess each child continually in order to provide support and materials which will present an intellectual challenge and increase each child's awareness and understanding.  Some children begin the year having already mastered many social and/or academic skills generally learned in Kindergarten.  For others, these skills are new or need additional work.  Some learning will be individual, some will occur in small groups, and some will take place as the whole group meets together.  In First, Second and Third grades, students continue developing their academic skills while maintaining their love of learning.  During these years, the children begin more formal academic instruction.  The day is now often broken into distinct academic areas, with times set aside for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  Teachers strive to present the children with meaningful contexts in whick to learn the skills they need.  During the Fourth and Fifth grade years, students are increasingly responsible for their own behavior and learning.  They are also encouraged to actively seek answers to questions on their own, and use the information they obtain.  Students continue to learn to work successfully in a cooperative learning environment.