In these grades, students become fluent readers and transition to independent reading. We use a two-year curriculum cycle so students in our mixed-grade classroom never repeat the same content. Throughout the two years, students read and discuss novels including books like Judy Moody Was in a Mood, Ways to Make Sunshine, Love That Dog, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden—with each year featuring a completely different book list so returning students always encounter fresh literature.

Students continue to benefit from our beginning reading program, UFLI Foundations, that explicitly teaches students how to read and spell words and meet the NC Standards for reading foundations. This program is both research-based (it is based on the Science of Reading) and evidence-based (it is free curriculum from the University of Florida that has broad adoption).

Students work towards mastering the NC standards in reading literature and informational text by reading multiple novels and non-fiction works. The NC writing standards are met by having students regularly practice various styles of writing: informative, narrative, and opinion. We assess reading progress through MAZE assessments, Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) checks, and the national Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test.

On the national Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment, Odyssey students scored at the 80th (3rd Grade) and the 78th (4th Grade) Percentile in reading.

Students make progress towards mastering the NC standards using an innovative program that has been adopted at Odyssey for grades 1-6. We use Engage NY curriculum alongside Simple Solutions, which presents new material in small bits and continually calls back problems from previous lessons. Students develop fluency and deep conceptual understanding.

Math is different than Language Arts in that there is no research-based or evidence based approach that has broad consensus and adoption. Unlike a book or an article, where the basic elements of reading fluency add up to something enjoyable or informative, there are many more basic math elements and they do not have the same level of "pay-off" when a problem is solved.

Based on our own research, we have selected an approach that balances making math more interesting (the pay-off) with a strategy to teach the basic math elements in a way that works. We use a program called Simple Solutions, that presents new material in small bits and continually calls back problems from previous lessons. No math skills really makes sense in isolation; our tightly spiraled curriculum ensures that every skill and idea is revisited.

On the national Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment, Odyssey students scored at the 47th (3rd Grade) and the 73rd (4th Grade) Percentile in math.

Our program for Science and Social studies is called Exploration. We use a two-year curriculum cycle, ensuring that students in our mixed-grade classroom experience different content each year. Year One focuses on topics including local and state government, North Carolina's regions and notable people, water features like rivers and oceans, and land features like mountains and volcanoes. Year Two explores US geography and regions, world geography, the solar system and planets, and animal adaptation and plant science with hands-on gardening projects. Both years weave in how students can be engaged citizens who care for and protect their communities and environment.

We implement the standards for 3rd and 4th grade using project-based approaches that emphasize collaboration and deep thinking. We focus on processes that are important in these disciplines—the scientific method, summary writing, social analysis—and use field trips, simulations, guest lectures, and arts integration to make these subjects come alive. Students develop skills in observation, hypothesis-testing, research, and presenting findings. Our A+ Schools certification means arts integration is woven throughout, not as decoration but as a fundamental way of thinking and learning.

As an independent school, we are able to be responsive to our students' particular interests, experience learning in the real world through a school-without-walls approach, and stay committed to creating lessons with a lens of equity and current, research-based practices.

Each winter and spring, third and fourth graders pursue their own Independent Research Project (IRP). Beginning in January, students spend six weeks choosing topics they’re passionate about, conducting research, writing and editing essays, and preparing presentations. In mid-February, students present their projects to the school community, sharing their expertise on subjects ranging from marine biology to musical instruments to video game design. IRPs nurture students’ love of learning, teach research and presentation skills, and celebrate each child’s unique curiosity and voice.