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Grammar Stage
In the grammar stage, students build strong foundations through memory, language, number sense, reading, history, geography, and the arts.
We seek to: (1) equip every student with the skills necessary for good writing, including spelling, grammar, style, clarity, etc.; (2) put a major emphasis on good writing by requiring students to write often and correctly in each subject area; (3) encourage clear thinking through requiring clear writing; (4) introduce students to many styles of writing through the study of classic and other high-quality literature.
We seek to: (1) help students understand the major forces, ideas, and events that have shaped history and will continue to influence its course; (2) enable students to recognize the connections between ideas, individuals, and events in the history of the world and the United States; (3) broaden students’ understanding of history and geography as they mature; (4) specifically, begin with local history and geography in first grade and sequentially expand the scope of studies to the world; (5) make history and geography come alive for students through the use of many forms of information and research, such as biographies, illustrations, field trips, guest speakers, music, art, foods, and architecture; (6) give students a thorough understanding of Western Civilization, including its distinctive leaders, major movements, influential thinkers, and its role in shaping the modern world.
We seek to: (1) ensure that students have a thorough mastery of basic mathematical functions and tables; (2) place emphasis on conceptual as well as practical understanding of Mathematics through the frequent use of story problems; (3) illustrate the consistency, logic, and enduring structure of mathematical systems and the role of reason in understanding them. The ideal progression of a student’s Mathematics courses would start with the successful completion of Saxton Math 1 curriculum in Kindergarten, Saxton Math 2 in First Grade, followed by Saxton Math 3 in Second Grade, then progressing through Saxton 5/4 in Third Grade, Saxton 6/5 in Fourth Grade, Saxton 7/6 in Fifth Grade, and Saxton Math 8/7 in Sixth Grade. At the end of First Grade, each student will be evaluated to determine if they should repeat Saxton Math 2 or progress to Saxton Math 3. All Lower School Mathematics classes and Upper School Mathematics Course Saxton Math 8/7 are scheduled at the same time to enable students to be placed in the class that best matches their ability without affecting the remainder of their schedule. This enables students to pursue advanced Mathematics courses in high school, as desired.
We seek to: (1) use phonics as the primary building blocks for teaching students to read; (2) encourage students to read correctly as soon as possible, normally in Kindergarten or first grade; (3) introduce students to high-quality children’s literature as soon as possible through our Literature program; (4) carefully monitor each student’s reading abilities to ensure adequate comprehension and fluent reading, both orally and silently, including the proper use of word-attack skills; (5) foster a lifelong love of reading and high-quality literature by teaching students to recognize the characteristics of such literature.
We seek to: (1) teach all students the basic fundamentals of drawing to enable them to create effective renderings; (2) encourage students to appreciate and reflect the beauty of the world around them in their own works; (3) introduce students to the works of master artists of Western culture; (4) equip students to knowledgeably use a variety of art media.