Kindergarten through Grade 5
BIBLE
Kindergarten: Familiar Bible stories which emphasize God’s love for me. Unit titles include God Cares for Me, God Wants Me to Be His Child, God Teaches Me, God Helps Me to Live for Him, God sent Jesus to Die for Me, and God has a Plan for Me.
Grade 1: Familiar and not so familiar Bible stories emphasizing the gifts that God has given: family, His word, His Son, His Church and special gifts and abilities to help others.
Grade 2: Individual Bible characters are studied, emphasizing particular character traits of these individuals. Specific character traits in this study include humility, courage, self-control, faithfulness, compassion, honesty, encouragement and trust.
Grade 3: An overview of the life of Christ from his eternal existence through His resurrection and ascension to heaven. Students also study the beginning of the church and the spread of the gospel through the missionary journeys in the Book of Acts.
Grade 4: Essential doctrines of the Bible at an elementary level are introduced. Students will study God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, salvation, heaven, angels, hell and final events.
Grade 5: An Old Testament overview through the lives of Old Testament characters. The choices made by these individuals, whether right or wrong is the focus of this study. People to be studied include Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Samson, Ruth, David, Solomon, Jeremiah and others.
LANGUAGE
Kindergarten and Grade 1: Reading, Writing, Handwriting, Spelling: Riggs Institute
The following Riggs Institute Information is taken from their website, www.riggsinst.org. The method of instruction by the Riggs Institute entitled The Writing & Spelling Road to Reading & Thinking, begins by teaching manuscript letter formation through dictated instructions (no copying or tracing), together with a sufficient set of sound/letter relationships to accommodate the Webster-Oxford collaboration that “standardized” English spelling in the early 1860’s. This spelling system is virtually unchanged after 140+ years. These phoneme/grapheme relationships are taught together as “explicit” phonics, “isolation” (without key words, pictures or letter names) as recommended in the federal synthesis of reading research done by the nation’s leading reading professors, 1985’s Becoming a Nation of Readers (BNR)
Grade 1: Reading Scott Foresman
Scott Foresman Reading contains High-quality literature, built-in-skills instruction, and test preparation to help every child become a successful reader. The Scott Foresman readers were selected for the purpose of explicit instructions and practice. These Scott Foresman reading materials help children use comprehension strategies flexibly and in combination to become purposeful, active readers.
Grade K-5: Reading Literature
The teacher, according to the student’s individual reading level and readiness will choose Fiction & Non-Fiction Chapter and Literature books. Classroom instruction will include activities that relate to the readings that will enhance the student’s reading skills.
Grade 2-5: Writing Grammar, Handwriting, and Spelling: Zaner Bloser
The Zaner-Bloser materials help students to develop a solid foundation that encourages and supports all of their writing, reading, spelling, and assessment efforts. The goals for the program are for the students to develop and demonstrate comprehension skills: take ownership of new vocabulary, gain independence in accessing information, and become confident test takers.
MATHEMATICS
Math Connects: MacMillan/McGraw-Hill
Macmillan/ McGraw-Hill Math Connects provides opportunities for students to build their understanding of mathematical concepts and ample practice to master important skills. Most importantly, all concepts are taught through and practiced within a strong problem-solving environment, insuring that students become life-long problem solvers. Our students are offered a hand-on-curriculum where each grade level is advanced and exceeds the Virginia Standards of Learning at each grade level.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Kindergarten-Grade 3: Virginia Standards of Learning
The curriculum is directly linked to Virginia Standards of Learning. Teachers create materials that match the standards and us supplemental books to support the curriculum.
Grade 4: Our Country’s Regions: MacMillian/McGraw-Hill
This program introduces the students to each region of the United States. The region’s geography, history and contribution to America are studied. The curriculum includes map skills and describes how people live in different types of communities and how cities change and grow. While the curriculum gives a broad view of the entire country, the southeast region and the state of Virginia is focused on in this course.
Grade 5: The American Republic to 1877: Glencoe
The program is a student-friendly presentation of American history, from re-exploration to 1877. The authors which include National Geographic ensure accuracy in every detail of the narrative, maps, and charts. The program emphasizes skill development-from reading maps to analyzing primary and secondary sources to exploring the connections between history and geography, economics, government, citizenship and current events.
SCIENCE
Science and Closer Look: MacMillian/McGraw-Hill
This curriculum includes hands-on-activities, science content and high-interest special features that address both National and State Science Standards. It features dynamic visuals and graphics to help spark student interest and is written in an engaging style that is easy to read and helps make learning fun. Teacher created materials are used, which follow the Virginia Standards of Learning.
SPECIALS
The curriculum for the specials classes follows the Virginia Standards of Learning, when applicable. Courses in physical education, Art, Music and foreign language are represented each year in the elementary grades.