Grammar School

With our minds fixed on human flourishing and God’s glory, we pursue learning from a classical approach. In the grammar years, students grow in foundational knowledge assembling building blocks of learning. We do this by prioritizing the proper progression of foundational learning skills for reading, math, spelling, grammar, & writing; memorizing a broad base of facts; and encouraging lifelong exploration, learning, and wonder. The spiritual focus is on giving students a working knowledge of Bible stories, teaching students virtues such as diligence and courage, and the formation of good habits. Grammar School students are on campus 3 days a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays) and work at home with their co-teacher 2 days a week (Wednesdays and Fridays.)

The Parental Role

Parents of our Grammar School students act as a co-teacher on Wednesdays and Fridays as they review and reinforce what was taught on campus days. The classroom teacher provides detailed plans and instructions for co-teachers to follow. Responsibilities of the co-teacher include:

Setting a home day schedule
Preparing ahead of time by reading lesson plans and being familiar with what is being taught
Re-teaching new concepts when necessary
Supervising completion of home day assignments and provide reinforcement where needed
Discipling, teaching, and modeling a love for and personal relationship with Jesus

What We'll Cover

Memory Work

As Christians, we often memorize scripture before we can fully understand and apply it. In turn, lower grammar students learn discipline and persistence through integrated memory work that is designed to produce long-term results. As they progress towards the upper grammar and logic years, the knowledge acquired through memory work is reflexive, like a spring-board that propels a student’s understanding of the meaning of words, application, and understanding of concepts.

Narration

Students use all their mental faculties to understand, sort through, reorganize, and relate the main points of any subject matter through narration activities. Narration trains the student’s mind to develop strong listening, mindfulness, comprehension, and communication skills that will later help them to discern information and apply creative problem solving. Narration enables students to make sense of the world through stories just as Jesus did through parables. Here are some links about narration you may find helpful.

Reading

We teach reading instruction through the Orton-Gillingham Approach. Students in Grammar School use Logic of English as their reading curriculum to develop the tools needed to decode, increase fluency, and ultimately comprehend what they have read. Through well-selected and purposeful literature units, students will explore a variety of genres to help them become confident and effective communicators who are on their way to develop a life-long passion and commitment to reading.

Spelling/Writing

Lower grammar students begin to unlock the beauty and mechanics of the English language through a strong emphasis on phonetically-taught spelling and highlighting rules in spelling words. This teaching method allows students to internalize spelling in a way that blends easily into reading and strengthens understanding and ability in the areas of spelling, writing and language. In preparation for formal writing, our lower grammar students complete copy work and dictation taken from rich literature. Beginning in 3rd grade our students begin formal writing in which they learn how to articulate themselves by putting to use the foundations of language they have learned in the younger years. Students are instructed in both structure and style through a systematic writing program.

History

History is the study of the events and people (both sinners and saints) that God used to shape the story of mankind. In Kindergarten, students are introduced to the concepts of community helpers and heroes, holidays, and Bible stories. In 1st and 2nd grade students will memorize a historical timeline of events that will assist them in recognizing and unpacking people and events as they encounter them in upper grades. In 3rd grade, students will begin cycling through the history of the world, making connections through millennia searching for all that is true, good, and beautiful. Through the study of geography and timelines, lower grammar students develop a chronological "big picture" that equips them for upper grammar when they begin to take deeper dives into the understanding of major historical events. It is important that we parallel Biblical truths and church history into the timeline of the world to see how God has been and still is at work in His creation.

Mathematics

Students learn mathematics through the CPA (Concrete Pictorial Abstract) approach, which ultimately emphasizes the why before the how. They begin with concrete applications using physical objects and hands-on applications to solve problems. Then students progress to drawing, looking at pictures, circles, diagrams or models, which represent the objects in the problem. Lastly, students apply abstract symbols to model and solve math problems. All the while, students practice math fact memorization to build fluency. Here are some links about CPA/Singapore Math you may find helpful.

Science

Students experience the physical world together in science through weekly experiments and careful observation. Upper grammar levels document and journey through their personal science journals or workbooks and explore even deeper through science projects. As students strengthen their understanding through the study of science, they begin to make connections to the overwhelming evidence of God's creation.

Specials

Students will enjoy STEM, art, and music that are designed to be engaging, collaborative, joyful, and conducive for fellowship and connection. During instruction, they can learn to develop skills that grow creativity and confidence, while working together with teachers and peers to problem solve and communicate effectively.