Grades 4-7

spelling/grammar

For Spelling we will use Spell to Read and Write as well as The Wise Guide to Spelling which is a research based English curriculum that uses systematic instructional techniques to teach students the fundamentals of reading and spelling. In addition to phonics/ spelling instruction, in this class your child will have the opportunity to gain fluency in reading and to further develop skills associated with vocabulary, grammar, spelling, handwriting, and composition. Students will come to have a new understanding of the English language as they learn phonograms and spelling rules and apply this knowledge to guided reading passages and writing assignments. They will enjoy learning and applying their knowledge through games, activities, songs, and workbook assignments.

Writing

Students will be taught writing using the Institute for Excellence in Writing: Method. Various levels will be used. Each student will be placed in the appropriate course. All students will be taught how to construct a piece of writing, how to create an outline, and how to use an outline as a platform for both paragraph and essay writing. They will also be taught how to dress-up their writing through the use of strong verbs, “ly” adverbs, adjectives and prepositions. In addition, students will learn how to decorate their writing with similes, metaphors, alliteration and other literary elements. For grammar instruction, students will be taught using Grammar for the Well Trained Mind.

Literature

In Literature students will read a number of novels. Literature guides will be used to assure comprehension of the text and build vocabulary relating to the reading selections. Enrichment activities will add a level of creativity and hands-on learning to our literature units. Literature selections will comprise well loved classics and historical selections as well.

Selections may include but are not limited to: Alone, Yet Not Alone, Ben and Me, Carry on Mr. Bowditch, Soft Rain, Children of the Covered Wagon, Shhh. Their Writing the Constitution, Trail of Tears, By the Great Horn Spoon.

Math

Students will be placed in the correct level based on placement testing.

Delta Now that students have learned and can fluently recall their times tables, they are ready to dive into division. Students will use strategies based on understanding division as solving for an unknown factor and will use their knowledge of multiplication as they learn to divide single and multi-digit numbers. Students will also complete word problems using all four operations. In addition, they will learn about Roman Numerals, work with money, learn about rays, points, segments, and lines, learn how to classify shapes based on their attributes, and be taught how to compute both area and volume. Students will also play games, apply strategic thinking, work to solve real word problems, and create a math reference notebook that will be a valuable resource as they move into higher level math.

Epsilon Now that students have mastered addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with whole numbers they are ready to dive into the world of fractions. Here they will learn about equivalent fractions, and gain fluency with adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions. They will also learn about mixed numbers, how to simplify a fraction and factorization. Of course, students will apply these skills and knowledge to solving word problems as well. In addition they will learn about plotting fractions on a number line, classifying quadrilaterals, and finding the circumference of circles. Hands-on resources will be used in this class to engage students at a deeper level and explore the relationships between fractions as we visualize and quantify what fractions are and how they relate to whole numbers. Students will enjoy learning about this topic as we explore, play games, make charts, and interpret data.

General Math This course was designed by one of our math instructors. The course pulls materials from both the Math-U-See Zeta lessons as well as content from Math Mammoth to create a comprehensive course that incorporates the review of fractions, decimals, conversions, GCF, LCM, expanded notation. mean, median and mode, basic geometry, integers and solving for an unknown. This is an interactive course designed to provide students with a solid foundation in preparation for algebra courses.

humanties

Students in all grades will study the same time period of history each year. During the 2022-2023 school year we will use The Story of the World: Volume III (Early Modern Times) as the spine of our studies. In this course we will use the Story of the World activity pages, hands-on projects, comprehension activities and narration exercises to explore this time period. Studies will begin with the Protestant Reformation and follow the path of reformation to the colonization of the United States, the Revolutionary War, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They will also learn about westward expansion through the time of the gold rush. Students will delight in this course as they come to a rich understanding of the perseverance of our founding fathers and their vision for our country.

Course Descriptions